Taka

"I hate the rain."

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

One of them, a girl with red hair, said this as she walked.

"Is that so? I actually quite like it." One of her companions replied.

Hozuki Suigetsu, carrying the Kubikiribōchō that was nearly as tall as he was, tilted his head back slightly. He gazed at the white streaks of rain falling from the sky and wore a contented smile, completely disregarding the feelings of the girl beside him.

Pop! A sound rang out—the sound of a fist striking liquid.

No sooner had Suigetsu finished speaking than his head was struck by a fist, causing it to burst into a mass of liquid that buckled and then splashed outward.

"That's exactly why I hate it even more!" Karin Uzumaki, the ninja who had spoken first, added viciously after punching Suigetsu's head into a puddle.

She adjusted her glasses, peering through lenses dampened by the mist at the world of white fog surrounding them. She frowned in annoyance, feeling that it was impossible to walk properly in such conditions.

Behind her, Suigetsu's liquefied head reformed into its original shape. Unbothered by her actions, he grinned, revealing his shark-like serrated teeth, and said, "Actually, you just want to be alone with Sasuke, don't you?"

Then, his liquid head was smashed again by Karin's other fist.

"Everything is so damp! It's unbearable!"

As if she had done something perfectly normal, Karin continued to stand in place, complaining indignantly after smashing Suigetsu's head.

Much like her fiery red hair and the intensity of her gaze, Karin had an exceptionally explosive temper. Despite her glasses and the appearance of a desk clerk, she never used words when her fists would suffice. Especially when dealing with someone like Suigetsu, whom she detested, she remained in a perpetually foul mood.

Sasuke, walking at the front of the group with a cold expression, and Jugo, who stood at the back with a blank look, were long since accustomed to Karin's behavior. After all this time, they were used to the way these two interacted.

Hearing the ongoing bickering between Karin and Suigetsu, Sasuke glanced at the pair with his pitch-black eyes, then walked toward the nearby tower without a word, seemingly having no intention of paying his two teammates any mind.

Seeing this, the tall Jugo followed behind Sasuke, continuing forward.

The way he trailed behind Sasuke was like a loyal, dutiful bodyguard.

"Be careful, this is the enemy's headquarters."

As he passed the stationary Karin, Jugo turned his head to offer a word of caution.

"Huh?!" Karin shrieked, adjusting her glasses and planting her hands on her hips in annoyance. Noticing that the backs of Sasuke and Jugo were already moving further away, she hurriedly chased after them, calling out, "Wait for me, Sasuke!"

"Heh heh." Suigetsu, trailing at the very back of the group, grinned at Karin's back, his smile carrying a touch of childish mischief: "You're moving pretty fast for someone who's complaining, aren't you?"

The rain grew heavier, gradually turning into an endless curtain of water. Suigetsu, carrying the Kubikiribōchō, hummed a tune softly, walking at a leisurely pace at the rear of the group. He occasionally examined the strange tower-like structures around him, feeling very curious: "What kind of big shot could be in a small hidden village like this to force Taka to come here?"

"Sasuke, you've arrived."

Passing through the sparsely populated streets and arriving at the designated tower, the members of Taka saw Obito Uchiha waiting there, along with the tall Kisame, who stood behind him carrying the great sword Samehada.

A bright white flash of lightning streaked across the sky, casting flickering light and shadow over the mask on Obito's face. His black cloak with red clouds danced wildly in the strong wind sweeping across the ground. Only the scarlet Sharingan in his right eye remained silent and dark, as if it were a still image, appearing incredibly clear in everyone's field of vision.

"You said the leader of the Akatsuki wanted to see me. Where is he now?" Sasuke asked. His voice was hoarse from not speaking for a long time.

Ever since receiving the blunt message from White Zetsu, a fire had been burning in Sasuke's heart. If "Madara" hadn't explicitly told him that he was no match for Nagato at his current level, he would have long since declared war on the Akatsuki.

Of course, the prerequisite for declaring war was to first use his own "eyes" to confirm whether Nagato was truly as strong as Madara claimed.

He hadn't come here to show goodwill. If he discovered that Nagato was merely a bluffer, it wouldn't be too late to take action against the Akatsuki and Nagato then.

With this thought in mind, Sasuke's gaze toward Obito was like a blade waiting to be unsheathed—aggressive and sharp, making his intentions clear at a glance.

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

Obito's eyes remained calm as a stagnant well. After speaking in a hoarse voice, he turned and walked into the tower on his own.

"Heh heh." Kisame, who had been standing behind Obito, chuckled. He glanced at the cold-faced Sasuke and followed behind Obito.

"What should we do? Are we going in?"

After the two men left, Karin hurriedly asked Sasuke, who was still standing in place.

Sasuke did not reply, instead expressing his intent through action by walking into the tower in the direction Obito had vanished.

The lightning became more frequent, and the distant horizon rumbled with thunder as the rain poured down in torrents.

Jugo with his stern face, Karin with her furrowed brows and unease, and Suigetsu—who had been grinning since seeing Kisame and now had his hand on the hilt of the Kubikiribōchō—followed Sasuke inside one after another.

Meanwhile, at the top of the tower, the lightning streaking across the sky was clearly visible.

White paper butterflies fluttered gracefully, unfolding in the air to become sheets of paper that gathered together, transforming into the form of Konan.

"Nagato, they have arrived."

She said to Nagato, who was sitting on the windowsill.

"I know." Nagato withdrew his hand from the curtain of rain. "I could already sense it from the rain. Uchiha Sasuke's chakra intensity is quite good; it has already reached the level of an official Akatsuki member."

This "Sasuke" was considered a prospect with potential that many looked forward to, having been praised by Kakashi, Orochimaru, and Obito all the way to this point.

What level he truly possessed would only be known after seeing him in person.

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

Although Obito had once boasted about Sasuke in front of them, Konan trusted Nagato's judgment more when it came to whether he could reach Itachi's level.

"From what I can sense at the moment, Sasuke's chakra is far superior to Itachi's."

Nagato compared Sasuke's chakra to his memories of Itachi's, and arrived at this conclusion.

"However, Itachi's health is not good, so this point is actually meaningless."

Not long after Itachi Uchiha joined the Akatsuki, his health began to deteriorate. If one were to compare the quality of chakra, there are far too many people stronger than Itachi.

In the eyes of Nagato, the Uchiha Clan must rely on the ocular power of the Sharingan to speak for itself; everything else is just empty.

"Let's go, it is time for us to head over and meet them."

Saying this, Nagato stepped down from the window ledge and looked toward the direction of the conference room. There, all the members of the Akatsuki had already gathered.