The Land of Rain.
Inside a towering iron tower.
A small white snake slithered swiftly out from a dark corner, darting forward so quickly that it reached the group standing at the center almost in the blink of an eye.
As Nagato and the others turned their eyes toward it, the snake raised its head and—right before their eyes—regurgitated a scroll far larger than its own body.
"More important intel from Konoha?"
Yahiko narrowed his eyes at the sight.
This method of delivering information was unique—used only by Konoha, or more precisely, by the Fourth Hokage Orochimaru, or perhaps by Kagetsu.
Only when it concerned the four people present and matters directly tied to them would the white snake be used as a messenger.
If it were about village-to-village affairs, there were formal diplomatic channels for that.
Nagato stepped forward and picked up the scroll from the floor.
After checking it carefully, he performed a specific hand sign to unlock its seal correctly.
However, he didn't read it immediately. Instead, he placed it on the table in front of Yahiko.
Yahiko unrolled the scroll and carefully read through its contents. Soon, his expression darkened dramatically.
"What happened?" asked Konan, stepping forward. She had matured noticeably over the years, her tone calm but filled with concern.
For Yahiko to show such a grim expression, it was clear the message contained nothing good.
Did Konoha plan to sever ties with Amegakure for some reason?
That thought flashed through Konan's mind for only a brief moment before she dismissed it.
The current alliance between Amegakure and Konoha was built on mutual interest and trust.
In fact, if not for its size and limited national power compared to the Land of Wind, Amegakure would have been Konoha's first choice for a strategic partner.
With Orochimaru being the Fourth Hokage, most of Konoha's current high-ranking officials were either mentors, elders, or fellow disciples of the trio.
So the chances of Konoha being responsible were almost nonexistent.
Then… could it be connected to those few people?
Could it be Kirigakure?
Konan had indeed heard that many Mist ninja from the Land of Water had been spotted within the borders of the Land of Rain—clearly harboring hostility.
Amegakure's shinobi had already clashed with them several times, with casualties on both sides.
The Mist units were powerful, composed mostly of elite shinobi—wielders of rare Kekkei Genkai and formidable techniques.
As for Amegakure, thanks to Konoha's support over the past few years, their training system had undergone major reform.
While their shinobi lacked the experience of surviving the previous Great Ninja Wars, their basic strength was no weaker than those from the five great nations.
However, they still sorely lacked top-tier power.
Right now, the only elite forces Land of Rain could truly rely on were the four of them gathered in this room.
Among them, Nagato—with his Rinnegan—was undoubtedly the strongest. Next came Yahiko and Kakuzu, with Konan considered only half a combatant in comparison.
But if it was only intel on the Mist, then there was no need for Orochimaru and Kagetsu to go through all this trouble.
After all, Nagato could use the power of the Rinnegan to interrogate any captured enemy—unless their minds had been sealed with layers of complex restriction seals. That would make things trickier, but still possible.
They already knew the Mist ninja were up to no good, and had prepared countermeasures—including plans to strike back.
"You'd all better take a good look at this. Our enemy this time isn't just Kirigakure," Yahiko said, sighing softly. "Or rather... our real enemy hasn't even shown themselves yet."
He raised his hand gently, and with a flick of his fingers, a scroll rose into the air and floated toward Nagato.
"Your control is getting better and better."
Watching Yahiko manipulate his chakra so casually and effortlessly, Kakuzu couldn't help but feel a tinge of emotion.
Even though he still firmly believed that money was the only thing worth trusting, those three brats were different.
After all, he had watched them grow up.
On top of that, they had entrusted him with the economic power of not just a village, but secretly an entire nation.
So yes, those three were special to him—even if just a little.
As for the Mist ninja?
He couldn't care less.
Even without Konoha's warning or support, Amegakure had more than enough strength to wipe out the two squads of Kekkei Genkai Mist ninja that had infiltrated the Land of Rain.
Who knows—he might even get his hands on a few high-quality Kekkei Genkai hearts from them.
It would be a waste to eat them directly.
But trading them one-for-one with that little black snake, Kagetsu, for new potential Kekkei Genkai hearts? That was perfectly acceptable.
Right now, four hearts were channeling immense chakra into him through Earth Grudge Fear.
The reason he hadn't returned to five hearts was simple: his current limit was four Kekkei Genkai hearts. If he tried to add a fifth, Earth Grudge Fear wouldn't be able to handle it.
His life was now bound to Earth Grudge Fear. If it malfunctioned or broke down, it would drag him down with it.
Back when he had just absorbed the fourth Kekkei Genkai heart, he'd been terrified.
Earth Grudge Fear had felt like it was going to burst from the pressure.
For a long time afterward, his strength hadn't increased—it had actually decreased. He had needed that time to adjust, to relearn how to control his own body and the overwhelming chakra surging through it.
During that period, he constantly felt a painful pressure building inside him.
He didn't even dare use his full strength, afraid that the Earth Grudge Fear acting as his blood vessels might rupture.
If that happened, he wouldn't just lose the ability to use ninjutsu—it could also turn inward and hurt him instead.
Only after months of careful adaptation and with the help of Kagetsu's medicine and plans, had Earth Grudge Fear grown stronger and stabilized.
He wasn't quite on par with the likes of the First Hokage yet, but at the very least, his chakra levels were comparable to those of a tailed beast.
And for someone like Kakuzu—who increasingly preferred overwhelming ninjutsu barrages and had turned himself into a walking artillery unit—that was something to celebrate.
"Zetsu, Uchiha traitor, Konoha rogue ninja? And Hollows?"
When the scroll landed in Kakuzu's hands and he finished reading it, he was genuinely shocked by the information it contained.
Zetsu had disappeared for a long time, but without a doubt, it must still be watching them from the shadows—watching Nagato and the others as well.
There were several times when they had nearly caught traces of White Zetsu, but every time they went after it, they came back empty-handed.
Zetsu had become much more cunning, and its hiding methods were deeper and harder to trace.
As for the other two names mentioned, although they were from long ago, Kakuzu still remembered them—Uchiha Setsuna, and Hiruko, the rogue ninja with a bounty on his head.
One was active during the reign of the Second Hokage, and the other during the rule of the Third Hokage—both veterans of the First and Second Great Ninja Wars.
He remembered that Uchiha Setsuna had mysteriously vanished from the shinobi world.
As for Hiruko, he had been declared a wanted criminal for conducting forbidden experiments and researching dangerous jutsu in secret.
But what caught Kakuzu's attention the most… was the mention of "Hollows."
These creatures—he remembered them being closely connected to that strange man, Kagetsu.
So how did Zetsu suddenly come to possess them?
Had something else been stolen?
Or was that cunning thing plotting something new again?