The first thing I did was methodical.
The Deva Path had served its purpose—annihilating Penguin's Iceberg Lounge, marking Gotham with the red cloud, and generating nearly two thousand system points in barely a week. Now… it was time to complete Nagato's vision and then surpass it.
I opened the System Shop and surveyed my options.
[Paths of Pain — Purchase]Cost per Path: 300 RPCurrent RP: 1,980
I clicked to purchase.One. Two. Three. Four. Five.
A pulse of chakra tore through the hideout.Five bodies materialized before me: Asura, Human, Animal, Preta, and Naraka.Each identical in height, expressionless, perfect replicas of Nagato's Paths.
I ran my hand through the Deva Path's head to confirm connection.They answered immediately, the invisible threads of chakra linking them to me as though they had always existed.For the first time, I felt Nagato's true power—complete.
Next.
Madara's Taijutsu knowledge.
[Madara Uchiha: Taijutsu Knowledge — Purchase]Cost: 500 RPGrants: Perfect mastery of all Madara combat techniques, body control, reflex training, battle strategy, and martial arts mastery.
I confirmed.Instantly, my body adjusted. Reflexes sharpened. Muscles responded with precision I had never known.Even without chakra, my movements felt predestined.Every joint, every sinew, every fiber was primed for combat, for destruction, for dominance.
I flexed my fingers experimentally, imagining moving through Gotham's streets… imagining the city trembling at my presence.Perfect.
Finally, I turned to recruitment.
The system menu highlighted potential allies.It suggested the strongest, the most useful, the most loyal.
But there was one name that burned brighter than all the rest: Orochimaru.
[Orochimaru — Recruit]Cost: 600 RPBenefits: Genius-level intellect, mastery of science and biology, versatile combat ability, loyalty guaranteed through system link.
I pressed CONFIRM.
The air around me shimmered with the unmistakable chill of his arrival.A figure slithered into the base: pale, serpentine, and calculating.Long black hair framed his face, and his eyes glimmered with curiosity and intellect.
"Pain," he said, voice smooth, cold, and hungry with interest. "You've summoned me for…?"
I didn't need to speak. My eyes, glowing faintly with Rinnegan power, told him everything.
He nodded."I see. Loyalty assured."
A smile touched my lips.Finally, I had someone capable of modernizing my hideout, integrating technology, biology, and research.In a world of computers, electronics, and surveillance, Orochimaru would be invaluable.
I ran my fingers along my system panel.
RP Remaining: 80
Not enough for more Paths. Not enough for upgrades yet.
But it didn't matter.I had the Deva Path and five other Paths.I had Madara's Taijutsu knowledge coursing through my body.I had Orochimaru, genius and loyal, to build, innovate, and secure my base.
I looked around my jungle fortress, the hideout now pulsing faintly with chakra.The possibilities stretched infinitely in every direction.
Gotham had already noticed the Akatsuki.Now it was time to prepare.
To grow.
To strike again.
And this time, the world wouldn't just whisper my name.It would scream it.