However, he suddenly felt that in this world, there was one more person who cared about and looked after him.
The soft place in his heart, which he had carefully sealed away, was touched once again.
It even made him think of Rin.
'Konan is the Rin of Nagato and Yahiko!'
He suddenly felt that what he had done was too much.
Before, he clearly could have reminded Akatsuki that Danzo and Hanzō were conspiring, but in the end, he didn't say anything, didn't do anything, and coldly watched as Yahiko crashed into Nagato's kunai.
That scene was so similar to Rin dying at Kakashi's hands.
Thinking of this, Obito no longer cared about embarrassment and softly said, "I'm sorry, Sister Konan, I… shouldn't have treated you that way…"
Konan saw Obito's sincere attitude of admitting his mistake, and this guilt was even so strong that she felt a little embarrassed.
Immediately, she pulled Obito over, shielding him behind her, and said to Nagato and Yahiko, "This child may have his own difficulties. You are not allowed to bully him. From now on, he's under my protection."
Yahiko felt like a precious thing had been taken away. Uchiha didn't steal Konan from him, but now a kid had?
His gaze toward Obito suddenly became a bit complicated.
Nagato, on the other hand, narrowed his eyes, 'In the future, there will be not only Yahiko and Konan to ship, but also this pair of siblings, seems not bad.'
Konan turned to look at Obito and smiled, "Then, little brother Obito, tell big sister, why did you deceive me?"
Anyway, since she had already called him that once and then again, by the third time, Obito had completely accepted it.
He said seriously, "Sister Konan, my identity is quite sensitive. Actually, at the beginning, I planned to hide my identity and meet you in another form."
"But later, after thinking it over, I felt that a certain guy was right. People who hide their heads and show their tails find it hard to gain others' trust."
"So, let's get to know each other properly—I am Uchiha Obito!"
Actually, on the way here, Obito had figured something out.
Before, he had no choice. His life had already been tied to Madara.
But in this life, he didn't want to become someone else. He just wanted to be Uchiha Obito.
Sincerity was always the ultimate weapon when dealing with an organization like the newly formed Akatsuki, which longed for and pursued ideals.
Moreover, he was already strong enough. Did he really need to fear Konoha's higher-ups suspecting him?
Hah, not to mention whether Konoha would even notice this matter. Even if they did, who was afraid of who?
At worst, he'd just add an extra layer of clothing for Minato-sensei in advance.
"What? Uchiha!", As soon as his real name was revealed, Yahiko had already exclaimed in shock.
"You're from the Uchiha clan of Konoha? A noble family like that. What's your purpose in approaching us?"
Obito smiled and said, "I already said, I came to join Akatsuki. I agree with Akatsuki's philosophy and want to make Akatsuki prosper."
"Besides that, I also represent the Uchiha clan and want to invest in you…"
Yahiko was stunned, 'Invest?'
He had never thought that an organization like theirs could have someone wanting to invest in them.
But he didn't believe in free lunches, "You want us Akatsuki to work for the Uchiha? Sorry, we can't do that!"
But Obito just laughed, his voice filled with persuasion, "Leader Yahiko, I don't believe that you've never thought about finding a backer. After all, with a backer, the Akatsuki organization can have a stable source of income, right?"
"Your choice tends to lean toward Hanzō, doesn't it? But you should understand what kind of person Hanzō is. Can he really provide Akatsuki with enough room to grow… and, most importantly, financial support?"
"We Uchiha may be far away, but if there's one thing we don't lack, it's money. As long as you agree to accept Uchiha's funding, this 100 million ryo is yours."
After speaking, Obito took out the sealing scroll containing the money that Fugaku had given him.
"What? 100 million ryo!", Immediately, Yahiko hesitated.
Rationally, he didn't want to bow down for a mere five bushels of rice.
But what the Uchiha were offering was simply too much.
After thinking for a long time, he couldn't refuse outright and could only test the waters, "What if we Akatsuki refuse this investment?"
Obito smiled and said, "If you refuse, then you refuse. I'll just decline Uchiha's goodwill on your behalf, but that doesn't affect my personal decision to join Akatsuki."
Yahiko hadn't expected Obito to have such generosity, and suddenly, he saw him in a new light.
In reality, Yahiko, who had grown up in a country like the Land of Rain, although he longed for peace, also knew how to assess the situation.
He had always dared to think and act. When he had nothing to eat as a child, he would steal; when he saw Konoha ninjas survive Hanzō, he bravely went to ask them to be his teachers. It could be said that his action-taking ability was maxed out.
So, seeing Obito's openness, he couldn't help but want to gamble again.
"If we Akatsuki accept Uchiha's investment, what do we have to offer in return?"
Uchiha Obito's eyes lit up, 'Yahiko is indeed like Minato-sensei. A little sun-like in personality, yet not stubborn or pedantic.'
After thinking for a moment, he said, "Uchiha won't interfere too much in Akatsuki's development. We mainly have three requests."
"First, we hope that when Akatsuki grows strong in the future, it can be an ally of the Uchiha. Without violating Akatsuki's own principles, you would accept Uchiha's employment."
"Second, we hope that Akatsuki can accept some Uchiha members. Not just me, but more in the future. Rest assured, we won't randomly send people in. Those who join will definitely be strong."
"Third, we hope that Akatsuki can maintain friendly relations with Konoha. Of course, I mean Jiraiya-sama's faction of Konoha."
When Yahiko heard the first two points, he nodded. These were lenient conditions, completely acceptable.
But upon hearing the beginning of the third point, he instinctively frowned.
Akatsuki's way of operating required it to maintain a neutral stance, and he didn't want to take an obvious political side.
Especially since he also glanced at Nagato. He knew that Nagato's parents had been killed by Konoha ninjas.
However, after hearing the last part, he couldn't care about that anymore, he was suddenly excited.
"What? You mentioned Jiraiya-sensei? What's your relationship with Jiraiya-sensei?", Nagato and Konan were also just as excited. Ever since Jiraiya left, they had missed him constantly.
So, the three of them looked at Obito with anticipation, hoping he would tell them more.
Obito smiled and said, "Jiraiya-sensei is my teacher's teacher. My teacher is Namikaze Minato, a few years older than you. Strictly speaking, he's your senior."
"We all belong to the same faction as Jiraiya-sama, and in our hearts, we all wish for world peace. Perhaps our ideas differ slightly, but our ultimate goal is the same. In fact, we are natural allies."
Yahiko murmured, "So, we actually have a senior? If you truly belong to Jiraiya-sensei's faction, I believe you."
Konan and Nagato also nodded. If Obito was truly connected to Jiraiya, they should naturally be close.
Obito smiled and said, "The relationship between my teacher and Jiraiya-sensei is not difficult to verify. Don't you have an outstanding intelligence officer? Let Kyusuke inquire about it, and you'll know."
Yahiko let out a breath of relief, "If that's really the case, Akatsuki can fully agree to Uchiha's investment. But… will Uchiha really fund us with one hundred million ryo just for agreeing to these three conditions? What exactly does Uchiha see in us? Could it be…"
Yahiko instinctively panicked. Akatsuki didn't seem to have much worth investing in, except for Nagato's Rinnegan…
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