It was already early morning the next day when thousands of people from North Korea finished their work at Konoha Hospital.
After the darkness of the night, there is light. With the rising sun, all the brilliance of the Fourth Hokage condenses here, still so eye-catching.
Up to this moment, Chao Yanqian still couldn't believe it: the Fourth Hokage, Be Feng Shuimen, had died just like that. But the facts were undeniable, and they clearly told Chao Yanqian that Be Feng Shuimen was gone.
In fact, in terms of relationship, there was no deep personal bond between Chao Yanqian and Be Feng Shuimen, but because Chao Yanqian had been hiding his strength
well, Be Feng Shuimen had once paid great attention to him and even selflessly passed down the [Flying Thunder God Technique] to the lost thousands from the Northern Nation.
It was precisely because of this that Chao Yanqian always held deep admiration for Be Feng Shuimen. After all, the [Flying Thunder God Technique] was Be Feng Shuimen's signature jutsu. Anyone else would have kept such a trump card to themselves. But he, instead, chose to pass it on to outsiders like the Northern Nation's Lost Thousand.
Originally, Chao Yanqian intended to repay Be Feng Shuimen kindness, but he had already returned the favor. Yet fate had its own plans, and not even the Lost Thousand could change the outcome.
If it hadn't been for the time wasted searching for sealing techniques, Chao Yanqian might have had the opportunity to stop the masked man Obito . But what's done is done; there's no use regretting it now.
Still, because of Be Feng Shuimen death, Chao Yanqian had now become the only one in Konoha to have mastered the [Flying Thunder God Technique]. Putting other issues aside, this alone made him virtually untouchable. Besides Obito, no one else could pose a serious threat to the Lost Thousand.
As for the masked man, Chao Yanqian had already grasped most of his information. Aside from the [Kamui] ability granted by the Mangekyō Sharingan, the masked man wasn't much of a threat unless he joined forces with Pain. Only then would the Lost Thousand face a true challenge.
However, regarding the intelligence on the Six Paths of Pain, Chao Yanqian had already collected it. If cooperation was necessary, defeating the wielder of the Rinnegan wasn't entirely out of the question.
Shaking off these chaotic thoughts, the exhausted Chao Yanqian, who had worked through day and night, wanted nothing more than to go home and get a good night's sleep.
However, as soon as he arrived at his door, he noticed a secret signal left by Shimura Danzo.
Danzo only used this code when something important arose and it was inconvenient to send Root ninjas for contact. It was the first time the code had been used since their cooperation began.
Erasing the mark without a trace, Chao Yanqian was about to head to Root to meet Danzo, when a sudden thought struck him.
Could Danzo be trying to get rid of him in secret?
Given Danzo's nature, it was a real possibility. After all, during last night's battle with the Nine-Tails, the combat strength displayed by Chao Yanqian had surpassed Danzo's. And now, with Chao Yanqian's growing reputation in Konoha, he posed a threat to Danzo.
This was Chao Yanqian's weakest moment, and it wouldn't be surprising if Danzo wanted to eliminate him now.
Though it was all just speculation, the possibility couldn't be dismissed. With that in mind, Chao Yanqian ignored Danzo's signal, entered his home, took a bath, and collapsed into bed.
---
Akatsuki Base
"Mr. Madara, the operation failed," said Yahiko, now Pain, his tone devoid of emotion, as if he were discussing something that had nothing to do with him.
"Yeah… I miscalculated this time. I didn't expect Konoha to still be so strong. It only took a young Hokage and a dozen sacrifices to perfectly seal the Nine-Tails. I truly underestimated them," said the masked man indifferently, showing no sign of frustration at the failure.
If Pain had seen how Obito had been beaten by Be Feng Shuimen the previous night, he might have questioned his identity. But the masked man's body, half-composed of Hashirama's cells, could regenerate fully just by absorbing a White Zetsu, even from grave injuries.
"But even so, Mr. Madara's abilities are still impressive," Pain said lightly.
"Unfortunately, it's not yet time to declare war on Konoha," the masked man said with some regret.
"That day will come. So, what do we do next?" asked Pain.
Though Nagato didn't fully trust the masked man, he needed his power to realize Yahiko's dream. And for now, they shared a common goal. Thus, he was willing to accept this "Uchiha Madara's" help.
"We're too few in number. We need to recruit more members to proceed," said the masked man.
"Does Mr. Madara have any good candidates in mind?" asked Pain.
"Orochimaru has defected from Konoha. The rogue puppeteer Sasori from Sunagakure has great skill. The rogue ninja Kakuzu from Takigakure once fought the First Hokage. And I also have my eye on someone in Kirigakure."
"Understood. Let's split up, then," said Pain. "By the way, that boy from Konoha who fought the Nine-Tails… do you know who he is, Mr. Madara?"
Pain held a deep grudge against Chao Yanqian. Though the latter didn't attack them directly, after he left, Danzo had contacted Hanzō of the Salamander and launched an assault on Akatsuki, leading to Yahiko's death.
From this, it was clear Chao Yanqian had been gathering intelligence near Akatsuki's base.
If Danzo was the man Pain hated most, then Chao Yanqian was a close second.
"I didn't expect Konoha to have another genius aside from Be Feng Shuimen. If you're interested, you can investigate," said the masked man.
If he truly were Obito, then of course he already knew everything about Chao Yanqian. But as Uchiha Madara, he wouldn't bother with such a "small fry."
"Understood." Pain nodded and said nothing more.
The masked man disappeared using [Kamui].
After he left, Konan turned to Pain.
"Pain! That man he's dangerous. Why are we cooperating with him?"
Compared to before, Konan had lost her innocence. Yahiko's death had changed her deeply.
"Our goal is still Yahiko's dream: peace. For that, we must cooperate with him. But you should be more respectful, Konan," said Pain. Though his voice was cold, there was concern in it.
After Yahiko's death, it was only Nagato and Konan now.
"Must we really rely on someone like him?" Konan asked bitterly.
"Don't worry. With the power of the Rinnegan, we are still above him. There's no need to fear," Pain replied confidently.
Konan fell silent. But in her heart, she thought, That Uchiha Madara is clearly untrustworthy. If Nagato insists on trusting him, then I'll have to keep an eye on him myself!
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