A silence fell over the Akatsuki base. Pain had once again used his power to intimidate the group of missing-nin, but even Pain himself wasn't sure how long he could maintain that intimidation.
If they feared overwhelming power and death, they wouldn't have become missing-nin. These ninjas who dared to betray the Five Great Shinobi Villages were already prepared to face death.
Even the youngest, Deidara, was prepared to give his life for the ultimate art.
This is a group of true lunatics! But Pain, who dreams of achieving peace, is the biggest lunatic in the Akatsuki!
The windmill pattern in Uchiha Itachi's pupils slowly faded. The instant Pain made his move, Itachi activated his Mangekyō Sharingan, staring intently at the nominal leader of Akatsuki, one of Konoha's greatest enemies.
He saw the eerie Chakra of the Rinnegan, its inherent intimidating effect even the Mangekyō Sharingan couldn't escape. Then he saw an invisible force centered on Pain, easily sending Hidan and Kisame Hoshigaki flying.
"Is this power a barrier? Or a special kind of Wind Release?"
With too little intelligence, Uchiha Itachi was unable to accurately determine Pain's specific abilities, limitations in his use, and the extent of his maximum power.
However, he still used Genjutsu to imprint the scene of Pain's attack in his mind. Uchiha Itachi had already recorded many similar Akatsuki secrets using Genjutsu, and he could hand them all over to Konoha as long as there was a suitable opportunity.
Pain's gaze also swept over Uchiha Itachi, who was very likely a Konoha spy. However, this matter was not important. The Akatsuki would not fear any of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, and the Five Kage, with their deep thoughts and differing interests, could not possibly unite.
Compared to Madara Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki, Uchiha Itachi posed far less of a threat. Moreover, as a Konoha spy, Itachi was an absolute enemy of Uchiha Itachi Madara Uchiha, who had once attempted to destroy Konoha. Pain could use this to intimidate Madara Uchiha! However, it was still necessary to prevent Uchiha Itachi from ruining the next step of the plan.
" Kisame Hoshigaki, Uchiha Itachi, the two of you will team up and go to Kumogakure to capture the Two-Tails Jinchūriki. With the Fourth Raikage Kumogakure in charge, this is the best opportunity. I hope you won't disappoint me."
Kisame Hoshigaki and Uchiha Itachi exchanged a glance, both understanding Pain's meaning. Pain was worried about them, which was why he had deliberately sent them away...
However, as an undercover agent, one must be aware of one's place. Now that one's identity has been exposed, one must accept the excuses offered by Pain, otherwise the two sides will have no choice but to break off relations.
Kisame Hoshigaki was not interested in Akatsuki's next plan; it was nothing more than an operation against Konoha. Madara Uchiha had only given him two tasks: to monitor Pain and Uchiha Itachi.
This can be considered as completing part of the mission. As for Pain, his abilities are somewhat strange. Kisame Hoshigaki will not clash with Pain until he understands his background.
To complete a mission, not being afraid of death is only one condition. If Kisame Hoshigaki had always carried out missions with the determination to die, he would have died somewhere long ago. How could he have become one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist?
Kisame Hoshigaki walked towards Uchiha Itachi, keeping him at a dangerous distance before greeting him.
" Kisame Hoshigaki, one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist of the Mist."
" Uchiha Itachi."
Both of them gave very concise self-introductions, and there was no conflict that others would love to see. Instead, Earth Flow of the Akatsuki base in a harmonious and tacit manner, just like old friends who had known each other for many years.
Pain activated his full sensory abilities, his Rinnegan Chakra sweeping across the entire Akatsuki base again and again, even sending out the Naraka Path and Human Path to track the two from afar.
Under the threat of the Rinnegan, even Obito Uchiha could only temporarily hide in the Kamui Dimension, otherwise, if his whereabouts were discovered, it would be quite troublesome.
After confirming that both troublesome undercover agents had left and that there were no other eavesdropping 'little mice' at the Akatsuki base, such as Madara Uchiha, Pain began to explain the mission:
"You are all familiar with our Akatsuki's Tailed Beast Weapon Plan. The next step in this project is to collect Nine Tailed Beasts to deter the Five Great Nations from maintaining peace, and if necessary, even destroy one of them!"
"But now, an unexpected turn of events has occurred. Naoki Senju of Konoha Ninja Village has successively collected the Three-Tails, the One-Tail, and in the recent war, he even captured the Eight-Tails from Kumogakure. Adding the Nine-Tails from Konoha, this means that Konoha has now collected four of the Nine Tailed Beasts!"
Although the missing-nin didn't identify much with the Akatsuki and had even less confidence in the so-called Tailed Beast Weapon Plan, they still understood why Pain took it so seriously through the tangible numbers and Pain's slightly angry tone.
The Akatsuki's true objective was to collect the Tailed Beast, and they even made a great deal of effort and preparation for it. In the end, all the Tailed Beast were sealed by Konoha. Pain's decision not to launch a direct attack on Konoha in a fit of anger shows that he was quite calm.
"If we allow Naoki Senju and Konoha to continue collecting the Tailed Beast, the end result will likely be that we have to face nine Jinchūriki at the same time. Therefore, the purpose of gathering everyone here today is to kill Naoki Senju at all costs!"
Upon hearing that the mission was to kill, the clueless Hidan seemed the most excited, completely unconcerned about the gash on his neck, and said with great enthusiasm:
" Konoha ninja? It seems I've never sacrificed Konoha ninja before. Nobody can take him from me this time; I'm going to offer him to the Lord Jashin!"
Ignoring the erratic Hidan, Sasori of the Red Sands injected Deidara with the antidote and asked in a low voice:
"How strong is Naoki Senju? His ability to capture the Fourth Raikage and the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki is enough to make us cautious."
It's rare to find normal people in Akatsuki... Pain had mixed feelings, but when he thought about Sasori of the Red Sands turning him into Human Puppet, he felt that Akatsuki was beyond saving.
" Naoki Senju was very strong. He had mastered the Wood Release Kekkei Genkai of the First Hokage and had also used the Three-Tails 'Chakra, so he was also a Jinchūriki."
Sasori of the Red Sands, hiding within Hiruko, possessed the Wood Release Kekkei Genkai and was the Three-Tails Jinchūriki. He couldn't help but frown, realizing that dealing with such an opponent was simply too difficult.
"To ensure the complete annihilation of Naoki Senju, the entire Akatsuki will be mobilized this time, including myself!"
Pain's imposing declaration reassured Sasori of the Red Sands and Obito Uchiha, who was eavesdropping. While Naoki Senju's achievements were indeed dazzling, the Akatsuki leader, who liked to call himself a god, was equally unfathomable in strength!