Hearing the voice, Nagato returned to the room.
Just in time to see Yahiko silently reading the letter.
Seeing Yahiko's slightly furrowed brow, a bad feeling suddenly arose in Nagato's heart.
A moment later, the members of the Akatsuki organization asked with curiosity, "Yahiko, what does the letter say?"
"Could it be that Lord Hanzo has recognized us?"
Listening to everyone's discussions, Yahiko put the letter in his chest and smiled: "Lord Hanzo has invited me to a meeting. Wait quietly at home."
"Hahahaha… After so long, Lord Hanzo has finally responded to us."
"That's great! If we can get Lord Hanzo's support, our desire to bring peace to the Land of Rain will be realized much faster."
"I told you so, as long as we are willing to communicate, people will eventually understand and trust each other."
Seeing everyone's joy, Yahiko headed towards the door: "Nagato, come with me."
"Huh? Oh!"
Nagato followed Yahiko out. Yahiko's expression turned grim: "Nagato, they've kidnapped Konan."
"What?"
As they headed to the location designated in the letter, Yahiko briefly summarized its contents.
Nagato's heart grew heavier: "Yahiko, it's obvious Hanzo doesn't trust us. Are we just going to go like this?"
Yahiko smiled and said, "Don't worry, maybe it's just a misunderstanding."
"As long as we make our position clear, I believe Lord Hanzo will understand what we are doing."
Seeing Yahiko's confident smile, the words of the masked man kept appearing in Nagato's mind.
A drastic change is about to occur, the cruel reality…
Nagato shook his head hard, driving the confusing thoughts from his mind.
Whatever the case, the most important thing now was to trust Yahiko!
————
Seeing Yahiko and Nagato leave, Zetsu smiled and said, "Obito, shall we go too?"
Obito Uchiha shook his head: "Nagato doesn't need unnecessary bonds. I'm going to take care of the rest of the Akatsuki members."
Hearing Obito Uchiha's words, White Zetsu joked: "Obito, you're a completely different person from when I first met you…"
"Doesn't it hurt you to kill these innocent people?"
Obito Uchiha snorted coldly: "I have already experienced true pain."
"They will only die temporarily. In the future, they will live a happy life in the world I will create."
"And besides…" Obito Uchiha entered the house and said slowly: "My name is now Madara Uchiha!"
————
In the valley.
Yahiko and Nagato stopped, panting, and observed everything around them.
At the top of the valley stood Hanzo of the Salamander and a group of ANBU from the Hidden Rain Village.
Opposite them, there were also a dozen ninjas with Konoha headbands.
The man leading them had half of his body bandaged and an X-shaped scar on his chin.
The Akatsuki organization had specifically investigated the powerful figures of each village, so Nagato and Yahiko immediately recognized the identity of the man before them.
Danzo Shimura from the village of Konoha!
"Bring her out."
When Hanzo of the Salamander finished speaking, Konan was forcibly brought before him.
Seeing Konan, Yahiko immediately shouted: "Lord Hanzo, this is all a misunderstanding!"
"You are someone we admire, and everything we do is for the peace of the Land of Rain."
"Please, release Konan, we are willing to obey your orders."
To this, Hanzo of the Salamander did not respond, simply tossing a kunai indifferently at Nagato's feet.
"You living is a threat, and I am not going to believe those one-sided words."
"Red-haired brat, kill Yahiko."
"Otherwise, this woman will die here."
With that said, Konan couldn't help but let out a cry of pain.
Feeling the undisguised killing intent from Hanzo of the Salamander, Yahiko and Nagato knew very well.
If they didn't do as he said, he would kill Konan without hesitation!
Nagato picked up the kunai, trembling, not knowing what to do for a moment.
Thrust!
Yahiko lunged forward, and the kunai instantly pierced his heart.
"Nagato, you have to live well with Konan."
"Because… you are the savior of this world."
Nagato's eyes widened in terror.
Everything had happened too quickly. Hanzo of the Salamander had given them no chance to speak.
Yahiko was dead.
He had died just like that.
Even though they considered Hanzo a hero, he saw them as a threat that had to be eliminated.
Even though they had written him letters more than once to express their intentions, he had never intended to be sincere with them.
"So he chose to kill himself so as not to put his comrade in a difficult position?"
"A good performance."
Hanzo of the Salamander's mocking voice echoed. His killing intent, far from diminishing with Yahiko's death, became even more intense.
Nagato finally realized that they had never intended to spare their lives, and that everything they had done was simply to mock them.
They were incapable of understanding their pain…
An intense emotion bombarded Nagato's mind.
An immense and authoritative eye power erupted from him.
"Kill him!"
At Hanzo's command, countless shurikens flew towards Nagato.
Nagato raised his arm: "Shinra Tensei!"
All the shurikens were repelled. Hanzo of the Salamander took a step back, surprised.
Nagato took the opportunity to use the Body Flicker Technique and appear next to Konan.
"Explosion!"
The explosive tags, placed in advance, detonated instantly, leaving Nagato's legs in a pitiful state.
Seeing the seriously injured Nagato and the crowd of lurking ninjas, Konan's heart filled with pain.
If she hadn't been taken hostage, things would not have come to this.
In her daze, Konan's mind evoked the scene of her encounter with Mirai Uchiha long ago.
He had already warned her back then that Hanzo of the Salamander would attack "Akatsuki."
And that they were destined to pay the price for their naivety.
But out of trust in Yahiko, Nagato, and Hanzo, she ultimately decided to keep that matter buried deep in her heart.
But she didn't expect that it had now come true!
In her desperation, Konan seemed to remember something.
She searched her ninja tool pouch and soon pulled out a special kunai.
Following the memory in her mind, she infused chakra into the kunai.
The next second, Mirai Uchiha's figure appeared out of thin air.
"Konan, we meet again."
Seeing Mirai Uchiha's back, Konan said anxiously: "Didn't you say I could look for you when I faced reality?"
"This place is very dangerous, get us out of here quickly!"
Seeing Konan's panicked expression, Mirai Uchiha smiled calmly: "Understood."
"Don't worry, no matter who the opponent is, I will get you out of here safely."
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