On the top floor of the tower in Amegakure, a leaden-gray rain curtain relentlessly pounded against the tempered glass.
Konan stood by the window, holding an account book. The dense red characters on the pages were alarming. Her Shira eyes reflected the dim light from outside the window, and her voice was colder than usual.
"Nagato, our cash flow is about to dry up."
Pain, the Deva Path, stood in the shadows, the ripples of his Rinnegan gleaming eerily in the darkness. On the map before him, the symbols of dozens of nobles who had previously associated with the Akatsuki were now all marked with black crosses.
"Since the first time the content was played on the Heavenly Screen, Ōnoki of the Land of Earth hasn't issued any more missions." Konan flipped through the ledger, the papers rustling. "The underground Bounty Station in the Land of Lightning unilaterally terminated the cooperation agreement, and even those money-grubbing caravans from the Land of Wind dare not accept our goods anymore."
A flash of lightning outside the window briefly illuminated the room, revealing a mountain of unfinished orders piled up in the corner—originally high-paying assassination and guard duties secretly commissioned by nobles from various countries.
Pain was silent for a moment, raindrops dripping from his straw hat. "Because of the Heavenly Screen."
"That's right." Konan closed the ledger, the pages transforming into countless paper butterflies that fluttered down. "Now the entire Shinobi World knows our goal is to hunt the Tailed Beasts. Those nobles, though greedy, are even more afraid of death." She paused, "Especially... after witnessing the power of Shinra Tensei."
"Cut expenses." Pain finally spoke, his voice as cold as a machine, "Suspend the reconstruction project of Amegakure, and halve the commissions for peripheral members."
Konan gently shook her head. "Even so, the current funds are only enough to last eight months."
"I know," Pain interrupted her abruptly. "It's not time yet."
The room fell silent, save for the sound of rain pattering against the glass. Konan watched Pain's figure, thinking—even through Pain's Deva Path, Nagato's physical weakness was becoming increasingly apparent.
"Do we need to gather members?" she finally asked, "Kakuzu's financial management methods, or Deidara's..."
Pain walked to the control panel, looking at the coordinates of several remote small countries on the map. "Let Sasori and Deidara go to the Land of Birds; the Daimyo's residence there has a large collection of antiques."
Konan frowned slightly. "These are just a drop in the ocean."
"Just enough to hold out until the Three-Tails revive." Pain turned to look out the window; through the rain, he could vaguely see passersby moving about. "If we start a war now, we'll be dragged into a quagmire of attrition."
He was all too aware of their weakness—although they possessed top-tier experts, their mid-level combat strength was severely lacking. If the Five Great Nations were to launch a joint attack, their sheer numbers alone would overwhelm them. Not to mention that sealing the Tailed Beasts required the participation of everyone, and the loss of any core member would be unbearable.
Konan suddenly said, "Perhaps... we can recruit new members? After the Heavenly Screen was exposed, some people's situations must be quite... delicate."
A glint flashed in Pain's Rinnegan. He pulled up several files, among which Orochimaru's image stood out—this guy who had once joined the organization was now being hunted by the entire Shinobi World.
"Wait a little longer," Pain finally said. "Before the Three-Tails is resurrected, we need a more suitable... partner."
The rain intensified, and the faint sounds of civilians commotion drifted from outside the tower—the residents of Amegakure were unaware of the predicament facing the "god" who sheltered them from the wind and rain.
Konan's paper wings gradually faded into the rain, and the top floor of the tower fell silent once more. Pain's Deva Path stood like a sculpture before the window, but the thoughts of the controller were as turbulent as the storm outside.
(Funding, Tailed Beasts, the threat from the Five Great Nations...)
Nagato gazed at the overcast sky through his Rinnegan. Inside the secret chamber where his main body resided, the Chakra channels of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path emitted an unsettling writhing sound. His emaciated chest heaved violently, each breath accompanied by a slight stinging pain—this broken body was becoming the biggest burden in his plans.
(If... if I could obtain that power...)
The image of "Six Paths Madara" in the Heavenly Screen resurfaced in my mind—his suspended posture, the Truth- Truth-Seeking Orb he casually swung, and those eerie pupils that combined features of the Rinnegan and Sharingan. That power... that absolute power that surpassed even the Tailed Beasts...
"Black Zetsu!"
The shadows in the corner of the secret room suddenly stirred, and a pitch-black creature slowly emerged, its yellowish eyes gleaming with an eerie light. "Oh dear, Nagato doesn't seem to be in a good mood~"
"You haven't explained the Six Paths Power clearly yet." Nagato's voice was hoarse but filled with a sense of oppression. "How exactly did that 'Six Paths Madara' in the Heavenly Screen obtain that form?"
Black Zetsu's body stiffened almost imperceptibly for a moment, then he let out a fawning laugh, "Well... it might be some kind of ancient forbidden technique? After all, Madara Uchiha lived long enough to know some lost secret techniques, which is quite normal..."
"A lie." Nagato suddenly coughed violently, blood seeping from the corner of his mouth. "You've followed Madara for so many years, how could you not know?"
The chamber fell into a deathly silence, broken only by the eerie writhing sound emanating from the pipes of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path. Black Zetsu's eyes darted through the darkness, then he suddenly lowered his voice. "Actually... Lord Madara did leave behind some relevant records..."
Nagato's Rinnegan suddenly contracted.
"In an ancient ruin, there lies a stone tablet left behind by the Sage of Six Paths." Black Zetsu's voice was like a venomous snake's tongue, "But it requires special eye power to decipher..."
(Another stone tablet?)
Nagato recalled the Uchiha treasure the Masked Man had shown him years ago. But at this moment, any possibility was worth trying. Just as he was about to ask for the exact location, he suddenly saw through Pain's vision that the barrier surrounding Amegakure was showing subtle fluctuations.
"There's an intruder." Pain's voice echoed through the Deva Path.
Black Zetsu immediately sank into the shadows. "I'll go check it out~"
After Black Zetsu disappeared, Nagato wearily closed his eyes. Ever since the Heavenly Screen was exposed, everything had become incredibly difficult.
The "god" who once hid behind the scenes was forced to step into the limelight, and his weakened state became a fatal weakness. To make matters worse, although the Five Great Nations had not yet formally declared war, their various probing attacks and economic blockades had already made it difficult for the Akatsuki to make any progress.
(This body must be repaired first...)
He glanced at the Black Rods Chakra rods connected to the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path. Perhaps... it was time to risk trying that forbidden technique?
Meanwhile, in the forest surrounding Amegakure, a figure draped in a gray cloak was struggling to maintain an invisibility barrier. On his Forehead Protector, the insignia of Iwagakure was Kunai a kunai.
"Damn it, the security barrier in Amegakure is ten times tighter than the intelligence reports..." The missing-nin wiped the blood from his forehead, pulled a scroll from his robes, and said, "I must send the information about the Akatsuki's current situation back to the Lord Tsuchikage..."
He had just finished forming the hand seals when the shadow beneath his feet suddenly twisted. The missing-nin looked down in terror and saw a deathly pale face emerge from the shadows—
"I found you!"
This was the last thing the missing-nin heard before he died.