Uchiha Jin nodded.
He had actually guessed this long ago; after all, as long as the Akatsuki Organization wasn't too stupid, they wouldn't make a move against his Konoha. He was merely confirming it now.
Having received Nara Shikaku's affirmation, he naturally felt relieved.
"Is that so? That's quite good then!"
"Although our plan to form the Allied Shinobi Forces has fallen through because of the Akatsuki Organization's actions..."
"But it doesn't matter."
"We can still use the Akatsuki Organization's actions this time to secretly achieve our original goals."
"Moreover, with the Akatsuki Organization charging ahead as the scapegoat, Konoha won't have to play the villain. In a sense, the Akatsuki Organization's interference has actually done Konoha a favor."
Uchiha Jin's eyes flickered.
Although his previous plan was scrapped due to the Akatsuki Organization's move, after a slight shift in thinking, he realized that this was actually a good thing for Konoha.
Nara Shikaku was somewhat taken aback and couldn't help but ask, "Hokage-sama, what do you mean?"
"I'm sorry, I still haven't quite figured it out."
Looking at the bewildered Nara Shikaku, Uchiha Jin gave a hint: "What was the purpose of our original plan?"
"To weaken the Other Ninja Villages and expand Konoha's influence," Nara Shikaku replied immediately. "Win over some, suppress others."
"Even if we can't unify the entire Ninja World for now, we should at least use this to establish a leadership position, serving as a precursor for the subsequent plan to unify the Ninja World."
He was naturally very clear about Konoha's core objectives.
However...
Even though he had accurately stated the core of Konoha's plan, he still hadn't quite figured out exactly what Uchiha Jin intended to do next.
On the other side...
Before Uchiha Jin could speak, Konan couldn't hold back anymore: "You were forming the Allied Shinobi Forces, but not to deal with the Akatsuki Organization?"
"Of course not!" Nara Shikaku shook his head.
From the way Uchiha Jin had just spoken and hadn't hidden anything from Konan, Nara Shikaku naturally understood one thing.
Konan wouldn't be leaving!
Even if she hadn't joined Konoha yet, in the heart of the Hokage, Uchiha Jin, he clearly had full confidence in controlling Konan.
For this very reason, there was naturally no need to hide many of Konoha's secrets from her.
Therefore...
Nara Shikaku just glanced at Konan and then explained with a smile, "We, Konoha, have never taken the Akatsuki Organization seriously. In fact, if we truly wanted to, we could kill all members of the Akatsuki Organization at any time."
"Your friend with the Rinnegan from before, he's probably the strongest person in your Akatsuki Organization, right?"
"Since even he was easily defeated by Konoha, do you really think it would be difficult for us to wipe out the Akatsuki Organization?"
"The reason Konoha hasn't chosen to destroy the Akatsuki Organization is simply because we're treating it as a tool; the Akatsuki Organization still has utility for Konoha."
"So, heh!"
"If we truly wanted to deal with the Akatsuki Organization, Konoha wouldn't need to form any Allied Shinobi Forces at all!"
Nara Shikaku spoke these words with great dominance.
It couldn't be helped!
As a member of Konoha, he naturally had that confidence.
Even if he himself was no match for the Akatsuki Organization, simply being a member of Konoha meant he had no reason to fear that mysterious organization.
To this...
Konan was stunned upon hearing this and couldn't help but ask, "How is that possible? I don't believe it!"
"Although Konoha is indeed stronger than the Akatsuki Organization, the Akatsuki follows an elite path. Almost every member possesses Kage-level combat power, and our organization isn't burdened by a civilian population."
"You don't even know where the Akatsuki Organization's base is. On what grounds does Konoha claim to be able to crush us at any time?"
Konan's expression was very grim; she clearly found Nara Shikaku's words somewhat hard to accept.
It couldn't be helped!
After all, she was a member of the Akatsuki Organization herself and knew very well how strong its members were.
Even though Konoha had indeed defeated Nagato, she still had great confidence in the Akatsuki Organization.
But unfortunately...
Nara Shikaku shook his head and spoke in a very calm tone, "The Land of Snow, right?"
"You..." Konan was stunned.
She couldn't understand.
The Akatsuki Organization had fled to a remote corner like the Land of Snow; how could Konoha find their base so easily?
And from Nara Shikaku's certain tone, it was clear that Konoha had known about the Akatsuki Organization's base for a long time.
After a long silence, Konan asked in confusion, "Just what is Konoha's objective?"
"Hokage-sama, can I explain?" Nara Shikaku inquired.
To this...
Uchiha Jin just shrugged and said calmly, "There's nothing that can't be said. Konan will be one of our own from now on."
"Konan's technique for creating exploding tags is, in a sense, a strategic weapon. As for her importance to Konoha in the future, Shikaku, you can completely compare her to the Nine-Tailed!"
"I won't let her leave, so there's naturally no need to hide Konoha's secrets from her."
His words were very certain, as if he already had Konan completely figured out.
Nara Shikaku couldn't help but nod upon hearing this.
Indeed!
Although he hadn't witnessed Konan's ability to create exploding tags, he could sense from Uchiha Jin's confident words that her ability must have reached an incredibly exaggerated level.
And exploding tags were indeed core strategic assets for every Ninja village.
If every Ninja could carry a thousand or ten thousand tags when they went out, even a newly graduated Genin could likely exert Jonin-level combat power.
From this perspective, Konan was indeed comparable to the Nine-Tailed!
In fact, in a certain sense, her strategic status was even more significant than the Nine-Tailed's.
After all, unless it was a critical moment, the Nine-Tailed couldn't be easily deployed on the battlefield, but exploding tags weren't subject to such restrictions.
On the other side...
Although Konan's brow furrowed slightly upon hearing this, she didn't choose to refute it.
Clearly...
In a way, she had already chosen Konoha in her heart.
She was even already thinking about how she could bring Nagato over as well.
So at this moment, she was actually quite interested in Konoha's plan.
Nara Shikaku naturally noticed Konan's attention and then directly said with a smile, "Actually, as I said just now, Konoha's goal is to unify the Ninja World."
"It's just that to avoid excessive casualties, we're pushing the Akatsuki Organization into the spotlight, letting you play the role of the villain for once."
"With your Akatsuki Organization taking the heat, Konoha's subsequent grand unification plan will likely be a bit easier for the Other Ninja Villages to accept."