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At this moment, deep within a dimly lit cavern.
A towering nine-eyed giant stood bound in place, its presence both silent and solemn, yet undeniably terrifying.
Suddenly, flashes of light began to appear on the fingertips of the giant's restrained hands.
This was one of the abilities of the Rinnegan. Pain, through receiving "thought waves" emitted by members of the Akatsuki, amplified these waves and projected them as illusions in specific locations.
The Akatsuki at this time was not yet the illustrious organization it would later become, nor were its members the infamous S-rank missing-nin they would eventually be known as. Even so, the holograms that appeared here represented individuals who were at least A-rank missing-nin—already considered the pinnacle of ordinary ninja.
Among this group, the most outstanding figure was undoubtedly Orochimaru, the S-rank missing-nin who had gained notoriety during both Shinobi World Wars.
Yet even someone as powerful as Orochimaru still adhered to the Akatsuki's rules and regulations, donning the black robe adorned with red clouds and painting his nails.
Orochimaru skillfully used his long tongue to wash his face, then spoke in a sinister tone.
"Something big must have happened for the leader to finally call a meeting, huh?"
"Isn't that obvious? Though we don't know why the moon turned into that eerie shape, we at least need to discuss what to do next. Otherwise, we'll look foolish if we trip up while on missions," responded a Mist Village missing-nin with prison-bar-style face paint. This was Fuguki Suikazan, the original partner of Uchiha Itachi and the former wielder of the Execution Blade, one of the Seven Ninja Swords.
Orochimaru merely glanced at Fuguki, saying nothing but letting out a cold chuckle. His silence spoke volumes, leaving Fuguki visibly irritated.
Just as Fuguki was about to lash out at Orochimaru, Konan's voice suddenly rang out.
"Silence. The organization forbids infighting."
At this moment, the true protagonist made his appearance.
The figure of Deva Path Pain emerged, scanning the gathered members.
The Akatsuki was still in its developmental phase and hadn't yet assembled its full core membership.
Currently, the pillars of the organization were the Six Paths of Pain, Konan, Orochimaru, Sasori of the Red Sand, Kakuzu, and Zetsu.
As for Fuguki Suikazan, while the reputation of the Seven Ninja Swords was well-known across the ninja world, their prestige had plummeted after Might Dai dealt them a crushing blow, leaving them scattered—some dead, others deserting.
The Execution Blade, which relied on blood for repairs, was arguably the weakest among the Seven Ninja Swords. After all, what kind of sword boasted neither sharpness nor durability? A blade that broke with a single swing was practically useless—a mere placeholder.
By extension, Fuguki's overall evaluation wasn't particularly high either.
He could only bully weaker ninjas, and his status as a "core member" of the current Akatsuki was temporary, much like his sword—a stopgap measure until better options arose.
Deva Path Pain's gaze shifted to Zetsu, whose peculiar form stood out even among the strange assembly.
Zetsu, a fusion of White Zetsu and Black Zetsu, was a missing-nin from the Grass Village. His background was shrouded in mystery, but he had been introduced to the organization by a man named Uchiha Madara. As such, both Nagato and Konan harbored significant distrust toward this oddity. However, his unparalleled intelligence-gathering abilities made him indispensable to the group.
"Zetsu, how far have you gotten with gathering intelligence on the blood moon?"
Zetsu dutifully played his role, shaking his head in response.
"I don't know. The entire ninja world is currently in an unknown state regarding this phenomenon.
However, based on current observations, the blood moon hasn't affected anything in the ninja world."
"I see," Pain replied before falling silent again, clearly contemplating their next move.
Suddenly, Zetsu spoke up again. "Leader, there's a piece of intelligence you might find interesting."
Pain snapped out of his thoughts. Maintaining his aloof demeanor, he turned to Zetsu and asked, "Speak."
"Konoha has been stockpiling resources frantically. It seems they're preparing for war."
"Hmm?" Pain's voice carried a note of skepticism, as if doubting what he'd just heard.
Throughout the three Shinobi World Wars, it had always been the countries outside Fire Country that initiated conflicts. Pain couldn't recall a single instance where Fire Country had unilaterally declared war.
However, he trusted Zetsu's intelligence capabilities, so he pressed further.
"Are you certain?"
"Heh heh heh, though I'm no fighter, when it comes to intelligence, Leader, trust my expertise.
Without a doubt, Konoha is preparing for war. Other countries behaved similarly before declaring war in the past, and I discovered Konoha's suspicious movements through special channels.
Though I don't know what's gotten into Konoha to provoke a war, based on past patterns, they will undoubtedly launch one."
"War…"
Pain muttered the word under his breath before lapsing into silence once more. His eyes flickered with hatred, disgust, and above all, killing intent.
At this moment, Zetsu added, "Leader, based on my analysis, the first country Konoha will target is likely Wind Country. Shall we intervene?"
The Akatsuki was no longer the peace-advocating organization it once was; it had transformed into a mercenary group thriving on war.
Pain was pulled back to reality by Zetsu's words, recalling the intelligence on Wind Country. His gaze sharpened.
To resurrect the ultimate weapon—the Ten-Tails—they needed to start with the One-Tail, sealing each of the calamitous Tailed Beasts into the Ten-Tails' shell one by one.
Though Pain couldn't fathom why Konoha, typically passive, would suddenly initiate a war, it didn't hinder his planning for the next steps.
Ultimately, Pain made up his mind—the One-Tail must not fall into Konoha's hands.
That was the first step in the Akatsuki's ultimate plan. While the organization's overall strength wasn't weak, it still couldn't match the formidable power of Konoha at its peak. If they clashed now, the Akatsuki would surely be crushed.
To prevent the plan from collapsing before it even began, even with incomplete preparations, Pain had no choice but to grit his teeth and proceed.
"Sasori, you and Orochimaru will capture the One-Tail. No objections, correct?"
Though Sasori, originally from Suna's upper echelons, felt uneasy about being assigned this task, he had no choice but to accept it.
Sasori knew this was Pain testing his loyalty to the organization, but he didn't care about such notions. What did a group of missing-nin know about loyalty?
Sasori was more interested in proving the superiority of his eternal art, showing those from his hometown the truth.
Let them see that he was right!
"No problem."
"Interesting."
"Good. I hope you don't disappoint me. Dismissed."
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