The squad captain standing before Konan was none other than Tobi — disguised as one of Akatsuki's members.
He had witnessed everything that had just taken place, and it was precisely because of this that he was able to arrive so quickly to "assist" Konan.
After returning to the base with Nagato and Yahiko for emergency treatment, Tobi finally turned to Konan and said regretfully:
"I'm sorry to have to say this… but Leader Yahiko has already…
Please accept my condolences, Leader Konan."
Konan's body trembled at his words. She instinctively grabbed Tobi's hand, her voice shaking:
"Then what about Nagato? How is he?"
Tobi gently pulled his hand free and replied, calm and composed:
"Leader Nagato's life force is strong. Despite being impaled by so many black rods, he's still showing stable vital signs. The organization's medics are doing everything they can to save him. I believe he should be fine.
Leader Konan, you've been through so much today — you must be exhausted. Go get some rest. Leave the rest to me. I'll inform you the moment Leader Nagato wakes up."
Konan wanted to protest, but before she could speak, her vision went dark for a moment. Everything that had happened today was simply too much to bear.
Tobi spoke again, his voice soft and persuasive:
"Don't push yourself any further, Leader Konan. From now on, the organization will need both you and Leader Nagato."
His words finally broke through her resistance. Konan stopped insisting and quietly returned to her room.
Watching her departing figure, Tobi let out a long sigh of relief.
"The most troublesome one is out of the way. Now, things will be much easier."
After making sure no one else was around, Tobi's expression changed. His form flickered — revealing the face of Danzo beneath — before he slipped underground with a whoosh, burrowing deep into the base.
He emerged in a hidden basement, dragging out a dazed and hollow-eyed Hiruko.
"Let's go. Remember the reagent I asked you to research? It's time for the injection."
As he spoke, Tobi turned around and reverted to his original appearance, looking as if he had put a spiral-patterned mask on his face:
"From now on, just do exactly as I say. When I tell you not to move, cover your ears and keep your mouth shut. Otherwise… you already know what will happen."
Hiruko's body stiffened. He simply nodded blankly.
After being imprisoned by Tobi for so long, his mind was already broken — or perhaps Stockholm syndrome had taken hold.
Now, he was little more than a shell of a man, a walking corpse who no longer had the will to resist.
Carrying the reagent and leading Hiruko along, Tobi silently entered the sealed medical room.
The doctor who had been studying how to remove the black rods from Nagato's back was startled by their sudden appearance. But before he could even cry out, Tobi struck him down with a single blow, knocking him unconscious.
Dragging the doctor's limp body away like a dead pig, Tobi tilted his head toward Hiruko and said coldly:
"Begin."
Hiruko hesitated, trembling as he approached Nagato's frail body. The sight made him flinch.
"His condition is this bad… Are you sure you want to inject him now? With his body so weak, he might not survive the serum's potency…"
Tobi let out a quiet, mocking laugh.
"You've been studying his cells for this long and still don't understand their vitality? Just do as you're told."
Hearing Tobi say this, Hiruko didn't dare say more and could only obediently comply.
Although Hiruko had been driven somewhat insane by Tobi's imprisonment, his research talent hadn't diminished in the slightest.
After all these years of his research, Hashirama's cells, White Zetsu cells, and Nagato's cells had been perfectly fused together by him, with the threat level reduced to a minimum.
As the reagent was injected, Nagato — who had been so broken that even if he survived, he'd likely remain bedridden — began to recover visibly before their eyes.
The terrible burns and damage to his legs rapidly healed under the terrifying regenerative power of Hashirama's cells.
After some time, Nagato's breathing steadied — and at last, he slowly opened his eyes.
The first thing he tried to do when he woke was roll over — but a stabbing pain from the black rods protruding from his back forced him to stay prone. He could only remain lying there, scanning his surroundings.
Seeing two unfamiliar faces before him, Nagato snapped to full alert. He glared at Tobi and Hiruko with a fierce expression and growled, "Who are you two? This is clearly the Akatsuki organization's medical room. Why are you here?"
Tobi didn't answer him directly. Instead he turned to Hiruko and asked, "Wasn't that already transplanted into him? Why is he still in such a weak state?"
Hiruko hurriedly recovered and explained, "Even if the reagent is the right one, it needs time to take full effect. Also — when I injected it I noticed something strange about those black rods on his back. They're constantly siphoning his life force. And they're draining a lot. I estimate that even with the reagent's healing, it'll only barely bring him to break-even.
"Besides, he'll find it hard to move about like an ordinary person from now on. Although his legs have healed, the burden of those rods is massive. Many have even damaged some of his nerve tissue. If he forces himself to walk, he'll be forced to hunch forward; that stooped posture will worsen over time until it ultimately crushes him. From today on, he'd be better supported by machines — anything to minimize the physical strain."
Tobi gave a brief nod. "None of that matters. As long as he can use those eyes as much as possible, that's enough."
Nagato, already more irritable after Yahiko's death, bristled at being ignored. He slammed a fist on the bedframe in anger. "Who the hell are you? If you don't answer me right now I won't be polite."
Only then did Tobi turn to him. "Is that how you speak to the ones who saved your life?"
Nagato sneered disdainfully, but he could feel his body improving — he remembered all too well the sensation of the Rinnegan forcibly sucking out his life force. Now he could feel the Rinnegan still drawing on him, but there was clearly another power inside him that had slowed the rate of extraction considerably.
Once he became certain these men had indeed saved him, Nagato's hostility eased somewhat, but he still asked coldly, "Why save me? What do you want from me?"
Tobi adopted an inscrutable expression. "You don't need to know my identity. You only need to know one thing: I'm here to cooperate with you."
The word "cooperate" sparked a rage in Nagato. He shouted, "Cooperate? I'll never do any damn cooperation with anyone in my life!"
Tobi gave a short, amused laugh. "Don't be so quick to refuse. Hear me out first — listen to what this cooperation would be."
"I want to cooperate on a plan called: Make this world feel pain."
Author's Note: Hashirama's cells are mainly for life extension. After all, without Obito, Nagato's workload would be much greater. Without Hashirama's cells for life extension, he would probably die outright. As for the mobility issue, I still wrote it according to the original story. After all, they aren't Nagato's own eyes; the side effects still have to be there.