Akatsuki's debut

Amegakure belonged to the Land of Rain, a country wedged between the Land of Earth, the Land of Wind, and the Land of Fire. The country itself was far from powerful; it could even be called weak.

But Amegakure had One powerful shinobi whose fame inspired awe.

Hanzo of the Salamander, also known as the God of Demigods.

During the Second Shinobi World War, the middle-aged Hanzō had dominated his battle against Konoha's Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade, overwhelming all three. He had even bestowed the title of "Konoha Sannin" on them.

Strength was the foundation of everything. Even in the weak village of Amegakure, Hanzo of the Salamander's reputation alone was enough to deter shinobi from the three great nations from entering the village to cause trouble.

Rain fell over Amegakure year-round, leaving the entire village shrouded in a heavy, lingering dampness.

At that moment, two uninvited visitors wearing the Red Clouds and Black Robe, and conical hats, quietly entered the village, which rarely saw tourists.

"This rain?" One of them frowned the moment he stepped into the village and the rain touched him, as though he had noticed something.

A strip of black cloth covered his eyes, but his brows and the contours of his face suggested he was young. His exposed skin, however, was unnaturally pale.

"This is Ninjutsu disguised as rain. It works much like Konoha's barrier. That fellow can sense anyone the rain touches."

His masked companion spoke with little concern.

"Ninjutsu?" Despite the black cloth over his eyes, the first man still seemed to be examining his surroundings. "A sensory Ninjutsu covering an entire village? Just how vast is its..."

Before he could finish marveling, someone arrived with the Body Flicker Technique.

It was a woman with short, muted dark-blue hair. Her delicate features and somewhat cold expression only heightened her icy beauty.

Like the two of them, she wore a black cloak embroidered with red clouds.

"It's you."

The woman frowned slightly at the Masked Man.

"Take us to see him. We have something for you to do."

The Masked Man's voice changed slightly, becoming deeper.

"...Follow me."

The woman nodded, then led the two toward the village center.

The busiest part of Amegakure was its center, a shopping street that looked much like those elsewhere. The only difference, perhaps, was that it was not quite as lively.

The man with the black cloth over his eyes openly surveyed his surroundings. To others, a blindfolded man looking around was certainly strange. But once they saw the blue-haired woman leading them, they kept their mouths shut.

Beyond the village center, farther in, stood a raised platform. Only from there could one truly see all of Amegakure.

Just like Hanzo of the Salamander, Amegakure's God of Demigods, had done in the past, he stood there to rule over and watch the entire village.

The woman led the two to the entrance of a secluded courtyard, then through a dim passage and onto the platform.

An orange-haired man stood there with his back to them, surveying Amegakure below.

"...Does your coming here mean you're confident this time?" As they approached, the orange-haired man turned around. Alarmingly, several black rods pierced his face, the bridge of his nose, and his ears. His expression was so cold that he hardly seemed alive.

Even more striking were his eyes. Several spiraling patterns marked them, as though they held the power to see through everything in the world.

"Pain, let me introduce our organization's new companion." The Masked Man walked forward, then leaned against a wall and pointed at the blindfolded man. "Shisui Uchiha."

"Konoha's Body Flicker Shisui?" The woman instinctively murmured in surprise at the name.

Shisui Uchiha, his eyes covered by black cloth, was even more shocked. He recognized those eyes—they were the legendary Rinnegan of the Sage of Six Paths!

"Konoha's Uchiha Clan?" Pain looked at the blindfolded Shisui, then suddenly attacked without warning.

But the instant Pain raised his hand, Shisui vanished from where he stood, and a shuriken hurtled through the air toward Pain's forehead!

Before the shuriken could reach Pain, however, Shisui saw the weapon he had just thrown deflected by an invisible force, flying back toward him even faster.

But Shisui's Body Flicker Technique was no empty boast. Almost the instant the shuriken was repelled, he vanished again. This time, he appeared behind Pain, his hands already forming the tiger seal.

It was a hand seal for Fire Release!

Seeing this, the blue-haired woman was about to leap forward to stop him, but Pain spoke first. "Konan, stay out of it."

Then Pain slowly turned around, and Shisui Uchiha released his hand seal.

Throughout this exchange, the Masked Man said nothing, merely watching quietly from beginning to end.

"An exquisite Body Flicker Technique. But if that's all you can do at full strength, you'd be better off dying here." After delivering those words as he watched Shisui lower his hands, Pain ignored him and turned to the Masked Man. "Are you sure adding him will be enough to deal with the Fourth Mizukage of Kirigakure in the Land of Water? Don't forget how you barely escaped last time."

"Hmph. I don't know why that beast inside him became so much stronger than before, but..." The Masked Man snorted. "That's all it amounts to. Last time, he only managed to ambush me by pretending he was still under my Genjutsu. He won't get that chance again."

"It doesn't matter. As long as you think it's enough." Pain cut him off. "As before, I'll hold off the others in Kirigakure and provide cover. You and he will capture the tailed beast. If you fail again, I'll consider doing it myself."

"Of course. If it really doesn't work, we'll have no choice but to have you act personally. Also, considering that the tailed beasts' actual strength exceeds our previous intelligence, Akatsuki's current fighting strength is nowhere near sufficient." The Masked Man seemed to have little objection to Pain speaking like a leader. He turned to Konan. "Konan, you'll have to speed up recruitment."

"..." Seemingly displeased at being addressed as Konan, the woman glanced at the Masked Man and Shisui Uchiha, then said coldly, "Just do your own jobs."

After the discussion ended, the Masked Man and Shisui Uchiha left Amegakure that night and set off for the Land of Water.

"You don't seem to have as much authority in the organization as you claimed. At least, the two members we met today don't seem particularly fond of you." Despite the black cloth over his eyes, Shisui had no trouble traveling through the night.

"Of course. After all, we're merely using one another." The Masked Man suddenly stopped partway through their run and surveyed their surroundings. "Let's rest here tonight. I'm tired."