Despite how much Obito wanted to avoid talking about this, and no matter his dislike of that woman who dared to interfere with his plans and stand in his way, he wasn't foolish enough to think he could say anything that mattered at this point.
Zetsu also didn't see any reason to let this potential asset just sit there unused, and he was annoyed with Obito for pulling that whole Uchiha clan affair anyway, so he didn't stop his white half from talking.
"It was she who interfered with his killing of the Uchiha clan, saving all those little kids, all her doing." The white half of Zetsu happily exposed all about Obito's loss.
"So she is the reason for Itachi's failure?" Konan said. She had been angered upon hearing of the fall of the Uchiha clan, but it was hardly something she could meddle in. She was well aware that the world was full of evil.
She turned her eyes towards Nagato, towards Yahiko's body. The world was full of pain, and only their plan could put a stop to it.
"So this is why you don't want her to join our cause? Because she humiliated you? Such a petty reason from the mighty Madara Uchiha," Konan said, making no attempt at hiding the satisfaction she felt inside.
Obito seethed behind his mask. He couldn't deny it. His failure at the Uchiha clan's massacre was a gaping wound in his pride. He had orchestrated the entire event, manipulating a grieving, powerful child into doing his dirty work, only for this blind, meddling woman to waltz in and mess things up.
"It's not about humiliation," Obito snarled, trying to regain control of the conversation. "It's about unpredictability. Ask yourself, how did that woman know about what would happen? How did she prepare beforehand? She is hiding too many secrets." He turned to face Nagato, a desperate plea in his posture. "She is a wild card, Pain. A variable we cannot afford in our plan. We need control. We need certainty. She offers neither."
Nagato was silent for a long moment, the only sound in the room the steady drip of water from the ceiling. He considered Madara's words, but only for a moment; he did note his attempt, as he knew that there must be more to this woman than Madara was willing to tell.
Still, it didn't matter. "Before a god, no amount of secrets matters, her strength will be a worthy asset, and that is final." Nagato's words left no room for debate.
His tone was flat, final. He turned away from Madara, his focus once more on the window and the endless rain. The decision was made. The meeting was over.
Obito stood frozen for a second, then simply vanished, swallowed by the swirling vortex of Kamui. He knew better than to argue further with Nagato when he used that tone. But as he reappeared in the depths of his own dimension, surrounded by the countless swirling copies of his Sharingan, his mind raced.
That woman, he didn't understand her; he didn't know how she knew about the Uchiha event before it happened, and more than that, she possessed a space-time ninjutsu. The last person who did that was his old sensei, and he had managed to beat him, hurt him.
If not for the Nine-Tails going wild at the time, and if not for him dying to reseal it, Obito had no doubt that his sensei would be the most dangerous person alive.
Only someone like that could threaten him now, only space-time could beat space-time.
Still, while he would have to be careful, it wasn't to the point that he was afraid. That woman knew things, secrets, but he would let Nagato deal with her; it was his pain in the neck.
Back in the chamber, Nagato and Konan watched as Madara disappeared, they shared a look, but with Zetsu there, they didn't say anything.
"Who do we send?" Konan asked, they were determined to have her, but they needed someone to go, and given how powerful this kunoichi was, not just anyone could handle her.
Nagato thought about it for a moment, before he looked back at Zetsu. He didn't say anything, but his gaze was more than enough. It wasn't an order, but it was a clear sign of what he wanted.
Zetsu picked up on it right away. "Well, since she knows Kakuzu, sending him might work, or it could be seen as a hostile move, though if he is to be her partner, it might work, but since he has no partner, either we would have to send him with someone, or another team, making three." he gave some input. But Nagato didn't like that.
"No," he said flatly.
"Very well, then who do you have in mind?" Konan asked.
"You," he said. "You will go."
Konan didn't argue. If Nagato wanted her to go, she would go. She had a unique fighting style that could be devastating in the right circumstances, and she was discreet.
