Did he not know I existed?
Kabuto shook his head. He had seen the legendary First Mizukage, Yuto, back when he was in Konoha.
Remembering the tone he'd used when he spoke back then made cold sweat soak his back all over again. He'd really been lucky at the time—if his luck had been any worse, he wouldn't be alive today.
And if it really was the second possibility, then Kabuto couldn't quite figure it out.
"This information might make a pretty good bargaining chip."
He pushed his glasses up his nose, thinking silently to himself.
As a spy with multiple identities, the best choice was always to maximize利益—profit.
After all, bringing Orochimaru back to life would take a lot of preparation.
Deep in a dark cave—
The members of Akatsuki had, unusually, all gathered.
"The shinobi world's been pretty lively lately," Deidara said with a grin, glancing around at the others.
"Yeah, it's lively all right. Shame about all that bounty lying around," came Kakuzu's slightly hoarse voice, full of regret.
"What about Itachi and Kisame? They didn't show up last time, and they're still not here now," Sasori asked, scanning the group with a puzzled look.
At his words, the other Akatsuki members also showed confused expressions. Missing two meetings in a row—this had never happened before.
At the very edge, Zetsu stood quietly. The White Zetsu half had a look of barely contained excitement, like he was trying very hard not to blurt out some big news.
The Black Zetsu half, on the other hand, showed no emotion at all—but there was a strange light flickering in its eyes.
"There's no need to wait for them. Those two won't be coming anymore."
A cold voice suddenly reached everyone's ears.
They turned toward the sound and saw Pain and Konan walking slowly out from one side, entering their field of view.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Hidan asked, frowning in confusion.
"There are three matters to announce," Pain said.
"First—Itachi is dead. The exact cause of death should be related either to Konoha or to the Mist."
"Second—Kisame has betrayed the organization. He has already leaked information about Akatsuki to the Mist Village."
Pain paused there for a moment, clearly giving them time to digest the two pieces of news.
The room suddenly went quiet. Faced with this out of nowhere, everyone seemed a little stunned.
"What? Itachi's dead? I haven't even gotten my revenge yet!" Deidara shouted, disbelief written all over his face as he stared wide-eyed at Pain.
"Kisame, that shark-head, betrayed Akatsuki? I always thought Itachi would be the first one to turn on us," Kakuzu said with a cold smirk.
To him, it didn't matter who betrayed the organization. If anything, part of him welcomed it.
After all, that just meant another walking bounty he could claim.
Standing beside Pain, Konan swept her gaze over the faces below. A faint, almost imperceptible sadness passed through her eyes.
The Akatsuki in front of her was no longer the Akatsuki of the past. When it came to a comrade's death, there was nothing on their faces but shock or surprise—there wasn't the slightest hint of grief.
A quiet sorrow rose in Konan's heart.
Once Pain seemed to feel that everyone had more or less processed the news, his indifferent voice sounded again:
"Third— I will personally go to the Mist Village, kill Kisame, and reclaim Akatsuki's two rings."
"Also, with this war having broken out, Akatsuki will be completely exposed to the eyes of every village. You would all do well to be prepared in advance."
At that, all of the gathered Akatsuki members straightened, expressions turning serious.
"Do you need me to infiltrate the Mist first and gather intelligence?" Zetsu asked at this point, smiling as he looked at Pain.
"No," Pain replied flatly, refusing him on the spot.
With that, Pain and Konan turned and left.
White Zetsu spread his hands, looking helpless, while Black Zetsu's eyes gleamed sharply.
So, he doesn't trust us anymore, huh?
And just now, Black Zetsu had felt an extremely special chakra from Pain's body.
Even though Pain was only a corpse, not the true body, Black Zetsu could still faintly sense that special chakra from the black rods transmitting the signal.
That technique had already been activated.
Before, Black Zetsu had only suspected. Now he was absolutely certain—
Yuto, the First Mizukage, had been resurrected.
Because the condition for that technique to trigger was for the Rinnegan (Six Paths Eye) to lay eyes on Yuto's face. It was a safeguard Madara had placed on the Rinnegan back in the day, just in case.
Compared to Obito's petty schemes, Yuto was the one Black Zetsu truly had to be wary of.
Someone like that was absolutely the greatest threat to his plan of reviving "Mother."
Thinking this, Black Zetsu immediately took control of White Zetsu's body and sank swiftly into the ground.
In a dimly lit room, a strange device like a sleeping pod stood in the center, crisscrossed with tubes.
Inside it, a gaunt red-haired man lay half-reclined, his back riddled with black rods.
This was Nagato, Akatsuki's true leader.
The Pain who had just attended the meeting now stood off to one side, and beside him were five more corpses, each bearing a pair of Rinnegan eyes.
"Nagato, do you really have to do this? That's one of the Five Great Villages," Konan asked, worry thick in her voice.
Looking at Nagato's emaciated body, she couldn't hide the ache in her expression.
Yahiko had sacrificed himself for the sake of peace, and now Nagato had become like this for that same goal.
Sometimes, Konan couldn't help but wonder whether what they were doing was truly right or wrong.
"Anyone who betrays Akatsuki must pay the price. That is the resolve a leader must have," Nagato said.
"We've already experienced endless pain, haven't we? And that pain is what made us grow—from ordinary humans into gods."
Sensing the confusion beside him, Nagato forced his stiff features into a faint smile.
"It's not just for Yahiko. It's also for ourselves. I will put a stop to the flames of war raging through this world. That is the mission of a god—and the mission these eyes have bestowed upon me."
Nagato's steady voice echoed in Konan's ears.
Looking at his expression, Konan drew in a deep breath, then gave him a radiant smile.
"I'll help you," she said.
Nagato fell silent for a moment, then said softly, "Thank you."
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