Naruto: Becomes a Rebel Ninja After Annihilating the Hyuga Clan - Chapter 110

Neiki was unaware that the masked man in front of him had pieced together many things from his few words.

Intelligence work has always been a crucial part of ninja battles. Having information or lacking it can determine the outcome of a mission. In the original story, the battle between Asuma’s team and the duo of Hidan and Kakuzu is a classic example of the importance of intelligence. Asuma practically sacrificed his life to reveal Hidan’s immortality and his unique fighting style.

Bold speculation and careful verification are essential information analysis skills for any capable ninja. However, this method is not foolproof. The risk of being misled by false information still exists. When all related events are artificially fabricated, and all evidence is meticulously arranged, even the smartest and most agile minds can be deceived.

Neiki silently watched the masked man extend his hand. There wasn’t much animosity between them, but if Neiki hadn’t demonstrated his dominance in their earlier skirmish—displaying his mastery of the Flying Raijin technique by emulating Minato Namikaze and humiliating his opponent—the masked man would not have shown such an attitude now.

This was the change that strength brought.

Neiki was unaware that the masked man was highly interested in many things about him, such as his ability to fuse similar Kekkei Genkai, and the true information about Hashirama Senju. But these details were unimportant.

Sage Mode was Neiki’s next target for rapid power growth, but his tense relationship with Konoha meant he couldn’t peacefully gain recognition from either Mount My?boku or Shikkotsu Forest, while Ry?chi Cave was controlled by Orochimaru.

Orochimaru would have been an excellent collaborator, but he had recently defected from Akatsuki, constantly on the move. Neiki wanted to start with him to get information about Ry?chi Cave and collaborate, but it required a lot of preliminary work.

Joining Akatsuki was a decision Neiki had just pondered.

Especially after hearing that this organization had begun the plan to capture the Tailed Beasts, he realized there were many gaps to exploit and benefits to gain.

Akatsuki, especially their leader Nagato, was not to be underestimated.

Encouraging Akatsuki members to target the slug at Shikkotsu Forest was just one aspect. Using his words, whether to promote Hashirama Senju or to provoke conflicts between Akatsuki and the Five Great Nations, laying the groundwork for Hashirama’s plan to reform the ninja villages, would bring significant advantages.

“Pleasure working with you.” Neiki smiled slightly, shaking hands with the masked man.

The masked man restrained his impulse to pull Neiki into the other dimension.

Neiki had demonstrated that his strength was nearly on par with his own. The Flying Raijin technique compensated for Neiki’s lack of speed, turning him into a slippery opponent. His Sharingan’s ability to absorb Neiki was now ineffective.

They released their hands.

“Tell me, what’s the deal with that Hashirama Senju?” The masked man asked impatiently, causing Konan to frown. Although she was curious about Hashirama’s background, there was no need to rush.

Moreover, didn’t Madara, Hashirama’s lifelong rival, know about him?

Or, as Nagato speculated, was “Madara” just a code name for his actions…

Neiki raised an eyebrow and casually said, “I don’t know.”

Konan pursed her lips and turned to Neiki. This guy was… full of questions.

“Akatsuki is not a lenient organization that tolerates indecisiveness among its members. If you don’t clarify your relationship with Hashirama Senju, we cannot truly accept you,” the masked man threatened calmly.

“Didn’t you see him attacking me in the tree? How can you say I’m indecisive?” Neiki glanced at Zetsu behind him.

So, he did notice us.

His Byakugan is indeed special.

The masked man’s tone remained calm. “Since you’ve already fallen out with him, why hide information?”

“Because I really don’t know much,” Neiki shook his head, explaining, “The first time he found me was at my father’s funeral four years ago. He told me a method to absorb clan members’ Byakugan to enhance my own, and that was enough, wasn’t it?”

“For someone from the Hyuga branch filled with resentment, this was enough to drive me to take drastic action.”

This was the first time the three learned the truth behind Neiki’s defection from Konoha. Undoubtedly, Neiki and the Uchiha rebellion had a profound impact on the ninja world. They weren’t the instigators of the Fourth Great Ninja War, but the war’s outbreak was directly related to them.

This also highlighted the tense diplomatic relations in the ninja world and the unreasonable chain of hatred, validating Akatsuki’s judgment of the world’s situation, accelerating their plan to overthrow the old order and establish a new one.

From Neiki’s perspective, as a key figure in the war’s outbreak, he was merely a tool in someone else’s hands. Behind this conspiracy loomed the shadow of Hashirama Senju, the true culprit.

“I don’t know how many things he orchestrated, but if you think a teenager from the Hyuga branch could single-handedly destroy the Hyuga clan, manipulate the Uchiha, bomb Konoha, and escape unscathed, then I admit your imagination is impressive.” Neiki added indifferently.

That was indeed the reasonable assumption.

People never believed Neiki could accomplish so much alone. They always suspected a mysterious force behind him. After all, burying a million explosive tags was not something a young Neiki could manage. Before leaving Konoha, Neiki claimed those tags were set by Genn?, a former elite jonin of the now-defunct Hidden Village of the Sun. But Genn? had disappeared for decades, and the true reason for his disappearance was undoubtedly linked to the mysterious force behind Neiki.

However, it was now evident that these seemingly reasonable speculations had still underestimated the power behind Neiki.

It wasn’t just a mysterious force. It was the terrifying figure known as the God of Shinobi, the strongest ninja under the Sage of Six Paths—Hashirama Senju.

“Then why did you use a sword clone to attack me that day?” the masked man asked again.

Neiki looked at him strangely, “Didn’t you figure it out? Using someone else’s blade.”

Since Kakashi and the others hadn’t died, Neiki was sure the masked man had seen through his arrangement.