Zetsu also seemed to agree. "A good choice," White Zetsu said. "She is a woman, and Kaguya-hime seems to have a soft spot for women and children. She rescued the last two Uzumaki, did she not?" he said, trying to be helpful.
"True," Konan conceded. "But given that she could possibly beat Kakuzu, I'm not sure if I can beat her into submission, or what?" she asked of Zetsu, since he clearly knew more about this Kaguya-hime than she did.
"You will not be able to beat her, Kakuzu has been spreading information about her around, she possesses multiple Kekkei Genkai, beyond just the Shikotsumyaku of the Kaguya clan, she also has the Ice Release of the Yuki clan, and Lava Release, as well as Storm Release, add on her clear skills as a sensor, she won't be easy to defeat at all." Black Zetsu explained. "She is truly dangerous, but she isn't without weaknesses."
"Weaknesses?" Konan repeated, her interest piqued. This was the kind of information she needed.
"Yes," Black Zetsu continued, a knowing tone in his voice. "Her biggest weakness is her sentimental nature. She went to war with Kusagakure over the two Uzumaki, and entered Konoha twice to protect children from Kekkei Genkai clans."
Nagato was the first to shake his head at his words. "No, we will not target children to get at the adult, we bring a new future, one of hope and peace, and while this requires the world to face pain, we haven't fallen so low as to target children," Nagato said firmly.
He had suffered as a child, and he had only survived thanks to Konan and Yahiko helping him, thanks to Jiraiya-sensei taking them in.
He wouldn't forget why he did what he did; he wouldn't forget the pain he felt. And those two Uzumaki had naturally already felt pain, so there was no reason to give them more.
Konan nodded in agreement. "He's right. If we resort to such tactics, we are no better than the ones we seek to replace. There must be another way."
"Then we must use force, because I know of no other weakness." Black Zetsu said, clearly undisturbed by Nagato's declaration. "Which means sending at least three members, if not you," he said, looking at Nagato. Because only he, with his Rinnegan, could single-handedly defeat this woman who used his mother's name.
Nagato considered going for a moment, but finally shook his head. What was the point of recruiting all these shinobi to join the Akatsuki if he still had to do everything personally? He was a god, and he didn't get involved in minor conflicts between mortals.
He would go after a jinchūriki, but to recruit a member? No, that was a waste of his power and of their resources.
"No, I will not go. Send two teams, Kakuzu and Konan shall form a temporary team, and go bring another, ask who will go, if someone volunteers, good, if not, Konan, just pick one. And remember, try not to use force at first. She is not our enemy. We want her to see the righteousness of our cause. We need her power, not her corpse," Nagato said.
...
With the decision made, Konan called a meeting with the other members of the Akatsuki, some were there in person, others used the communication technique created by Nagato to attend without being there.
The room was a mix of tense silence and barely suppressed curiosity.
Konan looked at them, at the people who would help Nagato achieve his dream, to bring peace, not through the understanding that Yahiko once dreamed of, but through the pain his death had caused them.
She didn't trust a single one of them. She understood that they all had their own reasons for being there; they didn't share the same goal. Some were here because they were forced to be; others... those were the ones she had to be on guard against.
Among those she was most on guard against were Orochimaru and Itachi, well, and Zetsu and Madara, but it was clear that Zetsu had little offensive power, and was Madara's follower, so the real threat there was Madara.
Sasori, Kakuzu, and Jūzō Biwa were all far less dangerous, since she knew why they were there, and their motives were easier to understand. But Orochimaru and Itachi? She had no idea why they were here, or at least, she didn't fully trust their reasons.
"The purpose of this meeting is to recruit a new member," Konan stated, her voice clear and devoid of emotion.
"I will be leading the recruitment mission, and Kakuzu will be joining me. I will also need one more volunteer for this mission."
Sasori sat hidden within the protective shell of his body and, if his body would have allowed it, he would have scoffed. "Another addition?" he said at last, voice quiet and flat. "We are supposed to be refining quality, not expanding quantity."
