In the Land of Rain, the ceaseless, chilling rain pounds against towering steel towers. Deep within this land, soaked by pain and rain, lies a vast, unknown void.
Water droplets condensed on the damp rock walls, their dripping sounds echoing in the emptiness, adding to the deathly stillness. The colossal Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, like an ancient demon, stood in the center of the cave, its ten closed eyes emitting an ominous glow.
Beneath the golem, countless twisted pipes and Chakra receivers extend, connecting to an even darker depth.
This is the true core of the Akatsuki organization, and also a breeding ground for despair and conspiracy.
The man wearing a spiral mask, revealing only one scarlet Sharingan — Obito Uchiha, who called himself " Madara Uchiha "—stood quietly on a platform extending from the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.
He gazed up at the golem, his eyes silent, like two bottomless ancient wells, reflecting no light whatsoever. The scent of rain could not penetrate this place; only the earthy smell of aged rocks and some indescribable stench of decay and emptiness emanating from the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path itself.
"Failed again."
A soft, slippery voice, as if seeping from the deepest part of the earth, rang out. Jue's figure seemed to grow out of the rock wall itself, half pure white and half pitch black, forming a strange yet harmonious yin-yang diagram.
The expressions of White Zetsu are exaggerated, while those of Black Zetsu are as deep and somber as night.
" Deidara and Sasori perished in Sunagakure," Black Zetsu said slowly, his voice devoid of emotion. "Our intelligence network made a serious miscalculation. Sunagakure is no longer the impoverished village it was a few years ago."
"Yes, yes!" White Zetsu immediately replied in his unique, somewhat comical yet sinister tone, twisting his body.
"Although I've been burrowing underground all this time, and I know they laid out strange tracks, planted more oases, and had puppets flying everywhere, I really didn't expect they also had such powerful anti-aircraft devices hidden away, and that Shira!"
"He actually tore apart Old Master Scorpion's Performance of a Hundred Puppets like paper! That's not human strength! He must have some secret we don't know about!"
Obito didn't turn around; his voice beneath the mask was calm and even. "An unexpected variable. The speed of Sunagakure's rise and its hidden trump cards have indeed exceeded Madara's expectations."
He attributed everything to that name that had long since died.
"It wasn't just Sunagakure." White Zetsu continued counting on his fingers, his tone tinged with frustration, "That madman Hidan almost took down Asuma of Konoha and that clever Nara kid, how could Sunagakure's reinforcements arrive so quickly?"
"It seems that Shira knew about Hidan's evil god ritual trick beforehand, and with Shikamaru's brains, they dug a bottomless pit and buried Hidan, adding who knows how many layers of seals. Tsk tsk, he's probably still cursing down there, but he definitely won't be able to climb out."
" Kakuzu Master Kakuzu fared even worse. He was killed by Naruto Uzumaki, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki Naruto Uzumaki Konoha, who used his newly developed ' Wind Release: Rasenshuriken ' to shred all his hearts. He was completely dead."
Black Zetsu added, his voice growing even more grave. "The most crucial factor is Pain's defeat. Nagato was too hasty. Jiraiya was supposed to be a hidden danger and a witness to 'pain' that Nagato had to eliminate in his plan, but due to certain warnings sent to him in advance by Shira Sunagakure, he was forced to stay in Konoha by Tsunade and Hiruzen Sarutobi, and was unable to go to Amegakure to investigate as originally planned."
"This disrupted the rhythm and intensified Nagato's obsession and urgency. He directly manipulated Deva Path Pain to attack Konoha, causing immense destruction, forcing out the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki's potential, and even killing Konoha's elite Jonin Kakashi Hatake..."
White Zetsu interjected, his tone surprisingly complex. "But in the end, he was persuaded by that Naruto Uzumaki with his naive ideas. Nagato used the Outer Path: Rinne Rebirth to revive all the fallen soldiers of Konoha, including Kakashi, but he himself died from exhaustion."
Konan departed with his body. The Six Paths of Pain thus became history. Although Konoha suffered heavy losses, Hiruzen Sarutobi to stabilize the situation, and Tsunade returned to officially assume the Hokage. Their power remained intact, Nine-Tails Jinchuriki gained even greater prestige as a result.
"The alliance between Konoha and Sunagakure is now stronger than before, because of their shared experience of fighting against us."
A brief silence fell over the cave. Only faint sounds, like the wails of countless souls, emanated from within the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.
"The plan has deviated significantly from its intended course."
Black Zetsu concluded in a low voice, "The collection of the Tailed Beast is severely behind schedule. The One-Tail, Eight-Tails, and Nine-Tails are still in the hands of their targets. Although the Two-Tails, Three-Tails, Four-Tails- Five-Tails, Six-Tails, Six- Seven-Tails, and Seven-Tailed Beasts have been captured, the absorption by the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path was incomplete, especially the Seven-Tails; the capture process was rushed, and some of its Chakra was dissipated."
"Meanwhile, the enemy's strength is consolidating and increasing. Sunagakure and Konoha are united, while Iwagakure, Kumogakure, and Kirigakure have become more vigilant after the previous clashes and the Pain attack, showing signs of forming an alliance."
"Variable..."
Obito finally turned around slowly, his Sharingan seeming to burn with a cold flame in the dim light. "The biggest variable is Sunagakure, it's that Shira. His appearance changed the course of the Land of Wind, indirectly affecting Konoha, and even interfering with Nagato."
"His own power growth defies common sense. He doesn't know Ninjutsu, yet he's reached such a level; he possesses secrets we don't understand. And..."
