Minato held Kushina tightly in relief.
"Thank god..."
What happened in the span of a night was a nightmare to him.
He was prepared for the worst, to give up his life to seal the nine tails if needed.
However, such wasn't the case. Through the presence of one man, everything changed.
'I have no idea why you were here or what you were doing, but... thank you, Akashi.'
In Kushina's embrace was a baby boy with blonde hair, their son.
Minato looked up.
The village was, after the storm passed, in quite a state.
The sense of happiness in him diminished.
Many died tonight. And...
"...Hokage-sama."
Sarutobi Hiruzen's wife was one of them.
Though brief, Minato read a sense of hatred in Hiruzen's eyes as he gazed into Kushina's stomach, where the nine tails was re-sealed.
"It's good that your family is safe, Minato."
Hiruzen broke a light smile. Turning around, he viewed the state of the village.
"Minato... I realized tonight, that mighty Konoha of the past is no more."
Minato listened, understanding Hiruzen's sentiment.
"Continuous wars weakened us. Only through the event tonight did I remember, how heavy the deaths feel. Even today, our ninjas die in the battlefield because of the war that... the old fools like me waged. As much as I hate to say it, if it weren't that... rogue shinobi of an unknown purpose, this village would've lost one of us. Tonight's event could've been the start of Konoha's downfall."
"Then, Hokage-sama..."
"I think it's about time, that we end this war... outwardly, at the very least."
"I'm not sure if other villages will accept it..."
"It won't be a total end of it. I know enough that they won't accept such a condition."
Hiruzen knew that the hatred between the nations ran deep.
"It will be an armistice... everyone needs time to recover, don't they?"
It was the start to the world congress, one where the leaders of the participating villages would visit to discuss of the peace.
"After that's taken care of, Minato,"
Hiruzen then delivered,
"You will be the next Hokage."
__________
"...What is this?"
Akashi received a piece of paper from Mei. It has unknown words and symbols written.
"I have no idea either. It was in a secret ground underneath the Uchiha compound."
"How did you manage to discover such a location in a short span of time?"
"...We met a strange boy. His name is Uchiha Itachi."
Mei pursed her lips.
"He managed to figure out a rough outline of our goal based on little bits of information he found. He was the one who gave us an access to that place, named the Naka Shrine."
Mei then passed another piece of paper to him.
"Apparently, it can only be read by those who possess the sharingan, and even then, it can't be interpreted completely. That boy tried to decipher it for us, but his level of sharingan was too low to make sense of it."
Akashi took the paper that held the partially deciphered version, but it was as Mei said. The words were all over the place and they couldn't get anything out of it.
"Sharingan, hm..."
Akashi's eye narrowed.
"If it's a dojutsu that's superior to sharingan, shouldn't the interpretation be possible?"
The papers were sealed into a small scroll.
One person came to Akashi's mind,
Nagato.
"It looks like,"
Akashi chuckled,
"It's time for me to visit rain once more."
Akashi then turned and inspected the unconscious man who looked wasted.
"...Maito Dai. It's already been 6 or more years."
He was being carried by Gai, whose face held many complex emotions.
"How is he doing?"
"Not good."
Juzo was the one who answered, bleakly. Gai glared at him, and he quickly changed his words,
"From my perspective, that is."
"Do you know where to take him?"
"There is one that I periodically meet. Perhaps we'll go to that person."
Akashi nodded.
"You know how to reach me should it be needed."
He turned to face Hidan and Kisame.
"What about you two?"
Kisame shrugged.
"Chill in the nearest base?"
"Train."
"Then, remain in this land of fire."
Akashi suggested.
"Soon, Konoha will act. We need to see what exactly it is that they will do."
"How come?"
"There was a mastermind behind the nine tails' rampage yesterday."
"...Madara."
"Uchiha, yes. Madara, not sure, for he was wearing a strange, orange-colored mask. It is likely, however, that that shinobi is related to Madara."
Akashi recalled what he's gone through.
"That man will, for sure, act after Konoha's decision."
"The nuance of your words... are you predicting that..."
Mei caught Akashi's tone.
"Konoha will call for peace?"
"At least for now."
Akashi agreed.
"What I saw yesterday was enough to evaluate that Konoha is nearing their limit. If Hokage has a mind, he won't dare to continue after the huge loss they suffered due to the nine tails."
"Huh, got it."
Kisame nodded after the explanation.
"We'll keep our watch, although..."
"Be as lazy as you want while you're at it."
Akashi smiled.
"It's not like you're obliged to follow my orders anyway."
"Now that's more like it."
Kisame grinned, revealing his sharp teeth.
"Remain confident and strong like that, leader... and as long as you remain so, I will continue to follow you."
"As you wish."
Akashi turned and held his hand out.
Mei grabbed it, and the two disappeared from the four within the blink of an eye.
"...So,"
Hidan, after the two were gone, said,
"I guess this is the start, huh?"
"It indeed is."
Tonight, they entered a hidden village. Compared to the types of information gathering method that they had in the past, it was a more vulgar method.
No matter how hard they try, it is impossible to completely conceal their presence.
Through tonight's event, the rumors and information of the mysterious organization, symbolized by the red clouds, would spread within the ninja network.
It could be said that... yesterday's night was the official launch of Akatsuki.
__________
"Red Blade... Akashi..."
In the darkness, the masked man, Uchiha Obito, contemplated.
"What was he doing there...?"
After some thought, he concluded that Akashi's appearance in Konoha at the same time as him was purely coincidental.
"He isn't a leaf shinobi. So why..."
His actions didn't make sense to Obito. Logically, it didn't make sense at all.
"Ugh..."
Obito decided to push that matter away. What mattered more than the reason behind Akashi's action, was the strength that he showcased.
"Sealing the nine tails like that as if it's nothing... you're kidding me, right."
Truthfully speaking, Obito felt confident beforehand. With the power at his hands, he thought that there won't be any obstacle to his path.
"Beware of Akashi, Obito..."
Madara's words felt truer to him than ever.
"That doesn't mean I'll be trusting you, however."
Madara passed away a year ago, after a long life that he led underground.
Obito knew that Madara wanted to be revived through the use of the ultimate Rinnegan technique, Outer Path: Samsara of Heavenly Life, which involved a complete revival of a dead person.
'And the cost of that technique is... the user's death.'
Madara's plan was to convince Nagato to revive him. To do so, Madara attempted to artificially make Nagato's life miserable... only for Akashi to serve as a mitigation.
Obito took some time observing Nagato after Madara's death.
Nagato looked happy, leading a fulfilling life of a shinobi with his two close family/friends around him.
To someone like that, an attempt to convince won't work. Madara's method of shaping a person's ideals is the easiest at that person's childhood life. To Nagato who's now fully grown, it will be impossible to alter his beliefs unless a genjutsu is used... but he is the wielder of the Rinnegan.
It was troubling for Obito.
Although he doesn't plan to revive Madara, the plan nonetheless required the Rinnegan.
"For the ultimate peace..."
Obito clenched his hands, reminding himself of the paradise that awaited him in the future.
"I will have to steal those eyes."
He then revealed a red orb.
"As long as I have those eyes... even Akashi won't be my match."
Behind Obito, black Zetsu watched him in silence.
Unknown to him, black Zetsu snorted,
'Unfortunately, you aren't the same as Madara, Obito.'
Each, with a goal of their own, was plotting in the darkness.