"Danzo-sama, even if we capture Gato, with our current strength, we still won't be able to take on Shanks."
One of Danzo's subordinates voiced his concern. Facing the strongest man in the ninja world right now was far from a wise decision.
"Heh, of course, I understand that."
"All I want is for Shanks—and the entire ninja world—to see the weakness of the so-called strongest man."
"If those people catch even a glimpse of Shanks' weaknesses, those ambitious ones will swarm like hyenas, locking onto his wounds. Shanks is like a lion, but even a lion can die if its wounds are exposed to a pack of hyenas."
Danzo had grown even more ruthless after everything that had happened in Konohagakure, but being ruthless didn't mean he had lost his mind.
On the contrary, Danzo was always clear-headed, no matter what.
Now that he was no longer tied to Konohagakure, there was no need to hold back. In his eyes, all these so-called schemes and tricks were just another form of power.
"The so-called Four Emperors, the strongest in the ninja world… let's see how you handle your weaknesses."
"The more someone has lost, the more they value what they still have. The Land of Whirlpools was wiped out, the Uzumaki Clan was nearly destroyed. And now, your people are in danger again. As one of the Four Emperors, what will you do?"
"Hahahaha!!!"
Danzo's body trembled as he burst into laughter.
He had already implanted many Sharingan into his body. He might not be able to defeat Shanks, but surviving an encounter with him wouldn't be too difficult.
Meanwhile, as time ran out, various factions were secretly stretching their influence toward the Land of Wind.
The Akatsuki had also begun moving.
Black Zetsu and Obito remained hidden, while Nagato and Konan were still leading the organization.
So when Nagato and Konan received intelligence from Kakuzu and the others, Nagato—who had never paid much attention to the ninja world—finally took an interest.
Nagato and Konan were both powerful, especially Konan. While she lacked talent in some areas, her skill in ninjutsu was exceptional, almost ridiculously so.
And in other aspects, her abilities were just as extreme.
For example, she had almost no political instincts at all. She couldn't see through Kakuzu and his group's thoughts and motivations—then again, normal ninjas didn't even have a concept of "political instincts."
So to Konan, "intelligence" was just that—nothing more than raw information.
"Red-Haired Shanks, currently the strongest in the ninja world, known as one of the new Four Emperors."
Konan placed Shanks' wanted poster in front of Nagato.
His bright red hair felt oddly familiar to Konan. No, not just familiar—it was exactly the same as Nagato's.
"The whole ninja world is searching for the Divine Tree Organization, trying to obtain the power of the Devil Fruits. But what exactly are Devil Fruits?"
Konan's voice was cold, and her expression barely changed. But her confusion was real.
Speaking with that blank expression made her seem almost dazed.
"I don't know. But once we get our hands on one, we'll find out. I've already sent Black Zetsu and Tobi ahead to the Land of Wind."
Nagato didn't know either, but it didn't matter—as long as it didn't interfere with the Akatsuki's plans.
As for the so-called new era that Shanks had stirred up, Nagato wasn't interested. In fact, he felt that what Shanks was doing was somewhat similar to the Akatsuki's goal.
No, actually, it was very different.
Nagato understood the reality of the Akatsuki now.
They had changed long ago—ever since Yahiko died.
True peace was impossible.
At best, there could only be peace for the great nations. And that peace came at the cost of oppressing the smaller nations. Beneath this illusion of "peace" was endless suffering for countless small countries.
Only by making the great nations experience the same pain could there be even the slightest chance for change.
The Akatsuki's mission was to stand against the Five Great Nations—an organization of terror.
That's right. This was what Akatsuki had set out to do, and it was what Nagato was determined to accomplish.
So when they learned about what Shanks had done, Akatsuki didn't react at all.
Because from Nagato and Konan's perspective, the things Shanks had done weren't things a "good person" could have possibly done.
Akatsuki had only set their goal, but Shanks? He had already managed to offend all five nations on his own.
Not only that, he had directly defeated the Five Great Nations' strongest fighters and then triggered a new pirate era, plunging the entire shinobi world into chaos.
Looking at it this way, Shanks was the real one making the world feel pain.
Whether it was his ability to execute his plans or the sheer hostility he had toward the world, Shanks was far ahead of Akatsuki.
More importantly, what Shanks was doing overlapped with Akatsuki's goals, which left Nagato and Konan so stunned that it took them a long time to process.
And once they finally did, Nagato came to a conclusion—
The terror group Shanks had built was even scarier than Akatsuki.
And Shanks himself? He was the same kind of person as the Akatsuki members—someone who resented the world and wanted revenge.
"Should Kakuzu and Hidan continue gathering intel?"
"Kakuzu needs to stay alert to any shifts in the shinobi world. Tobi and Black Zetsu should also head out and take a look around."
"I'm not really worried about Tobi and Black Zetsu. It's just that lately, Kakuzu seems to be digging into Akatsuki's past."
Konan knew exactly what Kakuzu was investigating. The Akatsuki's tracks could never be completely erased. Kakuzu didn't even have to try too hard to find them.
"It doesn't matter. What's important is that Kakuzu keeps an eye on Shanks and gathers intel on him. Also, with the shinobi world in turmoil right now, we can use this chance to strengthen ourselves from the shadows."
