Chapter 990: Chapter Five: The Rinnegan

Hei Bai Jue arrived; Su Xiao had sensed them long ago, but he showed no sign of it.

“Welcome back to the Akatsuki.”

Hei Bai Jue moved through the trees, speaking up voluntarily.

“Who’s the leader now?”

Su Xiao kicked away the cluster of cellular clones that had grown into a large mass beside his foot.

“Hey, don’t treat my spore clones like that…”

“Shut up.”

Hei Jue cut off Bai Jue’s words.

"Afei is the leader."

"Afei? Still using that alias?"

Su Xiao stepped forward toward Hei Bai Jue.

“Almost forgot—you’re his partner. The current leader is Uchiha Madara.”

Hei Jue’s thinking was clearly more flexible.

“Ara ara, exposing Madara’s identity so easily—is that really safe?”

Bai Jue looked surprised—he was actually helping Tobi conceal his identity.

“It’s fine. Baiye already knew this secret.”

Hei Jue’s single eye fixed on Su Xiao; he and Bai Jue now shared one body.

Su Xiao watched silently as Hei Bai Jue performed their double act. Tobi’s disguise as Uchiha Madara would last a long time—until the real Madara appeared.

“The Eight-Tails capture is complete. Other members have gathered and are discussing how to seal the Eight-Tails.”

Hei Bai Jue gestured for Su Xiao to follow—they were heading to the Akatsuki’s new headquarters, located within the Land of Fire.

“Nagato is dead. His body is missing. Without the Rinnegan, we can’t summon the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path or seal the Eight-Tails.”

Bai Jue’s tone carried a hint of regret.

“Then what’s the point of capturing the Tailed Beasts?”

Su Xiao knew perfectly well why Tobi continued capturing the Tailed Beasts—the answer was that Tobi wanted to transplant the Rinnegan.

Although Tobi has recovered his original eye, he still needs to transplant the Rinnegan; without it, all his future plans are meaningless.

Transplanting the Rinnegan requires two conditions: possessing the Uchiha bloodline limit and possessing the powerful life force of the Senju clan. Only by possessing both can one use the Rinnegan without side effects.

Nagato had neither the Uchiha bloodline limit nor the Senju clan’s life force—he endured only through the immense vitality of the Uzumaki clan, which ultimately left him emaciated.

“The only person who currently knows the Rinnegan’s whereabouts is Konan. That woman has vanished without a trace.”

Hei Jue’s voice was low—he was deeply dissatisfied that the plan had stalled.

“Funny enough, I saw Konan one day ago.”

“What!”

Even Hei Jue couldn’t remain calm now—Konan was a crucial part of the plan. Without sealing the nine Tailed Beasts into the Demonic Statue to revive the Ten-Tails, everything was just empty talk.

This so-called plan was complex, for it was a three-person scheme: Uchiha Tobi, Uchiha Madara, and Hei Jue.

Uchiha Tobi, the sentimental fool, sought to unleash the Infinite Tsukuyomi and trap everyone in a genjutsu world, creating a world where Yehuan Lin still lived—that was the Moon’s Eye Plan.

Uchiha Madara’s plan was also the Moon’s Eye Plan—to create a world without war. He was using Tobi; Tobi was merely a sacrifice, offering himself to revive Uchiha Madara.

Hei Jue’s plan was also the Moon’s Eye Plan. His ultimate goal was to revive Kaguya Otsutsuki—his mother. Hei Jue was using both Tobi and Madara.

All three plans shared identical early, middle, and late stages—only their final objectives differed.

The Rinnegan, the Ten-Tails, the Moon’s Eye—these were the common elements of their plans.

Now the plan was stuck on the Rinnegan. No wonder Hei Jue was anxious—he had waited too long, and this was the best opportunity.

Interestingly, Su Xiao’s main quest was also tied to the Moon’s Eye Plan. His goal was to ignite a great ninja war. If Tobi’s side couldn’t produce the Ten-Tails, the war could never begin.

“You saw Konan? Why didn’t you bring her back?”

Bai Jue’s tone carried an accusatory edge.

“It would be pointless.”

“How could it be pointless…”

“Shut up!”

Hei Jue growled. Bai Jue was resentful but fell silent.

