chapter 115 part 2
Bunpuku fell silent.
As one of the few Jinchuriki of this era capable of peaceful communication with his Tailed Beast, Bunpuku had indeed heard Shukaku mention the Sage of Kaedex Paths.
He also knew what the Ten-Tails truly was.
Bunpuku wanted to say something to Tsukasa Kaede, but he no longer had the chance.
"Use the Gedo Mazo to devour the One-Tail. From now on, you will be able to wield an even more powerful weapon, one that comes with its own Chakra, eliminating the need to sacrifice your own Life Force. Your Akatsuki will instantly become a powerful Faction in the Shinobi World," Tsukasa Kaede said.
"So that's how it is."
Yahiko wasn't surprised. After a moment of thought, he looked at Nagato. "We must obtain the One-Tail."
"But, killing a One-Tails Jinchuriki we don't even know..."
"We have no choice. Konan is still in his hands," Yahiko said.
Nagato remained silent for a moment, then raised his hand and used Universal Pull to draw Bunpuku towards him, grasping him. He looked at Tsukasa Kaede with a complex expression. "You seem to know an awful lot about my Rinnegan."
"A general understanding, I suppose. If something genuinely existed, it inevitably leaves traces," Tsukasa Kaede said. "Over the next few days, I will help you seal the One-Tail."
"You say that so matter-of-factly. You want to uncover the secrets of the Rinnegan, don't you? For example, to further master the Rinnegan's Dojutsu related to sealing Tailed Beasts," Yahiko said coldly.
"Isn't it just the Sealing Jutsu: Phantom Dragons Nine Consuming Seals? I personally experienced it last time and had to sacrifice a precious Three-Tomoe Sharingan just to escape the predicament."
Tsukasa Kaede took a Sealing Scroll from his waist, placed a hand on it, and summoned one of the Gedo Mazo's fingers.
Yahiko, Nagato, and the others were all stunned, staring in disbelief at the finger.
They had all speculated about why the Gedo Mazo had lost a finger and where that lost finger had gone, but they had no clues. But now...
"You did that? You came into contact with the Gedo Mazo even earlier than Nagato? But why would that happen?!" Yahiko was stunned. He had imagined many scenarios, but he never expected this, and he was completely bewildered.
Nagato was even more dumbfounded. He was certain that the Gedo Mazo was intrinsically linked to the Rinnegan; by continuously developing the Rinnegan's power, one would naturally gain the ability to Summon the Gedo Mazo.
But what was Tsukasa Kaede's deal? He didn't have the Rinnegan, yet he had come into contact with the Gedo Mazo even earlier and had even chopped off one of its fingers?
"When it comes to sealing Tailed Beasts, I have some experience. I wouldn't claim to know the Gedo Mazo better than you, but with my understanding of it, I won't hold you back," Tsukasa Kaede said.
His casual manner of speaking made him even more unfathomable in the eyes of Nagato and the others; they couldn't begin to discern his true intentions.
Over the next few days, Tsukasa Kaede, Yahiko, and Nagato jointly fed the One-Tail to the Gedo Mazo.
The Gedo Mazo, finally nourished after a millennium, clearly became more imposing. When commanded, it could unleash even greater vitality and power.
More importantly, this entity naturally countered other Tailed Beasts. If an enemy ever tried to use a Tailed Beast against the Gedo Mazo, Nagato could simply control the Gedo Mazo to swallow the Tailed Beast whole.
Under Tsukasa Kaede's interference, the Akatsuki had already embarked on a different path.
"Now can you tell me who you intend to use us to deal with?"
Yahiko walked alongside Tsukasa Kaede. He asked, "I'm also very curious, what kind of enemy is so formidable that even someone like you has to seek help? I thought you'd prefer turning Comrades into Corpses rather than finding allies."
"Most of the time, I do see things as you describe; Corpses won't betray me, but people will. However, the entity you need to deal with is somewhat special. For now, just remember this: there will come a day when I will need to use you."
Tsukasa Kaede said, without even looking at Yahiko.
"If this matter is completed..."
"I will return Konan to you. I already said, I never truly intended to kill her, but I needed her strength to assist me. The simplest way was by force."
With those words, the two reached a consensus.
After Tsukasa Kaede left using Space-Time Ninjutsu, Yahiko stood rooted to the spot, silent for a long time.
Nagato walked up to him and hesitantly said, "Yahiko..."
"The plan to infiltrate the Hidden Leaf Village remains unchanged, but we don't need to execute it so hastily. We both need stronger power. He's willing to hand over a power like the One-Tail to us, which at least means he doesn't care about the One-Tail."
Yahiko said in a deep voice, "Then as long as we can acquire more Tailed Beasts and continuously strengthen our power, becoming strong enough to be irresistible to both Tsukasa Kaede and the Hidden Leaf Village, our Comrades will naturally return. During this time, the stronger we become, the safer Konan will be."
The newly embarked Akatsuki, though stumbling, already possessed enough power to establish itself.
After Yahiko and Nagato returned to their Base.
Black Zetsu and White Zetsu emerged from the ground, observing from a distance.
"What do we do? There's a huge problem. Nagato hasn't already devoured a Tailed Beast with the Gedo Mazo, has he? Everything's gone awry. Once this starts, it can't be stopped. What exactly does Tsukasa Kaede want?" White Zetsu exclaimed in surprise.
Black Zetsu spoke in a low, husky voice, "Lord Tsukasa Kaede naturally has his reasons for doing this. Even Madara can no longer stop him, much less you."
"I wasn't planning on stopping him, alright? I know you're on his side, no need to be so sensitive," White Zetsu grumbled. "I just don't know what I'm supposed to do in the future. Listen to Lord Madara? He won't live much longer; he could die at any moment. Listen to Obito? He clearly hasn't matured yet. In the end, won't we still have to listen to Tsukasa Kaede?"
That was too absurd, yet Tsukasa Kaede was, after all, an existence that even Madara couldn't find a good way to deal with.
...
Tsukasa Kaede returned to the Hidden Leaf Village.
An Anbu Ninja was already waiting outside the house.