Today was the fourth day of travel. Two days ago, having already signed in Haku's Kekkei Genkai, Lexon had told Zabuza and Haku that they didn't need to keep following him. Consequently, Zabuza and Haku were no longer seen alongside them today; the two had rushed back to the location of their previous battle, hoping to recover the lost Executioner's Blade.
On the third day, under Kakuzu's incomprehending gaze, Lexon had released Isobu. He successfully signed in Isobu's chakra while the Three-Tails was chasing Kakuzu around. Afterward, he used his Sharingan to control Isobu and retracted it, all while Kakuzu looked at him with an expression that suggested he wanted to curse.
After a leisurely journey, and under Kakuzu's unspoken but urgent prompting, the two finally arrived at the border of the Land of Rain.
"As expected of the Land of Rain, where the Hidden Rain Village is located... this weather..." Lexon stood in an area with clear, cloudless skies, while the city not far away was shrouded in gloom and drizzling rain.
'Or rather... should I say Nagato is impressive...'
Lexon thought to himself.
The fact that the Hidden Rain Village had such weather was due to Nagato's control.
Rain Tiger at Will Technique.
A special jutsu where Nagato created rain clouds through Pain, allowing him to sense everything and detect all intruders through the falling rain.
In the original plot, this was the reason why Jiraiya, one of the Sannin, was discovered the moment he stepped into the Hidden Rain Village to investigate the Akatsuki's stronghold.
Lexon and Kakuzu did not hesitate and stepped directly into the territory of the Land of Rain.
Once inside, chakra automatically surged over their bodies, isolating them from the rain.
The streets seemed somewhat empty, with very few people walking about.
Before long, a woman dressed in Akatsuki robes appeared in front of Lexon and Kakuzu.
The woman had light blue-purple hair styled in a bun, with a light blue paper flower worn on the right side of her head. She had delicate features, light purple eyeshadow at the corners of her eyes, and a labret piercing below her lip.
This woman was Konan, one of the founders of the Akatsuki organization, one of the few who knew that Pain was a puppet, and a close friend of Nagato.
She was also the terrifying figure who would use six hundred billion paper bombs to attack someone later in the story.
One had to realize that in the ninja world, the price of a single paper bomb was not cheap for an ordinary ninja.
The effect caused by a single paper bomb was not much different from a modern hand grenade, so in battles between ordinary ninja, paper bombs were equivalent to strategic-level weapons.
And the explosion caused by the detonation of six hundred billion paper bombs... one could imagine how terrifying that would be...
And the price of six hundred billion paper bombs... one could also imagine how terrifying that would be...
However, it was unknown whether these six hundred billion paper bombs were made by the paper style expert Konan herself, bought with Kakuzu's money, or a combination of both...
But the fact that Kakuzu's money was embezzled by the organization was likely true.
"Follow me." In front of Lexon and Kakuzu, Konan appeared somewhat aloof. The moment she finished speaking, she transformed into sheets of paper that filled the sky and flew off in a certain direction.
Lexon and Kakuzu leaped into action, following the flying paper.
Soon, Lexon and Kakuzu arrived inside an empty building.
"Where is the Three-Tails?" Tendo Pain's deep voice suddenly resonated. His figure appeared on an iron platform, his ripple-patterned eyes falling emotionlessly upon Lexon and Kakuzu.
"Here." Lexon directly tossed out the summoning scroll containing Isobu.
Pain caught the scroll and said, "Well done."
"Uchiha Itachi and Juzo Biwa failed to capture the Four-Tails; Juzo Biwa died," Pain continued. "Therefore, Uchiha Itachi is now partnered with a newly joined member, Kisame Hoshigaki."
"So?" Lexon didn't quite get his point.
"They have now discovered two isolated Jinchuriki from the Hidden Cloud Village, the Two-Tails and the Eight-Tails."
"So you want us to go support Itachi and the others and capture both Jinchuriki?" Lexon guessed.
"Correct. Both of those Jinchuriki can fully transform and communicate with their Tailed Beasts. They are very strong," Pain said.
"I don't mind," Lexon responded.
Receiving Lexon's affirmative response, Pain looked at Kakuzu.
"Alright." Kakuzu nodded.
Although the difficulty had increased by fighting two Tailed Beast Jinchuriki, they would be two teams acting together, four people in total... surely that was better than acting alone with this guy, Uchiha Lexon!
"If the Hidden Cloud Village loses both the Two-Tails and Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, they'll probably go crazy, right?" Lexon said, looking straight into Pain's purple Rinnegan.
"That is why you need to be covert, make them suspect other major ninja villages, and you must succeed." Pain's words carried no emotion.
"Oh," Lexon replied casually, then said to Pain, "My uniform is ruined. Give me another one."
"I'll give it to you later." It was not Pain who spoke, but Konan.
"Give me a few more; I'm afraid I'll break them often," Lexon said.
Konan stared at him for a long time before slowly nodding.
"Mount Hero within the Land of Lightning. This is the intelligence sent by Uchiha Itachi and Kisame Hoshigaki a while ago. The two Jinchuriki are there, and they will wait for you there." After Tendo Pain finished speaking, he turned to leave, presumably to arrange for the injection of the Three-Tails into the Gedo Statue.
"By the way..." Lexon seemed to remember something at that moment and called out to stop Pain.
Pain turned back to look at Lexon.
"The thing you promised me," Lexon reminded him.
Standing to the side, Konan's face seemed to frost over.
Reminded by Lexon, Pain recalled the promise he had made and, after a long silence, said, "Fine."
Then, he extended a hand.
Lexon walked forward and grasped Pain's arm.
[Sign-in]
[Sign-in successful]
[Congratulations on obtaining "Sealing Jutsu: Phantom Dragon Nine Consuming Seals": S-rank Ninjutsu. Gathers ten powerful ninja as casters, activates the Gedo Statue with everyone's consciousness, and uses the mysterious power released from its mouth to extract and seal the chakra of a Tailed Beast.]
Did I not sign in what I wanted...?
Lexon was a little regretful.
However, knowing now that he could sign in even on a puppet driven by consciousness created by Nagato was enough...
"'Friendly interaction' over." Saying this, Lexon released his grip on Pain's hand and smiled at Tendo Pain. "We're a bit tired from capturing the Tailed Beast. Can we stay in the Hidden Rain Village for a few days before setting off?"
"Huh?" A sound of confusion came from Kakuzu behind him.
Hearing Kakuzu's voice, Lexon smiled and glanced back slightly.
"Indeed, Leader. We are a bit tired; we need to stay for a few days." Kakuzu's heavy voice came from beneath his mask.
Pain scanned them back and forth with his emotionless eyes a few times before saying, "Make it quick."
"Okay," Lexon responded.
Subsequently, led by a Hidden Rain ninja, Lexon and Kakuzu went to their respective small rooms to rest.
After Lexon and Kakuzu had left, Konan walked to Pain's side.
"Is there any issue?" Konan asked.
"No." Tendo Pain, under Nagato's control, shook his head.
Under the scrutiny of the Rinnegan, Uchiha Lexon's "handshake" behavior had no special significance.
"It is good that there are no problems with Yahiko's body," Konan said.
She had long heard Nagato mention Uchiha Lexon's strange request, so she was worried that the other party might do something to the corpse of her deceased friend.
Hearing now that there was nothing wrong, she felt much more at ease.
"Can that man really be trusted?" Konan suddenly asked.
"No." Nagato controlled Pain to shake his head again.
"Then why..."
"Because he can get things done," Pain said steadily, holding the summoning scroll containing the Three-Tails.
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]