Inside the meeting hall, Black Zetsu deftly folded Nagato's "theory of pain" into his own narrative.
He cast Nagato as the rightful heir to his and Madara Uchiha's cause, exploiting every chance to stir the others up and bind their goals together.
An eerie silence fell over the hall once more.
Hidan was so excited he was nearly ready to pray. "So that's it! A sacred inheritance! The continuation of a Deity's unfinished work! Leader, you're the new prophet!"
Kakuzu said, "So there's an investment history behind all this. Looks like the Akatsuki Organization has even more potential than I thought."
Deidara said, "Yeah, a grand legacy. Now that's the ultimate artistic explosion!"
Kisame grinned, his expression complicated as he looked between Obito and Pain. "This keeps getting more interesting."
"Mr. Madara, it seems you weren't the only one involved in your plan from the start, were you? Hmm?"
Behind his mask, Obito Uchiha's face twisted beyond recognition.
He was about to question Black Zetsu about the Eye of the Moon Plan when he suddenly sensed a message from the White Zetsu spores in his hand.
"Play along. Keep them steady!"
Obito Uchiha understood at once. This was just another lie Black Zetsu had made up. The Eye of the Moon Plan was still their shared objective.
Pain fell silent, the sheer weight of the revelations shaking his convictions.
He remembered Jiraiya once calling him the Child of Prophecy, though he had paid it little mind at the time.
Were his Rinnegan and the path he had chosen part of fate too? Was he an heir "chosen by destiny"?
The thought left him with a powerful sense that he was being manipulated.
Yet the "absolute order" and "enforced peace" Black Zetsu described also struck a dangerous chord with his own beliefs.
Itachi Uchiha's heart, meanwhile, sank.
Black Zetsu's account fit together perfectly, wrapping his true ambitions in a false tale of brothers turning against each other.
In Itachi's mind, the threat posed by the Akatsuki Organization had risen to an unprecedented level.
Within Demonic Illusion: Mirage, the pupils of Deva Path Pain's Rinnegan, once indifferent to everything, shifted slightly.
At last, his gaze settled on Black Zetsu's body, half twisted plant and half fathomless shadow.
Something unfamiliar seemed to have crept into the absolute confidence that had once belonged to a "god."
At last, that cold, unwavering voice sounded again, carrying the weight of a declaration.
"So... that's how it is."
Those words shattered the silence and instantly drew every member's attention.
Pain slowly raised a hand, as though reaching for the invisible "history" and "destiny" Black Zetsu had woven before him.
"The scars of war, the fragility of life, the world's pain—none of it began by chance. It all stems from the Sage of Six Paths and his misguided, weak decision."
"To scatter power and place his hopes in ordinary people coming to understand one another?" Pain's voice held a clear note of scorn.
"A thousand years have passed. All he brought was crueler war and deeper despair. That alone proves his path was an utter failure."
His gaze swept over every member present before returning to Black Zetsu.
"Black Zetsu, your vision and Madara Uchiha's efforts were not evil. They were a more thorough 'salvation' that the world misunderstood."
"To establish absolute order through absolute power and end all conflict with the authority of a god—at its core, that is no different from my belief that pain will force the world to grow."
"Both seek to forcibly correct the failed world the Sage of Six Paths created."
He had accepted Black Zetsu's narrative completely. He raised his own ideals to the same level, even seeing them as an evolved path to saving the world.
"We are not simply carrying out acts of destruction, nor are we collecting Tailed Beasts for selfish gain."
Pain's voice rose sharply, taking on a tone that allowed no argument. "We, the Akatsuki Organization, are taking part in a great undertaking to correct the error at the root of this world!"
"We will achieve true unity and peace—what even Hashirama Senju, the God of Shinobi, failed to accomplish!"
He leaned forward slightly, purple light seeming to ripple through his Rinnegan.
"From now on, our goal is clearer, and our mission heavier."
"We will no longer be merely a mercenary organization that makes the world feel pain."
"You are the apostles of the 'god' who will lay the foundations of a new world! The ones who will cleanse away the mistakes of the old era!"
His gaze sharpened as it passed over each member in turn.
"For that, I need your strength more than ever."
"Starting today, every operation must be planned with greater precision! Every member must work more closely with the others!"
"Personal grudges and private schemes must give way to this ultimate goal!"
His words rang through the empty meeting room like decrees.
"Understand the weight of this mission. Then show me the resolve and initiative it demands."
"For the true world of peace to come, one free of falsehood!"
"Let us bring this world absolute 'pain' and 'order.'"
Hidan was the first to roar with fervor. "Ohhh! I heed your divine command! For the new world! Lord Jashin will surely rejoice!"
Kakuzu was silent for a moment before he snorted. "If creating a new world means more money, I have no objection to cooperating."
Deidara said, "Yeah! The ultimate artistic explosion needs a bigger stage! I'm in, yeah!"
Sasori's Hiruko gave a faint clack of assent.
Kisame grinned. He glanced at Obito Uchiha, whose body was trembling slightly, then at Pain and Black Zetsu. His tone was playful.
"What an ever-grander script. Looks like things will be even more interesting from here on out. Cooperation? Of course."
Itachi Uchiha silently lowered his head. Shadows hid his expression, and no one knew of the turmoil in his heart or the cold resolve taking shape beneath it.
From the shadows, Black Zetsu let out a low, satisfied laugh, almost too faint to hear.
His plan was still moving steadily in the direction he had intended.
Of course, none of this would have happened without Hyuga Xiu's help. As soon as the Canopy Screen exposed Black Zetsu's identity, Hyuga Xiu had guessed that Obito and Nagato would question him.
So Hyuga Xiu made a wish for Black Zetsu to convince Obito and Nagato to keep carrying out their plan to collect the Tailed Beasts.
Hyuga Xiu had other plans for the Akatsuki members' fates, so he wanted to keep them from stirring up trouble for now.
To Hyuga Xiu's surprise, though, the wish had cost very few Belief Points.
Then it dawned on him.
After all, if anyone in the entire Naruto world could outtalk its crown prince, Naruto Uzumaki, it was probably Black Zetsu.
Obito Uchiha and Nagato Uzumaki would both eventually be talked around by Naruto Uzumaki.
It was only natural that Black Zetsu could talk them into following his lead now.
Before you continue