"Hey, time to get going!"
Half of Zetsu's body was buried in the ground. He spoke casually as he looked at his companions preparing to leave the village.
"Yeah, let's go."
Saitama and others stood in front of the gate of Akatsuki Tower. Before them stretched a gray sky filled with drizzle.
"Fine. I hope nobody messes up. Next time we meet, I don't want to turn you into puppets!"
Hidden inside Hiruko, Sasori's voice came out somewhat hoarse.
He was the first to step into the heavy rain. The puppet made creaking sounds as its small figure gradually disappeared into the distance.
"Then we'll head out too!"
Kakuzu looked at Hidan and signaled.
Originally, they didn't need to leave this quickly, but sometimes events changed in strange ways.
Zetsu's clone based in Iwagakure relayed fresh intelligence back to his original form.
Baan, the Jinchuriki from Iwagakure known as the "Steam Ninja," seemed to have accepted a mission and would soon be leaving the village.
Upon learning this information, Kakuzu and Hidan decided not to wait any longer and immediately prepared for departure.
"Tch! Let's go!"
Hidan carried the Blood Scythe directly into the rainstorm. Raindrops still slid down his cloak despite the straw hat he wore.
"Damn brat!"
A green glow flickered in Kakuzu's eyes. He nodded slightly toward Saitama before following Hidan.
Saitama remained silent, watching the three figures disappear one after another. His gaze stayed calm without any facial expression, like a statue.
"They're gone already. Feels like our blood's boiling, right? Watching our plan unfold step by step, inching ever closer to our ultimate goal!"
"Isn't that right, Saitama?"
White Zetsu grinned with a sly, mocking tone.
"If you truly want ultimate success, the last two Tailed Beasts will be the toughest bones to bite through. You still need to gather more intelligence—faster!"
Saitama expressed some dissatisfaction with Zetsu's recent performance on intelligence gathering.
"That's not entirely my fault. All these villages guard their Jinchuriki extremely well. Even for me, it's hard to approach closely."
"What's worse, recently things have been happening that significantly increased their suspicion towards us."
Zetsu rolled his eyes while looking at Saitama. The news of The Third's death had spread across the entire Shinobi World, and every ninja knew the one who killed him—the rogue Uchiha from Konoha standing right here—Saitama Uchiha!
Almost imperceptibly, Saitama nodded. He understood those Hidden Villages had started taking the Akatsuki Organization seriously, intensifying their operations to purge Akatsuki branches established in various countries.
If not for the lack of concrete evidence against Akatsuki, they probably would've launched direct attacks already.
"Any news about the Three-Tails yet?"
Saitama continued asking.
His target was the Three-Tails Jinchuriki, Yagura Karatachi, who currently serves as Mizukage.
"Don't rush. I'll inform you immediately when I have updates."
Looking at Hidan's arrogant silhouette moving through the rainstorm, Zetsu seemed to recall something. Grinning widely, he spoke directly to Saitama.
"Well then, this should be our best chance to strike. Facing a Kage means taking on the full strength of an entire Hidden Village—I'm not about to handle that alone."
Saitama mused thoughtfully, his eyes flickering with calculation.
"Understood. You're crucial to our plan. I won't let anything happen to you."
White Zetsu turned to Saitama, grinning widely to show his razor-sharp teeth.
He had just watched Hidan walk away and recalled a newly grown clone—one recently brought into existence. This clone bore a personality strikingly similar to Hidan's.
Though it was his clone by origin, it remained unusually independent, possessing its own thoughts.
Moreover, its combat strength proved surprisingly high—a fortunate advantage. He hadn't shared this information with Saitama yet.
...
"Pain, they've already left."
Konan stood behind Pain, speaking to his back.
"Mm, I know."
Pain kept his back to Konan, his Rinnegan fixed on the village below.
His tone was cold and indifferent.
"Let's hope they complete their mission. We only get one shot at this. If we miss it, finding such favorable timing again will be difficult."
As she spoke, subtle expressions flickered across Konan's pale face.
"You need to choose to trust them. Though they joined the Organization for different reasons, in the end, we all share the same goal."
"With their strength, unless something goes wrong, completing the mission should be rather easy."
Pain spoke with no doubt in his voice, as if stating a fact.
"I understand."
