Situation

The icy rain relentlessly washed over Amegakure, striking the cold metal walls of the Central Tower and producing a continuous hum.

The Council Hall at the top of the tower was dimly lit, with massive pipes winding and twisting like the veins of a giant beast along the walls and ceiling, emitting a low, pulsating sound.

Deva Path Pain, his orange hair glowing like burning embers in the shadows, stared blankly at the endless rain before him with his purple Rinnegan.

Konan stood quietly beside him, white paper flowers swaying gently in her hair. Her face was always calm, with only a hint of worry occasionally flashing deep in her eyes.

The ripples spread silently across the center of the Council Hall, like pebbles thrown into stagnant water.

Obito Uchiha, wearing Spiral Mask, and Zetsu, whose body was half pitch black and half deathly pale, stepped out from the vortex-like spatial distortion.

"Pain, Konan," Obito said in a low voice, mimicking the tone of "Madara Uchiha" from his memories, "Mission accomplished, Nine-Tails released."

Pain slowly turned around, and the ripples of his Rinnegan seemed to shift slightly, focusing on Obito.

Konan's gaze also turned towards them with a questioning look.

"Oh?" Pain's voice was flat and emotionless, like a cold machine. "It seems Konoha was quite a spectacle last night. Tell me about it, Mr. Madara."

Obito's lips, hidden beneath his mask, seemed to twitch slightly as he began his "report."

His account is naturally full of selectivity and exaggeration of his own "achievements".

In his description, everything was under control:

How did he manage to snatch the baby from among so many guards?

And how did they use the baby to restrain the Fourth Hokage and Tsunade, successfully breaking the seal on the Nine-Tails?

Then, the Nine-Tails was hypnotized and summoned to Konoha, causing huge losses to the Konoha.

"That woman, Kushina Uzumaki," Obito's voice carried a cruel smugness, "The Nine-Tails has been forcibly released, and the Jinchuriki is doomed. Minato Namikaze can only watch helplessly as his wife meets her end in agony."

"As for the Nine-Tails," Obito paused, seemingly savoring the destructive power, "It went completely berserk, turning the central area of Konoha into a battlefield of carnage."

Although the Third Hokage arrived with reinforcements, he could only barely force them out of the village; their struggle was futile. The foundation of Konoha had been shaken, and its vitality severely damaged.

Pain listened quietly, his Rinnegan revealing no emotion, but his slightly forward-leaning posture seemed to indicate that he had developed a slight interest in the "results" of this "Madara Uchiha's " operation.

The ability to severely damage Konoha Hidden Village in the Ninja World, is indeed a crucial part of the "Akatsuki" plan.

Konan frowned slightly, as she keenly noticed certain details that Obito deliberately avoided in Obito words, especially regarding Minato Namikaze and Taichi Matsushita, which were not mentioned much.

As expected, Obito abruptly changed the subject, his deliberately cultivated ease and smugness vanishing instantly, replaced by a sense of solemnity and urgency, even carrying a hint of barely perceptible apprehension.

"But!" His voice suddenly rose, his single eye fixed on Pain, "While the plan succeeded, it also exposed a huge hidden danger! A threat we must immediately take seriously, even eliminate as a priority— Taichi Matsushita!"

"Taichi Matsushita?" Pain's voice remained icy. "That rising star of Konoha?"

"An elite?" Obito let out a short, mocking laugh. "Pain, our previous intelligence severely underestimated him! Significantly underestimated him!"

He took a sudden step forward, his voice urgent, filled with the shock of witnessing it firsthand. "When the Nine-Tails raged, the Third Kazekage Hokage was helpless, Konoha Ninja were in despair, it was he who stood up!"

The power he displayed far exceeded our previous intelligence; the Nine-Tails had almost no chance against him.

Obito began to describe the terrifying scene: the massive Water Style, the astonishing Fire Style, the powerful Sealing Jutsu —basically, he described them as incredibly powerful.

"His growth rate in such a short period of time is simply unbelievable! It exceeds all common sense!"