“It’s the right choice. Baiye doesn’t master genjutsu and lacks the Sharingan—he can’t extract information from Konan. Not to mention her strength—even if Baiye subdued her, she’d likely kill herself during the journey back.”

Hei Jue was far more seasoned than Bai Jue. He knew Su Xiao wasn’t the type to reason with—if Bai Jue dared question further, this man would draw his blade.

“Konan’s exact location is now unknown. To learn the Rinnegan’s whereabouts, only Uchiha Madara can do it.”

Su Xiao leapt through the trees, considering the events to come.

About three hours later, Su Xiao and Hei Bai Jue reached a barren field. Without any visible action, a large stone on the ground slid aside, revealing a dark, gaping hole with a stone staircase descending downward.

Seeing the hole, Xiang Bubu felt utterly speechless—his expression seemed to say: “Even underground organizations don’t need to build their base underground—it’s too damp, and there are too many bugs.”

Hei Bai Jue descended the stone stairs. Su Xiao glanced at Amu. Amu paused, then understood his intent and stepped downward. Su Xiao and Xiang Bubu followed closely behind.

Even though Su Xiao was now an Akatsuki member and had a cooperation agreement with Tobi, he didn’t fully trust him—just as Tobi didn’t fully trust him.

Deep underground, Su Xiao found the area had been transformed into a fully equipped underground base—basic facilities were all present; living here for months posed no problem.

BOOM!

An explosion echoed from deep within the base, shaking dust from the ceiling.

“Daidara’s going to blow up the base someday.”

Bai Jue laughed.

As the group advanced deeper into the base, a red-haired girl with a blank expression walked toward them, her cheeks flushed, holding a white shirt, grinning foolishly.

Hearing footsteps ahead, the red-haired girl instinctively looked up—and locked eyes with Su Xiao.

“Eh~”

The red-haired girl stumbled back three steps, her fangirl expression vanishing as her body stiffened.

Su Xiao passed her without a word. Once he was gone, the girl slumped against the wall. Her name was Kagura; she was now a member of the Hawk Team—Uchiha Sasuke’s subordinate.

Kagura feared Su Xiao—deep in her bones. She had nearly died in his hands multiple times and had been taken hostage by him repeatedly. Those were her most unbearable memories; she had seriously believed those moments were the end of her life.

Worse still, whenever Su Xiao was injured, he used her healing ability—biting her. He always chose spots without existing bite marks: her side, her shoulder blades. Even now, his bite marks remained.

Kagura had once believed Su Xiao was dead in Konoha. She had nearly wept with joy. Now, he stood before her—and his aura had changed. As a sensory-type, she immediately sensed the shift.

If Su Xiao’s aura had once felt violent to her, now it carried a faint metallic tang of blood. She couldn’t imagine how many people he’d killed to produce such an aura.

This bloodstained aura was unavoidable—it was forged in the war world. On a battlefield of hundreds of thousands, if Su Xiao didn’t slaughter mercilessly, he would die.

“We’re all Akatsuki members… it should be… fine.”

Kagura forced herself to reassure, her face grim as she trudged deeper into the base.

…

In the underground base’s conference room, around a square stone table.

Tobi, wearing a spiral-patterned mask, sat at the head. Beside him were Hei Bai Jue, Daidara, and Kisame.

Su Xiao also sat at the table, his gaze meeting Tobi’s.

Tobi’s hands were clasped, elbows resting on the stone table.

“Congratulations on surviving. With your help, the plan will proceed much more smoothly.”

Tobi’s tone carried a faint smile.

“Oh? How do you know I’d help you? The former leader was Nagato.”

Su Xiao lit a cigarette. His eyes were on Tobi, but he was observing the expressions of the other three.

Hei Bai Jue was ignored. Kisame laughed, revealing shark-like teeth. Daidara also laughed. Between Tobi and Su Xiao, Daidara trusted Su Xiao more.

Correct. Daidara trusted Su Xiao more. Su Xiao, Sasori, and Daidara had once carried out a mission together—storming the Sand Village to seize the One-Tails, then fought against one of the Three Sannin, Jiraiya, and repelled Konoha’s pursuit force. To say they had shared life and death is no exaggeration. And Tobi? Tobi had always pretended to be Afei, acting foolish and insane.

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