River Temple was majestic and solemn, its statues posed in different ways, as if soaring high in the heavens while the dim light beneath their feet obscured the mortal world.
Uchiha Shinichi sat cross-legged on the branch of an ancient tree outside the temple. His black robe hung down and swayed gently in the wind, its red clouds seeming ready to blaze to life.
His fingertips rubbed the ring engraved with the character "East." Its metallic surface glinted coldly, as though responding to the chakra surging within him.
At that moment, a ripple came from the ring, as if urging him on. Shinichi once again felt like a corporate slave.
"Phantom Lantern Body Technique... a virtual online meeting?"
Shinichi murmured softly, a teasing smile curling at his lips.
He recalled the technique Pain had once mentioned—using the resonance between the rings and the Rinnegan to project one's consciousness into a designated space for remote gatherings.
"How convenient. And how awful. Looks like I'll have to work overtime!"
He lazily raised a hand and formed several complex hand seals.
In an instant, the "East" on his ring glowed faintly, and an unusual pulling sensation spread from his fingertips throughout his entire body.
His consciousness seemed to be pulled away, and the scene before his eyes abruptly twisted. When he opened them again, he was already in a dim, strange space.
—This was the Akatsuki's meeting place.
The surroundings were black as ink. Only several indistinct figures floated in the void, each with a ring symbolizing their identity on a finger.
Only an ancient pillar lamp on the stone table at the center of the cavern was lit, its faint glow linking everyone together.
Deva Path Pain stood at the head. Konan was on his left, followed by Kakuzu, Kisame Hoshigaki with