Konan nodded. For years, aside from Nagato, she had always kept her distance from everyone else in the Organization.
That's why every mission felt like a cause for concern.
"This time, why did you decide to go along with Saitama on this mission?"
After a long silence, Pain finally asked.
He really found it unusual for Konan to take part in the mission herself.
"It's been a long time since I last left the base. I figured this would be a good opportunity to step out and move around again."
Konan's gaze shifted evasively.
"I know that's not your real reason. Tell me. I want to hear it."
Pain fixed her with a steady stare from his ringed eyes.
"That guy Saitama approached us on his own, so I've always believed he has ulterior motives."
Konan hesitated briefly before voicing her concerns.
"Therefore, since it's like this, I'll stay close to him, keep an eye on him, and gather intelligence—his fighting habits, abilities, things like that. That way, when the time comes, we won't be completely unprepared."
Meeting Pain's gaze, Konan honestly laid out her reasoning.
Pain listened silently to Konan's words.
Her intentions were good, after all. Among everyone in the Organization, both Saitama and Zetsu remained the most mysterious. It made sense to remain cautious and keep an ace up one's sleeve.
"Fine. Actually, you don't need to go to such lengths. You should believe in me—I have total control over everything!"
Pain looked at Konan, a slight smirk forming on his lips.
He had absolute confidence in his own strength. In today's Shinobi World, he believed there wasn't a single individual who could defeat him in direct combat.
Even if multiple Kage-level fighters attacked at once, he was still sure he would emerge victorious.
The only drawback was his deteriorating physical condition, which continued to worsen as he constantly activated the eyes' power.
Indeed, the Sage's Eyes were incredibly powerful, but they also brought endless suffering and an unrelenting drain on his body.
Without his unique constitution, he wouldn't even have the strength to support the power of these eyes!
Moreover, Nagato had always harbored one question—whether the Sage's Eyes truly belonged to him.
If they really were his own eyes, why did they burden his body so heavily?
And if they weren't truly his, then who had given him these eyes? Could it have been the legendary Sage who granted them to him, choosing him to end this corrupted and decaying world?
There was a period when Nagato found himself trapped in such self-doubt.
But he cast those thoughts aside, throwing them out of his mind.
Regardless of whose eyes they originally were, he now firmly controlled them, using them to fulfill both his and Yahiko's dream.
That alone was more than enough!
"I understand!"
Konan pursed her lips, wanting to say something else, but seeing the look in Pain's eyes, she swallowed back her words.
"When you go out on your mission, remember to be careful. Your opponent is the Mizukage, who'll definitely be surrounded by many protecting ninja. Prioritize your safety—you retreat immediately if the situation becomes impossible."
"When the time comes, I'll crush them all in the palm of my hand!"
Pain spoke confidently, and indeed, he had every reason to feel that way.
Among those alive in the Shinobi World today, everyone who had witnessed his full strength was already dead.
Even Konan hadn't seen all of his abilities.
Each enemy who had opposed him remained completely incapable of imagining the true strangeness of his powers.
"Alright then, if there's nothing else, I'll go prepare first."
Konan looked at Pain, at that familiar face of a companion, softly murmured those words, then turned and left.
Although Zetsu still hadn't reported any news about Three-Tails leaving its village, she needed to start preparing in advance.
Her fighting style was unlike most others — with preparation, her effectiveness could multiply.
Given enough time, she was confident she could defeat anyone in the entire Shinobi World!
Without exaggeration, her abilities were formidable beyond imagination — the upper limit reached the pinnacle of the Shinobi World, and even the baseline was exceptionally high.
"It's almost time, Yahiko. You will soon witness the scene we once dreamed of!"
"But before that, I will return to them tenfold the suffering they once inflicted upon us!"
"This world needs salvation. I will reshape it completely, with you by my side!"
Pain muttered to himself, his gaze shadowy for a moment.
After speaking, he stepped again onto the open balcony without any shelter.
From his view, Sasori, Kakuzu, and Hidan had already arrived at the village's main entrance.
Looking downward toward the ground floor, though he couldn't see clearly, he could sense two chakra signatures beneath his feet through his ninjutsu.
One was Zetsu, the other was Saitama — the strange new ally Pain had recruited.
"Hope you truly have no ulterior motives. Otherwise, in the name of God, I shall banish you into darkness!"
