Pain arrived at dawn.
The other members of the Akatsuki arrived one after another.
Deidara swooped down from the sky on his Giant Clay Bird and landed in the plaza in front of the Hokage Building.
Sasori crawled out of Hiruko and stretched.
Hidan looked around with his scythe over his shoulder, while Kakuzu followed behind him, still tallying accounts in a little notebook.
Konan's lips curved slightly as she watched them.
Everyone was here.
The conference room in the Hokage Building.
Both sides of the long table were full, with even more people than last time.
Pain sat beside Konan, while Orochimaru leaned against the wall, studying Pain's Rinnegan.
Kaguya stood up, her pure white eyes sweeping over everyone present.
"Ōtsutsuki Isshiki. His defining trait is that he lives as a parasite inside a human body. He can move between hosts, doesn't age, and is almost impossible to kill."
"What about weaknesses?"
Pain asked.
Kaguya shook her head.
"He has none."
Pain frowned.
"Taijutsu,"
Kaguya added.
"But getting close to them is extremely difficult in itself. Their Space-Time Ninjutsu allows them to move anywhere in an instant. Their strength, speed, and perception are on an entirely different level from yours."
Deidara sucked in a sharp breath, Hidan whistled, and Kakuzu's hand trembled.
"That amounts to having no weaknesses. Taijutsu might work, but his is no worse than mine. Other people's attacks will have almost no effect on him. This isn't a fight on equal footing."
"If you find him, don't alert him. Gather intelligence, then report back."
Genya took over.
"This isn't a war we can win quickly. It could be long, and it could be grueling. We're not going out there to die. We're going to learn exactly what we're up against."
He glanced at Deidara, who blinked