Western border of the Land of Fire.
On a narrow path, a ninja squad was slowly making its way forward. All of them were dressed in standard ninja uniforms, their foreheads adorned with protectors bearing the symbol of Sunagakure. There were over thirty individuals in their group. They were precisely the Sunagakure ninja team dispatched to Konoha Village to participate in the upcoming Chunin Exams.
At the very front of the procession, leading the way, was the Sunagakure Jonin, Baki. Following closely behind him were the three Sand Siblings: Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro. The rest of the Sunagakure ninja in the contingent all maintained a respectful distance of two to three meters from these three.
As they walked, Baki suddenly raised his hand, signaling for the team to halt. In the distance, a series of air-cutting sounds echoed as several figures rapidly approached them. Soon, a few Konoha ninja appeared before them, led by Asuma Sarutobi.
Arriving before the Suna contingent, Asuma addressed the impassive Baki, "Jonin Baki, we have been dispatched under orders from Lord Hokage to guide you to the village."
"Guide us? Much obliged," Baki replied, a flicker of surprise in his eyes, his tone flat and neutral.
Behind Baki, Temari and Kankuro exchanged a quick, questioning glance, their expressions thoughtful. Although there was more than one route from Sunagakure to Konoha, all of them were well-known and easy to find. Why would they require an escort? Something significant must have happened.
Immediately, Asuma and his team joined the Sunagakure ninja contingent.
While the Sunagakure team continued their journey towards Konoha, several hundred kilometers away, within a secret, secluded mountain forest in the Land of Rivers, Sasori and Deidara, both clad in their black Akatsuki robes with red clouds, were currently seated silently, their hands forming a specific seal.
In a dark, ethereal space, on the withered fingers of the Gedo Statue, the astral projections of the two Akatsuki members materialized, each appearing on a separate finger. In this space, two other light figures were already present, standing silently. They were Tendo Pain and Konan.
Deidara's astral form glanced around but didn't see any other members present.
Tendo Pain's emotionless voice then sounded, "Sasori, Deidara, your current mission is temporarily canceled. Proceed immediately to Konoha. All members of the organization will rendezvous there."
Hearing this, before Sasori could even speak, Deidara immediately exclaimed, "Canceled, un?! Leader, we're almost in the Land of Wind! We can reach Sunagakure in just two days! Why cancel it so suddenly?"
Tendo Pain glanced at Deidara. "Konoha Village is about to jointly host the Chunin Exams with Sunagakure and Kirigakure. The Jinchuriki of the One-Tail Shukaku has already left Sunagakure. It's too late for you to go there now. This time, the organization plans to strike directly at Konoha and capture both the One-Tail and the Nine-Tails in one fell swoop."
After listening to Tendo Pain's explanation, Deidara pouted and grumbled under his breath, "Tch! The organization's intel is so unreliable, un! We've already come all this way, and only now do you tell us our target is gone!"
Beside him, Sasori said gravely, "Silence!" Then, he turned to Tendo Pain. "Leader, we will arrive at the rendezvous point on time." With that, Sasori's astral projection flickered and then vanished from the space. Deidara, seeing this, also disappeared.
Following their departure, the remaining figures of Tendo Pain and Konan also vanished.
Amegakure. The platform atop the tallest steel tower.
Konan spoke, her voice laced with concern, "Nagato, are we really going to launch a direct assault on Konoha this time? Won't it be too risky?"
Tendo Pain replied, "Rest assured. Konoha's main forces are currently deployed on the northeastern and northwestern borders, engaged in a standoff with the armies of Kumogakure and Iwagakure. This is precisely when Konoha's internal strength is at its weakest. It's the most opportune time to seize the Nine-Tails."
"Moreover," Tendo Pain continued, his voice hardening, "we no longer have a choice! You've seen that place in the Land of Rivers. The Divine Court's strength is growing ever stronger, and they are secretly executing some kind of plan. We don't have much time left. We must gather all nine Tailed Beasts as quickly as possible, and then use the power of the Ten-Tails to completely and utterly eliminate them."
Konan fell silent upon hearing this. Over a year ago, the earth-shattering battle between Tatsuya and Isshiki Ōtsutsuki in the Land of Rivers had, on the surface, not caused overly significant waves in the ninja world. But covertly, it had profoundly impacted the entire geopolitical landscape. Although the Moon battle years prior had also greatly shaken the ninja world, it had been too distant; no one else had been able to personally inspect the traces left behind on the battlefield. But the battle in the Land of Rivers—the devastating scars it had left on the land remained to this day. That massive sword trench, hundreds of meters long—who wouldn't be utterly shocked upon seeing it? Faced with such overwhelming power, could any of the Five Great Shinobi Villages truly contend with it? No one knew the answer for certain.
The Akatsuki had also been deeply shaken by the reports. Wood Style! A golden sword of light that pierced the heavens! It seemed that, apart from that Uchiha member who had awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan, the Divine Court now had new members who possessed incredible power. Could this new individual be the leader of the Divine Court? Akatsuki had no information on this.
After a long silence, Konan finally spoke, "Regarding the connection between the Divine Court and Konoha… how is his investigation progressing?"
Hearing this, a cold glint flashed in Tendo Pain's eyes. "He's been investigating for over a year now. There have been no results."
Actually, Akatsuki had long harbored suspicions about the Divine Court's origins. When Jizo had first appeared before Akatsuki years ago, Nagato and the others had suspected a connection between the Divine Court and Konoha. After all, the Uchiha clan originated from Konoha. But their investigations had yielded nothing conclusive. Eventually, that particular suspicion had gradually faded, especially since Akatsuki itself now had two Uchiha members within its ranks. But this time, the suspected appearance of Wood Style had caused Nagato and Konan to once again raise this old conjecture. Obito and Zetsu had taken over this particular investigation. Yet, after more than a year, their inquiries had still produced no concrete results.
A worried expression appeared on Konan's face. "What if the Divine Court and Konoha do have a connection? If we attack Konoha this time, wouldn't we be walking right into their hands?"
Tendo Pain fell silent. After a moment, he said, "Regardless of whether the Divine Court is connected to Konoha or not, a battle between us and them is inevitable. If they truly are connected, then this battle will serve as an excellent opportunity to probe their true strength and intentions. Enough. We should also be on our way." With that, Tendo Pain's figure floated downwards from the high platform, heading towards a location within the tower.
Mountain Graveyard.
On the white, skeletal demonic statue, Obito stood silently. At this moment, he was no longer wearing the Akatsuki's black robe with red clouds, but rather a blue Uchiha clan uniform.
Not far below, Black Zetsu's voice sounded, "Obito, this time, are you prepared to have a showdown with him?"
Obito replied, "Although the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki escaped, the Gedo Statue has already absorbed a portion of the Eight-Tails' power. As long as we capture the One-Tail and the Nine-Tails, the Ten-Tails can be completely revived. Once the Ten-Tails is revived, he will no longer have any use value. It will also be time to reclaim those eyes. Let's go. First, we'll go and capture that… impostor."
With that, a spatial vortex appeared, quickly swallowing Obito's figure. Below the skeletal structure, Black Zetsu and White Zetsu also sank into the earth. Just as his eyes were about to disappear beneath the ground, a strange, inexplicable light glinted within Black Zetsu's eyes.