Deep within a desolate sandstone canyon in the Land of Wind, hidden in an extremely secret cave, dry winds whipped sand grains futilely against an entrance cleverly concealed by Genjutsu.
Inside the cave, it was slightly chilly, illuminated only by a few dim oil lamps that cast flickering light on Konan's worried face.
She carefully used her Dance of the Shikigami to assist Nagato, settling his emaciated body, connected to the Gedo Statue's Chakra Receivers, onto a relatively flat stone platform.
"Nagato, what exactly happened?" Only now, assured of temporary safety, did Konan finally speak, her voice carrying a barely perceptible tremor.
She had been guarding Nagato's main body nearby, sensing the distant, blurred Chakra Collisions through her paper, but the final, sky-rending, all-destroying golden pillar's terrifying might had made her soul tremble, even from such a great distance, as if facing divine wrath.
"That light..."
Nagato coughed violently several times. Blood, unwiped, traced paths down his pale, bloodless cheeks from his sunken eye sockets, stark and grotesque against his pallor. The overuse of the Rinnegan's power and the massive psychological shock had left him in a worse state than ever before.
He gasped for a moment before speaking, his voice raspy like sandpaper, "We lost... Asura Path... Human Path... and Animal Path."
Konan's pupils constricted.
The Six Paths of Pain were extensions of Nagato's power, the symbol of 'God'. Each one was extremely precious and difficult to create. Losing three in one battle was an unprecedented heavy blow!
"How could..." Konan found it hard to believe. She had sensed the battle's intensity but hadn't imagined it would reach this level.
"That Shura... he didn't even appear in person." Nagato's tone held a trace of lingering fear he himself hadn't noticed. His Rinnegan flashed with bloody light, as if seeing that despair-inducing scene again.
He began to narrate slowly: from the land full of vitality and hope at the Land of Stars' border, to the encounter with Natsuhi's team, to Shisui's sudden intervention, and the unbelievable, remotely transmitted vast dark red Chakra through the seals.
"That Chakra... filled with coldness, savagery, yet with a strange vitality, vast and nearly endless, like... a Tailed Beast!" Nagato's voice was low. "And that method of remote conduction and precise control... it shares similarities with the Chakra Receivers on my Pains, even... perhaps more efficient."
Konan listened quietly, the shock in her light purple eyes growing.
"And then that attack…" Nagato's breathing became rapid again, as if the mere memory drained his strength, "No perceivable source, no discernible trajectory, as if from beyond the sky... that extremely compressed Chakra Attack. Just one strike... only one strike! Asura Path and Human Path... not even a speck of residue remained-"
He paused, adding with difficulty, "And he... he could even perform a technique similar to Shinra Tensei! Its power... was no less!"
Konan fell completely silent.
'Main body absent, remotely transmitting Tailed Beast-level Chakra, summoning mysterious creatures, using techniques similar to the Rinnegan, finally even invoking a heavenly punishment-like attack...'
'This Shura's methods were simply unheard of, unfathomable!'
Nagato's narration continued, mentioning the suddenly appearing Uchiha woman who manipulated the dark red giant.
"And that Uchiha woman mentioned before by Madara and Zetsu... she's strong, very strong."
"Her power could directly contend with my Shinra Tensei, and even... killed Animal Path."
Finally, his voice became heavy, revealing the part that had shaken him the most.
"And the most terrifying thing is... he knows. He knows the Pains are puppets, he knows about the Rinnegan, he knows about Uchiha Madara-" Nagato looked up, his blood-tear-streaked Rinnegan staring directly at Konan, enunciating each word, "He... called me by my real name."
The air in the cave seemed to freeze.
Konan covered her mouth, her eyes filled with dread.
Since Yahiko's death and the near-destruction of the original Akatsuki, leaving only the two of them, Nagato had operated from the shadows.
Only she, the one who called himself Uchiha Madara, and the black-and-white Zetsu knew of Nagato's existence. Over the years, Akatsuki had secretly recruited Missing-Nins from various villages, absorbing new members. But these people were, at best, Jonin-level. Nagato had used Deva Path to recruit them. There simply couldn't be a fourth person who knew Nagato was the one manipulating Deva Path from behind.
