Amegakure, Akatsuki's underground meeting hall.
Inside the dark and spacious hall, rainwater seeped through cracks in the ceiling, dripping steadily.
Around the round stone table, one powerful figure after another appeared.
The Deva Path, Konan, Sasori, Deidara, Tobi, the Venus Flytrap White Zetsu, Kisame, Kakuzu, Uchiha Itachi, and Hidan.
Even the "Uchiha Madara" who had always remained behind the scenes, Uchiha Obito, had come in person this time.
"Well~ everyone's here this time. Looks like... something big is about to happen."
Kisame rested Samehada on his shoulder and was the first to break the silence, showing his mouth full of sharp teeth.
Uchiha Itachi simply stood there without saying a word, his eyes as calm as a deep pool.
Deidara looked around excitedly and couldn't help laughing.
"I didn't expect our organization to have this many people... This lineup is amazing. Does anyone want to see my art!?"
The Deva Path raised a hand.
His Rinnegan swept across the room, and an overwhelming pressure spread out.
The entire hall instantly fell silent.
"Quiet."
"Next, we will begin carrying out our plan... to make the world feel pain! For everlasting peace!"
Pain paused.
His gaze became even sharper as he continued, "For this operation, we will cooperate with Sunagakure and launch a joint attack on Konoha. Our targets include the Nine-Tails jinchuriki, the One-Tail jinchuriki, and Konoha's core fighting force."
As soon as he finished speaking, everyone reacted differently.
"The people of Sunagakure are crafty. Don't let that old woman Chiyo trick you."
Sasori folded his arms and raised an eyebrow slightly.
He hadn't expected the Akatsuki to cooperate with his former village.
Although he was from Sunagakure, Sasori had never thought highly of it.
Sunagakure had sent his parents onto the battlefield.
Deidara immediately grinned and teased, "Oh~ speaking of that, Master Sasori used to be a ninja from Sunagakure. If I remember right, Master Sasori is also Chiyo's grandson."
"Hmph.", Sasori snorted coldly.
His eyes beneath the puppet mask darkened, and he said nothing more.
"Great! I can finally spread the teachings of Lord Jashin in Konoha! I hope Lord Jashin likes Konoha people's blood! Hahahaha!"
Hidan excitedly waved his triple-bladed scythe, his eyes shining.
"Idiot.", Kakuzu glanced at him and spoke flatly.
Meanwhile, when Uchiha Itachi heard the words "attack Konoha," a trace of shock flashed through his eyes.
He lowered his gaze.
His expression remained calm, but his heart was already in turmoil.
'I have to find a way to send this information to Arisu...'
Konoha has to prepare in advance.
"That's the overall plan. Just follow White Zetsu's orders. Leave the other matters to me.", Pain finished speaking.
"And remember, don't kill the jinchuriki during the operation. Otherwise, it'll become troublesome."
Standing in the shadows with his arms crossed, Uchiha Obito spoke in a low voice.
The meeting ended there.
Everyone left one after another, each with their own thoughts.
———
[Outside Amegakure, By The River]
The night was dark.
As usual, Uchiha Itachi came to the riverside alone.
Soon, familiar footsteps came from behind him.
Kisame, carrying Samehada on his shoulder, casually followed him over.
Itachi glanced at Kisame without saying anything.
The next moment, Kisame's eyes narrowed slightly as he silently fell into a genjutsu.
A faint change appeared in Itachi's eyes.
With a flick of his finger, a black crow spread its wings and quickly disappeared into the night, carrying the Akatsuki's entire plan toward Konoha.
White Zetsu, who had been secretly watching him, slowly emerged halfway from the ground.
He silently watched the whole scene, yet deliberately pretended not to see it.
There was even a playful smile on his face.
After all, everyone was working for Arisu.
Elsewhere, in a hidden corner of the Akatsuki's base.
Kakuzu acted alone.
With practiced movements, he wrote the information onto a special coded scroll and openly released a carrier pigeon.
Behind him, Hidan was enthusiastically preaching the teachings of Lord Jashin to empty air, thinking Kakuzu was trying to earn another bounty.
On a path in Amegakure, Tobi and the Venus Flytrap White Zetsu walked side by side.
The Venus Flytrap White Zetsu scratched his head.
"Tobi, should we send a message to the Great Sage too? Give him a warning? But Uchiha Itachi and Kakuzu have probably already done it. Should we send it again?"
Tobi shrugged and answered casually, "Let's send it again. It's about showing the right attitude. Just routine work. Let the Great Sage know we're doing our jobs seriously."
The two looked at each other and laughed.
Then they quickly sent the complete intelligence to Arisu as well.
Just like that, not long after the meeting ended, Arisu had already received reports from Kakuzu, Uchiha Itachi, and Tobi one after another.
———
[Konoha, Arisu's Residence]
Arisu called Yukio over alone.
Looking at the obedient young man standing before him, Arisu smiled slightly.
"The Chunin Exams are coming soon. Are you confident?", Arisu asked.
Yukio scratched his head.
"I'm ready, but Sage Mode is forbidden in the Chunin Exams. Isn't that basically cutting my strength in half...", His tone was full of helplessness.
He had spent the past few days focusing entirely on Sage Arts.
Then, just before the exam, they suddenly announced that Sage Arts couldn't be used.
Arisu smiled faintly.
"I've got something good for you. Hold out your hand."
Without any hesitation, Yukio obediently stretched out his right hand with his palm facing up.
Arisu lightly tapped the back of his hand.
A faint blue light flashed.
A delicate diamond-shaped mark quietly appeared, deeply imprinted beneath Yukio's skin, as though it had merged with his flesh and blood, while faintly giving off an extraordinary aura.
"What is this, Dad?"
Yukio looked down at the back of his hand, his eyes full of curiosity and surprise.
Arisu spoke calmly, "You can call this a 'Karma.' I created it myself. It contains everything I've learned in my life and holds immense power. As long as you use it properly, you'll eventually gain power far beyond the limits of the ninja world."
Yukio froze for a moment and instinctively touched the diamond-shaped mark.
It felt cool, yet strangely alive, as though an ancient beast was sleeping inside it.
That's right.
This was the "Karma" used by the Otsutsuki Clan.
Arisu had completely mastered it long ago and further improved it in his own way.
He had condensed into it all the core abilities and Bloodline-Expanding Truth-Seeking powers of Urashiki, Momoshiki, Kinshiki, Kaguya, and Hagoromo, the Sage of Six Paths.
At the same time, he had added his own understanding of the origin of Sage Arts, allowing Yukio to freely use Sage power in the future.
To keep his son from bearing too great a burden, Arisu had specially set up multiple release mechanisms.
The Karma's power would gradually unlock as Yukio grew stronger and gained experience.
When every seal was finally released, Yukio would possess all the abilities of those five Otsutsuki at the same time, and his strength would surpass every being in the ninja world.
Of course, Karma was not without a price.