In a dark underground cave, a massive yet skeletal giant sat cross-legged, its palms raised and ten fingers spread wide, like an ancient god slumbering through the ages.
It was the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path that Nagato had summoned long ago.
Colored phantoms were slowly taking shape atop its fingers.
Deva Path Pain stood on the tallest finger at the center, his purple Rinnegan sweeping over the gathered figures.
Konan, Sasori, Uchiha Rong, Ameyuri Ringo, Zetsu, Genchuka—there were only a handful of Akatsuki's core members.
Oh, and there was also the newly recruited Amado. However, he had recently been at Shinobi Allied Forces headquarters, so he had not attended this meeting.
The last to appear was Obito's phantom.
He made his appearance as the newcomer "Tobi," wearing that Tiger-Patterned One-Eyed Mask and revealing only his left eye.
Compared to the Akatsuki of the original story, which had possessed ten S-rank rogue ninja, the Akatsuki in this timeline had only a few such members due to Menma's influence.
Kakuzu and Kisame Hoshigaki had been snatched away by Menma, Orochimaru had also defected, and Biwa Juzo had been killed by Menma before he could even defect from Amegakure. Although Deidara had defected from Iwagakure, he had not joined Akatsuki and had instead followed Kurotsuchi to the Land of Stars.
Hidan had also been captured by Hoshinin while trying to capture the One-Tail Jinchuriki some time ago.
And Momochi Zabuza and Aoi Rokushō, the S-rank rogue ninja newly added to the organization, had been killed in the Land of Waves.
Thus, aside from the newly recruited Iwagakure S-rank rogue ninja Genchuka, Akatsuki had not expanded its ranks during this period.
It was not that they did not want to recruit more people. There were simply too few S-rank rogue ninja who