Atop a high tower in Amegakure, Pain stood silently at the edge, his gaze fixed on the village below, where endless sheets of rain poured down from the heavens.
But this was no ordinary rainfall.
The downpour itself was infused with the power of the Rinnegan—an extension of Pain's will, a vast surveillance network. Every movement within Amegakure, every whisper of life, fell under his watchful control.
And yet, this wasn't about securing power.
It was about peace.
Suddenly, the floor behind him began to shift. The wooden planks warped unnaturally, as though something alive writhed beneath them. Pain noticed, though he did not turn. He had long grown accustomed to such disturbances.
Shrrrk.
A strange sound echoed as a mass of verdant plant matter burst forth from the floor. Thick green leaves unfurled, peeling back like a curtain, revealing a half-black, half-white figure emerging from within.
It was Zetsu—the unseen hand that had long manipulated the shinobi world, orchestrating events from the shadows.
The third son of Ōtsutsuki Kaguya.
Unlike his brothers, however, he had inherited none of Kaguya's godlike power. To fulfill his vision, he had been forced to move through deception, parasites, and borrowed strength. Taking on the guise of Uchiha Madara's will, he had patiently guided history down the path he desired.
And for centuries, everything had gone according to plan.
Until the emergence of Senju Haruto.
For the first time, Zetsu felt genuine fear.
This man bore the blood of both Senju and Uchiha—commanding Wood Release and the Sharingan alike. For now, Haruto wielded only the Mangekyō Sharingan… but it was only a matter of time before those eyes evolved into the Rinnegan.
Unlike Hashirama, Haruto was no naïve idealist.
Unlike Madara, he was no arrogant tyrant.
Peace or war—Haruto cared little for either. His resolve was sharp, his instincts pragmatic. That made him infinitely more dangerous.
Under Haruto's guidance, even Naruto had learned to harness the Nine-Tails' chakra, turning into a force unlike anything before. Sasuke had awakened his Sharingan and mastered the Lightning Release Chakra Mode. And as if Itachi alone weren't deterrent enough, another Uchiha prodigy had appeared.
Capturing the Two-Tails' jinchūriki and Naruto, the Nine-Tails' host, was now harder than ever.
It was this pressure that had driven Zetsu to leak intelligence to Gatō's hired mercenaries, and to orchestrate the mission sending Kakuzu and Hidan after Haruto.
The gamble had been simple—Hidan's twisted immortality could restrain even the strongest foes.
But Haruto had given them no chance. He had obliterated Hidan outright, chaining together explosive tags in a suicidal storm that left nothing behind.
The assassination failed.
And Akatsuki had lost two of its Deadly Immortal Duo.
"Kakuzu and Hidan… are dead."
Black Zetsu's gravelly voice carried no emotion as he reported the loss.
Pain did not answer at once. He remained unmoving, staring at the endless rain that washed the village, his head tilted slightly upward—eyes raised to the darkened heavens. The silence stretched until his words finally broke through the storm.
"Kakuzu and Hidan were not equals to me or Uchiha Itachi, but among missing-nin, they stood at the very peak. Especially Hidan. His ability was… troublesome. Against opponents who knew nothing of it, he could turn the tide with ease."
Pain's eyes narrowed.
"Was it Senju Haruto?"
"Yes."
Black Zetsu nodded grimly. There was no doubt.
Because of the pact with Uchiha Itachi, Akatsuki could not openly strike Konoha. Hidan had been the loophole, the secret weapon. With his ritual, Haruto should have been dealt with, clearing the way for Nine-Tails' capture.
But the plan had collapsed into ruin.
"So then…" Pain finally turned, his piercing gaze settling into the shadows of the chamber.
"What do you think our next move should be?"
From the darkness, Black Zetsu's body writhed back into the ground, making way for another presence.
Leaning against the wall stood a man masked in swirling wood-like spirals, leaving only a single Sharingan visible.
Uchiha Obito.
Years earlier, he had haunted the forests near the Fire Temple, scavenging the eyes of fallen Uchiha. It was there that he had seen Senju Haruto with his own eyes, and his terror had never faded.
To Obito, Haruto was now the greatest obstacle to the Moon's Eye Plan.
And yet… with only one Mangekyō eye, Obito could not wield Susanoo, nor match Itachi's strength. His current power was far from enough to confront Haruto directly.
"I never thought even Hidan would fall," Obito muttered, his sigh heavy with frustration. To him, Hidan had been a trump card—a monster that could not be killed. But now? Unless Madara himself returned to life, Obito could not see a way forward.
Yet bringing Madara back posed its own risks.
After all, Obito was the one masquerading as him. Reviving the real Madara would threaten everything. And besides… their goals were not truly aligned. Better to keep the old man buried for now.
"Perhaps… Orochimaru could be useful," Black Zetsu suggested after a moment's thought. His voice carried a quiet cunning. "This era may be our best chance to resurrect Kaguya. If we hesitate, who knows how long until the next opportunity? And with Haruto advancing at this rate… it won't be long before he rivals the Sage of Six Paths himself."
Pain's brow furrowed at the name. His voice dropped, edged with disdain.
"Orochimaru. That traitor. He betrayed Konoha and Akatsuki both. I should have killed him long ago."
"I know where he is," Black Zetsu replied smoothly. "I've just uncovered it. Orochimaru is planning an assault on Konoha.
And while the Eight-Tails is another powerful target, perhaps Itachi and Kisame can move against it. At the same time, we can use Orochimaru's chaos as cover—to strike at both the Two-Tails' jinchūriki and Naruto."
As he spoke, Zetsu deliberately turned toward Obito, watching closely for his reaction.
For all Pain's authority, Obito was the true master behind the scenes.
"Orochimaru intends to destroy Konoha…" Obito's lone Sharingan glinted, his expression unreadable as he fell into thought.
Capturing the tailed beasts was never the most difficult part—the true danger lay in sealing them into the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path. The process of the Nine-Dragon Sealing Technique was long, vulnerable.
"If we had the Ten-Tails," Obito thought, "then even if Haruto awakened the Rinnegan, it wouldn't matter…"
But for now? Recklessness would only invite disaster.
"No…" Obito finally spoke, his tone hard with finality. "Itachi and Kisame will capture the Eight-Tails. Leave Konoha to me."
He paused, his gaze flicking briefly toward Pain.
"As for you… it is not yet time to reveal the full extent of your power. The Nine-Tails must remain the last to be captured. For now, I'll find a way to bring the Two-Tails' jinchūriki into our hands."
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