The Uchiha clan erupted the moment they learned they were being relocated to the outskirts of Konoha.
The entire district went into an uproar—some of the more radical Uchiha even began openly stirring the crowd, spreading the same ugly message:
If Konoha is unjust, then don't blame the Uchiha for becoming ruthless.
But at the critical moment, the man known as the Uchiha's strongest genjutsu user—Uchiha Shisui—stepped forward.
He threw himself into calming the clan leadership, then made a firm promise to the gathered members:
"I'll try to persuade the village leadership."
In the end, Uchiha Fugaku—still clinging to a shred of hope in Shisui—gritted his teeth and issued the relocation order.
The Konoha Military Police Force and the Uchiha district were moved to the location designated by the higher-ups.
And with that… the final cleanup from the Nine-Tails incident began to wrap up.
Land of Rain
At the same time…
In the Land of Rain, a country perpetually drenched in endless downpour—
deep inside a dim, oppressive cavern, a long breath finally escaped.
"Whew…"
The masked man—Uchiha Obito—rolled his shoulders and flexed his fingers, voice low and cold.
"I'm finally healed. Minato… was strong."
From the ground, a fused mass of Black Zetsu and White Zetsu rose up like something crawling out of a nightmare.
Black Zetsu spoke first, hoarse and emotionless.
"Fourth Hokage Namikaze Minato is dead. So is the Nine-Tails jinchūriki, Kushina Uzumaki."
Obito's brow tightened.
"Dead…?"
"Yes." Black Zetsu nodded. "With Minato's strength, he could've survived—but he chose a path that led to death."
Obito's tone hardened.
"And the one with the white-beard mask? Have you identified him?"
That figure—the one who had brutally suppressed the Nine-Tails—was an unknown variable that made Obito's skin crawl.
Black Zetsu's expression darkened.
"I'm still investigating. Akatsuki is investigating too."
He paused, then admitted with rare weight:
"For someone like that to exist… it means my intelligence network failed."
Obito's eyes narrowed.
"I have a feeling… he's hiding in Konoha."
"Impossible." White Zetsu snapped, irritated. "My clones are in Konoha. None of them sensed anything like that."
"Maybe he's just better at hiding than your clones," Obito shot back.
White Zetsu's voice turned sharper.
"So now you're questioning me?"
Then, with a mocking edge:
"You changed the plan without permission and forced the Nine-Tails to rampage through Konoha. That didn't benefit our larger objective at all. You owe us an explanation."
Obito only gave a cold snort.
He didn't bother explaining.
White Zetsu mocked even Uchiha Madara back in the day—arguing with him was a waste of breath.
Black Zetsu cut in, forcing the conversation forward.
"Enough. We continue the plan."
He looked into the darkness, voice steady.
"After this, Konoha is severely weakened. Our attention can shift more fully to Akatsuki."
But in his eyes, a rare flicker surfaced—
wariness.
If the man in the white-beard mask truly came from the Ōtsutsuki… then Black Zetsu's plan to "free Mother" would face unpredictable interference.
For now, all he could do was move step by step.
Obito spoke next—casual, almost amused.
"You head to Akatsuki first. I'm going to the Hidden Mist to have some fun."
A spiral distortion twisted space—
whoosh—
and Obito vanished.
Black Zetsu clicked his tongue.
"…Fine. We'll go to Akatsuki."
He and White Zetsu sank back into the ground and disappeared.
Amegakure — The Tower
In Amegakure (Hidden Rain Village), atop a tall tower in the village's central district—
a man wearing a black cloak patterned with red clouds spoke in a calm, distant voice.
"How's recruitment?"
His face was cold and puppet-like, and black chakra receivers pierced the bridge of his nose.
This was Tendō Pain.
A woman with pale blue-purple hair and amber eyes answered without hesitation.
"It's going fine. Everything is proceeding according to plan."
They were the leaders of Akatsuki.
Behind Pain stood Nagato, controlling the Paths from the shadows—and beside him, Konan.
(Tendō Pain's body is one of the "Paths," made from Yahiko's corpse.)
Konan's voice remained flat.
"Also—Konoha suffered the Nine-Tails incident. The Fourth Hokage and Kushina are dead."
"Konoha…" Tendō Pain's tone held faint contempt. "Has Orochimaru reacted?"
"He has," Konan replied. "He's agreed to join Akatsuki. Soon, he'll defect from Konoha. He'll lie low with the Fūma clan for a while—then he'll join us."
"Good."
Pain nodded once.
But Konan's eyes dimmed. Pain crossed her face like a shadow.
"Nagato… are we really doing this?"
"Reforming Akatsuki… changing our plan… collecting Tailed Beasts…"
Tendō Pain hesitated only for a beat—then his voice became absolute.
"Yes."
"Yahiko's death proved it."
"Trying to build peace through dialogue—through understanding—doesn't work."
"Only by making the shinobi world feel pain… can peace be born from the cycle of suffering."
Konan's lips trembled slightly.
"…Alright."
Her eyes narrowed, a bitter, wounded smile flickering for just an instant.
She had no other road left.
All she could do was follow Nagato—
all the way to the end.
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