Naruto: Born Gifted in Konoha

Dust settled quickly, revealing two figures in Konan's line of sight.

"You're not bad!" Nagato locked eyes with Saitama, the hostility fading away imperceptibly.

Neither showed any combative intent now, appearing as amiable old friends.

"Don't flatter me!"

Saitama shrugged casually, brushing non-existent dust off his black cloak.

"Nagato!"

Konan moved in a single step to Nagato's right side. She gave a slightly puzzled glance at the two who had stopped fighting, but remained wary of Saitama.

"It's fine, Konan." Nagato regained his calmness, offering Konan a faint smile before returning to his usual cold demeanor.

"Hello," Saitama greeted kindly while extending his hand toward Konan, only to be ignored without response.

Unfazed, he kept smiling, pulling back the outstretched hand with the other and then clapping both hands together afterward.

"Saitama Uchiha, our new organization member!"

Nagato scanned the area, observing the gradually converging members, speaking firmly with unquestionable authority.

Though the others couldn't fathom how their leader had gone from a brutal showdown to suddenly recruiting that same enemy, they never doubted Nagato's judgment.

His authority was deeply ingrained in them.

But Konan reacted differently, instantly becoming alert and turning her head toward Nagato.

"But he…" Her gaze held confusion, clearly expressing disagreement with this sudden appearance of Saitama.

"It's fine!" Nagato nodded again, offering no further explanation.

"Clean up the battlefield and prepare to harvest our victory!"

As Nagato addressed the surrounding members, everyone immediately became energetic and started working enthusiastically.

...

Time rewinds back to the moment when Saitama and Nagato first landed.

"Let's cooperate!"

"Oh?"

"Sow peace across the entire Shinobi World!"

Saitama's face turned dead serious.

"…"

Nagato wore a thoughtful expression.

With just these simple words, Saitama had struck a chord deep within Nagato, ending the battle just like that.

After this confrontation, Akatsuki was experiencing extreme exhaustion among its personnel, particularly core members whose numbers had consistently remained at a mere handful.

Since their goals aligned and Saitama possessed considerable strength, Nagato saw no reason to refuse cooperation.

Furthermore, he could tell from the look in Saitama's eyes that the desire to bring "true peace to the Shinobi World" came sincerely from his heart rather than being fabricated merely to deceive him.

Therefore, accepting Saitama posed no difficulty for Nagato.

He also had confidence to accommodate Saitama. In truth, he himself had yet to reach his true peak state.

Nagato sensed that his Rinnegan potential had not been fully developed, with many deeper techniques of ninjutsu he still had to explore.

If Saitama ever proved unfaithful or approached him with malicious intentions, Nagato would possess complete assurance in subjugating him.

The prerequisite for acceptance, naturally, lay in possessing overwhelming power!

Any underhanded tactics would amount to nothing more than paper tigers before absolute strength — easily crushed with a single finger!

This was a secret base belonging to the Akatsuki, hidden underground in the Land of Rain.

Of course, it was built back when Hanzo's influence still dominated. Now, the Akatsuki no longer needed to operate in secrecy.

Amegakure Village, or rather the entire Land of Rain, was already under the Akatsuki's control.

It was a long stone table stretching across the entire chamber.

At this end sat Nagato with a calm expression, while Konan stood behind him, ever vigilant, embodying her role as his loyal bodyguard.

At the opposite end, Saitama propped his hands beneath his chin, observing the surroundings of this base.

"Now that you've joined the organization, I expect you to complete every mission assigned to you successfully!"

Although Nagato had accepted Saitama, it didn't mean he'd tolerate idleness from him. He set the rules first.

"Understood!" Saitama sat up straight and nodded.

"Regarding our operation against Hanzo, although we ultimately won, the organization suffered heavy losses among its members. Therefore, our current priority is continued growth!"

Nagato looked down at the table and spoke slowly to Saitama.

"You get what I'm saying, right?"

"I get it," Saitama replied again with a nod.

