Amegakure
Pain opened his eyes.
Konan asked, "What does Obito mean by acting like this?"
Pain said flatly, "Obito is testing our attitude toward him. He has suffered a severe blow. If we still treat him politely, he'll grow suspicious."
"Obito's identity was merely exposed. It only means more people will be on guard against him in the future, but his strength hasn't been damaged."
"He has reclaimed his left eye. He thinks I don't know the secret of having two Sharingan, so he deliberately backed down."
"This kind of hiding only proves that he has a guilty conscience."
"Compared to Obito, I'd rather trust Shamu."
Konan spoke. Being with Obito meant constantly walking on eggshells; cooperating with him was no different from seeking a tiger's hide.
Pain nodded. "Let's give it a try..."
He closed his eyes, and a wave of thought spread outward...
Uchiha Clan Grounds.
Shamu's expression shifted. Nagato was actually contacting him?
Shamu dismissed everyone else.
He lay down and adjusted himself into a more comfortable position. Then he performed a technique, and his thoughts drifted into the distance.
When he opened his eyes again, he was already inside an unfamiliar cave.
Pain's figure stood opposite him.
Shamu raised his hand to look at his own body. It was like a video conference, with occasional ripples of distortion tugging at his form.
The signal on this thing isn't very good.
Still, it was impressive enough—ultra-long-distance encrypted communication, one of a kind.
"You're here." Pain's tone was entirely different from when he spoke to Obito.
He spoke to Shamu naturally, as though they were ordinary friends.
"Did Obito react in any way?"
Shamu guessed Obito would choose to lie low now.
Pain nodded. "Obito's identity was exposed. I deliberately acted strong, and he backed off."
Shamu stroked