Taka

"I hate the rain."

The next day, four ninjas in black cloaks arrived in Amegakure.

As they walked, a red-haired girl among them made the remark.

"Is that so? I actually kind of like it," one of her companions replied.

Hozuki Suigetsu carried Kubikiribōchō, which was almost as tall as he was. He tilted his head back slightly and gazed at the white streaks of rain falling from the sky, smiling contentedly without the slightest regard for the girl beside him.

"Smack!" A fist struck liquid.

The moment Suigetsu finished speaking, someone punched his head clean off. It turned into a mass of liquid, caved in and spread out, splashing everywhere.

"That's exactly why I hate it even more!" The first ninja to speak, Karin Uzumaki, added viciously after punching Suigetsu's head apart.

She adjusted her glasses and surveyed the world of white mist through her rain-fogged lenses, frowning in irritation. She felt there was no way she could walk properly like this.

Behind her, Suigetsu's liquefied head returned to normal. Unbothered by what she'd done, he grinned, showing shark-like serrated teeth. "Actually, you just want to be alone with Sasuke, don't you?"

Then Karin smashed his liquid head apart again with her other fist.

"I'm clammy all over! This feels awful!"

As if she'd done something perfectly ordinary, Karin stood where she was and continued grumbling angrily after punching Suigetsu's head apart.

Just like the impression given by her fiery red hair and eyes, Karin had a remarkably explosive temper. Though she wore glasses and looked like an office worker, she preferred to speak with her fists whenever possible. Especially when she was around someone she disliked, like Suigetsu, she stayed in a constant state of fury.

Sasuke, walking at the head of the group with an icy expression, and Jugo, bringing up the rear with a blank look, had long since grown used to Karin's behavior. After all this time, they were accustomed to the way those two got along.

At the sound of Karin and Suigetsu's nonstop bickering, Sasuke glanced at them with his dark eyes. Without saying a word, he headed toward the nearby tower, seemingly with no intention of paying his teammates any attention.

The tall Jugo followed behind Sasuke and continued onward.

He followed Sasuke like a bodyguard devoted to his duty.

"Be careful. This is the enemy's headquarters."

As he passed Karin, who was still standing in place, Jugo turned his head and cautioned her.

"Huh?!" Karin cried, adjusting her glasses. She put her hands on her hips in annoyance, but when she noticed Sasuke and Jugo's backs already disappearing into the distance, she hurried after them. "Wait for me, Sasuke!"

"Heh." Suigetsu, at the back of the group, grinned at Karin's retreating figure, his smile tinged with childish mischief. "You're walking pretty fast now, aren't you?"

The rain grew heavier, gradually turning into an endless curtain of water. Carrying Kubikiribōchō, Suigetsu hummed softly as he strolled unhurriedly at the back of the group, occasionally glancing at the strange tower-like buildings around them. He was quite curious: What kind of big shot could there be in a little hidden village like this, someone powerful enough to force Taka to come here?

"Sasuke, you're here."

After crossing the nearly deserted streets, the members of Taka arrived at the tower where they were supposed to meet. Obito Uchiha was waiting for them there, with Kisame standing behind him, tall and carrying Samehada.

A brilliant white bolt of lightning streaked across the sky, illuminating the mask on Obito's face in flashes. The red-clouded black robe on his body whipped wildly in the gusting wind that swept across the ground. Only the blood-red Sharingan in his right eye remained still and dark, like a frozen image, sharply visible to everyone.

"You said the leader of Akatsuki wanted to see me. Where is he?" Sasuke asked. His voice was slightly hoarse from having gone so long without speaking.

Ever since receiving White Zetsu's blunt message, Sasuke had been seething. If "Madara" hadn't clearly told him that he wasn't a match for Nagato yet, he would have already lost patience and declared war on Akatsuki.

Of course, before declaring war, he would first have to use his own "eyes" to confirm whether Nagato really was as powerful as Madara claimed.

He hadn't come here to make peace. If he discovered that Nagato was nothing more than a blustering fraud, there would still be time to attack him and Akatsuki.

With that in mind, Sasuke looked at Obito like a blade poised to leave its sheath. His gaze was so aggressive that anyone could see what he intended.

"Don't rush. Nagato will be here soon. Come with me first."

Obito's gaze was as still as an ancient well. After speaking in a hoarse voice, he turned and walked into the tower without waiting for a reply.

"Heh." Kisame, who had been standing behind Obito the whole time, grinned. He glanced at Sasuke's cold expression, then followed Obito inside.

"What should we do? Go in after them?"

Once the two had left, Karin hurriedly asked Sasuke, who remained where he was.

Sasuke didn't answer. He made his intentions clear through his actions, heading into the tower in the direction Obito had gone.

Lightning flashed more and more frequently. Rumbles of thunder rolled from the distant horizon as the rain poured down.

Jugo, his face stern; Karin, frowning uneasily; and Suigetsu, who had been grinning ever since he saw Kisame and now had a hand on the hilt of Kubikiribōchō strapped to his back, followed Sasuke inside one after another.

Meanwhile, at the top of the tower, lightning that streaked across the entire sky was clearly visible.

White paper butterflies fluttered through the air. They spread out, turned into sheets of paper, then gathered together and transformed into Konan.

"Nagato, they're here," she said to Nagato, who was sitting on the windowsill.

"I know." Nagato drew back the hand he'd extended into the rain. "I sensed them through the rain. Sasuke Uchiha's chakra is quite strong. He's already reached the level of a full member of Akatsuki."

This second-rate Sasuke was considered a promising talent by quite a few people. Kakashi, Orochimaru, and Obito had all praised him along the way.

Only after seeing him in person would they know what he was truly capable of.

"How does he compare with Itachi Uchiha?" Konan asked.

Obito had once praised Sasuke to them, but Konan trusted Nagato's judgment more when it came to whether he could measure up to Itachi.

"Based on what I can sense so far, Sasuke's chakra is far superior to Itachi's."

Nagato compared Sasuke's chakra with what he remembered of Itachi's and reached that conclusion.

"However, Itachi isn't in good health, so that doesn't really mean much."

Not long after joining Akatsuki, Itachi Uchiha's health had begun to steadily decline. There were plenty of people stronger than Itachi when it came to chakra quality.

In Nagato's view, the Uchiha Clan had to be judged by the power of their Sharingan. Everything else was meaningless.

"Come on. It's time we went to meet them, too."

As he spoke, Nagato stepped down from the windowsill and looked toward the meeting room. All of Akatsuki's members had already gathered there.