Reactions across the Shinobi World! The curtain began to rise!

The Akatsuki.

At that moment, everyone except Orochimaru had already arrived.

Pain, Konan, Sasori, Kakuzu, Juzo Biwa, and Zetsu had been there for some time.

Following a recent shake-up, two members had died on missions, leaving the Akatsuki with only seven full members.

At the sight of the man before him, a strange smile flickered across Orochimaru's lips.

Those eyes...

No matter how many times I see them, they really are mesmerizing!

Noticing Orochimaru's gaze, Pain gave a cold smile.

He did not care about Orochimaru's ambitions.

For now, Orochimaru was still useful.

"Pain, everyone is here!"

Zetsu spoke.

Now that everyone had arrived, it was time to begin.

There were only a few items on today's agenda. What had happened last time had given Obito a sense of crisis.

And they did not know whether Bai Ye's appearance was a good thing or a bad thing for them.

"Hmm..." Pain swept his gaze over everyone present, then slowly said, "Before today's meeting begins, let's welcome a new member."

With that, he looked toward a shadowy corner.

When Uchiha Itachi stepped out of the corner, apart from Pain, Konan, and Zetsu, who already knew about this, and Orochimaru, who knew Uchiha Itachi,

everyone else looked somewhat puzzled.

Who... was this guy?!

Compared with the Uchiha Itachi in the anime, who had joined the Akatsuki after wiping out his entire clan,

the current Uchiha Itachi was nowhere near as famous in the Shinobi World.

"Uchiha... Itachi."

A glimmer of interest shone in Orochimaru's eyes.

He had not expected Uchiha Itachi to deliver himself right to his doorstep just when he had taken an interest in the Sharingan.

And this was Uchiha Itachi, someone he was particularly interested in.

Back in Konoha, he had witnessed Uchiha Itachi's talent firsthand.

Why had this guy come to the Akatsuki?!

After all, the Uchiha Clan in Konoha had just successfully seized power in a coup.

By all rights, Uchiha Itachi should have remained in Konoha, enjoying the fruits of victory. Yet he had come here instead?!

"He is from Konoha's Uchiha Clan. His name is Uchiha Itachi, and from now on, he will hold the position of Vermilion Bird in the Akatsuki."

Having said that, Pain looked around.

Quite a few pairings within the Akatsuki had already been settled, but several members still lacked partners.

Kakuzu had originally had a partner, but he had accidentally killed him.

Orochimaru and Sasori were a temporary pair. Both had their own agendas, and putting them together was only a stopgap.

If a suitable alternative appeared, Pain would naturally stop pairing them together.

For the time being, however, there was no other option.

Zetsu was currently paired with Juzo Biwa, but Zetsu was not really a combatant, so that pairing was not particularly suitable either.

Sending Zetsu into battle was a waste of his talents.

Pain was pondering the arrangements when, before he could speak, Orochimaru volunteered. "Let me partner with Itachi. We're from the same village, after all, so we're more familiar with each other!"

Orochimaru's lips curved into a smile.

Since he could not steal the Rinnegan, he figured he would take a pair of Sharingan first.

Besides, the Sharingan was not the only thing he wanted.

If he could use Living Corpse Reincarnation to take over Uchiha Itachi's body,

would he be able to uncover the Uchiha's secrets?!

But Pain had no such intention. He turned his gaze toward Juzo Biwa. "Juzo Biwa will partner with Uchiha Itachi. Zetsu will remain unpaired for now!"

Zetsu had always belonged to the Masked Man's side.

Leaving Zetsu unpaired effectively meant letting him work with Obito.

Although Obito had never appeared before the organization and was currently an unofficial member, Nagato and Konan both knew of him.

Besides, there was an upcoming mission that required two people to complete together, and Juzo Biwa was a perfect fit.

Most importantly, Orochimaru's intentions were far from pure.

Naturally, Pain was not going to let him have his way.

The main issue was that the Akatsuki's membership was not yet stable.

Since they would need to capture the tailed beasts later,

partners would need a certain degree of coordination. Tailed beasts were not so easily captured.

At Pain's words, Orochimaru's eyes flickered, and a cold smile crossed his lips. He said nothing more.

Since Pain had already decided, anything he said now would be pointless.

"Tch, I'm partnering with this guy?! He looks pretty weak... Speaking of which, you Uchiha really pulled off something big this time. Why did you go rogue anyway?!"

Juzo Biwa looked Uchiha Itachi up and down.

He was also quite curious about why Itachi had chosen to leave Konoha.

But Uchiha Itachi simply remained silent, seemingly having no intention of saying anything.

That left Juzo Biwa feeling rather helpless...

Seriously?!

When I was paired with Zetsu, it felt like I'd been saddled with a chatterbox. Now I've got a stone-faced mute.

Why are all my partners such weirdos?!

"All right, let's discuss the arrangements going forward. First, there's the Land of Hot Water. Apparently, someone there has an immortal body, and we've received a mission to eliminate him!"

Pain spoke slowly.

In truth, Pain had another idea in mind for this mission.

He wanted to see whether the man called Hidan was any good. If he was, they could recruit him into the Akatsuki.

