Akatsuki Headquarters, Land of Rain.
The Six Paths of Pain, Yahiko included, had been destroyed. So as soon as Nagato returned, he gathered six fresh corpses, inserted black Chakra receivers into various parts of their bodies, and then merged with the Six Paths!
Once the new Six Paths were born, unsurprisingly, they were once again six expressionless blondes. Among them, Deva Path Pain was a tall, thin man with deeply sunken eye sockets, looking like someone who stayed up all night watching porn.
"Nagato, how do you plan to explain this to Itachi and the others?" Konan asked softly as she looked at the brand-new Six Paths.
Nagato looked even older now. Though exhausted, he spoke with overwhelming authority. "Before these eyes, no one can question Pain! There is no need for an explanation."
Konan nodded.
"How is Uchiha Shin's side doing?" Nagato asked.
"Uchiha Shin and Zetsu's clone have entered the Land of Snow. They are searching for the Great Snow Mountains that Orochimaru mentioned," Konan said.
"What about the others? How are their missions progressing?"
The one who spoke was not Nagato, but the newly created Deva Path Pain.
As Puppets, the Six Paths of Pain had no consciousness of their own. Their ability to speak was merely an extension of Nagato's spiritual will. However, dividing his attention six ways was an immense burden on him, so unless there were special circumstances, he only controlled Deva Path Pain when appearing before others.
"Itachi and Kisame have already headed to the Land of Lightning and are waiting for an opportunity to capture the Two-Tails," Konan said. "Hiruko and Zetsu have infiltrated the Land of Wind. Their target is the One-Tail."
"There are too few of us."
Nagato withdrew his spiritual will from Deva Path Pain and sighed.
Over the