At present, the situation along the northern border of the Land of Fire was as follows:
The shinobi forces of Kumogakure, Iwagakure, and Kirigakure had all rapidly assembled within the Land of Rice Fields to oppose Konohagakure, which they suspected of capturing the Tailed Beasts as the first step toward unifying the shinobi world.
Meanwhile, the combined forces of Konoha and Sunagakure had established defensive positions along the Land of Fire's northern front.
Only shinobi—troops with exceptional mobility and minimal logistical demands—could have responded so quickly, assembling on such a massive scale in only a few days.
Now, nearly half of the combined military strength of the Five Great Shinobi Villages had converged on the region, surrounding it so completely that not even water could slip through.
The venue for the Five Kage Summit lay in the empty strip of land between the two opposing armies.
In such a tense atmosphere, a group of mysterious figures bypassed the surrounding shinobi coalition and descended forcefully from the sky, leaving everyone who witnessed it stunned.
Everyone wanted to know which suicidal fool had the audacity to stir up trouble at a moment like this. Doing so was no different from provoking the dignity of all Five Great Shinobi Villages at once.
The instant the intruders appeared, the ANBU guarding the summit site rushed into action, each unit moving to protect its own Kage. Yet without direct orders, none of them recklessly attacked the mysterious newcomers.
Under such uncertain and volatile circumstances, protecting their village's Kage was their foremost duty as ANBU.
Not only did they have to remain on guard against the intruders, they also had to keep a close eye on the other villages. Aside from their own comrades, anyone else could become an enemy.
Who knew whether these six newcomers had secretly coordinated with one of the villages? They couldn't afford to let their guard down.
One wrong move, and the situation could devolve into a senseless free-for-all between the leaders of the five villages.
For a moment, the standoff settled into an eerie silence.
As the dust quickly cleared, the six mysterious figures came fully into view.
All six were male shinobi. One was bald, while the other five all had orange hair. Each wore strange black piercings across their face, giving them a strikingly unconventional appearance.
Anyone who didn't know better might have mistaken them for the newest rock band to debut somewhere.
But the matching black cloaks patterned with red clouds were unmistakable.
There was no doubt about it—they were members of the Akatsuki.
The only surprise was that these six Akatsuki members were complete strangers. None of them matched the missing-nin from the various villages that everyone had just been discussing.
If Jiraiya had been present, he probably would have recognized the orange-haired man standing at the front of the group as his former student, Yahiko.
Unfortunately, he was still stationed in the rear and had no way to reunite with his disciple.
Among everyone present, only Makoto and Minato knew who these people really were.
The Six Paths of Pain.
Makoto simply couldn't figure out why Nagato had sent the bodies he controlled here instead of focusing on assembling the Ten-Tails, the ultimate weapon.
Had he stayed hidden behind the scenes for so long that he was dying to make a dramatic entrance?
Or was Nagato really just that naïve and hopelessly chuuni?
Come to think of it...
He kind of was.
...
Terumī Mei studied the six identically dressed men.
"They're all unfamiliar faces. And those are Rain shinobi forehead protectors. Looks like the Akatsuki has far more members than the ones we were just talking about."
Ōnoki narrowed his eyes.
"Look at their eyes. That pattern... Could those really be the legendary Rinnegan—the greatest of the Three Great Dōjutsu?"
The Rinnegan was said to be the eyes of the Sage of Six Paths, the progenitor of the shinobi world.
Although no one present had ever actually seen them before, countless legends about those eyes had circulated throughout the shinobi world for generations.
Even Jiraiya had recognized them the moment he saw Nagato.
Naturally, the Kage—those who stood at the pinnacle of the shinobi world's power—recognized them as well.
Minato nodded.
"That's right. Those are indeed the legendary Rinnegan."
Ōnoki drew a slow breath.
"I never imagined something like this truly existed. And now six pairs have appeared all at once. Those were supposed to belong only to the Sage of Six Paths, the very founder of the shinobi world."
Rasa said, "With dōjutsu like that... these men must be the true leaders behind the Akatsuki."
The Fourth Raikage remained silent, carefully studying the other Kage beside him.
In his opinion, if the Akatsuki's leader truly possessed the Rinnegan, then there was little chance that any hidden village was secretly controlling him.
No village would ever allow someone with the Rinnegan to roam free while running an independent organization outside its authority. The risk of losing control was simply too great.
No matter how powerful Konoha was, even it couldn't afford to be that wasteful.
Back with the rear forces, Jiraiya suddenly shivered.
Why do I feel like someone's talking shit about me?
