Cloud Village, Raikage's Office.
At the moment, the office was in shambles, completely wrecked by the furious Raikage.
Ever since A's arm was severed by Aoba, his temper had been volatile. After the devastating battle with Konoha, which left the Cloud Village's elite vanguard forces decimated, Raikage had nearly collapsed in rage.
Though he later realized that both Cloud and Stone Villages had been used as pawns, the undeniable reality remained: thousands of Cloud shinobi had perished at Konoha's hands.
The most painful blow came with the disappearance of his younger brother, Killer Bee. Since then, Raikage had been battling deep depression.
Recently, Akatsuki launched an attack on the Cloud Village. Although it was a mere probing strike and they retreated quickly, the fact that Akatsuki members could come and go as they pleased left Raikage seething.
Now, Raikage's rage reached new heights upon receiving intelligence that Akatsuki was planning another assault on the Cloud Village.
"Gather the village's top hundred elite shinobi," Raikage ordered, his voice booming. "Center the operation around Yugito Nii and set up a trap. This time, no matter how many of them come, I want them to remain here forever."
The Cloud Village had already guessed that Killer Bee had fallen into Akatsuki's hands, but Raikage still held onto a sliver of hope... That his brother was captured but still alive. His strategy was to capture Akatsuki members and use them to negotiate for Killer Bee's return.
....
Land of Rain
The Akatuski organization was holding a pre-battle meeting, but only Nagato (in the form of Tendo Pain) as Konan, Kakuzu, and Hiruko were present.
The structure of Akatsuki was peculiar. Both Nagato and Konan were well aware of the diverse and often conflicting motives of their members. Trust was a rare commodity in their group.
Currently, the only ones Konan truly trusted were Kakuzu and Hiruko. These two had no hidden agendas. Kakuzu was entirely devoted to managing Akatsuki's finances, while Hiruko focused on research and development.
Hiruko's presence in Akatsuki was straightforward: the Rain Village was the only place that accepted him and provided resources for his experiments. With Nagato's Rinnegan providing unparalleled security and resources, Hiruko had come to view the Rain Village as his home.
Konan had observed Hiruko for some time and determined that he could be trusted to a certain extent. As a result, she entrusted him with analyzing Nagato's cells, hoping his research could help Nagato.
However, Nagato's issues stemmed not from his body but from the constant depletion of his life force, it was a problem not easily solved with technology. Initially, Hiruko shared this sentiment until Konan received a life-restoration potion sent by Aoba.
The potion contained pure, concentrated life energy capable of directly replenishing Nagato's diminishing reserves. Hiruko's initial analysis of the potion had left him questioning everything he knew.
"This is an extraordinarily pure life-energy concentrate," Hiruko marveled. "I can't begin to fathom how this was achieved. On the surface, it appears to rely on advanced sealing techniques to bind the life energy.
"But the real question is, how could the life energy itself be extracted in such a pure form? It's practically impossible!"
Konan interjected, cutting through Hiruko's rambling.
"You can study the details later. Right now, I need to know: is it safe to use?"
"Of course not. Strictly speaking, this isn't a potion. It's a concentrated form of pure life energy. No matter who uses it, it only brings benefits without any harm," Hiruko replied confidently.
"Good. I'll leave the sample with you. See if you can replicate it," Konan instructed.
Having confirmed the potion's effectiveness, Konan now understood Aoba's intentions as described in his letter.
...
At the same time in the a Secret Laboratory within the Mist Village...
After absorbing another White Zetsu, Black Zetsu finally managed to stabilize its body, albeit barely.
"Madara-sama, according to our intelligence, the Rain Country's defenses will loosen in three days. Their elite forces are set to head for the Cloud Village to capture the Two-Tails," Black Zetsu reported.
"Excellent. We'll take this opportunity to reclaim the Rinnegan. I've had enough of this numb, lifeless body," Madara replied, his voice tinged with impatience.
"Madara-sama, it is the Rinnegan we're dealing with. Should we perhaps make additional preparations? I can awaken a White Zetsu army for support," Black Zetsu suggested cautiously.
"There's no need for that. He is not the true owner of the Rinnegan and cannot bear its immense chakra consumption, let alone unleash its full potential. Just stick to the plan," Madara said firmly.
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Currently on Chapter 254 - The Road Ahead