"All of this is thanks to the help of Black Zetsu-senpai."
In front of Black Zetsu, Byakuya showed great courtesy. Without Black Zetsu's contributions in Yin-Yang Release and Wood Release ninjutsu, he wouldn't have found it so easy to take over Amegakure.
What's more important is that, compared to Black Zetsu, who has been a hidden puppet master for thousands of years, Byakuya is still very young.
Black Zetsu was very satisfied with Byakuya's respectful attitude. This ninja he personally 'recruited' is even more obedient than Madara Uchiha.
After some pleasantries, Byakuya looked at Black Zetsu and directly asked, "Black Zetsu-senpai, do you have any instructions this time? Should our next step be to attack the Five Great Nations, or should we lie low for now?"
"Let's lie low for now. We still don't have the strength to attack the Five Great Nations."
Upon hearing this, Byakuya became somewhat anxious. "But what about reclaiming our country? The land of the Hidden Rain is too barren, and even Yahiko and Nagato oppose my proposal. Only by attacking the Five Great Nations can we..."
"I understand your impatience, but this time we really can't rush it... Akatsuki might have defeated Hanzo, but that doesn't mean we can take on Konoha or Iwa. The timing isn't right yet..."
Pausing for a moment, Black Zetsu continued, "When the time is right, I will help you reclaim your country."
Black Zetsu wished he could revive the Ten-Tails in the next second and free his mother from her seal, but centuries of failure had taught him not to rush things.
They needed to accumulate enough power to proceed with the Eye of the Moon Plan.
Moreover, this time, besides Indra's power, he also planned to use Asura's methods. Once he controlled all the major nations of the shinobi world, he didn't believe the Eye of the Moon Plan could fail again.
He had come this time to find Byakuya and caution him. If Byakuya prematurely launched a war against the Land of Whirlpools while he was away, trying to reclaim his own country there, it would definitely alert the Five Great Shinobi Villages.
Seeing Byakuya's struggle after hearing his words, Black Zetsu also began to worry. Explaining the Eye of the Moon Plan to Byakuya in the future would be another difficult problem.
For now, they could only take it step by step, as every one of the subordinates and lackeys he had his eye on was causing him some concern.
After a brief discussion with Byakuya, Black Zetsu prepared to leave the office, intending to use the Mayfly Technique. Besides searching for Byakuya, he had other intelligence to gather.
Suddenly, Black Zetsu remembered something and added, "Oh, one more thing. I have a subordinate who will be graduating soon. They might join the Akatsuki organization in the near future."
With that said, Black Zetsu departed.
Sensing Black Zetsu's movement towards Nagato, Byakuya's smile diminished somewhat.
His words just now were not only to maintain the facade of "Mouryou" Byakuya but also to probe Black Zetsu's current intentions, even those of Madara Uchiha.
From Black Zetsu's words, it seemed they currently had no immediate plans to directly attack the Five Great Shinobi Nations.
This was undoubtedly advantageous for both himself and the Akatsuki. With Akatsuki's current strength, occupying the Land of Rain was already pushing its limits, with even smaller neighboring countries being too much to swallow.
However, the last sentence from Black Zetsu had given him a valuable reminder and a significant amount of intelligence.
The new member recommended by Black Zetsu was likely going to be Obito Uchiha, which, if true, would make the Akatsuki's future prospects more intriguing.
While Obito lacked sentimentality, he was skilled in dealing with Konoha, which was crucial.
Most importantly, Obito's inclusion meant a decline in Madara Uchiha's influence, which was good news. Younger Uchiha were always easier to handle than older ones.
He was already looking forward to meeting Obito.
---
Not long after, Black Zetsu found Nagato and Konan within the Amegakure.
At this moment, Nagato and Konan were in an orphanage, caring for the war-displaced children.
Originally, the Amegakure had no orphanages, but after the Akatsuki took control, an orphanage for sheltering children and caring for the elderly was established, funded by resources from Hanzo's legacy.
This measure was proposed by Byakuya to win over hearts, straightforward and effective.
Yahiko, however, did not believe Byakuya's intentions were solely to win hearts. Still, he couldn't oppose the establishment of the orphanage. Once it was built, Konan became its first director.
Seeing the emaciated orphans before them, Nagato and Konan couldn't help but feel sorrowful.
They recalled their own past and silently vowed that such tragedies must never happen again.
However, Black Zetsu was troubled by this scene. If Nagato didn't fall into darkness, how could he execute the Eye of the Moon Plan? Without the Rinnegan, it would be impossible to use the Outer Path's Demonic Statue to gather the Tailed Beasts.
If it had been in the past, he would have already been figuring out how to turn Nagato to the dark side.
Only after losing all beauty and hope can the seed of hatred be born, to burn the entire world.
But with Byakuya, the restorer, here now, there's no need to worry about that. Byakuya will definitely lead the Akatsuki into war. He just needs to consider how to delay this process.
After using secret techniques to record this scene as a video, Black Zetsu quietly left the orphanage.
At this moment, Nagato seemed to sense something. He looked towards where Black Zetsu had left and frowned, saying, "Why do I feel like someone is spying on us?"
"Spying on us?" Konan looked around, finding nothing unusual. She said, "Nagato, have you been working too hard at the construction site recently? Maybe you're tired and having illusions."
Nagato shook his head. Despite using the Shinra Tensei to move bricks at the construction site, his sensory abilities had never failed.
He was certain that someone was spying on him and Konan from the shadows.
Seeing Nagato's serious expression, Konan quickly asked, "Could it be Byakuya? He often has a habit of appearing unexpectedly and using paper clones to oversee."
"I'm very familiar with Byakuya's chakra. I can say for sure it's not him. It could be Amegakure Shinobi who oppose Yahiko, or perhaps spies from other ninja villages."
Nagato felt that something was seriously wrong with this situation, but he had no immediate solution. He could only shake his head and say, "Forget it. I'll go find Byakuya later and inform him."
"We can only do that."
Konan nodded as well. Although she hadn't sensed anything, she wasn't brave enough to let her guard down.
After Akatsuki eliminated Hanzo as their enemy, they moved from the shadows to the forefront. They didn't know how many eyes were watching them in secret, so they had to be cautious.
---
Meanwhile, as Nagato and Konan discussed chakra sensing, Black Zetsu had already arrived in the underground space.
This time, Madara was not with Obito Hatake, but seated on a stone stool, quietly waiting for Black Zetsu's return.
Upon sensing Black Zetsu's arrival, Madara suddenly opened his eyes and asked in a deep voice:
"Black Zetsu, how are things on Nagato's side?"