Meanwhile, on the Moon.
Behind the spatial portal connecting the ninja world and the Moon, a suspicious figure was sneaking forward cautiously, muttering to himself, "Since the Akatsuki disbanded, this is the first time Leader Aizen has summoned us. Who would've thought the meeting place would be on the Moon? What an impressive move!"
As he spoke, a sense of pride swelled in his chest.
He'd heard about the Ninja Alliance's lunar plan before, and it had shocked him back then, but he never imagined the organization had already established a presence on the Moon long ago!
Even the Alliance, which had united the entire ninja world, had fallen behind in the race to the Moon, clearly demonstrating the strength of this organization!
And Aizen calling them this time gave him a premonition—the massive power hidden beneath the surface was finally about to emerge!
Just thinking about it made him too excited to contain himself. "Looks like we won't have to live in hiding anymore soon!"
As he was getting excited, he suddenly noticed two figures ahead.
"It's them!" Ruiga's heart leapt with joy as he rushed forward. "Sasori, Kisame, you're here too!"
Sasori turned around and upon seeing Ruiga, felt a flicker of confusion inside.
With Leader Aizen's power, what purpose did summoning this guy serve? Was he just there to fill seats, or liven up the atmosphere?
But he didn't voice his thoughts aloud, simply giving a calm nod. "It's me."
Seeing only this brief greeting from Sasori, Ruiga didn't feel offended. After all, there were never many "normal" people in Akatsuki besides himself. This kind of reaction was perfectly normal!
Kisame smiled. "Senior Ruiga, it's been years!"
Ruiga nodded with emotion. "Indeed, I never expected that we, the remaining members of Akatsuki, would meet again one day!"
"Akatsuki?" Kisame and Sasori exchanged strange glances.
Ruiga looked puzzled. "What? Did I say something wrong?"
Sasori replied calmly, "Apparently you really don't know. This time is a gathering of the Xu organization."
"The Xu organization?" Ruiga looked blank, suddenly feeling left out and slightly resentful.
"Hehe, don't tease Ruiga, Senior Sasori," Kisame chuckled. "Since Senior Ruiga is already here, that means Leader Aizen has accepted you. Besides, this is actually the first-ever gathering the Xu organization has held in all these years!"
After hearing Kisame's explanation, Ruiga immediately felt more at ease. "So you two are also here for the first time!"
He quickly asked eagerly, "Do you know why Leader Aizen summoned us this time? Is the organization planning a big move?"
"Not sure, but…" Sasori hesitated briefly. "Leader Aizen just returned from a parallel world. It wouldn't be surprising if something big were about to happen."
"Parallel world!" Both men recalled the events from eight years ago, their curiosity piqued. "I wonder what experiences Leader Aizen had in that world?"
Just then, several puppets flew down from the sky.
"Lords, you must be the guests of Lord Aizen, right?"
Sasori nodded. "Yes, that's us."
The leading puppet spoke, "Welcome, honored guests. Please follow me to the castle."
Ruiga walked closer to Sasori and quietly asked, "Are these puppets similar to the living puppets you created?"
Sasori calmly glanced at him. "Because they are the prototypes of Living Puppets!"
After finishing his words, he ignored Ruiga and followed the puppet forward.
"This guy was introduced into the Akatsuki organization by Aizen-sama. Could it be that the Xu organization already existed back then?" Ruiga dared not think further and quickly followed.
Before long, the three of them arrived in front of a castle.
Sensing their presences, the castle's master stepped out to greet them. "Welcome, honored guests. I am Tongren otsutsuki!"
Seeing the person standing before them, the three were all deeply shaken.
"Byakugan, no caged bird seal on his forehead, and that strangely familiar feeling—could he be the very person who once blocked Shimaseki during the Kage Summit?"
Tongren seemed to know exactly what they were thinking, but offered no explanation—only a quiet smile. "Please, follow me."
As if stunned, the three walked silently behind him. Just as they were about to enter the room he was leading them to, near the top of the second floor, Ruiga couldn't help but ask, "What rank would your strength place among the organization?"
Kisame and Sasori exchanged silent glances of approval and leaned in eagerly.
Tongren smiled gently. "Rank-wise? Somewhere between third and tenth. After all, I'm not really one for battle."
"Not suited for battle, yet managed to block Shimaseki? Like hell I believe that!" the three muttered silently.
Ruiga chuckled awkwardly. "Then who are the first and second strongest?"
"The first is naturally Aizen-sama. As for the second…"
"It's me!"
A confident voice came from behind them. The three turned around and saw a boy around seventeen or eighteen standing there, his eyes like blazing suns, particularly striking.
"Who might you be?"
"Toneri otsutsuki!"
After answering, Toneri looked expectantly toward someone beside him. "Father, has Aizen-sama arrived yet?"
Tongren smiled kindly. "Not yet, but he should be here soon."
Hearing their conversation, Ruiga's gaze darted suspiciously between them both.
"Are they really father and son? Could that statement just now have been intentional boasting?"
As Ruiga thought instinctively, he noticed a young girl with gorgeous crimson hair standing behind Toneri sigh, "Sigh, I really want to meet Aizen-sama already!"
Crimson hair... It stirred something familiar in them, immediately reminding them of Nagato, who also had dazzling crimson hair.
Tongren laughed. "Let's all go in and wait—three of you, Xianglin, and me."
Pushing open the door, a long table was placed right in the center of the room.
An old man wearing a gas mask and a green-eyed man with a surgical mask over his face were sitting properly on the chairs in front of the long table.
Ruiga greeted enthusiastically. "Kakuzu old buddy, you're here so early!"
"Time is money!" Kakuzu said coldly.
"Haha, you really haven't changed!" Ruiga naturally plopped himself beside Kakuzu, but no sooner had he sat down than he couldn't take it anymore. Covering his nose, he asked, "Old buddy, when was the last time you took a bath?"
Kakuzu frowned. "I just took one before coming!"
Ruiga paused. "Then it must be your clothes…"
Kakuzu answered bluntly, "Oh, it's still the same set from eight years ago!"
The corner of Ruiga's mouth twitched violently. "You're being way too cheap! You're clearly the richest among us…"
If he hadn't brought up money, it wouldn't have been a big deal. But the moment he did, Kakuzu's face darkened. "Most of the shinobi world is under surveillance by that so-called 'Sky Net.' The underground exchanges have long been shut down. Plus, everything's going digital now. I'm off the grid. How am I supposed to receive any money?!"
Ruiga opened his mouth but said nothing. For Kakuzu, who lives and dies by money, not being able to earn was indeed worse than death!
No wonder he couldn't find other ways to make money and had no choice but to cut costs.
Just as everyone silently sympathized with Kakuzu, a tall figure suddenly appeared at the head of the long table.
"Looks like everyone's here at last!"
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