The sudden increase in my chakra had come with an obvious drawback.
Control.
My reserves had expanded to an absurd level, but my control had not yet fully adapted to that scale. Even though my chakra manipulation was already extremely refined, the sheer volume now flowing through my coils made delicate adjustments far more difficult.
In simple terms, my power had grown faster than my precision.
That needed to be corrected immediately.
So I summoned fifty shadow clones.
Each one was assigned a single task.
Chakra control.
Not basic exercises, but extreme refinement training.
Leaf balancing.
Water walking.
Thread-level chakra manipulation.
Microscopic adjustments in chakra density.
Fine rotational control.
They practiced compressing chakra into tiny spheres no larger than grains of sand and sustaining them for minutes at a time. Others practiced shaping razor-thin chakra threads that could slice paper without tearing the edges.
Perfect control was impossible.
That was a fact.
But reaching the absolute limit of what my body could achieve was the goal.
With reserves like mine, even a small improvement in efficiency would multiply my combat potential.
Meanwhile, I created another eighty clones.
These were divided into four training groups.
Twenty clones began focusing on Fire Release.
They practiced scaling techniques from basic fireballs to larger infernos, refining heat density and spread patterns.
Another twenty worked on Wind Release.
They experimented with cutting pressure, compression blasts, and sharpening wind chakra into blades capable of slicing stone.
The third group trained in Earth Release.
Defensive walls, underground movement, terrain manipulation, and hardened stone constructs.
The final twenty focused on Water Release.
High-pressure water jets, water dragons, battlefield flooding, and dense water shields.
Because of the Rinnegan, I possessed natural access to all five elemental transformations, along with Yin–Yang Release.
And because of the talents I had acquired, learning new techniques was no longer difficult.
Especially when the knowledge was already documented.
Every jutsu used by the Akatsuki members had been carefully recorded onto scrolls.
I had gathered their techniques one by one.
Kisame's water techniques.
Itachi's fire style methods.
Kakuzu's elemental attacks.
Even lesser abilities from other members.
As long as a technique was not tied to a kekkei genkai, I was confident I could master it.
And even some abilities that bordered on kekkei genkai principles could be approximated through clever chakra manipulation.
Thousands of hours of clone training ensured rapid progress.
While my clones trained, I reviewed intelligence reports.
Black Zetsu had returned with information from across the world.
Political shifts.
Hero movements.
Villain alliances.
Government responses.
Most importantly, updates regarding the Justice League.
Their investigation into the Akatsuki had intensified.
They had begun gathering fragments of information from multiple encounters.
Sasori's battle with Superman.
Kakuzu's confrontation with Batman.
Sightings of White Zetsu.
Various mercenary contracts.
None of it was enough to locate our base.
But it had raised our threat classification significantly.
The Justice League now understood that the Akatsuki were not simple criminals.
We were something else.
A structured power operating outside their control.
Which meant they would eventually escalate their response.
That was expected.
A short time later, the Akatsuki convened for a meeting.
Most of the members were not physically present.
Instead, we used the Akatsuki Rings.
Through them, our consciousness projected into the meeting chamber.
A familiar dark room materialized.
Stone pillars rose around the chamber.
Holographic avatars of each member appeared in their assigned positions.
Some were clearer than others depending on connection distance.
I stood at the center.
My real body remained in the base, but my projection appeared identical.
Around the room stood the Akatsuki.
Kakuzu.
Hidan.
Sasori.
Itachi.
Kisame.
Several others.
White Zetsu lingered in the shadows.
Black Zetsu remained partially merged with the ground as usual.
The meeting began.
First came mission reports.
Kakuzu spoke about the League of Shadows contract.
They had already begun working alongside Ra's al Ghul's operatives. The League's assassins were skilled, but their abilities were limited compared to shinobi techniques.
Still, their intelligence networks and political infiltration capabilities were extremely valuable.
Hidan complained about their lack of proper sacrifices.
No one paid attention.
Next came Sasori's report.
He discussed his encounter with Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman.
The battle analysis was detailed.
Superman's physical power.
His vulnerability to kryptonite.
The teamwork coordination between League members.
Itachi listened carefully to every detail.
Kisame looked interested when chakra-like energy patterns were mentioned.
We then reviewed completed contracts.
Several high-profile criminals had been eliminated.
A number of underground organizations had begun hiring us regularly.
The Akatsuki's reputation as a mercenary organization was growing rapidly.
Fear was spreading through both villain networks and intelligence agencies.
Which meant more system points.
More influence.
More opportunities.
Finally, the conversation shifted to the Justice League.
They were now actively investigating us.
That meant eventual confrontation was inevitable.
But none of the members appeared concerned.
If anything, the atmosphere felt calm.
Calculating.
Because each of us understood something important.
The Akatsuki were only getting stronger.
And this world had only just begun to notice.