At the Akatsuki hideout, inside the dark and damp underground cave, the members gathered once again around the massive circular stone table.
An awkward atmosphere, unlike anything before, filled the air.
These proud S-rank rogue ninja, who normally acted without restraint, mostly kept their heads down or looked elsewhere. No one wanted to be the first to speak.
After all, the crushing defeat where they had all been forced to flee from Arisu alone was still fresh in their minds.
In a dark corner, a vortex slowly spun, and Obito Uchiha stepped out.
The exposed Sharingan in his eye socket flickered faintly. The mysterious presence he usually carried now seemed somewhat stiff.
The imposing image of Uchiha Madara had already been shattered by Arisu.
Obito himself didn't know whether Arisu would reveal his true identity to the entire ninja world.
If that really happened, he would become the laughingstock of the whole world.
Obito looked around at everyone, opened his mouth, but in the end said nothing. He silently walked to his seat and sat down.
Seeing that everyone had arrived, the Deva Path of Pain cleared his throat.
"Ahem. Next, everyone's task is to capture the remaining Tailed Beasts. Let's divide the work."
"Itachi and Kisame, you'll capture the Four-Tails. Kakuzu and Hidan, your target is the Two-Tails. Sasori and Deidara, you're in charge of the Three-Tails."
"Tobi and Zetsu, you'll capture the Five-Tails, Six-Tails, and Seven-Tails. The remaining Six-Tails, Seven-Tails, Eight-Tails... I'll handle them myself."
No one objected.
Whether it was because they trusted Pain's strength or because no one wanted to talk any more, everyone simply nodded before preparing to leave for their missions.
After the others gradually left, only the Deva Path of Pain and Obito Uchiha remained in the empty meeting hall.
Pain turned to Obito.
"Madara, the Nine-Tails... you'll handle it."
Obito folded his arms across his chest and stayed silent for a long time. The light in his Sharingan dimmed slightly.
He didn't answer immediately. He lowered his eyes as his thoughts churned.
To be honest...
Even he had no confidence.
The power Arisu had displayed had gone far beyond anything he had expected.
That overwhelming terror had shaken even a man who believed he controlled everything.
Without the Nine-Tails, the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path could never be fully revived.
But with things as they were now...
Only by gathering the power of all the Tailed Beasts and becoming a second Sage of Six Paths would he have the qualifications to fight Arisu.
"Let me... think about it."
That was all Obito left behind before slowly turning around and leaving the hideout.
———
[Kamui Dimension]
This twisted space had always been his absolute safe haven.
Obito stood there alone, staring blankly at the constantly rotating black cubes around him for a long time.
"Can Arisu... enter here too?"
Once that thought appeared, he could no longer suppress it.
Even now, he still didn't know how Arisu had escaped.
What if Arisu suddenly appeared here and stabbed him while he was asleep?
Obito took a deep breath.
A scroll slowly appeared in his hand.
The forbidden Edo Tensei scroll.
He stared at it with a complicated look and muttered, "Do I... really have to bring those three back?"
Obito slowly clenched his fist. Unwillingness and hesitation flashed through his eyes.
Once, he believed he could control every move on the board.
But now...
The game seemed to be slipping beyond his expectations...
The only choice was to summon those three to clean up this mess...
Senju Tobirama, Uchiha Madara, and Uchiha Izuna would definitely have a way to deal with Arisu.
On a deserted mountain path somewhere in the Land of Rice Fields.
Arisu's clone and Sasuke were traveling together.
"Teacher, look! The Hidden Sound Village used to be pretty prosperous. How did it become so ruined?"
Sasuke suddenly stopped and pointed at the broken ruins in the valley ahead, his eyes full of surprise.
He carried a backpack filled with ninja tools and scrolls, while the breeze gently lifted the bangs over his forehead.
The way Sasuke and Arisu traveled together now was just like Jiraiya training Naruto for three years.
With his hands behind his back, Arisu stood beside Sasuke and calmly looked over the village that had once belonged to Orochimaru.
The village was indeed in terrible shape.
The experimental towers had collapsed. Many buildings had been burned black. Craters and bloodstains from battles could be seen everywhere in the streets.
The Hidden Sound Village, once orderly under Orochimaru's rule, had now completely fallen into ruins.
Arisu sighed inwardly.
Come to think of it, he also bore some responsibility for this.
Back then, he had taken Orochimaru away and thrown him onto Mount Myoboku to train.
Once Orochimaru was gone, the Hidden Sound Village had no leader. Those ninja, who already believed in the law of the strong preying on the weak, naturally began fighting each other for power. In a short time, they had turned the village into this.
"Let's go inside and have a look.", Arisu said calmly.
He and Sasuke walked down the hillside and entered the ruined village.
Along the way, surviving Sound ninja hiding in the shadows occasionally jumped out to ambush them.
But the moment they clearly saw Arisu's face, every one of them looked as though they had seen a ghost. Their faces turned deathly pale, and without saying a word they turned and ran.
Some were so frightened that their legs gave out. They fell to their knees and crawled away while shouting, "Lord Hokage, spare us!"
Expressionless, Arisu continued walking.
Suddenly, a five-man squad emerged from the ruins ahead.
Leading them was a pale, slender young man... Kimimaro.
Behind him were Sakon, Jirobo, Kidomaru, and Tayuya.
It was the former Sound Four, together with Kimimaro.
"Who are you people?"
Sasuke instantly entered a fighting stance. His hand was already resting on the kunai at his waist, his eyes sharp.
Arisu, however, remained as calm as ever.
Long before they had approached, he had already sensed the chakra of all five.
Kimimaro stopped about ten meters away.
The instant he recognized Arisu's face, he bowed deeply without hesitation.
"Lord Hokage... The Hidden Sound Village did not take part in the Sand Village's Konoha Crush Plan. Our village is already in enough chaos. We sincerely ask that you don't punish us any further."
The four behind him quickly lowered their heads as well. The atmosphere became extremely tense.
Arisu gave a slight nod.
"Don't worry. I just happened to pass by. I only dealt with the Sand Village and those who actively took part. As for the Hidden Sound Village, I only gave it a symbolic condemnation. I didn't take any real action."
Hearing this, Kimimaro finally relaxed a little, though he still looked discouraged and exhausted.
"Ever since Lord Orochimaru disappeared... we've lost our direction. The people in the village began killing each other for power, and now it's... become like this."
Arisu didn't answer immediately.
He rubbed his chin, looked at Kimimaro for a moment, then turned to Sasuke beside him.
An idea came to mind.
It was time to test Sasuke's current strength.
In the original story, Sasuke at this point was still no match for Kimimaro.
But now...
He should be able to win.
Arisu suddenly spoke, "Kimimaro, how's your condition now? Can you still fight at full strength?"
Kimimaro paused briefly before answering honestly, "Although my body is still... if it's only one opponent, I can barely manage."
Arisu turned to Sasuke and smiled faintly.
"Sasuke, go. Have a proper fight with him. Don't hold back."
"Kimimaro, this is my student. Help me test him. Don't hold back."