On the other side, Black Zetsu—attached to an unknown White Zetsu clone—looked at Tobi, who possessed a body identical to that of the Fourth Raikage, and couldn't help clicking his tongue in amazement.
"I really didn't expect this. Even though you look exactly like the Fourth Raikage, your actual strength is extremely weak—yet you managed to lie low in the highly militaristic Kumogakure for so long without being discovered.
"And you even completely secured the position of Fourth Raikage. I really did underestimate you."
Hearing this, the strange smile on White Zetsu's face widened even further.
"As long as I control the real guy sometimes, and use his appearance to issue orders at other times, there's no need to worry about being exposed.
"But I work myself to the bone sitting in this position every day, and in your eyes I'm just a disposable chess piece? Even someone like me, who obeys orders absolutely, would feel hurt hearing that, you know."
Looking at Tobi's carefree grin, Black Zetsu shook his head helplessly.
"Alright, stop joking around. Even if you've completely sealed this place off, you should still maintain basic caution. If someone were to discover your real body at a moment like this, all our efforts would be wasted.
"Enough of that. How did the arrangements for the Chūnin Exams I asked you to handle go?"
At Black Zetsu's words, Tobi appeared unconcerned, but he waved a hand across his face, restoring the appearance of the Fourth Raikage before answering:
"Everything is basically in place. Rasa of Sunagakure has already accepted my alliance proposal. Next week, a genin team led by the Two-Tails' jinchūriki, Yugito Nii, will depart for Konoha.
"On Sunagakure's side, they've agreed to send the One-Tail's jinchūriki along with Baki, the head of their combat forces. The Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, also said he would personally attend the third stage of the exams.
"With the power of the One-Tail and Two-Tails, plus Rasa himself, and the combined Suna–Kumo forces lying in ambush behind the scenes—even if Konoha is prepared, they'll have a hard time dealing with it all at once.
"Konoha only has the Nine-Tails. That jinchūriki named Naruto is still very young and absolutely incapable of controlling the Nine-Tails' power.
"If we're lucky enough to draw the Nine-Tails out as well, then three tailed beasts rampaging together…"
"The destruction they cause would be something even Konoha—the strongest ninja village—couldn't withstand."
Listening to Tobi's report, even Black Zetsu couldn't help smiling. Since his senses told him they were alone in the Valley of Clouds and Lightning, he spoke freely, picking up where Tobi left off:
"You're right. The power of three tailed beasts going berserk would be difficult for even present-day Konoha to resist—especially with Suna and Kumo shinobi assisting from the sidelines.
"When the three tailed beasts are wreaking havoc and the three great villages are busy tearing each other apart, I'll bring Nagato and the Akatsuki members to descend upon the battlefield and finish everything.
"With Nagato and those eyes, dealing with three tailed beasts won't be a problem.
"If we can successfully capture the One-Tail, Two-Tails, and Nine-Tails this time, then we'll already have the One, Two, Three, Four, and Nine—five tailed beasts—in our hands.
"It's a shame that when we dealt with Killer B a few years ago, he tricked us using an Eight-Tails tentacle. Otherwise, if we had the Eight-Tails as well, the Eye of the Moon Plan would already be set in stone.
"But that's fine. With these five tailed beasts, capturing the Five-, Six-, and Seven-Tails afterward won't be difficult.
"Once we've gathered eight tailed beasts, mobilizing the full power of the Akatsuki to hunt down the Eight-Tails will be no trouble at all.
"In other words, as long as this Chūnin Exam plan goes smoothly, there will be no more obstacles standing in the way of our plans."
Thinking of this, not only Tobi but even Black Zetsu himself wore expressions of deep satisfaction.
Indeed—without Gekko Hoshiyomi, the entire shinobi world was firmly within his grasp.
It wouldn't be much longer now. As long as everything progressed smoothly, the day of his mother's resurrection was already within reach!
After giving Tobi one last satisfied look, Black Zetsu cautiously added:
"Alright. Since everything on your end is arranged, I can rest easy.
"Oh, right—when the time comes to head to Konoha, you should go as well. Use your own appearance and lie low on Konoha's outskirts.
"With Mangekyō Sharingan genjutsu in play, Kumogakure won't be able to detect anything wrong with the Fourth Raikage anyway.
"Consider it an extra layer of insurance for our plan. That way, if anything goes wrong, we can deal with it immediately."
Tobi rolled his eyes helplessly when he heard this.
"Yeah, yeah, I got it. Seriously—aren't there still meetings to attend within the Akatsuki? Stop nagging me here already."
Seeing Tobi like this, Black Zetsu shook his head and no longer insisted. He turned around and left the Valley of Clouds and Lightning. There was still a second meeting he needed to attend.
...
In a dark underground cavern, the enormous Demonic Statue of the Outer Path stood silently, like an unremarkable sculpture.
But as an abnormal fluctuation of chakra flashed through the cave, the previously silent space suddenly filled with voices.
"Yare yare… am I really the first one here? Well, I guess that can't be helped. Everyone in the organization is a bunch of weirdos, after all."
"So noisy, Deidara. If you don't have anything important to say, then shut that broken mouth of yours."
"Hah? Even if you say that, I still have two mouths on my hands, you know. Hmm—so it's absolutely impossible for me to stay quiet."
"Oh? Already arguing? The members of this organization never fail to surprise me."
As more voices joined in, faint projections began to appear on each of the ten fingers of the Demonic Statue's lotus-shaped hands.
Once all the silhouettes had arrived, the figure at the foremost finger cleared his throat and spoke:
"Alright. Everyone, quiet down."
At the sound of that deep voice, the once-noisy cavern finally fell completely silent.
Seeing this, the foremost figure nodded in satisfaction.
"Since everyone is present, we can now convene the first core meeting of the Akatsuki. As some of you joined the organization relatively recently, I'll first introduce all the members to one another.
"First, codenames Vermilion and South: Yugito Nii and Kisame.
"Next, Black and Void: Tobi and Zetsu.
"Then Three and North: Hidan and Mangetsu.
"After that, Blue and Jewel : Deidara and Sasori.
"And finally, codenames Zero and White: myself and Konan. I assume we're already familiar with each other, so there's no need for further introduction.
"This first meeting won't drag on too long. I only have one announcement to make—
"From today onward, our plan is officially underway!
"From now on, everyone must pay close attention to the reactions of your rings. During meetings, no one is permitted to be absent!"