Two days later, at a shabby little inn on the border of the Land of Rain.
Xuandou sat cross-legged on the wooden floor of his room, eyes closed and hands forming seals, adopting a training posture.
His breathing was steady and deep, chakra slowly circulating through his body, as though he really were refining the chakra within him.
In a corner of the ceiling, a pale head emerged without a sound, staring fixedly at Xuandou inside the room.
Xuandou did not open his eyes or show any unusual reaction.
He simply maintained his training posture, making no suspicious movements and having no contact with the outside world.
After a long while, White Zetsu's head slowly withdrew into the ceiling and vanished without a sound.
White Zetsu returned to the Masked Man's side and shook his head.
"I didn't find any problems."
The Masked Man fell silent for a moment, then nodded.
"Understood."
Meanwhile, inside the inn room.
Xuandou opened his eyes, the corners of his mouth slowly rising into a meaningful smile.
That feeling of being "watched," which had made him uncomfortable all over, had finally disappeared.
He knew he had passed his "assessment."
Half a day slipped quietly by.
Xuandou stood up and put on the Akatsuki's black cloak patterned with red clouds.
"Time to leave."
Muttering to himself, he pushed open the inn's door and disappeared into the thin mist.
The hideout for this gathering lay in a secluded valley on the border of the Land of Rain.
Steep cliffs covered in moss and vines flanked the valley.
A dried-up riverbed led inward, ending at a stone door hidden behind vines.
Xuandou pushed the door open and entered, finding a flight of stone steps descending beyond it.
At the end of the passage lay an enormous