In the end, the meeting had gone on for over twenty minutes of intense debate.
Still, no agreement was reached.
Within the entire organization, two factions temporarily emerged.
Pain, Konan, Kakuzu, and Orochimaru—these four agreed to take on this mission.
Obito, Zetsu, Sasori, Biwa Juzo, and the unnamed rough man—five people opposed accepting the mission.
This wasn't hard to understand.
After all, assassinating any Kage from one of the major hidden villages was absolutely no small matter!
Even if the entire organization got involved, there was no guarantee of complete success.
The reason Obito and others refused was because each had their own considerations.
As for someone like Biwa Juzo—who once belonged to the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist and had a fearsome reputation…
Biwa Juzo had been foolishly kicked to death by Might Duy, an unremarkable Konoha genin, losing four of his lives in the process, reducing him to the last remaining survivor.
To say he didn't fear Konoha would be a lie!
Besides, whether they succeeded or not, the Akatsuki would face merciless retaliation from Konoha.
It just didn't seem worth the risk!
Of course, Pain hadn't expected anything different.
Nor did he use his authority as leader to force a decision with a single vote.
Instead, he seemed genuinely open to listening to everyone's opinions before deciding whether to accept the mission.
Therefore, in the end, he calmly ended the meeting.
They decided to hold another meeting in two days to make a final decision.
...
At this moment, the meeting concluded.
Inside the Rain Hidden Village, under Nagato's control, Deva Path Pain did not immediately end the Projection Technique.
Instead, he dismissed the projections of the other members,
Leaving only himself and Obito alone.
Preparing to briefly chat in a temporary private group.
"Why are you pushing us to attack Homuragakure?"
Pain cut straight to the point, asking the key question directly.
After all, he had already deduced the truth.
This so-called "Uchiha Madara" had just opposed his proposal because he suggested attacking Homuragakure.
This person clearly also had the Sharingan and came from the Uchiha Clan.
Yet he treated his own clan so harshly?
Seemingly determined to eradicate them completely?
Would the real "Devil of the Ninja World," Uchiha Madara, truly be so ruthless toward his own kin?
Arms crossed, Obito deliberately raised his coolness factor and coldly retorted:
"I have my own reasons."
"And what about you?"
"Acting recklessly against the Third Hokage will only expose the entire Akatsuki!"
"Forcing the Akatsuki into the spotlight increases unpredictability. Don't forget our ultimate goal."
"I won't allow the entire Akatsuki to fall into chaos right now because of your actions!"
"As for Homuragakure, it's entirely populated by members of the Uchiha Clan. Wipe them out, and we can collect many Sharingan eyes, building up much greater strength, which will greatly benefit our future plans."
Obito seriously explained,
Carefully choosing not to mention his earlier defeat at the hands of Shimoku.
Purely presenting his push to attack Homuragakure as a strategic move for the Akatsuki's benefit.
After all, eventually, those "Sharingan eyes" would still end up in his hands.
Only within Akatsuki did he alone possess the forbidden technique Izanagi.
Those Sharingan eyes would ultimately end up in his possession.
Normally,
Obito's persuasion might've had some effect.
But this time, Nagato already had his own plan—he wouldn't be easily fooled.
"The Uchiha Clan has become rogue ninja, irreconcilably opposed to Konoha. Helping Konoha destroy a village of missing-nin won't benefit Akatsuki."
"And regarding what you said about avoiding exposure…"
"It's actually *you* who've already been exposed to Iwagakure."
Obito was shocked. "What exposure?"
Deva Path Pain continued, "When Iwagakure issued the mission, they added a condition."
"They said if we refused this mission, Onoki would expose everything he knew about Akatsuki."
"Including intelligence on someone wearing a mask, possessing a Sharingan in his right eye, and skilled in Space-Time Ninjutsu!"
"Tell me—who could that person be?"
Determined to retaliate against Konoha by any means necessary,
Onoki even dared to threaten Akatsuki directly.
All because last time, someone under the guise of 'Tobi-sama' from Akatsuki had committed grave crimes within Iwagakure Village.