"Her strength is said to be legendary," Konan said calmly, ignoring his outburst.
Sasori's eyes shifted slightly. "That is what is always said," he answered. "Until the body is opened and we discover how fragile it truly was. What makes this one so special that you think they won't end up like the last of Kakuzu's partners?"
"Because they have already proven themselves, already survived him once," Konan replied simply.
This piece of news was a bombshell. Kakuzu, who had a habit of murdering his partners, was finally about to meet his match? Someone whom he had failed to kill once? The room went silent, the tension palpable.
"A partner who won't die," White Zetsu chirped from the shadows. "One who can actually keep up with him."
Jūzō, a man with a large cleaver on his back, gave a short, humorless laugh. "I'd pay to see that. Kakuzu finally meeting his match."
Kakuzu remained silent, but the air around him grew colder. He didn't like this, not one bit. Because he had a good idea about what this new partner of his might be, and he wasn't happy about it. She was supposed to be his biggest bounty to date... and now she was joining this group?
That would complicate things.
Worse still, if he did take her down and cashed in her bounty, he wouldn't even be able to keep the money!
Years of spreading the news of her many Kekkei Genkai would all be for nothing! All that work, all that effort... gone!
But he had no choice, he couldn't say no, not with Pain ordering him.
"Is there a problem, Kakuzu?" Konan asked, her tone sharp.
"No," he grunted. "No problem at all."
"Good," Konan said, her gaze sweeping across the room, settling on Orochimaru. "I need one more team. Any volunteers?"
Orochimaru, a serpent in human form, let out a soft, sibilant laugh. His long tongue flicked out, tasting the air. "A legendary kunoichi... How intriguing. I assume this would be the famous Kaguya-hime? The woman who is said to possess a dozen Kekkei Genkai?" he asked, a predatory gleam in his yellow eyes.
He had been looking into her for some time now, ever since he had heard rumors about her. The idea of a body that could host multiple, powerful Kekkei Genkai was a temptation almost too great to resist. He wanted to study her, to dissect her, to understand the secrets of her power.
"So it's true? She is the one we are after? In that case, I will go," Orochimaru said, a wide, unnerving smile stretching across his face. "I would love to... examine her for myself."
Konan didn't trust him for a second. She knew he was only interested in her for her body, as a potential new vessel. Still, he was one of their strongest members, and having him along would ensure that if things went wrong, they could handle it.
"What about you, Sasori? Are you willing to go?" Konan asked, as he was Orochimaru's partner, if he wasn't willing to go, then Orochimaru couldn't go either; they were, after all, a team.
Sasori was silent for a long moment, considering the offer. "While I would be interested in such a specimen, they are to be recruited, not eliminated, so I have no interest in wasting my time," he said, his voice flat, devoid of emotion.
Orochimaru wasn't happy about this at all, but before he could try and persuade him to change his mind, Itachi spoke up.
"Will this be a direct assault?" he asked.
"No," Konan said. "We will try to recruit her peacefully."
"Then we will go," Itachi said, his tone as flat and emotionless as ever. He had met the woman once, back in Konoha, and he was curious about her. Not because of her power, but because of her motives. She had saved the children of the Uchiha clan, and he wanted to understand why.
Konan didn't say anything, she just looked towards Jūzō Biwa, Itachi's partner. He didn't seem to be happy about it, but he didn't say anything either. He just nodded in agreement.
"Then it's settled," Konan said. "Itachi, Jūzō Biwa, Kakuzu, and I will go; Orochimaru and Sasori can continue their work." she said, firmly dismissing the Sannin and his puppet partner.
Orochimaru's smile tightened. He didn't like being dismissed, but he knew better than to argue with Pain's orders. "As you wish," he said, his voice a low hiss. "But do be careful. I would hate for such a... unique specimen to be damaged beyond repair."
(End of chapter)
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