Nagato's legs could certainly be healed, but Kimimaro wasn't eager to fully restore them right away. After all, Nagato at full strength was terrifyingly powerful.
Even when his power was diminished due to Edo Tensei and being controlled by Kabuto, Nagato fought by himself using the Six Paths of Pain abilities, completely overwhelming Naruto, who had access to the Nine-Tails' power, and Killer Bee, the perfect Jinchuriki.
Of course, there was some unreasonable author-driven interference that made Naruto lose his usually sharp battle instincts, but it also highlighted just how formidable a healthy Nagato was.
Kimimaro, confident in his own strength, didn't believe he had much of a chance against Nagato in that condition. So, although he could heal him, he planned to fully restore Nagato's legs only after perfecting his own Senjutsu-Void Mode.
That would take about two years.
On the way to Amegakure, Kimimaro had already thought through his plan. Now, he just needed to explain it to Nagato and Konan.
As for why he wanted to heal Nagato? The reason was simple.
Kimimaro saw Nagato as a valuable ally. If he chose to work with him, naturally, he wanted to make sure his partner was strong enough. Otherwise, it would be a wasted opportunity.
The future of this world seemed rather dull to Kimimaro, who had now grown into a strategist. He wanted to stir the wheel of fate a bit.
Additionally, during the healing process, he could also explore the secrets of the Rinnegan.
After all, there were plenty of opportunities for subtle moves during treatment. Leaving a hidden problem inside Nagato's body might be risky, but studying his body and bloodline? Kimimaro was confident he could do that skillfully and discreetly.
"As long as it can be healed, that's all that matters. No matter how troublesome, it won't be an issue for us. What's the difficulty? Is it the rarity of the medicinal ingredients?" Konan asked calmly, suppressing her excitement.
"The materials needed are indeed rare, but it shouldn't be too hard to acquire them with the Akatsuki's resources. However, the injury is quite old, so it will require prolonged treatment. I estimate it will take about a year for the flesh to regenerate, and two years for a full recovery."
"Two years, huh? That's not too long. We have time. When can the treatment begin?" Pain asked in a cold voice.
"I can start initial treatment today to see the results. Afterward, I'll write up a prescription for you to gather the necessary ingredients. Once you have everything, we can proceed with the second round of treatment."
"Alright, go ahead," Pain agreed.
With Pain's permission, Kimimaro began the first phase of treatment. He extended his hands, channeling chakra to form blue chakra scalpels. With each cut, he removed charred, dead flesh piece by piece.
Nagato remained silent, as if the flesh being cut away wasn't even his.
Kimimaro was surprised by Nagato's endurance.
What a strong-willed person.
Apart from the blemish of killing his own teacher, Nagato was quite the figure of a heroic villain. His vision of peace had a practical foundation, not just empty talk. Unfortunately, from the start, the nine-tailed beasts had been targeted by stronger forces like Madara and Obito. Everything Nagato did ended up serving someone else's plan.
In truth, Nagato was a tragic figure. He dedicated his life to pursuing peace, only to fail due to a lack of power.
Kimimaro felt they might get along well. After all, they both had clear goals.
Soon, Kimimaro completed the initial treatment on Nagato's legs. Using Healing Hands, he tended to the cuts, bandaging them afterward.
"This should do for now," Kimimaro said, pulling out a brush and a scroll from his pouch. With a flick of the scroll, it unfurled rapidly. Kimimaro held the brush in his right hand and wrote the names of thirteen medicinal ingredients in midair. His left hand swiftly closed the scroll.
"Find these ingredients as soon as possible, preferably within a month," Kimimaro instructed.
Konan quickly took the scroll. "Understood. You should stay in Amegakure during this time. Once we gather the materials, we'll proceed with the second round of treatment."
"That works. I'm interested in Amegakure anyway, so I'll take a look around," Kimimaro agreed.
"Konan, show Kimimaro to his accommodations," Pain instructed.
"Alright." Konan nodded, then led Kimimaro out.
