With the dialogue at an impasse, Jiraiya could only leave in silence, his figure gradually swallowed by the downpour.
Pain and Konan stood unmoving in the rain, droplets trailing down their faces as they watched their former teacher vanish into the distance. Their thoughts lingered.
The next time they met, it might be a fight to the death.
Konan spoke in a low voice. "Pain, that masked man… he really isn't Uchiha Madara."
Outside the tower, she always referred to him only as "Pain."
Her long-held suspicions had finally been confirmed.
From the start, she and Nagato had never fully trusted him. Now that Jiraiya had exposed his identity, the mask of "Uchiha Madara" had been stripped away. Without that false legend propping him up, Obito had no right to stand on equal footing with Pain.
At best, he was just another rogue shinobi not someone worthy of leading the Akatsuki.
"Mm." Pain's voice was cold and detached. "If he's not really Uchiha Madara, then Zetsu's position becomes extremely suspicious."
"You're right. If he's just Uchiha Obito, then why does Zetsu follow his every command without question?"
Even stranger, why would someone once trained under the Fourth Hokage join their mission of collecting the tailed beasts?
There were too many things that didn't make sense.
The two exchanged a look and silently came to the same conclusion.
There was a deeper conspiracy at play. They were being used. Obito and Zetsu clearly didn't support Nagato's ideals.
They had to be eliminated.
Even though their ideologies had diverged, Konan and Nagato still trusted Jiraiya on a fundamental level. He might keep secrets, but he would never outright lie to them.
"Konan," Pain said suddenly. "Call a Phantom Projection meeting. Block Zetsu from the channel. The plan is entering its final phase."
Konan looked up in surprise. "Pain, you mean…"
"There are only three tailed beasts left One-Tails, Eight-Tails, and Nine-Tails," Pain replied. For the first time, there was steel in his voice. "Summon everyone. We'll take the Eight-Tails first, then march on the Hidden Leaf."
If Obito couldn't be trusted, then they'd make sure he never got a chance to interfere.
If Obito succeeded, they'd seize the Eight-Tails from him and cast him out.
If he failed, they'd abandon him altogether.
Either way, there was no place in the Akatsuki for a man hiding behind a mask.
So long as Pain stood at its helm, the Akatsuki would remain unstoppable.
Konan understood Nagato's meaning. Her body dispersed into thousands of fluttering sheets of paper.
"Understood. I'll begin preparations for the projection jutsu."
Her paper form scattered in the rain, leaving only Pain standing in silence.
The rain poured down around him.
When White Zetsu relayed the news from the Hidden Rain, Black Zetsu immediately sought him out, barely keeping his composure.
He knew that without the Madara persona, Obito had no leverage left with Nagato. If he didn't want to be kicked out, he'd have to become a subordinate or disappear.
As for Pain's suspicions about himself, Black Zetsu didn't care. He'd seen worse. If it came to it, he could spin another lie. What mattered now was keeping Obito on track.
So he tried to sound casual as he asked, "Hey, Obito. Hypothetically… what if your identity got exposed? Say, to Pain?"
Obito thought for a moment, then replied flatly, "Hmph. Then I'll back off for now. The goal is all that matters."
A crippled puppet like Nagato would be dealt with after the beasts were collected.
Black Zetsu exhaled in relief. "Good, good. And what about Kakashi, and those Leaf shinobi—"
"Doesn't matter. Once the Eye of the Moon Plan is complete, everything will be reset." His voice was ice. "No one will stand in my way. Not my family, not my teacher, not even my closest friend. Anyone who threatens the plan… will be erased."
Black Zetsu finally relaxed.
Then Obito turned to him, confused. "Why are you even asking me all this?"
"Oh, nothing." Black Zetsu chuckled awkwardly. "It's just… Jiraiya told Nagato the truth about you. I'll go smooth things over."
He waved as he added, "Don't worry. Nagato still needs us. I'll talk to him hey, Obito? Obito?!"
Obito had already disappeared into a vortex.
Black Zetsu shouted into the rain, panicking.
"Obito! Obito! What about the Eye of the Moon Plan?! What about true peace?!"
Under the looming shadow of the Gedo Statue, phantom projections flickered into view.
The glow of the Illusionary Projection Technique cast strange lights over the stone fingers. A few figures were missing.
"Did we lose someone?" Deidara glanced at the empty spots, looking oddly pleased. "Uchiha Itachi's finally dead, huh?"
After the last battle, Sasori had been forced to reveal his true body when Hiruko was destroyed. He observed the empty space calmly.
"It seems tail beast retrieval really is a dangerous mission."
Even Itachi and Kisame, one of the Akatsuki's most powerful pairs, had fallen. Zetsu was absent too.
Kakuzu narrowed his glowing green eyes, then sneered, "One team dead, another failed. Only me and the leader completed our mission."
Hidan lazily dug at his ear. He already knew where this was going.
"It's because I once fought the First Hokage, and the leader has the Rinnegan," Kakuzu said proudly. "That's why we succeeded."
He looked up at Pain's projection, adding smugly, "Recruiting me was a wise investment."
He shot Hidan a sideways glance.
Hidan rolled with it. "Yeah, leader! We're the best. You should give us a bonus!"
Hearing his name, Deidara scowled. "Oh please. Aside from the One-Tails, Sasori and I had to fight multiple Leaf elites. You two were two-on-one!"
"Excuses," Kakuzu scoffed. "Don't blame us for your lack of results."
Deidara clenched his fists, fury rising. "You want to settle this? Tell me your location!"
Sasori stayed silent. He would've loved to turn those two into puppets, but he still needed funding from Kakuzu's stash, so he held his tongue for now.
Pain's voice finally cut through the bickering.
All eyes turned toward the projection of the Rinnegan.
"Itachi and Kisame fell in the Leaf. Zetsu has betrayed us."
It didn't matter whether Zetsu had really leaked the intel. They needed a scapegoat to stabilize morale.
The Akatsuki members were stunned.
After a beat, Deidara burst out laughing. "Ha! I knew that flytrap freak was shady!"
He slapped Sasori on the shoulder. "Told you, didn't I? That guy's jutsu was weird from the start."
Pain spoke again, his tone unchanging.
"There's been a change of plans."
Konan's voice followed his.
"In three days, we launch a full-scale assault on the Hidden Cloud. The Eight-Tails must be captured."
Hidan's eyes gleamed with bloodlust. "Praise the Jashin! I'm offering a hundred sacrifices this time!"
Deidara's eyes sparkled with anticipation. "I'll give them a fireworks show they'll never forget."
Kakuzu was already tapping his abacus, calculating the bounty on Cloud shinobi.
Sasori remained quiet, but it was clear his collection of human puppets was about to grow richer.
Pain's voice came once more, solemn and unwavering.
"Once that's done… we march on the Leaf."
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