Just as Menma finished exchanging his Corruption Points, shadow clones of him and Zabuza arrived at the Akatsuki Headquarters in Amegakure. The building was adorned with giant stone figures, each with a long tongue protruding from its mouth. As they entered, Rain ninja immediately greeted them.
"Lord Pain!"
"Lord Angel!"
"Did the battle go well? Were the intruders captured?"
Since neither Menma nor Zabuza had bothered to disguise themselves, Pain had the captured Rain ninja guide them openly. Many civilians and ninja witnessed this. The people near Hanzo's residence had already fled for safety.
Konan nodded slightly and calmly issued orders to the group.
"Before God, all must kneel. The reforms are complete. Hanzo the Salamander is dead. Use the words I taught you to inform all the villagers."
Their wealth was nearly amassed, and their investigation into the Jinchuriki was almost complete. Therefore, they had originally planned for the fake Hanzo and everyone connected to him to die soon. Then Akatsuki would openly take over and begin their plan to capture the Tailed Beasts.
"Also, go get me two sets of Akatsuki robes."
"Yes, ma'am!"
Hearing Konan's order, the ninja's faces lit up with joy. They glanced secretly at Menma and Zabuza before leaving as ordered. In their eyes, they had been subdued by their god, Lord Pain.
Once everyone had left, Pain tossed a ring engraved with the number three into Menma's hand.
"This ring is a symbol of full membership. It's also a ninja tool for easy communication while out in the field. However, there's only one left. You two need to decide who wears it. After you put on the ring, I'll find you a partner to begin your missions."
Hearing Pain's words, Zabuza raised an eyebrow, his displeasure undisguised.
"Since you agreed to let both of us join, what's this about giving us only one full member's ring? If all else fails, I'll just kill her and take her ring!"
With that, Zabuza drew his Executioner's Blade from his back and pointed it at the expressionless Konan. Clearly, he hadn't recovered from his earlier frustration.
Being pointed at didn't bother Konan. After all, her strength placed her firmly among the top three in the Akatsuki. Only those lacking power reacted with anger when slighted, just like Zabuza, who was now furious over a single ring.
After analyzing Zabuza's inner thoughts, Konan replied calmly.
"There are indeed two vacant positions among our ten official members, just enough for you both. However, the previous member who filled one of those positions defected and took his ring with him. That's why we have two positions and one ring now. But we've already tracked down that defector. You can choose to kill him and obtain the qualification that belongs to you. Of course, if you lack confidence, I can simply give you the qualification."
Zabuza couldn't back down now. Under Konan's goading, he sheathed his blade with a cold snort.
"Hmph, no need!"
But no sooner had Zabuza finished speaking than Menma tossed him the ring.
"Take this ring. Orochimaru isn't easy to deal with. You're still a bit lacking."
Being told no by his boss, Zabuza's face darkened completely. However, he still obediently accepted the ring. Then he turned his head away, remaining silent in protest.
"You actually know the defector is Orochimaru. It seems you know far more than I thought," Pain said, gravel heavy in his voice. "Putting you before me was definitely the right choice."
Nagato, controlling Pain, felt he was increasingly unable to see through Menma. Menma had a grudge against Konoha, knew that Itachi Uchiha was a Konoha spy, and knew they were capturing the Tailed Beasts to use them for world peace. Knowing so much secret information, Nagato was now extremely curious about the true face behind Menma's mask.
"There's no need to be so wary of me. I've said it before: I have a grudge against Konoha. We are natural allies," Menma said in a sincere voice from beneath the mask.
"Perhaps." Pain didn't refute.
After the Rain ninja brought two sets of red cloud robes, Pain led the way, taking Menma and Zabuza to a room.
"Find a place to sit. Now that you've joined us, you should greet the veteran members. I use ninjutsu to communicate with the rings of members on missions outside and gather them at a specific location in the form of thought waves. That's why you need a ring to become a full member."
As he spoke, Pain completed the hand seals.
"Psychic Projection Technique!"
Instantly, Menma and Zabuza felt their spirits receive some kind of invitation.
"Close your eyes and concentrate to enter," Pain's voice rang out again.
Menma and Zabuza didn't refuse. They immediately closed their eyes and accepted the invitation.
Soon, they found themselves in a cave, standing on a circular staircase surrounding a stone lamppost. Their bodies were inexplicably blurred, seven-colored shadows.
"Interesting technique. Where are the others?" Zabuza looked around, only seeing the seven-colored shadows corresponding to the four of them.
Just as he finished asking, another seven-colored shadow suddenly appeared opposite them.
"Why did you suddenly call me in? You almost distracted me, causing the bounty target to escape!"
The mention of a bounty target clearly indicated that this seven-colored shadow was Kakuzu.
"The boss sent us in, so something must have happened," another seven-colored shadow appeared. Based on its distinctive pitcher plant shape, it was clearly Zetsu.
Following closely behind Zetsu were two more multicolored black figures.
"These are unfamiliar appearances... hmm, newbies, right?" Deidara asked himself.
"They are newbies, which is one of the reasons I called you in today," Pain didn't explain further, as not everyone was present yet.
Sasori, Deidara's partner, frowned as he looked at the two empty seats.
"Where are the other two? I don't like waiting for others or being waited for!"
Upon hearing this, Zetsu, the intelligence specialist, interjected.
"Kisame and Itachi seem to have encountered a crisis while infiltrating Konoha. Let's wait a bit."
Just as Zetsu finished speaking, seven-colored black figures of Kisame and Itachi appeared.
"Sorry, Itachi-san and I were healing, so we came in a little late," Kisame's voice rumbled.
Itachi nodded beside him: "This trip to Konoha hasn't gone smoothly."
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