Whether it was by coincidence or Nagato's intention, the corpses delivered to the Akatsuki base were all ninja who had once encountered Jiraiya. Just as Nagato finished creating the Asura Path and Preta Path bodies of Pain, Obito and Black Zetsu appeared before them once again.
No one in Akatsuki knew exactly what was discussed, but shortly after, Nagato announced a reform of the organization.
That evening, Konan confronted Yahiko and Nagato. She didn't understand why they were collaborating with those two—especially since they might have been involved in the ambush that nearly killed them.
Yahiko explained: it's easier to control enemies when they're kept close. And now that Nagato had awakened the Rinnegan's powers, he could "see" the spores of White Zetsu, making them confident those two wouldn't escape their grasp.
Coincidentally, Obito and Black Zetsu thought the same: they believed Nagato and his companions were under their control.
After forming the alliance, Obito and Black Zetsu left the Land of Rain and headed straight for the Land of Water.
With Madara Uchiha's death, the genjutsu controlling the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura, was naturally broken.
But Obito had no intention of letting Yagura regain his freedom.
To Obito, even if this world was false, Rin still died at the hands of Kirigakure shinobi in that world. He could not, and would not, forgive them.
Obito and Black Zetsu infiltrated Kirigakure and stayed hidden for several weeks, finally catching a moment when Yagura left the village.
They killed all the ANBU protecting him, then used the Sharingan to place Yagura under genjutsu again—just like Madara had done.
The Bloody Mist Policy was about to begin again.
Meanwhile, Konoha's Police Force's Third Division completed its initial reforms and expanded again. It now had a full complement of 100 members—more than before the Third Shinobi World War.
Of these 100, only 20 were from the Uchiha clan; the rest were from other clans or were civilian-born.
Uchiha Yuan divided the team into 10 squads. Each had 2 Uchiha members, with the rest being non-Uchiha. Squad leaders were appointed purely based on ability.
For example, Squad 1 was led by Uchiha Cai, the strongest besides Yuan himself.
Nearly every squad leader had jōnin-level strength. There were exceptions—Yamanaka Kagetsu, a close friend of Yuan, didn't quite qualify by strength but was still given a leader role.
With the division functioning smoothly, Uchiha Yuan turned his attention to reorganizing the entire Uchiha clan.
He began with the pacifist faction. His plan was to consolidate control over them first, then subdue the hawks—even if that meant using force. For someone like Uchiha Setsuna, a troublemaker, killing him as a warning would be effective.
While Yuan was strategizing, a woman from Uchiha Icarus's household rushed in—her chakra sealed.
"Lord Yuan! Young Master Shisui is in trouble!"
"What happened to Shisui?"
"I'm not sure. Lord Icarus didn't tell me. But he asked me to bring you immediately."
Yuan nodded and followed her to Icarus's home.
Upon entering, his sensory perception immediately detected an enormous chakra presence—greater than Icarus's, nearly equal to Uchiha Fugaku.
Startled, Yuan teleported into the house.
Inside, he found a battered and red-eyed Shisui, and a visibly excited Elder Icarus.
Yuan instantly understood—Shisui had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan.
It was Year 47 of the Hidden Leaf. In canon, Shisui awakened the Mangekyō this year, so the timing was perfect.
"Shisui, what happened?" Yuan crouched down and asked.
Shisui then told the classic tale: a senior sacrificing himself to protect his comrades.
As he spoke, his three-tomoe Sharingan spun madly until they morphed into a four-pointed pinwheel.
Yuan patted his shoulder and activated his own Mangekyō. "Shisui, I understand your pain. I earned these eyes through the same kind of suffering.
But we must look forward. The one who died for you wouldn't want to see you like this."
Shisui looked up at Yuan's Mangekyō, feeling even more trust toward him.
Only those who've suffered the same pain can truly understand each other—Pain's classic quote rang true.
"Yuan-senpai, I…"
"You don't need to say anything. I get it. Rest for now. Awakening the Mangekyō is a huge drain on both body and mind."
Yuan gently cast a genjutsu over him, and Shisui, without resistance, fell into sleep.
After soothing Shisui, Yuan took the opportunity to discuss control of the pacifist faction with Uchiha Icarus.
As if he'd anticipated it, Icarus called out to the woman outside the room, "Keiko, come in."
She entered, knelt respectfully before Icarus.
"Keiko, remove your clothing. Show Yuan what's on your back."
She nodded, removed her top, and turned around.
Etched into her back was a complex sealing array. Yuan, having studied fūinjutsu recently, recognized it as a chakra-sealing formation.
He had actually sensed this the first time they met, but feigned ignorance and asked, "Elder Icarus, this is…?"
"It's a sealing technique. Keiko is my lover. She's from Kumogakure—a sensory-type shinobi. We met on the battlefield and fell in love.
But we belong to different villages, different beliefs.
She once suggested we elope, abandon it all. But I refused.
Instead, I used genjutsu to control her, sealed her chakra, and kept her by my side.
I couldn't abandon my clan or my village. For their sake, I sacrificed her.
Yuan, I know what you want. I will give you the full support of the pacifist faction.
But can you do what I did—sacrifice everything for clan and village?"
(To Be Continued...)