Konan had set out from the Land of Rain on the same day Naruto left the Land of Waves.
She had been planning to make contact with the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki for two months, but her plans were delayed because a new member brought in by Black Zetsu had been researching a Forbidden Technique. She had been observing him in secret, which took up a lot of her time.
Whether it was intuition or some kind of special sense, she couldn't shake the feeling that Black Zetsu was plotting something. Ever since he brought back information about the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, this feeling had lingered.
But it could also just be her imagination. After all, she had never fully trusted Black Zetsu.
The other party had been brought in by the so-called 'Uchiha Madara.' Although Black Zetsu had kept a low profile within the Akatsuki over the years and had been diligent in gathering intelligence, he was still Madara's man… just like Kisame.
When that secretive guy suddenly showed his tails, she had suspected he had ulterior motives for joining the Akatsuki.
But as the saying goes, 'Those involved are blind, while onlookers see clearly.'
No matter how much she tried to warn Nagato, he, who had become utterly extreme and now saw himself as a god, never took her concerns seriously.
So, she had no choice but to prepare some countermeasures in secret.
After years of observation, she had begun to uncover some clues about Madara's mysterious Dojutsu.
A long time ago, she had started preparing ways to deal with Madara in the Land of Rain.
Originally, she wanted to observe for a while longer, but her mission had already been delayed for too long. She had to complete it as soon as possible.
In truth, Nagato's safety didn't require her concern. After all, the power of the Rinnegan was enough to place him at the pinnacle of the Ninja World.
What she was really worried about was Nagato's mental state.
'Since Yahiko's death, perhaps the last shred of Nagato's humanity had faded.'
"Sigh—"
Every time she thought about this, Konan couldn't help but sigh.
"Little girl, why the sigh?"
An elderly shipworker, who is busy scrubbing the deck next to her, couldn't help but strike up a conversation.
He was a kind-hearted man and couldn't stand to see someone looking so troubled.
Konan was momentarily taken aback. She hadn't expected her sigh to draw someone's attention.
A faint, bitter smile appeared on her cold face as she feigned worry. "I'm concerned that this business deal might fall through. If it does, I'll lose a lot of money."
Konan had come under the guise of a businesswoman to approach Naruto. Without fully understanding his character, it was best to approach him under a different identity.
And her current identity was that of an explosive tag supplier.
After all, the Akatsuki… or rather she, had a vast stockpile of explosive tags.
The elderly shipworker chuckled warmly. "Don't worry about that. As long as you're not here to cause trouble or make unreasonable demands, your business will be just fine."
"Our Minister of Finance in the Land of Waves is exceptionally capable. As long as you're sincere in your dealings, you won't lose out."
'Minister of Finance? '
For some reason, the title made Konan think of Kakuzu.
'It can't be that much of a coincidence, can it?'
The Akatsuki still had no concrete information about Kakuzu and Orochimaru's disappearance. Even Black Zetsu hadn't been able to gather any solid intelligence.
"I wonder what's the name of your Minister of Finance?" Konan asked casually, trying to gather information.
But the shipworker scratched his head awkwardly.
"What's wrong?" Konan asked curiously.
The shipworker explained embarrassedly, "It just occurred to me that the Minister of Finance has never introduced himself. My apologies."
"But rest assured, as long as you're conducting honest business with the Land of Waves, you won't be at a disadvantage."
It was Kakuzu himself who suggested keeping his identity hidden. After all, he was now a traitor to the Akatsuki. He was quite comfortable making money in the Land of Waves, and if Pain found out and came after him, it would ruin his lucrative setup.
So, he decided to keep his identity a secret. Naruto had no objections as long as Kakuzu did his job properly.
"Is that so?"
Konan didn't press further. She was naturally reserved, and without getting the information she wanted, she fell silent.
However, although she didn't get a definitive answer, in her mind, she equated the Land of Waves' Minister of Finance with Kakuzu in her heart.
After all, she felt that if it were Kakuzu, he would definitely do something like this.
But if that were the case, her plan to gather intelligence through the explosive tag trade would likely be ineffective.
Seeing Konan fall silent, the shipworker didn't disturb her further. However, he was confident that once she arrived in the Land of Waves, she would understand what he meant.
On the evening of the second day after Naruto left the Land of Waves, Konan arrived in the Land of Waves aboard a cargo ship.
As she stepped off the ship and looked at the bustling port, she couldn't hide her surprise.
According to the rumors she heard, the Land of Waves is poor, weak, and chaotic nation, a place where even the crowing of roosters was absent.
But what she saw now was completely different from the rumors.
There was no sign of the chaos or poverty she had heard about. Instead, the atmosphere was peaceful.
It was already winter, and the port workers had changed into warmer clothes as they unloaded cargo.
From the looks of it, the cargo was winter supplies.
"Little girl, since you're a visitor, you'll need to go to the registration office over there to record your personal information and the purpose of your visit."
On the dock, the elderly shipworker pointed to a small wooden hut not far away.
"Don't worry. Since you're here for business, the Land of Waves welcomes all traders. You'll receive preferential treatment during registration."
"Oh... okay!"
Konan nodded instinctively, then seemed to remember something. She turned and bowed slightly to the old shipworker.
"Thank you."
With that, she headed toward the small wooden hut.
The old shipworker simply smiled and said nothing, turning to direct the workers unloading the cargo.
As the shipworker had said, after understanding Konan's purpose for visiting the Land of Waves and personally verifying the explosive tags she provided, the registration office quickly issued her a pass.
However, since she was carrying dangerous items like explosive tags, she had to stay at a designated inn.
She would then wait for a specialist to come and discuss the details with her.
Konan had no objections to this and followed a staff member to her accommodations.
But what surprised Konan was that, according to her senses, the staff member leading her had Chakra levels close to that of a Jonin.
As for herself, she had used a technique to conceal her Chakra, making it difficult for ordinary people to detect.