Nagato’s Next Plan

Chapter 277: Nagato’s Next Plan

Obito suppressed his anger while thinking of a solution.

Although he had failed to uncover any useful information this time, he had at least understood one thing.

He was probably no match for that mysterious man.

Kakashi’s power was not enough to destroy the world, but he undoubtedly possessed the potential to do so, provided he could sustain it a little longer.

An existence capable of granting others such power could never be overestimated.

What should I do?

Even after returning to Amegakure and standing before Nagato and Konan once again, Obito still had not come up with a suitable plan.

Unless—he used Nagato to revive Uchiha Madara?

"Madara." Pain the Heavenly Path looked at the masked man who had returned and asked, "What information did you uncover?"

"Very little, and it was dangerous."

Obito spoke in a hoarse voice and briefly recounted what he had experienced. "Although I saw that person, I didn’t speak with him, and I had no means of keeping him there. In addition, I fought a battle with one of Konoha’s Jonin, and he was somewhat troublesome. I also saw the revived Minato Namikaze. His strength was extraordinary."

"Who was the Jonin you fought?" Nagato asked.

"Kakashi Hatake." Obito did not hide it.

"Kakashi Hatake, Konoha’s Copy Ninja?" Nagato recalled the relevant information and said, "He should have been very weak."

The Copy Ninja was considered extremely famous in the eyes of ordinary people, but in the eyes of the Akatsuki Organization, he was nothing worth mentioning.

And yet this very person—

after obtaining power like Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki had, he had been judged "troublesome" by the Uchiha Madara before him.

Even if the man calling himself Uchiha Madara claimed that his strength had been greatly weakened, this was still astonishing.

"His strength wasn’t especially great, but at the end, he seemed to have used some temporary power to break my Space-Time Ninjutsu." Obito briefly summarized the battle. His lone eye, hidden beneath the mask, stared at Pain before him as if waiting for his response.

Nagato summarized the information he had obtained so far in his mind.

The mysterious man was undoubtedly the most dangerous.

Next was Konoha’s current strength, which seemed to be extremely formidable.

Then there was Orochimaru.

"The information I obtained is that when Orochimaru and Rasa attacked Konoha, that man did not intervene." Pain the Heavenly Path’s Rinnegan stared intently at Obito. "When you made your move, did he show any inclination to interfere?"

"No." Obito replied with certainty.

He had only briefly met that man, but his opponent had left after saying, "This is your own destiny."

That was also consistent with Kisame Hoshigaki’s description.

He only provided power, without interfering with the goals of those who obtained it.

"At least this is somewhat good news. There is only one thing we can do." Pain spoke coldly. "Act ahead of schedule and collect the Tailed Beasts. The Ultimate Tailed Beast Weapon is the strongest power we can obtain."

His meaning was clear. If even the power of the Tailed Beasts was insufficient to resolve everything—

then they could only remain powerless weaklings, unable to do anything.

Obito thought for a moment.

He agreed with this view.

He knew what the power of the Ten-Tails represented.

All things in the universe.

Everything in this world would be within their grasp.

"You plan to send the Akatsuki out to seize the Jinchuriki from each village?" Obito asked. "But once we begin, Konoha will become vigilant. With their current strength, taking the Nine-Tails will become the most difficult step."

"That’s right. So I plan to start with the hardest target." Nagato already had a plan in mind.

"Oh?" Obito showed some interest.

"Konoha, which obtained power from that man, may indeed be very strong, but they aren’t the only ones who obtained power." Nagato controlled Pain the Heavenly Path as he spoke. "We need to find an ally. That ally is Orochimaru, who nearly defeated Konoha."

According to the intelligence, Rasa had been nearly completely defeated when Konoha first launched its offensive.

But when Orochimaru appeared—

he directly reversed the situation.

This man, who had once joined the Akatsuki Organization yet managed to leave without incident, had now displayed a brand-new reputation before the world.

"Orochimaru…"

At that moment, Obito understood Nagato’s idea.

But he had to admit that it might succeed.

Orochimaru was someone who would stop at nothing for the sake of profit. A person like that certainly would not accept his previous defeat.

He and the Akatsuki Organization had a shared interest in joining forces.

"Konan, summon the members here." Pain the Heavenly Path turned to Konan and said.

Konan nodded, and her body transformed into countless paper talismans before dispersing.

Pain the Heavenly Path controlled by Nagato looked at Obito and suddenly asked, "You met that man. Didn’t you consider obtaining power from him as well? Perhaps it could restore you to your peak."

Obito fell silent for a moment.

He understood that Nagato had some doubts about his identity.

Nagato had always been suspicious, but now, after seeing Obito’s helplessness against Konoha, those suspicions would certainly deepen.

"Hmph. Do you think I didn’t ask?" Obito let out a hoarse snort. "The moment I opened my mouth, he left. In my current state, I don’t have the power to keep him there."

"You were rejected?"

Nagato’s expression darkened slightly.

Because he felt that he had suffered much the same fate.

That day, he was certain he had seen that man, and the other party must have seen him as well. Yet he had shown no intention of communicating with him. Instead, he had chosen Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki and granted them power.

It seemed that not everyone could obtain power.

He, too, fell silent for a moment.

Pain the Heavenly Path said, "This may be good news. It could mean that he fears the power you possessed at your peak."

Obito said nothing.

Of course, he hoped that was true.

If the entire world, including Kakashi, continued to grow stronger, then wouldn’t he, unable to obtain power, once again become that powerless weakling?

It was at that moment.

One figure after another appeared. They were all members of the Akatsuki Organization. Obito had already concealed himself, as this was not a suitable time for him to appear.

"Everyone, you have already learned about the current situation from Itachi." Pain the Heavenly Path’s gaze swept over everyone before he slowly said, "I have decided to begin the plan to collect the Jinchuriki ahead of schedule. Our first target will be Konoha’s Nine-Tails!"

Everyone present listened in silence.

Their expressions varied.

They had been summoned back so suddenly that they had naturally learned some information from Itachi Uchiha.

The man capable of granting them power.

Of course, Itachi Uchiha had not explained things in too much detail. He had not even taken out the Badge. As a spy, it was impossible for him to take the initiative to introduce the Akatsuki Organization to Shen Mo.

He had merely explained it with words such as, "Only that existence can choose whom to grant power."