Inside a hidden shrine, three people stood facing each other.
They were the pair Itachi and Kisame, and the newly joined Akatsuki member, Hiruko.
At first, Hiruko had wanted to bring his followers along, but considering he still needed people to guard his base at Mount Shumisen, he abandoned the idea.
Originally, the group was supposed to follow the agreed-upon plan and return to the Amegakure to report to Pain.
But just as they were on their way to the Land of Rain, Zetsu suddenly appeared before them.
Both Itachi and Kisame were long accustomed to this elusive intelligence agent.
In contrast, Hiruko, the newcomer, was taken aback that someone could get so close to him unnoticed, and he couldn't help but raise his estimation of the Akatsuki.
He felt joining a capable organization like this might not be so bad… at least his plan to capture Ninja with special Kekkei Genkai should be easier.
But he was celebrating too soon.
Zetsu brought them shocking news.
The leader of Akatsuki, Pain, had been confirmed dead, and the organization was now fully under the control of Uchiha Madara.
Hearing this, Kisame showed no dismay… instead, he grew excited.
He had met Obito long ago and clearly knew that the other party was the true mastermind behind Akatsuki.
'With Madara-san stepping into the forefront, it seemed that plan was officially about to begin.'
Hiruko's recently elevated estimation first dropped, then rose.
It dropped because he had just joined, and the boss was already gone.
It rose because, as a Ninja from the same era as the Legendary Sannin, he had naturally heard the name, Uchiha Madara.
That was a legendary figure.
He just didn't know if this Madara was real or not.
If it was real, that was far more convincing than some unknown Pain.
In contrast, Itachi's mood was not so good.
He knew that Uchiha Madara, or someone using that name, existed within Akatsuki.
He had even had contact with the other party during the night of his clan's massacre.
From his first day joining Akatsuki, Itachi had been observing the organization's movements and regularly sending information back to his village.
As a double agent, even though he had done many dirty deeds for Akatsuki, he had not forgotten his purpose.
The somewhat uneasy Itachi formed hand seals simultaneously with his two colleagues, and through the organization rings on their fingers, they entered the 'remote meeting'.
Hiruko wore the [Void] ring that once belonged to Orochimaru, while Konan's [White] ring had also been taken by Obito that day.
The Magic Lantern Body Technique transformed the trio's consciousness into phantoms synchronized with their real bodies, projecting them onto the familiar fingers of the Gedo Statue.
As they 'joined the meeting', they saw that the Art Duo, Sasori and Deidara, had already 'logged in'.
Zetsu was also in his position.
The spots originally belonging to Konan and Pain were empty.
Seeing that everyone else had arrived, Deidara was the first to speak up, unable to hold back.
"Hey, hey! What kind of joke is this?"
His noisy voice echoed in everyone's ears.
"That Pain guy was actually killed? Even the leader is dead, so is there any point in us staying here? Hmm?"
Beside him, Sasori, who had unusually appeared not in his Hiruko form, also atypically did not scold Deidara.
Clearly, his thoughts aligned somewhat with Deidara's.
"The plan remains unchanged. The Tailed Beast Capture Plan has already begun."
At that moment, Obito's low, hoarse voice suddenly rang out, and his figure with the spiral mask appeared in the leading position.
"Hey, you! Are you the Uchiha Madara Zetsu mentioned?"
Judging by his tone, Deidara did not believe that the legendary Ninja, who is rumored to be long dead, was the secretive figure before him.
"Don't joke around, Uchiha Madara has been dead for a long time."
Sasori surprisingly chimed in, also looking at the other with an unfriendly gaze.
"A name is just a label. If you prefer, you can call me Tobi or whatever else," Obito didn't waste time arguing about his identity, because he knew well that the key to today's meeting wasn't about that.
"In fact, the establishment of Akatsuki has always been driven by me from behind the scenes. Even the Tailed Beast Capture Plan was proposed by me."
At this point, Zetsu enthusiastically raised his hand nearby.
"I can vouch for that… I've seen it all along."
Among the group, as a contact for Uchiha Madara, Kisame, seeing someone speaking up for the leader, decided not to speak out rashly and expose his role.
With his own hidden agent remaining in the organization, he believed Obito would find a use for him eventually.
"Tch…" Deidara scoffed quietly but didn't continue.
"Deidara, Sasori, I'd like to ask you, where is the One-Tail's Jinchuriki?"
At that moment, Obito suddenly pressed the issue, sounding somewhat accusatory.
Asked like this, the previously irritated Deidara quickly quieted down.
It was Sasori who answered Obito's question.
"It was that guy Orochimaru. He took the One-Tail's Jinchuriki while we were dealing with the Sunagakure's forces."
"Orochimaru…" Obito murmured the name, then looked up.
"I will deal with him personally."
"Now, two matters."
Compared to Nagato, who always liked to spout cryptic, mystical nonsense, Obito's working style was much more efficient.
There was no helping it… the driving forces behind their actions were different.
One was a sense of mission to save the world, and the other? Let's call it 'love'… or an obsession.
"First, the new member."
"Hiruko, originally I intended for you and Shinno to be partners."
"But he's dead, so now you will work with Zetsu."
Unlike Nagato, Obito addressed the others by their real names.
After all, it was an organization with less than ten people, so what was the point of using codenames all the time...
Didn't everyone know each other anyway?
Hearing this, Hiruko showed no resistance, merely following the gaze towards the 'Venus flytrap' head who had just spoken.
"Joining you, helping you out… that's fine, but I have conditions…"
Upon hearing this, Obito paused slightly, then said,
"Kekkei Genkai Users from the Five Great Ninja Villages, right?... Acceptable."
"This leads to the second matter."
"Starting now, the Tailed Beast Capture Plan officially commences."
"Uchiha Itachi, you and Kisame will go to the Land of Fire, to the Fire Temple, and find a novice monk named Sora."
"Capture him alive."
From Zetsu's intelligence, Obito had learned that this monk named Sora also harbored a certain amount of Nine-Tails' Chakra.
Regardless of its usefulness, they'll just capture him first.
"Hiruko, you will go with Zetsu to Takigakure to find the Seven-Tails' Jinchuriki."
"Sasori, this time you two will go to the Land of Earth."
"If I recall correctly, Iwagakure should still have two Jinchuriki."
"Consider this your chance to redeem yourselves."
Hearing this, Sasori had no particular reaction, but Deidara's face immediately fell.
He really didn't want to return to Iwagakure.
In fact, Deidara didn't harbor the same destructive hatred for his village as some other Missing-nin.
He had left simply because his art wasn't recognized.
But before he could say anything, Obito canceled the Magic Lantern Body Technique.
"Damn it…" In the end, he could only curse under his breath before leaving hurriedly.
On the Gedo Statue's fingers, the figures dwindled one by one.
Until only Itachi and Kisame remained.
"Itachi-san, what are you thinking about?"
"...It's nothing."