Chapter Twenty-One
The silence in Nagato's chamber was suffocating, broken only by the mechanical wheeze of his breathing apparatus and the distant, rhythmic patter of rain against stone.
Three pairs of eyes—Rinnegan, Sharingan, and cold analytical blue—locked onto Kenshin. The Gedo Statue loomed behind them all, a skeletal monument to stolen divinity, its hollow eye sockets seeming to watch.
Kenshin stood with his hands in his pockets, grin still plastered across his face, utterly unconcerned with the tension thick enough to choke on.
"Madara, the fake—I won't fault you. Madara Uchiha is not just a name, it's a will, a nature one embodies. You've embodied it well. But I prefer the original."
He turned to Nagato. "And as for you—the new god of shinobi, the new Sage of Six Paths." He chuckled, the sound echoing lightly in the damp chamber. "A god who is a paraplegic. The Sage of Six Paths whose path from the waist downward does not work."
He paused, tilting his head. "Okay, that was dark."
"Like your life. And your room." He burst into full-blown laughter, the sound unnervingly bright in the grim space.
"Enough," Obito said, his voice low and edged.
"Is this the reason you have come? To make childish jokes? What are you—a child?"
"Ahh." Kenshin covered his mouth in fake shock. "How did you find out? I will say, mentally, I am old enough."
A heavy silence fell.
"Who is this fool?" Konan could not take it anymore, her voice tight with restrained irritation.
"I was threatening enough before—I had to ruin it." He coughed theatrically, then struck a T-pose, arms outstretched, posture rigid.
"I am Kenshin Yogen, a new applicant for the Akatsuki. A fan of the original mastermind—your fellow disciple, you would say." The last part he directed at Obito.
"You came to apply for the Akatsuki?" Konan asked, bewildered. After everything the mysterious man had done, that possibility had not crossed her mind.
"How did you know about the Akatsuki? How do you know about Madara?" Black Zetsu asked. He had entered the chamber during the discussion, which made sense—he was the one who had likely alerted Obito to Kenshin's infiltration.
"Ahh, you—plant-based lifeform. Madara's will." Having changed his pose from the T-pose, Kenshin prowled around the room dramatically, his boots whispering against the wet stone. "To answer your question: I know everything in this world. The only ones who know more than I do are not in this world."
"And also, your group is not that secretive. Itachi invaded Konoha a year ago. Orochimaru was a part of your group. And your group is fairly active in the black market. Don't be dumb. The only legitimate questions you should be asking are how I found out you all stay in the rain—which I addressed by telling you all I am the most knowledgeable man in the world—and the two persons with questions are aura farming."
He pointed both hands at Obito and Nagato.
"Have I broken your mind with too much info-dump?" Kenshin stared into Nagato's Rinnegan, which tracked his movement as he appeared suddenly before Nagato.
He's fast, Konan thought, paper rustling faintly at her sides.
I had an inkling of his strength seeing as he fought with the others, but he's fast, Obito noted, his Mangekyo Sharingan activating just to keep up.
"What is your aim?" Nagato asked, his voice thin but steady.
"I told you. I want to join the Akatsuki." He moved away from Nagato, his form blurring slightly before settling a few feet back.
"You say your name is Kenshin Yogen. The Kenshin Yogen I know of is previously of the Leaf and is a twelve- to thirteen-year-old genin who became an S-rank threat by knocking out three jōnin and running with classified information," Obito stated.
"Now you've used your brain." Kenshin disabled his Chakra Morph Jutsu and shifted back into his teenage form, his clothes suddenly oversized and pooling around his smaller frame.
"This is the form I used in Konoha. And in my plan to get to you, I had to stage a nice drama."
"You're a child?" Konan asked, her voice laced with genuine shock.
"It makes sense. What he said before," Zetsu commented, referencing the time Kenshin had made the dramatic gesture in response to Obito's rhetorical question about his age.
"This is just a side effect of a jutsu. That form is my real form. I had to keep myself entertained in Konoha while you all began forming the Akatsuki."
He waved a hand dismissively. "Let's get past that age part. Nagato, aren't you the least bit curious about the man who acted out Madara's role in your life these past few years?"
"I will not allow an outsider's words to cause a rift between my partner. We would have settled this when you had left. As long as he still supports the plan, his identity does not matter. And you made it clear: he is acting on Madara's will, so calling himself Madara is not far-fetched. So it's not that I'm not curious—it's that you won't leave. So I can begin my questions."
Nagato looked him straight in his eyes, the Rinnegan's concentric rings unblinking.
"Sowing chaos did not work?" Kenshin placed his hands on his chin, a thinker's pose. In his teenage form, it looked comical.
"Pfft." Konan laughed, a soft, unexpected sound.
"Huh?" He looked down at himself, remembered he had not switched back, and shifted smoothly into his adult form, his clothes fitting once more.
"Ahem, accuse me—I mean, excuse me."
I feel like digging a hole and falling into it.
"You waited for years in Konoha as a child and then decided to defect, and you waited one year to reach Ame?" Obito changed the topic from Kenshin's disgraceful behavior.
"Yes. I had to set up my presence as a rogue ninja. I told Shikaku that I would be acting as a rogue ninja to infiltrate the Akatsuki. To reasonably deceive you as young Kenshin, I had to be pursued by Konoha. Then hopefully, I either get recruited by Black Zetsu or I run into your group and apply to join."
"What a nasty scheme," Konan said.
"But… you're here now?" she questioned.
"Yes. That plan was for my young form. When we win or lose, young Kenshin would have a safe spot."
"In reality, I'll operate as a mysterious member of the Akatsuki. My clone will act as young Kenshin, and when it's time to take the tailed beasts—two years from now—he'll join the Akatsuki after building up his portfolio as an evasive, genius young S-rank rogue nin."
Silence hung again, dense and evaluating.
"I know. I'm an evil mastermind. I learned from the best." He looked pointedly at Obito and Black Zetsu, who were positioned close together.
"You know a lot," Obito said, his tone flat.
"I told you, didn't I?"
"You act as though you have already been accepted into the Akatsuki," Konan observed.
"I only came to Nagato's chamber because I was too lazy to find Obito, and because I wanted to cause chaos—which didn't work. If not, I would have met with Obito."
His gaze turned serious, sharpening like a drawn blade. "You have no say in this issue. Fulfill your duty as Akatsuki's leader and gather the tailed beasts. My fellow disciple is the one whose opinion I desire."
"You are a funny child," Obito chuckled, the sound distorted slightly by his mask.
"Nagato, I'll take it from here." He gestured toward Kenshin. "You—follow me."
"I've been waiting for this for a long time. Ooh, I'm about to make a name for myself." Kenshin grinned, rubbing his hands together with palpable anticipation.