Three days after the Five Kage Summit, Kumogakure was shrouded in the morning mist.
Raikage A stood by the window of the Raikage's Office, his thick fingers tapping the window frame with a rapid, war-like rhythm. His gaze pierced through the clouds, looking towards the distant, rolling mountain range, the direction of the Land of Rain.
"Darui, have you chosen your men?" The Raikage's voice was deep and thunderous.
Standing behind him, Darui bowed slightly. "As per your instructions, fifteen Jonin and fifty Chunin have assembled. This includes Shi's sensory team and Samui's special reconnaissance squad."
The Raikage turned around, and on his desk lay a list of the most elite ninjas of Kumogakure, each name accompanied by detailed combat stats and specialties. He pointed heavily at Samui's name with his finger.
"Let Samui's squad set off ahead of time, taking a secret route." The Raikage's eyes narrowed. "I need to know everything happening on the border of the Land of Rain, including information that other villages don't want us to know."
Darui nodded and noted it down, then hesitated for a moment before asking, "Lord Raikage, do we really want to share all the information with the other villages? After all..."
"Of course not." The Raikage sneered, slamming his fist on the table, causing ink to splatter. "The Five Kage Summit is just a formality. Tsunade of Konoha and the old fox Ōnoki of Iwagakure, they definitely have their own tricks up their sleeves. We, the Kumogakure, must see further and act faster than them."
Meanwhile, in the Tsuchikage's Office in Iwagakure, Ōnoki floated in mid-air, with his most trusted disciple, Akatsuchi, standing before him.
"Akatsuchi, you'll be leading this time." Ōnoki's voice, though aged, was full of authority. "Remember, on the surface we're only here to monitor the Akatsuki, but actually..."
Akatsuchi nodded steadily, "I understand, Master. I have already selected ninjas skilled in Earth Release: Concealment, who can draw a map of the Land of Rain without being detected."
Ōnoki stroked his beard with satisfaction. "Very good. Also, the Explosion Corps is on standby. If the situation changes..." He didn't finish his sentence, but Akatsuchi already understood the implication.
"There's one more thing," Ōnoki suddenly lowered his voice, "About Deidara... if they find his trail..."
Akatsuchi's expression became complicated. "I will do my best to bring him back to the village."
Ōnoki closed his eyes and said nothing more. Outside the window, the Iwagakure ninjas were training intensively in the Training Grounds, with explosions rising and falling.
Inside the Mizukage's Office in Kirigakure, Mei Terumi was carefully reviewing the list of those to be deployed. Her slender fingers paused on Ao's name, then slid down to Chōjūrō.
"Ao, the squad you've dispatched is extremely crucial." Mei Terumi looked up at the one-eyed ninja standing to the side, "You must select a sufficiently elite team. This is the first time in many years that Kirigakure has shown its face; absolutely no mistakes can be made."
Qing bowed respectfully, "Rest assured, Lord Mizukage."
Mei Terumi turned to the young Chōjūrō, her gaze softening slightly. "This is your first time leading a border patrol. Please let me know if you need anything."
Chōjūrō nervously adjusted his glasses. "I... I'll do my best! All the ninja tools are ready, we're ready to go at any time."
Mei Terumi smiled and nodded, but her expression immediately turned serious after the two left. She walked to the window, gazing at the perpetual Kirigakure, and murmured to herself, "The truth behind Yagura's manipulation... I hope we can find out."
The situation in Sunagakure was even more tense. The acting Kazekage, Baki, stood on the roof of the Kazekage Building, gazing at the boundless desert outside the village, his brow furrowed.
"We're short-handed," he said to the Sunagakure elder beside him. "We can only spare fifteen elite Jonin and fifty Chunin from the village; the number of ninja at the outer outposts cannot be reduced."
The elder sighed, "But we must abide by the decisions of the Five Kage Summit. The Akatsuki's threat..."
Baki interrupted, "How are the Puppet troops preparing?"
"We've assembled and are ready to depart at any time," the elder said.
Baki nodded, his gaze once again fixed on the distance.
A week later, in the forests bordering the Land of Rain, ninja forces from the Five Great Nations arrived at their designated assembly point. Shikaku Nara of Konoha, serving as the temporary commander-in-chief of the allied forces, was in his tent Jonin surveillance plans with the Jonin leading the teams from each village.
"According to intelligence, the Six Paths of Pain projected onto the Heavenly Screen may be hiding inside the tower in the center of Amegakure," Shikaku said, pointing to the map. "Our mission is not to attack, but to establish an encirclement to ensure that the Akatsuki cannot operate silently."
Kumogakure raised her hand and asked, "What if we discover that Akatsuki members have left the Land of Rain?"
"Immediately notify all units, but do not act rashly." Shikaku around at everyone. "Remember, we are facing a powerful S-rank missing-nin. Acting alone is tantamount to suicide."
Outside the tents, ninjas from various villages were setting up camp. Although they belonged to the Allied Forces, they maintained a clear distance from each other, and their communication was limited to necessary tactical exchanges.
The Land of Rain...
The rain relentlessly pounded against the tower's metal shell, producing a dull thud.
Pain stood before the circular window, the gray sky of the Land of Rain reflected in his Rinnegan. Konan appeared silently behind him, holding a scroll of newly delivered intelligence.
"The allied forces of the Five Great Shinobi Villages have completed their assembly at the border." Konan's voice was as cold and clear as the rain outside the window. "Each village has sent fifteen Jonin and fifty Chunin."
