Akatsuki Base—Three Days After B's Death
Pain summoned the full organization for an emergency meeting.
When Sasuke entered, every eye turned to him. The atmosphere was thick with tension—unspoken accusations hanging in the air like smoke.
"Five tailed beasts extracted," Pain began without preamble. "Two-Tails, Four-Tails, Five-Tails, Seven-Tails, and Eight-Tails. All by you, Sasuke. All successful. All..."
He paused.
"All accompanied by increasing brutality and decreasing regard for our organizational structure."
Sasuke's purple Rinnegan met Pain's gaze directly. "Is there a complaint about my effectiveness? Because the results speak for themselves."
"The Raikage has mobilized every shinobi in Hidden Cloud," Konan said coldly. "The Tsuchikage has joined forces with him. The Five Great Nations are accelerating their alliance specifically because of your actions. You've made us the primary target of the entire shinobi world."
"That was inevitable regardless of my methods." Sasuke's dismissal was complete. "The moment Akatsuki started collecting tailed beasts, we became targets. I simply expedited the timeline."
"You killed Killer B," Kisame said quietly. "A perfect jinchuriki. One of the strongest shinobi alive. And you felt nothing."
"Should I have felt something?" Sasuke's genuine confusion was somehow more disturbing than mockery. "He was an obstacle. I removed him. What emotion was I supposed to experience?"
Silence.
"This is what concerns us," Pain finally said. "You've become... something beyond human. Something that frightens even us. And we're an organization of S-rank criminals."
"Your point?"
"My point is that you're unstable. Unpredictable. Too powerful to control but too dangerous to trust." Pain's Rinnegan blazed. "You openly admit you'll betray us. You've told us you plan to take the tailed beasts for yourself. You've demonstrated abilities that rival or exceed mine. This cannot continue."
Sasuke smiled coldly. "So what are you proposing? Eliminate me? We both know how that would end."
"No. I'm proposing we accelerate the plan." Pain's voice was hard. "Six-Tails and Nine-Tails remain. We collect them both simultaneously. Massive coordinated assault. Then we complete the Moon's Eye Plan before you can betray us."
"Interesting strategy. Flawed, but interesting." Sasuke's tone suggested he was humoring a child. "You think rushing the timeline will prevent my inevitable betrayal. But all you're doing is forcing my hand earlier than planned."
"What does that mean?" Konan demanded.
"It means..." Sasuke's Rinnegan glowed with dangerous light. "I was content to let you use the tailed beasts for your plan first. Study them while they were sealed. Learn from observing the Gedo Statue. But if you're going to force the issue..."
He let the implication hang.
"You're threatening us," Pain said slowly. "In our own base. Surrounded by the entire organization."
"I'm stating facts. If you accelerate the plan before I'm ready, I'll simply take what I need by force and leave. You'll lose your strongest operative and make an enemy of someone with natural Rinnegan, Flying Thunder God, Dragon Sage Mode, and dozens of absorbed dojutsu." Sasuke's confidence was absolute. "Is that really the outcome you want?"
The chamber erupted.
Deidara jumped to his feet. "You arrogant bastard! You think you can threaten all of us—"
"Sit down." Sasuke's voice cut through the outburst like a blade. "You're an artist who specializes in explosions that I can absorb with Preta Path. You're not a threat to me. You're barely an inconvenience."
"I'll show you inconvenience—" Deidara's hands dove into his clay pouches.
"Enough!" Pain's voice carried absolute authority. The Rinnegan's pressure flooded the chamber, making the air heavy.
Deidara reluctantly sat, glaring daggers at Sasuke.
Pain studied Sasuke for a long moment. "You're forcing my hand. You realize that?"
"You're forcing your own hand by trying to rush the plan. I was perfectly willing to maintain our alliance." Sasuke's tone was matter-of-fact. "But if you insist on accelerating before I'm ready, then yes—I'll act in my own interests. As I've always stated I would."
"Then we're at an impasse."
"No. We're at a decision point." Sasuke began walking toward the exit. "You can either trust that I'll continue collecting tailed beasts as assigned, or you can try to move against me and suffer the consequences. Your choice."
He paused at the doorway.
"But if you do choose conflict, remember—I have Flying Thunder God. I can leave at any moment. I can return at any moment. I can strike any of you at any time. And none of you can stop me from escaping if I want to." His purple eyes gleamed in the shadows. "So ask yourself: Is forcing this confrontation really worth the cost?"
