RADG: Chapter 211: Angel’s Conversion

The sudden turn of events left Konan stunned. But when Nagato’s blood splattered on her face, she immediately snapped back to her senses.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

A flurry of paper shuriken shot toward the masked man, but they passed straight through his intangible body.

Having dealt with the masked man for years, Konan had already learned a great deal about his abilities.

Whenever he dodged, his entire body would become intangible. Taking advantage of that brief window, the paper wings on Konan’s back transformed into arms and reached toward Nagato.

"Fire Release: Explosive Dance!"

With Kamui’s enhancement, the spatial distortion accelerated the flames, sending them crashing into Konan’s paper arms and knocking them away.

A stream of black sludge surged from the ground, destroying the device on Nagato’s body that expanded his sensory range. The black fluid then wrapped around him.

"Zetsu! You traitor!"

Konan was furious. Her heart sank like the sky had fallen.

Black Zetsu was a rogue ninja from Kusagakure, recruited by her and Nagato. His seniority even surpassed Kakuzu, and he had naturally taken the position of “Madara’s” subordinate.

But now that Nagato was in their hands, Konan didn’t dare act rashly, afraid of endangering him.

"Traitor?" Black Zetsu raised his head and grinned.

"Konan, from beginning to end, I was never yours. I am Madara’s will."

Having secured Nagato, Obito’s tense mood relaxed. He turned to look at Konan with his Sharingan.

"How ridiculous. Did you really think the Akatsuki was your own organization? Did you truly believe the Rinnegan belonged to Nagato?"

"Nagato was just a puppet I pushed to the front. Who would’ve thought he’d be so useless? He barely gathered a few tailed beasts. So, shouldn’t I return the Rinnegan to its rightful owner?"

Obito extended his arm toward Nagato’s eyes. "Yami was right. These eyes were never something the Uzumaki clan could nurture. I was heavily injured at the time and had no choice but to let Nagato hold them temporarily."

Obito had fully embraced the identity of Uchiha Madara and now laid bare the truth of the Rinnegan. Nagato’s eyes widened slightly.

So… all along, his life had been a lie?

"Konan, run!"

A violent surge of chakra exploded outward, blasting away Black Zetsu and Obito with repulsive force. Konan was also flung several hundred meters back.

"Go find Shimura Yami! He won’t kill you. I’ll take care of revenge!"

Nagato roared. He knew he wouldn’t survive. If Konan stayed, she would be killed by "Madara" and Zetsu. Yami was her only hope.

Nagato had already studied Yami thoroughly. That man didn’t kill beautiful women. He brought them home and kept them as canaries.

And Konan’s appearance definitely qualified.

Saying he wanted her to avenge him was just to give her purpose, to keep her alive. Otherwise, he feared Konan would take her own life.

Thump—!

As he fell to the ground heavily, Nagato could feel his life slipping away. His eyelids grew heavier and heavier.

"Nagato!"

Konan burst into tears. Obito had already returned to Nagato’s side, and the twisting vortex of Kamui began to envelop him.

"Well, well. Little rat, here to scavenge again."

A playful voice drifted into Konan’s ears, halting her just as she tried to rush forward and save Nagato.

"YOU…"

Obito ground his teeth as he turned to face the figure standing in mid-air. He hadn’t expected him to arrive so quickly.

Why does a monster like this exist in the ninja world?

He hadn’t planned to reveal himself so soon. He was waiting for Nagato and Konoha to wear each other down, and then take the opportunity to seize the Rinnegan and the tailed beasts to fully control the Moon’s Eye Plan.

Obito trusted no one. Not even his own people.

He knew very well that Madara’s plan was to use him to manipulate Nagato, so that the tailed beast collection could proceed smoothly. After that, Madara would be resurrected with the Rinnegan’s help.

But you're Uchiha, and so am I. That rebellious instinct lives in us all.

Why should you lead the Moon’s Eye Plan?

I want to create a world with Rin!

