Akatsuki's Meeting

"Obito, Nagato wants to see you."

Black Zetsu's figure eerily emerged from the shadows.

Obito raised his head slightly and replied irritably, "Didn't you already explain everything to him? Why does he want to see me again?"

Black Zetsu was rendered speechless, fury already churning within him.

Who stirred up this mess in the first place? And now I'm the one cleaning up after you?

But faced with the extremely displeased Obito, he still chose to endure.

"Of course I explained it, but he still insists on hearing you personally describe Uchiha Yuan's situation."

Black Zetsu added with undisguised sarcasm in his voice...

"After all, you caused this whole thing yourself."

A trace of annoyance and frustration flashed through Obito's eyes, but he could only sigh helplessly...

He briefly recounted to Black Zetsu what had happened during his conversation with Uchiha Itachi.

After hearing it, Black Zetsu frowned deeply and fell into grave thought...

The Uchiha Clan had a long history. Aside from a few exceptional individuals, no one had ever awakened such a powerful Mangekyo genjutsu ability.

Even those powerful men who were Indra's reincarnations had never displayed such destructive Word Spirit power.

It was practically an enhanced version of Kotoamatsukami...

Obito waved his hand impatiently. "There's no point discussing this now. Forget it. Take me to see Nagato."

Watching Obito's gradually fading back, Black Zetsu could not help cursing inwardly...

That idiot is completely unreliable.

A short while later, Obito appeared as Tobi within Akatsuki's secret hideout in Amegakure.

By the time he entered the meeting room, Akatsuki's key members had already gathered.

Nagato sat at the center, his expression cold and solemn. Konan stood at his side, her face filled with worry.

The other members had also arrived. Kakuzu wore an indifferent expression, Sasori's puppet body stood silently, while Orochimaru watched everyone with cold eyes.

His gaze lingered especially on Uchiha Itachi for a moment, naked greed and desire surging in his eyes.

Uchiha Itachi stood calmly, clearly having already adjusted his emotions.

Seeing that everyone had arrived, Nagato slowly spoke in a steady, solemn voice. "Everyone, I summoned you because there is urgent news I must tell you immediately. The Shinobi World is about to face a catastrophic disaster."

Kakuzu was the first to speak, his tone cold and mocking. "Boss, this doesn't sound like you. Are we in Akatsuki no longer doing mercenary work? Are we transforming into some peace organization that saves the world?"

Sasori lowered his head without speaking, seemingly deep in thought and offering no opinion.

Orochimaru, however, let out a sinister chuckle, intense interest shining in his eyes. "Heh heh, the destruction of the Shinobi World? That is quite an interesting idea..."

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

"I am not joking. This is all real, not genjutsu."

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

An immense force of ocular power instantly spread out, relaying without reservation to everyone present all the images he had previously investigated through the Asura Path and Animal Path.

"Take up your rings, and you will be able to see everything."

When that scene appeared in everyone's minds, they were all utterly horrified.

In the depths of space, a massive and terrifying World-Ending Star bore down upon the Shinobi World at a despair-inducing speed, carrying an indescribable oppressive force.

Then, through the Rinnegan's ocular power, Nagato rapidly deduced the horrific scenes that would unfold across the entire world should the meteor strike the Shinobi World.

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 became ruins in moments.

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

After witnessing this scene, every Akatsuki member's expression turned extremely grim. Even Orochimaru, who had always treated life and death with cynical indifference, finally frowned.

He lowered his head, and a rare trace of panic showed through his gloomy expression.

The immortality technique he pursued was meant to free him from the fear of death. If the entire world was to be destroyed, what meaning would the goal he had stubbornly pursued for so many years still have?

Orochimaru clenched his fists, his knuckles turning slightly pale.

Sasori, standing nearby, revealed a faint sneer. His cold gaze swept toward the silent Uchiha Itachi, his voice filled with undisguised mockery and sarcasm...

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

Itachi maintained his usual silence and did not respond to Sasori's provocation, but his heart churned like stormy waves.

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

Itachi shut his eyes tightly as resentment slowly grew within him. He could not forgive Uchiha Yuan...

Why had he awakened such terrifying power on the night of the clan's destruction?

Why could he not peacefully accept the fate originally destined for the Uchiha Clan?

Why did he have to seek revenge in such a devastating way?

At this moment, Itachi's heart was filled with blame and incomprehension toward Yuan.

The original script should have been a self-sacrifice, a tragic and heroic ending where everything was given for the village.

The Uchiha's demand had always been only one thing: to become Hokage! In the end, they had never been given the chance since Konoha was founded. Forced to join the Hashirama Group as losers, the Uchiha merely wanted to reclaim power. Their failure and extermination were quite normal; it was just that the methods were indeed dark, fitting the tactics of cold-blooded politicians.

Yet Yuan's appearance had completely shattered that script, turning it into a mad situation capable of destroying the entire world.

Sasuke's situation was likely beyond changing...

Because of Uchiha Yuan!

Deep within Itachi's heart, resentment and guilt intertwined, his emotions complicated to the extreme.

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

"Uchiha Yuan... unable to accept fate, determined to destroy the Shinobi World... why?"

Kakuzu, standing nearby, also fell unusually silent.

His gaze lowered. Even someone as calculating as him deeply realized the severity of this disaster. If the world were destroyed, what use would the wealth he had accumulated over so many years be?

Konan stood beside Nagato, her face already pale as paper. She had confirmed the truth of this matter earlier, yet she was still worried about Nagato now.

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

At this moment, the Deva Path under his control slowly stepped forward.

Only if all sides truly united would there be even the slightest possibility of stopping the Shinobi World from reaching its end.

Nagato opened his eyes once more. As the Rinnegan appeared, his tone was more serious than ever before.

"Now, only these Rinnegan can save the entire Shinobi World. Akatsuki will also shoulder the Shinobi World's true hope..."

"Orochimaru, go contact the people in Konoha."