Naruto: Born Gifted in Konoha

A uniquely designed ring lay on soft cotton inside a box, its large red gemstone embedded prominently.

"Zhu?" Saitama picked up the ring with his right hand, murmuring the inscription on it.

If his memory served him right, this "Zhu" ring had once belonged to Itachi Uchiha. Another Uchiha… Fate really was strange sometimes.

The others also retrieved their rings, reading the inscriptions.

"I'm Zero. Konan is White. Saitama Uchiha is Zhu. Zetsu is Gen. Kakuzu is Hokuto, while Sasori is Gyoku."

"These represent Zero Zou, White Tiger, Suzaku, Black Tortoise, Northern Dipper, and Jade Maiden!"

Yahiko squinted slightly, going on to explain the meaning behind each character.

"Excellent!" Saitama smiled and slid the ring onto the ring finger of his right hand. The others followed suit, slipping their respective rings onto their fingers.

Sasori, still inside his puppet body, manipulated the puppet to store his ring internally.

"These rings not only symbolize your central identities within the organization, but I can also use them to contact each one of you individually."

After observing that everyone had put on their rings, Yahiko continued speaking while sliding his ring onto his right thumb.

"There's also a sealing technique here you'll find useful later. Study it carefully for now."

Reaching into his sleeve again, Yahiko pulled out four scrolls and tossed them to everyone except Konan.

"The core of our organization still has too few members at the moment. To improve coordination among us, we'll work in pairs, supporting each other before launching further operations."

"I'll pair with White Tiger. Suzaku with Black Tortoise. Northern Dipper will temporarily team up with Jade Maiden. Any objections?"

Pain turned his gaze toward Kakuzu and Sasori, clearly seeking their responses.

Kakuzu glanced sideways at Sasori. He wasn't used to working with others, but he didn't mind a partner—as long as they didn't get themselves killed.

With Earth Grudge Fear, Kakuzu had never truly believed in the concept of "teammates." For him, survival depended solely on himself.

And during critical moments, even a teammate might simply become another one of his "lives."

"No problem!" X2

Both Kakuzu and Sasori replied simultaneously, their voices calm and unemotional.

"Later, I'll have someone deliver uniforms to each of you. They'll become our standard attire. For an organization like ours, maintaining a unified appearance is essential."

Pain folded his hands together, his eyes glowing faintly with pale blue light.

"That's all for today then!"

...

In the corridor, Saitama walked side by side with Zetsu.

"Pain is really coming into his own now!"

White Zetsu mused wistfully, continuously rubbing the ring around his left pinky—he clearly took a liking to it.

"Yeah, which means we're one step closer to the plan, right?"

Nodding, Saitama looked over at Zetsu's red-clouded black cloak with a high collar, lost in his own thoughts.

"[Akatsuki] will probably enter a quiet phase next, focusing on strengthening ourselves."

Saitama spoke directly to Zetsu—but mainly intending for Black Zetsu to hear.

Sure enough, upon hearing those words, Black Zetsu responded.

"Did you see the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki this time you went to Konoha?"

Black Zetsu's voice was somewhat hoarse, as if he hadn't spoken for a long time.

"How could I possibly see the Jinchuriki? Her chakra fluctuations do seem stable enough, though."

Saitama gave a light chuckle, clearly entertained.

"Pain won't make a move on the Tailed Beasts right now, but ignoring the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki isn't wise either. After all, this current host is practically half a perfect jinchuriki!"

Continuing to follow Saitama down the stairs, Black Zetsu's words suggested he had thoughts about the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.

"The current Nine-Tails Jinchuriki belongs to the Uzumaki Clan and has mastered the Sealing Technique. Though she can't perfectly control the Nine-Tails' power, she can channel part of its chakra using the sealing arts."

"While she's in the midst of childbirth, if we don't act now, things will become problematic during future collection efforts!"

Somewhat seriously, Black Zetsu kept observing Saitama's expression.

"That might be true, but do you really think I—or any of you—could actually do anything to the jinchuriki while she's surrounded by Konoha?"

Saitama stopped walking and looked at Zetsu.

Nothing's worse than that awkward silence. What Saitama said indeed hit the main issue.

Though Saitama might have formidable solo combat ability, against an entire village, he couldn't cause much of a disturbance.

"Of course, you could try convincing Pain!"

Saitama shrugged his shoulders, then turned directions and headed toward his room, leaving the unmoving Zetsu behind.

"Saitama does have a point! We really are helpless, especially considering the current Fourth Hokage is Minato Namikaze, skilled in Space-Time Ninjutsu!"

As Saitama disappeared from sight, White Zetsu turned to Black Zetsu with a strange tone.

Black Zetsu didn't speak further, but his single eye flickered with contemplation—he was clearly still scheming about the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.

...

"Nagato!" Konan's expression was rather grim as she looked at the figure sitting in the chair.

"What's wrong, Konan?" Nagato stared straight ahead, his gaze fixed on the panoramic view of Amegakure Village.

"Nothing." Konan looked at Nagato, who had grown even thinner, deciding not to speak further.

She knew that no matter what she said, Nagato wouldn't listen. Ever since Yahiko's death, Nagato had walked an extreme path, and this condition had only worsened recently.

In her eyes, Nagato looked terrible—not only had his hair color faded significantly, but his eye sockets had sunken inward, clearly showing signs of exhaustion.

"Konan, I know my condition. Don't worry about me!"

Nagato gazed deeply outside before shifting his sight toward Konan.

"Okay!" Konan walked closer, standing beside Nagato.

"To achieve ultimate peace, some sacrifices must be made. Compared to Yahiko's ideals, these are but trivial matters!"

Reclining in his chair, Nagato glanced toward the Pain standing nearby, muttering softly as though speaking to himself.

Konan remained silent. The most she could do was strive to assist Nagato.

Back then, she had been the leverage others used to threaten the group. Now, she wanted to have their backs—if not fully protect them, at least never let them down.

...

Sasori's room.

A mechanical clicking sound kept coming from Hiruko's body. Soon, Sasori finally emerged from within.

Red hair and a sharp, good-looking face — nothing like the terrifying image his name evokes.

"This might actually be fun," Sasori muttered, a smirk tugging at his lips — though exactly who amused him remained unclear.

Shaking his head, Sasori strolled over to his custom-built workbench, pulled out a few scrolls, gathered what he needed, and got back to his art.

...

"It seems the Organization has already gained control over a ninja village. Their strength is indeed impressive."

"That means the amount of money I can control should reach new heights!"

Green light gleamed in Kakuzu's eyes like a pervert spotting a beautiful woman.

Having lived far beyond any normal human lifespan, Kakuzu had long since forgotten what it meant to fear death. The only thing keeping him going was the unmistakable feel of cold, heavy cash in his hands.

...

"The plan for collecting Tailed Beasts requires saving Nine-Tails and Eight-Tails for last, so there's no way Nagato would go after Nine-Tails currently."

Saitama stood by the window, watching the drizzle outside.

"But as Black Zetsu mentioned, leaving Kushina Uzumaki unchecked will surely become a major problem in the future!"

"Should I follow Obito's path? Though I'm not familiar with Minato Namikaze, and have never even met Kushina, I still can't bring myself to go down that road!"

"And if Minato stays as Hokage, that might just be the best possible news for the Uchiha!"

Saitama pinched the bridge of his nose, then turned around and leaned back against the windowsill.

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