The League of Shadows base was quieter at night.
The room Ra's al Ghul had provided for me was far more luxurious than most places in the compound. A wide bed, polished stone floors, a private bathroom, and a balcony overlooking the surrounding mountains. The entire place felt less like a fortress chamber and more like a suite in an expensive hotel.
I stood near the balcony doors, the night air moving gently through the room.
Then the system reacted.
Points began flooding in.
Not slowly.
Not gradually.
A surge.
The Justice League's meeting in the Watchtower had triggered it first. Their discussion about the Akatsuki, their analysis of our abilities, and the growing concern about the organization all generated a steady flow.
Then more points arrived.
Information about the Akatsuki had started spreading within the League of Shadows. Ra's al Ghul's inner circle had begun discussing the organization's potential, its structure, and its capabilities.
Fear.
Curiosity.
Speculation.
All of it translated into system points.
Within minutes, the number climbed rapidly.
Enough to finally complete something important.
The Akatsuki.
Two original members were still missing.
Now I could correct that.
I opened the system interface and selected the purchases.
Deidara.
Obito Uchiha.
The air inside the room shifted slightly.
Two figures began to materialize.
The first appeared with long blond hair tied in a side ponytail. His expression carried the arrogance of an artist who believed his work surpassed everything else in the world.
Deidara.
The second figure formed more slowly.
Dark cloak.
Masked face.
The single eye behind the mask carried the calm calculation of someone who had lived through endless conflict.
Obito Uchiha.
For a moment, the room was silent as they looked around, adjusting to existence in a completely different world.
I activated a genjutsu immediately.
Not a combat illusion.
A structured information transfer.
Images flowed through their minds.
The world.
The Justice League.
The Akatsuki's operations.
The League of Shadows.
The current balance of power.
The genjutsu lasted only a few seconds.
But the information delivered was enough for basic understanding.
Obito processed it instantly.
Deidara blinked several times, then looked slightly irritated.
"A world full of superheroes?" he muttered.
Then he grinned.
"That sounds interesting."
Obito didn't waste time talking.
His Sharingan activated immediately.
Space warped around him.
Kamui.
The distortion pulled both him and Deidara into the swirling vortex of dimensional space.
Within seconds, they vanished.
Their destination was the Akatsuki base.
They would meet the other members there, receive mission assignments, and integrate into the organization properly.
Now the Akatsuki was complete.
Nine members.
Every original operative accounted for.
And each one capable of standing against the strongest fighters this world had to offer.
But the system points hadn't been fully spent yet.
A small amount remained.
Just enough for something I had been considering for some time.
Another purchase.
Perfect Sage Mode.
Not the transformation itself.
But the perfect method for mastering it.
A technique that allowed flawless gathering and balancing of natural energy.
No instability.
No transformation side effects.
No imperfect states.
True Sage Mode mastery.
The moment the purchase completed, new knowledge flowed into my mind.
Training methods.
Meditation patterns.
Breathing cycles.
Energy circulation paths designed to harmonize chakra with natural energy.
A complete system.
Everything required to reach the highest level of Sage Mode.
I sat down slowly on the edge of the bed, processing the information.
This was different from ninjutsu development.
This required patience.
Natural energy was far more dangerous than normal chakra.
Too much and the body could turn to stone.
Too little and the transformation would fail.
Perfect balance was the key.
Fortunately, I now possessed the method to achieve it.
And with the number of shadow clones I could produce…
Training speed would increase dramatically.
I looked out over the balcony again, the moonlight stretching across the distant mountains.
The Akatsuki was complete.
My chakra reserves rivaled the greatest shinobi in history.
My ninjutsu arsenal continued expanding.
And now Sage Mode training would begin.
Power was accumulating faster than ever.
And the world had only just started realizing the Akatsuki existed.