Akatsuki Organization!

Akatsuki continued to grow and strengthen, but Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato knew full well that they were not yet capable of clashing head-on with Amegakure. They could only operate in the shadows.

They steadily built up their strength, believing that as long as they worked hard, their goal would eventually be achieved.

The war between Konoha and Sunagakure was fiercely fought, while in the Land of Rain, the open and covert struggle between the Akatsuki Organization and Amegakure was equally intense.

People constantly joined the organization because of Akatsuki's reputation, including all manner of unusual ninja.

Some ninja not only used strange Ninjutsu, but looked strange themselves. Some did not even need to do anything—merely stepping forward was enough to frighten plenty of people.

Such people might rarely appear among ordinary civilians, but there were quite a few of them among ninja. Akatsuki itself had several particularly odd-looking members.

And within Akatsuki, a ninja whom all three leaders—Nagato, Yahiko, and Konan—greatly valued joined the organization.

"Zetsu!!!"

Uchiha Madara was completely dead, waiting for Black Zetsu to carry out the plan and revive him. Black Zetsu chose to merge with White Zetsu, making himself look somewhat more normal.

Though one side was white and the other black, this black-and-white fusion was far more pleasing to the eye than Black Zetsu's purely black form. It was also much livelier, since White Zetsu was a goofball—talkative, fond of fooling around, and full of nonsense.

Once they fused, Black Zetsu did not seem quite so terrifying.

Uchiha Madara had always firmly believed that Black Zetsu had been born from his own will, while White Zetsu had been created by him. That belief would cause him to suffer dearly.

To set the plan in motion ahead of time, Black Zetsu first needed to infiltrate Akatsuki.