Meeting of the Akatsuki

"Obito, Nagato wants to see you."

Black Zetsu's figure emerged eerily from the shadows.

Obito lifted his head slightly, responding with irritation: "Haven't you already explained everything to him? Why does he need to see me again?"

Black Zetsu was speechless at these words, his inner fury already churning.

Who was it that stirred up this mess in the first place? And who is currently cleaning up your disaster?

Yet, facing the visibly disgruntled Obito, he chose to endure it.

"I certainly explained it, but he insists on hearing your description of that Uchiha Yuan personally."

Black Zetsu added, his tone laced with undisguised sarcasm.

"After all, this entire situation was caused by your own hand."

A flicker of annoyance and regret crossed Obito's eyes, but he sighed helplessly.

He briefly recounted the contents of his recent conversation with Uchiha Itachi to Black Zetsu.

After listening, Black Zetsu's brows furrowed deeply as he fell into heavy contemplation.

The Uchiha Clan had a long history, and aside from a few unique individuals, no one had ever awakened such a powerful Mangekyo Sharingan ability.

Even those powerful reincarnations of Indra had never displayed this kind of destructive, reality-altering power.

It was almost like an enhanced version of Kotoamatsukami.

Obito waved his hand impatiently: "There is no point in discussing this now. Fine, take me to see Nagato."

Watching Obito's back gradually phase into intangibility, Black Zetsu couldn't help but curse inwardly.

This foolish guy is completely unreliable.

A few moments later, Obito, disguised as Tobi, appeared within the secret base of the Akatsuki in Amegakure.

When he walked into the conference room, the key members of the Akatsuki had already gathered.

Nagato sat in the center, his expression cold and stern; Konan stood by his side, her face filled with worry.

The other members had also arrived: Kakuzu wore a look of indifference, Sasori's puppet body remained silent, and Orochimaru watched everyone with cold, sinister eyes.

His gaze lingered on Uchiha Itachi for a moment, his eyes swirling with undisguised greed and longing.

Uchiha Itachi stood with a calm expression; it was clear he had already regained his composure.

Seeing that everyone had arrived, Nagato spoke slowly in a steady, solemn voice: "Everyone, I have summoned you here because there is urgent news that must be shared immediately. The Shinobi World is about to face an extinction-level catastrophe."

Kakuzu was the first to speak, his tone cold and mocking: "Leader, this doesn't sound like your style. Are we, the Akatsuki, giving up our mercenary business to transform into a peace organization dedicated to saving the world?"

Sasori kept his head down, saying nothing, seemingly lost in thought.

Orochimaru, however, let out a sinister chuckle, his eyes gleaming with intense interest: "Heh, the destruction of the Shinobi World? That is a truly fascinating thought..."

As he spoke, Orochimaru's gaze remained fixed on Itachi.

"I am not joking. This is the truth, not a genjutsu."

Nagato's voice was calm and heavy as he slowly opened those awe-inspiring Rinnegan.

A vast ocular power instantly expanded, transmitting every image he had investigated through the Asura Path and Animal Path to everyone present without reservation.

"Take your rings, and you will see everything."

When that scene manifested in their minds, everyone was struck with absolute horror.

In the deep reaches of space, a massive, terrifying World-Ending Star was hurtling toward the Shinobi World at a desperate speed, carrying an indescribable sense of oppression.

Immediately after, through the power of the Rinnegan, Nagato quickly projected the tragic scene that would unfold across the world once the meteor struck.

In an instant, the entire Shinobi World was reduced to ashes in their minds.

Mountains collapsed, tsunamis swallowed continents, flames ravaged the sky, and villages and towns were reduced to ruins in the blink of an eye.

The earth was torn into fragments, all life vanished in an instant, leaving behind only deathly silence and void.

After witnessing this scene, the expressions of every Akatsuki member turned grim; even Orochimaru, who was usually cynical and indifferent to life and death, finally furrowed his brows.

He lowered his head, his gloomy face revealing a rare trace of panic.

The immortality he sought was meant to escape the fear of death; if the entire world were to be destroyed, what meaning would his lifelong pursuit hold?

Orochimaru's fists clenched, his knuckles turning white.

Standing to the side, Sasori revealed a faint sneer, his cold gaze sweeping toward the silent Uchiha Itachi, his tone dripping with undisguised sarcasm and malice.

"Is this the price for betraying and destroying your own clan? How ironic, Itachi."

Itachi maintained his usual silence, not responding to Sasori's provocation, but his heart was surging like a turbulent sea.

He truly had not expected that ending the fate of his clansmen with his own hands would ultimately trigger such a disaster.

Itachi closed his eyes tightly, resentment slowly brewing within him; he could not forgive Uchiha Yuan.

Why awaken such terrifying power on the night of the massacre?

Why couldn't he simply accept the fate originally destined for the Uchiha Clan?

Why must revenge be exacted in such a tragic and brutal manner?

At this moment, Itachi's heart was filled with reproach and confusion toward Uchiha Yuan.

The original script was supposed to be a self-sacrifice, a tragic ending where everything was given for the sake of the village.

The Uchiha's demands had been the same from beginning to end: to become Hokage! In truth, they never had a chance since the village's founding; forced to join the Hashirama Group as the defeated party, the Uchiha simply wanted to reclaim power. Being wiped out after failing was normal enough, though the methods used were indeed dark—fitting for cold-blooded politicians.

The appearance of Uchiha Yuan, however, had completely shattered this script, evolving it into a mad scenario capable of destroying the entire world.

Sasuke's situation, it seemed, could not be changed...

All because of Uchiha Yuan!

Deep within, Itachi felt resentment and guilt intertwined, his emotions complex to the extreme.

All his efforts had been so pale and powerless, even becoming the fuse that ignited this catastrophe.

"Uchiha Yuan... unable to accept fate, insisting on destroying the Shinobi World... why?"

Beside him, Kakuzu was uncharacteristically silent.

With his gaze lowered, he, who was always adept at calculation, deeply realized the severity of this disaster; if the world were destroyed, what use would his wealth, accumulated over so many long years, be?

Konan stood by Nagato's side, her face already pale as paper. She had already confirmed the truth of the matter, yet she remained worried about Nagato's current state.

In fact, Nagato's mental state was remarkably good...

At this moment, the Deva Path, controlled by him, slowly stepped forward.

Only by truly uniting all parties could there be a sliver of a chance to stop the Shinobi World from reaching its end.

Nagato opened his eyes once more, and as the Rinnegan manifested, his tone was unprecedentedly solemn.

"Now, only these Rinnegan can save the entire Shinobi World, and Akatsuki shall shoulder the true hope of the Shinobi World..."

"Orochimaru, go and contact those in Konoha."