"Then, a deal well made."
As he spoke, Kurogane Ren withdrew his hand. "Honestly, I'm not like Hanzo. I don't enjoy threatening people using what they care about."
He wasn't lying. He genuinely despised such methods. Unfortunately, they were undeniably effective, and given the other party's lack of cooperation, he had no choice but to imitate Hanzo this once.
The Water Prison Technique required physical contact from the user, so the moment Kurogane Ren pulled his hand back, the technique immediately dissipated.
Nagato was taken aback when he saw this. He had assumed the man would only release Konan after securing the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, yet he let her go right away.
Why did this masked man feel… strangely honest?
The thought was odd, but Nagato finally relaxed. He had no intention of going back on his word anyway.
If the other party was truly this kind of person, then he would likely keep his promise and leave once he took the statue.
Although Konan had been trapped in the Water Prison, she could still hear everything outside. She cast Kurogane Ren a complicated glance. After their brief clash, she understood one thing clearly—she was no match for him.
If she attacked again and provoked him, he might abandon the agreement entirely. Not only would she die, but Nagato would likely not survive either.
Silently, she returned to Nagato's side and helped him to his feet.
"You can take the Demonic Statue now, if you have a way to do so," Nagato said. After all, the statue stood dozens of meters tall—it was hardly something that could be moved easily.
"That's not something you need to worry about," Kurogane Ren replied casually as he walked toward the statue.
Soon, he arrived before it and placed a hand on its surface. It felt like rough stone beneath his fingers.
"Watch out!"
Nagato's shout rang out beside him.
From behind Kurogane Ren, another masked figure suddenly emerged, reaching out toward him.
Although Kurogane Ren had just been their enemy, Nagato had developed a certain respect for him. That was why he instinctively warned him.
In truth, the warning wasn't necessary.
Kurogane Ren had been on guard against Uchiha Obito's sneak attack the entire time.
Did he release Konan earlier because he was truly honest?
Of course not.
Under normal circumstances, he would have secured the Demonic Statue first before letting her go. That was his usual cautious approach.
But he knew Obito was definitely lurking nearby. If he hadn't released Konan, Obito would have stepped in immediately to save her. At that point, Kurogane Ren would have been facing three opponents at once.
So he gambled. He bet that Nagato would honor the agreement. Based on what he knew of Nagato's character, the odds were in his favor.
And clearly, he had won that gamble. Not only that, but he had even left a good impression. Nagato's warning just now was proof enough.
"Not a bad person at all," Kurogane Ren thought to himself. If not for everything that had happened, perhaps the three of them might have truly grown into people who pursued light and peace. Unfortunately…
They weren't the protagonists.
At that moment, Kurogane Ren gripped a kunai and spun around, thrusting it toward Uchiha Obito.
The blade passed straight through his body.
This was Kamui.
Of course, the technique didn't yet have a name. Obito himself had never named it. It was only later, after Kakashi mastered it, that it was called Kamui, a name Obito eventually adopted as well.
Kurogane Ren naturally understood how Kamui worked, but since this was his first encounter, he had to act accordingly to avoid raising suspicion.
As his kunai passed through, his other hand swiftly formed two seals.
In an instant, streams of water emerged across his body, swirling around him like sharp blades.
"Water Release: Water Blade Circulation!"
Unlike Kakashi, Obito did not possess a long-range Kamui. To drag Kurogane Ren into the Kamui dimension, he had to physically touch him.
And to touch him, he had to materialize.
But the moment he became tangible, those water blades would slice his arm clean off.
As expected, Obito hesitated. He had no doubt about the sharpness of those blades.
If he materialized, his arm would be severed. And once severed, could that arm still be considered part of his body? Could it still assist his Mangekyō Sharingan in activating Kamui?
Probably not.
Obito was surprised. The man's reaction was far too fast. He hadn't expected him to be this sharp. Clearly, the opponent hadn't known about him from the start—otherwise, he wouldn't have wasted time stabbing him with a kunai earlier.
At present, Obito's strength relied almost entirely on Kamui and the Wood Release he gained from merging with White Zetsu. With so little time to grow stronger, his raw combat ability still fell short of true Kage-level fighters.
Even so, with Kamui alone, he could exchange blows with Minato Namikaze—though he had been soundly beaten. That alone showed just how absurdly overpowered Kamui was.
Kurogane Ren assessed the situation. Obito's long-range ninjutsu was likely still at a Chunin level, perhaps boosted to Jonin-level power due to the White Zetsu cells.
That meant as long as he avoided being dragged into the Kamui dimension and stayed wary of Wood Release, his chances of winning would increase significantly.
"I need to widen the distance."
The moment Obito hesitated, Kurogane Ren gathered chakra in his feet and used the Body Flicker Technique to retreat.
"Well, well… looks like I'm not the only one playing the role of the hidden hunter," he said with a mocking tone as he moved back.
Nagato and Konan's expressions changed instantly. Especially Nagato—he had managed to detect Kurogane Ren, yet he had completely failed to notice Obito.
And it wasn't just this time. The last time, when Obito appeared within their Akatsuki base, it had been the same.
Perhaps… he had never truly left. Perhaps he had always been watching them from the shadows.
Before, he had spoken of cooperation. But now, it was hard to believe he had no ulterior motives. Did he know about this trap? Had he been involved?
Obito felt a flicker of irritation, silently cursing Nagato and Konan for their weakness. He hadn't intended to reveal himself at all.
Once he stepped out, it meant he had been watching everything unfold—watching them fall into the trap, watching their comrade die. That would make future cooperation far more difficult.
It wasn't that things would be easy without this incident, but the level of distrust would be completely different.
But he had no choice. There was no way he could just stand by and watch Kurogane Ren take the Demonic Statue. That was absolutely unacceptable.
So he had to act. And now, he even regretted not acting sooner.
If he had intervened when Konan was trapped in the Water Prison, rescuing her then, he might have gained their trust.
But who could have expected that this man would act so unpredictably—releasing Konan immediately after reaching an agreement?