News of Sasori's death, and a new turning point...

The masked man was Obito. Not long after he reached the ruins of Tenchi Bridge, closed aloe leaves surfaced from the water, with a figure clad in an Akatsuki Robe beneath them.

The leaves parted to either side, revealing a half-black, half-white face. This was Akatsuki's Genbu—Zetsu!

"Zetsu" was the collective name for "Black Zetsu" and "White Zetsu." One represented Kaguya's will, the other her army.

Of course... that was a secret that could not be spoken of yet.

They took in the state of Sasori's corpse.

White Zetsu said, "Oh my, oh my, how gruesome. Look what Orochimaru's done!"

Black Zetsu said, "It wasn't Orochimaru..."

White Zetsu said, "Huh?"

Black Zetsu said, "Look. What's that?"

Following Black Zetsu's indication, White Zetsu spotted the black flames blazing on the water.

"Hey, hey, Amaterasu! Don't tell me Itachi did this! He betrayed Akatsuki!"

At that moment, Obito spoke in Madara's manner. "No. Anyone could betray Akatsuki at this particular moment—anyone except Itachi..."

White Zetsu said, "Fine, if it wasn't Itachi, it could only have been his little brother, Sasuke Uchiha! That's an awful lot to take in. My head can barely keep up!"

Black Zetsu said, "The Mangekyō Sharingan... indeed, how did he awaken those eyes when he spared Naruto at the Valley of the End? Did something else trigger him?"

Obito said, "That hardly matters. Sasuke has awakened those eyes. That's an indisputable fact."

White Zetsu said, "Even so, I don't believe Sasuke could kill Sasori alone right after awakening his Mangekyō. He teamed up with Orochimaru, didn't he? That must be it. Shameless..."

Obito said, "Regardless, we can no longer treat Sasuke as a mere brat."

White Zetsu said, "Then what about Sasori? Did he die for nothing?"

Obito raised his eyes to the cold moonlight, his voice grave.

"Nagato's Tailed Beast Weapon Plan runs counter to my Eye of the Moon Plan. Sasori, who provided technical support for the Tailed Beast Weapon Plan, was also a thorn in my side. I originally planned to have him bow out after he'd served his purpose when Akatsuki began hunting the Tailed Beasts three years from now. His early exit saves me the trouble. Still, his combat strength was considerable. I doubt we'll find a replacement for him anytime soon, so..."

Obito bent down and removed the "Jade Maiden of Akatsuki" ring from Sasori's left thumb.

Black Zetsu said, "Oh? Are you stepping out from behind the scenes already?"

Obito's gaze darkened.

In truth, Akatsuki's current lineup was fully capable of beginning the Tailed Beast hunt immediately. The reason for delaying it by three years was precisely the difference between Nagato's vision and Obito's.

At first, Nagato and Konan had supported Obito's Eye of the Moon Plan. But as Nagato's power and experience grew, he began developing ideas of his own.

The great nations' long-standing, unjust oppression of smaller nations had always been a sore point for Nagato.

Thus, Nagato wanted to gather the power of all the Tailed Beasts and create Tailed Beast Weapons, turning Akatsuki into a superpower above the Five Great Nations. This was the final step in the three-part objective he had described for Akatsuki—"conquest."

That was why Akatsuki's plan required "raising funds."

The Eye of the Moon Plan, by contrast, only required feeding the Tailed Beasts into the statue's mouth one by one, reviving the Ten-Tails, and forcibly dragging everyone into the illusion world of Infinite Tsukuyomi. What need was there for the extra step of raising funds?

But whether he wanted to control the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path or use Rinne Rebirth, Obito could not bypass Nagato. He could hardly break with him over a difference in ideals. He could afford to wait three years.

After all, both the Tailed Beast Weapon Plan and the Eye of the Moon Plan required sealing the Tailed Beasts inside the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path. Once that crucial step was complete, negotiating with Nagato—or breaking with him—would be easy enough.

