The rain fell lightly as Itachi stood on the edge of a broken cliff. Below him, a winding valley cradled a small stream, its white line twisting through rugged rocks, so thin it seemed it might snap at any moment.
The water's surface shimmered with blossoms of rain, and droplets dampened his clothes. Itachi remained lost in thought, letting the rain patter against his face.
"Well, we finally took care of this Jinchuriki."
Hearing Kisame's voice from behind, Itachi turned to see him shouldering Samehada, the massive sword's spine supporting the limp body of a burly red-haired man.
Splash!
Kisame unceremoniously dumped the Jinchuriki onto the ground, "With this, our share of Yonbi is complete."
Itachi glanced at the unconscious Jinchuriki. Just minutes ago, violent Water Release and scorching Lava Release had clashed fiercely.
His thoughts drifted further back, to when he had left the Land of Fire, only for Obito to pick up on his trail. With Zetsu shadowing him, he had no choice but to feign normalcy and return.
It was only after reuniting with Kisame that the lurking presence of Zetsu finally vanished.
"The leader will likely contact us soon. Let's head to the nearest hideout." Itachi said with a nod.
His brief meeting with Logan in Daqing City had been as fleeting as a dream. Now, he was back on his original path, continuing the same routine he had followed for years… carrying out Akatsuki's missions.
Notably, Kisame hadn't noticed anything amiss. Itachi had seamlessly replaced his shadow clone disguise and resumed his duties. It seemed the masked man was acting independently, keeping his movements hidden from the rest of the organization...
That was a small relief, at least. It saved some trouble. Of course, Itachi didn't mistake it for kindness. He was navigating a field of thorns.
"Don't be in such a hurry," Kisame grumbled at Itachi's suggestion, "Let's wait out the rain first, Itachi-san. You'll catch a cold if you keep getting drenched. Besides, once we start the sealing process, we'll be stuck in place for a long time. Might as well slack off a little before that."
Looking at his grinning partner, Itachi remained indifferent.
"Do as you like."
They took shelter under a large tree, the light rain now blocked a few meters away. Kisame casually kicked the near-dead Yonbi's Jinchuriki to the shade of another tree, "Don't let his current state fool you… this guy's Lava Release was pretty fierce."
Itachi listened impassively. Come to think of it, he and Kisame had been teammates for many years now.
Somewhere in the unnamed wilderness, the rain continued to thread the air. Kisame rambled on enthusiastically about the earlier battle, while Itachi half-listened, his mind drifting. His thoughts turned to the intel Obito had given him, something about his unfortunate younger brother...
Meanwhile, Kisame was still talking, something about how Samehada was full of Chakra and how he'd love to taste the Kyubi's Chakra.
Then, Kisame abruptly fell silent.
Itachi's focus sharpened as well. The rings on their fingers pulsed, as their leader was summoning them.
Exchanging a glance, neither spoke as they channeled their chakra, activating the Magic Lantern Body Technique.
…
In one of Akatsuki's usual meeting places, dim light flickered across roughly smoothed stone floors. A single stone lantern burned at the center.
Hum.
Around the lantern, several illusory figures materialized one after another.
"You're late." Pain said the moment Itachi and Kisame appeared, his tone carrying the weight of leadership.
"Ah, we just subdued the Yonbi's Jinchuriki. It took a while to deal with the unruly bastard."
Itachi, ever the silent type, stood there like a workplace novice who didn't understand office politics. With no other choice, Kisame took the lead in explanations.
Once everyone had gathered, Pain wasted no time.
"Good. Aside from the usual Biju Extraction later, there's one more thing to announce."
"Orochimaru is dead."
The news was slightly outdated, but since Orochimaru had been a traitor to Akatsuki, Pain felt it necessary to inform the members.
"Well, well." Kisame chuckled.
"He's dead, huh? Tch, and here I was hoping to challenge him. Guess he was as weak as that dead Immortal Duo." Deidara said unhappily.
Sasori, standing nearby, glanced at him. Unlike his former Hiruko guise, his illusory figure now showed his true appearance, "You should focus on yourself. Last time you bragged about capturing Kyubi, you nearly got yourself killed."
Deidara lowered his gaze slightly and looked down at his senior. He was still a little uncomfortable with this perspective. Then, he said, "C'mon, Sasori-danna, that doesn't count! Next time, we'll storm back there together! Let Konoha witness my art!"
"..." Sasori sighed inwardly, 'That's not what I meant. And why is it only your art that gets showcased when you say 'we'?'
Too tired to respond, he simply stayed silent.
"So, who killed Orochimaru?" Deidara got straight to the point.
Pain: "Uchiha Sasuke."
"Oh ho." Kisame chuckled again, but then he remembered that the older brother of that very name was standing right beside him, so he quickly toned it down.
Deidara started arguing about whether it'd be more fun to go after the Kyubi for revenge or challenge Sasuke to a duel.
"Wait, where's Hattori? Why isn't he here?" Sasori noticed the absence of a familiar figure and frowned.
"Not sure. I couldn't reach him." Pain's expression darkened at the mention of the troublemaker, "Don't worry about it for now. I'll handle it."
"Damn, Hattori, skipping out right after the boss just talked to you? Respect." Deidara sounded genuinely impressed.
"Let's move on."
Pain's eyes flickered slightly. The information he'd actually received was that Logan had been eliminated… delivered to him by Obito. Whether it's true or not, the 'Void' ring had indeed lost its resonance.
"Sasuke's next target is obvious." Pain turned his gaze to Itachi, who had remained silent, "Itachi, even though you said you didn't need assistance, the organization will provide you with intel on Uchiha Sasuke's whereabouts."
At this point, Zetsu, lurking in the shadows as the ever-reliable intelligence officer, chimed in with details about Sasuke's recent recruitment of Suigetsu, Karin, and Jugo.
Itachi's Sharingan gleamed coldly in the dim light, as if the news of his younger brother stirred nothing in him. Only after Zetsu finished speaking did he give Pain a slight nod of acknowledgment.
"Hey, Sasori-danna, when are we heading out to settle the score?"
"Ugh, damn it, my right arm just got reattached… I want to blow something up already..."
At this time, Deidara had started causing a ruckus again. Kisame, never one to tolerate his antics, sneered and fired back, and soon the two were trading insults, dragging Sasori into the verbal brawl.
"Enough!" Sometimes, Pain really felt like managing these employees was exhausting. Running an organization is hard work. He reined them in, then paused before continuing, "Moving forward, Uchiha Sasuke will likely target Akatsuki in his search..."
A few minutes later, Pain finally wrapped up the meeting.
Deidara immediately declared that he wanted to challenge strong opponents, prove his art, and blow things up.
What else could Pain say but 'amazing'? "
"Since you're so eager…" Pain glanced at Sasori, Deidara's usual partner.
"Leader, I might not be able to assist. The damage to my core isn't fully repaired yet." Sasori said.
This was a bolt from the blue for Deidara. Without his partner, it would be difficult to blow someone up. However, Pain, ever the magnanimous leader, nodded understandingly.
"In that case, we happen to have a new member. Deidara, you'll team up with them temporarily. You'll meet shortly."
The ancient stone lantern's flame flickered quietly, while outside, the rain continued to fall.