Obito's voice carried an unprecedented solemnity and urgency, "Our previous assessment was too conservative! He's no longer a potential threat we need to pay attention to; he's a huge threat that already threatens the very foundation of our plans!"

He pointed sharply at Pain: "We can't let him grow up so recklessly anymore, we must act immediately!"

"Restrict him! Ideally—" A chilling killing intent flashed in the single eye beneath Obito's mask, "Eliminate him completely!"

"At the same time," Obito spoke rapidly, clearly having already planned ahead, "The plan to capture the Tailed Beast also needs to be brought forward; we can no longer wait step by step! However, in order not to arouse the suspicion of the Five Great Nations prematurely, we must still proceed in secrecy!"

He extended his gloved fingers and pointed them in the air. "Targets, prioritize those Tailed Beasts that are not under the strict control of the Five Great Ninja Villages!"

For example, the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki of Takigakure! Waterfall Village is weak and located in a remote area, making it easy to take down and control the situation.

Furthermore, there's Shukaku, the One-Tail Beast, who hasn't been revived yet and Chakra is scattered! Sunagakure currently preoccupied with its own problems, making this the perfect opportunity for us to secretly search for its Chakra, revive it, and capture it!

Obito paused, his gaze beneath the mask seemingly piercing through space, landing on a distant Rock Ninja: "And—when I was setting up my scheme in Iwagakure, I successfully sowed discord among the Four-Tails Jinchuriki, Rōshi!"

That stubborn old man, due to his ideological differences with the Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, is already planning to leave Iwagakure. Once he's alone, capturing him will be far easier than forcibly taking him from the Five Great Ninja Villages."

Obito's plan sounded meticulously crafted and aggressively ambitious. However, no sooner had he finished speaking than a cold, clearly disapproving voice rang out.

"I object, Mr. Madara." Konan stepped forward, her paper flowers fluttering even without wind, her sharp gaze meeting Obito's mask. "Capturing the Tailed Beast is not something you can do in secret as you so casually as you claim!"

Each Tailed Beast possesses world-destroying power, and every capture is inevitably accompanied by an earth-shattering battle! Whether we choose the Seven-Tails, the One-Tail, or track down Rōshi, it's impossible to completely conceal the commotion!

Once detected, the Five Great Ninja Villages will immediately become alert and might even form an alliance to encircle and annihilate us! Akatsuki's current strength is far from sufficient to fight against the entire Ninja World simultaneously!

She looked at Pain, her tone earnest. "Pain, exposing ourselves now is premature! The organization needs time to build up its strength and perfect its preparations. As for that Taichi Matsushita— "

Konan frowned slightly. "He has indeed displayed astonishing strength, but hastily launching a full-scale plan to deal with him, which might even provoke a joint attack from the Five Great Nations, is a risk that is completely disproportionate to the reward! It's more like—a reckless act driven by personal fear."

"Reckless?" Pain's emotionless, mechanical voice finally broke through Konan's words. His purple Rinnegan gleamed with a cold yet arrogant light in the dim light.

"Konan, you're being overly cautious." Pain's voice was devoid of emotion, only displaying a detached indifference that seemed to look down upon all living beings. "The power of the Tailed Beast is indeed formidable, but before the power of a true god, they are nothing more than slightly larger playthings. As for that Taichi Matsushita— "

He let out a very soft, yet disdainful snort.

"Sage Art? Adamantine Sealing Chains? Five Basic Nature Transformations?" Pain slowly shook his head, his Rinnegan to Obito with an almost pitying skepticism. "Madara," he said, "You seem to have been blinded by the smoke of Konoha, even—your mind has been shaken?"

"So what if he's just a Konoha Ninja? Even if he has some talent and good fortune, can he compare to those eyes?"

He slightly raised his chin, revealing the arrogance of a "god": "These eyes of mine are the Sage Eye Six Paths!"

It is the supreme power that Kekkei Genkai and all Ninjutsu in the Ninja World!

Taichi Matsushita? He might be able to dominate on mortal battlefields, but before the power of the Rinnegan, he's nothing more than a slightly stronger ant. Your fear of him is so great, even to the point of disrupting our carefully crafted plans; it truly baffles me."

