This talk lasted for half an hour.
Yahiko's expression grew darker the more he listened, and so did Konan and Akashige's.
"So you're saying the person who took Nagato did it to use his dōjutsu?"
"Right. So you don't have to worry about his safety—at least not in the short term."
Gekko Chizan felt his mouth go dry. He had come in such a rush that he forgot to bring water. Damn, this was killing him.
"Uchiha's ancestor, Uchiha Madara..."
"When I was a kid, I heard about his feats. He was one of the two people who single-handedly made the entire shinobi world bow its head..."
"To think he's actually still alive..."
Akashige leaned against the cave wall with a sigh of disbelief. He thought the man was a legend, yet here he was, real and alive.
And he had even attacked them.
This was truly shocking.
"Damn it! Those were clearly Nagato's eyes—how could they belong to him?!"
"Chizan, you must know where he went. Tell me. I'm going to take Nagato back—he's my comrade!"
Yahiko suddenly stood up, completely ignoring his exhausted body. His face was full of emotion; he couldn't accept his companion being taken and used by someone else.
Konan slowly rose too, standing beside Yahiko, her expression serious.
"Yahiko is right. Gekko Chizan, please tell us where that man went. We won't give up on Yahiko's sake."
Seeing his close friends rise, Akashige also tried to stand, but he had taken a cut on his leg during the battle. He went straight to his knees in Chizan's direction.
That startled Gekko Chizan quite a bit.
"What are you doing? Why are you kneeling? We don't do that here!"
"Get up. Even if you bow to me, I don't know where they went."
Chizan flickered to the side instantly.
Leaving Akashige kneeling there, his whole face darkened.
"My leg is injured!!!"
"I wasn't trying to bow!"
"Ah... give me a hand, I can't get up..."
The originally serious atmosphere collapsed the moment Akashige went down on his knees.
Yahiko and Chizan hurried to help him up.
"There's no need for this."
"Honestly, I really don't know where they went. That guy's dōjutsu is for escaping—even I can't catch up."
"Besides, his dōjutsu interferes with my Flying Thunder God. That's why I was a step behind."
Chizan's head ached at the thought of that bastard's dōjutsu.
A distance-related dōjutsu—this was his first time seeing one. Damn it, all because the Uchiha in the original story were too few, with only a handful of abilities shown.
He had no reference at all.
"And when he ran, there was no clear direction to follow. Even if I wanted to chase, I wouldn't know where to start."
"Anyway, you don't need to worry about Nagato's life. The enemy needs him alive, so he won't be in danger for now."
"But one thing you have to keep in mind—what he'll face after being taken away, we don't know. The next time you meet him, he might not be the Nagato you once knew."
"You need to be mentally prepared for that."
Yahiko and Konan both fell silent. They didn't need anyone to tell them what Nagato would face after being captured.
But he was their comrade. How could they give up?
Yahiko stayed silent for a long time, his fists clenching until his knuckles cracked. When he finally spoke, his voice was heavy as iron.
"No matter what happens, I'll find him and bring him back."
"He's a member of Akatsuki. I won't abandon him."
"I'll find him and bring him back, no matter how long it takes."
Gekko Chizan looked at the orange-haired Yahiko before him and, for some reason, suddenly saw someone else's shadow.
Naruto Uzumaki, the protagonist of Naruto. Tsk, tsk, tsk. Wasn't this exactly like the whole show being about Naruto chasing Sasuke?
First, it was blond chasing black-haired. Now it's orange-haired chasing red-haired. Tsk.
"Enough. Don't think about Nagato for now."
"What about Amegakure?"
"The situation here is very unfavorable to you."
Thinking about how many Amegakure shinobi had gone after Yahiko's group, Chizan couldn't help clicking his tongue.
Although he could tell those people were under Sharingan control...
He wasn't going to say that aloud. This was a perfect chance to pack Yahiko's team up and take them away.
He wasn't going to ruin it for himself.
Yahiko opened his mouth several times but said nothing. In the end, it came out as only a sigh.
"Ah...."
"Now the entire Amegakure is watching you like hawks."
"Akatsuki is down to just you three. Are you sure you don't want to consider my suggestion?"
"Leave Amegakure. You'll get good treatment."
"If not, Takigakure would also work. It's relatively safer there. You could use the time to breathe and regroup."
Chizan started again. He needed Yahiko to move forward according to his script.
Amegakure was under the thumb of Hanzo the Salamander. It was far too restrictive for them.
Yahiko was silent. He had grown up on this land. If possible, he truly didn't want to leave. He wanted to change this country, to change this village.
But with his comrades dying and his brother taken, his dream was already fractured.
"Takigakure... might not be a bad choice. They're far from the war. We could build up some strength there."
"If our ambitions are big enough, we could gather power in Takigakure."
"And then directly strike against Amegakure."
Konan, who had been silent all this time, suddenly spoke up. Her voice was firmer than ever before.
Even Yahiko and Akashige were surprised.
Konan had always followed Yahiko and Nagato, rarely expressing her own opinions.
But now, after this upheaval, she was the one to suggest a plan.
Chizan looked at the blue-haired girl, a glimmer of admiration in his eyes.
Adversity really does make people grow. Konan was growing now.
Whether or not it had anything to do with him—who cared? As long as they followed his plan, it was fine.
Honestly, he had long planned to target Takigakure. After all, he had stolen their tailed beast, so relations were already at rock bottom.
If Yahiko could go to Takigakure and become its leader, it would be a win for him later.
Because when trouble came, Yahiko could handle it himself.
He was confident Yahiko, with his love for peace, could definitely win over Takigakure's people.
That was his charisma.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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