In the exam space, the Akatsuki gathered to discuss their strategy.
Knowing the broadcast was live, they understood one critical thing—they must not allow the video analysis to continue airing.
Especially the analysis of the first question—they'd rather remain ignorant themselves than let others in the shinobi world gain insight.
"Can the surveillance in the exam space be blocked?"
> [Exclusive rewards can be blocked. Group rewards cannot be blocked.]
[The number of unmaskable video parsing questions is 1/5 of the total number.]
The Akatsuki members stared at the exam space's strange restrictions, initially puzzled by the vague explanation.
Itachi blinked slowly, the deep shadows under his eyes making him look even more solemn. He spoke in a low voice:
"This means that our remaining video analyses can be blocked."
> [Affirmative.]
With the exam space's confirmation, the Akatsuki members felt a wave of relief—then immediately remembered Jiraiya.
Compared to Obito or even Orochimaru, Jiraiya's exposure posed the greatest threat to their operations.
"Begin, exam space," Nagato commanded coolly.
He paid no mind to the silent tension in the room. Whatever came after the exam, they would deal with later. For now, the critical thing was to see the remaining four questions' analysis.
As soon as Pain finished speaking, the mist in the exam space thickened rapidly.
Moments later, every screen across the shinobi world turned a blank, pure white.
The sound disappeared. The image vanished.
"Did… they actually block it?"
Everyone across the nations froze for a beat. Then, chaos erupted.
They were blocked—again.
Akatsuki had prevented them from viewing the analysis!
"You bastards! So stingy!"
Anger exploded across the shinobi world like wildfire.
Despite their frustration, every viewer was overwhelmed with gnawing curiosity:
How did the Akatsuki die?
How did Black Zetsu manipulate Obito?
What happened in the legendary fight between Jiraiya and Pain?
What is Jiraiya's Sage Mode?
These questions rooted themselves deeply in their minds like parasitic insects, causing widespread mental unrest.
"Hey, hey! It's back! The screen—it's changing!"
After just a few agonizing minutes, the screens flickered. The white smoke faded. The silhouettes of the Akatsuki group reappeared.
As the smoke cleared, the shinobi world saw that the Akatsuki members looked dazed, frozen in place.
Their trembling bodies suggested they were suppressing rage or sorrow.
"What did they just witness…?"
Speculation spread like wildfire.
Nagato was the first to recover. Despite the shock, he seemed calmer than the others.
After all, he'd long accepted that Naruto was likely the one who caused his death, using the Rinne Rebirth.
But what he didn't expect was how easily Naruto had persuaded him—with words alone.
Nagato shook his head with a bitter smile. His little junior brother's words had genuinely moved him.
What struck him the most was that during their battle, he'd restrained himself from killing Jiraiya, his own master—even when faced with the man who had once tried to stop him.
That restraint, in retrospect, gave him reason to admire Naruto Uzumaki.
Nagato pushed aside his thoughts, looking at the others.
His gaze fell on Kisame, the shark-like swordsman.
To prevent intelligence leaks, Kisame had chosen to commit suicide—a decision that stirred warmth in Nagato's heart.
Such a loyal ninja should not perish meaninglessly, as he had in the video.
He glanced around at the others. Uchiha Obito was collapsed face-first, trembling violently, weeping in silence.
Nagato sighed inwardly.
The videos, clearly, were incomplete. Like Question Five's analysis—many critical moments had been omitted.
For instance, in Rin's death sequence, only five figures appeared: Madara, Black Zetsu, Obito, Kakashi, and Rin.
Yet far more had occurred—and only Obito knew the missing pieces.
As time passed, more Akatsuki members recovered from their stupor, their expressions grim.
They remembered their own rule—showing reactions risks exposing rewards.
Meanwhile, Hidan stood like a statue, face pale, gripping his triple-bladed scythe.
He looked comically tragic—not only had his body been dismembered, but only his decapitated head remained—trapped by the Nara Clan's shadows.
"Damn it! I'll slaughter every last deer in that clan!" he seethed.
Just then, the sound of grinding teeth caught his attention. He turned to see Kakuzu.
His eyes glowed with a terrifying blue hue. His fists were clenched so tightly that his entire body quivered.
Hidan's eyes narrowed. Kakuzu's death… was partly his fault.
"Hahaha! Art is an explosion! Lady Angel, you're amazing!"
Deidara burst out laughing, thrilled by the comparison between his own final technique and Konan's ultimate move—the 600 billion explosive tags.
In comparison, his own self-detonation felt like a cheap firework.
Most frustrating of all—he hadn't even blown up the Uchiha clan.
"Explode? Explode?! Explode your f***ing ass!"
A furious voice roared behind him.
Deidara turned and froze.
Kakuzu was stalking toward him like a demon from the underworld, blue light flickering from his four masked hearts.
"Whoa, whoa! Calm down, Kakuzu! We'll die if we fight in here!" Deidara raised his hands in surrender.
Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't fear Kakuzu—but in this space, the boundaries were different.
Kakuzu's fists halted mid-air. A trace of clarity returned to his eyes.
Instead of hitting Deidara, he turned his gaze toward Konan, teeth grinding audibly.
The money he'd saved for decades… Konan had spent it all—for explosive tags!
Even worse, Uchiha Obito was still alive!
"Bastards… all of you…"
Kakuzu almost quit Akatsuki on the spot.
But thinking about the leader's overwhelming power, he wisely swallowed his rage.
Still, one thing had to be addressed. He stepped forward.
"Lady Angel. I have a question."
"Yes. I used your money," Konan replied calmly.
Kakuzu was speechless.
He hadn't even asked the question yet.
He'd expected evasion, denial, or negotiation—but instead, she answered directly.
…
Outside the space, viewers were baffled by the Akatsuki's bizarre exchange.
From their cryptic dialogue, one thing was clear—Konan had used Kakuzu's funds to purchase an enormous number of explosives.
Explosives?
Detonating tags?
But how many?
Seeing Kakuzu on the verge of a breakdown, they could only speculate:
Ten thousand?
A hundred thousand?
One million?
Every shinobi across the Five Great Nations stared at the screen with wide eyes.
They knew nothing they said could affect the live feed.
So they'd learned to endure—and wait.
Compared to Akatsuki's internal drama, what they really wanted to see was…
The reward.
What kind of reward could such a mystical space possibly give?
As if reading their thoughts, Nagato spoke:
"Exam space, distribute the group rewards first. Block the view during that process. Then proceed to the individual rewards."
> [Confirmed. Distributing rewards now.]