A City of Rain, A Gathering of Monsters
Dark clouds loomed.
Rain fell without end.
The Land of Rain.
Amegakure—this small hidden village stood like an isolated island, cut off from the world by relentless storms.
Massive industrial towers pierced the skyline.
Cables crisscrossed overhead.
Drainage systems ran like veins through the city.
The entire village resembled a steel beast—
something that didn't belong to this era.
If it were lit with neon lights, filled with flying machines and humming with technology—
it would undoubtedly become the shinobi world's cyberpunk capital.
Yet beneath that cold metallic shell—
it was already rotten.
Rain poured down in sheets.
Pedestrians moved through the streets under umbrellas, their expressions dull, their movements mechanical.
Like components—
precise, lifeless parts of the machine.
No matter who ruled this place—
its oppressive atmosphere never changed.
Among the crowd—
one figure stood out.
Clad in a raincoat, holding an umbrella in his left hand and a black cane in his right—
Kamizuki Gen slowly raised his head.
He removed his hood and looked toward the center of Amegakure—
the towering statue.
"…Finally."
At the top of the tower—
a massive demonic head was embedded, its face twisted, a long crimson tongue extending outward.
Its enormous Rinnegan eyes—
pale purple—
overlooked the entire village.
Sacred.
Grotesque.
Terrifying.
That tower—
was the seat of power.
God resided within.
But Gen felt no reverence.
To him—
it was no different from the Hokage Rock in Konoha.
Just a landmark.
A scenic spot.
Something to be… utilized.
After all—
a good view was perfect for a date.
Maybe in the future—
he could lie on Konan's lap and "enjoy life" a little.
After all—
lying on Kurenai's lap had granted him immunity to genjutsu.
Who knew what he might gain from Konan?
Shaking off the thought—
Gen stepped forward, heading toward the center of the village.
In truth—
he had arrived in the Land of Rain seven days ago.
But he deliberately waited—
until "Equality for All" refreshed—
before entering Amegakure.
With that trump card in hand—
even if he ran into Pain—
he wouldn't need to avoid him.
After all—
He was just a nobody.
If Pain got angry, he wouldn't gang up on him like he did with Jiraiya.
A one-on-one?
As long as the fight lasted—
It was Equality for All.
Who was he afraid of?
Still—
the priority now—
was figuring out how to join the Akatsuki.
…
…
Statue Tower.
Meeting room.
Cold.
Dim.
Six figures stood around a long oval table.
At the head—
stood a man with short orange hair, wearing a slashed Amegakure forehead protector.
His Rinnegan eyes radiated absolute divinity.
The Deva Path of Pain.
Clad in the black cloak with red clouds—
his cold gaze swept across the room, as if piercing into each person's soul.
Even though—
aside from him and Konan—
everyone present was merely a projection formed by the Phantom Lantern Technique.
Behind him—
stood Konan.
The angel.
Though she carried an air of divinity—
her amber eyes still held something human.
Calm.
Thinking.
Her short blue-purple hair was adorned with a paper flower.
Her figure—
graceful, refined—
even the Akatsuki cloak couldn't conceal it.
Without her—
this meeting would have been nothing but darkness.
Buzz—
With a faint electric hum—
a seventh projection appeared.
Dark.
Colorful in its distortion.
Carrying a massive Executioner's Blade.
Kisame's predecessor—
Jūzō Biwa.
Codename: South.
"Sorry. Just finished a mission," he said casually.
Pain spoke:
"Everyone is here. The meeting begins."
Around the table stood the others:
Zetsu — Codename: Boar
Sasori of the Red Sand — Codename: Jade
Kakuzu — Codename: North
Orochimaru — Codename: Sky
Zetsu spoke first.
"Leader, the deployment of White Zetsu as informants across smaller nations and villages is proceeding smoothly."
"However, the barrier systems of the Five Great Villages are troublesome. It will take time to infiltrate them."
Pain nodded.
"You've done well, Zetsu."
At this stage—
Akatsuki meetings were simple.
Each member reported mission progress.
Then exchanged intelligence.
"Hehe…" Orochimaru chuckled softly.
"My experiments are also progressing well. Recently, I may begin research into kekkei genkai."
"I'll require additional funding from the organization."
The moment he mentioned money—
Kakuzu's expression darkened.
"Orochimaru… you'd better deliver on your promises."
Even Sasori and Jūzō showed faint displeasure.
Akatsuki's funding—
came largely from high-risk assassination missions completed by Kakuzu and others.
Meanwhile—
Orochimaru had contributed little—
yet constantly asked for funds.
Naturally—
that bred resentment.
"We risk our lives earning money," Kakuzu said coldly.
"And you just spend it?"
Orochimaru smiled faintly.
"Rest assured. My credibility is… reliable."
Pain's gaze settled on him.
"I'll give you six months."
"Prove your worth."
Orochimaru nodded.
"Understood."
Six months?
Heh.
Whether he'd still be in Akatsuki by then—
was another question.
One by one—
the others finished their reports.
Then—
Pain spoke again.
"The meeting will proceed to the next stage."
"But before that…"
He scanned the room.
"A new member will soon join us."
"Once our numbers are sufficient, we will begin operating in pairs."
"Two-person teams."
"At that time…"
"The organization will enter a new phase."
"We will begin capturing the tailed beasts."
"Do not forget why we are here."
"To end war."
"To achieve true peace."
The responses came in unison:
"Yes."
Outwardly unified—
but inwardly—
each had their own agenda.
Kakuzu cared only for profit.
Sasori found interest in working among monsters like himself.
And Black Zetsu?
To him—
everyone present—
was nothing more than a piece on the board.
A step toward reviving his mother.
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