I, Uchiha, will not be whitewashed!

The sky over Amegakure will never clear.

Obito stood on the top floor of the tower, rain streaming down his orange mask. He had been waiting there for three days, and finally, the person he longed to see had arrived.

Pain emerged from the rain, his Rinnegan shimmering with purple ripples in the pale light. Konan followed behind him, her paper umbrella twirling in the rain.

The two people stood at the top of the tower, looking at the masked man.

"Help us kill Hanzo." Payne's voice was flat. "Why?"

"I need Akatsuki to take control of the Land of Rain," Obito's voice came from behind the mask, hoarse. "In exchange, I will help you deal with Hanzo."

Xiao Nan's fingers tightened slightly. The paper umbrella spun around in the rain, splashing water droplets from its edge.

Payne looked at him and remained silent for a long time.

How can you prove you have this ability?

Obito did not answer. His body vanished from its original spot and reappeared behind Pain.

Divine power.

His right hand rested on Payne's shoulder, and Payne's body stiffened for a moment—he felt the space around him distort.

"That's enough," Payne said calmly.

He loosened his grip on the soil and returned to his original position.

Payne turned and walked down the tower. "Three days later, at Hanzo's residence."

Xiao Nan followed behind him, her paper umbrella swirling in the rain. She didn't turn around.

Obito stood there, watching their figures disappear into the rain.

The Sharingan eyes inside the mask's holes slowly rotated.

Nagato wants revenge, Konan wants revenge, then let them take theirs.

Akatsuki controls the Land of Rain, and he controls Akatsuki.

Black Zetsu was still watching him from the shadows. He needed time, he needed strength, he needed to find a way to break free from Madara's control and destroy Black Zetsu. And Akatsuki was the sharpest blade in his hand.

-

Three days later, at Hanzo's residence.

Hanzo knelt on the ground, covered in blood. His poison sac was empty, his scythe was rusted, and his hands and feet were slow.

Pain stood before him, his Rinnegan glowing in the darkness. Konan stood behind Pain, paper shuriken flying from her palm and embedding themselves in Hanzo's limbs, immobilizing him.

"You..." Hanzo's pupils contracted. "Shouldn't you be dead already? But your eyes..."

"Today, we will avenge Yahiko." Payne's voice was calm.

Hanzo smiled. It wasn't a bitter smile, but the kind of smile that comes from knowing he would die and finding peace in it.

"You won."

Payne raised his hand. A black rod shot out from his palm, piercing through Hanzo's chest.

Hanzo fell down into the rain, his blood diluted and flowing into the roadside ditch.

Obito stood on a distant rooftop, watching all of this. He didn't intervene. He didn't need to.

His job was simply to hold the line, lead the two men to Hanzo, and prevent Hanzo from escaping.

Orochimaru leaned against the wall, his hands in his pockets, a faint smile playing on his lips.

"A demigod? Nothing special."

—Back then, when facing Hanzo, Jiraiya, Tsunade, and him... that sense of powerlessness, that humiliation of being condescendingly bestowed the title of "Sannin".

Sasori sat on the puppet, his fingers resting on the chakra threads, without saying a word.

He stayed with Akatsuki not because he agreed with Payne's ideals.

He needs Xiao's intelligence network and resources to continue his puppetry.

Jue emerged from the rock wall, its black and white body resembling a mushroom growing from a crack in the rock.

"Hanzo is dead. The Land of Rain is now in Awakening."

Amegakure has a new master.

Akatsuki took control of the Land of Rain and, using Amegakure as its base, began to infiltrate the surrounding areas.

Orochimaru was researching forbidden techniques in his laboratory. Sasori was modifying his puppets in the puppet workshop. Pain stood atop a high tower, looking at the village through the rain, his Rinnegan devoid of emotion.

Obito stood behind him.

"What's next?" Payne didn't turn around.

"Recruit people first, save money." Obito's voice was soft. "The more S-rank rogue ninja the better. The more funds the better."

Payne didn't speak. He turned and walked down the tower.

Xiao Nan followed behind him, her paper umbrella spinning in the rain.

Obito stood there, watching their figures disappear into the rain.

The Sharingan eyes inside the mask's holes slowly rotated.

What Akatsuki needs to do now is not to build the tailed beasts, but to establish a solid foundation.

People and money are both indispensable.

He was carrying out Ban's plan—at least on the surface.

Black Zetsu was still watching him from the shadows.

He needs time, he needs strength, and he needs to find a way to break free from Madara's control and destroy Black Zetsu.

