The Twelve Talismans

[On the screen, the Lord of Nine Nether heard Mahito's question.]

[He raised his Nine-Tomoe Rinnegan again, his gaze pressing down on Mahito like a physical weight.]

["Scattered across this world are twelve Talismans, each containing a supreme law.]

[Their power surpasses every Ninjutsu, Kekkei Genkai, and Tailed Beast you could ever comprehend."]

["Only by gathering all twelve Talismans can the true plan begin and the order and laws of this world be remade. That is Nine Nether's current goal."]

[Mahito's grin grew wilder, his interest mounting. "I get it. You want power so you can rule the world, right?!"]

[The Lord of Nine Nether slowly closed his eyes. His voice was filled with sorrow. "Not rule. Destroy and protect!"]

[A Shadow Army ninja silently appeared and led Mahito away into the deeper darkness.]

[The Shadow Kingdom returned to its ancient stillness. Only the half of the Tiger Talisman glimmered faintly upon the throne.]

The Canopy Screen's footage ended there, and a line of enormous text appeared.

[That is the full truth of the Nine-Tails Incident. The Soul Chatroom feature will now open. The next video will play in one month.]

[Fourth Raikage A: "Can you all see this? Who is that Lord of Nine Nether? What are the Twelve Talismans? Can anyone explain?"]

[Third Tsuchikage Ōnoki: "Those eyes of his look like the legendary Rinnegan. But I've never heard of the Twelve Talismans. Konoha's Shimura Danzō should come out and explain this."]

[Shimura Danzō: "I know nothing about Nine Nether or any Snake Talisman. Believe me or don't."]

[Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi: "I propose that our Great Shinobi Villages form a temporary military alliance to face the unknown threat to the Shinobi World."]

[Fourth Mizukage Mei Terumi: "I agree with Konoha's proposal. The Five Great Nations may no longer be the ones calling the shots in the Shinobi World."]

[Fourth Kazekage Rasa: "I agree with the Third Hokage."]

[Nine Nether Special Grade Cursed Spirit Mahito: "An alliance? How interesting!"]

What?!

The others tried to speak again, only to find that each person could post just once—and not everyone could post at all.

[Sasuke Uchiha: "Itachi, I know you can see this! Tell me the truth about that night. What exactly happened with Naraka?!"]

[Itachi Uchiha: "My foolish little brother, grow stronger. Only then will you learn more of the truth."]

[Kakashi Hatake: "Obito, where are you? Why did you harm Konoha and our teacher's family?!"]

[Obito Uchiha: "Kakashi, if you insist on a reason, it's because you stood by and let Rin die!"]

Meanwhile, Jiraiya was gathering "research material" at Konoha's Women's Bathhouse, wondering why another pair of Rinnegan had appeared.

A moment later, someone spotted him and beat him out of the Women's Bathhouse.

Afterward, the major shinobi villages independently ordered searches for the Talismans and threw their efforts into gathering information on Nine Nether and the Shadow Kingdom.

In Amegakure, four figures appeared atop the fingers of the enormous Demonic Statue of the Outer Path: Deva Path Pain, Konan, Obito Uchiha, and Black Zetsu.

The revelations on the Canopy Screen had been so shocking that they had forced this emergency meeting.

"The Nine-Tomoe Rinnegan. The Shadow Kingdom. Collecting Talismans." Deva Path Pain's voice remained cold and detached, but beneath it lay the faintest trace of fear.

"Who exactly is this Lord of Nine Nether?"

"Hmph. A fraud hiding behind theatrics!" Obito Uchiha said, though the Sharingan beneath his mask gleamed with caution.

"Talismans? Remaking the world? It's all a lie!"

Konan's brows drew together, and slips of paper fluttered restlessly around her. "But his power looked real."

"He can command those strange ninjas and make a Monster like Mahito submit. His strength must be unfathomable. And his goal seems to overlap with our reason for collecting Tailed Beasts."

Just then, Black Zetsu, who had remained as silent as a shadow, spoke in his distinctive low, raspy voice. His words came slowly, yet struck like a bombshell.

"That Lord of Nine Nether feels familiar to me."

"Familiar?" Obito Uchiha snapped his head toward Black Zetsu. "You know him?"

Black Zetsu's form shifted in the shadows, as though he were recalling something from the distant past.

"No, I don't know him," Black Zetsu said slowly. "It's the aura around him—the sense of his standing—and the shape of those eyes."

He paused, then said something that plunged the gathering into dead silence.

"He's somewhat like my elder brother—the Sage of Six Paths, Hagoromo Otsutsuki."

"What?!!" all three cried.

Obito was the first to lose his composure. "The Sage of Six Paths? That legendary god of creation? Black Zetsu, has the rain addled your brain?! How could he still be alive?!"

Konan's eyes widened. She stared at Black Zetsu in disbelief, then turned to Deva Path Pain.

Even the usually expressionless Deva Path Pain showed a violent ripple across his Rinnegan!

The Sage of Six Paths? He was the end of the path to godhood Pain sought, the legendary source of his power!

And now he was being told that an enemy might possess power on that level?

"Explain yourself!" Deva Path Pain's voice held an unprecedented severity and a barely perceptible tremor.

Black Zetsu continued in his raspy voice. "It's only a feeling. After all, I never saw Hagoromo at the height of his power."

"But that power transcends ordinary Kekkei Genkai and touches the very foundations of the world."

"And those Nine-Tomoe Rinnegan—you could consider them a higher, more complete form of the Rinnegan."

"If he really is collecting those so-called Talismans, and each one contains the power of a law..."

"Then the threat he poses far exceeds the Five Great Nations—even everything we had imagined before," Black Zetsu concluded.

The meeting fell into a long silence.

Behind his mask, Obito Uchiha's expression darkened. He hated variables outside his plans.

Konan looked at Deva Path Pain with concern. She could sense the tremendous shock Nagato was enduring.

At last, Deva Path Pain raised his head. The turmoil in his Rinnegan gradually subsided, replaced by firm resolve.

"No matter whom he resembles or where his power comes from," Deva Path Pain said, his voice once again perfectly calm, "making an enemy of such a being when we know so little would be utterly foolish."

His gaze swept over Obito Uchiha and Black Zetsu.

"The Akatsuki Organization's ultimate goal is to collect the Tailed Beasts, create the ultimate weapon, and make the world feel pain so that peace can be achieved. Until then, we should avoid making powerful enemies we do not need."

He made his decision.

"From today onward, the Akatsuki Organization will withdraw from public view and operate in the shadows."

"We will also suspend large-scale Tailed Beast captures and prioritize gathering every scrap of information on Nine Nether, the Talismans, and the Lord of Nine Nether."

"Let the Five Great Nations face this sudden arrival of Nine Nether first."

"We will lie low, watch how events unfold, and wait for the right moment."

Obito seemed ready to object. But after seeing the unyielding look in Deva Path Pain's eyes and recalling the Lord of Nine Nether's Nine-Tomoe Rinnegan, he merely snorted and said nothing.

Working from the shadows was his specialty, after all.

Black Zetsu remained silent in the darkness. No one knew what he was truly thinking.

Konan nodded slightly, supporting Nagato's decision. Preserving their strength and watching events unfold was indeed the safest choice.

In the end, under the immense pressure posed by the Lord of Nine Nether, the Akatsuki Organization—which had been ready to unleash bloodshed after the Canopy Screen's appearance—

quietly drew in its claws like a great beast retreating into the abyss, choosing to avoid a direct confrontation for now.