"Madara", Nagato, Konan

In a secret chamber within the Land of Rain.

Pain, Konan, and Obito Uchiha each sat in a chair.

"Are you saying that this Hyuuga Nen headed toward the Land of Wind?" Pain broke the silence first, looking toward Obito Uchiha.

"That is indeed the case. After he escaped the pursuit of the three great nations, he traveled deep into the Land of Wind," Obito Uchiha said.

"Given his situation, he shouldn't be heading toward the Five Great Nations. Why would he do such a thing?" Konan asked at this moment.

After a moment of silence, Obito Uchiha spoke: "If I were him, I would certainly avoid the people of the Five Great Nations. The fact that he is going to the Land of Wind now suggests that there must be something there that attracts him."

Hearing Obito Uchiha's words, Konan took a booklet from the table beside her and began to flip through it.

"If it is the Land of Wind, I have heard that there is a ruin of the Ancient Loulan there. Hidden within the Loulan ruins is a Dragon Vein, and the Dragon Vein contains immense chakra. Perhaps he intends to obtain the power of the Dragon Vein."

Konan closed the booklet and spoke.

"The Dragon Vein? That makes sense. Since we already know his whereabouts, let us begin preparations to recruit him," Pain decided.

"Pain, I don't think recruiting him into the organization is a good idea. After all, this person possesses the Byakugan; he will be able to uncover a great deal of our intelligence."

"Furthermore, this person is different from the others in our organization. We have no way to ensure his loyalty to us," Obito Uchiha raised his objection at this time.

As Obito Uchiha spoke, Konan also nodded; it was clear she agreed with his assessment.

"Different from us? How is he different?" Pain asked.

"He has never experienced pain. The candidates I previously proposed to you have all gone through such a process. He, however, has not. He may not necessarily identify with our organization's ideals and goals," Obito Uchiha continued.

"That is not important. What matters is whether he can serve us. There is no place for him in the ninja world anymore, and under the power of these eyes of mine, he has no possibility of resisting."

"Besides, if he truly attempts to betray the organization, I will make him taste the flavor of pain. Do you understand, Madara?" Pain retorted to Obito Uchiha's words.

"I understand. Since you are determined to recruit him, I have nothing more to say, though I still stand by my opinion," Obito Uchiha remained silent for a long while after hearing Pain's words before finally answering.

"I will go to recruit him personally; there is no need to trouble you with this matter, Madara," Pain replied to Obito Uchiha with indifference.

Obito Uchiha, whom Pain addressed as Madara, merely nodded and left the secret chamber.

"Pain, I think Madara is right. Recruiting this person carries greater risks. Are you sure you want to do this? After all, he possesses the Byakugan and can discover many things that others cannot."

Konan looked at Pain, speaking with a hint of worry.

"Konan, I understand your concerns. The Byakugan can indeed see many things others cannot. However, I will make preparations before recruiting him, so rest assured."

"After all, the organization is currently very short on manpower, and judging by his strength, he does indeed meet the requirements of our Akatsuki."

"Since you have made your decision, I will not oppose you. Shall we go to the secret chamber now?" Konan asked.

"Let us go now. Dealing with it early will make it easier to recruit him quickly." Having said that, Pain walked out of the chamber and headed toward a hidden location.

Pain and Konan walked through a secret passage, descending for a long time until they finally arrived at a massive underground space.

In the center of this underground space sat a strangely shaped wooden wheelchair, and upon it sat a man with red hair. The man was extremely thin, reduced to skin and bones, with a large number of black iron rods protruding from his back.

Pain stood motionless upon entering the space. Konan hurried to the red-haired man's side, looking at him with concern. "Nagato, are you alright?"

"I am fine, Konan. Let us move the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path to a deeper level underground now," the man named Nagato said to Konan.

"Very well."

Konan looked up at Nagato's back, where a monster resembling a small mountain stood. The creature was motionless; its form was quite similar to a human's, yet its body resembled withered wood, and its face bore nine closed eyes.

In the time that followed, Nagato and Konan continued to excavate the underground space much further down. At the same time, they covered the area with Sealing Formulas to prevent detection by the Byakugan.

"That will do, Konan." As he said this, Nagato breathed heavily. "Next, I will inject more chakra into Pain so that he can operate over long distances. You should head back first."

"I understand, Nagato. You must take care of your own health as well." Hearing Nagato's words, Konan nodded and left the massive underground space.

After leaving the secret chamber, Obito Uchiha returned to his room. "Nagato, you really are a handful!" Obito Uchiha complained.

"What is it, Obito?" At this moment, a person resembling a pitcher plant slowly emerged from the ground. His body was black on one side and white on the other, looking quite bizarre.

"Zetsu, how many times must I tell you? Call me Madara!"

"My apologies, Lord Madara. Is there something troubling you?" the strange being named Zetsu asked in a peculiar tone.

"Nagato wants to recruit that man named Hyuuga Nen into the organization. I told him not to, but he wouldn't listen to me."

"The Byakugan? That is indeed troublesome. However, since Nagato has decided to recruit him into the organization, he will surely take precautions. He shouldn't be able to discover anything," Zetsu said.

"The organization is indeed short on manpower. Although we just recruited Orochimaru, we are still far from having enough."

"After all, Pain is the public leader of Akatsuki. It is not yet appropriate for you to have a direct conflict with him, so do not oppose his opinion."

"Hmph, I know," Obito said, sounding somewhat unconvinced.

"Also, you must be prepared. Do not let the Byakugan discover your true identity," Zetsu continued. As he said this, Zetsu shifted his gaze toward Obito Uchiha's mask.

"Yes, I am aware of that. If there is nothing else, you may leave," Obito Uchiha said with impatience.

"Then you should prepare early. A minor variable will not affect our plans; you can rest assured of that." Having said this, Zetsu submerged into the ground and departed.

After waiting for a while, Obito Uchiha removed his mask and began to cast a sealing jutsu upon it to isolate it from the Byakugan's detection.

After all, if it were just an ordinary mask, Obito Uchiha's face would be seen directly, and his disguise would be exposed.

"This should be fine." Obito Uchiha put the mask back on and left the room.

"It is time to see how the person I have scouted is doing now." Obito Uchiha's words echoed in the room.