He vanished using Flying Thunder God, leaving Akatsuki in chaos.
After Sasuke left, the remaining members erupted into argument.
"He's right," Kakuzu said bluntly. "We can't stop him from leaving. And making him an enemy would be catastrophic."
"So we just let him openly threaten us?!" Deidara's voice was nearly a shriek. "Let him mock our authority?"
"He's not mocking our authority—he's stating facts we don't want to acknowledge." Kisame's voice was grim. "I've watched him work. I've seen what he's become. Pain, I respect you as our leader, but Sasuke might actually be stronger than you now."
Pain's expression remained neutral, but everyone saw the slight tightening around his eyes.
"The question," Konan said carefully, "is what we do about it. We can't let him continue unchecked, but we also can't afford to lose him or make him an active enemy."
"We complete the plan quickly," Pain decided. "Extract the remaining tailed beasts before he can interfere. Six-Tails and Nine-Tails simultaneously. Maximum force. Then seal them in the Gedo Statue immediately."
"And if Sasuke tries to stop us?" Konan asked.
"Then we deal with him. All of us together." Pain's voice was cold. "I don't want to fight him. But if necessary, I will. And I'll win."
The confidence in his voice didn't match the uncertainty in his eyes.
Sasuke's True Intentions
Fifteen kilometers away, Sasuke stood alone on a mountain peak.
His Rinnegan scanned the horizon, perceiving chakra signatures across vast distances. The lavender-blue tint from his absorbed Byakugan overlaid the purple ripples, creating an otherworldly appearance.
They're planning to move against me, he thought calmly. Pain thinks he can accelerate the plan and seal the tailed beasts before I can act. Naive.
He pulled out a map, marking specific locations with careful precision.
Six-Tails is in Hidden Mist. Utakata is a fugitive, easier to track than most jinchuriki. I can extract him before Akatsuki even mobilizes.
Nine-Tails is in Konoha. Naruto is becoming a perfect jinchuriki, but he's not there yet. Still has weaknesses I can exploit.
But more importantly...
His finger traced over the Hyuga compound's location on the map.
The Hyuga clan has approximately sixty active Byakugan users. I have eleven absorbed. I need at least forty more for Tenseigan awakening. Maybe fifty to be certain.
The assault on Konoha will be the largest collection operation of my existence. Nine-Tails extraction. Hyuga massacre. Complete harvest of all dojutsu in the village.
His purple eyes gleamed with inhuman anticipation.
And after that... Pain's Rinnegan. The Gedo Statue for study. Then the moon mission.
He formed hand seals, activating a long-range sensory technique that combined his Rinnegan's perception with his Byakugan overlay.
Across hundreds of kilometers, he could sense major chakra signatures. Naruto's Nine-Tails chakra blazing in Konoha. The Six-Tails' subtle presence near the Land of Water's coast. The Gedo Statue's massive energy signature at Akatsuki's hidden location.
Six months until I'm ready, he thought. Maybe less if opportunities present themselves. I need to be absolutely certain I can handle multiple Kage-level threats simultaneously.
The Konoha assault will attract: Tsunade, Kakashi, possibly Jiraiya if he's there, all the jonin, ANBU, and the entire Hyuga clan fighting desperately to protect their eyes.
I'll need every advantage. Every prepared technique. Every marked Flying Thunder God seal I can place in advance.
He pulled out a scroll, beginning detailed plans for the Konoha operation.
Entry point: Flying Thunder God to marked location inside village.
Primary objective: Naruto. Extract Nine-Tails using Rinnegan's tailed beast control.
Secondary objective: Hyuga compound. Systematic extraction of all Byakugan.
Tertiary objective: Any other dojutsu users—Kakashi's Sharingan if possible.
Escape route: Multiple Flying Thunder God anchors placed throughout Fire Country.
Timeline: Entire operation must complete in under two hours before Allied forces can mobilize.
His planning was meticulous. Every contingency mapped. Every variable calculated.
Potential complications:
Jiraiya's Sage Mode—match it with Dragon Sage Mode Tsunade's strength—counter with Shinra Tensei Kakashi's Kamui—track it with Rinnegan, interrupt with Ame-no-Sakahoko Multiple simultaneous attackers—use Asura Path for multi-target engagement Bijuu rampage if extraction fails—Rinnegan control prevents this Village-wide defensive barriers—Flying Thunder God bypasses all barriers
He sealed the scroll, satisfied with his preparations.