"Puzzling?" Obito's face beneath the mask twisted instantly, a surge of anger rising to his head.

He recalled Minato's incredibly fast Flying Thunder God, which even he, with his Mangekyo, couldn't react to;

He was reminded of the absolute power that Taiichi had in the wasteland, manipulating the Nine-Tails with ease!

Although it was somewhat embarrassing, at those two moments, he truly felt a chill run down his spine, a fear that he might die at any moment.

"Pain!" Obito's voice suppressed rage, trying his best to calm his tone, "You've never even seen him fight! You have no idea what he is—"

"Enough!" Pain's voice suddenly rose, and the cold purple light from his Rinnegan pierced Obito as if it were a tangible force. "Madara, it's because you lack understanding of the power of God! Your fear has blinded your judgment!"

He stepped forward, his enormous Black-bottomed Red Cloud Robe resembling unfolded wings of death in the dim light. "Since you so highly praise his strength and consider him a major threat—then let me personally judge his worth!"

Pain's gaze swept over Obito and Konan, and he made his final decision. "Until we confirm it with our own eyes, the plan to capture the Tailed Beast will proceed as scheduled. As for Taichi Matsushita— "

His voice was cold and resolute, "I will go to him myself. If he truly possesses the power to threaten the plan, as you say, then before he becomes a complete obstacle, I will crush him with my own hands, using divine power to make him understand what true despair is!"

Obito's teeth clenched so tightly beneath his mask that they clicked, and his single eye glared at Pain, his anger and a sense of humiliation at being looked down upon almost bursting through the mask.

He abruptly turned to look at Jue in the shadows. On Jue's face, which was a mix of black and white, the Black Zetsu remained deep and expressionless, while the White Zetsu grinned, revealing a silent, mocking, and exaggerated smile.

"Hmph!" In the end, Obito could only let out a suppressed snort from deep in his throat.

"Since you've made this decision, fine. Jue, you'll cooperate with Pain and provide information on Taichi Matsushita's whereabouts."

He then turned to Pain, offering a final warning, "I hope your Rinnegan won't disappoint you, Pain."

"God's gaze is never wrong," Pain replied indifferently, turning his gaze back to the endless rain outside the window, as if the argument had never happened.

Konan looked at Pain's indifferent profile, then at Obito, who exuded a gloomy and angry aura, and sighed silently.

The Nine-Tails' rampage in Konoha was like a bolt from the blue; it couldn't be hidden.

That night, the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox's enormous, mountain-like body ravaged the village, its violent Chakra flames soaring into the sky, dyeing half the night sky an ominous orange-red. The Nine-Tails's power was so great that it could be clearly heard several kilometers away.

Such a momentous event could not possibly be contained within the walls of Konoha.

Spies from various countries, lurking within Konoha and the surrounding area, acted like sharks smelling blood, immediately transmitting this intelligence through their respective channels.

Iwagakure, Tsuchikage's Office.

Ōnoki of Both Scales, a short, two-dimensional figure, hovered in mid-air, clutching the newly deciphered secret report in his hand.

On his face, etched with the wrinkles of time, a look of disbelief and astonishment first flashed across his face. Then, like frozen ground cracking open, a complex smile slowly bloomed, a mixture of schadenfreude and relief, which finally turned into undisguised joy.

"Heh--heh heh--" A deep laugh echoed in the empty office. "The Nine-Tails! It's actually the Nine-Tails that has completely gone berserk in the heart of Konoha! Good! Very good!"

He slammed the intelligence scroll down on the table, his cloudy old eyes gleaming with a sharp light. To Ōnoki, Konoha's decline was, in effect, Iwagakure's growing strength!

The hatred and rivalry left over from the Third Shinobi World War have never truly disappeared, and the incident in Konoha this time has truly relieved him.

With his hands behind his back, he slowly floated to the huge French windows, looking down at the somewhat desolate Iwagakure below, his good mood sinking to the bottom again.

Iwagakure's foundation is still too shallow, not as solid as Konoha's. They haven't fully recovered from the great battle yet.

Even so, there were still some people in the village who opposed him every day.

