Standing atop the cold, damp tower, Deva Path Pain always liked to look down at Amegakure from this angle. His eyes held no trace of emotion, as though he truly were a god.
To Amegakure's residents, what mattered was not who led their village, but who could give them a better life. In that respect, Pain was far better than Hanzō.
But ever since the battle outside Amegakure, their standard of living had declined visibly. Prices rose, and contact with the outside world became significantly more difficult.
The Land of Rain had never been self-sufficient. Once the major shinobi villages understood the threat posed by the Akatsuki, they applied further pressure, severing the country's already limited ties with the outside world.
Just then, Konan returned from transporting supplies and approached Pain, bringing news from the outside world.
"You're saying Kakuzu and Hidan were attacked, and Hidan was abducted?" After a pause, Pain asked impassively, "Who were the ninja who attacked them?"
Although Hidan was not particularly strong, his immortal body had left an impression on Pain.
Konan's expression was cold. "It was Danzo from Konoha. He even used the Wood Dragon Technique, and his subordinates could all use Wood Release too."
Years after Yahiko's death, Konan had also uncovered the culprit besides Hanzō: Danzo, the leader of Konoha's Root.
"Wood Release..." A rare look of gravity appeared on Pain's face.
Both Yamato, the Konoha ninja, and the legendary First Hokage had shown the world the power of Wood Release.
Pain would not have been too concerned about one or two ninja who mastered Wood Release. But if they started appearing in large numbers, even his Rinnegan would struggle to handle them.
Konan considered this for a moment, then said, "With Hidan captured, we can hardly avoid having our information leaked.