Dark clouds gathered.
Rain poured endlessly.
The Land of Rain.
Amegakure—
A small hidden village, isolated like an island beneath a storm that never ceased.
Massive industrial towers rose into the sky.
Wires tangled overhead.
Pipelines stretched in all directions.
The entire village resembled—
A steel beast from another era.
If you added neon lights…
And futuristic aircraft—
This place would become a cyberpunk city of the ninja world.
And yet—
Beneath that cold metallic shell—
It was rotten.
Broken.
The rain fell in sheets.
On the streets—
People moved under umbrellas.
Expressionless.
Mechanical.
Like components…
Inside a machine.
No matter who ruled this place—
The gloom never faded.
The oppression—
Never lifted.
…
Among the crowd—
One figure stood out.
Out of place.
A raincoat.
An umbrella in his left hand.
A black cane in his right.
Shenyue Yuan slowly raised his head.
Removed his hood.
And looked toward the center of Amegakure—
The towering statue.
"…Finally."
At the top of the tower—
A massive stone head.
Ferocious.
Tongue extended.
And those eyes—
Gigantic.
Ripple-patterned.
The Rinnegan.
Gazing down upon the entire village.
Sacred.
Yet sinister.
That tower—
Represented absolute authority.
The seat of power.
God…
Resided within.
But Shenyue Yuan felt no reverence.
To him—
It was no different from Konoha's Hokage Rock.
Just scenery.
A landmark.
Something to be used.
After all—
The best scenic spots…
Were perfect for dates.
Maybe one day—
He'd lie on Konan's lap here.
Enjoy himself.
After all—
Lying on Kurenai's lap gave him "genjutsu immunity."
Who knows what Konan's would give?
…
He shook off the thought.
And walked toward the center.
In truth—
He had arrived in the Land of Rain seven days ago.
But he waited.
For "Equality of All Beings" to refresh.
Now—
With that trump card back—
Even if he ran into Pain—
He wouldn't need to avoid him.
After all—
He was just a nobody.
If he angered Pain—
It wasn't like he'd get jumped the way Jiraiya did.
One-on-one?
As long as the battle lasted—
It was a perfect 50-50.
Who was afraid of who?
Still—
The priority remained—
Joining Akatsuki.
…
…
Statue Tower.
Conference Room.
Cold.
Dark.
Six figures stood around a long table.
At the head—
Orange hair.
Piercings.
A slashed Rain headband.
And those eyes—
The Rinnegan.
Pain.
God.
He wore the black cloak with red clouds.
His gaze swept across the room—
As if seeing through everyone.
Even though—
Aside from him and Konan—
The rest were merely projections.
幻灯身之术.
Behind him—
Konan stood quietly.
The Angel.
Calm.
Divine.
Yet—
Within her amber eyes—
There was still thought.
Emotion.
Her blue-purple hair was adorned with a paper flower.
Her beauty—
Undeniable.
The cloak couldn't hide her figure.
Her presence—
The only warmth in the room.
Bzzzt—
Static crackled.
A seventh figure appeared.
Colorful.
Distorted.
A projection.
A massive executioner blade on his back.
Jūzō Biwa.
"Sorry."
"Just finished a mission."
"I'm late."
Pain spoke.
Flat.
"Everyone is here."
"The meeting begins."
Around the table—
The rest:
Zetsu — codename: Xuan.
Sasori — codename: Jade.
Kakuzu — codename: North.
Orochimaru — codename: Void.
Zetsu spoke first.
"Leader."
"The deployment of White Zetsu across smaller nations is progressing smoothly."
"However—"
"The barrier systems of the Five Great Villages are… troublesome."
"Breaking them will take time."
Pain nodded.
"You've done well."
This was how Akatsuki operated.
Simple.
Each member reported progress.
Then—
Shared intelligence.
"Hehehe…"
Orochimaru chuckled.
"My experiments are progressing quite well."
"I may soon begin research into Kekkei Genkai."
"I'll need… additional funding."
The moment he mentioned money—
Kakuzu's expression darkened.
"Orochimaru."
"You'd better deliver results this time."
Even Sasori and Jūzō frowned.
Akatsuki's funding—
Mostly came from Kakuzu.
And the others—
Completing high-risk bounty missions.
Meanwhile—
Orochimaru?
Few missions.
Lots of talk.
Always asking for money.
Naturally—
That didn't sit well.
Orochimaru smiled faintly.
"Relax."
"My credibility… speaks for itself."
Silence.
Then—
Pain spoke.
Cold.
"You have six months."
"Fulfill your promise."
"…Understood."
Orochimaru nodded.
Six months?
Heh.
Whether he'd even still be in Akatsuki by then…
Was another matter.
One by one—
The rest reported.
Then—
Pain spoke again.
"The meeting enters the next phase."
"But first—"
He looked at them all.
"A new member will soon join."
"Once our numbers are sufficient—"
"We will divide into teams."
"Two per unit."
A pause.
"And then—"
"The organization will enter a new stage."
"We begin capturing the tailed beasts."
"From all major villages."
His voice deepened.
"Do not forget—"
"Why we are here."
"To end war."
"To achieve…"
"True peace."
"…Understood."
Voices responded.
Unified—
On the surface.
Inside?
Different thoughts.
Kakuzu:
As long as there's money.
That's enough.
Sasori:
Interesting.
Strong monsters gathering together.
He liked that.
And Zetsu—
…
Everyone here…
Was just a piece.
A piece—
To revive his mother.