"Kakuzu and Orochimaru, you two will handle this mission together. Zetsu will support you with intelligence!

"Next is Uchiha Itachi and Juzo Biwa's mission. You will go to Kirigakure and capture Yagura, the Three-Tails' jinchūriki.

"We also still need one more member. I hear Iwagakure has a Demolition Genius. I'll arrange for someone to approach him and see how it goes, but finish these first two missions before that!"

Originally, Pain had not been in such a hurry.

After all, in his view, there was no need to rush. The organization's priority right now was earning money!

Without money, Konan could not buy so many explosive tags, and she would not be able to use that secret technique of hers.

So, what Pain wanted most right now was to finish those preparations for Konan first.

Then they would finish recruiting their members, and once Konan had gathered most of her Six Hundred Billion Explosive Tags,

they would begin the plan.

By then, their membership would likely have stabilized. With a stable roster and Konan's secret technique ready, he would begin the tailed beast capture plan.

But now, Obito seemed to be growing impatient.

Perhaps seeing Bai Ye's Perfect Susanoo in Konoha earlier

had given Obito a sense of crisis. At present, they did not even have any intelligence on Bai Ye.

And this was not something Obito wanted to see.

After all, this was Perfect Susanoo. Even with Kamui, having one of his eyes with Kakashi severely impaired his combat strength.

Bai Ye's appearance had also introduced considerable uncertainty.

So Obito was getting restless. Surely he could not actually revive Madara Uchiha?!

If he really did revive him, who would control this plan-Obito or Madara Uchiha?!

The current Obito had ideas of his own.

The Eye of the Moon Plan had to remain under his control.

Once Pain finished assigning the missions, everyone dispersed.

Before leaving, Orochimaru cast an intrigued smile at Uchiha Itachi.

Although he did not yet understand Itachi's situation, he had no intention of acting just yet.

He would take his time making a move once he understood everything. Besides, Pain seemed somewhat wary of him now.

Still, he really was curious...

With things going so well for the Uchiha in Konoha, why had Uchiha Itachi chosen to go rogue?!

"Nagato, aren't these arrangements a little rushed? It still isn't a good time for the Akatsuki to come to the other nations' attention."

Konan looked at Nagato with concern.

Nagato's arrangements clearly showed that he intended to speed things up. In Konan's view, that was completely unnecessary.

After all, this was merely what the Masked Man wanted. At least as far as Konan was concerned, they should not be doing this now!

"Konan, with the upheaval in Konoha, if we don't do this, no one knows what might happen next...

"Let's stabilize the organization's membership first, then prepare those things for you. After that, we'll begin..."

Nagato shook his head. Although his body could still hold out,

he knew very well that he did not have many years left.

If he did not move faster, that dream would never be fulfilled.

Still, he would not rush into action.

Because the Six Hundred Billion Explosive Tags were not ready yet.

Those were meant to keep Konan alive!

Nagato knew very well that while he was still alive, Konan did not need to worry so much. But when he died, he would no longer be able to protect her.

Those Six Hundred Billion Explosive Tags were not merely Konan's final trump card. They were her safeguard.

"Then, Nagato, should I go take a look at Konoha?!"

Konan made the suggestion.

The other members all had missions at the moment, while she did not, so she could go investigate Konoha on Nagato's behalf.

As for Zetsu, she did not trust him.

"Let Madara and Zetsu go. If you enter, you'll be detected immediately."

Konoha had a barrier, and whether it would be altered now that the Uchiha had taken power was unknown.

If someone intruded carelessly, whether through the sky or underground, they would be detected as long as they were within the barrier.

Sending Konan there was simply too risky.

Yahiko was already dead, and Nagato had once promised him that he would protect Konan. Naturally, he did not want her putting herself in danger.

A reconnaissance mission like this was best left to Madara and Zetsu.

They did indeed need to formulate a plan regarding the current situation inside Konoha.

"Actually, if we go on behalf of Amegakure to congratulate the Fifth Hokage on taking office, couldn't we gather intelligence without sneaking in?"

Konan spoke slowly.

She was not going there to cause trouble. She would simply visit openly and gather some intelligence.

Once she learned a little about Konoha's situation following all these events, she could leave.

At her words, Nagato froze for a moment. He had clearly still been thinking that it was unsuitable for the Akatsuki to go there, but Konan's suggestion suddenly made him realize something.

That really might work!

If they went as representatives of Amegakure, Konoha would have no reason to attack them, would it?!

Still, Nagato did not rush to decide.

Elsewhere.

Obito and Zetsu stood atop the Tower in Amegakure, looking down over the entire village, though Obito's thoughts were elsewhere.

"Have you found any intelligence?!"

Obito turned to Zetsu after speaking, only to see him shake his head.

White Zetsu, however, looked somewhat excited as he said, "I don't know whether I imagined it, but I keep feeling that guy has the same aura as me."

"The same aura?! Could he have transplanted Hashirama cells too?!"

Black Zetsu caught on as well.

Given how much Bai Ye knew about Danzo, he had probably known about them for a long time. And if a member of the Uchiha Clan transplanted Hashirama cells, they would be far more compatible than Danzo.

