Somewhere in the Land of Rain...
The enormous cavern had been transformed into a temporary base for the Akatsuki. Moss covered the damp stone walls, and several eerie green lamps hung from the ceiling, illuminating the entire space as if it were a ghostly realm.
"So boring! Ugh!" Deidara lay back on the stone chair, kneading a lump of clay listlessly. "Why isn't the Heavenly Screen playing new content yet? I want to see if it will show me, and whether my future self will have even more amazing art! Hmm!"
"Ha." Scorpion sat in the corner, Hiruko outer shell gleaming coldly. "Your explosive art, even if you show it a hundred times, won't change its superficial nature."
"Hey! Brother Sasori! I can't pretend I didn't hear you! Hmm!" Deidara sat up abruptly, several miniature Clay Spiders already between his fingers. "Want to have a match now?"
"Quiet down." Kisame leaned against the wall, Samehada, wrapped in bandages, standing beside him. "Pain said that infighting is forbidden during this period."
"Tch." Deidara scoffed, but still reluctantly put away the clay.
On the other side, Kakuzu sat cross-legged on the stone platform, flipping through a stack of bounty posters, his green eyes gleaming with greed. "Kumogakure missing-nin, bounty of six million ryo... Sunagakure Jonin, bounty of ten million ryo... Tsk, that's all money."
"Hey! Kakuzu!" Hidan leaped down from the stone pillar, carrying the Bloodstained Triple-Bladed Scythe, his face contorted with rage. "How much longer are we going to stay here? I haven't offered a sacrifice to the Lord Jashin in ages! If this continues, the Lord Jashin will unleash divine punishment!"
"Shut up." Kakuzu without raising his head, "If you dare to act on your own, I'll take your bounty too."
Hidan's eyes widened. "Huh?! You bastard--"
"That's enough." A deep voice interrupted him.
Everyone fell silent instantly.
In the shadows, Uchiha Itachi slowly opened his eyes, his crimson Sharingan standing out starkly in the dim light.
"Pain's order is for everyone to stand by." Itachi's voice was calm, yet carried an undeniable air of authority. "Whoever disobeys will die."
Hidan opened his mouth, seemingly wanting to retort, but in the end he just snorted coldly and dragged his scythe to the side.
Deidara muttered to himself, "What's with the cool act? Hmm..."
Itachi ignored him and simply closed his eyes again, but his heart was far from at peace.
Ever since the footage of him and Sasuke fighting against Sage Kabuto was shown on the Heavenly Screen, Itachi has been unable to find peace of mind.
His original plan was to make Sasuke hate him, eventually awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan in hatred, and then... have Sasuke kill him with his own hands, thus fulfilling the destiny of the Uchiha.
But now...
The weasel's fingers tightened slightly, his nails almost digging into his palm.
Pain, the Deva Path, stood silently before the colossal Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, with Konan standing beside him, scraps of paper fluttering between her fingers.
"Pain, this can't go on," Konan whispered. "The members have been on standby at the base for a long time; something's bound to happen sooner or later."
Pain's Rinnegan stared at the golem. "I know."
"We've finally gathered these powerful individuals; if we send them out on missions now, they'll likely be surrounded and wiped out," Pain's voice was icy. "The Phantom Dragons Nine Consuming Seals require sufficient manpower; if we lose even one or two members, the sealing progress of the Tailed Beasts will be significantly delayed."
Konan paused for a moment. "Then our plan..."
"Slow down for now," Pain said, "Wait until the storm in the Heavenly Screen passes, or..."
He looked up at the top of the cave, as if he could see the suspended Heavenly Screen outside through the thick layers of rock.
"Wait until it lights up again."
Konan nodded. "I will continue to monitor the movements of various countries."
Pain remained silent, simply gazing at the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, as if calculating an impending moment.
In the deepest shadows of Amegakure, Black Zetsu seeped from the cracks in the rocks like melting asphalt.
"Hmph... The Five Great Nations are currently focused entirely on the newly released footage of Kabuto Yakushi and the Impure World Reincarnation, and have become somewhat less vigilant against the Akatsuki." Black Zetsu's voice was low and hoarse, like countless grains of sand rubbing together. "How foolish."
He tossed the scroll aside, his body slowly sinking into the ground, only half his head remaining above ground, his thoughts already drifting far away—
(Mom... wait for me...)
A thousand years of waiting, a thousand years of planning. From the moment Kaguya was sealed away, Black Zetsu has been secretly manipulating the history of the Shinobi World.
He instigated conflict between Indra and Asura, altered the contents of the Uchiha Stone Tablet, led Madara Uchiha to extremes, and even orchestrated Obito's downfall...
Everything was for the purpose of reviving Otsutsuki Kaguya.
Now, the plan has finally reached its most crucial moment—collecting the Tailed Beasts, reviving the Ten-Tails, activating the Infinite Tsukuyomi, and bringing Mother back to this world!
But of all times—
(The Heavenly Screen!)
Black Zetsu's pupils contracted, and an unprecedented sense of unease welled up in his heart.
This mysterious entity that suddenly appeared in the sky above the Shinobi World could foresee the future and even exposed the existence of the Akatsuki!
"Thankfully... the content played hasn't touched on any deeper secrets yet." Black Zetsu murmured coldly, "If they knew the truth about the Eye of the Moon Plan..."
No, we absolutely cannot let that happen!
He slowly descended underground, swimming towards the edge of Amegakure. Now, he had to speed things up—
(Six-Tails Jinchuriki... Where are you hiding?)
Utakata, the defector Kirigakure Ninja from Kirigakure, has completely disappeared since leaving the village. Black Zetsu's White Zetsu Clones have searched almost every place where Jinchūriki might be hiding, but they still can't find any trace of him.
(And there are Three-Tails...)
After the death of the Fourth Mizukage, Karatachi Yagura, the Isobu needed several years to reassemble its Chakra and revive.
A sinister smile curled at the corner of Black Zetsu's mouth.
(It'll be soon... very soon...)
Once we gather information on the whereabouts of the Six-Tails and Three-Tails, the plan to capture the Tailed Beasts can be implemented. At that point, no matter how vigilant the Five Great Nations are, they won't be able to stop the arrival of the Eye of the Moon Plan!
However, just as he was preparing to leave the Land of Rain, a deep voice suddenly came from behind him—
"You seem... very anxious."
Black Zetsu's body suddenly stiffened.
Slowly turning his head, Obito's figure already standing in the shadows, his single eye coldly watching him through the tiger-striped mask.
"... Obito." Black Zetsu's voice instantly returned to calm, "I was just thinking about our next move."
Obito didn't respond, he just stared at him silently.
The air seemed to freeze for a moment.
Finally, Obito turned around, and spatial vortexes twisted around him.
Don't do unnecessary things.
As soon as he finished speaking, he disappeared.
Black Zetsu stood still, his yellow pupils slightly contracted.
(... What did he realize?)
No, impossible. His identity has never been exposed in a thousand years. No matter what Obito is capable of, he could never see through his true purpose.
After regaining his composure, Black Zetsu once again submerged underground and swam away into the distance.
(Mom... I will definitely save you...)