After shooting Yami a cold glare, Obito said nothing more. He entered Kamui’s space and vanished.

"Nagato!"

Seeing Obito disappear, Konan lost control and tried to rush after him, but Yami caught her and brought her back to the ground.

"Let me go! I have to save Nagato!" Konan struggled wildly.

"You?"

Yami sneered. "He’s got a hole in his chest. Even if he’s an Uzumaki, there’s no saving him. He’s probably dead already."

"Then I’ll die with Madara!"

Konan’s face was full of despair. It looked like she had completely lost the will to live.

Yami was reminded of Pakura. After learning she’d been betrayed by Suna, she had become disheartened, with no will to go on.

"I heard what Nagato told you just now."

Yami took a step back and pointed toward where Obito and Nagato had disappeared. "If you chase them now, all that awaits you is death. And once you’re dead, who will fulfill the goal of revenge?"

Konan’s lifeless eyes twitched.

Yami turned his gaze toward the ruins of Ame. "Let me guess. You’re planning to use all those explosive tags you stockpiled to blow up even Uchiha Madara?"

"How do you know that?!" Konan looked at him in shock.

Only a handful of people knew she had been stockpiling explosive tags. Even the Akatsuki members weren’t aware. She had gathered the raw materials secretly through Ame nin and crafted them herself.

If Kakuzu ever found out she’d been spending his hard-earned funds on tags, he’d have betrayed the organization long ago.

"Kabuto works for me." Yami smiled and dropped another bombshell.

Konan suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of loss.

The Akatsuki she and Nagato had built with such effort had become riddled with spies. Madara had people in it, Konoha had people in it... but there was no one who truly shared the same ideals she and Nagato once held.

Yami looked at her. "Nagato made the right choice in his final moments. He knew only I could defeat Madara. If you want to die, I won’t stop you. But if you want to avenge Nagato, then listen to me."

"What do you want from me?" Konan asked calmly.

"Simple."

Yami smiled. "You're an angel, right? Then serve the god. I'll avenge you, and you'll become an angel under my command."

"Fine."

Konan agreed without hesitation.

Jiraiya had said one thing correctly—Konan was always a follower. From beginning to end, she never held a personal conviction.

Everything she did was just following Yahiko and Nagato. She didn’t truly carry the dream of bringing peace to the ninja world.

She was just an ordinary woman.

Ame.

An hour ago, this village could still be considered a peaceful shinobi village. Now…

It was a living hell.

After one Super Shinra Tensei and one Planetary Devastation, this small village was devastated beyond recognition.

Thankfully, Ame had a disaster response protocol. As soon as the battle broke out at the “god’s” tower, civilians began to evacuate. Casualties weren’t high, but the city was in ruins.

Yami and Konan tracked down Kakuzu and Hidan, who had been subdued by Wood Clones. As for Kisame, they let him escape. Half on purpose.

The current timeline had become completely unrecognizable. Obito needed to be watched closely. Understanding his next move was a priority.

Hidan, being a brainless fanatic, was not worth persuading. Yami simply placed him under Genjutsu.

From now on, Hidan would serve as “Hell.” His job? Charge blindly ahead and use his immortal body as a meat shield.

As for Kakuzu...

"Kakuzu, you and Konoha are fated."

Yami smiled. "Your achievement of attempting to assassinate the First Hokage is still recorded in our archives."

Kakuzu, with his four hearts destroyed, looked pale. "Yami, are you here to avenge Hashirama?"

"Those old grudges have nothing to do with me."

Yami shook his head. "I just admire your devotion to money. Since that’s the case, why not work for me?"

He gestured to Konan, who stood silently nearby.

"Your leader was ambushed and killed by the traitor Tobi. The new Akatsuki leader is Konan. She and I have reached a partnership… so technically, it’s not betrayal."

"Not important," Kakuzu cut him off.

"How much are you paying?"

Kakuzu survived this long because of his fear of death, his willingness to betray, and his complete lack of guilt. Morality? He had none.

