Under the cover of darkness, Aoba's body silently glided through the air like a noiseless bird.
Not far away, Kakuzu and Konan looked up and saw Aoba in the sky.
Even someone as experienced and knowledgeable as Kakuzu had to admit at this moment:
"This kid's strength is becoming increasingly terrifying. Even while flying, his chakra is completely undetectable. At his age, it's almost unimaginable what level he'll reach in the future. Could he be another Hashirama Senju?"
"No, he won't be another Hashirama Senju. In fact, I think he's closer to Madara Uchiha."
Thanks to Aoba's hints, Konan knew that the person within the Akatsuki wasn't Madara Uchiha. But to confirm this, she had also gathered a wealth of information about Madara, learning about that figure even more dangerous than Hashirama.
"...That's even worse."
Having lived through that era, Kakuzu understood far better than Konan just how dangerous Madara Uchiha was. Against Hashirama, Kakuzu dared to throw shuriken from eight hundred miles away.
But if it were Madara, he wouldn't even dare to look him in the eye.
Aoba landed silently from the sky, his effortless movements prompting a sigh from Kakuzu.
This level of chakra control was something he had never witnessed in his entire life.
"Long time no see."
"Aoba, what's the reason you've called us here?"
They had come to this meeting because Aoba had sent a signal. With his current strength, it was effortless for him to secretly transmit a message to experts like Kakuzu and Konan.
"There are some things I need to confirm with you. Has that masked man returned to the team?"
Hearing this question, Konan hesitated for a moment before replying.
"No, both of them have disappeared. Who exactly are those two people?"
"It doesn't matter who they were in the past. Starting today, he is the most dangerous person in the ninja world. Trust me, even with the Rinnegan, Nagato must be cautious when dealing with that man. He might be the person who understands the Rinnegan the best in the entire world."
"He's the enemy you mentioned to us before?"
"Yes and no. You could say he's part of the enemy. The real enemy hasn't yet revealed themselves."
Konan had interacted with Aoba many times. Her impression of him was that he knew a great deal of hidden information. But every time he spoke, he always held something back, never revealing the core truths.
However, since they were only loosely cooperating, this kind of guardedness was understandable. What truly puzzled her was that Aoba was already immensely powerful.
Based on the Akatsuki's intelligence, only Nagato could suppress this man's strength. Yet, despite this, he remained extraordinarily cautious—as if the ninja world harbored some incomprehensibly dangerous foe.
The masked man claiming to be Madara, along with Zetsu, were both dangerous figures. But in Konan's eyes, they weren't enough to make Aoba this tense.
Today's battle had made this clear. Aoba had outright annihilated the masked man. If not for Zetsu's intervention, the masked man wouldn't have lasted even one encounter.
But Zetsu's later actions had also shocked her. That method of parasitism was something Konan had never seen before in the ninja world.
In truth, Aoba was also extremely frustrated. The reason he withheld critical information was that there were too many internal issues within the Akatsuki.
If he revealed too much, the information wouldn't necessarily remain secure. The crux of the matter was that the enemies of the ninja world weren't just Obito and Zetsu. There were also Madara Uchiha, who left marks everywhere even after his death, and Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, who hid even deeper.
Finally, there were the extraterrestrial threats, eyeing this world with malice. Among them, Isshiki Ōtsutsuki, though severely injured, remained a lurking danger. If he decided to act, no one in the ninja world would be able to stop him.
Aoba was exercising extreme caution now precisely to avoid drawing the attention of the Kara organization. His efforts to reform Konoha and accumulate power on a grand scale were all aimed at preparing for the future confrontation with the Ōtsutsuki clan.
To deal with those beings, the strength of the entire ninja world would be required. At present, Nagato, Obito, Black Zetsu, and Madara Uchiha were all obstacles to his goal of unifying the ninja world.
Strictly speaking, they were all his enemies.
However, Aoba didn't actually harbor much ill will toward Nagato. In his mind, Nagato was the best-written antagonist in the entire Naruto series and the only one who successfully "talked-no-jutsu'd" Naruto.
To be honest, if Nagato had been the final antagonist of the series, Aoba could overlook all the earlier plot inconsistencies and nonsensical developments and still give it a 9.9 out of 10.
If Madara Uchiha were the final antagonist, the story could earn a nine out of ten. But with Kaguya as the final villain, it would only deserve a six.
As for Nagato, Aoba had some other ideas in mind. These plans needed to be realized gradually through Konan, which was one reason why he had conversed with her multiple times.
"In any case, this meeting is just to inform you. The masked man is now our common enemy. You need to protect Nagato."
The mention of protecting Nagato immediately put Konan on alert. Aoba had previously warned her that Nagato's Rinnegan did not originally belong to him. Now, his words clearly implied that someone would try to seize the Rinnegan.
If Nagato were in good health, Konan would have confidence that he could handle any enemy. But given Nagato's current condition...
Aoba thought for a moment, then took out a vial of medicine and tossed it to Konan.
"This potion can help Nagato. It won't cure him completely, but it should have a significant effect. You can have Hiruko verify it. That guy's a genius."
After confirming Black Zetsu's disappearance, Aoba knew that the subsequent storyline would likely spiral out of control.
Having revealed his special nature, Black Zetsu could no longer guide events from the shadows as he had before. This would inevitably push him to accelerate his plans.
After being forced out of the Akatsuki, Black Zetsu could no longer influence Nagato and would undoubtedly find a way to reclaim the Sharingan.
Although Nagato's power could dominate the ninja world, Black Zetsu clearly understood his weaknesses. With Obito's abilities added to the mix, Nagato might not be able to withstand them.
Aoba figured that Black Zetsu was now in hiding, likely to fully integrate himself into controlling Obito's body. The next time Black Zetsu appeared, Aoba would need to be fully prepared.
After concluding his meeting with Konan, Aoba didn't immediately return. Instead, he used a summoning jutsu on the spot, calling forth a white snake.
This was his emergency contact method with Orochimaru. Previously, Orochimaru had always sought out Aoba. But this time, Aoba took the initiative to request a meeting.
In a secret base, Orochimaru, who had just reversed the Reaper Death Seal and regained the use of his arms, was recuperating.
Reversing the technique required offering oneself as a sacrifice.
To avoid the inevitable death of the sacrificial process, Orochimaru had forcibly used the Living Corpse Reincarnation technique again, leaving himself in a weakened state. This technique wasn't something that could be used casually.
It generally required a three-year interval between uses. Now, just two years had passed, and he had used it forcibly, resulting in severe backlash.
Even so, upon receiving Aoba's message, Orochimaru decided to attend the meeting.
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Currently on Chapter 212 - Perfect Double Kill?