Noticing Gento's gaze sweeping over Ajisai, Konan immediately had Ajisai wait outside the office.
Although Ajisai was somewhat puzzled, she still nodded obediently and withdrew, gently closing the door behind her.
Only the two of them remained in the office.
Konan sat down on the sofa.
She looked at Gento and spoke:
"You do not need to worry about her exposing the secret of my coming to see you."
"As a backup body for Nagato's Animal Path puppet, her ultimate fate is only death."
Hearing this, Gento frowned.
The Loli Path was one of the system's dual cultivation targets.
Although she was still young now, he would eventually claim her once she grew up, so he certainly could not let her die as she did in the original story.
Therefore, he spoke:
"Find a way to make Nagato use another body. Do not let her die."
"She will be of use to me later."
Konan did not question him further and simply nodded.
"Why did you contact me this time?"
Konan brought the conversation back on track.
Gento sat down behind the desk:
"How is the recruitment of the Akatsuki members going?"
Konan nodded slightly and reported the intelligence in detail:
"Currently, the Akatsuki has recruited nine members. Their codenames and ring designations have all been finalized."
"Pain is the leader of the Deva Path, with the codename Rei. Possessing the Rinnegan, he is the leader on the surface."
"My codename is Haku, responsible for the organization's external relations and intelligence."
"Zetsu is Gai, in charge of scouting and post-battle cleanup. He has two bodies, half black and half white, and can move freely underground. There is almost nowhere he cannot infiltrate."
"Kisame Hoshigaki is Nan, formerly one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. He wields the Great Sword Samehada and possesses powerful strength. He has already proven his loyalty by now."
"Kakuzu is Hoku, a rogue ninja from the Hidden Waterfall Village. He possesses the Earth Grudge Fear secret technique and has five hearts inside his body, meaning he can theoretically be killed five times. He is one of the most troublesome characters in the organization."
"Hidan is San, an immortal cultist."
"Orochimaru is Ku, formerly one of the Leaf's Sannin."
"Deidara is Sei, formerly a shinobi of the Hidden Stone Village. He specializes in clay bombs, has a flamboyant personality, and possesses an obsessive pursuit of art."
"Sasori is Gyoku, formerly a genius puppeteer from the Hidden Sand Village. After defecting, he turned himself into a human puppet, and his strength is unfathomable."
Gento pondered upon hearing this.
It seemed that under his influence, the development of the plot had already deviated from the original story.
Furthermore, Itachi Uchiha had not joined the Akatsuki. The Akatsuki currently had nine members, lacking one to make a total of ten.
He suddenly had a flash of inspiration.
Since they were missing one, could he send another undercover agent into the Akatsuki?
Or even... could he personally join the Akatsuki as an undercover agent?
If he also became a member of the Akatsuki, when the time was ripe, he would turn coat along with Konan and Hidan at the same time. The expressions of Obito and Nagato would surely be spectacular.
Thinking of this, a smile hovered at the corner of Gento's mouth as he asked:
"Didn't you decide to recruit ten people? What about the remaining one?"
Konan said:
"The masked man requested Nagato to continue looking for a suitable candidate."
"There is only one core condition: they must be a powerful rogue ninja."
"A rogue ninja..."
Gento's eyes flickered.
After thinking for a moment, he continued:
"What if I pull some strings using my own authority and then join the Akatsuki under the identity of a rogue ninja?"
Konan was a bit surprised to hear this, though she quickly nodded:
"I can help you, but what identity will you use? What reason will you have for defecting?"
The two discussed this matter for a long time, settling many details.
Their background, the method of defection, the display of strength, how to attract the Akatsuki's attention...
No detail was too small, and everything was planned out properly.
With business concluded, Gento turned around, his gaze falling on Konan.
She sat on the sofa, the collar of her cloak a bit open.
Her light blue-purple hair was draped over her shoulders, making her cold face appear even fairer.
Her figure was slender and tight, the cloak outlining her faint curves.
A trace of heat flashed in Gento's eyes. He strode over, scooped Konan up from the sofa, and pressed her against the edge of the desk.
Her back pressed against the cold desktop, and her hands instinctively wrapped around his neck.
Gento leaned down, his thumb gently pressing against her pink lips, feeling the soft and moist sensation.
"Konan, do you want it?"
Konan's cheeks instantly flushed, spreading from the base of her ears all the way to her neck.
She turned her face away, not daring to meet his eyes.
Her eyelashes trembled slightly, and her lips parted slightly:
"...Yes."
