Amegakure,
Tendo Pain stood alone atop the tower, letting the rain fall upon him.
Suddenly, countless white sheets of paper drifted behind him, slowly gathering into the figure of a woman with pale blue hair and a cold, striking beauty.
Without turning his head, Tendo Pain spoke in a calm tone,
"Konan, you're here."
Konan nodded slowly. She stepped up beside Tendo Pain and said in a low voice,
"Nagato, something has happened in Konoha!"
"Hmm? What about Konoha?"
"A man named Uchiha Kaito has returned to Konoha. He killed Danzō and even declared that he will become the Sixth Hokage!"
"What? The people of Konoha would accept something like that?"
"Of course not. But Uchiha Kaito's power is terrifying. He's awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, and his ocular power is unusually strong. The people of Konoha can't do a thing against him."
"Just a pair of Mangekyō Sharingan could achieve all that? Has Konoha really grown this weak?"
Disdain filled Pain's voice. The Mangekyō Sharingan might be powerful in others' eyes, but before his Rinnegan, it was nothing.
And besides, Akatsuki already had another Mangekyō Sharingan within its ranks. He was far from unfamiliar with its power.
Konan heard the scorn in Nagato's tone. Hesitating, she added,
"There's something off about this… Uchiha Kaito's eyes don't seem to be ordinary Mangekyō. Rumor has it, he summoned a half-bodied giant nearly a hundred meters tall with them!"
Just as she finished, another voice rang out abruptly,
"That is Susanoo!"
Buzz!
A swirl of darkness spun into existence, and from it stepped a man in a black cloak patterned with red clouds, an orange spiral mask covering his face.
Pain slowly turned, his cold eyes fixed on the figure before him. His voice dropped into an icy growl,
"Uchiha Madara."
Toward this masked man who called himself Uchiha Madara, Nagato always held deep suspicion. He sensed hidden motives within him.
He had once thought of tearing off the mask to see the true face beneath, but that strange space-time dojutsu rendered even his Rinnegan helpless.
Still, for now, they shared a common goal: gathering the Tailed Beasts to revive the Ten-Tails.
Because of that, he and "Uchiha Madara" maintained a fragile, uneasy balance.
But what Nagato didn't know—this man before him was a fraud. His real identity was none other than Uchiha Obito.
As Minato's disciple, Obito naturally knew Kaito.
When he heard that Kaito had killed Danzō and openly declared his intention to become Hokage, he was stunned.
What shook him even more was the Susanoo Kaito used. From the information he had, Kaito had only manifested the second form of Susanoo.
Normally, with just that form, it was impossible for Konoha to be utterly powerless.
But absurdly, Kaito's half-bodied Susanoo had grown to a hundred meters tall. That was beyond belief.
He wanted to go to Konoha himself and see, but it seemed Kaito's Mangekyō also possessed space-time abilities. For now, he suppressed that urge.
Obito had come to Nagato to remind him: don't provoke Konoha for the time being. Better to wait and watch from the shadows.
Nagato frowned and asked,
"Susanoo? What is that?"
"It's the third power of the Mangekyō Sharingan. Its strength is truly fearsome."
"Then Uchiha Itachi also has this power? Why did he still defect?"
"He had only just awakened his Mangekyō back then. He probably couldn't summon Susanoo yet. Besides, Uchiha Kaito's Susanoo is abnormally strong. Ordinary Mangekyō could never reach that level."
"I see… Then can you show me Susanoo, so I may witness it myself?"
Behind the mask, Obito's face froze in embarrassment—he couldn't use it at all!
When he awakened his Mangekyō, he had only one eye. But to summon Susanoo required both.
Though unlike other Mangekyō techniques, once Susanoo was awakened, it could be used even if the Sharingan was later lost.
Still, the prerequisite was a matched pair of Mangekyō. And that, he simply did not have.
If he really wanted Susanoo, all he had to do was take back the one he gave Kakashi.
But that eye had been his gift. His pride wouldn't allow him to reclaim what he had already given.
And beyond that… he couldn't bring himself to hurt Kakashi. Not him.
Facing Nagato's demand, Obito could only dodge the question,
"Heh, no need. Using Susanoo puts a terrible strain on the Mangekyō—it can easily lead to permanent blindness."
"Oh? Then Uchiha Kaito is nothing to fear. When we go to capture the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki, if he dares to interfere, we'll just take him out too."
"Hmph. Don't underestimate him. If his Mangekyō truly is…"
"What is it?"
Obito shook his head, saying something that left Nagato utterly puzzled,
"Forget it. It's almost impossible anyway… he has no brother."
Nagato bristled at Obito's cryptic words. He wanted to press for an explanation.
But Obito had no more interest in talking. The space around him twisted, and his form slowly faded.
Before vanishing, he left behind one last warning,
"Just don't provoke him for now. Wait until I've gathered more intel."
After Obito disappeared, Konan said gravely,
"Nagato, that man hiding behind the name Uchiha Madara has far too many secrets. You must be careful!"
Nagato nodded. A cold gleam flickered in his Rinnegan as he answered,
"I know. But for now, our goals align. Once that goal is achieved, then we'll see what he's really after. And you needn't worry too much. Before these eyes, he won't be able to stir any waves."
"Mm."
...
Elsewhere,
Obito appeared within a cavern. Looking toward the ground beside him, he said flatly,
"Come out."
The moment his words fell, a pitch-black humanoid figure rose from the earth—it was the filial child of the shinobi world, Black Zetsu.
Obito asked straightaway,
"How's the intel gathering? Has Uchiha Kaito truly awakened the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan?"
"Most likely. The Konoha shinobi we captured said Uchiha Kaito claimed in battle that he had indeed awakened the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan."
Hearing this, Obito walked silently up to the cavern wall—then suddenly smashed his fist against it.
"Damn it! What the hell is going on!?"