Hashirama's face would only appear at the transplant site.

That was the effect of the Hashirama cells.

If Bai Ye really had transplanted Hashirama cells, then everything made sense.

After all, Bai Ye had activated Perfect Susanoo earlier.

Even with Hashirama cells, activating it might still have been a stretch, but perhaps Bai Ye's Mangekyo Sharingan ability had something to do with amplification?!

After all, they had not seen Bai Ye's Mangekyo Sharingan ability earlier. Perhaps he had actually already used it?!

Black Zetsu then explained his conjecture.

"Then it seems this guy has uncovered a few secrets. Still, if that's the case, there's no need to worry anymore. He can't possibly possess Eternal Eyes or those eyes anyway!"

Once Obito considered that Bai Ye had transplanted Hashirama cells,

he suddenly felt there was no real need to worry about this.

"Speaking of Itachi, do you really think he's sincerely joined us?! I keep feeling he has quite a few schemes of his own."

"We don't need to worry about that for now. We're simply using each other. Although I can't understand how his mind works, since he disapproves of Bai Ye's methods, telling Itachi later that Bai Ye has also researched Hashirama cells might strengthen our cooperation!"

Obito shook his head. In truth, as for whether Itachi had joined them sincerely...

He did not care at all.

Of course he knew that everyone in the Akatsuki had their own agenda.

As long as they could capture the tailed beasts, none of that mattered.

"So, Tobi, that's why you sent him on the Kirigakure mission, right?!"

Obito had arranged for Itachi to carry out the plan to capture a tailed beast in Kirigakure.

His main aim was to test Itachi's abilities.

Since Itachi had awakened his Mangekyo Sharingan, Obito still did not know what abilities he had. That was far too risky.

"Later, I'll invite Bai Ye to Kirigakure in my capacity as the Fourth Mizukage. Then I'll find an opportunity to ambush him and try to kill him, to test his abilities. We can test Itachi's, too."

Obito spoke calmly.

His next plan happened to involve using Kirigakure one last time.

After that, he would shift his focus to other matters.

He had already all but ruined Kirigakure. There was little else he needed to do.

Listening to Obito's plan, Black Zetsu nodded, thinking that this was indeed the right approach.

While Bai Ye's abilities remained unknown, they could use Kirigakure to test him, then have Kirigakure and Konoha go to war and wear each other down.

That was certainly a good idea.

At the same time.

In Sunagakure, a flicker of shock crossed Rasa's eyes as he read the intelligence in his hands.

Over in Konoha, Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi's government had actually been overthrown.

Those Uchiha lunatics had actually succeeded?!

"Pakura..."

At that moment, the idea in Rasa's mind gradually became a firm resolve.

Friction still lingered between Kirigakure and Sunagakure. Sunagakure had already lacked the strength to keep fighting, and the Land of Wind no longer supported the war.

But Kirigakure refused to let go. Though it, too, had grown terribly weak and had even closed itself off, clashes between them continued.

Neither Rasa nor Sunagakure wanted to fight anymore.

Yet Kirigakure demanded that they hand over Pakura of the Scorch Release, who had killed many of its shinobi. That demand had left Rasa deeply conflicted.

Now, however, he suddenly felt that perhaps it was time to act.

In Iwagakure, Ōnoki also began entertaining an idea when he saw the news.

"Old man, should we make a move against Konoha?! They're probably still weakened right now!"

Kitsuchi grinned.

With Hiruzen Sarutobi dead, this was the perfect chance to squeeze some concessions out of Konoha.

Actually going to war was out of the question, of course.

"Let's wait and see. By the way, has Deidara been behaving himself lately?!"

"Deidara? He's the same as ever!"

Kurotsuchi chimed in.

What else would Deidara be doing?!

He had been setting off explosions nonstop lately, hadn't he?!

Still, word had it that he had supplied explosive clay to quite a few villages, causing a considerable stir in the Shinobi World.

"That brat... Never mind. Let's wait for now and keep an eye on things in Konoha."

By keeping an eye on things, Ōnoki naturally meant watching Kumogakure.

Bai Ye had killed the Third Hokage and taken office himself. With the Land of Fire's position still unclear, Ōnoki felt they could wait until the dust settled before Iwagakure decided whether to strike.

An old fox like Ōnoki was no fool. Of course he would not be the first to act.

In Kumogakure, the moment A read the newspaper, he smashed the desk in front of him in excitement and declared, "Excellent!!! I thought those Uchiha fellows had some brains!

"I never imagined they'd be this reckless!!!

"They wrote all those articles analyzing warfare, yet they didn't realize that killing off their own village's fighting strength would give other villages a chance to exploit their weakness?!

"Get ready!!!

"We're going on a war footing. This time, we must make Konoha pay!!!"

A was brimming with excitement.

After all, Konoha's Third Hokage was dead, Danzo was dead, many members of Root were dead, and the village was still in turmoil.

It was the perfect opportunity for Kumogakure to go and squeeze them for all they were worth!

Kirigakure.

After Yagura issued his orders, Mei Terumi followed them, taking a letter from the Fourth Mizukage to deliver to Konoha's Fifth Hokage...