Chapter 135: Resurrection
Yasushi and Hiruko returned smoothly to the Land of Rain, reuniting with Nagato and the others.
Seeing another member of the Uzumaki clan, Nagato was genuinely pleased. He arranged proper accommodations for Karin and her mother within the village.
Yasushi had Haku stay with them so they could look after each other and practice ninjutsu together. Yashiro and the others would also visit them from time to time.
A few days later, the Akatsuki organization convened another meeting.
Nagato's injuries had fully healed by now. He sat imperiously in the leader's position, three Six Paths of Pain standing on either side of him. Seven pairs of Rinnegan stared unblinkingly at everyone present, radiating overwhelming pressure.
"Good. We now have three new comrades. Everyone should get acquainted."
"This is Hiruko, an S-rank missing-nin from Konoha. He possesses the ability to steal others' kekkei genkai for his own use. He currently has three bloodline limits—Sharingan, Swift Release, and Steel Release. A very powerful ally."
Hiruko sat with his arms crossed, nodding faintly. His gaze lingered mostly on Nagato's eyes, his desire to perfect the Chimera Technique growing even more desperate.
"Over there is Kazahana Doto, the daimyo of the Land of Snow. He possesses the wealth of a small nation and numerous subordinates, providing tremendous logistical support for the organization."
"Wait!" Kazahana Doto sat there with a bruised and swollen face, looking thoroughly displeased.
After all, no daimyo wanted to play second fiddle to anyone. But a real man knew when to bend and when to stand tall. Those who understood the times were the true heroes.
"You promised me you'd help find my niece. This is mutual cooperation, not some superior-subordinate relationship!"
Kazahana Doto stated his conditions with forced dignity, having already decided in his heart that once he recovered the treasure his brother left behind, he'd immediately cut ties with this damned Akatsuki organization.
With the treasure's immense power, he could build a mighty nation, perhaps even replace the Land of Fire's position.
Nagato paid no attention to his attitude, acting as if he hadn't heard, and continued introducing.
"The last one is an S-rank missing-nin recruited by Obito from the Land of Water—Hoshigaki Kisame, wielder of Samehada among the Seven Ninja Swords, known as the Tailless Tailed Beast."
Hoshigaki Kisame was very accommodating. He stood up with a wide grin, revealing a mouthful of shark-like teeth as he cheerfully greeted everyone.
"Hello everyone! I'm Hoshigaki Kisame. I look forward to working with you all."
After everyone finished their introductions, Nagato waved his hand, tossing three rings before the three newcomers.
"These are the organization's identification rings. Once you wear them, you become official members."
"Hoshigaki Kisame is 'South.' Hiruko is 'Jewel.' You two will form a team."
"Kazahana Doto is 'Blue,' paired with Kakuzu."
The three accepted their rings and put them on. Nagato continued, "Now the Akatsuki has its full complement of ten members. But the Nine-Tails is dead, so the Ten-Tails cannot be revived for the time being."
"Use this time to accumulate strength and prepare for future plans."
This had been the agreed-upon arrangement, but now Yasushi wanted to cause trouble for Sunagakure, so he raised his hand high and called out loudly.
"Leader! I know where we can find Nine-Tails chakra to substitute for the Nine-Tails!"
"The Hidden Cloud Village has two elite jonin called the Gold and Silver Brothers. They were once swallowed by the Nine-Tails, and by eating the Nine-Tails' flesh from inside, they obtained Nine-Tails chakra and can enter a tailed beast transformation state."
"Though it's not complete Nine-Tails chakra, it still satisfies the conditions for reviving the Ten-Tails."
"Oh?" Nagato's eyebrow raised, immediately intrigued.
If they could revive the Ten-Tails even one day earlier, they could intimidate the nations one day sooner and establish a new world order of peace through force, naturally meaning fewer people would die in war throughout the shinobi world.
"However, these two are already dead. We'll need to use Reanimation to summon them."
"Reanimation requires flesh and blood samples from both of them, which means we'll probably need Black Zetsu to find a way."
At Yasushi's words, Nagato's gaze immediately shifted to Zetsu.
"No problem. Leave it to me." Zetsu immediately took on this task without hesitation. Reviving the Ten-Tails earlier served his interests as well.
"If that's the case, then we can begin the Ten-Tails revival plan."
"The first tailed beast we need to capture is the One-Tail Shukaku. Zetsu, have you gathered intelligence on the One-Tail's jinchuriki?"
"I know! I know!" Before Zetsu could speak, Yasushi raised his hand high again. "The One-Tail jinchuriki is the Kazekage Rasa's youngest son, named Gaara."
"Leave the mission to capture the One-Tail to me!"
Yasushi volunteered enthusiastically.
"Very well. Then this mission is yours."
"The Three-Tails jinchuriki is Mizukage Yagura, and the Eight-Tails jinchuriki is Killer B from the Land of Lightning. Both are currently on the front lines, so we'll postpone those for now."
"As for the identities and locations of the other tailed beast jinchuriki, Zetsu, you need to gather that intelligence as quickly as possible."
"No problem, Leader! Leave everything to me!"
"Good. Then this meeting is adjourned. Dismissed."
Nagato rose to leave, and Yasushi immediately chased after him.
"Leader! You promised earlier to help me use the Outer Path: Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique once!"
Nagato stopped, staring intently at Yasushi for a few moments before finally nodding.
"Come to the top floor. I'll use the forbidden technique to help you with the resurrection."
Yasushi happily followed behind Nagato upstairs. Yashiro and two others stood guard tightly at the door, allowing no one to enter and disturb them.
Moments later, an intense chakra fluctuation emanated from within the room, then quickly subsided.
After a while longer, the door opened and Yasushi emerged, leading a child by the hand.
The child wore a miniature version of the Akatsuki's black cloak with red clouds. Thin and small, he looked almost like a delicate girl. He wore a mask covering his entire face, leaving only his eyes visible—a pair of Sharingan clearly revealing his identity.
As soon as the two emerged, Yashiro and the others immediately surrounded them, forming a triangular protective formation around the child, allowing no one to approach.
"So that's his brother, Uchiha Sachi? Why is he wearing a mask?"
Obito stood in the distance, watching the group descending from the tower's top, asking Black Zetsu beside him in a low voice.
"Probably doesn't want people recognizing his identity!" Zetsu speculated. "In this chaotic shinobi world, such a fragile child could easily die young. He's probably planning to hide his brother in some shinobi village somewhere, letting him live out his life unnoticed."
"Heh..." Obito's face showed mockery, his eyes full of malice. "Already awakened the Sharingan? How could he possibly live an ordinary life? I'd say sooner or later he'll die in some gutter."
"Don't do anything unnecessary!" Zetsu frowned, warning him. "Giving Yasushi a weakness is absolutely necessary!"
"As long as he cares about his brother, he'll be cautious and won't dare sabotage our plans. We might even be able to use this against him."
"If you dare touch his brother, watch out—he'll go berserk on you!"
"Hmph!" Obito snorted dismissively. "So what if he goes berserk?"
"He's never been polite to me!"
"If I don't return the favor, how can I be worthy of everything he's done to me!"