Amegakure (Hidden Rain Village).
This is a village sandwiched between the Lands of Fire, Earth, and Wind, where it rains all year round.
Amegakure's buildings are mainly made of stone and steel, towering like spires. The villagers live at the base of the towers, and the dead are placed at the top.
Long and rainy, dark, tall, and sharp buildings give people a sense of depression, mystery, and even a bit of horror.
It was raining heavily, and the raindrops formed a curtain.
In the center of the village, on the tallest tower, stood a strange statue.
A young man sat atop the statue, silently watching the rain.
He had short orange hair, with metal piercings all over his nose, mouth, and ears. He wore a black cloak embroidered with red clouds outlined in white — the signature outfit of the Akatsuki.
But the most striking feature was his eyes.
They were purple, with concentric circles — the legendary Rinnegan, the eyes of the Sage of the Six Paths, ancestor of both the Uchiha and Senju clans.
This young man with the Rinnegan was Pain, the leader of the Akatsuki organization that ruled Amegakure. His codename: Akatsuki Zero.
A few minutes later—
Da da da.
Footsteps echoed as a graceful woman in an Akatsuki cloak, with lavender-blue hair and a blue paper flower in her hair, approached Pain.
She was Konan, codename: White Tiger of Dawn.
“Pain, Madara is here,” Konan said coldly.
Pain stopped admiring the rain and stood up, walking into the tower.
Inside stood a man with long hair, a tiger-striped mask revealing a single Sharingan. He exuded a wild, mysterious aura.
This man was Uchiha Madara.
A few years ago, he came to Amegakure and joined the Akatsuki. Since then, he had been operating as one of its high-level members.
As Pain entered, the masked man greeted him:
“It’s been a while. How have you been, Nagato?”
Oddly, the man addressed him as Nagato, even though it was clearly Pain standing in front of him.
That’s because this Pain was not the real Nagato, but a puppet made from the corpse of his friend Yahiko. Nagato, disabled and hidden, manipulated this body from the shadows.
Obito didn’t like Yahiko. When he first found Akatsuki, Yahiko had rejected him. Only after Yahiko’s death could Obito infiltrate the group and manipulate Nagato.
“I don’t need your concern,” Pain replied coldly. “Also, the one before you is Pain, the leader of Akatsuki — not Nagato.”
Despite being a puppet, Yahiko (as Pain) remained the public leader of Akatsuki. To Nagato, he wasn’t a tool, but an equal.
Obito spread his hands in mock innocence:
“Guiding those who awaken the Rinnegan has been our organization's mission since ancient times. You are the will of the Sage of Six Paths, destined to bring peace — of course I care.”
He then changed the subject.
“There’s someone in Konoha named Uchiha Dan. Do you know him?”
Pain looked at Konan.
As Akatsuki’s intelligence officer, Konan frowned — she remembered the name, and not in a good way.
“Some time ago, several of our spies in Konoha were killed by Uchiha Dan. He’s rumored to be the strongest in the Uchiha clan and has awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan. Not long ago, he even broke into the Hokage’s building and caused chaos.”
Pain listened calmly and asked:
“So, what’s so special about him?”
Even with a Mangekyō, Pain didn't see Dan as a threat. Akatsuki had many powerful members — some stronger than any Uchiha.
But then Obito dropped a bombshell:
“You’ll be surprised — Dan has also mastered Shinra Tensei (Almighty Push). If I’m not mistaken, that’s a Rinnegan ability?”
Pain’s expression finally shifted.
“Are you sure?” Konan asked.
Obito described what White Zetsu had witnessed during the Uchiha Clan gathering — Dan used Shinra Tensei to blast dozens of clan members into the air.
Pain shook his head.
“My Shinra Tensei isn’t that weak. It’s just a coincidence in name.”
Konan added coldly:
“Pain is a god who walks the ninja world. Don’t compare his power to mortals.”
If Pain used full power, even Konoha would be reduced to rubble. He hadn’t yet — but the day would come.
“Seems I overestimated him,” Obito muttered.
“Did you come here just to waste my time with this?” Pain snapped.
“Hehe,” Obito chuckled. “Of course not. I came with a more important matter.”
He proposed borrowing Akatsuki manpower for a mission in Konoha.
“Sorry,” Konan said. “All members are on missions. You’ll be disappointed.”
But Obito persisted.
“I’ve discovered the identity of Konoha’s Nine-Tails Jinchūriki. This mission is to capture the Nine-Tails.”
This made both Pain and Konan pause.
“We’re starting the Tailed Beast capture plan already?” Konan asked.
Akatsuki had such a plan, but it was in its early stages.
“Plans change. Why not start with the hardest one?” Obito grinned.
He was nervous. Seeing multiple Mangekyō Sharingan awaken in Uchiha Dan’s presence made him feel threatened — especially with the Uchiha’s known ability to control Tailed Beasts.
“Who do you want to bring?” Pain asked.
“Orochimaru.”
“Are you sure?” Pain questioned.
Konan explained Orochimaru’s shady history:
“He once attacked Pain, attempting to take the Rinnegan. He was crushed by Shinra Tensei, then begged to join Akatsuki. Though useful, he’s not trustworthy.”
Obito shrugged:
“It’s just Orochimaru. I can handle him.”
Pain thought for a moment, then nodded.
“Konan, take him to see Orochimaru and Sasori.”
Pairing Orochimaru with Sasori, the man who killed the Third Kazekage, was a way to keep him in check.
“Sasori of the Red Sand? Interesting.” Obito smirked.
“Bring back the Nine-Tails,” Pain ordered, then left to return to the rain.
Half an hour later—
In a room, Obito met the two he sought.
On the left: pale skin, long black hair, golden snake-like eyes — Orochimaru.
On the right: a hunched man with a face scarf, a grotesque hairstyle, and a mechanical scorpion tail — Sasori.
“You’re Uchiha Madara?” Orochimaru narrowed his eyes. “Madara died long ago. Even if alive, he’d be over eighty. You don’t look a day over thirty.”
Ninjas rarely lived long. Orochimaru knew the man before him couldn’t be the real Madara.