Amegakure.
Akatsuki Headquarters.
Compared to their previous gatherings, the atmosphere now was heavy and lifeless.
It was clear—whether it was Nagato failing to subdue Kamizuki Hikari or the others being intercepted by Tsunade and Jiraiya—their once-arrogant belief of invincibility had taken a severe blow.
"Judging by your faces, do you think I was defeated by Kamizuki Hikari?"
Standing at the highest point in the center, Tendo Pain (Deva Path) looked down at them, irritation flickering in his voice.
At his words, Deidara was the first to speak up.
"Leader, we believe in your power. But that Kamizuki guy isn't some pushover. Even if you lost, it's nothing shameful!"
This time, facing Tsunade, Deidara felt that using his ultimate move, C0, could catch her off guard and potentially kill her.
Everyone else had their own trump cards too — but none of them were reckless enough to fight Tsunade to the death. That was why they'd lost.
But their previous encounter with Kamizuki Hikari had been completely different — a one-sided massacre.
They hadn't gone all out, true, but even when Itachi used Tsukuyomi and Sasori unleashed the Third Kazekage puppet, their combined power had been overwhelming... and yet, Kamizuki Hikari had crushed them all with a single technique — "Divine Vacuum Strike."
That kind of power was simply on another level.
Deidara believed in Pain's strength — but when it came to facing Kamizuki Hikari, even he couldn't feel confident.
Pain's face darkened as he looked at Deidara. He really wanted to blast him with a Shinra Tensei to let him experience Hikari's overwhelming strength firsthand.
"This time, when I fought Kamizuki Hikari, I realized... he's indeed very strong."
At that admission, even those who usually remained expressionless — like Uchiha Itachi — showed traces of unease.
There was no denying it.
They'd once believed Akatsuki stood above the world — untouchable, unstoppable.
But reality had proven otherwise. There were still people out there who could challenge them, even overwhelm them. The blow to their pride was hard to swallow.
"The battle ended in a draw," said Pain. "I couldn't defeat Kamizuki Hikari, and he had no intention of fighting me to the death."
That statement seemed to lift their spirits a little, though not by much.
"Leader, what about the Three-Tails?" Deidara asked, his curiosity piqued.
If Pain had managed to recover the Three-Tails, their mission wouldn't be a total failure.
"The chakra extracted belongs to the Three-Tails, but the real tailed beast remains sealed within the Fifth Mizukage, Terumi Mei. Because of that, I made an agreement with him."
"What kind of agreement?" Deidara asked suspiciously, his tone implying he half-expected Pain to have betrayed the organization.
Ignoring Deidara's look, Pain replied, "The Three-Tails' reappearance was triggered prematurely by Orochimaru. The Demonic Statue has already absorbed a portion of its chakra, and with the amount inside Orochimaru's body, it will be sufficient to awaken it for now."
"And Terumi Mei?" This time it was Kisame who spoke.
Though he was a rogue shinobi from Kirigakure, he still harbored some faint attachment to his former village.
"Until Orochimaru is captured, I won't touch the Three-Tails jinchūriki. And Konoha won't protect Orochimaru either."
"Since we know Terumi Mei is Three-Tails jinchūriki, why don't we just go to Kirigakure then?" Deidara voiced the question on everyone's mind.
Compared to slippery Orochimaru, Terumi Mei would be easier prey. Kirigakure's strength wasn't weak, but without Wood Release or someone like Kamizuki Hikari, Akatsuki saw them as little more than a soft target.
Pain said nothing.
Instead, Konan stepped forward and explained, "The reason Pain won't attack Terumi Mei is because of the agreement with Kamizuki Hikari. If we capture Orochimaru, he'll refrain from interfering with our hunt for the other Tailed Beasts — excluding the Nine-Tails. But if we move against Terumi Mei, he'll retaliate, targeting our weaker members... or worse, eliminate other Jinchūriki ahead of us."
That shut Deidara up instantly.
Since when had a group of S-rank missing-nin become hostages to someone else's terms?
It was honestly depressing.
"So, we should focus on capturing Orochimaru first," said Pain.
Just mentioning that name made him feel a headache coming on.
Orochimaru wasn't the strongest, but his ability to escape death was infuriating.
Back when he defected from Akatsuki, Pain had tried to kill him — but somehow, Orochimaru had slipped away.
"Next time we encounter him, I'll use genjutsu immediately."
Itachi finally spoke, breaking his silence. "Orochimaru's resistance to illusion techniques is low. If I catch him off guard, I can control him instantly."
It was a sound plan — far more reliable than brute force.
With White Zetsu tracking Orochimaru's location and Itachi's Sharingan ready, Pain could pierce him with black rods and turn him into nothing more than a puppet serpent within seconds.
"I have a suggestion."
Black Zetsu raised a hand. "Since Orochimaru is so good at escaping, and considering that Konoha will soon cast him out, why not communicate with him first? I doubt he wants Akatsuki as his enemy. If he cooperates, we can easily extract the Three-Tails' chakra from his body."
"And if he refuses, Itachi can move in immediately. What do you think?"
After waiting so many years, Black Zetsu could finally see the Ten-Tails' revival on the horizon. He was willing to use every bit of cunning to ensure the Three-Tails returned swiftly.
"Heh, not bad, Zetsu!" Deidara said with a smirk, surprised. "Didn't think a pitcher plant could actually think!"
Black Zetsu smiled faintly, though inwardly he swore that once his mother was resurrected, he'd trap Deidara in an endless nightmare under Infinite Tsukuyomi for mocking him.
"In that case," Pain said, "Black Zetsu, you'll find Orochimaru and deliver our message. If he contributes the Three-Tails' chakra, I'll forgive his past betrayal. And if he wishes to continue his experiments on other Tailed Beasts, we can cooperate."
With obstacles like Kamizuki Hikari and Tsunade standing before him, Pain had learned to take detours when necessary.
If one path was blocked... then he'd simply carve another.
"Yes, Leader. I'll find Orochimaru at once."
Pain turned to Itachi. "If he refuses to cooperate, use your genjutsu. Just make sure he doesn't die."
The aloof Uchiha Itachi gave a slight nod, indicating he understood.