Gento stopped talking and lowered his head to kiss her.
...
An hour later.
A lingering flush of satisfaction remained on Konan's face.
She reached out to gather her hair and began to put her clothes back on, piece by piece.
Gento leaned back against the chair, looking at her with a smile.
"Be careful on your way back."
"Yes."
Konan tied her sash, regaining her cold and calm demeanor.
Konan opened the door. Outside, Ajisai was crouching in the corner of the corridor, her cheeks flushed red, though it was unclear whether it was from waiting too long or from hearing something she should not have.
Seeing Konan come out, she quickly stood up and followed behind nervously.
"Lady Angel, are we... returning to the Land of Rain?"
"Yes."
...
A few days later, a piece of shocking news spread throughout the entire shinobi world.
A shinobi named Nanashi Uchiha had defected and left the Hidden Gento Village.
Rumor had it that this person was originally an elite Jonin of the Uchiha clan who was deeply trusted by Gento, but for some unknown reason, malicious intent arose in him, and he poisoned the tea while Gento was off guard.
After drinking the poisoned tea, Gento collapsed on the spot, his life or death unknown.
Nanashi fled Cerulean Harbor overnight, running for his life toward the Land of Fire.
When the news got out, the entire shinobi world was in an uproar.
"Gento Uchiha was poisoned? For real? That's a man whom even the Raikage couldn't defeat!"
"I heard he was blindsided by a rogue ninja of his own clan."
"It seems that no matter how strong a person is, they can't prevent those close to them from poisoning them."
"Tsk, tsk, is this an internal rebellion in the Uchiha? The real show is yet to come."
Teahouses, taverns, and bounty stations were filled with talk about this matter everywhere.
Some gloated, some were worried, some sneered, and some had solemn expressions.
Regardless, everyone was waiting for what would happen next.
Had that rogue ninja been caught?
However, the next piece of news made everyone gasp.
On his way to escape, Nanashi Uchiha was discovered by the two powerhouses Shisui Uchiha and Itachi Uchiha.
The three immediately engaged in a fierce battle on the border of the Land of Fire.
That battle was fought until the sky turned dark, leveling the forest for miles around.
Shisui's green Susanoo and Itachi's red Susanoo stood side by side, clashing with ninjutsu, exchanging sword flashes, cracking the earth, and changing the color of the sky.
Ultimately, at the cost of being injured, Nanashi Uchiha repelled Shisui Uchiha and Itachi Uchiha, disappearing within the borders of the Land of Fire.
When the news spread, the entire shinobi world boiled over.
"Shisui Uchiha… that's 'Shisui of the Body Flicker', a possessor of the Mangekyo Sharingan!"
"Itachi Uchiha is an even greater genius who unlocked his Mangekyo early on!"
"Even with those two joining forces, they actually couldn't take down that Nanashi?"
"Who on earth is this Nanashi?"
"I've never heard of such a figure before..."
"The Hidden Gento Village is full of crouching tigers and hidden dragons, but unfortunately, such a person was driven to rebel."
For a time, discussions about this matter went viral all over the shinobi world.
Everywhere people talked about Gento's life and death, Nanashi's strength, and the internal conflicts of the Uchiha.
Some sneered at Nanashi Uchiha, claiming he was just a cowardly villain who relied on poison and was not worth mentioning.
Others had solemn expressions, stating that Nanashi's strength was definitely powerful.
After all, being able to repel a combined attack from Shisui and Itachi meant that very few people in the entire shinobi world could match this level of strength.
And, after this incident, Gento Uchiha actually faded from the public eye.
He no longer attended public occasions, no longer issued government decrees, and did not even step out of the gates of his palace.
It was as though he had indeed been deeply poisoned, his life hanging by a thread.
Even Tsunade and Mei could not sit still, anxiously sending inquiries to the Hidden Gento Village.
Fortunately, Mabui had already been instructed by Gento to use the Heavenly Transfer Technique to send secret scrolls into the hands of the two.
Only then did the two of them feel at ease.
All of this, of course, was self-directed and self-performed by Gento.
While rumors were spreading wildly throughout the entire shinobi world,
Gento himself had already transformed into Nanashi Uchiha, walking through a golden wheat field at the border of the Land of Fire.
Suddenly, the air in front of Nanashi warped.
A man wearing an orange swirl mask and a black cloak with red clouds emerged from the void.
He sized up this rumored rogue ninja.
After a moment, he spoke:
"Nanashi Uchiha, are you interested in joining our Akatsuki?"
---
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