After hurriedly returning to one of the Akatsuki's temporary bases, Obito didn't pause for a moment. He immediately sought out Zetsu and had him relay the news of capturing A to Nagato, who was currently in the Land of Iron.
Upon receiving the message, Nagato didn't dare delay and rushed to Obito's temporary base.
As usual, he appeared as Heaven Path, but this time, he wasn't alone. Accompanying him was Konan, as always, and behind Heaven Path stood five newly crafted Five Paths of Pain.
Unlike before, these new Five Paths of Pain weren't cold, lifeless corpse puppets but living, breathing individuals with flushed faces and steady breaths.
It was clear.
These new Five Paths of Pain were none other than Yugito Nii, the Two-Tails Jinchuriki from Hidden Cloud; Roshi, the Four-Tails Jinchuriki from Hidden Rock; Han, the Five-Tails Jinchuriki; Utakata, the Six-Tails Jinchuriki from Hidden Mist; and Fu, the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki from Hidden Waterfall!
Han, tall and robust, had been crafted by Nagato into the Asura Path.
Yugito Nii, agile and adept at ambushes, was made into the Human Path.
Fu, capable of flight with strong mobility and hard to target, became the Animal Path.
Utakata, balancing destructive power and speed, was turned into the Preta Path.
Roshi, relatively weaker, was fashioned into the Naraka Path for support.
The new Five Paths of Pain not only possessed the Rinnegan abilities granted by Nagato but also retained their jinchuriki powers, making them far stronger than the previous generation of Five Paths of Pain crafted from ordinary shinobi corpses.
Seeing the new Five Paths of Pain behind Heaven Path, Obito felt a surge of confidence.
Heaven Path asked calmly, "What happened?"
Obito briefly recounted how he had gone to Hidden Leaf to gather intel on Uchiha Shinji, only to unexpectedly encounter A. On impulse, he attacked and threw A into the Kamui Dimension.
Heaven Path nodded slightly. "Well done."
Konan added, "We've finally caught one of them!"
It was because of A's group that the Akatsuki nearly imploded. Now, with A trapped in the Kamui Dimension, they could finally uncover his true identity.
Heaven Path raised a hand, signaling Obito to open the Kamui Dimension.
Obito hesitated, saying, "According to the latest intel from Hiruko and Ranmaru, A might possess a Rinnegan. Though the intel is unconfirmed, shouldn't we gather more members just to be safe?"
Konan agreed. "He's right. We don't know much about our opponent, and since he can't escape, why not call in more help?"
Nagato was confident in his own strength, but he also saw no need to take risks since the enemy was trapped. Through Heaven Path, he nodded.
Soon, nearby Akatsuki members—Sasori, Deidara, Kakuzu, Hidan, Hiruko, and Ranmaru—were summoned.
With everything ready, Heaven Path instructed Konan, "Stay outside. I'll lead the team in."
Though their alliance with Obito was in a honeymoon phase, and Nagato didn't believe Obito would betray them at this critical moment, precautions were still necessary. He didn't want Konan to take the risk.
Konan nodded understandingly. "Alright, be careful."
Once all members entering the Kamui Dimension were in physical contact, Obito placed a hand on Heaven Path and activated Kamui.
In an instant, a distorted vortex spread from Heaven Path to everyone in contact, and they all vanished into the swirl, Obito included.
Upon entering the Kamui Dimension, everyone immediately went on high alert, including Obito.
However, after scanning their surroundings, they found no trace of A. All eyes turned to Obito.
Obito stood frozen, stunned.
Undoubtedly, when Shinji activated Red Dragon to swap places with his blood clone, his true body escaped the Kamui Dimension, leaving only the blood clone behind.
Under normal circumstances, his blood clone could persist for a long time.
However, shortly after returning to Hidden Leaf, Shinji had relinquished control of the Koryugan. The blood clone, sustained by the Koryugan's ocular power, collapsed as a result.
At that time, Obito was still frantically fleeing the Land of Fire.
…
Elsewhere.
Having made contact with Orochimaru, Kimimaro found Guren, who was still risking staying in Hidden Leaf, and relayed Orochimaru's decision.
"Orochimaru-sama agreed to the Akatsuki's deal, but only if they help him escape first?" Guren frowned slightly. "Will the Akatsuki agree to that? They don't seem like the type to negotiate easily!"
Kimimaro replied, "Orochimaru-sama said he's the only one in the shinobi world who can break the Dead Demon Consuming Seal. If the Akatsuki wants the half of the Nine-Tails in the Death God's stomach, they'll have to help him escape first. Otherwise, even if he's willing, he can't complete the deal."
Guren sighed inwardly.
How could she not see that Orochimaru was trying to strong-arm the Akatsuki? But since he had made his decision, as his subordinate, she could only follow through.
Soon, Guren left Hidden Leaf to deliver the message to Kabuto.
Kabuto, upon hearing it, seemed unsurprised and even smirked.
Guren asked, "What's so funny?"
Kabuto replied, "Orochimaru-sama knows the Akatsuki better than we do. If he made this choice, he must be confident. We just need to execute."
What a bunch of lunatics! Guren thought before asking, "What's our next step?"
Kabuto pushed up his glasses. "We wait for the Akatsuki to contact us. Trust me, they'll be more anxious than we are."
Almost simultaneously.
Having received a mission from Shinji under his A identity, Ryuzetsu and Chino quietly left Hidden Leaf Village. In a secluded wilderness area, they donned Akatsuki red-cloud cloaks and headed toward Kabuto's new hideout!
As Kabuto predicted, Shinji was pressed for time. After learning Orochimaru's decision through Jikibi from Kimimaro, he had Karin discreetly track Guren's movements and sent Ryuzetsu and Chino to make contact.
As shinobi from Hidden Grass Village, they had more freedom of movement than Hidden Leaf shinobi and weren't under surveillance. As long as they were discreet, they were better suited for contacting Kabuto's group at this time.