Chapter 206: The Establishment of a Different Akatsuki
Looking at the bright red apple candy in Franklin's hand, Astraea swallowed unconsciously,
Then, using her powerful will, she forcibly shifted her attention elsewhere. Yet even after turning her head and looking straight at Franklin, her eyes would still involuntarily drift back to where the apple candy was,
"Master, I'm not saying this because of the food. Everything I said came from my heart."
Seeing her forcing herself like this, Franklin was genuinely surprised,
That a foodie like Astraea could place him above food was no small matter,
Looking at the serious expression on Astraea's face, Franklin smiled and directly handed the apple candy to her,
"I understand your feelings. If that day really comes in the future, I'll be counting on you to protect me. This apple candy will be my advance thanks."
Only after Franklin said this did Astraea smile and take the apple candy from his hand, slowly eating it,
"Don't worry, Master, I definitely will. The close-combat angel Astraea is invincible."
Watching Astraea once again lower her sense of presence and quietly move to the back, Franklin smiled helplessly and looked at Nymph, who was still waiting for his answer,
Walking at a steady pace toward the Hokage Office, Nymph and Ikaros silently followed at Franklin's side,
Astraea, meanwhile, observed her surroundings while seriously savoring the apple candy in her hand, quietly trailing behind the group.
"It's not really a detailed plan outline. I'm just preparing to first create an opposing force for the various villages of the ninja world—an overwhelmingly powerful enemy that threatens their very survival,
Then I'll first bring Konoha under control. As for the other villages, whoever doesn't believe it or wants to cause trouble will receive appropriate attacks,
This opposing force will also claim that its goal is peace in the ninja world. They will fall into darkness themselves, using overwhelming strength to forcibly push the ninja villages into alliances and unity,
And I'll also set up an enemy beyond the ninja world for them. Forcing the villages to unite will only be the surface,
Their massacres and harassment will all be for the future peaceful development of the ninja world, even for the survival of all humanity in the ninja world,
As for that enemy—it will be me. In the final battle, I will appear, suppress everyone with absolute force, and plant a false Divine Tree with extremely powerful defensive capabilities,
It will stand forever on the ninja continent, and I will leave behind a message: a thousand years later, when the Divine Tree blooms and bears fruit, the ninja world will cease to exist. What do you think of this idea?"
Seeing the gleam in Franklin's eyes, Nymph was momentarily at a loss for words. After thinking for a bit, she gently nodded,
"It feels like it could work. But have you thought about the specific details, Master? It doesn't seem that easy to pull off."
Franklin smiled faintly. "Someone has already helped me work out the details. I just need to make some simple adjustments and tweak the process a bit. This plan will be very easy to carry out."
As he spoke, the four of them had already arrived downstairs at the Hokage Office,
Upstairs, Namikaze Minato—who had been listening to the Third Hokage and the various clan heads discussing how Naruto should be raised—jumped straight out of the window.
"Lord Franklin, is there something you need now?"
Seeing the somewhat grim expression on Minato's face, Franklin could roughly guess the reason, but now was clearly not the time to talk about it,
"It's nothing major. I just came to tell you to keep an eye on Root, Danzo, and the Third Hokage's attitude toward the Uchiha clan,
When you're about to make a move against the Uchiha, inform me in advance. Also, remind everyone to pay attention to emotional control—don't lose the big picture over small issues,
If irreversible consequences arise in the future, I will correct the mistakes of history."
Minato let out a quiet breath and bowed deeply to Franklin,
"I will. I'll also remind Kushina. And thank you, Lord Franklin, for giving us a chance to live. I'm truly grateful."
As for such gratitude, Franklin simply waved his hand dismissively,
"I'll still be using you in the future. Although it won't have a major impact on Konoha, you may find it hard to accept for a while,
So don't thank me just yet. After I've finished what I want to do, if you still feel grateful, then say it again."
After giving Minato this warning, Franklin led Nymph, Ikaros, and Astraea straight back to the room atop the Hokage Rock.
Seven years passed in the blink of an eye. During these seven years, Franklin devoted himself daily to studying the usage techniques of the Rinnegan, as well as its hidden abilities,
At the same time, he carefully pondered the true capabilities of Illusory World Genesis and the possible price it might demand.
During these seven years, Franklin found Obito once more. While helping him recover his memories, he also used Illusory World Genesis to fuse Phantom with Black Zetsu, whose self-awareness had been erased,
After confirming that Phantom had successfully evolved, the two went to the location where the original Akatsuki had once cooperated with Hanzo,
They rescued Yahiko, then used Phantom to control him, and afterward used Illusory World Genesis to create a fake corpse of Yahiko.
After bringing him back, Franklin seriously explained his vision for the future of the ninja world and his understanding of where Akatsuki should head in the future,
Facing Franklin's step-by-step explanations and the display of his own overwhelming strength, Yahiko went from initial shock to eventual numbness,
From that numbness, he quickly found his own position. Having already died once, Yahiko understood that Franklin's ideas were correct, and he accepted them with remarkable openness.
When he saw Nagato again, Nagato had already been drained by the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path to the point of being skin and bones,
In his eyes, Franklin saw confusion and deep concern for the future of the ninja world, and taking advantage of this, Franklin directly stated his purpose.
"To seek peace through struggle allows peace to survive; to seek peace through compromise leads to peace's destruction.
Ninjas are, by nature, a combative group. Verbal arguments have no meaning. This time, I've come to discuss the future of Akatsuki with you."
At this moment, facing Nagato who believed Yahiko to be dead, there was nothing but impatience in him. Franklin was already prepared—he directly summoned the already persuaded Yahiko and placed him before Nagato,
Then, Franklin left directly. What the two brothers talked about afterward was none of Franklin's concern. He had already told Yahiko everything about Akatsuki's role and what it would face in the future, in complete detail.
When he returned again, Nagato had completely changed. The way he looked at Franklin was filled with disbelief and vigilance, but deep within his gaze there was also a trace of curiosity and a yearning for that kind of future life.
Under Franklin's guidance, based on his profound understanding of the Rinnegan, and with the assistance of Illusory World Genesis to rapidly complete the Six Paths puppets,
Nagato's strength surpassed the Kage level by several tiers. And in the following years, Kakuzu, Sasori, Orochimaru, and Biwa Jūzō were all subdued and joined Akatsuki.