The day before the three-month deadline.
Central Land of Water.
The ever-present mist was especially thick here, with visibility below fifty meters. The rolling mountains loomed through the fog like crouching beasts.
Eight figures in Akatsuki cloaks stood silently in a relatively open valley. Rain drizzled down, soaking their robes, but none of them moved.
Hidden away, Nagato slowly swept his Rinnegan gaze across every member present through Deva Path Pain's eyes.
Konan stood beside him, sheets of paper floating soundlessly around her, her gaze cool.
Sasori's Hiruko crouched beside a rock, occasionally emitting faint mechanical whirrs.
Shinnō stood with his arms folded and eyes closed, resting, his breathing steady.
Genbu, a fighter at the pinnacle of Kage Level, stood quietly between Sasori and Shinnō, his gaze calm beneath his mask.
On the other side, excitement and greed gleamed in Hiruko's eyes. Kisame Hoshigaki carried the Replica Samehada on his shoulder, his sharklike face unreadable.
White Tiger stood beside his old teammate Kisame, seemingly blending into their surroundings.
Black Zetsu emerged halfway from the ground, his yellow eyes surveying everyone.
Nagato controlled Deva Path Pain, whose cold voice rang out through the rain:
"Madara has already left for the Land of Demons."
"Now, confirm the targets' locations."
White Zetsu poked his upper body out of the ground and grinned.
"According to the intelligence my clones sent back, Uchiha Itachi and Ryota Uchiha are both currently within the Land of Water. They've been frantically searching for 'Madara' these past few months."
Black Zetsu continued in a hoarse voice:
"Before leaving, Madara created two Wood Clones, one in the south and one in the north, deliberately exposing traces of their chakra. With Dragon Release Village's intelligence capabilities, they'll pinpoint both clones' locations by tomorrow morning at the latest."
A trace of impatience