Three days later, in a cave somewhere in the Land of Tea
The Demonic Statue of the Outer Path was summoned, its ten fingers outstretched, with a Formless Clone standing on each finger.
Due to the impending turmoil in the Shinobi World, members of the Akatsuki have become a focus of attention for all the major ninja villages, forcing them to disperse and operate discreetly. Their method of communication is through Formless Clone.
Kisame said, "Oh, it's been a long time since we've all gathered like this. The last time we gathered was the day Orochimaru betrayed us, hmm, how many years has it been?"
Deidara scoffed, "Tch, I didn't join this organization to hide like a rat. I came here to pursue the ultimate art! Art is an Explosion! Hmm!"
Sasori of the Red Sands was about to speak when Pain interrupted, "Enough with the small talk. We've gathered everyone here to proceed with the next step of our plan."
Uchiha Itachi remained silent, while Hidan joked, "Oh? Are you going to attack Konoha? There's a guy in Konoha named Hongshi who dared to insult the Jashin."
Hidan learned of what had happened in the Land of the Moon from the intelligence organization and harbored deep hatred for Hongshi.
Pain said calmly, "It's not time to make a move against Konoha yet. Our next plan is to capture the Tailed Beast."
After saying that, he gave Uchiha Itachi, who had his eyes closed, a meaningful look.
Kisame was very interested in the Jinchuriki of the Tailed Beasts, because the stronger the opponent's chakra, the stronger he became.
Pain made the arrangements. " Hidan and Kakuzu can begin hunting high-bounty ninjas, but I have one condition: do not hunt missing-nin, and all the money obtained will belong to you."
Konan: "Cough cough."
Upon Kakuzu, Kakuzu, whose five hearts were stirred by the promise of money, was naturally overjoyed. "Heh, interesting. As long as there's money, you can kill however you want. Hidan, you can kill as many people as you like now."
"Hahaha, that's for sure. I will offer the lives of thousands upon thousands of powerful warriors to the Lord Jashin to appease his wrath!"
Kakuzu is greedy and believes that only money is reliable. After joining Akatsuki, his actions of hunting down bounty hunters were greatly restricted, which made him very dissatisfied.
Kisame shook his head. "Sigh, this combination of an immortal serial killer and a money-grubber is really going to cause a big commotion."
Pain continued, "According to the intelligence Zetsu gathered, the Four-Tails is hiding in Iwagakure, possesses the Lava Release Kekkei Genkai, and is extremely powerful, so Kisame and Itachi are in charge."
Kisame seemed even more excited. "Oh~ Itachi-san, now I can finally vent all this pent-up frustration!"
"Snort."
Since awakening the Rinnegan, Uchiha Itachi has increasingly disregarded Kisame. He harbors feelings for another man, a man he has always wanted to surpass but has never been able to.
Hongshi, who was eating Ichiraku Ramen in Konoha, dropped his chopsticks. "(°ー°)? Why does the ramen suddenly tasteless?"
Pain continued, "According to Zetsu's investigation, a very powerful ninja has emerged in Konoha, posing a threat even greater than the Kage of the Five Great Villages. Therefore, the Nine-Tails within Konoha is not currently considered a capture target."
Deidara seemed quite interested in Hongshi: "I heard this guy named Hongshi is younger than me. Speaking of which, didn't Kisame and Itachi meet him? Do you know anything about him? Hmm!"
"Nausea."
"Abnormal."
Everyone: "..."
Pain coughed twice to ease the awkward atmosphere. "I classify Hongshi as Tailed Beast level threat, so don't fight him without sufficient information."
Kisame chuckled, "I still think it's best not to run into him; he's terrifying."
"Oh?" Hidan asked, "Even Kisame is wary of him, which makes us even more eager to kill him. How can we recognize him?"
Kisame said, "If you see someone dressed strangely, you can basically tell it's him. The really strange kind."
"Tch, what kind of intelligence is that? But if he runs into me, I'll give him a good beating."
Zetsu warned, "A ninja village called Core has appeared and created some kind of barrier that even my Spore Clone cannot enter. If you encounter any ninjas from Nuclear Ninja Village, please be careful."
Deidara, however, remained unfazed. "If they pose a threat to us, one C1 shot will let them experience the beauty of art! Hmm!"
Zetsu continued, " The Nuclear Ninja Village has been making a lot of moves lately, constantly transporting ores from various places. I don't know what they're up to, but I heard they're planning a ninja tool revolution."
Sasori said, "Ninja tool revolution? What an arrogant tone."
Pain looked at Sasori and Deidara: "Sasori and Deidara, your mission is to go to the Blade Ninja Village, annihilate them all, sever the nexus between Sand Ninja and Konoha, and capture One-Tail Jinchuriki Gaara."
While in hiding, Sasori had heard of the Nuclear Ninja Village and the Blade Ninja Village, and was particularly interested in the Blade Ninja Village's giant puppet. "Very well, I'd like to meet this genius puppeteer."
Deidara laughed, "Brother Sasori, don't get all excited just because you see a puppeteer like yourself. Seriously, our workload is quite heavy, are the two of us really going to be able to handle this?"
Pain Hand Seals, and Tobi's figure appeared above the group. "This is an apprentice member of Akatsuki, who will accompany you."
That's more like it.
Pain looked at Zetsu: "Zetsu, your mission is to find Hiruko and provide him with a super orc army to catalyze the war."
"Understood. I won't neglect intelligence gathering either."
Mizuki's plan was instructed by Pain, and its fundamental purpose was to destroy the Land of Rivers, thereby severing the connection between the Sand Ninja and Konoha and creating better conditions for him to capture the One-Tail Beast. However, the sudden appearance of a swordsman caught them off guard.
In Pain's eyes, the Blade Ninja Village was merely a weaker entity than the Takigakure, and eliminating them would require almost no significant cost.
Zetsu laughed and said, "Leader Pain, don't underestimate this Blade Ninja Village. They are strong individuals who came from the Nuclear Ninja Village. I think thirteen of them should be listed as Specially Noted Combat Power."
Specially Noted Combat Power are used by the Akatsuki to mark powerful ninjas with unique Kekkei Genkai.
Deidara continued, "Thirteen Specially Noted Combat Power? Is this Blade Ninja Village really that strong? Oh well, one C1 attack from me and they'll all be reduced to dust. Hmm!"
Having clearly assigned the tasks, Pain's tone changed, becoming excited. "The disappearance of the Three-Tails has plunged our Akatsuki into a predicament of being hunted down, while the appearance of Hiruko has allowed our plans to take a big step forward. Next, let's see how many floors the world has to carry a bag of rice up.
Konan said, "That concludes the agenda for this meeting. The next plenary session is scheduled for thirty days from now. Dismissed!"
The entire Musou Formless Reincarnation vanished, and the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path sank into the ground, returning the cave to silence, just like the tranquility of the Shinobi World at that moment.