"No matter what happens, Nagato, you're alive. And as long as there's life, there's hope," Black Zetsu said, breaking the oppressive silence. "But now is not the time for reflection. There's something more important."
"More important?" Nagato echoed.
Soon, all the Akatsuki members gathered in the conference room. Konan rolled Nagato's chair to the table. Although his body had been restored, too little time had passed. His body was still weak, and he could only move around in a wheelchair.
Black Zetsu unrolled a diagram on the table, dotted with concentric circles, like the growth rings of a giant tree.
"This anomaly is constantly expanding, and its growth shows no sign of slowing. According to our calculations, in just a year it will engulf the planet, turning it into a lifeless desert."
He paused, letting the words sink in.
"But that's the worst-case scenario. In reality, once the zone covers forty to fifty percent of the planet's surface, the planet will become uninhabitable. Most life will perish due to catastrophic climate change," Black Zetsu explained slowly, tracing his finger over the diagram.
"In other words," one of the others concluded, "if this monster's growth is limitless, we only have a year left."
The words hung in a deathly silence.
"Are you sure its power can grow infinitely?" Nagato asked after a long silence. His voice was hoarse and quiet.
"I'm not certain. But so far, this creature hasn't shown the slightest sign of weakening. I can only assume its growth is limitless. However, even if that's not the case, it would only need to expand its zone to the aforementioned limits to destroy all life." Even his current scale was enough to consider him a walking natural disaster.
Black Zetsu shook his head and glanced at Uchiha Obito. He sat with his head bowed, clenching his fists so hard his knuckles were white. Silent rage boiled within Zetsu. "Idiot. This is all because of that idiot Obito! My plan was flawless; all I had to do was follow it, and Mother's revival would have become a reality. But no! That fool and madman Itachi was so determined to commit massacre! To have such trump cards in his hand and then squander them so ineptly! Now we can forget about Mother's revival. Now we mustn't be sent into oblivion ourselves."
Nagato sank into silence again. Despair washed over him—a dull, viscous, indescribable feeling. All his plans, his entire life dedicated to creating Akatsuki, all his calculations and sacrifices—it all collapsed in an instant. He had laid the path to eternal peace, only one step remained... and this was the result.
"Damn Uchiha Madara! I created the organization, I prepared everything, all that was left was to wait... And this is the end?!"
Damn the ultimate weapon! Damn containment! What the hell kind of eternal peace is this, if the world itself is on the brink of destruction?!
It's over.
"In this situation, the only way out is to kill this monster. We must find a way to destroy it," Uchiha Obito said firmly, finally raising his head.
At these words, skeptical glances turned to him. "Kill the monster. Brilliant. And who will do it? You?"—they read in silent reproach.
Immediately after awakening, Nagato had thought he'd lost simply because the enemy had drained his chakra. But looking at Zetsu's diagram, he realized the futility of it. He was no match for this creature. Especially given its ability to absorb chakra. No, not just chakra—any energy. Against such a monster, any attack was powerless. Its defenses were absolute. How could one fight such a thing?
"This is no longer our problem," Obito continued slowly, ignoring the doubt that hung in the air. "This is a global disaster, a threat to everyone. We must inform the other shinobi villages. Let them understand that this concerns not just Konoha, but the entire world..."
His "plan" was essentially an act of desperation. To shift responsibility for the chaos he'd created onto the shoulders of the entire world in the faint hope that someone else would find a solution.
What other options were there?
Risk it? Bet everything that Uchiha Yue's power had a limit? To believe that his Mangekyō Sharingan wasn't eternal, that he would eventually go blind, and the anomaly he'd created would disappear on its own?
No one would dare take such a bet. So much time had passed, and the domain only continued to grow. Losing this game meant complete and utter destruction.
"Could Uchiha Madara solve this problem? Too bad he's already old and... wait..."
Hearing Obito's words, Black Zetsu merely shook his head—there seemed no other way out. But the next moment, as he thought of Madara, a saving thought flashed through his mind.
"Death... of old age! Exactly! No matter how much of a monster this Uchiha Yue is, he's still only a man. And people age and die. So what if he destroys all life? When his time comes, he will die!" And the tailed beasts, even if they're dried out and killed, are reborn over time. I just need to wait until he dies, and then reappear! By then, the shinobi world will be dead, only the bijuu will remain—that will only make my plan easier. The only problem is where to wait it out? If he covers the entire planet, there will be nowhere to run.
Neither underground nor in the sky. Death will find you everywhere."
Suddenly, the solution came to him.
"Kamui..." it dawned on him. "Kamui's dimension! Yes! This is it, the refuge!"
Suddenly, everything fell into place. Nothing else mattered. The main thing was to save the Gedo Statue and Nagato's Rinnegan...
"I beg your pardon, Nagato. Lord Madara, please follow me!" Black Zetsu addressed Obito with exaggerated, almost theatrical, respect.
A few minutes later, in one of the base's secluded corridors...
"Zetsu, have you thought of something?" Uchiha Obito asked hopefully.