Rain fell endlessly over Amegakure.
The Akatsuki gathered within the highest tower, the familiar circular chamber dimly lit, shadows stretching along the walls. The air felt heavier than usual.
At the center of the room, bound tightly in seastone chains, sat Kizaru.
His usual lazy posture was gone. The light in his body was completely suppressed, his limbs heavy, head tilted slightly downward. He was alive, but not in any condition to fight or attempt to escape. For the first time in decades, an admiral was a prisoner.
Deidara leaned forward in his seat, staring openly.
"Man… seeing him like this really kills the vibe," he muttered. "Kinda expected more sparkle."
Kisame grinned, baring sharp teeth. "People would probably panic if they found out we kidnapped an admiral.."
Hidan clicked his tongue. "Tch. He would've been a perfect sacrifice."
"Absolutely not," Kakuzu said flatly. "He's worth far more alive."
Sasori stood near Kizaru, arms folded, his expression unreadable, but he was already thinking about turning him into a puppet.
"Enel delivered him exactly as promised," he said calmly. "I plan to turn him into a puppet that still retains its abilities. Since it seems the abilities in this world disappear after death.
Kizaru let out a quiet breath, finally lifting his head slightly.
"Well now… this is troublesome," he drawled, voice slower than usual, lacking its old confidence. "To think I'd end up here of all places, and you want to turn me into a puppet? How scary~"
Lightning crackled faintly through the room.
Enel stood against the wall, arms crossed, eyes glowing faintly.
"You should be grateful," Enel said coldly. "If it were up to me, you'd already be dead by this point."
Kizaru smiled faintly. "Still holding a grudge, huh~?"
Nagato sat at the head of the chamber.
He hadn't spoken yet.
When he finally did, the room fell completely silent.
"The war is over," Nagato said calmly. "And the world has responded exactly as expected."
Konan stood beside him, unfolding several papers,bounty posters, intelligence reports, global reactions.
"The World Government has classified us as an existential threat," she said. "Our alliance with Dragon has been confirmed publicly. Cipher Pol activity has increased worldwide."
Nagato nodded once.
"This was inevitable."
He turned his gaze toward Kizaru.
"You," Nagato continued, "are no longer an admiral. You are proof."
Kizaru's smile faded slightly.
"Proof of what, exactly~?"
"That the Marines can bleed," Nagato replied. "And that their light can be extinguished."
No one spoke.
Nagato continued, voice steady.
"Our objective has been achieved. The Marines are crippled. Their authority shattered. The balance of power no longer exists."
Deidara smirked. "So what now? More wars?"
"No," Nagato said. "Not yet."
He placed his hands together.
"The world is afraid. That fear will spread on its own. We do not need to rush."
His eyes sharpened slightly.
"But understand this, every major power is now watching us. Yonko. The warlords. The remnants of the Marines. And the world government."
Kisame chuckled. "Let them watch."
Nagato's gaze returned to Kizaru.
"As for you…" Nagato faced Sasori shortly after "You may turn him into a puppet, but it must be after we extract intelligence and benefits from him."
Sasori tilted his head slightly. "Interrogation?"
"Eventually," Nagato said. "But more importantly, leverage."
Kizaru exhaled slowly.
"Well… I suppose this is what happens when you lose a war~"
Rain continued to fall outside.
Eventually the meeting ended and everyone dispersed, aside from Nagato and Konan.
Nagato said "I spoke with Dragon, and he claims that the world government is hiding much more power than they show on the outside.
Konan's expression tightened. "So even after Marineford…"
"Even now," Nagato replied. "The Marines are crippled, but attacking the Holy Land would be reckless. Not yet."
He slowly rose to his feet.
"But that doesn't mean we remain stagnant."
Konan turned toward him. "You're thinking of them."
Nagato nodded.
"The Akatsuki was never complete in this world."
He stepped forward and pressed his hand to the floor, 3 devil fruits appeared on the ground.
"It's time to call the ones still missing."
The first fruit pulsed and then disappeared, creating a cloud of smoke.
A tall figure emerged from the smoke, kneeling instinctively before steadying himself. A massive sword rested against his shoulder.
Konan's eyes widened slightly.
"That blade…"
The man stood fully upright.
Biwa Juzo.
His scarred face looked just as it had years ago, calm and battle-worn. Resting in his hands was the Executioner's Blade.
"I'm alive again?," Juzo asked after a brief pause. He glanced down at the sword, then toward Nagato, his eyes widening seeing the rinnegan. "Those eyes.. who are you?"
Nagato studied him briefly
"Welcome back. I am Nagato. Pain was a puppet I controlled because I was in a state of immobility."
After briefly explaining to him, he quickly continued the process, the next fruit disappearing.
