[System Message: Curly-Haired Boy has been unbanned by the group owner.]
Book Artist: "Hey, why is he unbanned already?"
Curly-Haired Boy: "Humph! It was my doing, of course. I used my personal charm to convince Aizen-sama!"
Shark-Faced Guy: "Can you please speak a human language?"
What the hell is 'charisma'? Even Kisame couldn't see a single quality in Sakata Gintoki that matched such a word.
This is an Actor: "He sent me a private message promising to be my loyal lackey from now on."
Skirt-Lifting Maniac: "A dog? A lackey?"
Scarlet Snake Fairy: "That is indeed something Gintoki would say."
Book Artist: "Gin-san, do you truly have no moral integrity? Not even a shred!"
Curly-Haired Boy: "Tell me, what can you actually do with 'integrity'? Can you mix it with rice? Does it season the bowl?"
Angel of the Hidden Rain Village: "I understand! Anran-san, are you planning to use Naruto to mirror Inoue Orihime's role in Bleach? By baiting the shinobi who attempt to rescue Naruto into the Pure Land, you'll effectively divide the military power of the elemental nations, right?"
This is an Actor: "Not bad. You've truly grown up, Konan-neesan."
A paternal smile of satisfaction appeared on Aizen's youthful face. He felt a genuine sense of relief, much like a father seeing a daughter who usually scores zeros finally pass a test.
Konan, basking in the praise, couldn't help but feel a flicker of pride. The corners of her mouth curved slightly upward. "Well then... call me 'Onee-san'!"
What does it mean to be carried away by success? This is exactly what it means.
But Aizen was generous and chose not to embarrass her over such a triviality. Instead, he responded with encouragement. "When you can reach a hundred points, it won't be a bad idea."
Angel of the Hidden Rain Village: "What hundred points?"
This is an Actor: "If the problem you solved just now was an elementary school test, your current score would be a sixty."
Book Artist: "Pfft!"
Skirt-Lifting Maniac: "If Konan-neesan only scored a sixty, doesn't that mean the rest of us failed?"
Curly-Haired Boy: "No, maybe we got negative points?"
Book Artist: "You're the only one with negative points! Don't lump us in with you. We should at least get a twenty or thirty! Right? That sounds about right, doesn't it?"
Skirt-Lifting Maniac: "Eriri-chan, who exactly are you asking?"
Scarlet Snake Fairy: "I understand the strategy of dividing the shinobi forces, but how do you intend to get the rescue party into the Pure Land? They can't use Garganta, can they?"
Book Artist: "Right, are you planning to teach them how to open a Garganta?"
This is an Actor: "I certainly have no intention of teaching them, but that doesn't mean no one can learn it through observation."
Book Artist: "Stealing the technique?"
Skirt-Lifting Maniac: "Is there anyone in the shinobi world capable of stealing a technique from you?"
This is an Actor: "Never underestimate any world, and never underestimate any individual—especially those standing at the pinnacle of power. Their positions are no accident. Under the pressure of a desperate situation, they may burst forth with talents they never realized they possessed."
After sending the message, Aizen turned his attention back to the monitor. The screen displayed a luxurious mansion within the Hidden Rain Village.
Pain, clad in his black-and-red cloud robe, stood in the center of the hall. Hanzo of the Salamander, the man once hailed as a "Demigod," now lay at his feet like a discarded puddle of mud.
Hum.
The air twisted and spiraled. A masked man in a black cloak materialized behind Pain like a ghost.
"So, you're here?" Turning around, Pain spoke with cold indifference. "I thought you wouldn't dare show your face to me again."
"What happened with Aizen Sosuke was merely an oversight," the masked man replied in a deep voice, his lone crimson pupil staring directly at Pain. "I had no prior knowledge of his ulterior motives."
This was, quite obviously, a lie. Obito had been wary of the danger Aizen posed from the very beginning. However, the temptation of the man's theories regarding the "resurrection of the dead" had been too strong to ignore, leading Obito to bring him into the Akatsuki.
Even Obito hadn't expected Aizen to play such a ruthless, high-stakes game. Not only had he laid a trap that made fools of the Five Great Nations and the Akatsuki alike, but he had successfully secured seven Tailed Beasts.
Given the sheer strategic depth Aizen had displayed, Obito wondered how Uchiha Madara could have been so foolish as to claim he could control the man. Madara had truly bought into his own delusions.
"Is that so? Then give me the information I need regarding Aizen's location," Pain said calmly after a moment of silence. "White Zetsu cannot find him."
Obito's jaw tightened beneath his mask. If White Zetsu can't find him, what makes you think I can? Do you truly think he's just another Uchiha Madara? No—even if the real Madara were alive, he wouldn't be able to pin down Aizen's exact location!
The man and his followers seemed to have vanished entirely from the face of the earth.
After centering himself, Obito spoke slowly. "I only know that Black Zetsu is currently by his side."
"Has Black Zetsu betrayed us as well?" Pain mused thoughtfully.
"Perhaps." On this point, Obito was equally baffled. Black Zetsu was supposed to be the manifestation of Uchiha Madara's will. Why would it choose Aizen's side? It was nonsensical. Could it be that Madara himself felt Aizen was more suited to fulfill his legacy than I am?
"Are you truly Uchiha Madara?" At this moment, Pain harbored grave doubts about Obito's identity. The legendary shinobi should not be this incompetent. His subordinates were defecting one after another, and his prestige was in shambles.
"Are you questioning me?" Obito snorted, maintaining his facade of calm. "I haven't even asked what is going on with Konan. Aren't the two of you inseparable companions who stand together through thick and thin?"
Pain fell silent, Obito's words striking a nerve. After a long pause, he finally spoke, his voice heavy. "I will bring her back."
"Even if it means joining forces with the Great Nations?" Obito sneered with a hint of sarcasm. "How ironic."
"Silence!" Pain roared, raising his right hand.
Boom.
An invisible repulsive force slammed into the spot where Obito stood, splintering the wooden floor into debris that flew in every direction.
"Shinra Tensei?" Obito remarked calmly, phasing back into reality at Pain's side. "I believe you are aware that your attacks are ineffective against me."
"God does not tolerate provocation," Pain stated coldly.
You're a 'God' of nothing.
Obito scoffed internally but remained outwardly composed as he advised, "Cease this meaningless bickering. I am here to assist you. I have already convinced the Mizukage of the Hidden Mist, and he has agreed to attend the summit to defeat Aizen. Furthermore, I have made contact with someone who possesses intelligence on Aizen's inner workings."
"Who?" Pain's lavender eyes locked onto Obito.
Obito offered no further evasion. "Kabuto Yakushi. He will be our weapon against Aizen."