"Tch. We finally behaved ourselves for a few years, and now it's another meeting."
When it came to Akatsuki meetings like this, Hidan was always the one mouthing off.
Even with stitches crisscrossing every inch of his body—his head included—he still couldn't help grumbling.
"And hey, did you guys not bother picking up all of my body parts back then? I keep feeling like something's off."
"You're lucky to be alive at all. Why so much nonsense?"
Kakuzu shot Hidan a sour look, tilting his head in annoyance—but his words made Hidan grin.
"Well, well, Kakuzu-nii, I thought you couldn't die either, but—"
"Can you really not die? Which one of us is the one whining every day about starving to death?"
"Tch. Starving to death is perfectly normal, yeah!"
Their bickering had become a habit. Even now—one of them living, the other dead—it hadn't changed.
"Tch… still not used to this feeling."
Jūzō couldn't help clenching his fists as he muttered, and Kisame Hoshigaki laughed.
"What's there to get used to? Look at Kurosuki Raiga—he's managing just fine."
"I honestly never thought Konoha had such an evil jutsu."
Kurosuki Raiga cocked his head, then shook it.
"But what can the dead even do? You guys really haven't seen the power of Kitagawa Gen."
"Kitagawa Gen…"
Though Jūzō died early, even as an Impure World Reincarnation he'd heard the stories about Kitagawa Gen.
He'd never imagined that the punk who ambushed him back then with Purple Lightning had grown to this level.
With a wry shake of his head, he glanced at Kisame and Raiga, a hint of amusement touching his eyes.
"Didn't expect to find so many from Kirigakure here. That's a surprise."
"Actually, Zabuza should have been here too," Kisame explained, his expression a little odd.
"Only, Kitagawa Gen stopped him. He's probably dead by now."
At that, the three from the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist fell collectively silent.
Especially the two who were already dead—they realized Akatsuki seemed to have a real taste for recruiting Kirigakure shinobi.
And Kirigakure shinobi, it seemed, were bound for bad luck the moment they ran into Kitagawa Gen.
"Kitagawa Gen, huh…"
Off to the side, Uchiha Itachi kept his counsel. By now he'd recovered well—his ocular power had even undergone a great restoration.
In a fight now, he would likely be stronger than before.
But he knew his own condition. His body probably wouldn't hold out for long. And the moment he thought of Kitagawa Gen, a faint irritation stirred in his chest.
Three years ago, he'd wanted to steer his little brother to continue along the path he'd laid out.
But Kitagawa Gen had smashed all those plans with a single stroke.
"Tch. And Kitagawa Gen amounts to what, exactly?"
Sasori, who had scarcely spoken, lifted his head and said flatly: "The truly dangerous one is that so-called 'Ōtsutsuki Genshiki.' I don't know how things went after I died, but I'd wager it turned out pretty bad."
Sasori's words brought everyone present to silence; the name 'Ōtsutsuki Genshiki' was like a nightmare.
They truly couldn't forget how that man had crushed them—steamrolling them into defeat.
Even those who had long since died understood how terrifying the people here were.
Yet even these people had been effortlessly overrun—just imagine how terrifying he must be.
"Sooner or later we'll catch him and drain him dry."
Hiruko, wrapped head to toe in bandages, spoke in a low voice—but even as he said it, a tremor ran through him.
That battle back then had seared an indelible memory into everyone—both the living and those who had "died and come back."
"Done talking?"
Nagato hadn't stopped any of it; only after the room quieted did he speak.
"I know how terrifying they are, and I won't deny I once lost to both of them. But things are different now."
As he spoke, he clenched his fist, feeling the vast power inside him surge. He went on: "As long as we carry out our plan step by step, we will win. And I am not the same as before."
Nagato truly was different. Nurtured by White Zetsu's cells, his growth had been unimaginable.
He could feel power erupting through his whole body; the health of this body gave him what felt like inexhaustible strength.
And now he could focus the power of the Rinnegan—he was certain he could handle Kitagawa Gen without issue.
As for Ōtsutsuki Genshiki—
Nagato drew a deep breath. That lay in the realm of "gods"; as he was now, he still needed more power.
Only by gathering the Ten-Tails could he, like the Sage of Six Paths, defeat that so-called "god."
By fate, he was walking the "Six Paths" anew.
He believed he would succeed, just like the Sage of Six Paths.
"So it's time we set our plan in motion."
Nagato breathed deep to steady the excitement in his chest, then spoke softly.
"After years of groundwork—and with Kumogakure's support—it's time to begin our move."
"I think you all know our aim is to create a peaceful world. But to accomplish that, we need power."
"The Tailed Beasts are our best option. If we gather them all, we can summon the Ten-Tails."
"Then we'll gain the power we need—and that is our ultimate goal."
Nagato's words left the room subdued, but no one spoke to refute him.
Whatever reasons had brought them into Akatsuki—whether they had joined willingly or not—by now they had little room left to choose.
All the more since many still nursed a blaze of anger, whether because they had lost too miserably—or died too miserably.
They all wanted to do something, even if only for revenge…
...
"Hmph. Looks like he's recovered quite well."
In a shadowed corner, Uchiha Obito watched Nagato calmly, then murmured to Black Zetsu at his side.
"White Zetsu's body cells do help him a lot—but he's still within our control."
Black Zetsu replied just as quietly, the corner of his eye sliding toward Orochimaru nearby.
