"A ninja who stole the forbidden techniques of Hidden Waterfall Village and became an immortal, Kakuzu."
"A genius puppeteer who betrayed Hidden Sand Village, Sasori."
"And the final one is one of the Sannin, Orochimaru, who defected from the Hidden Leaf Village."
He paused, his gaze sweeping across Pain and Konan.
"As for the others, you two will contact them yourselves and persuade them to join."
"For the sake of our grand cause, go."
After speaking, Obito's figure slowly distorted before being sucked into a spatial vortex.
Zetsu also silently sank into the ground and disappeared.
Only Pain and Konan remained inside the tower.
Konan looked toward the direction where Obito had vanished, deep in thought.
Her brows furrowed.
"What are you thinking about?"
Pain's voice remained indifferent, though it carried a trace of concern that was difficult to notice.
Konan withdrew her gaze and looked at Pain.
"Nothing. I was only wondering how much of what that masked man said was true."
Pain fell silent for a moment.
"Whether what he said is true or false, our goal will not change. We will make this world feel pain."
Konan nodded.
She turned and walked toward the exit.
"Where are you going?"
Pain asked.
"To recruit companions."
Konan did not look back.
"Sasori has been active around the Land of Wind. I'll go find him."
Pain said nothing more and simply watched silently as her figure disappeared into the curtain of rain.
After leaving the Land of Rain, however, Konan did not head toward the Land of Wind.
She directly changed course for the Land of Hot Water.
In her view, this intelligence had to be reported to Gento.
Besides, it had already been a while since she last saw him.
...
Two days later.
Konan stepped into Cerulean Harbor.
She immediately sensed that this port city was totally different from how it had been three years ago.
As the new Feudal Lord Mansion of the Land of Hot Water, the streets here had become wider, and there were far more shops.
Pedestrians flowed endlessly through the streets while the shouts of merchants from every nation rose and fell one after another.
Members of the Uchiha clan wearing the fan-crested clan uniforms moved through the crowds.
From time to time, merchants greeted them warmly, their faces filled with genuine respect.
Konan walked along the main street toward the imperial residence.
She did not deliberately conceal her movements.
She knew that from the moment she stepped into Cerulean Harbor, the Uchiha Anbu had already set their sights on her.
Sure enough, after only a few steps, two Anbu dressed in black uniforms appeared before her, politely yet cautiously blocking her path.
"Please stop. May we ask who you are...?"
Konan lifted her hood, revealing that cool and breathtakingly beautiful face.
Her long pale-purple hair framed her features, while the light-purple paper flower at the end of her hair gently swayed.
Her expression remained calm.
"I want to see your clan head."
The two Anbu exchanged glances, and one of them gave a slight nod.
"Please wait a moment."
A short while later, the Anbu returned, their attitude noticeably more respectful.
"Lord Feudal Lord invites you in. Please follow me."
…
Deep within the imperial residence, Feudal Lord's office.
Gento was leaning back in his chair, casually playing with the Lust Gourd hanging from his waist.
Hearing the knock at the door, he set down the gourd, a faint smile rising at the corners of his mouth.
"Come in."
The door opened, and Konan walked in.
She wore the Akatsuki's black cloak patterned with red clouds, though she had already removed the hood, revealing the face he had longed for day and night.
Gento stood up, walked around the desk, and came before her. Without the slightest hesitation, he spread his arms and pulled her into his embrace.
"You're here."
Konan's body stiffened a bit before gradually softening.
She buried her face against his chest and took a deep breath, as though trying to carve his scent into her memory.
"I have important intelligence to report."
She spoke softly.
Gento released her and stepped back, a teasing grin curling onto his lips.
"In that case, let's relax in the hot spring while you report."
Konan's cheeks instantly turned red.
She opened her mouth, wanting to refuse.
She had come here for serious matters, not to...
Regardless, Gento gave her no chance to reject him.
One arm wrapped around her waist while his other hand formed a seal.
"Flying Thunder God."
Space twisted, and the two vanished from the office.
The next instant, a wave of heat rushed toward them.
Desire Hot Springs, the clan head's private bath.
Konan stood by the edge of the pool, her face still filled with shock from being forcibly teleported over.
Gento had already removed his outer robe on his own, changed into swim trunks, and leaned against the side of the pool with a grin as he looked at her.
"Go on. You should already be quite familiar with the changing room."
Konan bit her lip and glared at him. Within that gaze was annoyance, but also a trace of indescribable shyness.
Still, she turned and walked into the changing room.
A moment later, she came back out.
She had changed into a light-purple one-piece swimsuit.
The swimsuit clung tightly to her body, perfectly outlining her alluring curves.
The fullness of her chest stretched the fabric into a tempting shape.