Nagato lifted his head slightly, revealing his eyes, wrapped in bandages covered in black runes. These seals blocked any sensory or ocular jutsu from probing his eyes.
With the bandages, not even a Byakugan could see Nagato's Rinnegan.
Nagato pulled off the bandages, inspecting his legs with his Rinnegan. His gaze scanned his legs carefully.
"This Kimimaro really knows what he's doing. Just from the initial treatment, I can already feel a difference in my legs. It seems he wasn't exaggerating. In two years, my legs might truly return to normal.
So far, he hasn't done anything suspicious during treatment. I can trust him for now. Once my legs are fully healed, I should be able to unleash the full power of my Rinnegan.
At that point, even facing the masked man alone would be a fair fight."
Nagato began plotting his next steps.
Kimimaro's appearance had been a pleasant surprise. He hadn't expected much, but Kimimaro really seemed to possess the necessary skills.
While Nagato was pondering how to collaborate with Kimimaro in the future, Konan was already leading Kimimaro to meet his new teammate.
On the way, Kimimaro casually asked, "Konan-senpai, Nagato seems to be quite familiar with you and the leader. You seemed really tense around him."
Konan's body stiffened momentarily before turning to face Kimimaro. "Don't ask about things that don't concern you. It won't do you any good," she said slowly.
"Ah, that expression of yours is really scary, Konan-senpai. So Nagato is your taboo subject?" Kimimaro teased with a grin.
"Don't get any strange ideas. Just do what you're here to do. Pain has already agreed to the collaboration. If you cause any trouble, it could jeopardize everything," Konan warned.
"Is that a threat?" Kimimaro asked with a smirk.
"You can take it that way. Curiosity or a future partnership—you should know which to choose."
"Well, that's an easy choice," Kimimaro replied, smiling.
Konan didn't respond further.
Kimimaro knew the relationship between the three, but his current persona required him to ask questions out of curiosity. Not doing so would raise suspicions.
This was enough for now.
Kimimaro had no intention of stirring the pot any further.
"The request you made earlier has been approved by Pain. However, Hozuki Suigetsu isn't strong enough to be a core member yet. He's currently a reserve, like Tobi in the Akatsuki."
"That's fine. It's up to the organization to decide. I'm indifferent," Kimimaro replied.
There wasn't much difference between core members and reserves, aside from the rings. Kimimaro wasn't inclined to fight for Suigetsu to get a higher status. After all, no one but Kakuzu had joined the Akatsuki to make money.
"Alright. Suigetsu is in the room up ahead. You can meet him yourself. He knows where you'll be staying in Amegakure, so you can ask him."
Konan stopped, delivering these instructions before vanishing into a flurry of paper.
"In a rush, huh? Can't wait to check on Nagato?" Kimimaro muttered before pushing the door open.
Inside, a young man sat in a cocky pose, holding a massive decapitating broadsword. His black cloak with red clouds marked him as a member of the Akatsuki.
Seeing Kimimaro, the young man's lips curled into a grin, revealing shark-like teeth.
Hozuki Suigetsu!
"Boss, you sure took your time. I've been waiting for ages," Suigetsu said lazily, standing up.
"I've been busy with other matters. You should be glad I came straight over," Kimimaro replied, feeling pleased to see Suigetsu.
Among his peers, Suigetsu was probably the one Kimimaro was closest to. They'd known each other the longest and were the most casual with one another.
Jugo, on the other hand, treated Kimimaro more like a master, creating some distance between them.
That was one reason why Kimimaro chose Suigetsu over Jugo.
"Hehe, so busy? I wonder if your skills have dulled. I've improved a lot. Wanna test it out?" Suigetsu's eyes gleamed with battle lust.
Kimimaro raised an eyebrow. Suigetsu itching for a fight already?
Maybe this guy had awakened some weird battle fetish.
"If you're looking to get beat, I don't mind obliging," Kimimaro said with a smirk.
"Heh heh, now it's not certain who's going to beat whom."
Suigetsu had a confident look on his face, which made Kimimaro somewhat interested in seeing this guy's growth.
