The underground chamber was filled with a low, rhythmic hum, the sound of the Demonic Statue's breath.
The air itself trembled each time the creature exhaled, a sound closer to the groan of shifting mountains than any living being.
Chains thicker than trees bound its limbs to the floor, each link carved with sealing kanji that pulsed with faint red light.
The entire room seemed alive with pressure, as if the weight of the sea pressed in from all sides.
Nagato sat on his iron throne at the base of the tower, his thin frame framed by countless chakra cables connecting him to the statue's control systems.
His eyes, the true Rinnegan, glowed faintly, controlling both the statue and the faraway projections of the Six Paths of Pain.
Across the stone floor, the spectral forms of Akatsuki members flickered to life, ghostly, distorted shapes cast by the Magic Lantern Body Technique.
Pain, Konan, Obito, Zetsu, and the newly joined Kakuzu and Sasori all appeared, their true bodies elsewhere across the world.
Because the newcomers were not yet trusted, the location of this base remained hidden.
They believed the ritual took place in some other hidden facility, unaware that the statue stood here, in the Rain Village itself.
Kakuzu stood with his arms folded, his tone sharp. "Five days for one beast. At this rate, we'll finish when the next war ends."
Sasori's puppet body tilted slightly, his expression unreadable. "You talk too much for someone who can't even appreciate art."
"Art doesn't pay, puppet," Kakuzu muttered.
The rest of them, however, remained mostly silent.
The Magic Lantern Body Technique was what allowed Akatsuki to perform the Sealing Technique: Phantom Dragons Nine Consuming Seals even from afar.
It wasn't just a simple hologram, but a specialized chakra projection, strengthened through Nagato's Rinnegan and the unique chakra rings designed to synchronize their power.
Through this network, each member's chakra merged into the ritual, letting them channel the sealing force into the Gedo Statue as if they were physically present.
It was all finally mastered recently, thanks to Obito's and Nagato's urgent efforts to do it fast.
It was because Obito had realized he actually needed to accelerate the entire plan, to steal as many tailed beasts as possible while the world was still at war, before Konoha overtook everyone too much.
Too many unpredictable variables were now also emerging: Tobirama had returned from the dead and brought the Leaf to another direction entirely, Ryusei Senju had appeared, and that mysterious figure who had attacked the Hyūga once had disrupted the balance even further.
So, it was Obito himself who personally stole this jinchūriki from Sunagakure.
There were several reasons why that specific target was chosen.
The order of capture didn't matter for their plan; only the stronger Nine-Tails had to be sealed last, they theorised.
The rest could be taken in any sequence. So it was not because of its one tail that he did it.
Technically, Obito already had control over the Three-Tails through Yagura, the current Fourth Mizukage, who was under his genjutsu.
He also controlled the Six-Tails' jinchūriki the same way.
His largest secondary Akatsuki base was already hidden within Kirigakure, making both of those beasts effectively his.
That left the others. Iwagakure and Kumogakure were stronger hidden villages on average, and their jinchūriki were also stronger and more refined.
The Seven-Tails, meanwhile, was inside Takigakure, technically the only smaller hidden village hosting a tailed beast, but that option was no longer logical either. Takigakure had become a full vassal of Konoha following Konoha's recent victories against Iwagakure, and attacking them now would mean directly offending Konoha.
For these reasons, Obito decided that Sunagakure was the most practical first target. Its jinchūriki was unstable and weak, so Obito defeated him easily and escaped with Kamui before the village even realized what had happened.
This operation served as a pilot, a way for the organization to familiarize itself with the full process and fine-tune every detail before moving on to the other tailed beasts.
The logistical groundwork was already finished: their network of hideouts and cells across the continent had been established. It was time to begin the next phase, the tailed beast collection, far earlier than originally planned.
However, Obito was slightly regretful. He had intended for Akatsuki to have ten inner core members, the maximum number supported by their new ring synchronization technology.
Yet, so far, they had only six. Because recruiting suitable members had proven difficult.
They had brought in Kakuzu first, the most elite bounty hunter in the world, for decades, and a veteran of the black market, drawn by money.
After that, they managed to secure only one other powerful recruit, the rising star of that same underworld, the relatively young S-rank rogue from Sunagakure, Sasori.
Beyond them, there were no other viable candidates near Kage-level strength.
Still, Obito reasoned that if more elite support became necessary, he could rely on his authority within Kirigakure or use the two jinchūriki under his control there to make up for the lack of numbers in the future.
But for now, Sasori and Kakuzu were the only other active team within Akatsuki, aside from Pain and Konan, and Obito and Zetsu. Surprisingly, they worked well together. Kakuzu was as irritable as ever, but Sasori's composure and power kept him in check. Kakuzu couldn't kill him even if he wanted to, and Sasori didn't care enough to provoke him. In turn, Kakuzu's long experience in the underworld filled certain gaps that the younger Sasori still lacked.
Meanwhile, Sasori's eyes flickered toward him again, a faint metallic glint showing beneath his cloak. "You've lived this long, yet learned nothing about elegance."
Kakuzu's stitched mouth curved faintly. "Elegance doesn't earn profit."
"Neither does greed," Sasori replied flatly, "but it certainly shortens lifespans."
Their bickering drew a faint sound from Konan, more an exhale than a sigh. "If you two are done, focus on maintaining your chakra flow. The synchronization is delicate."
Kakuzu glanced at her projection but said nothing.
Sasori simply raised one hand, threads of chakra still steady and precise.
Obito's masked figure shifted slightly in the ring of projections. "Let them talk. As long as they keep the output stable, I don't care if they argue the entire time."
Nagato's voice, calm and toneless, carried over them all. "Words are distractions. This process demands unity of purpose. Keep your focus, or I'll remove your rings myself."
For a moment, the chamber went quiet again, the only sound the deep, rhythmic pulse of the statue drawing in the last remnants of Shukaku's chakra.
Then Kakuzu muttered under his breath, "Unity of purpose, huh. As long as it pays."
Sasori gave a small, dry chuckle. "You'll be buried with your money one day. I'll make sure it's artistic."
Zetsu's white half snickered softly. "You two might actually get along."
"Eventually," the black half murmured.
And above it all, the statue's growl deepened, signaling that the extraction was nearing its end.
But then, without any warning, Nagato's real body, still connected to the Gedo Mazō through his chakra rods, cables, and interface, from the other side of this tower, trembled slightly.
His rain-sensing technique, which spread across the Amegakure, had detected something unusual.
Konan noticed immediately and turned toward him. "What is it?"
Nagato's expression hardened. "An intruder. Someone strong."
The tone in his voice carried no hesitation.
He didn't like this feeling one bit.
Without wasting time, he extended his chakra through the link, forming a secondary projection to reach Obito, who was still in Kiri, doing his part from there with Zetsu.
His message was brief. "Teleport here. Now."