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The rain over Amegakure had fallen relentlessly for an entire week, showing no sign of letting up. Perched atop one of the village's towering structures, Pain stood motionless, feeling the chakra transmitted back to him through every raindrop. Konan approached quietly from behind and spoke in a low voice. "Madara and Kisame have returned. They brought back the Three-Tails. However, there's also bad news. Kakuzu and Hidan are dead."
"How did they die?" Pain asked, his tone flat.
"It's a long story..."
"Let me explain." Obito walked onto the tower platform, interrupting Konan.
"What happened?" Pain inquired.
"Do you know Asachi Midorima?" Obito asked in return.
"Wasn't he the one who disappeared?"
"No. He was right under our noses this whole time, and we failed to see it."
"Right under our noses? Who was he?" Pain's curiosity was piqued.
"Yoshida Shin. He was a member of Akatsuki for a short while." Obito spread his hands in a gesture of resignation. "We, no, "you" practically laid out our entire plan right in front of him."
"Are you suggesting this is my fault?"
"At the very least, the person who recommended his membership should bear some responsibility, don't you think?" Obito countered.
"You're referring to Sasori?"
"In any case, Midorima "is" Yoshida Shin. An organization that aspires to do great things failing to uncover such critical intelligence certainly looks unprofessional." Obito rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "We can't afford mistakes like this again."
"Hmm. So, how did Kakuzu and Hidan die?"
"Killed by him," Obito stated flatly.
Pain stared at Obito for a long moment. Seeing that Obito wasn't going to elaborate, he pressed further. "So, does this mean the mission was a failure?"
"Not entirely." Obito shook his head. "Igawa Bu is dead, and I successfully brought back the Three-Tails. The one thing I didn't anticipate was that Igawa, in his desperation to oppose us, had also brought the Six-Tails back to the village. And because of Midorima's interference, I couldn't retrieve it."
"But doesn't this mean our plans have been exposed to Kirigakure?" Konan asked, a note of concern in her voice.
"Can't be helped." Obito shook his head again. "The rebels in Kirigakure were already plotting against Igawa. Even if we hadn't intervened, they would have captured him eventually. We would have lost both the Three-Tails and the Six-Tails, and they would have discovered our plans anyway."
Konan fell silent, absorbing the information.
"However, after this upheaval, Kirigakure is essentially crippled. They shouldn't pose a significant threat to our plans moving forward. But there is one thing that troubles me."
"What's that?" Konan asked.
"Midorima has become the jinchūriki of the Six-Tails. He was already exceptionally powerful, and now with the added strength of a tailed beast, he's going to be a real problem." Obito's voice was heavy with concern.
"How do you know this?"
"I have an agent inside Kirigakure. He's been feeding me information," Obito explained.
In the chaos following the great battle in Kirigakure, order had completely broken down. This allowed the asset he had previously controlled, Hiizumi, to funnel a steady stream of intelligence through Zetsu and into Obito's ears.
"If that's true, he will indeed be difficult to deal with," Konan agreed solemnly.
An enemy who knew their organization intimately, possessed formidable strength on his own, and was now amplified by the power of a tailed beast—by any measure, Midorima was a formidable opponent.
"Your failure to eliminate him in Kirigakure was probably a critical mistake," Konan added pointedly.
"..."
Obito opened his mouth to retort but then thought better of it and remained silent.
Did this woman think killing someone was so simple? In truth, if he could avoid it, he had no desire to fight Midorima again. Their last encounter had been a grueling stalemate, a battle where neither could land a decisive blow against the other. It was utterly pointless.
"Right now, Midorima has left Kirigakure and is heading for the Land of Lightning. If we want to eliminate him, I think we need to act quickly," Obito urged.
"Will you handle it personally?" Konan inquired.
Obito shook his head. "Didn't I just say? Sasori should be the one to answer for his carelessness."
"But I don't think... Sasori is a match for him," Pain stated, his judgment clear.
"Then there's still Itachi, isn't there? His strength within Akatsuki is undeniable. If even he can't do it, then we truly must consider the threat Midorima poses. By the way, what's the situation in Sunagakure?"
"They've already commenced hostilities with Konoha," Pain reported.
"Perfect. This gives them a perfect opportunity to slip away from Suna without raising suspicion," Obito noted.
"I have another concern. With Hidan and Kakuzu dead, Akatsuki is already down two members. If Itachi and Sasori were to fall as well, we'd lose half our roster," Konan pointed out pragmatically.
"They're all just expendable resources. We can replace them at any time. And don't forget, Kumogakure and Iwagakure are locked in fierce conflict. Konoha and Suna are at war now too... Do you see what's happening? The Shinobi World War has already begun. The great villages are far too preoccupied with each other to pay us any mind. This is exactly when we need to start moving." Obito allowed himself a thin smile.
Konan glanced at Pain, but he had already turned away, his gaze fixed on the endless downpour outside.
...
Itachi and Sasori crouched behind a dune, watching over twenty Suna ninja depart from the village, heading towards the Konoha border. They felt no satisfaction from the sight. Instead, the news delivered by Zetsu weighed heavily on them, stirring different emotions.
"Are you saying Yoshida Shin is Asachi Midorima? You can't be mistaken?" Sasori's voice was thick with disbelief.
Itachi, however, connecting Yoshida Shin's actions within Akatsuki—including his assistance in rescuing Sasuke—found the information plausible. Why else would Shin have gone so far to help him?
"Tobi has fought both Midorima and Yoshida separately. He noticed they used the same techniques, which led to this conclusion."
Sasori clenched his fist tightly, grinding his teeth in barely suppressed rage. "That bastard! He actually deceived me! And after I trusted him enough to recommend him to the organization. To think he was using me the whole time. I'll kill him myself."
"Good. Here's your opportunity. Our informant in Kirigakure has confirmed that Midorima is heading for Kumogakure. The organization wants you to find a suitable chance and eliminate him. He's now the Six-Tails jinchūriki, and that tailed beast itself is very important to our plans," Zetsu explained.
Sasori nodded eagerly. "Don't worry. Killing people is our specialty, right, Itachi? Itachi?" Noticing Itachi seemed distracted, Sasori called his name again.
"Shh!" Itachi raised a finger to his lips, signaling for silence. He pointed towards a ninja rapidly approaching Sunagakure from a distance. "He's traveling in haste, covered in dust. Could there be an urgent matter?"
"Let me see." Zetsu focused on the approaching figure.
As the man drew closer, his distinguishing features became clearer. "He looks like a Kirigakure ninja. What would he be doing all the way out here?"
"Regardless, shall we eliminate him? We've worked hard to ignite this war. Can't have some outside ninja interfering now, can we?" Sasori licked his lips, a predatory smile spreading across his face.