"For the time being, we need to firmly grasp control over Amegakure Village and gradually solidify our position."

Without holding anything back, Nagato treated Saitama like an insider.

"The next step for the organization will be to use Amegakure as our stronghold to expand outward and develop our strength. Of course, we can't be overly conspicuous now. Start first with building up an intelligence network."

"Saitama, the current core members of the organization include only you, myself, and Konan—just three people. So we must keep recruiting new members, especially powerful ninja. Let's start by seeking out rogue ninjas from the great villages."

Nagato's tone remained flat but firm, leaving no room for argument. It felt less like a discussion and more like him issuing orders alone.

Saitama wasn't offended either—Nagato's thoughts closely matched his own.

Right now, the Akatsuki indeed should focus on development.

Only after building enough power and assembling a force of powerful ninja like the ones he remembered could they finally launch their "conquest strategy."

"Speaking of which, I have someone in mind. Do you think it's okay if I suggest them?"

Saitama tapped lightly on the table, drawing both of their gazes toward him simultaneously.

"Go ahead," Nagato signaled for Saitama to continue.

Saitama nodded with a smile, instinctively glancing sideways at a wall where a thin root protruded—likely extended from trees above.

"Zetsu!"

He called out towards it. In the confused eyes of Nagato and Konan, the roots on the wall expanded rapidly, and soon after, a person emerged from within—a split-bodied figure wrapped in plant-like foliage—unmistakably Zetsu.

Whoosh! In one swift motion, Konan stepped in front of Nagato—a purely instinctive move.

"Konan!" Nagato's voice carried dissatisfaction. Her body stiffened briefly before she shifted aside slightly, giving him a small opening.

"Zetsu specializes in intelligence gathering and has unique physical traits that ordinary people cannot detect."

"Ah, someone actually appeared without me noticing?" Saitama said while rising to his feet and stepping aside as Zetsu emerged from the ground.

Nagato's lips curled into a faint smirk. "Even I couldn't detect how he got here just now."

"Hello there!" White Zetsu grinned with eyes squinted shut, his upper body emerging from the tree roots.

Facing Nagato, Zetsu stood at attention like a soldier ready for evaluation.

"Accepted!"

After a long silence, Nagato gave a single word of approval—no further explanation needed—as he accepted Saitama's proposal to let Zetsu join Akatsuki.

"That means I'm officially part of Akatsuki now? How exciting!" White Zetsu exclaimed dramatically, exaggerating his expression for full effect—making him look rather comical.

"Shut up!" Black Zetsu growled in a deep voice, instantly scolding his other half.

...

Konan watched in mild surprise as the two halves of Zetsu bickered with each other. Sometimes, she truly felt, the world held things beyond comprehension.

Nagato didn't bother asking about it. If Rinnegan could exist, then having one person with multiple personalities wasn't strange at all.

"That's enough for today. You two should go get familiar with the surroundings. We're preparing to move into Amegakure Village."

With that, Nagato got up and strode away, Konan following close behind.

"You really are something else, Saitama!"

After Nagato left, Black Zetsu slowly approached Saitama.

Black Zetsu also fixed his gaze on Saitama with narrowed eyes.

Originally, according to his plan, Saitama was supposed to disguise himself as Madara Uchiha, playing the role of a "guide" approaching Nagato. Unexpectedly, Saitama had refused outright.

But no matter how Saitama chose to handle things, as long as cooperation with Nagato succeeded, everything would be fine. With this thought, Black Zetsu closed his eyes again, deciding not to focus on such minor issues.

...

"Nagato, are you seriously letting these two suspicious strangers join Akatsuki?" Konan asked, walking slightly behind him with an urgent tone.

"Don't worry, Konan! I can handle myself. Also, send someone out to gather information on this 'Saitama Uchiha.' For some reason, that name really rings a bell."

"Fine, I'll take care of it."

Konan gave Nagato a quiet, lingering glance—one that paused briefly on his already somewhat thin face—before nodding her head.

"If either of you dares to harm Nagato, I'll make sure you regret it deeply."

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