And if everything goes wrong... I simply teleport away and try again later. No risk of permanent failure. Just tactical retreats and revised approaches.
A rare smile crossed his face.
They think I'm arrogant. Overconfident. Reckless.
But I've calculated every variable. Prepared for every contingency. I don't take unnecessary risks—I just operate at a level where what seems impossible to others is merely difficult to me.
His Rinnegan blazed in the darkness.
The Dojutsu Hunter's masterpiece approaches.
And nothing will stop it.
Team Taka's Concern
Back at their quarters, Team Taka held their own emergency meeting.
"He's going to get himself killed," Karin said, her voice shaking. "Or get us killed. Or both."
"He's planning something massive," Suigetsu agreed. "I can feel it. The way he's been studying those maps, marking locations, practicing that teleportation technique constantly..."
"Konoha," Jugo said quietly. "He's planning to assault Konoha."
They all fell silent.
"That's suicide," Karin whispered. "Even for him. One of the Five Great Nations, fully mobilized, with the Nine-Tails jinchuriki protected... he can't possibly—"
"He thinks he can." Jugo's voice was grim. "And maybe he's right. He has Rinnegan. Dragon Sage Mode. That teleportation technique. All those absorbed dojutsu. He's become something beyond normal Kage-level threats."
"But he's still just one person!" Karin's frustration boiled over. "No matter how powerful, he can't fight an entire village alone!"
"He defeated the Raikage," Suigetsu pointed out. "Killed Killer B, a perfect jinchuriki. Extracted four other tailed beasts from their villages without dying. Maybe he actually can do it."
"Or maybe his luck finally runs out." Karin stood abruptly. "I'm going to talk to him. Try to make him see reason—"
"He's beyond reason," Jugo interrupted. "He's been beyond reason for months. Maybe years. Whatever made him human is gone now. All that's left is the collector. The hunter. The monster who wears a familiar face."
"So we just... let him do this? Let him commit suicide?"
"We don't have a choice." Jugo's expression was sad. "We're not strong enough to stop him. Not smart enough to convince him. We're just... along for the ride. Hoping we survive when it all comes crashing down."
They sat in heavy silence.
Outside their window, the moon hung in the sky—silent, watching, unaware that the monster planning to claim its greatest treasure was preparing for the most audacious heist in history.
The Six-Tails Hunt
One week later, Sasuke moved on the Six-Tails jinchuriki.
He didn't wait for Akatsuki's approval. Didn't coordinate with anyone. Just vanished one morning using Flying Thunder God and reappeared three days later with the sealed Six-Tails.
When he dropped the scroll on Pain's desk, the Akatsuki leader just stared.
"You extracted the Six-Tails. Alone. Without informing anyone."
"You were planning to accelerate the timeline anyway," Sasuke said flatly. "I simply expedited your plan. You're welcome."
"The jinchuriki—Utakata—was heavily protected by Hidden Mist's hunter-nin—"
"They're all dead now." Sasuke's voice carried no emotion. "Collateral damage. The Six-Tails was the objective. Everything else was just... obstacles to remove."
Pain's Rinnegan blazed with barely controlled fury. "You killed an entire squad of hunter-nin just to extract one jinchuriki?"
"Yes. Is there a problem?" Sasuke's genuine confusion was somehow more disturbing than mockery. "They were in my way. I removed them. Standard tactical response to obstacles."
"You're out of control—"
"I'm perfectly in control. You just don't like that I'm not under YOUR control." Sasuke's interruption was sharp. "I collected the Six-Tails efficiently. The beast is sealed and ready for the Gedo Statue. Mission accomplished. What exactly are you complaining about?"
Pain stood slowly, his six bodies materializing around the chamber—all of them surrounding Sasuke.
"You've crossed a line, Sasuke. You've gone from ally to liability. And I'm done tolerating your insubordination."
Sasuke looked around at the six Pain bodies, completely unbothered.
"So this is it? The inevitable confrontation? You're going to try to kill me now?"
"I'm going to remind you who leads this organization." Pain's voice was cold. "And if you resist... then yes. I'll do what's necessary."
Sasuke smiled.
And activated his full power.
To be continued in Chapter 69: The Inevitable Confrontation