"No need. Without evidence, it's hard to have any major impact on them. Forget it. You just need to reveal their identities to Nagato and the others to prevent any unnecessary misunderstandings."
In the end, in Obito's view, whether it was Black Zetsu or White Zetsu, they were all creations of Uchiha Madara. The only reason they assisted him was because of Uchiha Madara's orders.
He could never fully trust them. Or rather, within the Akatsuki organization, the only one he could trust was Kisame Hoshigaki. Everyone else would likely lean more toward Pain, who was the leader—that is, Nagato.
"It would be great if they really were members of the Akatsuki organization."
Watching White Zetsu submerge back into the ground to communicate with Nagato, even Obito—whose heart had long been tempered—couldn't help feeling a touch of emotion. Even he, sometimes, found himself stretched thin when acting alone.
...
"That's how things are. Please, you absolutely must not misunderstand, okay? If there's nothing else, I'll head off first, hehe."
"..."
Until White Zetsu finished his report and left, Heavenly Path Pain didn't say a single word. His expression hadn't changed in the slightest throughout, just like a corpse.
"What do you think about what that guy just said, Nagato?"
After White Zetsu left, another figure wearing the Akatsuki cloak emerged from the shadows nearby. She had rather handsome features, short blue-purple hair, and a ring engraved with the character "白" (white) on her right middle finger.
"You're here, Konan." Once Konan appeared, Pain—who was Nagato—finally spoke his first words after a long silence. His tone was slightly relaxed, completely different from his attitude toward White Zetsu earlier.
But this was only natural. As a partner who shared the same wish with him, Konan was naturally incomparable to that masked man who called himself "Uchiha Madara" or the Black and White Zetsu around him.
"Whether what it said just now is true or false, the matter in the Land of Iron has already happened. After this, the Akatsuki organization will inevitably come into the open, and our subsequent actions will be a very important choice."
"So what about those two people suspected to be from the Akatsuki at the time? Although Uchiha Madara claims they aren't his people, the Sharingan is undeniably real.
Ever since he and Uchiha Itachi massacred the Uchiha clan, there have hardly been any Uchiha left in the ninja world. Now suddenly a person with the Sharingan appears—it can be confirmed that they're most likely closely connected to him."
Unlike Nagato, Konan paid more attention to those two who had caused havoc in the Land of Iron. Whether they were Akatsuki members couldn't be confirmed.
But they definitely had the strength of Akatsuki members; otherwise, they couldn't have run rampant in a relatively powerful nation like the Land of Iron. This was also what worried Konan.
If their strength were weak, even if they were Uchiha Madara's people, it wouldn't matter—they posed no threat. But unfortunately, their strength wasn't weak; in fact, it was very strong.
That wasn't good. If they weren't that self-proclaimed Uchiha Madara guy's people, fine—but if they were, that would be trouble.
Since the other side could quietly recruit such powerhouses, it was possible they had pulled in more than just these two—maybe three, four, or even more.
With more people of that level, even Pain would have a hard time dealing with them, not to mention that "Uchiha Madara" whose depths were unknown.
"Are you worried that those two might be that 'Uchiha Madara's' people, Konan? While it's certainly possible, you also know—
A god does not fear any opponent."
Nagato's words brimmed with powerful confidence, making one involuntarily want to believe him.
And this wasn't arrogance—it was the confidence given to him by those eyes, the same eyes as the legendary Sage of the Six Paths: the Rinnegan.
In front of the Rinnegan, even the so-called Mangekyo Sharingan was nothing. This was why he could remain unconcerned—because he was simply too strong.
"But even a god should have helpers, not fight alone. Didn't we establish the Akatsuki organization precisely for this reason? To achieve the peace we envision, some things are still necessary."
"Konan, you mean..."
Nagato didn't refute Konan's words upon hearing them. How could he not know the importance of helpers? Otherwise, he wouldn't have founded the Akatsuki.
And as the only partner he could absolutely trust, Nagato was willing to listen to some of Konan's suggestions.
"In my view, regardless of whether the attackers in the Land of Iron are 'Uchiha Madara's' subordinates, we should further strengthen our forces. After all, the Akatsuki organization has now been forced into the open.
To carry out our subsequent plans, we will inevitably need more combat power. Not only that—if in the future we clash with 'Uchiha Madara' at the final moment, we can also handle it more calmly."
"Hm... Then let's do as you think. Sorry to trouble you, Konan."
In truth, both Konan and Nagato were well aware that the masked man calling himself "Uchiha Madara" was not on the same path as them. His motives were impure, and he surely had his own agenda regarding collecting the tailed beasts.
Thus, once the tailed beasts were collected, conflict between them was almost inevitable—and the other side naturally knew this too.
Since the other side had already seemingly begun expanding their manpower, they could not afford to slack off. Although Nagato considered himself unafraid of anyone, the other side did call himself Uchiha Madara.
That legendary ninja who, together with Senju Hashirama, pacified the chaotic world and founded the ninja villages—even if it wasn't necessarily true, it was enough to make Nagato take it seriously.
He would not allow his and Konan's dream to encounter any mishaps due to his own carelessness.
"Alright." Konan simply nodded lightly upon hearing this. She wasn't surprised that Nagato would agree, because she understood her companion just as well.
"Do you have any suitable candidates now?"
"Of course. Back when we were still recruiting members, I had my eye on many people. Some have already joined the Akatsuki, while others were temporarily given up on because the members were already full at the time.
But the intelligence gathered back then wasn't wasted—for example, we can use it now."
By the end, a smile appeared on Konan's face. She hadn't expected the situation to change so quickly. Things that were useless before could now come in handy.
"For example..."
"There are two. One is a man named Shinnō. On the surface, he's a wandering physician, but in reality, he's the leader of the Hidden Sky ninja. His strength isn't weak, and he's suspected of creating powerful creatures similar to tailed beasts.
Recruiting him not only increases our combat power but also gains the support of the Hidden Sky ninja—killing two birds with one stone."