For every 30 POWER STONES there will be an extra chapter!
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After leaving the Land of Wind, Ye Zi and White Zetsu returned to the Land of Rain, a country perpetually soaked in rain and heavy with mist, which White Zetsu always despised.
They trudged through the muddy roads, making their way through the downpour to Amegakure, the village controlled by the Akatsuki.
Amegakure had begun enforcing a policy of isolation, no longer accepting foreign ninja, so Ye Zi and White Zetsu did not enter the village through the main gate.
Once inside the village, they headed straight for the tallest tower, having been summoned by Nagato, though unaware of the reason.
Inside the dimly lit room on one of the lower floors, they met Nagato. Despite the darkness, the Rinnegan's distinctive pattern shone clearly through the shadows.
"I know everything you've been up to recently," Nagato said, standing with his Rinnegan fixed on them. Konan stood beside him, while four figures quietly lingered in the shadows behind him.
Ye Zi and White Zetsu remained silent, meeting Nagato's gaze, waiting for him to continue.
"Weakened villages may be advantageous to Akatsuki, but Akatsuki isn't yet strong enough for you two to be so reckless and expose yourselves," Nagato's voice was deep and steady, his Rinnegan reflecting an inscrutable stillness.
White Zetsu shrugged, glancing over at Ye Zi. Once again, he was marveled at the practicality of Ye Zi's wooden mask.
"Understood," Ye Zi responded coldly, indifferent to the reprimand. He knew the Akatsuki would inevitably be discovered once they began executing their plans, and hiding his identity only provided temporary convenience.
With Ye Zi's simple response, Nagato moved on, changing the topic: "To seal the tailed beasts, we need at least nine people with strong chakra. Before the plan can begin, we must recruit some powerful individuals."
Ye Zi showed a flicker of interest at the mention of the plan and asked, "Nine people? How many do we still need?"
"Four," Nagato replied.
"Do you have any candidates?" Ye Zi asked.
Nagato responded coldly, "There's only one we have in mind."
"Who?" Ye Zi pressed.
"The one who killed the Third Kazekage."
Ye Zi raised an eyebrow. "Who killed the Third Kazekage? And where is this person now?"
"We don't know," Nagato answered calmly.
Ye Zi fell silent, feeling at a loss.
At that moment, Nagato turned to White Zetsu. "White Zetsu, it's your task to find this person."
"Isn't that a bit unreasonable? I'm supposed to find someone whose identity is unknown?" White Zetsu chuckled, though he appeared unbothered by the task.
"This is where your value lies," Nagato said firmly.
White Zetsu smirked but replied, "Fine, give me some time. I'll find the person. But recruiting them? That's not my job."
"Then it's settled," Nagato continued, "Ten billion ryo has been collected so far, but it's still not enough. Once we have enough recruits, we'll continue focusing on funding."
"More money?" Ye Zi frowned. "If the team is ready, we should execute the plan immediately, not focus on more funding."
Nagato didn't get angry at Ye Zi's rebuttal. Instead, he looked at him with calm eyes and said, "I am the one executing the plan. How it proceeds will be decided by me."
"..."
Underneath his mask, Ye Zi's eyes narrowed slightly. He stayed silent, knowing they were still too passive. With Nagato controlling everything, there was no telling how long it would take to fully launch the plan. While their basic goals were aligned, their ultimate objectives were not the same. As long as Nagato's will remained unchallenged, Yezi couldn't change anything.
"To take the Rinnegan... but there's no guarantee the transplant will succeed. Even if I want to take it, I need to ensure a successful transplant first. But… we don't have the right person for that."
As Ye Zi pondered, the image of Nanako flashed briefly in his mind before fading away. She was already dead. After her, another figure appeared—Orochimaru.
This thought lingered briefly before being suppressed.
Nagato, unaware of Ye Zi's internal struggle, handed him and White Zetsu two rings, each inscribed with a different character: one with "Kū" and the other with "Gai". He tossed them, and both Ye Zi and White Zetsu caught them smoothly.
Ye Zi opened his hand to reveal a ring engraved with the character "Kū."
"Kū..." he murmured. "Empty. Nothing. Neither physical nor spiritual."
"These rings will allow me to contact you at any time. Don't lose them. They're also essential for the tailed beast sealing process," Nagato explained.
"Got it, but these rings are ugly," White Zetsu joked as he slipped the "Gai" ring onto his right pinky finger.
Ye Zi silently placed his "Kū" ring on his left ring finger.
Nagato raised his right hand, displaying a ring engraved with the character "Rei". "The characters on the rings will also serve as your codenames within the organization. I am Rei, Konan is Byaku, Yezi, you are Kū, and White Zetsu is Gai."
Hearing their new codenames, both Ye Zi and White Zetsu instinctively glanced at their rings. It seemed that Akatsuki was truly becoming more organized.
"Gai, your task is to find the person who killed the Third Kazekage. As for Kū…" Nagato began, but Ye Zi cut him off.
"I'll handle the funding, but not right now. The Third Shinobi War hasn't ended yet, and this is our chance to weaken the major villages. I won't waste this opportunity," Ye Zi interrupted, seeing that Nagato intended to assign him to continue raising funds.
Rather than gathering funds, Ye Zi believed it was more important to maximize the damage to the villages during the war, which would make collecting the tailed beasts easier in the future.
Nagato didn't react to being interrupted, nor to Ye Zi asserting his will. After a brief pause, he said, "This could benefit Akatsuki, but if we attract too much attention from the major villages too soon, it might disrupt the plan."
Ye Zi calmly tugged at a corner of his red-clouded robe and, meeting Nagato's gaze, replied coldly, "From the moment Akatsuki was reborn, it was no longer possible to remain hidden in the shadows. You've already begun spreading your 'god's will' in Amegakure. You aspire to become a god, so are you afraid?"
"Ye Zi... Kū, you're being too bold," Konan snapped, glaring at him.
Ye Zi tilted his head slightly, a faint smile playing beneath his mask. He ignored Konan, keeping his eyes on Nagato.
Seeing Ye Zi's blatant disregard, Konan's anger flared. She stepped forward, ready to speak again, but Nagato raised a hand, stopping her.
His Rinnegan remained calm and emotionless, as it had been throughout the entire conversation.
With a steady gaze, Nagato looked at Ye Zi and said, "I will become a god. I will change this world. If your actions jeopardize that plan, I'll kill you."
"Understood."
That was Ye Zi's only response, meeting Nagato's calm eyes. The faint smile under his mask grew more pronounced.
A god?
Such a foolish ambition...
If it comes to it, I'll pull you down from your godhood myself!
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Currently on Chapter 245 - Harmonized Cellular Existence