True to his guess, the masked man pondered for a moment, “Then why were you at the Land of Waves? Why were both of you there?”

Neiki’s expression softened. He glanced at Konan, who was equally curious, and said calmly, “Like you, he said it was for world peace. He wants to correct the mistakes of the Five Great Nations, to ensure everyone has the power to protect themselves. The Land of Waves was his chosen field to experiment with a new system.”

### Chapter 112: Joining Akatsuki

Konan had never heard of Hashirama’s ideology before and immediately showed a strange expression.

“So Neiki said that this Hashirama… doesn’t agree with Akatsuki’s ideology and thinks we’re just being used,” Black Zetsu spoke calmly, reminding Konan not to have unnecessary thoughts. There was no possibility of cooperation between the two sides.

“I’d actually like to hear more about his reasoning,” Konan replied with a smile.

The masked man and White Zetsu remained silent, knowing that speaking up would only reinforce the suspicion of them being manipulators. After all, it was they who proposed the plan to capture the Tailed Beasts and summon the Ten-Tails to achieve world peace through the Infinite Tsukuyomi.

There was already little trust between the parties, and further argument would only deepen the rift.

Neiki seemed oblivious to the sound of the friendship boat tearing apart and continued, “He hopes to achieve world peace, but I don’t believe him. He’s no longer the kind, peaceful Hashirama Senju he once was. His goals aren’t simple. I think world peace is just an excuse to become a sage.”

The three Akatsuki members didn’t comment on this. Neiki’s analysis lacked evidence and only revealed his own obsession with power, projecting his motives onto Hashirama.

Someone already at the top of the ninja world wouldn’t act solely for power. Power is merely a tool to achieve one’s goals. Hashirama might indeed be trying to become a sage, but only because his ultimate goals require such power.

Compared to that, the idea that Hashirama was doing all this for world peace seemed more credible.

After all, the path to peace is rugged and painful, requiring everyone to feel the suffering. Hashirama’s manipulation of Neiki to attack Konoha aligns perfectly with Akatsuki’s philosophy.

“Then why did he come to Kirigakure?” the masked man pondered and asked.

“He thinks the experiment in the Land of Waves is mature and wants to extend the same system to Kirigakure. It’s that simple,” Neiki said casually.

“And how does he plan to handle Yagura?” Konan suddenly asked.

This was a serious question. Akatsuki needed to collect all nine Tailed Beasts, and the Three-Tails was one of them. If Yagura died or Hashirama refused to release him, it would be a problem. Both sides, claiming to work for world peace, would inevitably clash over who truly could achieve it.

“I don’t know, but he’s not interested in the Tailed Beasts or the Jinchuriki. Maybe he’ll release him after reforming Kirigakure. As far as I know, he dislikes killing. Even this time, the Water Shadow’s bodyguards are still alive.”

Neiki’s explanation reassured Konan.

She looked at the masked man, who nodded slightly.

“Alright, I have no further questions. Do you have anything else to take care of here, or will you come with us to meet the leader of Akatsuki now?” Konan asked with a smile.

“I have some personal matters to handle for a few days,” Neiki replied.

“Understood,” Konan didn’t pry further and handed him a set of clothes and a ring from a summoning scroll. “This is the standard equipment for an Akatsuki member. Your codename is K?mei.”

Neiki looked at the ring engraved with the character “K?” (Void).

“With this ring, our leader ‘Zero’ can contact you. We’ll discuss specific matters after you finish your personal affairs in a few days.”

“Alright.” Neiki nodded and left.

The three Akatsuki members silently watched his departing figure.

“I have a feeling he’ll betray Akatsuki like Orochimaru,” White Zetsu remarked after a long silence.

The previous holder of the “K?” codename was Orochimaru. After he defected, the codename was retired, and now Neiki was inheriting it.

“Why do you say that?” Konan asked calmly.

“Do you think he was intentionally sent by Hashirama to infiltrate Akatsuki?” The masked man glanced at White Zetsu. “Neiki doesn’t seem like it.”

“If, as Neiki said, his decision to defect from Konoha was influenced by Hashirama giving him a method to absorb his clan’s Byakugan four years ago, then his choice to join Akatsuki might also be under Hashirama’s control, even if Neiki himself isn’t aware he’s being used,” Black Zetsu speculated.

No one refuted this point. Compared to other Akatsuki members, Neiki’s background was indeed “heavier.”

The pressure from Hashirama was immense. His ability to easily provoke the Fourth Great Ninja War was both alarming and impressive.

Although inviting Neiki to join Akatsuki was Pain’s decision, the ease and coincidence with which Neiki escaped Hashirama’s control to ally with Akatsuki was suspicious.

“Do you need me to keep an eye on him?” White Zetsu offered, knowing that although Neiki had detected his presence, he had other means to monitor him.

“No need,” the masked man shook his head. “Now that he’s joined Akatsuki, we’ll assign someone to monitor him.”

Akatsuki members always acted in pairs, making it easy to keep tabs on Neiki.

“Besides, the focus isn’t on Neiki but on Hashirama Senju behind him. We still don’t know his attitude towards Akatsuki. We don’t seek extra conflict but aren’t afraid of it either,” Konan looked at White Zetsu. “Neiki said Hashirama is implementing reforms in Kirigakure. Can we monitor the entire process?”

“Impossible,” White Zetsu shook his head. “He’s particularly sensitive to Wood Release. It would be easily discovered.”

And possibly unable to escape.

“I’ll try other methods,” the masked man said, glancing at the distant Kirigakure, casually taking on the task of monitoring the reform process there.

“I’ve been operating in Kirigakure for a long time. Although we’ve lost the most important piece, I still have other pieces to use.”

“They will be our eyes to observe Hashirama Senju.”

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