After Obito left, everyone's gaze once again shifted to Kaito. Even a fool could tell that the man calling himself Uchiha Madara only feared Kaito and no one else.
Because of that, many had already unconsciously regarded Kaito as their pillar. Terumi Mei spoke up and asked,
"Kage-sama, Akatsuki has already declared war on us. What do you think we should do next?"
Kaito tapped his finger lightly on the table and said,
"Since they've already declared war, then there's nothing left to say. We fight."
Gaara crossed his arms. He felt that things were developing far too quickly. They were supposed to be discussing strategies on how to deal with Akatsuki, but somehow it had suddenly escalated into an all-out war.
He looked toward Itachi and asked,
"I heard you once stayed in Akatsuki for a time. Can you tell us exactly what Akatsuki's goal is in collecting the Tailed Beasts?"
Itachi didn't speak right away. He lowered his head, glanced at Kaito, and only when he received a confirming nod did he begin,
"Akatsuki's leader wants to gather the Tailed Beasts to activate an ultimate weapon. After that, he intends to start a war and demonstrate this weapon's power, using fear to intimidate the entire shinobi world into true peace."
This was what Kaito had told him beforehand. He was only repeating it word for word.
A stiff frown appeared on A's face.
"This 'ultimate weapon'—what exactly is it? Is it really that powerful?"
"I can only put it this way—it can destroy an entire nation with ease."
Those words sent a jolt through everyone present. In their understanding, even for a Tailed Beast, destroying a country wasn't something so easily accomplished.
Itachi continued,
"As for its name, according to the Uchiha clan's stone tablet, it is called the Ten Tails."
"What!?"
With each shocking revelation from Itachi's mouth, everyone present was left dumbfounded. It was their first time even hearing of the Ten Tails' existence.
Ōnoki suppressed his inner dread and asked slowly,
"Then what role does that man calling himself Uchiha Madara actually play within Akatsuki?"
Itachi shook his head and said,
"He's very mysterious. It doesn't seem like he and Akatsuki's leader have a master–subordinate relationship. It's more like… a partnership."
A interjected,
"Who is Akatsuki's leader then? Is it that orange-haired man with the Rinnegan?"
"You can put it that way. But there are five others who share his eyes. Together, they're known as Pain."
"How could the Rinnegan appear in six people at once? Do you know what's really going on?"
"My guess is that those six are just puppets. The true owner of the Rinnegan is someone else."
This explanation made the most sense to A, yet it also filled him with a deep sense of helplessness. He slumped into his chair, eyes hollow.
So all the battles Kumogakure had fought… and they hadn't even touched the real body?
Just one man was already that terrifying. And if you added the so-called "Uchiha Madara" on top of that, then what kind of level had they reached?
If Killer Bee was being targeted by such enemies, how could he possibly protect his younger brother?
The other three Kage realized this too. Once more, their eyes turned to Kaito. Ōnoki said in a heavy voice,
"I wonder if Hokage-sama's Mangekyō Sharingan can stand against Akatsuki's Rinnegan?"
Kaito didn't answer. Instead, Itachi spoke up directly,
"You've misspoken. Our Hokage-sama's eyes aren't ordinary Mangekyō Sharingan."
Ōnoki was taken aback, but then thought it over. Even though both were Mangekyō, Kaito's pair clearly carried a far heavier sense of pressure than Itachi's.
After all, they were all seasoned Kage-level shinobi. When facing Itachi's Mangekyō, they merely felt a bit uncomfortable.
But when they faced Kaito's Mangekyō Sharingan, they could feel an almost suffocating pressure. To Ōnoki, this sensation was all too familiar—it was exactly the same as when he once faced Uchiha Madara.
That meant Kaito's Mangekyō Sharingan was on an entirely different level than Itachi's.
Only Kaito gave Ōnoki that feeling of confronting Madara. Not even that man claiming to be Madara had been able to do that. He quickly asked,
"What do you mean? Is there a level even higher than the Mangekyō Sharingan?"
Itachi looked at Kaito, his eyes filled with deep reverence.
"Our Hokage-sama wields the legendary Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan! Just like the Madara of old!"
"Eternal… Mangekyō?"
Everyone's faces went blank. They didn't fully understand what this meant, but one thing was clear—these eyes were unimaginably strong. Terrifyingly strong.
Ōnoki muttered,
"No wonder… no wonder I saw the shadow of Uchiha Madara in him!"
But what they didn't know was that the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan depended on the person wielding it. Its baseline was already extremely high, but its potential ceiling was even higher.
Just look at Madara and Sasuke in the original story. Both had the Eternal Mangekyō, but while Madara with his Perfect Susanoo could overwhelm the Five Kage, Sasuke never reached that level.
Kaito, however, was something else entirely. His Susanoo not only surpassed Madara's in sheer size but could also fuse with various Devil Fruit powers. It was, without a doubt, the strongest Susanoo.
And as things stood, there were almost no enemies who could force him to bring out its full power.
Behind Kaito, Sasuke had already heard the words "Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan" more than once. He had even asked Itachi about it before. Itachi's reply had been,
"When these eyes of mine lose their light, perhaps then you will awaken the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan."
Sasuke had immediately abandoned that thought. Ever since Itachi had returned to his side, his obsession with power had eased. If the price for the Eternal Mangekyō was Itachi's blindness, then he didn't want it.
Itachi was deeply relieved. In truth, if Sasuke had insisted on awakening the Eternal Mangekyō, Itachi—being the doting brother he was—might really have dug out his own eyes to help him.
Of course, Sasuke would first have to awaken the Mangekyō. Otherwise, even if Itachi gave up his eyes now, Sasuke still wouldn't be able to obtain the Eternal Mangekyō.
It's worth mentioning that Kaito had already infused Itachi with Yang Release chakra. Nourished by this chakra, Itachi's body had gradually recovered, and even his eyesight had returned. As long as he didn't overuse the Mangekyō, the possibility of blindness was nearly gone.
Because of this, Itachi's loyalty to Kaito had only grown stronger. He wasn't afraid of losing his Mangekyō—he was afraid of never being able to see Sasuke again.