"Madara," Nagato, and Konan

The Land of Rain, a certain secret room.

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

"You're saying that Hyuuga Nen headed toward the Land of Wind?" Pain broke the silence first, looking at Obito Uchiha.

"That's right. After escaping the pursuit of the three great nations, he headed deeper into the Land of Wind," Obito Uchiha said.

"Given his circumstances, he shouldn't be going to any of the Five Great Shinobi Nations. Why would he do that?" Konan asked.

After a moment of silence, Obito Uchiha spoke. "If I were him, I'd definitely avoid the Five Great Shinobi Nations. Since he's going to the Land of Wind, there must be something there that attracts him."

Hearing Obito Uchiha's words, Konan picked up a booklet from the table beside her and began flipping through it.

"If he's going to the Land of Wind, I've heard there are ruins of the Ancient Kingdom of Roran there. A Dragon Vein is hidden in the ruins of Rōran, and it contains an immense amount of chakra. Perhaps he wants to obtain the Dragon Vein's power."

Konan closed the booklet and spoke.

"The Dragon Vein? That makes sense. Now that we know where he is, let's begin preparing to recruit him," Pain decided.

"Pain, I don't think recruiting him into the organization is a good idea. After all, he has the Byakugan and could uncover a lot of our information."

"Besides, he's different from the people in our organization. We have no way to ensure his loyalty to us." Obito Uchiha voiced his opposition.

As Obito Uchiha spoke, Konan nodded. Clearly, she agreed with him.

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

"He's never experienced pain. The candidates I previously suggested to you have all gone through that. He hasn't, so he may not accept our organization's ideals and goals."

Obito Uchiha continued.

"That doesn't matter. What matters is whether he can serve us. The Shinobi World has no place for him now, and with the power of these eyes, he won't be able to resist me."

"Besides, if he really tries to betray the organization, I'll make him experience the taste of pain. Do you understand, Lord Madara?" Pain countered Obito Uchiha.

"I understand. Since you want to recruit him, I don't have much to say. But I still stand by my opinion." After hearing Pain's words, Obito Uchiha remained silent for a while before finally replying.

"I'll go recruit him myself. There's no need to trouble Lord Madara with this." Pain replied indifferently.

Obito Uchiha, whom Pain had called Lord Madara, merely nodded and left the secret room.

"Pain, I think Madara is right. Recruiting this person would mean taking on a greater risk. Are you sure you want to do this? After all, he has the Byakugan and can see many things others can't."

Konan looked at Pain and spoke with some concern.

"Konan, I understand your concern. The Byakugan can indeed see many things others can't. But I'll make preparations before recruiting him. Don't worry."

"After all, the organization is badly short of manpower right now. Judging by his strength, he meets the Akatsuki's standards."

"Since you've made your decision, I won't oppose you. Shall we head to the secret chamber now?" Konan asked.

"Let's go now. The sooner we take care of this, the sooner we can recruit him." With that, Pain left the secret room and headed for a hidden location.

Pain and Konan walked through a secret passage, continuing downward. After a long while, they finally reached a vast underground space.

At the center of the underground space stood a strangely shaped wooden wheelchair. A red-haired man sat in it. He was so emaciated that he was little more than skin and bones, and his back was pierced by countless black rods.

Pain stood motionless upon entering the space. Konan hurried over to the red-haired man and looked at him with concern. "Nagato, are you all right?"

"I'm fine, Konan. Let's move the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path deeper underground now," the man named Nagato said.

"Okay."

Konan raised her head and looked behind Nagato, where a monster as large as a small mountain stood. It was motionless and shaped much like a human, but its body resembled deadwood, and it had nine closed eyes on its face.

Over the next while, Nagato and Konan dug the underground chamber much deeper. They also covered the space with Sealing Formulas to prevent it from being detected by the Byakugan.

"That should do it, Konan." Nagato panted heavily as he spoke. "Next, I'll pour more chakra into Pain so he can move over long distances. You should go back first."

"I understand, Nagato. You should take care of your health, too." Konan nodded and left the vast underground space.

After leaving the secret room, Obito Uchiha returned to his own room. Nagato, you really know how to cause me trouble! Obito Uchiha grumbled.

"What's wrong, Obito?" A figure like a pitcher plant slowly emerged from the ground. One half of his body was black and the other white, making him look extremely strange.

"Zetsu, how many times have I told you to call me Madara!"

"So, Lord Madara, is something troubling you?" the strange man named Zetsu asked in an odd tone.

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

"The Byakugan? That is troublesome, but since Nagato has decided to recruit him, he'll surely take precautions. He shouldn't discover anything," Zetsu said.

"The organization really is short of manpower right now. We just recruited Orochimaru, but we're still nowhere near having enough people."

"After all, Pain is the organization's public leader. You shouldn't openly clash with him just yet, so stop opposing his decisions."

"Hmph, I know," Obito said, sounding a little disgruntled.

"Also, make sure you're prepared. Don't let the Byakugan discover your real identity." As he spoke, Zetsu shifted his gaze to Obito Uchiha's mask.

"Yeah, I know. If there's nothing else, leave." Obito Uchiha looked impatient.

"Then make your preparations soon. A little uncertainty won't affect our plan, so you can rest assured." With that, Zetsu sank into the ground and left.

After waiting a while, Obito Uchiha took off his mask and began applying a Sealing Technique to it to block the Byakugan's detection.

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

"This should do it." Obito Uchiha put his mask back on and left the room.

"It's time to see how the person I've been keeping an eye on is doing." Obito Uchiha's words echoed through the room.