Land of Rain.
Dense clusters of steel pipes thrust skyward, forming peculiar buildings of all shapes and sizes.
This was Amegakure, the Village Hidden in the Rain.
A fine, drizzling rain drifted through the air, shrouding the entire village in a perpetual grey curtain.
Amidst the rain, a lone figure stood atop the tallest steel tower.
Rustle, rustle~
Behind the figure, a cascade of paper fluttered through the downpour, coalescing into a second human shape.
The two were Tendo Pain and Konan.
Sensing Konan's arrival, Tendo Pain slowly opened his eyes. "Konan. What's the situation?"
Konan reported, "Those individuals have already fled the Land of Rain. We currently lack the manpower to pursue them."
"Dealing with a minor village like Amegakure took us far too long. Our progress is too slow! Now that the village is completely under our control, it's time to proceed with the next phase of the plan," Tendo Pain declared, spreading his arms wide, his voice low and resonant.
Konan stood quietly in the rain, gazing at Pain's back.
After a long moment, she finally spoke. "I've identified a suitable candidate for the organization. Shall we move to capture him?"
Pain asked, "Who is it?"
"A rogue ninja from Sunagakure," Konan replied. "The genius puppet master, Sasori of the Red Sand."
Pain considered this. "Give me his intel. I'll have the Human Path and the Animal Path retrieve him."
"Let me go instead," Konan offered. "Things here in the village have just stabilized. It wouldn't be wise for you, Pain, to leave now."
Pain nodded in agreement. "Very well. You will bring him back."
The two stood silently together in the rain-swept heights.
After a pause, Konan spoke again. "What do you make of the news from the Land of Fields?"
"Hmph," Pain scoffed lightly. "Another charlatan claiming to be Madara. An old relic dead for decades, yet people still keep crawling out of the woodwork trying to impersonate him. As expected of a legendary shinobi whose renown rivals the God of Shinobi."
Konan frowned. "You suspected from the beginning that man wasn't the real Uchiha Madara?"
Pain shook his head dismissively. "Of course. If the true Uchiha Madara were still alive, why would he need to act through us?"
Hearing this, Konan fell silent for a moment before adding, "But according to the reports from the Land of Fields, this individual seems incredibly strong. Even the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki, in his Version 2 cloak, was helpless against him – captured alive, just like that. Could his appearance affect our plans?"
"Don't worry," Pain stated calmly. "Before me, who has already ascended to godhood, no power is worth mentioning. Let the other impostor deal with this one. We just need to proceed according to plan. As for the Seven-Tails, let him keep it for now. Only the Gedo Mazo can truly extract a Tailed Beast's power completely."
A moment later, silence returned to the tower's peak.
Land of Water, Kirigakure.
Inside a resting chamber within the Hidden Mist Village, Yagura Karatachi, the Fourth Mizukage, with his perpetually youthful face, green hair, and purple eyes, sat rigidly on the bed. Reflected in his slightly vacant gaze was a pair of crimson Sharingan eyes.
In the room's shadows sat the masked Uchiha Obito.
From the floor beneath him, two enormous halves of a Venus flytrap-like entity slowly rose, merging into the combined form of Black and White Zetsu.
"Success!" Black Zetsu's dry, rasping voice echoed in the room.
"Obito, you truly live up to Uchiha Madara's expectations. To gain complete control over the Fourth Mizukage so quickly," White Zetsu's voice followed.
"The situation isn't stable yet," Obito said, slowly opening his visible eye. "I'll need to remain here for the time being. What's the news from Konoha?"
White Zetsu spoke with a hint of excitement, "Orochimaru, one of the Sannin, has defected from Konoha."
"Orochimaru?" Obito sounded surprised. "Why would that cold-blooded snake suddenly abandon Konoha?"
"He was likely forced out deliberately by Danzo, the Darkness of Konoha," Black Zetsu's grating voice interjected.
"The Darkness of Konoha... As disgusting as ever," Obito sneered. "Still, Orochimaru's defection is good for us. He is one of the Sannin. If we could recruit him into the organization, it would significantly benefit our plans."
"Shall I go find him?" White Zetsu asked.
"Go," Obito nodded. "Find Orochimaru. Have Nagato personally extend the invitation."
As White Zetsu prepared to depart, Black Zetsu suddenly spoke up. "There are two other pieces of recent news that are rather troublesome."
"Oh? Elaborate," Obito said, looking at Black Zetsu with surprise. It wasn't often that Black Zetsu considered something 'troublesome'.
Black Zetsu explained, "Some time ago, the Akimichi clan's secret technique user, Tatsuya, left Konoha under the pretext of traveling. Reports say he encountered an Uchiha clan member who had awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan in the northern Fire Country. They had a massive battle, and apparently, Tatsuya emerged victorious."
Obito fell silent for a moment. "Another Mangekyo Sharingan? Does this Tatsuya Akimichi truly possess the power to contend with it?"
"The intelligence should be accurate," Black Zetsu confirmed. "We personally inspected the site afterwards. The traces left behind are consistent with a battle involving the Mangekyo Sharingan's Susanoo. Furthermore, the final signs at the battlefield strongly suggest Tatsuya won. Rumors have already started circulating in Konoha that Tatsuya killed the Uchiha who had awakened the Mangekyo. That Uchiha's name was Teru; he left the village around the same time as Tatsuya and hasn't returned."
Before Black Zetsu finished, White Zetsu cut in, "That rumor was probably spread by Danzo's faction too! They likely want to stir up conflict between the Uchiha and Akimichi clans, but it doesn't mean the rumor isn't credible."
"Those filthy schemers again. It seems Konoha's internal strife always involves them," Obito scoffed contemptuously. He then added gravely, "Tatsuya Akimichi... it seems he truly is a troublesome opponent."
White Zetsu suggested, "Should we have Nagato eliminate him?"
"The Gedo Mazo hasn't fully recovered yet, and our plan still requires considerable time. Let's not alert anyone unnecessarily," Obito refused, shaking his head. "Our current priority is still recruiting members for the organization."
White Zetsu added, "They're already moving on that front. An interesting rogue ninja from Sunagakure was scouted recently. Konan is already preparing to capture him."
Black Zetsu interjected, "Obito, Nagato is handling all the recruitment right now. Are you sure he won't slip from our control?"
Obito nodded slowly. "Mm. The organization can't consist entirely of his people. I will select a suitable individual to join soon. By the way, what was the other piece of news?"
Black Zetsu's voice turned heavy. "Several days ago, Ansei Hall in the Land of Fields engaged in a major battle with shinobi from Kusagakure and Takigakure. During this fight, another Uchiha clan member possessing the Mangekyo Sharingan suddenly appeared on Ansei Hall's side. Not only did this person capture Takigakure's Seven-Tails Jinchuriki in a single battle, but he is also openly claiming to be Uchiha Madara."
Hearing this, Obito was utterly dumbfounded.
Someone was actually trying to steal his identity!
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