Akatsuki had too few reliable people—those they could truly trust were even rarer.
Itachi and Kisame, while highly experienced and incredibly intelligent, were not people Nagato could fully trust.
The only one he could truly rely on was Kakuzu, because Kakuzu didn't care about personal feelings—he only cared about money.
That was exactly why Kakuzu was the most trustworthy.
Nagato and Konan's opinion of Shanks wasn't surprising. Most of the shinobi world saw Shanks the same way.
Especially the Daimyo of the Five Great Nations—to them, Shanks was nothing but a ruthless criminal.
At the same time, most people didn't really understand the true meaning of this so-called "new era."
They only saw the surface.
And from what they could see, Shanks was clearly not a good guy.
The next day, Kakuzu received a message from Konan and Nagato.
"Keep investigating Shanks and the Uzumaki Clan?"
"Looks like we'll be staying within the Land of Water for a while."
Kakuzu didn't think it was a big deal, but Hidan, on the other hand, was not happy.
"We're seriously staying here even longer?"
Hidan couldn't believe it. He was sure he hadn't misheard.
Was the organization really telling them to just sit around and do nothing?
Such a perfect opportunity, and they were just letting it slip away?
"Well, nothing we can do about it. Just think of it as a vacation."
Kakuzu replied calmly. Having no major tasks was actually a good thing. He wasn't even sure what the organization was up to anymore. Staying out of it was probably for the best.
"By the way, there seems to be some kind of connection between Gato and Shanks. Lately, the underground black market has been treating Gato with a lot of respect. There are even rumors that Gato is from the Uzumaki Clan."
Watching Kakuzu analyze intel so seriously, Hidan grew even more frustrated.
This was not the time to be focusing on this kind of stuff!
"Why do we even care about this kind of intel? The most important thing right now is our organization, Kakuzu!"
"Be quiet, Hidan."
Kakuzu's cold gaze swept over him, immediately shutting him up.
Of course, Kakuzu knew exactly what he was doing.
Gato's connection to Shanks didn't really matter—it wasn't something he was concerned about.
What mattered most was that, given the current situation, the relationship between Gato and Shanks was clearly more than just a simple "coincidence."
And if it wasn't just a coincidence, then Gato could become a useful pawn—one that Kakuzu could use to test the connection between the Akatsuki and Shanks.
All the signs pointed to Shanks having had contact with the Akatsuki before. What Kakuzu needed to figure out was how much of a connection still remained between them.
He didn't mind working for others, but getting played like a fool? That was something he wouldn't let happen again.
As Kakuzu laid out his plan, Hidan suddenly realized why Kakuzu wasn't the least bit anxious.
"So, you're saying we can use Gato to get some insight into our own organization's stance?"
"Exactly. Given Gato's status, if anything happens to him, Shanks won't step in personally, and our organization won't intervene directly either. Situations like these are left to guys like us—the ones on the fringes."
After hearing Kakuzu's explanation, Hidan finally understood why Gato's position was so important to them.
Meanwhile, back in the Land…
Gato had returned to the Land once again. But this time, unlike before, he was brought back in chains.
The Root ninjas hadn't gone easy on him—his entire body was covered in bruises and wounds. But despite his injuries, Gato was still full of energy, looking as lively as ever.
"Danzo-sama, I swear, I'm really not from the Uzumaki clan…"
"Hahaha, Gato.
So you're saying Zabuza finding you was just a coincidence? That you just made up the story about selling out the Divine Tree Organization? That everything you said about the Uzumaki clan was just nonsense?"
"Y-Yes, yes, yes! Danzo-sama, I made it all up! I just wanted Shanks' protection, so I lied!"
Gato nodded frantically, swearing up and down that it was all a misunderstanding. He had nothing to do with Shanks, nothing to do with the Uzumaki clan—nothing at all!!
"Gato, do you really think red hair is the only trait of the Uzumaki clan?"
"I might believe everything you just said, but…"
Danzo pointed to a group of people in the corner—all of them, including Gato's ninja bodyguards, were unconscious from their injuries.
"Even trained ninjas couldn't endure that kind of torture, yet somehow, you—a regular person—managed to survive."
"If not for the Uzumaki clan's monstrous vitality, I can't think of any other explanation."
Danzo sneered. Luck might explain some things, but surviving punishment that even ninjas couldn't withstand? How was Gato able to endure it?
"Gato, do you still want to say you're not from the Uzumaki clan?"
Danzo pressed in closer, step by step. Everything about Gato could be written off as luck, as coincidence.
But the power that came with Uzumaki blood—there was no hiding that.
Hearing Danzo's words, Gato was stunned.
Yeah… why? Why could he endure punishment that even ninjas couldn't handle?
Wasn't it obvious?
If you've been beaten up your whole life, or left tied to a ship's mast for days without food or water, you kind of get used to it.
For Gato, that kind of treatment was just normal.
And yet, despite all that, he still had a round, chubby body.
In a way, Gato really did have a strong will to survive, but…
"I'm really not from the Uzumaki clan! I have nothing to do with Shanks… Danzo-sama…"
Gato wailed. He was really being wronged.
"Still trying to deny it?!"
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