In an unnamed land, deep underground in a sunless lair, White Zetsu's corpse lay on an experiment table... Its entire body was covered in complex jutsu formulas, its head split open and the incision held apart with instruments.
Yakushi Kabuto carefully worked with chakra-infused blades. Sweat slid down his face, but he paid it no mind, only occasionally pushing up his glasses with a free finger.
Orochimaru sat nearby, propping his cheek on one hand as his slit pupils watched the data flickering across the instruments. A knowing smile curled his lips.
"Just as I suspected, White Zetsu uses the soul as a medium of communication. Even when the soul is confined inside a container like this, I can detect the constantly intertwining waves of mental thought."
"It's simply that without a living body to serve as a relay station, the information cannot be vividly expressed."
"Hmm?" Orochimaru's expression shifted slightly. "That feeling... Nagato is summoning me."
—Phantom Projection Technique!
Whoosh! Orochimaru's rainbow-colored phantom appeared before Nagato and Konan.
"Yo, Nagato. Long time no see. Where is this?"
"Jizo Temple in the Land of Rice."
"Why not use the Rinnegan to summon me directly?"
"I was afraid of interrupting your work, so I thought I'd give you a heads-up first. How is it? Any progress?"
"Heh heh... I believe I'll be able to deliver my first answer sheet to you very soon."
"You've worked hard."
"Thank you for asking. How are things progressing on your end?"
"I've already acquired four blood samples. Only that 'main subject' remains."
"What frightening efficiency. Perfect—once I have results here, the Hashirama Artificial Body Cells on the Demonic Statue and your 'main subject' can be handled at the same time."
"About how much longer will it take?"
"Oh? Could it be that you have something outside the plan to carry out, Nagato?"
"Something like that. I want to see whether there's enough time."
"Three days. My results will be ready by then."
"Three days... that's enough. Then we'll head north."
"Heh heh, the Land of Lightning? Your target wouldn't happen to be that man who died in such a shocking manner during the recent war, would it?"
"You know where his body is?"
"Heh heh heh, you've certainly come to the right person, Nagato..."
Whoosh!
After the phantom projection vanished, Nagato said to the person beside him, "Konan, I was planning to soak in a hot spring here, but it seems we need to get moving first."
"That's fine. We can soak once we're done with the important business."
Konan had already formed the cultivation seal for the Night Netherworld Spider Lily. Today was the second night she had to endure, and she felt fairly well.
Thus, the two of them put off any further rest and continued their journey north.
Two unnamed small countries lay between the Land of Rice and the Land of Lightning. Even riding the Yata Crow through the air, the trip would still take at least a day.
Meanwhile... Fugaku and Shisui had also returned to the village.
During the Third Shinobi World War, the genius renowned throughout the Shinobi World, Body Flicker Shisui, had actually lost an arm outside the village. The entire Uchiha clan was in an uproar!
After returning, Shisui was admitted to the Uchiha hospital, and members of the police force came rushing over upon hearing the news.
Fugaku leaned against the wall outside the ward, his arms folded across his chest. Without changing expression, he said Shisui had been injured after accidentally triggering a trap while carrying out a mission at Kikyo Mountain.
"Injured by accidentally triggering a trap? Hey, Captain, are you joking? Would Shisui make that kind of mistake?"
The explanation simply did not hold up, but since Fugaku insisted, they could not say much more.
"Damn it... at a time like this! The village was just attacked, and then this happened to Shisui!"
Fugaku frowned upon hearing that. "You said... the village was attacked?"
"Yes. Two people even broke into the Uchiha clan's compound! We killed one of them, but the other was so powerful it was simply outrageous!"
Fugaku asked in a grave voice, "Did the enemies... have any distinguishing features?"
After listening to his clansmen's descriptions, Fugaku broke out in a cold sweat... because those two people perfectly matched the enemies he had encountered at Kikyo Mountain!
Even more terrifyingly, the intruder the clansmen said they had killed was also one of the enemies Shisui and he had encountered!
Could the enemy... even possess the ability to resurrect the dead?
Although Nagato had appeared during the battle, Pain's secret was far too baffling. Fugaku had thought about it all the way back, racking his brains without reaching any conclusion.
