The Akatsuki's Interior, News of Return

"Pitter-patter..."

A fine curtain of rain spread across the skies above the Land of Rivers, while the dark, heavy clouds seemed oppressively stifling.

"Rumble!"

A bolt of lightning pierced the clouds, illuminating the scene within a village below.

A towering structure built from heaps of pitch-black stone stood in the middle of the village, looking utterly out of place. Under such oppressive weather, it felt especially eerie.

Lightning flashed, rain mist drifted through the air, and the hazy fog seemed to lend the black structure an even greater air of mystery.

High atop the black building, a figure clad in a black robe patterned with red clouds sat halfway reclined. His striking orange hair seemed too vivid to be obscured even by the overcast sky.

He sat there, allowing the rain to beat against his body.

Just then, a cool yet gentle voice came from behind him.

"Yahiko, they've all arrived."

Hearing the voice behind him, the man slowly turned his head. When he saw the graceful figure shrouded in a black robe, a hint of softness flashed across his sharply defined face as he said warmly, "I understand. Konan, you've already informed Nagato, right?"

"Mm."

Konan nodded gently. Her delicate, fair face and short dark-blue hair made her resemble a blooming orchid beneath the gloomy skies, full of charm.

Yahiko slowly rose to his feet and looked once more at the curtain of rain before him. His gaze seemed filled with emotion as he murmured, "Then let's go."

As soon as he spoke, he lightly leaped forward, falling into the rain and blending into it.

Konan, who had been standing in the shadows behind him, slowly transformed into a pile of tiny scraps of paper that scattered into the darkness with the wind.

Deep within an empty underground space.