The Land of Rain, the Amegakure.
This is a country shrouded in cold rain year-round. Towering steel buildings stand like tombstones, and cold raindrops slide down rusty pipes, forming muddy streams on the ground, making a monotonous and oppressive dripping sound.
The entire village was shrouded in a deathly, suffocating atmosphere.
A few pedestrians occasionally walked by on the street, all with their heads down and blank expressions, like walking corpses.
This is a kingdom ruled by "gods".
And this "god" was sitting in the dark and damp room on the top floor of the tallest tower in Amegakure.
"Lord Pain."
A hoarse sound, like two pieces of sandpaper rubbing together, came from the pitcher plant-like green plant on the ground.
Black Zetsu's half-body emerged from the floor, his two-toned face, one black and one white, carrying an unprecedented solemnity.
" Kakuzu and Hidan have gone missing."
Sitting atop the cold throne, Pain Deva Path slowly opened his emotionless Rinnegan, which was filled with concentric circles of purple ripples.
"Out of contact?"
Pain's voice was hollow and cold, as if it came not from his own mouth, but from all directions of the room.
"Was it taken care of by Konoha's Anbu?"
In his plan, Kakuzu and Hidan's disturbances near Konoha were intended to draw attention and create opportunities for subsequent actions. Given their strength, even if Konoha surrounded and attacked them, it was impossible for them to disappear silently in such a short time.
"No." Black Zetsu shook his head, a look of surprise and uncertainty flashing in his single yellow eye. "According to my last senses, they disappeared near the border of the Land of Earth. That place is now called the ' Divine Kingdom '."
" Divine Kingdom?" Pain's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.
"Yes." Black Zetsu's tone grew even more solemn. "A week ago, a man calling himself Uchiha Gen'yō swiftly unified the entire Land of Earth and declared the establishment of the ' Uchiha Divine Kingdom.' He erected a massive energy barrier spanning the entire border, instantly annihilating any unauthorized intruder."
"Based on the last images transmitted by my surviving spore clones, it seems that Kakuzu and Hidan tried to force their way into that barrier, and then... nothing happened."
Black Zetsu added, "Moreover, just now, even more unbelievable information came from the Konoha battlefield."
"That Uchiha Gen'yō summoned a golden Susanoo a thousand meters tall, leveled three mountains with a single sword strike, and suppressed the resurrected Six Paths Madara Impure World Reincarnation with overwhelming power!"
"What?!"
This news finally caused a crack to appear on Pain's perpetually icy face.
The other five Pain behind him also turned their gazes over.
Six Paths Madara!
That was a legendary being that Nagato learned about from the fragments of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path's memories through the Rinnegan! He was one of the founders of their entire " Eye of the Moon Plan " project!
Such a being was actually suppressed by a completely unknown Uchiha junior?
" Susanoo a thousand meters tall flattened three mountains and suppressed the Six Paths Madara with a single sword strike."
Pain repeated these keywords in a low voice, and purple ripples began to spin rapidly in his Rinnegan.
He could sense that an uncontrollable and terrifying force, capable of overturning his entire plan, was quietly rising in this Shinobi World!
Although Kakuzu and Hidan are two disobedient pawns, they are ultimately core members of the Akatsuki and indispensable forces for sealing the Tailed Beast in the future.
Their disappearance signifies a gap in the Akatsuki's power.
And that Uchiha Gen'yō was like a black hole that appeared out of nowhere. The power he displayed far exceeded Pain's comprehension!
"Another restless Uchiha Uchiha?"
Pain slowly rose from his throne, walked to the huge floor-to-ceiling window, and looked down at the cold city washed by the rain.
"This world only needs one god."
His voice was filled with an undeniable will.
"Anyone who dares to hinder my pursuit of true peace must be eliminated."
"Absolutely not."
"Your subordinate is here."
"You will continue to infiltrate Konoha and monitor the every move of Madara Uchiha and that Gen'yō. I need to know everything about him."
"Yes." Black Zetsu responded, his body slowly sinking into the ground.
Silence returned to the room, broken only by the incessant sound of rain outside the window.
Pain remained silent for a long time, as if he were thinking about something.
Suddenly, he turned around and spoke in a slightly softer tone to the shadowy corner of the room.
" Konan."
Swish.