But then he remembered that just a moment ago, Konan mentioned Suigetsu's strength wasn't enough to become a core member, so there was no need to expect too much.
Suigetsu gripped the Executioner's Blade tightly and swung it directly.
Both his power and speed had significantly improved compared to a year ago.
Such progress in any ninja would be considered remarkable.
It showed that Suigetsu hadn't been slacking off this past year and had taken his training seriously.
In fact, it wasn't that he didn't want to slack off—he simply couldn't, given the current environment in Otogakure.
Since Sasuke and Neji, two training maniacs, joined the village, they became like catfish stirring up sardines, pushing everyone forward.
With them around, it was impossible for other Sound ninjas not to put in effort.
Jūgo, who had always wanted to follow in Kimimaro's footsteps, was already serious about training. But with Neji and Sasuke, two others equally obsessed with training, he only accelerated his progress.
Seeing everyone around him getting stronger, Suigetsu had no choice but to work hard.
He wasn't lacking in talent, and with enough effort, his strength naturally improved considerably.
"Interesting."
As the Executioner's Blade whistled towards him, Kimimaro merely extended the index finger of his right hand.
Clang!
The Executioner's Blade slammed down, directly hitting Kimimaro's finger.
Given the size difference, the outcome should have been obvious.
But something strange happened.
The massive Executioner's Blade stopped. Even though Suigetsu was exerting all his strength, clenching his teeth, and veins bulged from his hands, the blade couldn't move any further.
That thin finger seemed like the hardest substance in the world, impossible to cut through.
Upon closer inspection, there was a thin white layer wrapped around Kimimaro's slender finger.
It was a membrane formed from bone, possessing incredible defensive power.
"Not bad, I can see you've been working hard. But it's still not enough."
With a slight flick of his finger, Kimimaro sent both Suigetsu and the sword flying.
Crash!
Suigetsu's uncontrolled body smashed into a chair, shattering it.
Lying among the debris, Suigetsu helplessly grumbled, "Boss, didn't you say you were busy? How is it that your strength has improved faster than mine? It used to take you two or three exchanges to beat me like this. Now you knock me out in one move."
"I could have done that before, too."
"I..."
Suigetsu was at a loss for words and could only shake his head in resignation, accepting this harsh reality.
"How's Jūgo doing?"
"He's doing fine. Everyone's been training hard. Neji and Sasuke, well, they're monsters. With Jūgo hanging around them, he's not much different.
Karin has been learning medical ninjutsu from Otoyi-senpai and looks like a good prospect. Of course, she hasn't neglected her sealing techniques either. That woman's becoming more and more irritable; I don't even dare mess with her anymore. The Uzumaki clan's sealing jutsu is no joke."
Suigetsu clearly had some grievances here.
His Hydrification Technique had finally overcome its weakness to Lightning Release, but when it came to Karin's sealing techniques, he didn't stand a chance.
Fighting Karin left him feeling utterly frustrated.
"Oh, right, Jūgo and Karin wanted to come along when they found out I was coming to see you, but Orochimaru-sama didn't allow it.
Orochimaru-sama said that since you didn't summon them, they couldn't come and mess around. When I left, the looks they gave me were full of envy. Haha, it was great to feel so smug for once.
Boss, you're the best! You called me out to have some fun. It's so boring in Otogakure. All those people do is train all day, it's too dull."
Suigetsu's expression was one of gloating.
"Don't get too happy just yet. Even though you're here, you still have to complete all your training. With your current strength, you're not qualified to become a core member of the Akatsuki. If the other members found out, it would be embarrassing for me.
So, you need to improve quickly. Within three years, I want you to replace Kisame Hoshigaki in the Akatsuki."
Suigetsu's spirits dropped as soon as he heard he had to keep training.
But when he heard the name Kisame Hoshigaki, he instantly perked up.
"Kisame-senpai is in the Akatsuki too? Great! I've been wanting to challenge him! The Samehada sword he wields is the strongest among the Seven Ninja Swordsmen. I've been dying to cut him down and take the Samehada for myself!"
(End of Chapter)