Naruto: Born Gifted in Konoha

Since joining Akatsuki, Saitama couldn't afford to slack off.

The organization's top priority right now was seizing control of Amegakure.

Though Hanzo had already been killed by Nagato, his deep-rooted influence hadn't completely faded. In Amegakure, many loyalists still remained devoted to him.

These people were currently the biggest obstacle standing in Akatsuki's way. However, in the face of absolute power, weakness itself was a crime.

All ninja who refused to obey Akatsuki were eliminated. As for the ordinary villagers, they didn't care who ruled the village—as long as there was food on the table, they'd stay out of ninja business.

"Is this the last one, Saitama?"

Zetsu emerged from the ground, half-buried, and spoke to Saitama.

"More or less. I think this is the last house."

Saitama tugged his collar up a bit, covering his neck.

Boom! One casual kick sent the door exploding off its hinges.

Tap tap tap! Without even glancing inside, Saitama strode directly into the house.

"Who's there?!" The homeowner stepped out and saw Saitama wearing a black robe.

"You're… Saitama?" Saitama didn't answer. Instead, he shot back, "Are you part of Akatsuki?"

The man fixed his eyes on Saitama's face, clearly angry.

"I will never submit to you people! Lord Hanzo dedicated his life to this village, yet you traitors plotted against him and mercilessly took his life!"

This Mushin Jiro was a faithful follower of Hanzo, an important subordinate who controlled most of the village's financial resources.

That was exactly why Nagato had sent Saitama here—money was the foundation for building any organization. Without sufficient funds, no group could grow strong.

"If you already know who I am, then you must understand why I came. I won't waste time with unnecessary talk."

Saitama wore a calm expression. Truthfully, he internally opposed taking on such missions, but refusing outright on his first assignment would seem unreasonable.

"Hmph! Even if I die, I'll never betray Lord Hanzo!"

Mushin Jiro seemed tough, staring boldly at Saitama.

"Dad, who is it outside?" A young girl with twin pigtails leaned in the doorway, asking Mushin Jiro.

She looked beautifully carved like jade, her eyes particularly large. The only flaw was that her gaze lacked luster—she appeared blind.

Following the voice, Saitama shifted his gaze toward the girl, then turned back to Mushin Jiro with an amused smile.

But this smile seemed anything but friendly to Mushin Jiro.

Instinctively, he stepped forward, blocking Saitama's view and shielding his daughter behind him.

"Ranshin," he said briefly while turning sideways, addressing the girl, "Go back inside. Dad will come soon."

Then, frowning, he returned his glare toward Saitama.

"Your daughter? Cute kid."

A simple compliment from Saitama sent cold shivers down Mushin Jiro's spine.

Gritting his teeth, he finally seemed to make a decision, declaring firmly, "Fine! I'll tell you everything!"

Saitama gave a nod — naturally, it was going to be an easy job. As a ninja, he had plenty of ways to make Mushin Jiro talk, but if the man volunteered the information, that was even better.

"Good!" He watched as Mushin Jiro turned and ran back into the house. Saitama stood there with his arms crossed, completely unconcerned about him trying to escape.

Soon enough, Mushin Jiro came back out holding something thick and book-like, resembling a ledger.

"Here! I hope you won't bother me again in the future!"

Mushin Jiro tossed the object toward Saitama and trudged back inside like a man with nothing left to lose.

Lord Hanzo was already dead. He didn't want his daughter to be in danger just for keeping secrets about Hanzo — she was his only weakness.

Mushin Jiro's loyalty to Hanzo wasn't fake, but it applied only to himself. His actions were purely to protect his own daughter.

In the end, this info could be sorted out with enough time anyway.

Snap! He tossed the item upward and caught it again. Then, Saitama turned around cheerfully and left, not forgetting at the end to pick up the door he had knocked down and return it to its original place.

Saitama was still very polite — as long as others treated him politely first.

...

The Akatsuki's purge operation across the entire village began rolling out slowly. What Saitama handled was only a small part — and by far the most civilized one.

Other parts of the village weren't as clean-cut as Saitama's corner — there, you couldn't finish the job without drawing blades or firing shots.

Every new empire is built on rivers of blood and mountains of dead. The victors rise to glory stepping over their enemies' corpses!

Since Nagato had won this battle, he naturally deserved everything.

"Hello there, Konan!" As Saitama reached the entrance of the Akatsuki hideout newly established in Amegakure Village, he saw Konan immediately.

"Hmph!" Konan held no goodwill toward this person who suddenly appeared out of nowhere, turning her gaze elsewhere.

The weather in the Land of Rain was sneaky — it never stopped drizzling, with gloomy gray skies looming above.

"I've got what I needed. Do you want it, or should I give it directly to Nagato?"

Saitama pulled out the object he'd acquired earlier from inside his robe sleeve, showing it briefly in front of Konan's face.

"Give it to me. I'll verify it." Despite her personal feelings, Konan returned to business with professional tone.

"Mmm." Without hesitation, Saitama tossed it to Konan and then walked casually into the base.

The lousy weather was still drizzling outside, but even though Saitama was tough, he wasn't in the habit of walking around soaked.

As for Konan? Who cares about her anyway.

The Akatsuki base was a tall building. Due to the unique climate in the Land of Rain, many parts of the structure contained drainage channels to facilitate water runoff.

Moreover, from Saitama's observation, the entire village's drainage system was designed similarly — it looked chaotic at first glance, yet strangely organized; messy, but purposefully so, almost beautiful in its own way.

Nagato resided on the top floor. That was common knowledge among all members of the Akatsuki organization.

Following the stairs, Saitama climbed steadily upward, quickly reaching the room that belonged to him.

Outside downstairs, Konan stood in the rain, light drizzle dampening her hair, though she made no move to avoid it.

A flicker passed through her eyes — an expression of contemplation.

At this moment, the latest intelligence she had just received surfaced in her mind, finally giving her a full grasp of Saitama's situation.

"Saitama Uchiha, a Konoha ninja, was ambushed and killed by Stone Shinobi in Konoha Year 47, though his death remains suspicious."

"What exactly are you planning? How did you survive back then—or were you resurrected? Why haven't you returned to Konoha? Could it be because the killer was another Konoha ninja?"

Konan stashed the items Saitama had just given her, tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, and turned to walk back.

The rain poured down hard. She wasn't crazy—what kind of person stands in the rain on purpose?

"White Zetsu, what's up?" Saitama asked lazily from his bed, looking at Zetsu, whose upper body had emerged from the wall.

"Do you have any interest in paying Konoha Village a visit? The Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails is about to give birth. If we stir up some chaos now, it'll set a solid foundation for hunting the Tailed Beasts later."

A narrow, sly grin stretched across White Zetsu's pale face, his eyes glinting with danger.

Black Zetsu stayed silent but stared at Saitama intensely, as if testing his limits—whether he dared turn on old allies.

"Hold on, let me check with Nagato if there's anything else going on. If not, we'll go to Konoha. Truthfully, I've been meaning to go back for a while, but didn't want to look suspicious, so I never brought it up."

After a brief moment of contemplation, Saitama spoke.

He already knew that it was now Konoha Year 48, and that he had spent more than a year underground—an extremely long time.

"Understood." Zetsu slowly sank into the wall and vanished without a trace.

"Fascinating!" A smirk crept onto Saitama's lips as he placed his hands beneath his head. He had wanted to return and see Konoha for a while now, but to avoid suspicion, he hadn't brought it up himself. Now that Zetsu had suggested it, naturally, he had no intention of passing up the opportunity.

"The Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails? Kushina Uzumaki!"

Saitama murmured the name softly, then fell silent.

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