Despite everything, the aura emanating from the Gedo Statue still filled even the fearless S-rank rogue ninjas of the Akatsuki with a deep sense of dread.
The remaining members of the Akatsuki stood atop the ten fingers of the Gedo Statue.
Their leader, Pain, had once again activated the Nine Phantom Dragons Seal.
One by one, their eyes opened as they silently stared at the colorful, hazy, and deceptive figures surrounding them. Pain's Rinnegan swept across the remaining members of the organization.
Although their numbers had dwindled considerably, there was not the slightest trace of emotion in his eyes. It was as if everything happening before him was completely meaningless.
"The final operation is next..."
Pain's voice echoed through the chamber. It was cold, indifferent, and emotionless, almost like the voice of a god speaking from the heavens.
Standing beside him was Konan, her beautiful eyes equally cold and composed.
On one side stood Kisame Hoshigaki, his ferocious, shark-like eyes filled with their usual predatory gleam. On the other was Uchiha Itachi, whose calm and indifferent expression revealed nothing.
Nearby stood the mysterious masked man known as Tobi. Only his right eye was visible through the mask.
Finally, Zetsu stood there with his enormous, lettuce-like head, coldly observing everyone.
These were the remaining members of the Akatsuki.
Compared to the organization's heyday, its current state was almost unrecognizable.
Kisame Hoshigaki chuckled.
"Leader, I don't know what this so-called final operation of yours is, but the Akatsuki probably doesn't have enough manpower left to carry it out."
Pain's voice remained as cold as ever.
"That isn't important."
"This time, I will take action personally."
For a moment, everyone was surprised.
Even Itachi's expression changed slightly, and an almost imperceptible smile appeared at the corner of his lips.
"Are you personally going to capture the Nine-Tails?"
Pain answered indifferently.
"That's right."
Tobi stroked his chin and nodded repeatedly.
"Oh my God! That's right! The Nine-Tails is in Konoha, the strongest village in the ninja world. It seems that no one except the leader would have a chance of capturing it!"
He paused before adding dramatically,
"Even if the leader takes action, the outcome might not be certain... cough, cough..."
Black Zetsu immediately spoke coldly.
"Shut up, Tobi. Since Lord Pain is personally taking action, capturing the Nine-Tails will certainly be easy."
White Zetsu, however, looked slightly worried.
"Really? Even Lord Pain may be powerful enough to do it, but Konoha is a huge village filled with countless experts. Can he really infiltrate the village alone and capture the Nine-Tails?"
Whether Tobi was being sarcastic or White Zetsu was genuinely worried, none of it had the slightest effect on Pain.
He completely ignored them and continued issuing orders.
"Itachi and Kisame, you two are responsible for capturing the Three-Tails from the Hidden Mist Village."
"More precisely, you will capture the Three-Tails' jinchuriki, Mei Terumi, the Fifth Mizukage of the Hidden Mist Village."
Itachi and Kisame silently nodded.
"Understood."
"Alright."
"Zetsu, you will be responsible for gathering and transmitting intelligence."
"As for Tobi, stay behind and coordinate everyone's movements."
"Understood, boss!"
"Good morning, my baby."
White Zetsu looked around the chamber and couldn't help sighing.
"Once, the Akatsuki was a thriving organization. Now, only the few of us remain..."
"Hidan, Kakuzu, Deidara, Sasori... and even Orochimaru, who left the organization earlier..."
"They all died one after another."
Black Zetsu's voice was cold.
"Yes. And most of them died at the hands of a single person."
"The Nine-Tails' jinchuriki..."
"Uzumaki Naruto!"
Tobi immediately spoke up.
"Ah, something similar happened the last time I went to capture the Three-Tails with Senior Kakuzu. I never expected Uzumaki Naruto to kill him."
"If I hadn't escaped quickly, I might have died as well..."
Kisame gave a low chuckle.
"Heh. Back then, he still looked like a mere child. I never expected him to become such a huge threat to the Akatsuki in such a short period of time."
"To say that he single-handedly destroyed half of the Akatsuki wouldn't be an exaggeration."
"Even though he is my enemy, I have to admit that he's an incredible man."
Itachi calmly spoke.
"Those who died all underestimated Uzumaki Naruto."
"And that is what ultimately led to their deaths."
"Leader, I also have a piece of advice for you."
"Don't underestimate him."
Pain's expression remained indifferent.
"I know."
"Uzumaki Naruto isn't merely the Akatsuki's greatest enemy. He is also the most important piece of our Tailed Beast weapon plan."
"Whether for public or personal reasons, we must capture him successfully."
"This is a task that only I can accomplish personally."
Konan frowned slightly.
"Pain, I have no intention of questioning your determination..."
"However, rather than engaging Konoha in an all-out war, I believe it would be better to focus on infiltration, disruption, searching, and capture."
"That way, we can end the battle as quickly as possible."
Pain nodded.
"Hmm. That is exactly what I intend to do."
"The truly important event has yet to arrive. I have no intention of taking unnecessary risks by fighting Konoha head-on."
