When Konan heard Uchiha Hikaru mention the term "brother-in-law," she didn't react for a moment. But a second later, her ears flushed red.
She muttered softly,
"Brother-in-law? That… seems about right."
After all, she had always regarded Nagato as her younger brother, so it was perfectly reasonable for Hikaru to call her that.
She then began sharing with Hikaru all the weaknesses in Obito's space-time jutsu that she had discovered over the years through her secret surveillance.
"From what I've observed, Uchiha Obito's Kamui—his space-time technique—doesn't appear to be usable indefinitely. The max duration he can stay intangible is about five minutes."
"I've spent years preparing. I've created hundreds of billions of explosive tags that can saturate a battlefield for more than ten minutes straight. All you need to do is drive him toward the sea outside Amegakure when the time comes."
"He won't have any way to escape."
As she spoke, Konan spread her hands dramatically, mimicking the moment she envisioned Obito being blown to bits and crumpling to the ground.
Uchiha Hikaru's eyes narrowed slightly as another idea sparked in his mind—a different jutsu.
It was a technique developed by the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, originally designed to complement the Impure World Reincarnation.
Maybe, after the Chunin Exams end, he could pass it on to Konan. She would definitely appreciate that kind of gift.
But at that moment, Konan's expression grew more serious.
"Obito might be manageable, but the other members of Akatsuki… they won't be so easy."
"When Akatsuki was founded, we made a rule: no member is allowed to attack another. That bond still holds."
"Even if we eliminate Obito and Black Zetsu, the rest could scatter into the ninja world and cause chaos."
She looked at Hikaru, eyes probing.
"How about we just… take them all out?"
As she said this, she raised her hands again in that same motion—like miming someone getting hung.
Hikaru blinked, watching the gesture, then suddenly remembered something. No wonder it felt familiar.
Isn't that the same move from Avengers when War Machine joked about time-traveling to strangle baby Thanos?
Pfft…
Suppressing the urge to laugh, he turned to Konan.
"Who are the main members of Akatsuki right now?"
"If we can convince or control them, maybe we let them join Amegakure—or keep them under Akatsuki's name—but working under our influence."
"As long as their interests are aligned, they'll abandon Obito."
Konan began counting on her fingers, listing them out.
"From Sunagakure: the rogue puppet master Sasori. From Iwagakure: the demolitions expert Deidara. The bounty hunter Kakuzu. The zealot from the Jashin cult—Hidan. And the deserter from Kirigakure—Biwa Juzo."
"Excluding Obito and Black Zetsu, and setting aside Nagato's Six Paths and myself, those are the five."
"Do you have any ideas?"
Her gaze held quiet confidence. She believed in Hikaru.
Because he was Uchiha Hikaru.
Hikaru exhaled, realizing just how much his presence had altered the timeline. Because of him, Itachi and Kisame never joined Akatsuki. And Juuzou Biwa—who, in the original timeline, died fighting Yagura—was still alive? Impressive.
As for Sasori… Hikaru figured he could be swayed by offering closure through his parents. Use Impure World Reincarnation to grant him that moment, and he'd likely follow willingly.
Deidara? That was easy.
(￣︶￣) He could already picture it: the second Konan showed him her origami-enhanced multiplication explosive tags, Deidara would trail her around like a devoted apprentice, calling her "Big Sis Konan" every five seconds.
Deidara wasn't a bad guy at heart. In the original story, the worst he did was kidnap Gaara—and that was under orders. What he really cared about was art. Explosions.
Heck, give him some land in the Fire Country and he'd be building highways through mountains with clay bombs.
A national treasure of infrastructure! (╥﹏╥)
And then there was Kakuzu—finance king of the shinobi world. His obsession with money made him incorruptible in the best way. Put him in charge of treasury affairs, and you'd never worry about embezzlement or tax fraud again. Anyone dumb enough to cook the books?
Kakuzu would rip their heart out. Literally.
That guy's loyalty to contracts and payments outweighed even his survival instincts.
Biwa Juzo? That one was simple. The man had fled Kirigakure to escape execution under Yagura's regime. But now that Mei Terumi had taken over, it was a different world. Send a word to Mei, and she'd probably welcome Juzo back with honors.
Even if she didn't—Mei wouldn't turn her back on a loyal Mist shinobi like Juzo. It was in her character.
The one true headache… was Hidan.
That lunatic.
The guy lived and breathed for Jashinism. No fear of death, complete fanatic. Even Nagato had tried using the Human Path to rip out his soul—and failed.
That was the scariest part.
If not even the Human Path can pull out your soul… maybe there really are gods or ghosts in this world.
Hikaru made a mental note: visit Princess Shion of the Land of Demons sometime soon. There might be secrets of spiritual power or sealing techniques that could help him understand Hidan's curse better… or even counter it.
"I have two options in mind," Hikaru said at last. "First, we strike immediately. After the Chunin Exams, we ambush Obito and Black Zetsu. But right now, they're likely watching both you and Nagato closely. The odds of catching them off guard aren't great."
"Obito and Black Zetsu aren't overwhelmingly strong, but you've seen how slippery they are. If they want to flee, we can't stop them."
Konan nodded, eyes narrowing. "What about the second plan?"
"The second is long-term."
"You secretly turn the rest—Sasori, Deidara, Kakuzu, Hidan, and Juzo—into full Amegakure loyalists. Not just members of Akatsuki. Get them aligned with your village."
"Give them benefits. Mission budgets. Freedom. Let them feel like it's better here than anywhere else."
"Then, we wait."
"Let Obito and Black Zetsu think they've won. In two or three years, when they finally reveal themselves again…"
Hikaru smirked, eyes gleaming.
"We crush them in one go. Beat them righteously. Make them regret everything."
Konan's eyes lit up at the idea. She could already picture the look of terror on Obito's face.
She nodded firmly.
"Done. Then Nagato and I will use persuasion, threats, and sweet talk to win over Sasori, Deidara, Juzo, and Kakuzu."
"You'll handle Hidan. That lunatic's all yours."
"Even Nagato tried the Human Path on him and failed to extract his soul."
Hikaru's brow furrowed.
Not even the Human Path could work on him?
Maybe there really are divine forces at play in this world...
After all, the original canon did mention ghosts and gods outright...
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