Chapter XI: The Secret Mission Starts
Konan and Nagato continue to dash forward. Nagato looks at his accomplice for a while before speaking up.
"Konan," he had said.
"Hm?"
"You never told me what Gyatsō tasked you with. Would you mind telling me about it?" he asks. Konan lightly sighs and looks back to Nagato, slowing down her pace to match his own.
Why didn't Hikari inform him about the mission?
"Lord Gyatsō told me what to specifically do, but nothing about any additional details regarding it. That being said, Ihavemade some deductions based on both his actions up to now, and information I've learned over the years," she replies.
"That's good enough. Tell me."
Konan nods and looks ahead.
"Earlier, I overheard Sasuke Uchiha mentioning two Akatsuki members. They're our priority here, because Lord Gyatsō has every Akatsuki member's DNA safely stored back in the Hidden Dark Village," Konan says. Nagato lightly chuckles, believing such information to be useless.
"So what?" he asks.
"Since he has that data... he can enhance any of our DNA using a certain method," the blue-haired woman replies.
"Enhanced DNA? If he gets such a thing, what can he even do with it?" asks the red-haired male, raising an eyebrow. He's deeply curious as to what this Gyatsō person was plotting. The two Hidden Rain shinobi jump over a large building before Konan answers his question.
"He fuses it with his own DNA and gains the shinobi's jutsu."
Nagato widens his eyes as he lands on the ground, jumping forward. Konan quickly appears at his side.
"How the hell is that even possible?! Would that not infect his own body and kill him?!" Nagato gasps out.
"With Hashirama Senju's cells implanted in him now, Lord Gyatsō suffers no drawbacks from a fusion," Konan replies. Nagato looks down, gritting his teeth.
"Besides, he already successfully fused with one shinobi before," Konan says. Nagato quickly snaps his head up to look at his accomplice.
"He has? With whom?"
Konan lets out yet another sigh.
"Hikari never tells you anything... Lord Gyatsō fused with an artificial human being that he created a long time ago. The man's name was Doctorisha. He was the first to ever join the Osore organisation that we now serve under."
"I see. Fusion grants him the jutsu of those he fused with, correct? What jutsu did Gyatsō gain from fusing with this Doctorisha fellow?"
"The legendary Wood Style jutsu... along with the Rinnegan that you, too, possess."
Nagato slowly shakes his head in disbelief, puzzled now more than ever before.
I don't know what Gyatsō is planning behind all this, he thinks. I doubt any of us in the Osore do.
"My guess," Konan says, "is that Lord Gyatsō wants to complete another fusion. For what, I still don't know."
"That man... has officially lost his mind," Nagato sighs out. Konan squints her eyes a little as she looks ahead. They were quickly approaching the large warehouse where the reanimated shinobi were summoned.
"The target location is straight ahead. If what Sasuke Uchiha said was true, Itachi and Deidara should still be up there," she says, eyeing the significantly large warehouse. "If they haven't yet been defeated, that is."
"Who will you attack first?" Nagato asks.
"The only one Lord Gyatsō wants back is Itachi Uchiha," she replies.
Nagato nods before beginning to slow down. Konan turns her head to talk to him, picking up her pace.
"Stay here for a short while, Nagato. I'll call you when ready to attack the target," she says, running into the warehouse. Nagato stops in front of the entrance and closes his eyes. Konan carefully eyes the gaping hole present in the ceiling, walking past the endless number of debris scattered all over the floor.
"What on earth happened here?" she mumbles to herself. The woman then removes her hooded cloak, tossing it to the side, before walking up the stairs that led up to the roof.
Before she jumps up, she widens her eyes and watches on as a white-haired male thrusts a hand full of electricity straight through Deidara's chest. After a few moments of silence, she finally walks onto the roof.
Itachi quickly turns his head to look at her, his Sharingan activating as a precaution.
Is that...Konan? What is she doing here?
Kakashi also looks back at the blue-haired woman, his Mangekyou locking onto her suspiciously. Was she another reanimated enemy that somehow gave him the slip?
"Who are you?" Kakashi demands.
Konan holds her arm out. A paper origami forms on her right hand.
"My name is Konan. The Sixth Hokage sent me here to assist you," she replies. Her golden eyes move from Kakashi to Itachi, the latter trying to deduce why she was making a sudden appearance.
Just as expected, Konan thinks, Itachi is still here. It would be wise to gain that Leaf Anbu's trust before I kill him.
The origami on her hand then suddenly forms into several sharp paper needles. Sliding her foot on the ground, Konan tosses the needles into the air before catching them. With great speed, she throws them, aiming straight for Itachi.
The Uchiha cooly brandishes a kunai before dashing ahead, swinging the kunai around with swift hand motions to strike the needles away.
"Since I am your enemy now, it seems you left the Akatsuki after my death," he says.
"She's an Akatsuki?!" Kakashi gasps out. Konan grits her teeth as she looks over to the white-haired male, glaring at him angrily.
My cover's already been blown,she thinks.
"Now, Nagato!"
Within moments, Nagato jumps onto the roof and lands next to Konan. Itachi slightly opened his mouth in surprise and stares at him. Nagato slowly walks forward, his Rinnegan looking straight into Itachi's Sharingan. The redhead then stops and smiles at the bewildered man.
"It's been a long time, Itachi Uchiha."