"That stubborn Rōshi!" Ōnoki's brows furrowed again, feeling annoyed at the thought of that obstinate Four-Tails Jinchuriki.

That guy spends all his time promoting his ridiculous "peace" ideology, constantly contradicting his own strategy of strengthening Iwagakure. He's utterly stubborn!

And then there's the recent situation in the village— Ōnoki's eyes turned slightly cold, sensing an undercurrent of unease stirring within him, as if someone was fanning the flames in the shadows, attempting to shake the foundations of his rule.

However, with Konoha's own backyard on fire and the village preoccupied with its own problems, the immense pressure from Konoha has suddenly eased.

This gave him more time to resolve internal conflicts.

Kumogakure, Raikage Building.

The atmosphere was completely different from the gloating of the Iwagakure; here, there was a sense of excitement and urgency, like that of a predator discovering its prey is badly wounded.

The Fourth Raikage, A, stood before the battle map with a burly body like an iron tower, his muscles bulging beneath his bronze skin.

He had just finished listening to the detailed report from the Jonin the Intelligence Department, his sharp eyes fixed on the location of Konoha in the Land of Fire the map.

"Is this correct?" Ai's voice boomed like thunder, brimming with excitement. "The Nine-Tails has completely broken free of its seal," rather than simply going berserk and out of control.

"Yes, Lord Raikage!" the intelligence Jonin replied decisively. "Our eyes" witnessed the crucial detail: the Sharingan pattern appearing in the Nine-Tails' eyes. Based on the overall assessment, it wasn't the Jinchuriki going berserk, but rather the Nine-Tails breaking free of its Jinchuriki."

"Alright!" A slammed his fist down on the heavy solid wood table. The hard wood groaned under the weight, leaving a clear fist mark. "When Tailed Beast leaves its Jinchuriki, the Jinchuriki is doomed."

A terrifying light flashed in his eyes—not sadness, but the excitement of a beast seeing an opportunity. "In that case, Konoha's Nine-Tails Jinchuriki is gone!"

With the death of the old Jinchuriki, even if the Nine-Tails is recaptured and sealed, it will not be able to regain its fighting power in a short time, and its deterrent effect will be greatly reduced.

Moreover, the situation described in the intelligence report was shocking: the village center was reduced to scorched earth, countless ninjas and Civilian were killed or injured, and the village was severely weakened!

"Give the order!" Ai whirled around, his voice booming like a bell, making the entire room buzz, "Assemble the First and Third Assault Regiments, a total of one thousand elite soldiers! Led by Samui, set off immediately and station them at the border of the Land of Frost!"

His finger slammed down on the location of the Land of Frost on the map. "Let them stay there! Ready for battle!"

A's gaze swept over the Cloud Village's high-ranking officials present. "Closely monitor Konoha's every move! Once subsequent intelligence confirms Konoha's weakness, I want this force to immediately advance into the Land of Hot Water!"

The Land of Hot Water, a buffer zone rich in resources and with a huge number of missions to be commissioned, was firmly controlled by Konoha in the later stages of the Third Shinobi World War, and has always been a thorn in the side of Cloud Village.

Now that Konoha has suffered such a heavy blow, it is the perfect opportunity to regain market share and push its sphere of influence forward!

"What a pity!" Ai's excitement was mixed with a hint of resentment. He looked at the direction of the Land of Wind and the Land of Water on the map and clenched his fists tightly.

"Sunagakure is still half-dead, a bunch of stray dogs, completely unreliable! And those guys in Mist Village are even more inexplicable, locking their doors like iron barrels, not even a fly can get out! Otherwise—"

A ruthless glint flashed in his eyes. "If we could unite several major ninja villages to put pressure on Konoha simultaneously, the chances of success would be much greater!"

The disaster in Konoha is like a boulder thrown into the deep pool of the Ninja World, and the ripples it has created are spreading at an alarming speed.

The smugness of the Iwagakure Village and the sharpening of swords by the Cloud Village were merely the first ripples in this turbulent undercurrent.

In the darker depths, the shadow known as "Akatsuki" is silently adjusting its fangs.