Makoto said, "Do you think the Sage of Six Paths was wholesaling Rinnegan like cosmetic contact lenses? There's no way that many exist. From what I can sense, all six of them are nothing more than corpses."
"In other words, they're all puppets being controlled by someone else. The true mastermind is the actual Rinnegan wielder. The eyes in these corpses are just projections created through some kind of jutsu."
The others immediately understood.
Suddenly, the situation made much more sense.
Even so, for some reason, they couldn't help feeling a little disappointed.
If there really had been that many pairs of Rinnegan, who would bother standing around watching?
They'd have rushed in and stolen the damn things.
Snagging even one pair would've been the deal of a lifetime.
Even as Kage, it was hard not to be tempted by the Rinnegan. And Kumogakure certainly wasn't the only village that knew how to enjoy a five-finger discount.
Back when the great shinobi villages had first been established, they'd wiped out plenty of independent shinobi organizations that tried to follow in their footsteps.
Standing before the five Kage, the Deva Path of Pain fixed Makoto with an emotionless stare.
"As expected of the second God of Shinobi. Your perception truly is remarkable."
"But even if you've seen through it, what difference does it make? You are merely the so-called God of Shinobi proclaimed by ignorant people—no different from Hanzō and his empty title of 'Demigod.'"
"And now, the ones standing before you are a true god."
Makoto fell silent.
Nagato really is terminally chuuni.
He's spent so many years pretending to be a god that he's actually started believing it himself.
Ōnoki spoke up.
"So, you're the leader of the Akatsuki? You're the one who captured the Tailed Beasts from our villages?"
Pain answered without hesitation.
"That's right. The greatest weapons you relied upon to oppress others are now in my hands."
Rasa asked, "What is the Akatsuki's objective? Do you truly intend to rule the world?"
Pain seemed remarkably patient.
"And what's wrong with that?"
"For generations, your so-called great nations have waged war without restraint, forcing endless suffering upon the people of smaller countries like mine."
"You never truly sought to eliminate war. You only fought to advance your own nations' interests, never caring about the suffering of those born in smaller lands."
"In that case, I shall become the god who commands the power of all the Tailed Beasts, rules every nation, eradicates all war, and ends this thousand-year cycle of suffering."
"That... is the will of God."
Ōnoki let out a chuckle.
"If that's the case, then haven't you already obtained the Tailed Beasts? Why come here today? To show off? Or to kill us?"
Pain replied, "Not entirely. Part of the Eight-Tails' power still remains sealed within its jinchūriki, and the Nine-Tails is still in Konoha's possession."
"So my purpose today is to reclaim the power that rightfully belongs to God."
"My homeland has always been a battlefield for the great nations. Ever since I was a child, I have endured the deepest suffering that war can inflict."
"That is why I understand suffering better than anyone."
"So, with what little mercy I have left, I came to ask the great nations one final time."
"Will you stand beside God?"
"Surrender the Tailed Beasts, join me in ending war, and together create everlasting peace for mankind."
Minato answered firmly.
"We will never hand over our jinchūriki to you. And as for the suffering caused by war... we great nations have endured it as well. None of us have suffered any less than you."
Rasa nodded.
"That's right. Every war has claimed countless shinobi from our villages. Their families and friends have suffered just the same."
"Ridiculous."
Pain's gaze swept across everyone present.
"As I thought..."
"You understand nothing about suffering."
"You know nothing of my pain... Because my pain surpasses yours!"
"What pain, what suffering—shut the hell up!"
The Fourth Raikage had long since grown tired of Pain's endless preaching about suffering.
"The bastard who wants to kill my little brother can die!"
Lightning Release Chakra Mode erupted around him as he charged forward.
The ANBU at his side knew their leader well. The moment he started talking, they already knew he was about to attack.
Without needing a word, they moved with him.
Lightning Oppression Horizontal Chop!
Lightning Release: Wave of Inspiration!
The Raikage led the charge while Darui followed close behind. Several ANBU coordinated with them, unleashing one deadly jutsu after another before they had even covered half the distance.
It accomplished absolutely nothing.
Shinra Tensei.
Pain raised a hand and activated the Rinnegan's power.
In an instant, the Raikage, his subordinates, and every incoming attack were blasted away.
Now that the fighting had begun, there was nothing left to discuss.
With the sole exception of Konoha's side, everyone had already resolved not to let a single member of the Akatsuki escape—even if they were all nothing more than corpses.
And if they could seize the bodies in the process...
Even if those weren't genuine Rinnegan, they would still be invaluable research material.