Countless white pieces of paper flew out of the shadows and gathered in mid-air to form the figure of a blue-haired woman wearing a morning robe with a cool and aloof expression.
She is Konan, the only female member of the Akatsuki, and is known as Konan "Angel of God" by the Amegakure.
" Pain, have you made up your mind?" Konan's voice was as cold as water, but there was a hint of worry in her eyes.
"Hmm." Pain nodded. "The losses of Kakuzu and Hidan, as well as the appearance of that Uchiha Gen'yō, have all introduced variables into our plans."
"I need more precise information. While Jue's information is broad, it's too one-sided and easily influenced by his own subjective judgment."
Pain's Rinnegan silently watched Konan.
"Your Paper Release boasts the strongest stealth and reconnaissance capabilities within Akatsuki."
I want you to go to that so-called ' Divine Kingdom ' in person.
"Go and see for yourself what Uchiha Gen'yō and the country he founded are really like."
Upon hearing Konan, Konan's beautiful eyebrows furrowed slightly. "Infiltrate head-on? What if even Kakuzu and Hidan..."
"No." Pain shook his head. "I'm not sending you to fight, just to 'watch'."
"Use your Paper Clone, and try not to alert anyone. I need the most direct and realistic image."
A sharp glint flashed in Pain's eyes.
"I need to know, by what right does that man dare to call himself 'God' in front of me!"
Konan stared at Pain's Rinnegan, which no longer bore any Rinnegan to the boy he once was, remained silent for a moment, and finally nodded.
"I see."
Her body transformed once more into countless paper butterflies, fluttering and pouring out from the cracks in the window, merging into the endless curtain of rain.
"Remember, Konan."
Pain's voice sounded behind her.
Your safety is paramount.
The fluttering paper butterfly paused slightly, then disappeared into the sky at an even faster speed.
Inside the room, Pain looked out the window again.
He could sense that a storm powerful enough to change the entire landscape of the Shinobi World was quietly brewing.
And at the center of the storm was a man named Uchiha Gen'yō.
"No matter who you are, no matter what your purpose is."
Pain slowly raised his hand, and a tiny, black sphere radiating terrifying gravity took shape in his palm.
Before these eyes, everything will turn to nothingness.
"God is the same."
Pain didn't know was that just as he held the core of the " Chibaku Tensei " in his palm...
In the highest command room of the flagship " Amaterasu," in the Divine Kingdom thousands of miles away.
Gen'yō was sitting on a throne made of Chakra crystals, looking with great interest at the enormous holographic star map in front of him.
Suddenly, a faint red dot flickered in one corner of the star map, in the area representing the Land of Rain.
[Alert. High concentration of Six Paths Level Chakra fluctuation detected.]
[Source of the fluctuation: Nagato.]
[Behavioral Analysis: Small-scale Chibaku Tensei Simulation in progress. Threat Level: Low.]
"Oh? You were startled by the noise I made when I took down Madara, so you're starting to test your ultimate move at home?"
A mocking smile curled at the corner of Gen'yō's mouth.
He extended his finger and gently tapped the holographic star map.
" Amaterasu, bring me the real-time surveillance footage of the area around Amegakure."
[Command received.]
The next second, the gloomy and oppressive scene of Amegakure was clearly displayed on the huge holographic screen.
Gen'yō's gaze seemed to pierce through thousands of miles, locking onto the top of the tallest tower.
" Nagato, Nagato, you'll soon understand."
"In the face of true ' Kamui,' just how laughable is your ' Shinra Tensei '?"
As soon as he finished speaking, another, even smaller alarm popped up in the corner of the screen.
[High-density Paper Release Chakra signal detected, rapidly approaching the border of the Divine Kingdom from the direction of the Land of Rain.]
[Target identity matched: Akatsuki member, 'Angel' Konan.]
Upon seeing this message, Gen'yō's smile became even more playful.
"Speak of the devil, and he shall appear."
"Very well, then let your 'angel' deliver a gift to your 'god' on my behalf."
He spoke to the air beside him.
"Itachi, Obito."
"Here." Two figures instantly appeared on either side of the throne.
"Get ready, we have a guest coming. Even if it's just a paper guest."
Gen'yō leaned back on the throne, his fingers lightly tapping the armrest.
"I want to see if this angel will still find any meaning in the 'peace' she pursues after witnessing the glory of the ' Divine Kingdom ' with her own eyes."