What Happened to Your Apocalypse Preparations?

Within Amegakure, dark clouds blanketed the sky.

In the rain, water slid down Konan's hair.

"For some time now, we have been trying to establish contact with the Five Great Shinobi Villages."

"Our Akatsuki organization discovered long ago that that planet is drawing near the Shinobi World. If we do not act soon, the entire land will face an unprecedented catastrophe."

"Only if the entire Shinobi World unites will there be any chance of surviving this calamity."

At this point, she lowered her head slightly, a trace of helplessness in her voice. "To alert the various nations, we even spread intelligence through black-market channels, hoping that if someone noticed it, they might speed up their response."

"But the result... apart from Konoha, the other major shinobi villages responded with utter indifference."

She raised her head and looked toward Jiraiya, who stood silently amid the curtain of rain...

"They did not take the information we provided seriously at all. They are still immersed in comfort, with no awareness of the crisis."

Konoha had also been fanning the flames behind the scenes...

Before Jiraiya could speak, Nagato's voice slowly rang out.

"Even Konoha is not as rational as you imagine."

"At present, all of Konoha's preparations revolve solely around the nobles and Feudal Lord of the Land of Fire."

"Their underground bases, stockpiles, and strategic defenses are almost entirely concentrated in two places: Konoha itself and the Daimyo Palace."

"What about everywhere else?"

Nagato asked in return, his tone utterly devoid of fluctuation...

"The Land of Fire is vast, and tens of millions of ordinary civilians live throughout it."

"Yet outside those two core areas, the other regions have merely hastily dug some crude underground shelters. There are no medical supplies, nor are there food reserves. Once the planet falls, those people will be the first to die."

Konan added softly, "They have not even issued notifications. Their efficiency is terrifyingly low..."

Hearing this, Jiraiya's expression turned exceptionally grave.

He had always taken pride in Konoha and believed he understood every side of the village. Yet now, hearing this analysis from an outside perspective, he found himself unable to refute it at once.

He knew Nagato was not speaking nonsense.

From what he knew, Konoha had indeed invested tremendous resources into building underground facilities, but every core project revolved around the village and the Daimyo Palace.

As for the borders and towns... he truly had not heard of many arrangements.

"I am not criticizing Konoha..."

Nagato's gaze was calm as he looked at Jiraiya across from him...

"I am stating facts. We have long understood that the root of the Shinobi World's system is the extreme inequality in resource distribution. We only hope you can try a little harder and not be so bureaucratic..."

When disaster struck, the powerful and wealthy could hide in the deepest underground bunkers and enjoy supplies stockpiled for a hundred days. Ordinary people, even if they learned the news in advance, could only stand upon the earth and await the death falling from the sky.

"Everything is for the sake of overcoming this crisis..."

As he walked step by step toward Jiraiya, Deva Path Pain, controlled by Nagato, spoke with utmost sincerity.

"We do not wish to destroy this world. Please understand that."

Jiraiya lowered his head and remained silent for a long while, allowing the rain to soak his somewhat haggard face.

In his heart, he understood that the two children before him had once been the students he was proudest of.

Now, every word they spoke was sharp, yet impossible to refute, because they exposed this world's truest, most naked wound.

"So that was it..."

"That is why you want Akatsuki to lead the Shinobi World."

Nagato did not deny it. He merely nodded quietly.

The rain continued to patter down tirelessly.

Then, footsteps rang out across the rain-beaten stone pavement!

A familiar figure slowly emerged from the thick curtain of rain.

Kakashi.

"However, as far as I know, there is a masked man in your organization who calls himself Uchiha Madara. He once clearly stated that Akatsuki would bring ultimate pain to the Shinobi World, even claiming that destruction was the end you sought."

The moment those words were spoken, it was as though thunder had struck the ground.

Upon hearing the name Uchiha Madara, both Nagato and Konan's expressions changed.

"Kakashi?"

Jiraiya was also startled by his sudden appearance and turned to look at him...

"Why did you suddenly come here?"

Kakashi did not answer immediately. He merely planted his feet, step by step. "Lord Jiraiya, Uchiha Sasuke has suddenly disappeared. The Third Hokage suspects that this may be connected to Akatsuki."

As his words fell, the atmosphere immediately became tense.

The previously calm conversation was abruptly shattered in that instant, and even the air seemed to freeze.

"So, return Sasuke to us now."

Though the words were calm, they pierced straight through the heart like arrows.

"Otherwise, Konoha will be unable to see any sincerity from you."

"If you truly wish for Akatsuki to become the force guiding the Shinobi World, then you should know where the line is. Especially when it concerns Uchiha Itachi."

"His Mangekyō Sharingan is gradually suffering the backlash of his bloodline disease. Sasuke is his only younger brother, and the only possible source of eyes that could cure this condition."

"Now that Sasuke has been taken away, we can only suspect that this was a move someone planned long ago, intended to provide Uchiha Itachi with new eyes and achieve the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan."

These words were no different from a massive bomb.

Konan finally spoke. "We did not plan to abduct Sasuke. His disappearance was not an order from Akatsuki."

"Someone has indeed acted under the name Uchiha Madara and briefly cooperated with us. But he never revealed his objective to us. Now, it seems he is no longer under our control either."

Kakashi continued, "Then within Akatsuki, are you the ones in control, or are you the ones being controlled?"

That question left the two of them momentarily speechless.

It even put Nagato and Konan in an awkward position...

"If you truly wish to become the leading force of the Shinobi World, you must first prove your position and sincerity."

"Otherwise, no one will be willing to trust an organization that can be led around by the nose at any moment by this so-called Uchiha Madara."

In the darkness, Zetsu observed Kakashi's words, unable to determine whether they were true or false...

Obito had abducted Sasuke?

What did he want? To keep provoking Uchiha Itachi?

"Uchiha Itachi... Pain, why not contact him directly..."

Konan's suggestion...

Nagato hesitated slightly before nodding in agreement.

He gently raised his hand. The ring on his finger emitted a faint gleam and quickly connected to the distant Uchiha Itachi.

Nagato's steady voice carried through. "Suzaku, people from Konoha have come to the organization."

Upon hearing the word Konoha, Uchiha Itachi on the other end of the ring fell briefly silent and did not respond at once.

"They say Uchiha Sasuke was taken away by that masked man who calls himself Uchiha Madara..."

Uchiha Itachi: "...?!"