Inside the chilly base, the cold light from the Heavenly Screen cast eerie shadows on the stone walls. Members of the Akatsuki stood or sat, their scarlet cloud patterns appearing and disappearing in the darkness.
"Hey, are you kidding me?" Deidara chewed on clay, his eyes wide beneath his golden bangs. "Those two brats can really be this strong in the future? Hmm!"
Kisame, revealing his shark-like teeth, his Samehada throbbing excitedly behind him. "It seems the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki is more interesting than the information described~"
"Hmph." Hidan, carrying the Bloodstained Triple-Bladed Scythe, licked his lips with a wicked grin. "I really want to offer their blood to the Lord Jashin..."
Kakuzu's green eyes gleamed in the shadows, his hoarse voice calculating. "At this rate of growth, dealing with them now is the most cost-effective." He turned to Pain, "Leader, should we adjust the order of Tailed Beast captures?"
Pain's Rinnegan reflected the clashing Chakra in the Heavenly Screen, and rain silently slid down his cheeks.
"No need." His voice was as cold as iron. "Before absolute divine power, any possibility would be annihilated."
In the corner, the weasel stood quietly.
His gaze was fixed on Sasuke's right eye—his Mangekyō Sharingan.
(As expected... my future self entrusted everything to him.)
Sasuke in the Heavenly Screen appeared aloof and arrogant, his Susanoo cleaving through the heavens. He was no longer the child who followed him around calling "Nii-san" from his memories, but a true powerhouse.
(I've always treated him like a child who needs protection...)
Memories of the night of the massacre suddenly resurfaced.
In the Tsukuyomi World, there's the image of young Sasuke collapsing and crying out in a pool of blood; his back as he left the village without looking back; and now, in the Heavenly Screen, those eyes filled with hatred...
(It turns out the most pathetic person... is myself.)
He slowly closed his eyes, his fingertips unconsciously tracing the edges of his eyes.
(But it was too late for regrets.)
When Itachi opened his eyes again, his kaleidoscope was slowly spinning.
(The only thing we can do now...)
The Heavenly Screen shifts, and the pattern of the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan blooms in Sasuke's eyes.
(That is, to make him sever this hatred himself.)
(With my death... I will achieve his eternity.)
"Hey, Itachi-san~" Kisame suddenly leaned closer, "Your brother is much fiercer than you described~"
Itachi remained silent and did not respond to Kisame, instead contemplating how to handle the situation.
Suddenly, Deidara abruptly stood up from the stone chair, his fanatical eyes flashing with displeasure beneath his golden bangs. "Hey, Boss Pain!"
He shook his hands, the clay tumbling between his fingertips. "If I stay here any longer, my artistic inspiration will dry up, hmm!"
Scorpion sat inside the Hiruko, the Puppet's joints creaking, a hoarse voice coming from beneath the mask. "My material stockpile is almost empty; I need fresh... human specimens."
"Ha!" Hidan, carrying the Bloodstained Triple-Bladed Scythe, placed one foot on the stone table, grinning wickedly and revealing his sharp teeth. "The Lord Jashin hasn't received any decent offerings lately. If this continues, He'll get angry!"
Kakuzu's green eyes gleamed in the shadows as he fiddled with the ledger. "The recent bounty list is completely blank..." He suddenly looked up at Naruto and Sasuke, who were locked in fierce combat against the Heavenly Screen, "But these two brats' bounties are probably ridiculously high now, aren't they?"
Pain stood on high ground, his Rinnegan sweeping over the crowd, raindrops dripping from his Black Rods. He understood perfectly well—to expect these lawless missing-nin ninjas to behave themselves for a year or two? It was simply a pipe dream.
"You are free to move about within the Land of Rain." He finally spoke, his voice cold and authoritative.
(Ever since the Heavenly Screen exposed the true nature of the Akatsuki...)
Pain's thoughts sank slightly. The once endless stream of mercenary missions had almost completely ceased, and even their major client, the Land of Earth, had severed all ties. All nations were on high alert for the possibility of the Akatsuki capturing Tailed Beast, and no one dared to associate with Akatsuki again.
"If we're going abroad," Pain added, "We must disguise our identities." His gaze swept over the conspicuous cloud-patterned robes on everyone's robes; "This attire... it's too conspicuous."
Hidan sighed dramatically, "What? I can't wear the Akatsuki robes? How can my faith be demonstrated then?!"
"You can embroider the Jashin Cult's emblem on your lining," Kakuzu coldly interrupted. "Or, if you want to be besieged by the Five Great Nations, then so be it."
Deidara was already excitedly kneading clay. "Finally, I can go out and find some new materials, hmm!"
Scorpion slowly began to move, Hiruko tail leaving deep marks on the ground. "I'm going to replenish the Puppet materials."
In the corner, Kisame grinned like a shark. "Itachi-san, how about grabbing a drink? I've heard the hot springs in the Land of Hot Water are quite nice~"
Itachi did not answer, but simply watched Sasuke's figure in the Heavenly Screen.
Pain watched the members gradually disperse, the rain reflecting a cold light in his Rinnegan.
(These wild beasts... if they're chained too tightly, they'll bite through the chains.)
He turned and disappeared into the shadows, leaving only a whisper drifting in the rain:
"Remember... don't go too far."
Pain stood atop a rock, his black robes billowing with auspicious clouds, motionless in the damp air. In the distance, the figures of the Akatsuki members gradually disappeared into the rain.
Deidara and Sasori soared into the sky atop a giant clay bird, their golden hair flashing in the lightning.
Sasori and Hidan, carrying the blood-stained Triple-Bladed Scythe, hummed the prayers of the Jashin Cult, while Kakuzu's green eyes, barely visible beneath his cloak, calculated the costs of the route.
"Absolutely."
Pain's voice suddenly rang out. A puddle on the ground began to writhe strangely, and a pitcher plant-like black and white figure slowly emerged.
"I'm here~" White Zetsu peeked out with a grin, "Need someone to be your babysitter?"
Black Zetsu's hoarse voice followed. "Pain, are you worried they'll cause trouble?"
The rain reflected a cold glow in Pain's Rinnegan on them." His voice was colder than the rain, "Especially Hidan and Deidara."
"Understood~" White Zetsu merged into the ground like liquid, "I promise I won't let the art duo blow me to pieces~"
Black Zetsu's yellow pupils contracted slightly as he thought, "Don't worry, before the Eye of the Moon Plan is completed..." His body gradually sank into the shadows, "None of these pieces will be wasted."
(After all...)
As Pain's figure completely disappeared, Black Zetsu glanced one last time at the Nine-Tails and Susanoo locked in fierce combat in the Heavenly Screen.
(I have been waiting for a thousand years, ever since Princess Kaguya was sealed away.)
(We can't let these guys ruin everything!)