Rain Country underground, Akatsuki stronghold.
In a flawless white room, without a single seam in sight, Jigen was elegantly savoring red wine, his chin resting on one hand as he thoughtfully gazed at Yōwan, who lay on the ground.
Draining the last of the wine in his glass, Jigen gently set the cup on the armrest of his chair and said coldly:
"I believe I've already said this before. What we need right now is to lie low and wait for me to find a suitable 'vessel,' am I right?"
There wasn't a trace of anger in Jigen's tone, yet his words made Yōwan's entire body tremble.
"V-very... sorry..."
Stammering, Yōwan opened his mouth. His usual arrogance was gone; in this moment, he truly felt the threat of death.
"Not only that, you even exposed the latest technology I entrusted to Kazahana Doto."
With every sentence Jigen spoke, Yōwan trembled even more violently.
"You don't need to be so afraid. I have no intention of killing you."
Shifting his attention away from Yōwan, Jigen turned his gaze toward another silent member of the inner circle who had been standing in the room.
Sasori of the Red Sand.
After being defeated by Takeshi, this Sunagakure genius puppeteer had sunk into a kind of madness. Especially after obtaining the Ōtsutsuki's technology, he poured all his mind and body into developing massive puppets.
"You seem to rely far too much on Senju and Uchiha powers, forgetting that these are merely fragments of the Ōtsutsuki's true might."
Although Jigen's eyes were fixed on Sasori, his words were directed at Yōwan.
"I..."
Yōwan had no idea how to defend himself—until a wave of excruciating pain spread through his body.
Several black rods pierced into his shoulder, ripping it completely off his body.
"Interesting technique. A curse mark, perhaps?"
Without leaving any visible trace of his actions, Jigen walked over to Yōwan's side and placed his hand on the spot where the Flying Thunder God seal was inscribed.
"Sasori, take Yōwan away and transplant the latest prosthetic body for him."
Turning back to his seat, Jigen glanced at the staggering Yōwan being supported by Sasori and added:
"Oh, right. That man called Amado—how is contact with him progressing?"
"S-still... observing..."
Gritting his teeth through the pain, Yōwan answered.
"Training of the vessels is also... ongoing. The children... are locked in secret places, fighting each other..."
With the black rods blocking the regenerative ability of the Hashirama cells, Yōwan finally experienced what it truly meant to live a life worse than death.
"Hmph."
With a single cold snort, Jigen ended the meeting, dismissing them with a gesture.
...
"Quite the disgrace, Leader."
In the corridor, Sasori—supporting Yōwan—seemed in a fairly good mood, sneering at him.
"Can't be helped. After all, we're serving someone like him..."
Now that Jigen wasn't present, Yōwan dared to raise his voice slightly.
If not for Jigen's intervention, he wouldn't have lost just a shoulder—he would have lost his life.
That man called Minato was far too terrifying. Fighting him was nothing but a constant test of one's reflexes.
And then there was Shimura Takeshi. Though not as fast as Minato, his offensive power far surpassed the Yellow Flash. He singlehandedly stopped the aerial assault from the Sky Ninja troops.
"Ah, the Sky Ninja..."
Yōwan suddenly remembered seeing many Konoha shinobi chasing after the Sky Ninja. He still didn't know their current situation.
Hopefully they were fine. If they lost those Sky Ninja—their expendable pawns—he'd be facing Jigen's wrath again.
The incident had taught Yōwan a crucial lesson: never provoke Konoha for no reason.
All he needed to do was stay close to Jigen. Once Jigen had fully recovered, he could just follow behind and pick up the spoils.
Lying low—that was Akatsuki's primary directive now.
"By the way, are those prosthetics you've been researching actually reliable?"
The study of Scientific Ninja Tools had always been Sasori's domain. Yōwan knew nothing of the details.
"Heh, don't worry, Leader. They're far better than you imagine."
Sasori let out an odd laugh, sending a shiver down Yōwan's spine.
But Yōwan wasn't the only one unsettled. The Sky Ninja, chased by Konoha shinobi to their mothership, were also in dire straits.
Aburame Shikuro released his iron-eating insects, reducing several motherships to bare skeletons.
Their flight equipment was destroyed by the kikaichū, robbing them of aerial mobility. The Sky Ninja could only watch as Yūhi Shinku and the others' blades fell upon them.
Successfully obtaining several forbidden jutsu, Shinnō did not return to the mothership fleet outside Konoha. Instead, he fled directly into Angkor Fortress.
Knowing their intel would inevitably be leaked, he activated the fortress immediately. Before his identity was fully exposed, he took the remaining Sky Ninja and set off in force toward the Land of Snow.
Lying low had become the universal consensus.
It was absurd—were all Konoha shinobi monsters?
Before the assault, everyone thought they could deal Konoha a devastating blow, enough to inspire other villages to rise against it again.
But now? Forget it. Assassinating the Fifth Hokage directly would've been far more efficient.
The only one who couldn't escape was Kazahana Doto.
Ridiculous. As the monarch of the Land of Snow, with the whole country rooted in place, where could he run?
"Uchiha Yōwan, I swear..."
"Damn you—an Uchiha traitor, a rogue who abandoned his village. What gives you the right to strut around here?"
"You not only got my four generals killed, but you also shifted Konoha's attention entirely onto me!"
Receiving the news of mission failure, Kazahana Doto flew into a rage, spewing out endless Snow Country curses like a madman.
But cursing was one thing—he still had to deal with the aftermath.
He immediately mobilized his Snow Ninja, preparing them for battle.
Konoha would definitely come. Everyone knew this Hokage was a petty man who always paid back grudges.
...
Meanwhile, as Konoha busied itself tallying its losses, Takigakure's jōnin leader Kiyoshi appeared uninvited before Nara Shikaku, who was deep in battle planning.
Her original intent had been to meet Takeshi directly. But as Hokage, he was far beyond the reach of a jōnin from a small village like her.
Even seeing Shikaku required her to put up the pretense of diplomacy, with the veiled threat that if refused, she'd accuse Konoha of bullying a minor village before the entire shinobi world.
"Let's leave it at that for now. With outsiders present, some plans can only be discussed later."
After Kiyoshi was led into the office, Nara Shikaku deliberately instructed his subordinates in her presence, never once mentioning her by name. But the meaning was clear as day.
A flicker of displeasure flashed across Kiyoshi's eyes. But considering the vast difference in power, and the fact that this was Konoha's stronghold, she swallowed her pride.