"Are you sure you're just going to watch Nagato kill Jiraiya?"
Watching the middle-aged man being pummeled by the Six Paths of Pain until he was barely functional, Allen finally couldn't help but speak up.
To be honest, he truly couldn't fathom how the master-disciple relationships in the Naruto world had become so warped. Almost every exceptional student seemed to find a way to kill their own teacher. Orochimaru and the Third Hokage, Minato Namikaze and Obito, even Jiraiya and Nagato couldn't escape this law.
Konan, however, countered with a calm question: "What else? Do you think a man like Jiraiya-sensei would accept our ideology and betray Konoha? Besides, killing him here would deal a massive blow to Konoha's morale and prestige. Especially to the Fifth Hokage, Tsunade, she would certainly weep for him, perhaps even suffer another mental breakdown."
"From a standpoint of pure interest, doing so is indeed beyond reproach. But I feel that having a student personally kill their old master is a bit too cruel. Perhaps... we could make better use of this Toad Sage," Allen proposed with a smile.
"Use him?" Konan turned to stare into his violet eyes.
Allen gave a slight nod. "Exactly! What kind of reaction do you think Konoha would have if we leaked a bit of information about collecting the Tailed Beasts to him? How would the Great Ninja Villages react?"
"That depends on how much is revealed. If it's just about collecting Tailed Beasts to resurrect the legendary Ten-Tails, the remaining four Great Nations would likely form an immediate alliance and then hesitate over whether to declare war on the Akatsuki. But if the plans of Madara Uchiha and Black Zetsu are revealed, they would probably stop at nothing to prevent it," Konan said after a moment's thought, providing her assessment.
After all, the only ones who currently held this secret information were Black Zetsu and the core members of the Akatsuki, including Obito. Black Zetsu certainly wouldn't reveal his true goal, so he could be excluded. This meant that how much the rest of the shinobi world knew depended entirely on how much the Akatsuki wanted them to know, and what amount of knowledge would best serve the plan.
"Why not... just reveal the matter of the Ten-Tails to Jiraiya? I want to see if these Great Ninja Villages will unite to wage war against the Akatsuki, or if they will pretend they know nothing and continue using their strength to stop the expansion of the Resistance, protecting the interests of the Daimyos and nobles."
As he spoke, a playful smile surfaced on Allen's face. One didn't need to ask to know that he was playing his "Hard Choice Between Two Options" game again, a hallmark of his style from the world of Hunter x Hunter. He appeared to give the opponent a choice, but in reality, no matter which one they picked, the final outcome would remain unchanged.
Konan clearly realized this as well and couldn't help but ask, "Were your family or friends killed by ninjas in the past?"
"Hmm? Why do you ask?" Allen blinked, confused.
"If not, why would you come up with such a wicked idea to torment them?"
Indeed. In Konan's eyes, this was a form of cruel psychological torture for the enemy. If the Great Ninja Villages declared war on the Akatsuki, they would inevitably lose a significant portion of their active forces, thereby losing the right to compete with the Resistance for dominance of the world. They would eventually decline like the Samurai of old, leading to their ultimate extinction.
But if they chose to turn a blind eye, then once Madara was resurrected and cast the Infinite Tsukuyomi, the first wave to die would be these ninjas who possessed large amounts of chakra. As for the Resistance, while some had undergone physical modification in the Hidden Sound and could use both chakra and Nen, the majority remained pure Nen users who didn't have to worry about being wiped out by such a technique.
"No, this isn't tormenting them. It's letting them choose how they exit the stage of history, as tragic heroes, or as mad dogs nailed to a pillar of shame, dug up from time to time to be posthumously flogged. Besides, if you don't want Jiraiya to die at Nagato's hands, you'd better move fast. Otherwise, he really is going to breathe his last."
With that, Allen ignored everyone else and used space-time Ninjutsu to vanish without a trace.
Looking at the black void that tore open and then snapped shut, Konan finally let out a small sigh. She walked over to Nagato's wheelchair and said softly, "Enough. Stop here. Allen just said we can make use of Jiraiya. Let him take back news regarding the resurrection of the Ten-Tails, and then we'll see what choice the ninja villages make."
"Oh? Does he want our Akatsuki to officially kick off the Fourth Great Ninja War?" An expression of surprise appeared on Nagato's face.
"It's hard to say. With the current situation, heaven knows what those villages will choose."
Konan explained while staring with a complex expression at Jiraiya, who was face-down on the ground and unable to get up. Unlike the original timeline where the Five Great Nations ruled the world and could recklessly launch an all-out offensive against Obito, the situation now was different. If they dared to do that now, the moment their main forces left the villages, the Resistance would launch an attack and wipe out their home bases. This was a class conflict, rooted in fundamental opposition, and no compromise was possible.
Nagato nodded thoughtfully. "I understand what to do. This is for the best. At least I don't have to kill Jiraiya-sensei. Perhaps he can even live to see the truth of this world and what the new era looks like after the transformation is complete."
"Do you need me to step in?" Konan asked quietly.
"No. I'll handle it," Nagato refused without hesitation. He knew that Konan was soft-hearted and didn't want to hurt anyone, especially a teacher who had provided them with such deep guidance.
…
Meanwhile, in a secret underground chamber far away in the Hidden Sound Village, Kabuto was submerged in a liquid as thick and viscous as oil. From the contorted expression on his face, it was clear he was enduring immense pain.
Specifically, he was fighting against the Orochimaru cells that were trying to consume his body. To master the Sage Mode of Ryuchi Cave, this genius spy-turned-prodigy had gone all-in, adopting the mindset of a gambler playing for life or death.
Judging by the speed at which he was drawing in natural energy, he had clearly succeeded. However, he had not yet completely converted the cells, which Orochimaru had created through Nen and siphoning Kekkei Genkai, into his own. If he allowed the cells to continue their consumption, there was a chance Orochimaru would be reborn through him.
What he was doing now was using this special black liquid to forcibly penetrate and control the cells with his own will. As Senjutsu chakra was injected into the pale muscle and skin tissues, the residual will of Orochimaru was finally erased and crushed bit by bit.
The moment it was finally complete, Kabuto opened his eyes. He curled the corners of his mouth into a smile and said with excitement, "Success! I have finally surpassed Orochimaru-sama! Now, both this body and the Sage Mode of Ryuchi Cave belong entirely to me..."