Chapter 339: Black Zetsu Is Like a Big Cockroach
Kenichi stroked his chin, thinking that the idea was actually quite good.
After all, it would completely crush Obito and might even drive him insane. A rational enemy was troublesome to deal with, but once someone lost their mind, the problem became much smaller.
"I just need to clear myself of suspicion. Or maybe I do not even need to." Kenichi scratched his head.
Obito had clearly begun suspecting him a long time ago. Under those circumstances, Kenichi felt that even if he prepared the perfect alibi, Obito would still suspect him anyway.
And judging from the way Obito had tested him before, Kenichi was probably already on Obito's kill list.
If his strength were not sufficient, Obito would have come for him already.
So, in the end, there did not seem to be much point in disguising anything.
"Senior Kenichi!" At that moment, Kenichi's airship landed not far from Amegakure. Obito, still wearing his spiral mask, called out in an excited tone, making Kenichi marvel a little at how deep Obito's acting skills really were.
The man could still hold himself together in front of him.
Truly one of the most devoted lunatics in the entire Ninja World.
Well, perhaps there were a few competitors, but in Kenichi's opinion, Obito was definitely among the most emotionally obsessed of them all. In fact, he might even be the most devoted of all. After Rin died, Obito had more than enough power to have a different woman every day if he wanted.
But he only wanted Rin.
"It's Tobi. Is this the Akatsuki Organization's new member?" Kenichi asked, his eyes landing on Shin with deliberate caution.
At the moment, Shin's Sharingan was exposed, but that was nothing strange. He was someone whose body could accept any transplanted organ without rejection.
What Kenichi was truly curious about was the Mangekyo Sharingan in those eyes.
What ability did they hold?
Did Madara still have some stock left over?
Or had Black Zetsu gotten them for him?
"Hmph. Hello." Shin looked at Kenichi arrogantly and even let out a cold snort.
His expression and attitude were filled with disdain, which Kenichi found rather amusing. Once upon a time, this man had been nothing more than a useless experimental subject begging to learn under Orochimaru. And now he had the nerve to act proud?
Even so, Shin still extended his hand, as if to say, I do not want to shake hands with you, but I have to out of courtesy.
Kenichi glanced at the hand and laughed.
"What gives you the right to shake my hand?"
Shin's face darkened at once.
Although Kenichi had no idea how this man had escaped from Orochimaru's lab, he had absolutely no goodwill toward him.
A cold face deserved a cold response.
"You!" Shin's expression twisted with anger. The Mangekyo Sharingan spun in his eyes, looking as if he wanted to swallow Kenichi whole.
"'You' what? No manners at all," Kenichi said with a pout. "Do you not know how to respect your seniors? Learn from Tobi, brat."
As he spoke, he casually patted Obito on the shoulder. Obito could only let out a silly laugh to cover the rage boiling inside him.
If he did not need to preserve his identity, Obito swore he would have killed Kenichi on the spot.
"You bastard!" Shin snarled. Humiliation and anger surged together, and chakra rapidly condensed around him.
Kenichi's pupils shrank, and he immediately pulled Hikari back several steps. He knew exactly what this was.
Susanoo.
At the same time, he could not help but complain inwardly.
Was Susanoo not supposed to be a technique that only appeared after tremendous development? How the hell could this idiot Shin use it too?
"Enough."
Just as Shin's Susanoo was about to appear, an overwhelming shockwave slammed into the area.
The next second, Shin was blasted away, smashing through four or five trees before finally stopping.
Even funnier, Obito was sent flying just as dramatically, rolling a long distance away. Kenichi narrowed his eyes. That was suspiciously convenient. Was Obito doing that on purpose just to avoid standing near him?
It was definitely possible.
Kenichi himself did not get off easy, but at least he was not blown away. He lifted his head and saw two figures descending from above.
Konan and Pain.
To be precise, it was the Deva Path.