"You’ll get the same pay as a Konoha jōnin."

Kakuzu immediately frowned. But Yami continued, "The missions I give you have nothing to do with Konoha. The rewards will be calculated per job."

Kakuzu’s face relaxed.

Very good. No commissions. A proper employer.

But Yami’s next sentence made him visibly excited.

"As a year-end bonus, I’ll give you one chance per year to gamble against Tsunade. How much you earn depends on your skill."

Kakuzu’s breathing grew heavy. "You mean... the legendary sucker of the ninja world?"

After returning to Konoha, Tsunade hadn’t gone out gambling as much due to Yami’s oversight. But her annual losses hadn’t decreased one bit.

With her income from Konoha Hospital, personal consultations, and her high salary, she earned as much as a large corporation.

The title of “Legendary Sucker” only became more renowned.

Every time she showed up, gamblers from all over flocked to her like moths to a flame.

Even Yami sometimes secretly followed her and Shizune to earn a little pocket money.

Gambling with Tsunade? That was worth more than any A-rank mission.

"If I can really bet with Tsunade once a year... then you’re my boss from now on."

Kakuzu no longer paid attention to Konan. His loyalty now belonged fully to Konoha—no, to Yami.

The vines restraining Kakuzu slithered back underground.

With his Mind’s Eye of the Kagura, Yami located Kakashi and instructed Kakuzu to carry Hidan and follow behind.

…

When they arrived, Kakashi was still fighting several Ame shinobi. Konan immediately called out:

“Enough. Stop.”

"Angel-sama!"

The Ame shinobi looked relieved, as if their backbone had returned. Hearing her command, they immediately backed off, leaving behind Kakashi and the unconscious Ajisai.

"Angel-sama, did God-sama eliminate the enemy?" one of the jōnin asked excitedly.

Konan glanced at Yami, who remained silent, and sighed inwardly. Then she said, "Godo, you’re in charge of rebuilding Ame. Leave the rest to me."

The jōnin named Godo finally noticed Yami. His pupils contracted in horror, and he almost shouted out—only to be stopped cold by Konan’s sharp glare.

He backed away rapidly and didn’t dare look back.

Yami lowered his raised hand with a bit of regret. "Your subordinate is pretty sharp."

Konan frowned. "I’ve already agreed to work with you. Are you still going to kill my people?"

"You know better than anyone the hatred they bear toward Iwa, Suna, and Konoha."

During the Third Shinobi War, Ame had become a battleground because of its location. That war left behind countless orphans.

Here in this land, everyone was Pain. They simply lacked his power.

Yami looked out over the ruined city. "My original plan was to wipe it all clean…"

Konan’s expression changed. Hostility flashed in her eyes.

"But for your sake, I’ll give this village a chance. As long as they stay quiet, I won’t act. But if they can’t control themselves..."

"Leave it to me."

Konan regained her composure. "I’ll keep them in check. They won’t cause you trouble."

Yami said nothing.

"Hokage-sama, this is…"

Kakashi approached with confusion written all over his face.

Weren’t they here to destroy Akatsuki? How did it become a partnership?

"The leader of the Akatsuki, Pain, is dead. Killed by one of their own."

Yami walked to the unconscious Ajisai and sealed her in a scroll.

"Jiraiya’s death has been avenged. But a greater threat has emerged. The Rinnegan was stolen. To avenge Pain, this ‘angel’ has brought the survivors to join me."

"The Rinnegan?"

Kakashi’s face changed. "Who could take something from you?"

Yami gave him a strange look. "‘Uchiha Madara.’ His space-time ninjutsu is as annoying as yours. Harder to catch too."

Kakashi sighed in frustration.

"Right."

Strapping the scroll to his back, Yami suddenly looked at Konan and Kakuzu.

"I heard from Kabuto that Hiruko also joined Akatsuki. Why didn’t he show up?"

(To be continued.)