Chương 21: Unveiling the Conspiracy

Less than a minute had passed when Richard reappeared outside with Nagato, and Konan was already battling Tsunade. Kakuzu and Sasori were nowhere to be seen; they'd probably already fled. After all, the Akatsuki looked like they were doomed.

Shizune stayed far away; she was purely a medical ninja with average combat abilities, and she couldn't get involved in the battle between Tsunade and Konan at all.

"What have you done to Nagato?" Seeing Richard carrying Nagato, Konan immediately wanted to run over and fight Richard.

Richard casually tossed Nagato to Konan and said, "You're not dead. You should thank me."

"You turned Nagato into this and you still expect me to thank you?" Konan caught Nagato and breathed a sigh of relief upon feeling the presence of a living person.

"At least you're still alive, aren't you?" Richard replied.

"You're one of those who covet Nagato's Rinnegan too." Konan examined Nagato's eyes; they had become ordinary eyes. Well, this guy was too strong. It's a miracle Nagato is even alive.

"These aren't Nagato's Rinnegan. His eyes grew back on their own after I helped him recover them. Do you understand what I mean?" Richard said meaningfully.

Konan's expression changed, and she said, "Nagato's eyes weren't natural?"

"To be precise, it wasn't his own. It was just that someone discovered his identity as a member of the Uzumaki clan and asked him to help them keep an eye on things."

"After all, the Rinnegan consumes a lot of energy. Even Nagato, with his Uzumaki bloodline, was drained to this extent by the Rinnegan. Ordinary ninjas simply cannot afford it," Richard said.

"Who is it?" Xiao Nan's expression was complicated. She believed it because Richard was stronger than them; killing them would be as easy as snapping his fingers, so there was no need for him to lie to them.

"Didn't you already have a guess in your mind?" Richard said.

"Is it that masked man who calls himself Uchiha Madara?" Konan said through gritted teeth.

"He was just a tool. But he came very close; he was the real Uchiha Madara, and he was merely a tool chosen by Uchiha Madara."

"If you want revenge, you can go over there. The masked man is there. I didn't kill him." Richard pointed to the dark corner where Obito Uchiha was. He really didn't kill him; there was no need. Obito Uchiha, having lost his Kamui eyes, couldn't do anything.

"What about Uchiha Madara?" Konan asked. She did want to kill the masked man, but what was more important was the situation of Uchiha Madara.

"Madara Uchiha died of old age. However, the Rinnegan can revive the dead. Madara Uchiha had a resurrection plan, but now that the Rinnegan is in my hands, his resurrection plan is useless."

"You don't need to hate Uchiha Madara so much; he was just a fool who got tricked," Richard joked. The ninja world is a grand stage; if you have a dream, come and join us. There are countless schemers here; anyone can step up and show off their tricks and schemes.

Of course, it can't be said that Madara Uchiha was stupid; he was simply deceived because he had limited information. He suffered from insufficient information this time.

Konan decisively put down Nagato and headed in the direction Richard pointed. She didn't care about puppets or anything like that; she had to kill that masked man, otherwise her mind wouldn't be at peace.

Thus, Obito Uchiha, who had been spared by Richard, ultimately did not survive and was killed by Konan.

Tsunade, who had been standing to the side, finally had a chance to ask her questions.

"Is the Rinnegan you were talking about the legendary Sage's Eye? And Madara Uchiha, is he alright? Where did he get the Rinnegan? Isn't he supposed to have the Mangekyou Sharingan?"

She had refrained from interrupting Richard and Xiao Nan's conversation in order to hear more useful information, but she did have a lot of doubts accumulating in her mind.

Are you a walking encyclopedia of questions? Why do you ask so many questions?

"Yes, the Rinnegan is the eye of the Sage of Six Paths. Madara Uchiha certainly didn't die. Not only did he survive, but he also went a step further after acquiring the Mangekyou Sharingan, achieving the Rinnegan." Richard, though he teased her, also answered her question.

"Impossible. My great-uncle personally confirmed Madara Uchiha's death." Tsunade stated that Madara Uchiha could not possibly still be alive.

"Izanagi, your Senju and Uchiha clans have been enemies for hundreds of years, have you not recorded anything about this forbidden Uchiha technique? Or is Izanagi a forbidden technique that appeared after the founding of Konoha?" Richard said.

"Izanagi? What's the effect?" Tsunade asked, puzzled.

"The ultimate illusion that alters the effects of death and other adverse factors is the power to deceive the world, and its effects can last for several minutes."

"It requires three tomoe or more to use, and each use comes at the cost of completely exhausting the power of one Sharingan eye, meaning the user will lose sight in one eye," Richard said.

"Hiss, such a powerful forbidden technique?" Tsunade felt that the Senju clan's information was outdated. It was one thing to be unaware of so many secrets, but she didn't even know about the Uchiha clan. She didn't know Izanagi, and she didn't know that the Rinnegan evolved from the Sharingan. Who among us is truly from the ninja world?

And you, as an outsider, don't you know too much? Did the Slug Sage tell him all this? Probably not. The Slug Sage hasn't been in contact with the ninja world for a long time, where would he know so much secret information?

She looked at Richard with suspicion, then at the slug on her shoulder, completely baffled.

Richard noticed her confusion, but he couldn't explain.

"Guess what you want, as long as it doesn't interfere with my work."

Richard turned and left. He had already accomplished his purpose in coming to Amegakure. Why stay and celebrate the New Year?

Tsunade glanced at the red-haired youth lying on the ground. From their conversation, she realized that this youth was an orphan of the Uzumaki clan, a distant relative of hers. Although she wanted to ask this distant relative for some information, it was more important for her to stay with Richard.

The more she followed Richard, the more she realized what it meant to be ignorant and fearless. She had no idea how deep the waters of the ninja world were, and that the Senju clan was one of the most powerful clans in the ninja world. She considered herself to have one of the broadest knowledge and experience in the ninja world, but she had never known that so many earth-shattering secrets were hidden there. Only by following Richard could she learn more about the secrets of the ninja world.

"Please wait a moment, sir. Could you please return Pain to us?" Konan returned quickly and stopped Richard as he was about to walk away.

She could give up everything else, even the Rinnegan, which she knew she couldn't get back, but she couldn't do without Pain, the Deva Path, because it was made from the corpse of their comrade Yahiko. After Yahiko was tricked and killed by Hanzo and Danzo, Nagato turned his corpse into a puppet, Pain.

"Alright then." Richard casually tossed out the Deva Path of Pain. This thing was indeed of little use; it would be enough to keep a few of the Six Paths of Pain for research.

Soon, Richard and his companions disappeared.

As the others disappeared, Konan quickly followed Nagato away. With the Rinnegan gone, they couldn't deter the rogue ninja who had joined Akatsuki. Moreover, after learning of so many treacherous conspiracies, Konan was disheartened. She didn't want to be someone else's pawn any longer; it was time to leave.