Rain Country, home to the Akatsuki headquarters.
A cloud of smoke suddenly burst open in the valley. Deva Path Pain, whose body was severely damaged, and a red-haired young man who was thin enough to be skin and bones appeared in the valley.
"Nagato!"
Konan had been carefully guarding the area. The moment she saw Nagato appear in that state, she rushed over and helped him up.
"Cough, cough... Lock this woman up first!"
Nagato, thin as a skeleton, waved his hand. Yugito, unconscious but with her injuries stabilized, appeared beside them. Konan, however, had no time to bother with her now.
"Cough, cough..."
After making those movements, Nagato began coughing violently and continuously. This made Konan even more worried, but he himself paid it no mind. He covered his chest and forcibly steadied his breathing before preparing to speak.
Seeing this, how could Konan let him say anything? "Nagato, don't speak yet. Let me treat you first."
"Konan, Konan, listen to me first. Listen to me... cough, cough..."
Nagato spoke with barely restrained excitement, but he began coughing again before he could get more than a few words out. Konan grew even more nervous.
"Don't worry! I'm fine for now!"
After resting with difficulty for a moment, Nagato continued, "Our actions this time have been exposed. Konoha's strength exceeded my expectations. Even without Uchiha Sheng, they aren't opponents we can contend with. The Hyuga Clan of Konoha in particular... everyone underestimated them..."
"The Hyuga Clan, descendants of Hamura?"
After Konan and Nagato cleaned up all the remaining traces, they left the secret base. Not long after they departed, a figure slowly emerged from underground—a black-and-white humanoid creature that seemed hardly human at all. It was Zetsu, the most mysterious member of the Akatsuki.
Zetsu muttered to himself for