"What are you planning to do with us?" Mika asked for the second time.
Now she realized she had been brushed away the first time she asked and much to her shame, her attention was redirected all too easily because of her worry for Nagato's life.
But seeing Rei dispatch Obito so easily, she was reminded she didn't get a proper answer to what will happen to them.
Rei dryly looked at Mika, giving her a long stare which made her feel nonexistent pressure, causing her to nervously fidget... before he simply uncaringly shrugged, "For all I care, now that the chosen-wannabe no longer possesses Rinnegan, you can go and do whatever. Whether you chose to be farmers or continue playing at hidden rulers of Ame, it doesn't concern me at all."
"That's it?" Mika uttered in disbelief.
He comes here out of nowhere, cripples Nagato, and now he says he doesn't care what happens to them? That was... hateful!
Mika gritted her teeth, trying to hold her feelings in.
"What? Did you expect something else or are you dissatisfied with being left alive?" Rei tilted his head when he saw how the girl was glaring at him.
Surprisingly, it was Nagato who saved the situation by butting in, "No, we are grateful for letting us go."
Rei redirected his gaze at him, feeling shocked from the bottom of his heart as one of the most delusional people in Elemental Nations actually did something that made sense.
Of course, Rei would not kill them. He already decided to let them go but that didn't mean he couldn't mess with them. At first, he thought it would be a bit too much since he had already crippled Nagato. But when Mika started to act out, he decided to have his fun at her expense.
Yet, Nagato ruined it for him.
'Should I cut off his tongue this time?' Rei offhandedly mused, his lips twitching in indignation.
"Can I ask what you plan to do with the rest of Akatsuki?" Nagato asked, from his tone it was obvious he really cared for his comrades. Or at least, for some of the saner ones.
"Some will die, others will be subdued and tried to be reasoned with. And if that won't work, they will be dealt with. I don't intend to do this kind of leg-work by myself though. Not all of it at least. So I can't tell you precisely who will and who won't survive." Rei nonchalantly shrugged, only too late realizing that Nagato couldn't see him.
"I see." Nagato clenched his fists in frustration.
There was nothing he could do. Most of his power came from Rinnegan and losing it meant he lost access to its abilities. Fighting Rei would be suicide so being polite to the bastard who blinded him was his only option if he wanted Mika to survive.
Not all was lost, though. As he slowly started to get used to being blind, he was managing to 'see' through his chakra sensing and he felt if he trained it enough, it would have been as if he had never lost his sight. He would just perceive the world a bit differently. That was a massive relief for him.
Nevertheless, this... was a really nasty reality check for him and his only goal for now was to survive. Survive to see another day and have time to train and...
"If you think about having revenge against me then forget it." Rei guessed what the redhead thought from his expression. "You would have a hard time even with Rinnegan. Without it..." Rei shook his head as if he found the notion ridiculous.
Nagato was used to using the Heaven Path for the negotiations and speaking with the Akatsuki members so he didn't have all that much self-control in his own body. The Heaven Path was expressionless by default so it didn't require all that much self-discipline to not show any reaction.
But Rei was speaking with Nagato's real body and the boy was no ninja. His expression completely betrayed his intentions.
Rei saw Nagato stiffen when he heard his words, no doubt feeling a surge of fear, which made Rei satisfied. He wouldn't kill the redhead simply because he was resentful. He had the right to be.
Rei gave Nagato a bit of leeway because he felt a bit sorry for him. Losing his eyesight and having some hard truths told to his face must have shaken his world from the ground up. Alas, it had to happen.
"What is going to happen with the Amegakure?" Konan asked, surprising Nagato and Maki that one of their assailants cared about such a thing.
Both of them were on the brink of despair, not knowing how they would hold the current peace and regime in Amegakure together with losing Nagato's prowess. While living on a farm somewhere far away was tempting, both Nagato and Mika knew it was not a life for them. They desired to bring peace to Amegakure and it was too ingrained in them for them to stop pursuing this dream.
Even if it cost them their lives.
"Naturally, we will occupy it." Rei said in an amused tone, watching how Mika's eyes widened and Nagato's expression tightened. Seeing their expressions shift at contemplating this or that disastrous scenario of Amegakure being occupied was fun but Rei decided to explain further to not cause a misunderstanding. Well, he did after he enjoyed their fright for a few moments. "I would feel bad if the people of Amegakure suffered because of my actions. So I guess we can simply take it as ours and protect it. After all, we do come from this country." He shrugged, dropping the verbal bomb on Mika and Nagato.
"You..." Nagato started but he was instantly cut off.
"Ah, so you want to claim Amegakure under the Biri-Biri and Uzushio protection. Yes, that would do it." Konan nodded in understanding, causing Nagato's head to whip towards where her voice was coming from, his expression hopeful.
"Yes, having a country in the center of the Elemental Nations as the Biri-Biri base would help business immensely." Rei hummed.
It was a great idea. Not only would his company profit from it, but Amegakure would grow wealthier and nobody would try any tricks on it for fear of losing Biri-Biri's services.
Nagato couldn't help but be happy about this and tears started to roll down his cheeks. When he was powerful, he naturally had grand dreams but becoming powerless was a shock enough to make him realize what was truly important to him.
It wasn't the world. No. What Nagato really longed for was that...
His country... would be safe.
Just like that, any thought of revenge was forgotten by him, instead, he felt grateful.
When Kaguya later informed Rei about Nagato's feelings regarding his person, even he would scratch the back of his head and wonder how he managed to make a man whom he crippled be so grateful to him.
Uzumakis were just too weird for his common sense.