"He... he also mentioned Yahiko..." Nagato's voice was filled with suppressed pain and great confusion, "He said the true mastermind who orchestrated that tragedy, who caused Yahiko's death, who killed the Akatsuki's members who came to rescue us... has actually been hiding by my side all along."
"What?!" Konan exclaimed, this news shocking her even more than the revelation of Nagato's name.
Yahiko's death was an eternal pain in her and Nagato's hearts, the root cause that prompted Nagato's complete transformation and his belief in the [Experience Pain] path to peace. Now, someone was saying the truth wasn't what they thought?
'Besides Hanzo of the Salamander, the leader of Amegakure, and Shimura Danzo, leader of Konoha's Root, who were present at the scene, there was a mastermind behind the scenes?!'
"That person has always been by my side..." Nagato repeated this phrase, complex lights flickering in his Rinnegan… doubt, anger, and a trace of fear he didn't want to dwell on intertwined.
Two figures instantly surfaced in Konan's mind.
The Uchiha Madara with the tiger-striped mask, elusive and mysterious.
And Zetsu, always half-black, half-white, with his strange, ambiguous demeanor.
"Could it be... them?" Konan's voice trembled, the words almost escaping her lips unbidden.
Once the seed of doubt was planted, many previously overlooked details instantly became clear: 'Their appearance was too 'timely'. Their 'assistance' to Akatsuki always carried a certain purpose. Especially that Black Zetsu, he always gave off a sinister and mysterious feeling.'
Nagato slowly nodded. Though weak, his gaze sharpened, "Although there's no proof... their appearance was indeed too 'coincidental'."
He recalled Obito proposed the [Eye of the Moon Plan], his obsession with collecting the Tailed Beasts, and his subtle yet noticeable focus on the Rinnegan's power.
The clouds of suspicion in Nagato's heart grew heavier.
He couldn't fully believe Shura's words, but the accusation itself was like a key, unlocking the door of doubt that had been tightly shut in his heart.
A long silence fell in the cave, broken only by the soft pops of the oil lamps burning.
Konan needed time to digest this earth-shattering information and the immense doubt that followed.
After a long while, she took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down, and asked, "Nagato, what should we do next?"
Nagato closed his bleeding eyes, seeming to gather strength, or perhaps to think.
After a moment, he reopened them.
Though still weary, he had regained some of the calm and decisiveness belonging to a 'God'.
"This battle, though a heavy loss, was not entirely without gain." His voice returned to its usual monotone, "At the very least, we truly tested part of the strength possessed by the Land of Stars, or rather, that Shura. Far exceeding estimates."
He looked at Konan, "Regarding Iwagakure and Onoki's mission, we will report back: We attacked a key border town of the former Land of Swamps but encountered fierce resistance from Star Ninja. The enemy deployed several Elite Jonin, including two Uchiha clansmen of extremely high strength, at least approaching Kage-level. Akatsuki's elite task force suffered heavy losses. The mission was partially completed."
He paused, adding, "As for detailed intelligence on those two Uchiha, and further information on the Star Ninja's leader, Shura... tell him that's a separate price. Whether he believes it or how he verifies it... the battle happened outside Honmatsu City, the commotion wasn't small. News will spread sooner or later, so he'll have to believe it."
Konan nodded thoughtfully.
Reporting it this way concealed the secret of the Six Paths of Pain and the fact that Nagato personally intervened and was thwarted, preserving Akatsuki's mystery and deterrence.
It also directed trouble towards the Land of Stars and the Uchiha Clan, and could even extort more intelligence fees from the suspicious Onoki. It was indeed the best strategy.
"As for Uchiha Madara and Zetsu..." A cold light flashed in Nagato's Rinnegan, "First, find a way to investigate their backgrounds secretly. But for now... we cannot move against him."
Akatsuki needed Obito's support and Zetsu's intelligence. More importantly, Nagato still held a sense of wariness and a desire to utilize the power of that Mangekyo Sharingan and the plan Obito claimed to have.
"We cannot fully believe Shura's words," Nagato concluded, a hint of calculation in his eyes, "But he clearly holds great hostility towards Madara as well. Perhaps we can use this to our advantage."
…
Days later, deep within the secret base in Amegakure.
The humid air was thick with the smell of rust and dust. The massive Gedo Statue stood in the shadows.