Beyond being able to envelop Nagato and seize his body by force, he had laid another piece of groundwork.
And that was Uchiha Madara.
Over the past three years, Orochimaru had made a good recovery—and he'd also improved the Impure World Reincarnation.
None of that, however, was the most important thing. With Kumogakure's resources, they were almost ready to "assemble" Uchiha Madara.
With that trump card in hand, he was happy to watch Nagato regain his strength.
"By the way—after all this time, you still haven't found the Senju stuff?"
As he was turning things over in his mind, Uchiha Obito's voice came again, snapping his attention back.
"The Senju aren't like the Uchiha. A lot of things aren't as easy to find as you'd think. But I've more or less narrowed it down to a few locations."
"A few locations?"
"That's right. Since we can't be sure exactly what it is or where it'll be, I still need some time."
"Is that so?"
Obito looked puzzled, but Black Zetsu wasn't worried now.
He'd prepared for every contingency, and the "aging" work was just about done.
Even if Uchiha Obito saw it, he was sure there would be no problem.
He had one more idea, though—to make sure Kitagawa Gen saw it.
Over these three years, he had quietly given Kitagawa Gen no small amount of "guidance," all to push him to grow stronger—strong enough to face Ōtsutsuki Genshiki.
Neither Nagato nor even Obito understood how terrifying Ōtsutsuki Genshiki truly was.
Black Zetsu knew that well, so he absolutely couldn't put all his eggs in one basket.
One more safeguard meant one more sliver of odds.
"Relax. I said I'd give you an answer, and I will."
Black Zetsu murmured again—just as Nagato's voice sounded.
"Then our first target is the Seven-Tails in the Land of Waterfalls.
"To make sure nothing goes wrong, we move together!"
...
"Not bad. Your eyes have recovered very well—and not just your eyes."
Inside the ANBU base, after examining Kakashi's eyes, Tsunade gave her verdict.
"Your whole body's improving too. Clearly those white things did their job."
"That stuff is my elder brother's cells—but weakened."
Senju Tobirama folded his arms and spoke coolly after glancing at Senju Hashirama, who was eyeing Kakashi with curious interest.
"Even weakened, they're still terrifying. That Sharingan, though, unexpectedly balanced the cells. Remarkable."
"There's nothing strange about it. One is Yin Release, the other is Yang Release. It's only natural they'd balance and resonate."
Smiling, Kitagawa Gen pointed at Sasuke.
"Next time we run into Uchiha Obito, why not let him try it too? After all, he's one of your disciples, Second Hokage—and the last Uchiha."
Kitagawa Gen's words made Senju Tobirama lift an eyebrow, but he didn't take offense.
After all, drilling Uchiha Sasuke—this "evil little Uchiha brat"—was something he found rather agreeable.
Sasuke's temperament wasn't exactly admirable, but compared to the other Uchiha in his memory, he was much better—
even if the kid's eyes held nothing but Kitagawa Gen.
"Let's shelve this for later. Uchiha Obito hasn't shown himself in three years."
"That's right—and Uchiha Itachi."
Sasuke didn't care about talk of cells and such; what he cared about most was Uchiha Itachi.
These three years had been anything but easy: the Second Hokage's strict instruction, plus Kitagawa Gen putting him through his paces from time to time.
But his growth had been tremendous. He had mastered all kinds of jutsu, and had learned Flying Thunder God as well as Kitagawa Gen's Purple Lightning.
Right now, he truly longed to run into Uchiha Itachi—he believed he could take his revenge.
"They'll make a move. I don't buy that they'll behave."
Kitagawa Gen shook his head, perfectly calm. He had intel, after all.
Whether from Kisame or Kabuto, a steady stream of necessary information had been flowing to him.
Beyond what those two supplied, he had noticed something interesting.
'Black Zetsu is steering me toward something?'
His expression turned a touch odd. From time to time his sensory perception would catch Black Zetsu's presence—and afterward, whenever he flipped through documents, he would always find something with a pointed direction.
Things like the Uchiha stone tablet. Certain specific stories.
Even strange locations, as if nudging him to investigate.
'If I were native to this world, I'd probably be thanking some 'divine favor' for the guidance. But I'm not native—and I've received your chakra…'
Still, Kitagawa Gen kept his own counsel. If there were benefits, why not take them?
He had a rough read on Black Zetsu's thinking—no different from Konoha and those allies.
'They all want me to go deal with myself.'
Ōtsutsuki Genshiki's appearance was terrifying enough; it was no surprise Black Zetsu would react.
But setting the target on him—on Kitagawa Gen—was, frankly, a little funny.
'You have no idea how terrifying 'Ōtsutsuki Genshiki' is now.'
[Name: Kitagawa Gen]
[Bloodline: Ōtsutsuki Clan (Development: 62%)]
[Dōjutsu: Tenseigan (Full Moon Eye)]
[Special Ability: God Tree's Source (Sixth Stage)]
[Special Skills: Ice Release, Magnet Release, Dust Release, Storm Release, Lava Release… (omitted)]
As these thoughts ran through his mind, his brow twitched—Kisame had sent intel.
'Akatsuki are preparing a full mobilization to capture the Seven-Tails?'
Reading the message, Kitagawa Gen rubbed his chin. It all seemed to have arrived at just the right time.
He had been wanting to make a move—and someone had come knocking at his door.
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