"Shinra Tensei, huh? Truly an impressive ability." Kenichi licked his lips.
Hikari had nearly been sent flying too, but he had managed to keep hold of her. Sasori, meanwhile, had smashed into a tree, and Deidara was currently being dragged back upright by him.
"Leader. Long time no see," Kenichi said with a grin.
The Rinnegan really was ridiculous. Shinra Tensei alone was enough to justify its reputation. No wonder a fully unleashed version had flattened Konoha and left countless casualties behind.
Nagato glanced at Kenichi coldly.
Although that Shinra Tensei had primarily been aimed at the newly joined Shin, Kenichi had still been within the area of effect. Yet he had managed to remain standing instead of being sent flying.
"Do not start conflicts inside Amegakure," Nagato said in a low voice. "The Akatsuki Organization is still in a period of hidden development. We have no intention of exposing ourselves directly to the Five Great Nations."
This time, Nagato unexpectedly added an extra sentence.
He was afraid that if he did not, Kenichi would open his mouth and say something ridiculous again. After all, Kenichi had a record.
Konan, standing nearby, almost wanted to laugh.
They had originally been discussing the organization's next move when the puppets monitoring the village reported the disturbance here. When they first arrived, Nagato had been furious. But after seeing Kenichi, that fury had somehow turned into pure disdain.
It was honestly rare to see her friend display such a range of emotions.
"I understand." Shin looked at Nagato, and there was a trace of greed in his eyes.
Kenichi noticed it immediately, and he believed Nagato had seen it as well. But Nagato clearly did not care. He had absolute confidence in his own power.
Kenichi rubbed his chin.
The Rinnegan really was close to invincible in the early stages. When Nagato invaded Konoha, if his body had not already been weakened by prolonged chakra drain from the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, Naruto would probably never have beaten him.
It was not that Nagato had been weak back then. It was that he had been worn down too much. His strength had already declined badly, and Jiraiya's intelligence gathering had also played a major role.
Ninja battles were information battles.
Kenichi firmly believed that.
After all, he himself had benefited from the convenience of information warfare more than once. When dealing with a certain ninja whose head was still lying in a laboratory, the other side had been left completely helpless against him.
"Leader, I completed this mission. There are also some details I would like to report to you." Kenichi smiled.
There was no need to put on much of an act when speaking to Nagato. The problem was that Obito was here, which meant Black Zetsu was almost certainly here as well.
Black Zetsu's concealment was absurd. Its ability to monitor people was equally absurd. Kenichi had already activated Sage Mode for a moment and swept the surroundings with his senses, yet he had still detected nothing unusual.
And while the Magic Lantern Body technique was useful, it did not pull everyone into some sealed private space. It merely projected their thought forms into one location. Black Zetsu could still listen in if it wanted.
So he still needed a way to get both Black Zetsu and Obito out of the picture.
Otherwise, any talk of secrecy was nonsense.
But that brought up another problem. How could he confirm that Black Zetsu had really left? That thing's concealment was far too strong. It was almost impossible to determine whether it was still nearby.
Taking Nagato onto the airship would have been a possible solution, but without a proper reason for doing so, Black Zetsu would definitely become suspicious.
For a moment, Kenichi felt genuinely annoyed.
Getting around that disgusting thing was far too troublesome.
"...Fine." Nagato gave Kenichi a look. He clearly did not want to talk to him much at all. In fact, every time he saw this man, an indescribable irritation rose in his chest.
Still, this did concern the mission, so he nodded and prepared himself mentally.
If Kenichi failed to say anything useful, he would throw him out immediately.
"Sasori, take Hikari around for a while," Kenichi said.
Sasori nodded. Konan, meanwhile, looked curiously at Hikari. The girl had a delicate, almost fragile air to her, the sort that made people want to protect her.
Still, Konan quickly looked away. Right now, Nagato mattered more than anything else.
Led by Nagato, Kenichi followed him into a cave.
That alone made him want to complain.