She slowly walked to the edge of the pool.
With a gentle pull from Gento, she slid into the hot spring pool, and the warm water instantly enveloped both of them.
At first, Konan was still somewhat shy. She kept her distance, leaning against the edge of the pool as she seriously began recounting the coup in the Land of Rain.
Gento leaned beside her, one hand resting on her shoulder, his fingers lightly stroking her smooth skin.
Konan's narration would occasionally pause because of his movements, but she quickly adjusted herself and continued speaking.
"The masked man said he wants to recruit three candidates... mmh~"
Konan's voice trembled slightly as Gento's fingers were slowly sliding down from her shoulder.
"The remaining members will be contacted by us personally."
As her body temperature rose, tiny beads of sweat began forming on Konan's skin.
That thin sheen of sweat mixed with the blush on her cheeks, making her look exceptionally alluring.
Her breathing also became somewhat hurried, her chest rising and falling as the fabric of her swimsuit stretched even tighter.
"Regarding the recruitment... do you need me to sabotage it from within?"
She tried her best to remain composed.
Gento did not answer immediately.
His hand slid from her shoulder to her waist. With a slight pull, he drew her entire body into his embrace.
Konan's back pressed against his chest, allowing her to clearly feel his powerful heartbeat.
"There's no need."
Gento's voice sounded beside her ear, his warm breath brushing across it.
"Just carry out your mission normally."
Konan's breathing became even more uneven.
She could feel his hand roaming along her waist, his fingertips leaving waves of tingling sensation across her sensitive skin.
Subconsciously, she placed a hand against his chest, wanting to push him away, but her strength was weak and soft. Rather than rejection, it felt more like inviting refusal.
"Besides..."
Gento lifted her chin with his other hand, making her turn toward him.
Their eyes met.
Konan's eyes glistened with moisture, her lips parted, soft and glossy with a damp sheen.
Gento could not hold back any longer and lowered his head to kiss her.
"Mmh..."
Konan's hands changed from pushing against him to clutching tightly onto him, her fingers trembling slightly.
The two kissed amid the misty steam, as though they had forgotten the passage of time.
...
An hour later.
The ripples within the hot spring gradually calmed, leaving behind only faint sounds of breathing.
Konan lay shyly within Gento's embrace, her cheek pressed against his chest, her face covered in a satisfied blush.
Her fingers traced circles against his chest as her voice turned soft and languid.
"The masked man said Akatsuki needs to gather ten more people besides himself. Right now there's only Pain, me, and Zetsu."
She continued the topic that had been interrupted earlier.
Holding her in his arms, Gento gently combed through her wet hair with his fingers, deep in thought.
"Kakuzu..."
He muttered softly before suddenly freezing.
Kakuzu.
He suddenly remembered that Kakuzu's partner, Hidan, had been imprisoned in Hidden Gento Village's prison ever since being captured by him years ago.
Over all these years, he had totally forgotten about that man!
Gento suddenly felt somewhat embarrassed.
It seemed that once he had some free time, he needed to pay Hidan a visit in prison.
But after thinking about it again, with Akatsuki now lacking both Itachi and Hidan, its membership composition would probably differ somewhat from the original story.
After Konan thoroughly finished relaying all the intelligence, her delicate brows furrowed.
"About recruiting members... do you really not need me to sabotage it from within?"
Gento shook his head.
"There's no need. Just carry out your mission normally."
He paused, and suddenly his expression shifted.
He suddenly realized that Konan, as his undercover agent, would be most effective if she suddenly betrayed them at the crucial moment.
Thus, he took out the Demon Blade of Frozen Time from the Yomotsu space and handed it to Konan.
He carefully explained the Demon Blade of Frozen Time's abilities to her before speaking again.
"Keep this ninja blade safe. When the time comes for you to use it, I'll let you know."
Konan accepted the blade and stored it within her Paper Release space before solemnly nodding.
"I should go now."
She sat upright.
"I still need to head to the Land of Wind to find Sasori. If I arrive too late, it'll arouse suspicion."
Gento nodded and gently kissed her forehead.
"Be careful."
Konan got dressed and returned to that cool and composed appearance of hers.
She glanced back at Gento, a trace of reluctance flashing through her eyes, though it quickly transformed into resolve.
Leaping upward, her figure dispersed into countless sheets of paper that scattered with the wind.
Gento leaned against the edge of the pool, watching those pieces of paper drift farther and farther away, a faint smile rising on his lips.
He rose from the hot spring, changed into a clean set of casual clothes, and returned to his office.
The moment he sat down, the door was knocked on once again.
"Come in."
An Anbu knelt on one knee, his voice respectful.
"Lord Feudal Lord, the Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village, Lady Tsunade, requests an audience!"
---
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