Konan pushed Nagato, seated in a specially made wheelchair, slowly into the core area of the base.
Two people were already waiting.
Uchiha Madara, wearing his orange swirl-patterned mask, revealing only one crimson Sharingan, leaned casually against a stone pillar.
He seemed lazy, but his single eye subtly scanned Nagato, especially his Rinnegan, which seemed overused and even faintly streaked with residual blood.
On the other side, the half-black, half-white Zetsu slowly emerged from the ground like a venus flytrap growing from the earth.
The white half spoke in an exaggerated tone: "Good grief! It seems the leader didn't come out on top this time, did he? How rare~"
The black half remained silent, but his small yellow eyes were also carefully observing Nagato's condition.
'Uchiha Hikari... To think that woman possesses such power? She was overlooked before.' After all, Black Zetsu, over his millennium in the Ninja World, had focused on the Chakra Reincarnations of Asura and Indra, naturally paying little attention to a girl from Uchiha Clan.
Nagato's expression remained impassive. He didn't react to White Zetsu's teasing, merely uttering a faint 'Hn' to acknowledge the mission's lack of success.
He skipped over the topic directly, instead turning his gaze to Obito, carrying a hint of inquiry and barely perceptible scrutiny.
"That Mad Uchiha Woman is strong." Nagato spoke slowly, as if stating a fact, yet also questioning, "She manipulated a dark red Chakra Giant, balanced in offense and defense, with astonishing power. It could even withstand my Shinra Tensei."
He paused, his Rinnegan locking onto the eye behind Obito's mask, "That kind of power... Why have I never seen you use it?"
Obito was silent for a moment, frowning slightly beneath his mask. Nagato suddenly bringing up Uchiha Hikari's power and directly asking about the Susanoo surprised him and put him on guard. It seemed a lot had happened in the Land of Stars.
He replied in a tone fitting Uchiha Madara's identity… slightly weathered and haughty, "That is the third power hidden within the Sharingan, the Susanoo. Not all who awaken the Mangekyo can manifest it, but once awakened, one obtains the power of a god."
He straightened slightly, as if recalling past glory, "In my prime, I could naturally use it as well."
He stopped there.
Nagato looked at him deeply, not pressing further, but the doubts in his heart weren't dispelled. The answer only made him think that Uchiha Madara was hiding far more than he imagined, and that the Uchiha Madara before him was definitely not the real one.
'But who was he?' Thinking of the Mad Uchiha Woman from the Land of Stars, Nagato couldn't help but wonder, 'Could there be other Uchiha Clan's member living outside?'
Suppressing his speculation, Nagato turned his gaze to the Zetsu, changing the subject, "What about the intelligence gathering on the Hoshigakure?"
He wanted to know how much Zetsu knew about this.
The white half immediately chimed in, its tone still exaggerated, "So sorry about that~ Leader-sama! That Land of Stars has Uzumaki Clan's member! Their sensory abilities are super~ powerful! My clones can't get too close at all, and there's a risk of being discovered if we even get near~ So detailed intelligence, hehe—"
Black Zetsu added in his characteristically low, hoarse voice, "Currently, we only know they are annexing surrounding small countries very quickly, and their internal management seems very strict. But specific combat force composition and high-level information are indeed difficult to probe deeply."
He skillfully attributed the lack of intelligence to the other side's tight defenses, hiding his own potential knowledge and unreported intentions.
Hearing this, Nagato inwardly sneered, 'Just as expected.'
He ignored Zetsu and issued a direct order, "Release the intelligence we do know. Through the underground bounty exchange and all covert channels, spread two pieces of information: First, the actual ruler of Hoshigakure is Shura. Second, there are Uchiha Clan's members colluding with Shura, serving him."
He paused, a cold gleam flashing in his Rinnegan, "Pay special 'attention' to the channels of Konoha and Kumogakure. Let's see who among the Five Great Ninja Countries will be the first to lose their composure and go cause trouble for that Shura after learning this news."
Obito's single eye flickered slightly beneath his mask, but he didn't voice opposition. Spreading intelligence and stirring up chaos fit his plan to fish in troubled waters.
The White Zetsu let out a meaningless laugh, indicating it would be done immediately.
In the gloomy base, each party harbored their own schemes, and a chain of suspicion quietly formed.