Two months later, the Akatsuki's hideout.
One by one, shadowy figures from Magic Lantern Body Technique appeared.
However, three seats were empty.
Aside from Orochimaru, who had already defected, two more members were missing compared to usual.
The Akatsuki's members immediately glanced at the two empty seats, which remained vacant.
As the leader, Pain was the first to speak.
"One day ago, we lost contact with North and Three."
Pain's tone was as calm as ever, as if devoid of emotion.
The other Akatsuki's members were slightly surprised, but no one voiced their thoughts.
Pain continued: "This has a significant impact on our 'Unification' plan. Given the strength of the 'Immortal Duo,' they rarely encounter opponents..."
The so-called 'Unification' plan was a new goal Nagato had set after much consideration.
For now, Nagato wanted the Akatsuki's influence to extend beyond the Land of Rain and into the surrounding nations.
In the past, Nagato wouldn't have considered this.
It was true that the Land of Rain was bordered by three weak nations: the Land of Grass, the Land of Rivers, and the Land of Birds... but it was also adjacent to three great nations: the Land of Fire, the Land of Earth, and the Land of Wind.
These smaller nations acted as buffer zones between the major ones.
If the Akatsuki, which is hidden in the Land of Rain, were to rashly invade these smaller nations... a simple incursion might be manageable, as the Akatsuki could enter these countries as easily as they could return to the Land of Rain.
The key issue was Nagato's current plan for invasion... to seize control of these nations' governments!
By leveraging the advantages of these nations, they could bolster the Land of Rain, just as the Land of Rain supported the Akatsuki.
Whether it was collecting the Tailed Beasts or controlling the surrounding nations, Nagato's goal was to strengthen the organization and create a peaceful Ninja World.
However, even if they operated from the shadows, the risk of exposure was high. In the short term, it might be manageable, but over time, the great nations would inevitably notice... and they wouldn't take kindly to such interference.
After all, the great nations weren't pushovers, and their Ninjas were no fools.
By then, the Akatsuki would most likely be exposed to the Ninja world in advance, which is what Nagato does not want to see.
But... the Ninja World had been anything but peaceful lately. This wasn't a war between nations or villages.
Instead, it was an invasion from the skies... white monsters known as White Zetsu.
The appearance of the White Zetsu was bizarre, with no discernible pattern.
Although most White Zetsu were weak, with even a Genin able to handle several at once, there were also mutated, high-level White Zetsu that were incredibly powerful... often requiring multiple Chunin or even two Jonin working together to defeat them!
After two months of this chaos, the nations and villages were already overwhelmed by the White Zetsu invasion, giving the Akatsuki a perfect opportunity.
They could send members to directly take control of these smaller nations' governments.
As for the members' identities... Missing-nin, Akatsuki members... it didn't matter to Nagato.
In this era, he could afford to bring the Akatsuki into the open.
He even had a legitimate reason, which is clearing out the White Zetsu.
This was also why the great nations, who are already swamped with their own internal issues, had no time to worry about the smaller nations. They might not even realize the Akatsuki's true intentions.
Following Nagato's instructions, Sasori used his 'connections' to keep a close eye on the current situation in Sunagakure.
Due to the death of the Fourth Kazekage, Sunagakure was leaderless. Fortunately, Chiyo, the village antique, was still around to maintain order, preventing complete chaos.
But with the arrival of the White Zetsu, Sunagakure had deployed almost all its Ninjas across the Land of Wind to deal with the threat.
Although Sunagakure had long been at odds with the Land of Wind's Daimyo, the Daimyo had made some concessions, approving funding for the village.
Additionally, Sunagakure's finances, aside from the Kazekage's gold-making abilities, relied heavily on the mission system to keep the village running.
If they ignored the White Zetsu infesting the Land of Wind, Sunagakure's reputation would take a massive hit, dealing a fatal blow to the village's future.
Thus, Sunagakure's current deployment of Ninjas surpassed even that of the Ninja World War.
Even Gaara, who had recently turned over a new leaf, spent every waking moment on missions, either heading out or already on one.
Given the dire situation, even if Nagato were to openly erase the Land of Birds and the Land of Rivers from the map, Sunagakure and the Land of Wind wouldn't bat an eye, let alone issue a word of condemnation.
But Nagato naturally wouldn't do something so blatant. After all, no one knew how long the White Zetsu would persist.
If the Akatsuki were to act so openly, there was no doubt that the great nations would turn their attention to the Akatsuki as soon as the White Zetsu were dealt with.
Therefore, the best course of action was to slowly erode or covertly control these nations under the guise of providing support.
---
Nagato's thoughts drifted, but he quickly refocused. The Rinnegan in Pain scanned the room, and the two empty seats stood out conspicuously.
Earlier, he had sent Kakuzu and Hidan to the Land of Birds to clear out the White Zetsu and, in the process, intimidate the Land of Birds' Daimyo to facilitate future control.
In theory, even the strongest known White Zetsu could be handled by two Jonin, and Nagato was well aware of the strength of Akatsuki's members.
Each of them possessed abilities far beyond that of an ordinary Jonin, capable of taking on multiple opponents at once.
Dealing with some White Zetsu... even if they moved in large groups... shouldn't have been an issue.
But the missing team was the Immortal Duo.
If it had been the Art Duo, Nagato might have guessed that Deidara and Sasori had clashed over their differing artistic views.
So this situation was particularly suspicious! Nagato had no choice but to send the Art Duo to investigate yesterday.
But by now, they should have arrived.
---
Meanwhile, Black Zetsu, who had been lurking in the shadows, remained silent. As the creature with the highest perception in this world, he knew exactly what Kakuzu and Hidan had encountered.
However, given Nagato's recent plans, which were becoming increasingly difficult to decipher, Black Zetsu decided to wait and see.
Nagato's goal was peace in the Ninja World, and whether it was collecting the Tailed Beasts or pursuing unification, both were viable methods.
In the past, Black Zetsu could have used the Tailed Beast collection plan to manipulate Nagato, but for some reason... Nagato seemed to have suddenly gained clarity.
And with this golden opportunity, if Nagato truly aimed for Ninja World unification, it might actually be possible.
So, regarding the disappearance of Kakuzu and Hidan, Black Zetsu decided to observe further. If Nagato's plans could be derailed, all the better. After all, the Immortal Duo wouldn't die anytime soon.