Rain Shinobi Village. The skies were dark as always, sheets of heavy rain cascading down like a permanent curtain draping over the hidden country. Atop a high iron tower in the center of the village, two figures stood side by side, their cloaks rippling in the storm.
Tendo, the Rinnegan-eyed leader of Akatsuki, stood motionless, like a statue cast in steel. Beside him, Konan's paper angel wings shifted subtly in the rain, her gaze troubled as she looked down at the mist-shrouded village.
"More and more outsiders have come to the village recently," Konan said in a tense voice. "People from Cloud Shinobi Village, Iwagakure, even Sunagakure. Have they noticed something?"
Since the day they had assassinated Hanzō of the Salamander and secretly taken control of the village, Rain had become Akatsuki's covert base of operations. The illusion of Hanzō's survival was meticulously maintained—his absence explained by long seclusion, his supposed presence ensured by rumors and the occasional staged sighting.
But now, the delicate balance was faltering.
"I heard from Zetsu that Orochimaru was captured in Konoha," Tendo said, his voice as calm and empty as the dead. "Maybe he leaked something before his capture."
Konan frowned. "If that were the case, Konoha should be the first to act, not these other villages. But there's no movement from Konoha. That's what makes this more suspicious. The people showing up are from the other Great Villages."
Akatsuki's ultimate goal remained the same: collect all the tailed beasts and use their power to force peace upon the shinobi world. But even though they hadn't yet begun full-scale operations, their ambitions were already starting to draw dangerous attention.
"You're wrong," Tendo said calmly. "Konoha sent scouts first. They didn't enter the village, but they've been circling our borders. You just didn't notice it."
He slowly raised one hand. "Shinra Tensei… Universal Pull!"
With a gravitational roar, several shadows flew from the darkness below. Their bodies were yanked from concealment and slammed into the steel rooftop at the duo's feet. The impact was heavy—ninjas in Cloud Village flak jackets groaned, unconscious from the force.
Konan narrowed her eyes. "They are people from Cloud Shinobi Village... If this continues, they'll definitely uncover our illusion. Tendo—Nagato—what should we do?"
Tendo's Rinnegan eyes surveyed the shinobi lying at their feet. His voice was devoid of emotion. "Interrogate them. Discover what they've learned and why they're here. Then notify the other Akatsuki members. Something is shifting in the shinobi world—we need to know what."
With that, Konan activated the Rain Tiger at Will Technique, sending her chakra through the rain to sense every movement across the village. In an instant, she became aware of subtle changes in the rhythm of the village. Footsteps where they shouldn't be. Chatter too hushed. It wasn't just foreign infiltration—it was surveillance.
Meanwhile, far away from the rain, a black-and-red swirl of chakra formed outside the walls of Konohagakure. From it stepped a man in an orange spiral-patterned mask—Obito Uchiha. Behind him, a black, sludge-like figure slithered from the ground: Black Zetsu, ancient and ever-watchful.
"Uchiha Andrew's eyes seem to have become stronger again," Black Zetsu said with a slow smirk, watching Obito carefully. "I've only ever seen Susanoo of that scale from Madara-sama."
Obito said nothing at first. His mind churned, full of doubts. He had been observing Andrew since the Mist incident. Despite the passage of time, despite having ample opportunity, he had still not reclaimed his lost Sharingan from Kakashi. And now, Andrew—a shinobi once far below his level—had grown powerful enough to rival legends.
"Do you think he can surpass Madara?" Obito asked, his gaze drifting to the stone faces carved into the Hokage Rock.
Black Zetsu snorted. "Of course... that's not possible! Madara-sama opened the Rinnegan. Andrew hasn't even reached that level. But his strength… it's obstructing our plans. He still controls the Three Tails. If we want to retrieve it, we'll have to face him directly."
He paused and added, "With the current strength of the Uchiha clan, even if Nagato shows up, he may not win."
"And there's more," Black Zetsu said, voice low. "That brat Uchiha Andrew seems to have sensed our presence. The Uchiha's recent actions have drawn attention to Rain. If Nagato makes a move, he might walk into a trap."
Obito clenched his fists. It wasn't just Andrew's physical power—there were others like Uchiha Inabi and Uchiha Kamasu, now emerging as core forces of the clan. Even Shisui's Distinguished Heavenly Gods illusion—though rarely used—was something even the Rinnegan might not fully resist. After all, the eyes Nagato possessed were not his own.
"Everything changed after Andrew appeared," Obito muttered. "The Uchiha… they were supposed to die out. Instead, they've become a new obstacle."
His gaze drifted toward the quiet graveyards in Konoha. "Lin… don't blame me. I never wanted it this way." His voice softened for just a second before hardening again. "Where is Kakashi?"
"He's patrolling Sixth Street. Two Chūnin are with him," Black Zetsu replied with a grin.
Obito didn't hesitate. "Then let's go."
With a flicker of his Kamui, the masked man disappeared with Black Zetsu in tow.
Inside Konoha, the two intruders arrived undetected. Despite recent reinforcements and enhanced patrols after the destruction of the village's barrier, Kamui rendered every trap meaningless. Invisibility through space and time.
Soon, Obito spotted Kakashi walking slowly through a narrow street, alert but unaware.
"Strange," Obito muttered. "Why can't I feel my other eye?"
Black Zetsu's grin widened. "Can't sense your eye? That's because Danzo took it long ago. When it was returned to Kakashi, something happened—he sealed it away. Damaged, maybe, or… modified."
Obito didn't waste time pondering. "Kakashi… you pathetic fool. You couldn't protect Lin. You couldn't even protect an eye."
With a pulse of chakra, Obito vanished and reappeared behind Kakashi. The space twisted—and danger arrived.
"Captain Kakashi! Watch your back!" one of the Chūnin shouted.
Kakashi reacted in an instant. His dagger whipped out, slicing backward at an impossible angle—toward the masked threat.
But it was too late. His blade passed harmlessly through Obito's body, and a devastating punch landed in his gut. The pain was very real.
"What...?" Kakashi staggered back, gasping.
"Sharingan! You're—!" His eye widened as it focused on the crimson glow behind the mask. The shape of that eye—the chakra signature—was unmistakable.
"Uchiha wearing a mask? Could it be..."
Elsewhere in the village, signals were going off. Emergency flares lit up the skies. The Ino-Shika-Chō formation was already in motion. Among them, Nara Shikaku's face turned pale.
He remembered the Nine-Tails attack years ago. The description was vague, but distinct: a man with a Sharingan… and a swirling mask.
"Prepare for battle!" Shikaku shouted. "This could be him—the one from that night!"
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