"Oh, right, Captain Fugaku... Itachi seems to know something about what happened, but no matter how we asked him, he refused to say anything!"
Fugaku pushed himself off the wall. His folded arms slowly fell to his sides as he said calmly, "Return to your posts."
When he returned home.
Itachi sat in the entryway, seemingly having waited for him to come back. "Father, Mother has just gone to sleep."
Fugaku glanced toward the bedroom. "Then let's talk outside."
Itachi nodded and changed into his shoes.
Father and son came to sit on the corridor outside the house.
"Father, the real reason Brother Shisui was injured wasn't that he accidentally triggered a trap, was it? It was those people with those strange eyes..."
Fugaku's gaze darkened. In the end, he chose not to hide it from his own son.
"Yes. Against beings like that, losing an arm was already a stroke of great fortune. We nearly failed to return at all, Shisui and I."
"So, Itachi, you need to tell Father what you know."
Sizzle! Itachi raised his head, and tomoe appeared in his eyes. "Let me convey it through my eyes. That way... it'll be faster."
"!!" Fugaku stared at the tomoe in four-year-old Itachi's Sharingan... stunned for a long while, unable to utter a single word.
After watching... what Itachi and Mikoto had experienced that night, cold sweat covered Fugaku's back.
He had never imagined... that the enemy's targets were not only Shisui and him, but also his wife and son!
If the enemy had truly intended to kill them... he did not even dare imagine the consequences.
The Sharingan faded. Clenching his fists, Itachi could no longer suppress his guilt as he said, "Father... I failed to protect Mother. I let her get hurt!"
"Itachi, there is no need to blame yourself! At your age, you already did very well!"
"Afterward, the clansmen who noticed something came to question me. I kept my mouth shut and did not report it to the village. For something this serious, I wanted to ask Father first..."
"You did the right thing..."
Knock, knock!
At that moment, someone knocked at the courtyard gate.
"Itachi, wait here. We'll continue later."
When he came to the door, a member of the police force reported to Fugaku, "Captain, the Fourth Hokage just went to the clan hospital to visit Shisui!"
"Then I need to go as well!"
"He has already left. He only left behind some gifts, and he told you to rest well tonight. Also..." The police force member hesitated.
Fugaku asked, "Say what you have to say!"
The man said, "He also wishes to invite you to attend Konoha's emergency meeting tomorrow night to discuss the recent village intruders."
Fugaku said thoughtfully, "Understood. I will attend."
After closing the door, Itachi stepped forward. "Father, should we take this chance to tell them about the enemies...?"
After a long silence, Fugaku solemnly instructed, "Itachi, no matter who asks about what happened that night from now on, you must insist that you know nothing."
Itachi asked, "I want to know why, Father..."
Uchiha Fugaku... at this moment, the man did not even have the courage to use the Sharingan to show Itachi the images from Kikyo Mountain.
"Not yet. Wait until you are a little older, Itachi..."
Land of Lightning, Cloud Gate Valley.
Thunder rumbled oppressively, while the rain wept in grief!!
"Waaaaaaaaah... Old man, may you rest in peace!!! One day, your son will lead the village youngsters and grind that damned old Ōnoki, along with those Iwagakure scum, to dust and ashes to console your spirit in heaven!!!"
The Fourth Raikage, A, knelt before the grave, wailing loud enough to shake the heavens!
"Wuwuwuwu... Lord Raikage!! We will never forget your heroic figure! We will do everything in our power to assist the Fourth and make the Will of Lightning resound throughout the Shinobi World!!!"
Behind him, the Hidden Cloud Village shinobi mourned as though they had lost their own parents!
On the mountaintop above them, Nagato and Konan exchanged looks, both unsure whether to laugh or cry.
"Who would have thought... we'd arrive in time for such a grand funeral."
That was right... Nagato's preferred candidate for Pain's Asura Path was none other than the man known for possessing the Strongest Spear and the Strongest Shield, who had faced ten thousand enemies alone during the recently concluded Third Shinobi World War, fought for three days and three nights without falling—Third Raikage A!
Before you continue