Night had fallen over the Akatsuki base.
Led by a member of Akatsuki, Kanzō was brought to meet Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan.
"Greetings. I am Kanzō, Lord Hanzo's deputy."
Kanzō nodded politely to the three as he introduced himself.
"Hello. I'm Yahiko. These are Nagato and Konan."
Yahiko returned the greeting with a smile before asking,
"May I ask the reason for your visit, Mr. Kanzō?"
Kanzō maintained a formal smile.
"I have come under orders from Lord Hanzo to invite the three of you to attend the ceasefire negotiations between Konohagakure and Iwagakure."
Yahiko's eyes lit up with excitement.
However, before the joy on his face could fully show, he noticed Kanzō subtly giving him a meaningful glance.
Yahiko's heart stirred, but his expression remained unchanged as he said happily,
"That's wonderful news! Let's go inside and discuss the details."
Yahiko dismissed the Akatsuki member who had escorted Kanzō and personally led him into the room.
After closing the door, Yahiko shot a look at Nagato.
Nagato immediately understood. He clasped his hands together and gave a light clap.
"Barrier Technique: Canopy Method Formation!"
An invisible sensory barrier spread outward from Nagato, enveloping the entire room.
Because he possessed all seven chakra natures, Nagato had learned more techniques from Jiraiya than either of the other two.
This particular technique was one of Jiraiya's omnidirectional sensory barrier jutsu.
Nagato spoke after a moment.
"All clear. No one else is nearby."
Yahiko nodded before turning to Kanzō.
"Senior Kanzō, if there's anything inconvenient to say outside, you can speak freely now. What exactly does… Ren—"
He paused briefly before correcting himself.
"—Lord Hanzo want from us?"
Kanzō relaxed slightly. He took a letter from his robe and said,
"Earlier today, Shimura Danzō, one of Konoha's elders, came to see Lord Hanzo. He requested that Lord Hanzo take action against your Akatsuki organization."
The three were visibly shocked.
Although Uchiha Ren had already warned them beforehand, they had not expected Danzō to move so quickly.
Yahiko accepted the letter and asked,
"What was Lord Hanzo's response?"
Kanzō shook his head.
"Lord Hanzo agreed to Danzō's request on the surface. But since he also sent me here to see the three of you, he clearly has other plans."
"I don't know the details. Lord Hanzo only said that once you read the letter, you would understand what to do."
"And from this point onward, I will follow your arrangements as well."
Yahiko nodded and immediately opened the letter.
He quickly read through its contents. A serious expression appeared on his face before he passed the letter to Nagato.
Nagato frowned after reading it and then handed it to Konan.
When Konan finished reading, the three fell silent.
Seeing this, Kanzō grew extremely curious about the contents of the letter. However, as an experienced shinobi, he said nothing and suppressed his curiosity.
After a long moment, Konan finally broke the silence.
"If this is Lord Hanzo's arrangement, then we should follow it. With Lord Hanzo present, I won't be in danger."
Without waiting for Yahiko or Nagato to respond, she turned to Kanzō.
"Senior Kanzō, Lord Hanzo said I need to act as bait to lure Shimura Danzō out. I'll be conducting a patrol near the southern battlefield shortly. Take the opportunity to capture me then."
Shimura Danzō was no ordinary opponent.
To avoid arousing his suspicion, Uchiha Ren planned to recreate the original chain of events, staging Konan's "capture" as a hostage to make the trap appear completely authentic.
Of course, if Yahiko and Nagato truly felt uneasy, this step could be abandoned.
After all, Danzō's true target was Nagato.
As long as Yahiko and Nagato appeared to fall into the trap, the plan would likely proceed without incident.
Uchiha Ren had deliberately left the final choice to them.
"Konan shouldn't be in danger before Nagato and I show up," Yahiko said after thinking it over.
"This plan is acceptable."
Turning to Kanzō, he added,
"Senior Kanzō, I'll entrust Konan to your care."
"Don't worry," Kanzō replied firmly. "I won't let anything happen to her."
At that moment, Kanzō finally understood the earlier reaction from the three of them.
They were planning to send one of their own as bait.
As comrades, it was only natural for them to worry.
Nagato also spoke.
"Please take care of her, Senior Kanzō."
"Rest assured… I'll take my leave now."
Kanzō nodded and bid farewell. He still had preparations to make.
Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan escorted him outside.
After Kanzō disappeared into the distance, the three returned to the room and once again fell silent.
In truth, the letter from Uchiha Ren contained more than just the plan involving Konan as bait.
Thanks to Ren's assurance, they were not overly worried about that part.
But the letter also mentioned something else.
The masked man hiding in the shadows might take advantage of this opportunity to strike at them.
They were told to make sure all Akatsuki members were properly arranged beforehand.
"What should we do?" Yahiko asked.
"If the three of us leave together, there's no guarantee Jūsuke and the others won't run into trouble. Should we tell them part of the truth?"
Nagato thought for a moment before replying.
"Brother Ren said that as long as Jūsuke and the others remain in the camp and don't act recklessly, they should be fine."
"We can explain part of the situation to Jūsuke and let him stabilize morale in the camp."
Konan still looked worried.
"But what if that masked man attacks Jūsuke and the others regardless? They wouldn't be able to stop him."
Yahiko rubbed his temples. Her concern was not unreasonable.
Nagato pondered for a moment before speaking again.
"Whether it's Shimura Danzō or that masked man, their real target is me."
"Danzō's side is already a trap set by Brother Ren. As long as he takes the bait, everything will proceed as planned."
"So here's what we'll do. Tomorrow, Yahiko and my Shadow Clone will attend the meeting, while my real body remains hidden in the camp."
"As long as the masked man doesn't appear here, I won't reveal myself. That should be enough to fool Danzō."
This was the best solution Nagato could think of.
Yahiko considered it before replying,
"A Shadow Clone is a physical clone with the exact same chakra signature as the original. It should be enough to deceive Danzō."
"But… leaving you alone in the camp to face the masked man—isn't that too dangerous?"
Nagato shook his head.
"According to Brother Ren, that masked man probably won't confront me directly."
"What worries me more is your side."
"Brother Ren will be facing Shimura Danzō and Konoha's ANBU alone. I'm afraid he might not be able to look after you."
"In that case, it's settled," Yahiko said with a smile.
"Nagato, don't underestimate me. I'm pretty strong too."
"I won't let anything happen to Konan."
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