Amegakure, beneath the curtain of rain, in a dimly lit room.
The faint light barely dispelled some of the darkness, allowing those inside to make out one another's faces.
Just then, a mysterious vortex slowly appeared.
A moment later, Obito emerged from the vortex, wearing his iconic orange spiral mask. The black cloak with red clouds billowed wildly in the vortex's currents.
"Looks like everyone's here."
Obito's low voice echoed through the dim room from behind his mask.
"Then let's begin my next plan."
He slowly raised his head. A crimson gleam flickered in the eye visible through his mask.
His gaze passed over the Six Paths of Pain, who possessed the Rinnegan and controlled the Six Paths; Konan, whose expression was calm; and Uchiha Shisui, who was resting with his eyes closed.
Finally, Obito's gaze settled on Zetsu's grotesque form. Zetsu grinned, letting out a chilling laugh.
Obito slowly took his seat, then lifted his head slightly and let his gaze sweep across everyone in the room.
At last, he spoke, his low voice ringing through the dim space:
"The civil war in Amegakure has finally ended. Now it's time for you to help me fulfill my long-held wish."
Deva Path Pain stood silently, his black cloak embroidered with red clouds seeming even more mysterious in the dim light.
After hearing Obito's words, he gave a slight nod and said:
"I understand. More specifically, what should we do?"
His emotionless voice echoed through the room.
The corners of Obito's mouth lifted slightly, forming a smile hidden beneath his mask and impossible for anyone else to notice.
He slowly rose to his feet and spread his arms, as if proclaiming his control over the plan ahead.
"First, we recruit allies."
His voice rose slightly as he continued,
"We need more allies to carry out our plan under the name 'Akatsuki.' As for the number... let's find ten more, besides me and Shisui."
Obito paused for a moment.
"Besides Pain, Konan, and Zetsu, we still need to find the remaining seven members."
At this, Deva Path Pain slowly turned his head toward Shisui, who was resting with his eyes closed beside him.
Shisui sat quietly, as if none of the discussion around him had anything to do with him.
Deva Path Pain turned his gaze back to Obito and asked in his usual calm tone:
"Why are you excluding the two of you?"
"I need to operate behind the scenes. I'll join you when the time is right," Obito explained unhurriedly, glancing at Shisui. "As for Shisui... he prefers to work alone."
After listening, Deva Path Pain replied with a few quiet words:
"I understand. Helping with your plan was one of the long-held wishes I agreed to fulfill."
"Heh..." Hearing this, Obito narrowed his eyes slightly and folded his arms, scoffing inwardly.
"Then how should we find the remaining allies?"
At that moment, Konan, who had been standing silently to one side, spoke up.
Obito heard her and slowly held up three fingers. In the dim light, they stood out clearly.
"I've already found three candidates."
A trace of smugness showed in his eyes.
"Bringing in weaklings would only cause trouble. All three of these people are formidable figures in the Shinobi World:
"Kakuzu, the immortal ninja who stole the forbidden technique from Takigakure; Biwa Juzo, an S-rank missing-nin from Kirigakure and one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen; and Sasori, the rogue genius puppeteer from Sunagakure."
"In that case, Konan, let's go."
Deva Path Pain turned slightly. His gaze, like a still, deep pool, rested on Konan as he spoke in a steady tone.
Just as Pain turned to leave, Obito's voice drifted after him:
"Persuade them to join Akatsuki. Zetsu will provide you with intelligence the whole time."
Deva Path Pain tilted his head slightly. His gaze fell like a blade on Zetsu, who stood to one side, and he nodded to show he understood.
Then he strode steadily out of the room.
"Do you need anything else, Uchiha Shisui?"
Noticing that Uchiha Shisui was still sitting quietly in place, his figure seemingly blending into the surrounding darkness, Obito asked him.
"Before we look for new members, I need a summoning beast."
Shisui slowly opened his eyes and rose to his feet without hurry.
"A summoning beast? There are plenty of good ones in the Shinobi World. Zetsu can give you the details..."
Obito offered without hesitation, trying to help Shisui.
But before he could finish, Shisui cut him off without the slightest courtesy:
"No, forget those little animals. I heard the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki in Konoha is about to give birth. That little fox would be a good choice."
Obito's pupils contracted sharply at the words, but he quickly regained his composure. His expression remained unruffled as he replied mildly:
"Sounds like you're confident you can capture the Nine-Tails?"
"I wouldn't say I'm very confident. Maybe ninety percent."
The corners of Shisui's mouth lifted slightly in a confident, almost arrogant smile.
Obito narrowed his eyes, thinking to himself:
"This guy really loves showing off. I can barely control the Nine-Tails with the chakra Madara left inside it, and he thinks he can capture it?"
After thinking for a moment, Obito said slowly:
"Good timing. I'm going to Konoha as well. We'll carry out this plan together."
Uchiha Shisui gave a slight nod and looked calmly at Obito Uchiha.
"Let's go. It should take about the right amount of time to get there from Amegakure."
"No need to go to all that trouble. It'll be much faster if you come with me."
As he spoke, Obito reached out and placed a hand on Uchiha Shisui's shoulder. The gesture seemed casual, yet carried a force that allowed no refusal.
At the same time, a faint glimmer passed through his eyes as he secretly left behind a Kamui mark, concealed beneath the fluctuations of Shisui's chakra like a lurking beast.
Shisui instantly sensed Obito's little trick. He sneered inwardly but kept his expression unchanged.
In his eyes, Obito was certainly powerful, but not enough to threaten him.
He was confident that his abilities would let him handle any unexpected situation. This little bit of scheming was nothing but a pointless test from Obito.
As a vortex slowly formed in Obito's eye, its mysterious power seemed ready to pull the entire space into an endless void.
Drawn in by that powerful force, their bodies slowly turned hazy before disappearing from the room entirely, leaving only the dim light swaying in their wake.
The forest behind Konoha was quiet and deep, with the fresh scent of earth and leaves in the air.
In an instant, a mysterious vortex slowly appeared.
A moment later, two figures gradually emerged from the vortex, their forms shifting from hazy to solid.
Obito walked in front, his black cloak snapping in the mountain breeze. The Sharingan visible through his iconic tiger-striped mask glimmered a deep red.
Uchiha Shisui followed close behind, dressed in Akatsuki's black cloak embroidered with red clouds. It swayed in the wind, lending him a carefree yet mysterious air.
He gently turned the ring engraved with "Mei" on his finger. A trace of scrutiny and nostalgia in his eyes, he spoke slowly, his voice low and resonant:
"Still the same as ever. It really brings back memories. But Konoha hasn't changed much."