Uchiha Jin held nothing back.
After all, Konan was now completely a prisoner of Konoha, and her Chakra had been sealed by the Eight Trigrams Seal; she couldn't even contact Nagato now.
Even Nagato's Magic Lantern Body Technique required the other party's Chakra to act as a locating beacon.
But now?
Even Konan's ring had been directly suppressed by the Eight Trigrams Seal!
It was precisely because Uchiha Jin had Konan right where he wanted her, and because although Konan seemed like a core member of the Akatsuki Organization, she was actually unimportant in Black Zetsu's mind. After all, that old schemer only had eyes for his two pawns, Nagato and Obito.
Black Zetsu didn't care about anyone else in the Akatsuki Organization at all, and they certainly weren't worth having White Zetsu monitor them.
Meanwhile, on the other side.
Hearing these words, Konan's mind went completely blank.
She was utterly stunned.
The Rinnegan is the final evolved form of the Sharingan?
At this moment, her face was full of disbelief, but looking at Uchiha Jin's current expression, it really didn't seem like he was lying.
She looked at Uchiha Jin in astonishment: "You're not lying to me?"
"Is there any point in lying to you?" Uchiha Jin simply shrugged in response.
Konan didn't dwell on that matter; she shook her head and continued, "Then according to what you're saying, the person behind the scenes of the Akatsuki Organization is Obito?"
Uchiha Jin still shook his head.
Looking at the slightly frowning Konan, he said in a calm tone, "Obito is also just a pawn. His position is actually no different from Nagato's; they are both pawns of Uchiha Madara."
"Because Nagato's Uzumaki Clan bloodline was quite good, the Rinnegan was secretly transplanted into Nagato when he was very young."
Konan pondered for a moment and subconsciously retorted, "Was that Uchiha Madara not afraid of something going wrong?"
"He wasn't," Uchiha Jin remained calm. "He was always watching."
"During those years when you, Yahiko, and Nagato were a trio, you were always living under Uchiha Madara's surveillance. This includes Yahiko's death back then; I suspect that besides Danzo and Hanzou, there was a high probability that Uchiha Madara was also pushing things along."
"After all, he needed to use the death of Nagato's companion to force Nagato onto the path he had arranged."
"Before Uchiha Madara died, didn't he also arrange for a new successor, Obito, to continue monitoring Nagato?"
Konan fell silent, and it was unclear whether she believed him or not.
A moment later.
A trace of complexity appeared in her eyes, clearly thinking of past events, and she couldn't help but speak: "So the so-called mastermind behind the Akatsuki Organization is that already-dead Uchiha Madara?"
To this,
Uchiha Jin still shook his head.
He looked at Konan with a hint of pity in his eyes, then slowly spoke in a calm tone: "Uchiha Madara is still just a pawn. The person hidden behind him is Black Zetsu."
"What? Black Zetsu?" Konan was stunned.
She clearly found it a bit difficult to accept that the so-called mastermind of the Akatsuki Organization would be the current intelligence officer of the Akatsuki—Black Zetsu!
Uchiha Jin nodded.
Of course.
He didn't give a detailed explanation. After all, Black Zetsu's origins were a bit too significant, and that intelligence wasn't suitable for widespread dissemination at this stage.
Otherwise, if it were leaked, it would definitely affect his plans.
"That's roughly how it is!"
"Although I am very clear about Black Zetsu's origins, it's not suitable to tell you now, otherwise it will inevitably affect my subsequent plans."
"Furthermore, Konan!"
"I need to remind you that I've given you enough face."
"Because strictly speaking, I have no need to explain things to a prisoner like you. My willingness to chat so much with you now is actually out of a bit of personal interest."
"The reason is also simple!"
"I am certain that the Akatsuki Organization is bound to fail. At the very least, you and Nagato—you're dead meat!"
"My willingness to give you a chance to join Konoha is only because you and Nagato still have utility value."
"Especially you—Konan!"
"Your ability to manufacture Exploding Tags has an irreplaceable role in large-scale warfare."
"Secondly, you can influence Nagato, which is beneficial for my next steps. I might even be able to have you help me win Nagato over after my planning is finished."
"He is at least a Beyond Kage-level powerhouse; he'd be helpful in boosting Konoha's strength."
"Of course, whether you believe it or not is up to you!"
After saying that,
Uchiha Jin chose to shut his mouth. After all, he had said enough for today; saying any more would be overdoing it.
Although he was very eager for a top-tier worker like Konan, many things had to be taken step by step.
...
Ten minutes later.
Konan left the Hokage Office, her face full of confusion.
She didn't know whether she should trust Uchiha Jin, even if the other party indeed appeared very sincere. And thinking about the things she and Nagato had encountered before, especially back when their Akatsuki Organization was preparing for peace talks with Hanzou, the words Obito had said when he appeared before them...
All sorts of details seemed to indicate that Nagato was indeed like a pawn in someone else's hands.
But because her sources of information were limited, she didn't dare to truly believe Uchiha Jin for the time being.
However,
She still breathed a sigh of relief!
Because regardless of the truth of Uchiha Jin's words, at least one thing was certain: both she and even Nagato's side of the Akatsuki had a faint feeling that their Tailed Beast Deterrent Plan would be very difficult to succeed...
In fact, as early as when they were capturing the Eight-Tails, Nagato had said he wanted to leave a backup path for himself.
And the backup path Nagato had prepared was clearly the Konoha before her eyes!
Now, after today's conversation with Uchiha Jin, she keenly sensed that Nagato's plan had already succeeded, without even needing to use their teacher, Jiraiya.
From this perspective, it could be considered a good thing.
Although she would definitely serve as Uchiha Jin's secretary in the future and even act as a machine for manufacturing Exploding Tags, there was no doubt she could truly integrate into Konoha, which counted as leaving a real way out for herself and Nagato.
It would be better if the Tailed Beast Deterrent Plan succeeded, but even if Nagato's side truly failed in the end, having this way out in Konoha could save both her and Nagato's lives.
It was quite good!
Thinking of this, a faint smile couldn't help but appear on Konan's cheeks.
A short while later.
She arrived at the house allocated to her, located in a hotel on a fairly bustling commercial street not far from the Hokage Building.
Third floor, Room 302.
It was a very small one-bedroom apartment with a modest living room, and the kitchen and bathroom were reasonably designed.
Basic shower equipment, electric lights, a refrigerator, a gas stove, and a TV were all there; the overall look gave off a very cozy feeling.
However...
Because it lacked the presence of people, there was a stale, musty smell of wooden furniture in the room.
Konan's nose wrinkled slightly, and she immediately pushed open the window.
As fresh air flooded into the room, strand after strand of golden sunlight spilled in, making Konan feel warm all over and very comfortable.
Especially smelling that fresh air, feeling the bustle of the commercial street below, and seeing the blue sky and white clouds above, a faint smile couldn't help but appear on Konan's face, and she began to grow lazy and relaxed.
After all, the peace before her was something she, Yahiko, and Nagato had desperately wanted when they were children.
"This feeling isn't bad at all!"
"If Nagato joins Konoha too, and then Yahiko is resurrected, this kind of life would be quite nice."
"It's just—sigh!"