Mei wore her signature blue dress, her long hair cascading loosely over her shoulders.
A seductive smile rested on her lips, and every graceful step made her resemble a blue rose blooming amid the windblown sand.
Ao, Chōjūrō, and Kisame followed behind her.
"Kazekage-dono..."
Mei stopped before Teizawa and raised her face slightly. His reflection appeared in her emerald-green eyes.
"It's been a long time."
Teizawa studied her, the smile on his lips slowly deepening.
This woman was bolder than he had expected.
He had assumed she would send a representative merely to make a token appearance. Instead, she had come personally.
Did she trust him?
Did she want to confirm the Akatsuki's threat with her own eyes?
Or was it both?
Teizawa wasn't certain, but it didn't matter.
What mattered was that she had come.
"It has."
Teizawa extended his hand.
Mei hesitated before accepting it.
Her hand was soft, her fingertips slightly cool, and her skin smooth to the touch.
Teizawa tightened his grip and didn't immediately release her.
"Kazekage-dono..." A faint blush appeared on Mei's cheeks as she gave him a reproachful look. "Would you mind letting go?"
Teizawa laughed and released her hand.
"You've traveled a long way, Mei-san. Thank you for making the effort."
"It was nothing." Mei withdrew her hand and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "I only hope your intelligence proves worthy of that effort."
"It will."
Mei glanced at him but said nothing more.
She led Kirigakure's forces to the southern side of the mine and established their camp.
With that, the other four Great Shinobi Villages had assembled.
Although most of the Kage hadn't come personally, the lineup was still formidable.
Akatsuchi of Iwagakure, Darui of Kumogakure, Kakashi of Konohagakure, Mei of Kirigakure, and Teizawa of Sunagakure...
Five powers had gathered in one place.
Together, they possessed enough strength to shake the entire shinobi world.
It was certainly enough to deal with Amegakure.
They only needed someone capable of restraining Pain—the man who possessed the Rinnegan.
That evening, a bonfire was lit at the center of the encampment.
The representatives and jōnin from the four visiting villages sat around it, while Teizawa occupied the seat of honor.
Firelight danced across their faces, revealing expressions filled with their own doubts and calculations.
"Kazekage-dono..." Akatsuchi was the first to speak, his voice deep and heavy. "Everyone is here now. You can tell us what this is about, can't you?"
"Exactly." Darui spat out his toothpick and folded his arms. "We didn't travel all this way just to sit here in the wind."
Kakashi said nothing.
He merely watched Teizawa.
His gaze was as calm and unfathomable as a deep pool, betraying no emotion whatsoever.
But Teizawa knew Kakashi was waiting.
Waiting for him to speak that name.
Akatsuki.
Pain.
The Rinnegan.
And the truth concealed behind Amegakure's endless curtain of rain.
Mei leaned back in her chair with her arms folded, a faint smile hovering on her lips.
She didn't urge him to begin.
She merely watched Teizawa with interest, like a patient spectator waiting for the show to start.
Teizawa swept his gaze over their faces and rose.
"Everyone, I appreciate you traveling such a long distance. I know you have many questions—and just as many doubts."
He paused.
"But everything I'm about to tell you is true."
"Akatsuki, Pain, the Rinnegan, and their plan to collect the Tailed Beasts... Every last part of it is real."
The bonfire crackled, sending sparks into the air.
No one spoke.
"I know you don't believe me."
Teizawa removed a sealing scroll from inside his robes, unfurled it, and spread it before them.
Dense lines of writing covered the scroll, accompanied by several hand-drawn illustrations.
There were images of the Six Paths of Pain, the distinctive pattern of the Rinnegan, and the looming silhouette of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.
"This contains the intelligence I've gathered on Akatsuki. It took me a long time to collect."
"Read it first. Afterward, you can decide whether to believe me."
Akatsuchi leaned closer first.
Darui, Kakashi, and Mei followed.
The four of them gathered around the scroll and quickly examined its contents.
Akatsuchi's frown deepened with every line.
Darui's lazy expression gradually disappeared.
Kakashi's visible eye narrowed slightly.
Even the smile on Mei's lips slowly faded.
"The Rinnegan..." Akatsuchi's voice sounded strained. "It truly exists?"
"There's one right in front of you."
Teizawa pointed to his own eye.
He was joking, of course.
His eyes were ordinary and black, without any special abilities.
Yet beneath the flickering light of the bonfire, something seemed to shimmer within them, making them strangely difficult to read.
Akatsuchi stared at him for several seconds before looking away.
"The Six Paths of Pain..." Darui pointed at the illustrations on the scroll. "These are the six?"
"Yes. But they aren't six living people. They're six corpses being remotely controlled."
"The true Pain is hidden somewhere no one knows about."
"He possesses the Rinnegan and wields enough ocular power to control all six corpses simultaneously. Each body has a different ability."
"The Deva Path manipulates attraction and repulsion. The Asura Path summons weapons. The Human Path reads memories. The Animal Path summons various creatures. The Preta Path absorbs ninjutsu. The Naraka Path repairs the other Paths."
Teizawa paused.
"That's why brute force alone won't be enough to defeat him."
"We must either locate his real body or use a special method to seal him."
Teizawa had never intended to fight Pain alone.
When facing a powerful enemy, hoarding crucial intelligence was the most foolish decision one could make.
Pain's Rinnegan was no ordinary dōjutsu.
But if every ability of the Rinnegan were laid bare...
Would Pain still be invincible?
To put it another way, if Jiraiya had possessed complete intelligence about the Rinnegan in the original story, would he still have died?
That was why intelligence was the most important factor in any battle between shinobi.
Kakashi remained silent for a long time before finally raising his head.
"How do you know all this?" he asked quietly.
Teizawa met his gaze without hesitation.
"I have my own sources. Believe me or don't—the choice is yours. But this intelligence is genuine. Every word of it."
Kakashi asked nothing further.
The bonfire continued to crackle.
Sparks drifted upward, illuminating the contemplative expressions on every face.
Teizawa rolled up the scroll.
His gaze swept over them once more.
"I have a proposal."
Teizawa rose to his full height, his long, dark-gold hair gleaming with a cold luster in the firelight.
"The Five Great Shinobi Villages will form an Allied Shinobi Force, with me serving as supreme commander. Together, we will launch a campaign against Akatsuki."
He looked around the bonfire.
"What do you say?"
His words fell like a massive stone into a still lake, sending waves rippling in every direction.
Akatsuchi remained silent.
Darui's face was expressionless.
Kakashi continued watching him.
The smile on Mei's lips slowly deepened.
The bonfire swayed in the night wind, scattering countless sparks that resembled tiny stars flickering through the darkness.
Teizawa stood beside the flames and waited for their answer.
He knew it wouldn't go smoothly.
These old foxes all had their own interests, schemes, and calculations.
But Teizawa had patience.
And he had leverage.
(End of Chapter)
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