Pain's aura grew increasingly oppressive. Dust around him seemed to be pushed outward by an invisible force.
Boom!
A lightning bolt tore through the sky with a deafening roar, adding mystery to Amegakure Village.
The white flash illuminated Pain's pale face, making him appear even more solemn and cold.
...
"Where is that kid Baan?"
Onoki asked in a serious tone as he questioned his assistant.
"You forbade him from going on missions. Recently, he seems to have been drinking alone at the Izakaya of Stone."
His assistant responded.
"Call Baan here! I need to speak with him!"
Sitting in his chair wearing the Tsuchikage uniform that fit him well, Onoki looked bulky but his mobility wasn't affected at all.
"Understood!"
Soon after leaving the office, the assistant returned within just over ten minutes, bringing with him Baan, a figure fully enveloped in red armor.
This man with a red umbrella atop his head and wearing a red mask was currently the only Jinchuriki remaining in Iwagakure — Baan, the Five-Tails Jinchuriki!
"Old man Tsuchikage, what do you want with me?"
Baan spoke rudely upon entering.
Onoki didn't answer immediately. He signaled with his eyes for the assistant to leave, then floated upward from his chair until he matched Ban's eye level.
"These past few days, I kept you here for your own safety. Don't hold a grudge against me because of this!"
Onoki wasn't bothered by being called an old man. With arms crossed, he spoke directly to Ban.
"Hmph, afraid to even find out what our enemy looks like and not daring to leave the village? That doesn't sound like the Tsuchikage old man I know!"
Likely in his mid-twenties, Ban's voice still sounded youthful, though somewhat muffled.
The skin visible on his body looked smooth and taut, proving he wasn't actually an aging ninja.
"I fear nothing, naturally. But Roshi fell before our enemy — I must take this seriously!"
Onoki's tone darkened slightly, showing some dissatisfaction with Ban's attitude.
"We still know very little about this Akatsuki group right now. Although we've exchanged intelligence with other Hidden Villages, they certainly won't share everything they know!"
"So now what? You want me cooped up in this village like a turtle for good?"
Ban raised his voice suddenly.
"I summoned you here precisely about this matter! I'm definitely not planning to sit idly by..."
Onoki swept his gaze across the four corners of the office, then floated closer to Ban.
"Here's my plan..."
At one corner of the first floor of the Tsuchikage Building, there sat an ordinary short and stocky ninja at a table seemingly reviewing documents.
His job was to summarize all bounty missions coming into the village, rate them according to the village's regulations, and finally release them.
But right now, there was something strange about his gaze.
As soon as Baan entered this place, he sensed it and slowly stopped his work.
"Fascinating!"
He curled his lips into an amused smile.
Under his collar, a patch of white skin was disappearing, gradually returning to the normal dark yellow skin of a Stone shinobi.
He resumed his work as if nothing had happened, though his movements were somewhat stiff and sluggish.
His feet, like tree roots, had tightly fused with the ground, yet no one noticed his abnormality.
The Tsuchikage Building continued its usual operations, with various affairs proceeding in order.
...
In a coastal fishing village of the River Country,
"Hey Ephemeral! Still sleeping, huh? I caught some fish today—come over for lunch if you want some!"
A long-haired teen in a loose robe lounged on a pile of dry grass, a piece of straw dangling from his lips, his hands behind his head.
"Oh, thanks, old man!"
Ephemeral casually replied and then ignored the middle-aged man who had spoken to him.
When he first arrived at this village not long ago, the village had been plagued by mountain bandits.
At that time, his mood had been particularly bad, so he casually sent those eyeless bandits straight to meet the Sage of Six Paths.
That's why everyone in the village grew deeply grateful to Ephemeral—this young ninja who always looked like he was asleep had saved them all.
"Well then, keep sleeping. I'll be off—I won't disturb you anymore."
The middle-aged man holding a fishing net chuckled; they'd already grown accustomed to Ephemeral's personality, so he wasn't offended.
"Man, what boring days..."
Ephemeral squinted at the huge, radiant sun shining high above.
He had stayed in this fishing village for quite a while now—it was time to leave and find another place to stay.
Kiri's Anbu hadn't given up tracking him. Although his abilities made evading them effortless, he still needed to move locations occasionally to shake off the pursuing Anbu.
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