Now... the death of Sasori, a key figure in the Tailed Beast Weapon Plan, made Obito realize that this might be a good opportunity to take a direct role in Akatsuki and accelerate the Eye of the Moon Plan!

Obito slipped the ring onto his left thumb.

"Stepping into the spotlight will make it easier to take direct control of things..."

White Zetsu said, "But you'd better think carefully about your identity. You can't just show up and announce that you're Madara Uchiha."

Obito said, "..."

Only a few days after their last gathering, the Projection forms of Akatsuki's members assembled again deep within the stalactite-filled lair.

Only Deidara was physically present.

"Sasori is dead..."

When Pain announced Sasori's death, every member of Akatsuki froze for a moment, apart from Deidara and Zetsu, who already knew.

"Didn't Sasori claim to be eternal? Someone actually killed him? Who did it?"

Pain said, "Sasuke Uchiha. We cannot rule out assistance from Orochimaru."

"Itachi's little brother again? Didn't he just join Orochimaru to get revenge on Itachi? Why would he go after Sasori?"

"Sasori planted a spy at Orochimaru's side. When he learned Orochimaru was going to Tenchi Bridge, he laid an ambush on his own. But it turned out to be a trap Orochimaru had prepared in advance, specifically to lure Sasori in..."

"Hmph, he simply wasn't strong enough. Getting killed by a greenhorn brat like that—even with Orochimaru helping, it only proves Sasori was too weak..."

"Not so," Pain said. "Sasuke Uchiha has already awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan."

"What? The same eyes as Itachi...!?"

Pain turned toward Itachi's Projection.

"Itachi, that is the intelligence we currently have. One of his abilities is also Amaterasu. We don't know how much Orochimaru contributed, but Sasuke is already capable of fighting Sasori. Be careful..."

"..." Itachi said nothing, merely staring into the darkness with cold, still eyes.

Pain said gravely, "Orochimaru betrayed Akatsuki in the past. This operation against Sasori can be considered a provocation against us. Effective immediately, Akatsuki will devote all its resources to locating Orochimaru. Once he is found, kill him on sight..."

Kisame Hoshigaki said, "Leader, forgive my bluntness, but hiding is what that man does best."

Pain said, "Which is why I have another arrangement..."

White Zetsu said, "While scouting earlier, I happened to discover Orochimaru's Northern Hideout. It's the Human Experimentation Ground for his Cursed Seal experiments, and it's extremely important to him..."

Pain said, "Exactly. Akatsuki's retaliation will begin with the destruction of Orochimaru's Northern Hideout. As for who will carry it out..."

Deidara volunteered at once. "Isn't it obvious? I'll go myself!"

Hidan said, "Oh, Deidara, you're fired up this time..."

Deidara said, "Old man Sasori and I couldn't stand each other because we had different ideas about art. But as a fellow artist, I can't let his death go unanswered. At least... let me blow up Orochimaru's hideout in his memory!"

Kakuzu said, "You just want an excuse to blow something up..."

Pain said, "Very well. You will carry it out, Deidara. Also, a 'newcomer' will be joining you shortly..."

Kisame Hoshigaki said, "A new member? Aren't you going to introduce him, Leader?"

Pain said, "Only a trainee. He will qualify to replace Sasori as a full member of Akatsuki only if he returns alive from this mission. A formal introduction can wait until then..."

Kisame Hoshigaki said, "All right. Hopefully he's an interesting fellow..."

Whoosh!

The projected forms vanished one after another.

From the shadows behind Deidara, a man wearing an orange mask crept forward timidly. "U-um... are you D-Deidara, sir?"

Deidara looked down his nose at him. "You're the newcomer?"

The masked man immediately stood at attention. "Yes! My name is Tobi! I've admired and respected you for a long time, Deidara, sir! Starting today, I'll be serving at your side as an Akatsuki trainee. Please show me the ropes...!"