The lab was silent, lit only by the soft glow of chakra seals on the walls. Kakashi stood still, his eyes shut, his breath even.
The red glow of his Mangekyō Sharingan had faded to a faint ember, but the space around him still pulsed gently. The Genesis Seal on his palm hummed quietly, cooling after the power it had unleashed.
He opened his eyes slowly.
Time felt slower now, no, it was slower. The world bent at the edges of his vision. His senses reached farther than ever, and something stirred far away. A dark, foul chakra was rising.
"They'll be moving soon," Kakashi muttered, his voice low and calm.
While Kakashi adjusted to power beyond normal reach… far away, another gathering was taking place in the dark.
….
A cold wind whispered through the cavern.
At the heart of the Akatsuki's hideout, the Gedo Mazo statue loomed, silent, monstrous. Its stony fingers stretched outward like a giant's open palm.
Chakra flickered across the room, ghostly projections forming atop each finger. Ten spectral bodies appeared, distorted by distance, yet each of them pulsing with killing intent.
The meeting had just begun.
But, no one spoke.
They stood, silent in their own ways. The tension between them was thick. Shadows flickered. Losses weighed heavily. Three were gone. One had returned to Konoha. No one wanted to speak first.
Until Pain did.
"We have lost four of our own," Pain said, his voice cold and calm.
"Kisame. Dead, killed by Hatake Kakashi."
"Hidan and Kakuzu. Eliminated by Konoha shinobi. Namely Naruto Uzumaki and Uchiha Sasuke."
He paused, turning his eyes slightly to the finger where Itachi's projection stood. Pain didn't know how this brat could even have the audacity to come into the meeting.
"Itachi. You've returned to Konoha. Broke contact. Explain."
His voice wasn't angry, but the pressure in his tone was sharp enough to silence any doubt.
Itachi met his eyes calmly.
"I never swore loyalty," he replied softly. "My target remains unchanged."
"You speak of Sasuke Uchiha?" Pain asked.
"I returned to test Konoha's growth… and to guide the next battle from within."
A scoff echoed. Deidara leaned forward, his chakra flickering with irritation.
"You're just cleaning up your clan's mess."
Sasori said nothing but narrowed his puppet-like eyes.
Konan remained quiet. Her gaze sharpened.
Pain finally spoke again, still unmoved.
"You may stay. But we will not tolerate betrayal."
Itachi didn't flinch. But he knew this would be the last time they invited him into a meeting.
Then Zetsu emerged from the ground, half black, half white.
"Awkward meeting today, huh?" White Zetsu giggled.
Black Zetsu cut in coldly, seriously.
"We've lost too much ground. Hatake Kakashi has grown far beyond expectations. His chakra is no longer normal, he's breached the upper Kage tier. And with Uchiha Sasuke evolving beside Naruto Uzumaki, the Jinchūriki are nearly impossible to capture."
The entire room fell quiet.
Black Zetsu's voice dropped lower.
"If we don't act now, we will never gather the Tailed Beasts. Their strength is… changing things."
He did not mention the lab. Or the clone. Or the gift he had once slipped into Orochimaru's hands. That part of the game was still his secret.
Tobi raised his hand.
"So, uh, I think Kakashi needs a nap."
Silence.
Tobi giggled and waved again.
"I mean, Kisame always said Kakashi Hatakae was boring, guess he just got bored to death!"
"Shut up before I blow your head off," Deidara growled.
"Oooh, so edgy today~" Tobi teased, dancing in place.
Pain's eyes narrowed.
"Enough."
The cave fell silent again. Even Tobi stopped giggling.
Pain stepped forward, his presence enormous even as a projection.
"We've lost ground. We take it back."
His voice echoed through the stone like a law being carved.
"Deidara. Sasori. Your task is Sunagakure. Gaara, the One-Tail. Capture him."
"Explosions and sand… my favorite mix."Deidara's mouth twisted into a wicked grin.
"I want his body intact. He's young. I can work with that."Sasori's tone was flat.
Pain nodded.
"I will also enter the field. We cannot wait for fate. We will shape it."
"Where?"Konan finally spoke.
Pain looked into the dark.
"I'll find the weakest host left. And crush the spirit before the others grow too strong."
No one objected. But behind each pair of ghostly eyes, thoughts turned.
Calculation. Pride. Fear. Desire.
The meeting began to end.
Each chakra form flickered.
One by one, they vanished, fading like dying fireflies.
Deidara first. Then Sasori. Then Konan, silent and thoughtful.
Zetsu vanished into the ground, leaving nothing behind but a whisper.
Only Tobi and Pain remained.
Tobi's tone changed. The humor vanished.
His voice was low. Hollow and serious.
"You still believe you control this war?"
Pain didn't flinch. His answer was sharp as ever.
"I am god. I shape peace from chaos. That is control enough."
The last chakra faded. The cave dimmed.
Only the statue remained, looming, waiting, hungering.
And somewhere far away, Hatake Kakashi opened his eyes again… ready.