Of course, he intended to use this information as full leverage against the organization.
Right now, naturally, Obito had no idea
that this entire matter had actually been committed by Shimoku impersonating him.
He only understood perfectly well that the description—mask + Sharingan + Space-Time Ninjutsu—clearly referred to him.
'Damn it! How the hell does that old bastard Onoki know?'
'I've never demonstrated my abilities in front of him before!'
'When the hell did I get exposed?!'
'What the heck really happened?!?!'
Obito pondered endlessly without finding answers, his face turning completely green with frustration.
He wished he could teleport straight to Iwagakure right now and beat the crap out of Onoki!
...
"This is our current choice."
"Option One: Destroy the entire Iwagakure Village, silencing them permanently. Then face an assault from the remaining Four Great Hidden Villages."
"Option Two: Accept the mission, assassinate the Hokage, capture the Nine-Tails, and earn a substantial reward. Then deal with retaliation from Konoha."
"Option Three: Refuse the mission, let Iwagakure expose us, and then face attacks and encirclement from all Five Great Hidden Villages."
"Madara-sama—you pick one!"
Pain asked coldly.
Ultimately, it was all due to Obito exposing critical information and threats about himself to Iwagakure.
This caused Akatsuki to fall into such a passive position.
Otherwise, according to Nagato's plan, they could have stayed hidden for much longer.
They could have waited until fully prepared before initiating their plans to capture the Tailed Beasts.
Therefore, right now, he held absolutely no goodwill toward this so-called "Uchiha Madara."
...
Obito remained silent for quite some time.
Eventually, he still had to accept the second option unwillingly with a darkened expression.
Well, among these three choices,
only the second option seemed most appropriate—maximum benefits with minimal disadvantages.
Seeing Obito's agreement, Pain softened somewhat.
Let me make another suggestion:
"Although I don't know why you're targeting the Uchiha Clan? And specifically Homura Hidden Village?"
"Once we've assassinated the Hokage and taken control of the Nine-Tails,"
"With the power of the Nine-Tails,"
"Wouldn't it be safer to destroy Homura Hidden Village afterward?"
Though Nagato never fully trusted this 'Madara Uchiha',
To realize his ideal, to make the world first experience pain before achieving peace,
The strength of 'Madara Uchiha' was indeed indispensable.
So as part of their plan, helping him wipe out Homura Hidden Village wasn't out of the question either.
Of course, the precondition was that the other party must support and assist him in 'assassinating the Hokage'...
"Fine!"
Obito nodded in agreement.
He wasn't a fool either.
If he could capture the Nine-Tails once again,
With the power of the Nine-Tails, he could easily match Shimoku's Susanoo.
Then, completely destroying Homura Hidden Village would be much more feasible.
Well then, let that brat enjoy his little moment of freedom for now…
...
Pain asked again, "Can you still mobilize Kiri to assist with the Hokage assassination?"
"If so, we can pin the entire blame on Kiri!"
Hearing this, Obito's expression darkened as painful memories surfaced.
He had no choice but to admit truthfully, "No, I've already lost control over Kiri."
"Hmm? Is it related to Homura Hidden Village?"
"Yes!"
"I see. No wonder you hate those Rogue Uchiha so much."
"Well then, just us will be enough."
"Once we've captured the Nine-Tails, even if the Akatsuki is discovered, there's nothing to fear."
Suddenly everything clicked into place, and Pain spoke with firm conviction.
He had complete confidence in his own strength.
However, just as he was about to continue discussing assassination details with Obito,
The ring on his finger suddenly flickered.
"Somebody is looking for you?"
"It's Orochimaru—he wants a private conversation."
Pain briefly closed his eyes to sense the connection, then answered.
Obito also paused at this news.
Come to think of it, both Homura Hidden Village and Orochimaru's Oto Village lie within the Land of Rice Fields—and rumors say they've grown quite close!
Could there be more to Orochimaru's connection with that brat Shimoku than meets the eye?
Obito's lips twitched involuntarily, sensing something unpleasant might be coming.
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