He paused, as if recalling some unpleasant experience.
"He recently meddled in someone else's business."
Obito's voice carried a chilling killing intent, "After Konan left with Nagato's Rinnegan, I was supposed to dispose of her and retrieve the eye. But I caught up with her at the lake on the border of the Land of Rain."
"Her six hundred billion Explosive Tag are indeed troublesome, but they are not insurmountable against Kamui. Just as I was about to finish her off..."
White Zetsu interrupted, his tone filled with lingering fear and astonishment. "That Shira! I don't know how he found that place! He just appeared out of nowhere! His speed was terrifying!"
"Moreover, he seemed to be able to sense the fluctuations of Kamui, and he used his body and that sword to block a crucial attack for Konan! He almost injured you, Obito! He forced you to waste one of your Sharingan to activate Izanagi in order to escape!"
"Then he took the badly injured Konan and ran away using some strange, high-speed movement! We still haven't found out where they've hidden!"
Black Zetsu said in a deep voice, "There's a high chance that Konan and those Rinnegan have fallen into their hands. Shira's rescue of her was definitely not out of kindness. He may have already discovered some of the Rinnegan's secrets, or he may have other motives. This is another huge variable and threat."
"Eliminate him."
Obito's voice was firm, but he immediately shook his head. "No, going to Sunagakure or wherever he might appear to hunt him now is too risky; we could easily get surrounded. His existence, while disrupting many plans, has also shown the Five Great Nations the possibility of a united front—based on their fear of a common, unknown threat."
"Fear can sometimes forge alliances more easily than hatred, but it can also tear apart relationships from within, especially when despair strikes."
His gaze returned to the massive Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, and the flame of fanaticism reignited in its single eye.
"The plan needs to be accelerated, but the core remains unchanged. The Eye of the Moon Plan is the only salvation. This world, filled with despair, pain, war, and loss, needs a complete 'dream' brought about by Infinite Tsukuyomi."
In Obito's voice, that cold fervor grew even clearer, " Nagato's defeat proved the limitations of pain and deterrence. Therefore, let us give them absolute despair, which they cannot comprehend or resist."
"When the torrent of war sweeps across every corner, when familiar relatives and comrades turn into nourishment for White Zetsu before their eyes, when all hope is crushed, only then will they kneel and pray that the eternal dream bestowed by 'Madara' is their only refuge."
Black Zetsu's figure shifted slightly. "You've decided to move it up?"
"There's no longer a need for covert surveillance and sporadic deterrence."
Obito raised his hand, as if grasping an invisible power before him, a power that held the fate of the entire world in its grasp. "It's time for this corrupt world to hear the final bell. Gather all the remaining White Zetsu troops, awaken those Edo Tensei pawns still under your control. Simultaneously apply pressure to the locations of all the remaining Tailed Beast Jinchuriki. And..."
He paused, and a cruel, absolute smile curved the corners of his mouth beneath the mask.
"In the name of ' Madara Uchiha ' and the 'Akatsuki' organization, I hereby formally declare war on the Five Great Nations and all their allies and territories. The Fourth Shinobi World War begins now."
"It's finally starting!" White Zetsu twisted his body excitedly, as if he could see the grand feast unfolding. "One hundred thousand White Zetsu, plus all those fallen powerhouses! This is going to be exciting! The Five Great Nations will definitely be terrified!"
Black Zetsu, however, was much calmer. "This will be an unprecedentedly tough battle. The Five Great Nations will inevitably form Allied Shinobi Forces. The technology of Sunagakure, the Jinchūriki and the new generation of Konoha, as well as the bloodline limits and secret techniques of other nations, should not be underestimated."
"Moreover, the information about Shira and the Rinnegan he might possess will be the biggest uncertainty."
"War is the most effective crucible and filter," Obito said indifferently, walking towards the dense white figures and the coffins in the shadows deep within the cave.
"Whether it's clearing obstacles, testing weapons, or exposing all the hidden variables that might threaten the plan, in the face of absolute power and true despair, any variable will only be crushed to dust. As for the Rinnegan? If the plan succeeds, everything will be rewritten."
"Go, Black Zetsu, continue monitoring the Allied Forces' movements, especially the whereabouts of Sunagakure and Shira. White Zetsu, complete the final mobilization of the army, ensuring the declaration of war resounds throughout every corner of the Shinobi World."
"So, how will the message of the declaration of war be delivered?" Black Zetsu finally confirmed.
Obito stopped, without turning back, but that cold, majestic voice, seemingly from the depths of the underworld, echoed through the empty cave, piercing through the rock layers, as if reaching the heavens:
"Let the world hear God's judgment on the old era."
He raised his arm and slowly clenched it.
"Amidst the flames of pain and war, amidst the ruins of loss and despair, I will write the prologue to a new world. As for the old world, including those obstructive variables and laughable entanglements..."
His Sharingan glowed with a fiery red light, like a blood moon, illuminating the 100,000 White Zetsu below that were beginning to writhe and awaken, and the cold, lifeless Chakra was gradually rising from the coffins.
"They will all be completely burned and purified, becoming the cornerstone of the new world."
The cave returned to silence, but beneath that silence lay a boundless killing intent and the roar of war machines, already in operation.
A blood-red storm, destined to sweep across the entire Shinobi World and devour billions of lives, has officially begun its irreversible curtain in the deepest part of the Land of Rain.
Meanwhile, in distant lands, those nations and people still enjoying a brief period of peace and sunshine remain completely unaware of the fate that is about to befall them.
The war horn is about to sound from the deepest darkness...