"Once the Nine-Tails has been captured, and we have also obtained the Seven-Tails from Konoha and the Three-Tails from the Hidden Mist Village, our ultimate plan can finally be put into motion."
"By then, it won't be too late to wage war against Konoha."
Konan breathed a sigh of relief.
"I understand."
"Then I'll go with you."
"Hmm."
Pain looked at everyone.
"Our preparations are nearly complete."
"The next operation will be the final step."
"Itachi, Kisame, you must capture the Three-Tails at all costs."
"Yes, boss."
"Understood."
"Tobi, stay behind and protect the Gedo Statue."
"Once the Three-Tails, Seven-Tails, and Nine-Tails have all been captured, everyone remaining will immediately begin sealing them with the Nine Phantom Dragons Seal."
"As long as this jutsu is completed, every part of the Akatsuki's plan will be fulfilled."
"By then, the entire ninja world will fall into the hands of the Akatsuki."
"Everything will be under our control."
"Peace or war..."
"That will be decided by God!"
Everyone's hearts trembled.
"Yes, Leader!"
For the first time, a faint ripple appeared within Pain's Rinnegan.
It was as though he could already see the future—a future containing the very word that he, Konan, and their deceased friend Yahiko had once longed for.
Peace...
---
Konoha Village — Hokage's Office
Lady Tsunade had just finished reviewing a mountain of documents, and even her body felt somewhat exhausted.
She stretched deeply and let out a long yawn.
Despite her age, her beautiful face still possessed the youthful appearance of a young woman, while her elegant and curvaceous figure remained striking.
Shizune smiled softly.
"You've worked hard, Lady Tsunade."
Tsunade didn't answer immediately.
Instead, she raised her head and looked out the window.
After a moment, she stood up and opened it.
From there, she could see a large portion of Konoha.
A gentle breeze blew through the room, lightly disturbing the hair around Tsunade's temples.
She unconsciously raised a hand and brushed her hair back into place. A faint smile appeared at the corners of her lips.
The sounds of children playing and laughing echoed through the streets.
Merchants shouted out their wares, while villagers went about their daily lives.
The entire village was filled with vitality.
It was a peaceful and prosperous scene rarely seen in the chaotic ninja world.
From time to time, shinobi quietly passed through the streets, silently protecting the peace of the village.
Tsunade leaned slightly forward and rested her chin against her hand as she gazed down at Konoha.
"Jiraiya isn't here. Naruto and the others aren't here either."
"I feel a little lonely..."
Shizune couldn't help giggling.
"When Lord Jiraiya, Naruto, and the others were here, Lady Tsunade always found them annoying."
Tsunade smiled.
"Isn't that just human nature?"
As she spoke, her gaze shifted toward the training grounds not far away.
Naruto's team had previously been training there intensively.
However, with Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata currently away from the village, the remaining members seemed to have lost some of their usual enthusiasm.
"Hmm?"
Tsunade looked around.
"Is Guy's team not here either?"
Shizune laughed softly.
"Lady Tsunade, you personally sent Might Guy and Team Guy out on a mission."
"How could you forget that?"
Tsunade paused.
"Right..."
Shizune walked over and looked in the same direction.
"Team 7 isn't here, and Guy's team isn't here either."
"The two most energetic teams are both away."
"It's no wonder the other children seem a little depressed."
"But at least they haven't forgotten to train."
"That shows that the strict training rules Naruto established for them are actually working."
Tsunade watched the children diligently training between their missions, and an affectionate smile appeared on her face.
"Naruto..."
"That boy doesn't just work hard himself. He also encourages everyone around him to work hard alongside him."
"When he returns from Mount Myōboku, his strength will definitely have increased tremendously."
"There's no doubt that he may have already surpassed old veterans like me, Jiraiya, and even Master Sarutobi."
Shizune couldn't help looking forward to it.
"That's probably true."
"Naruto's strength was already incredible. He has killed so many members of the Akatsuki."
"Now that he's learning Sage Mode, which is Lord Jiraiya's greatest trump card, it's only natural that he may eventually surpass his master."
"I really want to see how much he's grown."
Tsunade closed her eyes, a faint smile lingering on her lips.
"The Naruto of today is probably the strongest person in Konoha."
Shizune was slightly surprised.
But after thinking about it for a moment, she quietly nodded.
"That's true..."
"Even though Naruto was already extremely powerful before, I always thought he still had limitless potential."
"But just as Lady Tsunade said..."
"At this point, Naruto is probably the strongest person in the entire village."
"I almost didn't realize it."
Shizune looked back toward the children who were training diligently.
The more she thought about Naruto's talent, skills, and incredible work ethic, the more impressed she became.
"He's..."
"He's not even fourteen yet."
Tsunade smiled warmly.
"Perhaps that's what they mean when they say that a tiger father won't have a dog for a son."
"Minato was the same way back then. He shone brilliantly even at a young age."
"However, even Minato wasn't the strongest person in the village when he was only fourteen."
________________________________________
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