Dark, viscous chakra spilled outward, forming an unsettling shape as the next presence manifested
The moment zetsu's form stabilized, his posture changed.
His head snapped up.
"…Nagato?"
His gaze was extremely calculating.
His gaze flicked to Konan then to the surroundings.
"This isn't right," he muttered under his breath.
Before Nagato could speak, Zetsu's body began to sink into the ground, quickly disappearing before anyone could react.
And Zetsu vanished, escaping into the earth in an instant, leaving only disturbed stone behind.
Nagato was extremely confused, but he figured after summoning "madara" he'd know the answer.
He absorbed the next fruit, and the summoning began.
The air warped.
White serpents appeared and fused together into one being.
Orochimaru stood in place.
Nagato's eyes widened in surprise.
Before Orochimaru could even finish straightening, black chakra rods erupted, slamming into his limbs and pinning him flat against the floor.
"Interesting," Orochimaru said calmly, even as the rods pierced through his coat. His lips curled into a thin smile. "Straight to the point, I see."
Konan moved closer, paper fluttering subtly, ready to strike if needed.
"You shouldn't have been summoned," Nagato said. "You abandoned the Akatsuki."
"And yet," Orochimaru replied smoothly, eyes gleaming, "here I am. and I have to say, summoning humans is quite an interesting ability, considering I've met no conditions for you to be able to reverse summon me. So this must be an ability of the rinnegan."
Nagato quickly finished the last summoning, planning to deal with orochimaru soon.
A figure appeared in a swirling pattern, however it didn't look like the person Nagato was expecting.
Short dark hair, a scarred face and two mangekyou sharingan.
Nagato stared.
"…You."
The man blinked, clearly just as confused.
"This isn't the Pure Land," he said slowly. "So… I'm alive?"
Konan stiffened, instantly on guard, remembering her death. "Nagato… is that—"
Nagato's mind raced.
This is the man who called himself Madara. But he's too young. And the mask…he's not wearing it anymore?
"You're not Madara," Nagato said quietly.
Obito's eyes widened slightly seeing Nagato but he nodded.
"You're right, Madara wasn't really my name. My name is Obito Uchiha."
Nagato studied him carefully, sensing no deception.
"Did you die?"
Obito nodded. "I did. I started the 4th great ninja war to enact our plan. I ended up being defeated however, and I also learned everything we worked towards was a scheme of the real Madara, and black zetsu."
He turned toward Nagato fully. "I'm not sure why you brought me here, but either way, I want to apologize for deceiving you all, and for what I did to Konan after you disappeared."
Nagato stared for a few moments, studying him and sensing the sincerity in him, before nodding. "You're here because I have summoned you to this world. This world is not the ninja world. Rather, it's a world divided between pirates, a force called the world government, and marines. All sorts of abilities exist here, such as a force called haki, and devil fruits that give mysterious abilities on par with kekkei genkai to whoever eats them. However, this world is even worse than our old world and I plan to correct it.
Pinned to the floor, Orochimaru listened closely, eyes shining with interest rather than hostility.
"A world with devil fruits, strange powers, and a global authority hiding its true strength…" he murmured. "Fascinating."
Nagato's gaze snapped back to him.
Orochimaru met his eyes without fear.
"This isn't the same man you remember," Orochimaru said calmly. "The war changed many things. I'm no longer chasing eyes or immortality. I've already found my path, and now I just wish to uncover all the mysteries of the world."
He smiled faintly.
"Although this is no longer the ninja world, this world is worth studying. And I have no intention of opposing you."
Nagato didn't immediately release the rods.
But he didn't speak either.
One by one, he looked at the summoned figures.
Juzo, who had been listening along, Obito, and Orochimaru.
He could already see that both Juzo and Obito were willing to work with him after hearing about the world, so his eyes settled back on Orochimaru, contemplating for a few moments.
"…Very well," Nagato said at last.
"Your skill sets would all be very useful to the Akatsuki, I formally extend an invitation to you three to rejoin the Akatsuki, in this new world."
"This world needs to be changed, so I'll help" Said Obito.
Juzo only thought for a moment before saying "I have nowhere else to go, and I wanna see Itachi again anyways. I'm in."
Orochimaru's eyes gleamed as he was thinking about all the possibilities this world had, and he quickly replied "I'm in as well, although I hope the organization doesn't restrict me to staying here. I'm quite interested in exploring this world, he said while his long tongue licked his lips."
Nagato nodded calmly "Very well, welcome to the Akatsuki."
Nagato then turned to Obito "Any intelligence you have on Zetsu, tell me it now. I summoned him earlier and he immediately fled. Now that you said we were deceived by him, it makes a lot more sense.
And thus, unknown to the rest of the world, the Akatsuki quietly gained 3 new members, with Orochimaru and Obito being especially formidable.