Did Nagato have some kind of cave obsession?
The Akatsuki's old meeting spots had been caves. Their temporary base had also been a cave. And now this again. Every meeting, every secret conversation, every important matter, all of it happened in caves.
Of course, Kenichi knew it was technically one of the organization's bases, but he still had to admit the feeling was strange.
"By the way, does the Akatsuki Organization not have money to rent venues?" Kenichi asked. "Why do we always hold meetings and do everything else in caves?"
Nagato, who had been walking ahead, stopped dead in his tracks.
Kenichi noticed at once that Nagato's fist clenched, loosened, then clenched again. It looked like he genuinely wanted to hit someone.
"That would be too wasteful." Konan immediately stepped in to help smooth things over for her friend.
To be honest, she had never imagined anyone would complain about something like this. After all, from a normal person's perspective, what was there to complain about? The caves were hidden, secure, and convenient.
Only Kenichi would manage to find fault in something so random.
"Oh, I see. I thought the Akatsuki Organization had become some kind of environmentally conscious group trying to save electricity," Kenichi said with a shrug.
In his opinion, every one of the organization's meetings felt like a public service announcement about conserving power.
And this was despite the fact that the Ninja World obviously already had electric lights.
"Enough." Nagato finally snapped. "What exactly is it that you need to report about this mission?"
If he let Kenichi keep talking, he truly felt he would lose control and hit him.
"Then I will keep it simple..." Kenichi said.
And then he began.
He started with the mission itself. Then he drifted into his emotional state during the mission. Then into his personal guesses. Then into complaints about Iwagakure's payment. Then into dissatisfaction with the Akatsuki's mission assignment system. Then back into the mission. Then into philosophy. Then back into complaints.
It was like listening to an old woman's foot cloth. Long, winding, and impossible to endure.
Nagato's face darkened more and more.
Konan slowly grew sleepy at the side.
Underground, Black Zetsu rolled his eyes so hard he felt like his brain was rotting. He had not wanted to come in the first place, but Obito had insisted they stay and see what Kenichi would say.
Now he regretted it.
He had not come to overhear strategic secrets.
He had come to sit through a one man comedy show.
"And also, Leader, I really think the Akatsuki's current way of assigning missions is not suitable for a talent like me..." Kenichi kept going.
He knew perfectly well how to stop other people from interrupting.
The answer was simple.
Do not stop talking.
The reason he had suddenly entered this mode, rambling in circles like a man explaining why the two trees outside his house were both jujube trees, was simple.
He was trying to see whether this level of nonsense would drive Black Zetsu away.
Would it work?
He had no idea.
But he could at least try.
This stream of nonsense continued for more than twenty minutes.
And in the end, although he did not manage to confirm whether Black Zetsu had left, he did manage to confirm something else.
Nagato's patience threshold.
"Enough!"
Nagato's roar echoed through the cave. An instant later, Shinra Tensei exploded out.
Kenichi was blasted backward and only barely avoided being smashed flat against the wall because he had been paying close attention from the start.
"My apologies, my apologies." Kenichi scratched his head.
At the same time, he very subtly glanced toward the ground.
He still could not tell whether Black Zetsu remained nearby, and that left him feeling thoroughly disgusted. That thing was like a cockroach. It was not particularly dangerous at the moment, but it was revolting and ridiculously hard to get rid of.
Because of that, he still could not speak openly with Nagato.
"The Akatsuki Organization will consider your proposal," Nagato said coldly. "But only if you can present something that proves you can create greater value without personally going out on missions."
Then he turned and left with Konan, his face dark.
If he stayed there any longer, he truly might hit Kenichi.
Kenichi shrugged.
But then, suddenly, a new idea surfaced in his mind.
Perhaps... he really could communicate with Nagato using that method after all.
.....
[If you don't want to wait for the next update, read 50 chapters ahead on P@treon.]
[[email protected]/FanficLord03]