And Xiao is the sharpest knife in his hand.

Rain streamed down his mask. He thought of Lin, he thought of Shuoge. He clenched his fist, then relaxed it.

……

……

……

Hanzo is dead.

When the news reached Konoha, Minato was in the Hokage's office reviewing documents.

He put down his pen, picked up the intelligence report, and read it over and over again.

Hanzo the Salamander, the "demigod" of Amegakure, a legendary figure during World War II, died just like that. He died in his own village, at the hands of an organization called "Akatsuki".

Minato put down the intelligence report and leaned back in his chair.

晓。

He had heard of that name before.

An organization that appeared in Amegakure at the end of World War III, founded by a few young people, advocated for peace negotiations.

Hanzo ambushed and killed their leader, thinking the organization would fall apart. Unexpectedly, it not only didn't disband, but it made a comeback, killed Hanzo, and took control of the entire Land of Rain.

He picked up a pen and wrote a few lines on a blank task sheet.

-

A secret outpost, late at night.

When Shuoge received the mission, he was cleaning his knife. The messenger handed him the scroll, which he unrolled, glanced at, stood up, hung the knife on his back, and tucked the mask into his waistband.

The meeting point is at the back door of the Hokage Building.

Kakashi was already there, wearing an Anbu uniform, his mask tucked into his waistband, and his headband pulled low over his left eye. Two other Anbu members stood behind him, wearing cat and fox masks respectively, whom Saku didn't recognize.

"Blade is leading the team," Kakashi said calmly.

Shuoge didn't say much. "Let's go."

The four of them set off from Konoha and hurried towards the Land of Rain.

They didn't rest on the road, and by daybreak they had entered the border of the Land of Rain.

-

The sky in the Land of Rain is always gray, the clouds hang low, the air is humid, and there is standing water everywhere.

They changed into raincoats and continued on their way.

Rain Village is located in the center of the Land of Rain, surrounded by water on all sides, and there is only one road leading in.

Sakugo stopped on the hillside outside the village, crouched behind the bushes, and slowly rotated his three-tomoe Sharingan behind his mask. He saw it—there were sentries at the village entrance, not from Amegakure, but from Akatsuki.

Wearing an ordinary raincoat and a straw hat, their face was obscured.

"Two people. At the door." Shuoge's voice was very soft. "The shift change is fifteen minutes, the interval is very short."

"Infiltrate or capture them by the tongue?" Kakashi asked.

"Observe." Shuoge's voice was flat. "No contact. No exposure."

Shuoge did not approach Amegakure.

He knew Nagato's Rain Tiger Free Technique—rain was his sensory network, and anyone who got wet in the rain would be detected.

So they stopped on a high ground on the border of the Land of Rain, more than ten miles away from the Village of Rain Hidden.

Shuoge used his binoculars to observe the direction of the village, his three-tomoe Sharingan slowly rotating behind his mask.

He couldn't see inside the village, but he could see the flow of chakra—a massive, suffocating chakra emanating from the center of the village.

more than one.

Rinnegan, Pain.

There were several other equally powerful chakra streams.

"Can you see clearly?" Kakashi squatted down next to him.

"I can't see anyone clearly." Shuoge put down his binoculars. "But I can sense them. At least five Kage-level figures."

Kakashi was silent for a moment. "Orochimaru is here too?"

"exist."

The two of them remained silent.

They stayed on the high ground for a day and a night, without getting close to the village, without getting wet in the rain, and without triggering the perception barrier.

Shuoge drew several lines in his notebook, marking the location and intensity of the chakra.

As dawn approached, he closed his notebook and stood up.

"withdraw."

The four people disappeared silently into the morning mist.

-

Back in Konoha, Sakugo handed the notebook to Minato.

Minato opened the door and looked at the hastily written record: Amegakure has been taken over by Akatsuki, Hanzo is dead. Akatsuki has at least five Kage-level members, one of whom is suspected to be Orochimaru.

The identities of the other several Kage-level figures are unknown. The leader is suspected of possessing a special eye technique, but his abilities are unclear.

"Is Orochimaru confirmed to be with Akatsuki?" Minato asked.

"Confirmed." Shogo's voice was calm. "The other members are unclear, but their chakra is very strong."

Minato tapped his finger on the notebook. "Continue surveillance. Don't expose yourself."

Shuoge nodded, turned and left.

He was certainly aware of Akatsuki's organizational structure and knew who was in Akatsuki.

But he didn't say it, because it wasn't the right time yet.