Pain didn't turn around, but merely raised his chin slightly. "Adding the troops previously deployed by the three nations at the border outposts, the total should exceed seven hundred."
"To be precise, there are 773 ninjas." A pool of black liquid suddenly appeared on the ground, and Zetsu's upper body slowly rose up. The White Zetsu part grinned and added, "Ninety-nine of them Jonin, forty-two are Special Jōnin, and the rest are Chunin."
Black Zetsu's hoarse voice continued, "They adopted a strategy of dispersed surveillance, distributing their forces in small teams across twenty-seven outposts around the Land of Rain. Shikaku Nara of Konoha served as the overall commander, but the actual forces in each village were still Jonin."
Pain finally turned around, the ripples in his Rinnegan seeming to deepen slightly. "A wise choice. Gathering them together, I can handle it in one go; separating them will only take more time."
Konan unfolded the intelligence scroll in her hand, which was densely marked with the locations of the allied forces' strongholds. "They've learned their lesson. The content played on the Heavenly Screen made them understand that even if they gathered all their strength, they couldn't fight against your Rinnegan."
"Not only that~" White Zetsu interjected, and the black-clad figure immediately nudged him with his elbow. "Ahem... According to my reconnaissance, each of their strongholds has at least three different intelligence transmission methods. Destroying one stronghold will immediately send the news throughout the entire surveillance network."
Pain walked slowly to the center of the room, the hem of his robe trailing on the damp floor. "The Five Great Shinobi Villages have finally shown a sliver of intelligence. However..." He raised his hand, palm up, "I can deal with all of them within a day."
Konan frowned, "But that would prematurely reveal our full strength. And..." She hesitated, "The Three-Tails still needs two years to revive."
Black Zetsu smiled sinisterly, "That's exactly right. Starting a war now would disrupt the order of capturing the Tailed Beasts. The two Jinchūriki of the Land of Lightning are still in the village, where defenses are tight."
Pain was silent for a moment, the sound of rain pattering against the window echoing in the empty room. Finally, he lowered his hand, "Just two more years of patience. Once the Three-Tails is resurrected, the plan can enter its final stage."
"The Five Great Shinobi Villages dared not launch an attack." Konan walked to Pain's side, and together they looked out at the misty rain. "They were merely watching in fear, waiting for a 'suitable opportunity' that would never come."
White Zetsu suddenly clapped his hands and laughed, "That's right! That acting Kazekage of Sunagakure, Maki, is always frowning Baki. The Daimyo of the Land of Wind gives him pitifully little funding, and he's working himself to the bone every day."
Black Zetsu coldly added, "Don't underestimate their vigilance. As far as I know, the Kumogakure's Samui squad has already infiltrated ten kilometers into the Land of Rain, searching for our secret entrance."
A cold glint flashed in Pain's Rinnegan. "Let them search. No one will find the way here without my permission." He turned to Zetsu, "Notify all members to keep a low profile and proceed as planned. Especially Deidara and Hidan, keep a close eye on them."
Konan sighed softly. "Deidara's been clamoring lately to give the 'old fogies' of Iwagakure a bit of 'artistic shock.' And Hidan... he keeps talking about wanting an 'even bigger sacrifice.'"
"Tell them," Pain's voice was as cold as ice, "That anyone who dares to act without authorization is an enemy of God."
It slowly sank to the ground. "Got it~ I'll keep a close eye on those two problem children~" Finally, only one eye remained visible. "By the way, what about Orochimaru..."
"Keep searching for him," Pain interrupted, "He'll pay for his betrayal sooner or later."
After Zetsu completely disappeared, Konan turned to Pain, "Are we really going to wait another two years? The situation in the Shinobi World is changing every day."
Pain walked to the window. Rainwater meandered across the glass, blurring the outside world. "Pain needs time to fester, Konan. Let the Five Great Shinobi Villages spend seven hundred days and nights in fear, just when they thought the crisis was over..." He pressed his hand against the cold glass. "... Divine punishment will descend like a torrential downpour."
Konan gazed at Pain's profile, the face that belonged to her childhood friend but had long since lost its life. After a moment of silence, she softly asked, "Nagato... do you really believe this is the only path?"
Pain didn't answer immediately. The rain outside the window was pouring down harder, and thunder rumbled in the distance. When he finally spoke, his voice seemed to come from afar. "When people don't understand suffering, peace will forever remain an illusion. We must be the shatterers of that illusion."
Konan lowered her head, paper flowers drifting from her hair, vanishing before touching the ground. "No matter what path you choose, I will follow you to the end."
Pain withdrew his hand from the glass, turned, and walked into the shadows deep within the tower, "Monitoring the movements of the Allied Forces, especially Konoha and Kumogakure. As for the other villages... let them live in their illusions for now."
Konan nodded, her body beginning to disintegrate into countless sheets of white paper. "I will personally patrol the border."
After Konan left, only the incessant sound of rain remained on the top floor of the tower. Pain stood in the darkness, his Rinnegan glowing faintly. Beneath his feet, the entire Land of Rain resembled a chessboard, and the allied forces of the Five Great Shinobi Villages were nothing more than a few trembling pawns.
"Feel the pain..." he whispered to the void, "... Contemplate the pain... Accept the pain..."
In the forest far on the border, a Konoha Ninja suddenly shivered. He looked up at the gloomy sky in the direction of the Land of Rain and felt a sudden pang of unease.
"What's wrong?" his companion asked.
"Nothing..." The Konoha Ninja shook his head, "I just feel... like something is watching me."
High above them, a paper butterfly silently flew by and disappeared into the gray sky.