After giving Deidara and Sasori a few instructions, the two promptly exited the Magic Lantern Body Technique and headed toward the Land of Birds' Daimyo's residence.
Nagato wanted to add a 'Be careful on the way,' but such words didn't quite fit his 'godly' persona, so he simply watched as the two left.
Now, there were five empty seats in the room.
Nagato did not immediately deactivate the Magic Lantern Body Technique. Instead, he used Pain to summarize: "After gaining control of the surrounding smaller nations, there are still many steps to consider."
"No one knows how long this White Zetsu crisis will last, but for now, it's undoubtedly advantageous for us."
"Once our strength is sufficiently built up, we can consider uniting these nations to form a joint Ninja Village, becoming the sixth great Ninja Village. We can establish friendly relations with Kumogakure and Kirigakure... and gradually work our way from Sunagakure. This is the strategy of befriending the distant while attacking the nearby."
"At that point, competing for the Tailed Beasts will also be more feasible..."
Hearing that Nagato still harbored ambitions of controlling the Tailed Beasts, Black Zetsu couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
He began to consider whether he should inform him about the Immortal Duo's whereabouts now.
After all, the sudden appearance of that curly-haired Uchiha youth was too suspicious. That green Susanoo... Black Zetsu couldn't figure out how this Ninja, who had supposedly died before the Uchiha Massacre, had appeared before the Immortal Duo and defeated them.
However, at this moment... Black Zetsu couldn't help but tremble.
Without a moment to mourn the Immortal Duo's defeat, the Art Duo arrived at the battlefield!
And their opponent is ... Uchiha Itachi.
Black Zetsu's face showed panic, as the Art Duo was defeated in a single encounter by Itachi.
For now, Black Zetsu wasn't keen on losing so many Akatsuki's members, especially since the Tailed Beasts hadn't been captured yet. These members still had significant value.
'But...' Black Zetsu glanced at Itachi's projection, who was meditating with his eyes closed, 'It definitely wasn't this Itachi.'
'Then why?'
"Deidara and Sasori... have failed."
Black Zetsu, who had been silent until now, spoke up, interrupting Pain, or rather, Nagato's speech.
Nagato's eyes widened in shock, though Pain's expression remained calm, "What?"
Nagato's mind raced.
'Someone who could defeat the Immortal Duo and the Art Duo... there were very few in the Ninja World with such strength.'
'Could it be an ambush by a great Ninja Village?' Nagato's heart skipped a beat, and he couldn't help but think this.
But he quickly dismissed the idea, 'Among the Five Great Ninja Villages, only Sunagakure and Iwagakure could intervene in the Land of Birds. Konoha might manage, but with the Land of Rain and the Land of Grass in between, its influence was far weaker than Iwagakure's.'
'Sunagakure's current predicament didn't seem fake, and Iwagakure...' Nagato knew Iwagakure had been recuperating since the last Ninja World War and rarely made any major moves.
'Moreover, while Iwagakure's situation with the White Zetsu was better than Sunagakure's, it was unlikely they could spare high-level combatants under such pressure... unless Onoki himself took action.'
'But even if it were Onoki, what about the Immortal Duo?'
'Even if there was a significant gap in strength, they shouldn't have been unable to send a single message.'
…
As Nagato's thoughts raced, Black Zetsu calmly shook his head. "It was Itachi... Uchiha Itachi did it. I saw it with my own eyes."
"Itachi?" Nagato was completely baffled.
Itachi, who had been meditating, opened his eyes. Less than five minutes had passed since Deidara and Sasori left.
Itachi found it strange. His first reaction wasn't to doubt Black Zetsu's words, but to compare his own strength to that of the Art Duo.
Although he didn't know why, Itachi felt that over the past two months, his illness had been getting better at a moderate pace, and now he could be considered 'healthy.'
No more back pain, no more coughing up blood, and even his presbyopia had improved to 5.0 vision. Using Tsukuyomi, Amaterasu, and Susanoo also felt like they cost him nothing.
At first, Itachi had thought his estimated three years of remaining life might be coming to an early close, suspecting that his improving health was a final surge before death.
But two months had passed, and his various ailments had only decreased. His body was truly getting better!
And all of this... could be traced back to the changes in Konoha two months ago.
Regarding the fact that Konoha Ninjas had all mastered Wood Release, Akatsuki had quickly investigated the cause.
That 'Sage of Six Paths'-level Manager could grant players the abilities of the characters in the game. This was even more exaggerated than the legendary feats of the Sage of Six Paths!
When discussing Yuto, even Nagato showed a look of reverence. So much so that he hadn't dared to investigate the man further.
Itachi, too, felt awe toward this 'divine being'.
Itachi suspected that it was because of this person's existence that he had undergone such changes. His health had started improving around that time.
The Ninja he had equipped in the game was none other than himself, [Uchiha Itachi].
---
If it were the past, when he was still a sickly man, Itachi believed he could defeat either member of the Art Duo. Perhaps a single Genjutsu would suffice, or he might have to pay a certain price, but victory wasn't difficult.
But facing both of them at once, Itachi didn't think he had no chance of winning.
If he went all out, he could win, but the toll on his body would be immense.
It is estimated that he would not be able to live for a few days after beating the two of them, and might even die on the spot.
But that was in the past. Now, Itachi could jump and run like he was wearing supportive shoes and had taken vitality-boosting pills... The toll he once feared was no longer an issue! Defeating the two would be a breeze.
However... even if Itachi overestimated his own strength, he knew that Deidara and Sasori's abilities were far beyond those of ordinary Jonin, and they had plenty of hidden cards up their sleeves.
Even if Itachi went all out, defeating them in under five minutes seemed... unrealistic.
Tsukuyomi is indeed powerful, but it wasn't unbeatable.
Amaterasu was terrifying, but as long as you took off your clothes… Though taking off the Akatsuki's robe might lead to worse outcomes.
As for Susanoo... that was an incredibly Chakra-draining technique. Unless it was a special circumstance, Itachi didn't think he'd use it much.
All things considered, Itachi found the situation strange.
Nagato felt the same way.
The two unconsciously glanced at each other.
Meeting the Rinnegan's gaze, Itachi didn't move or explain. He simply watched quietly.
Pain looked away and said in a deep voice, "Itachi... you'll come with me to the Land of Birds."
Kisame, who had been smoking nearby, was still trying to figure out what was happening when he heard the leader's decision.
"Konan, Kisame, and... Zetsu, you'll stay at the base. Dismissed."
With that, the Magic Lantern Body Technique ended.
Pain stood atop a high point in the Land of Rain, the constant rain soaking his hair.
"Nagato, isn't this too soon?"
Konan asked with concern.
Pain shook his head. "The Ninja World is changing. There are some things we need to figure out for ourselves. This is an essential step on the path to peace."
After a pause, Pain added, "And... saving our companions..."
He didn't finish the sentence. Pain leaped down from the high point, and five other figures in Akatsuki's robes flashed past him.
"I won't expose the other Paths unless absolutely necessary."
For the first time in years, Konan watched the orange-haired figure disappear into the rain. His movements were no longer reckless but steady. Konan was left speechless, her worries somewhat eased.
At that moment, the familiar silhouettes of Yahiko and Nagato seemed to overlap infinitely on the puppet known as Pain.