In Amegakure, inside the tall tower.
Pain sat in the main seat, his Rinnegan scanning Sora and Kisame, who had just returned.
Konan stood beside him as usual.
"Is the mission complete?"
Pain's voice was still icy cold.
"Three S-ranked targets, all killed."
Sora replied calmly, taking out three sealing scrolls from his belongings and unsealing them on the floor.
With a puff of white smoke, three corpses were neatly arranged.
Konan stepped forward to inspect them, and after confirming their identities were correct, she nodded to Pain.
"Good."
Pain's gaze turned to Sora. "And the mission report?"
Sora handed over the mission record scroll he had prepared in advance, along with the scroll of Kumogakure secret techniques obtained from Yotsuki Ryō.
"This was found on Yotsuki Ryō. It records some of Kumogakure's secret techniques."
Pain took the scroll and quickly browsed through it.
A faint ripple passed through his Rinnegan.
Although these Lightning Release techniques didn't involve Kumogakure's most core esoteric transmissions, their value was still considerable.
"The mission was executed excellently."
Pain put away the scroll and fixed his gaze back on Sora. "White Tiger, your strength is greater than anticipated."
Sora's mind stirred.
Was this a test, or recognition?
His expression unchanged, he replied hoarsely, "I just gave it my all."
"You're being modest."
Pain slowly stood up, walked to the window, and looked out at the ceaseless curtain of rain. "To consistently kill three powerful missing-nin in less than a month, this level of efficiency is top-tier within the organization."
Unsure of his meaning, Sora understood at least that his strength had caught Nagato's eye, so he asked:
"What's the next mission?"
"None for now."
Pain turned, his Rinnegan fixed on Sora. "You and Kisame should rest for a while. Subsequent missions will be assigned according to the situation."
He paused, then added:
"Remember, the organization's goal is to collect the Tailed Beasts and achieve true peace in the shinobi world. Before that, we need to accumulate sufficient funds and power."
"Understood." Sora nodded.
Kisame grinned beside him. "Finally get a few days' rest. We've been worn out this whole time."
Pain ignored Kisame's complaint and instead looked at Sora:
"White Tiger, you mentioned before that you have an interest in the Tailed Beasts."
Sora had deliberately mentioned this to Kisame earlier, and as expected, Nagato had taken notice. Fortunately, he had already prepared his explanation:
"Tailed Beasts are the most powerful concentrations of chakra in the shinobi world. As a ninja, it's natural to be curious about such power."
"Besides... if one could master the power of a Tailed Beast, it would likely be of great help in achieving the organization's goals."
Pain was silent for a moment, then said slowly:
"The power of the Tailed Beasts is indeed immense, but it is also very dangerous."
"When the time is right, the organization will begin capturing them. When that day comes, your strength will naturally be needed."
"For now, focus on the tasks at hand."
Sora knew the topic was over and didn't press further.
"If there's nothing else, we'll take our leave."
Pain nodded.
Sora and Kisame turned and left the hall.
...
After they left, Konan asked softly:
"Nagato, do you think White Tiger is reliable?"
Pain gazed out the window, replying calmly:
"So far, no issues."
"His strength is sufficient, his mission execution is excellent, and he's interested in the Tailed Beasts—this fits the profile of an organization member."
Konan was still somewhat concerned:
"But his origins are too mysterious. A strongman of his level shouldn't be completely unknown in the shinobi world."
Obito hadn't told the two that White Tiger was introduced by Sora and hailed from Takigakure, so naturally, they couldn't trace White Tiger's origins back.
"Everyone has secrets."
Pain said flatly. "As long as he doesn't hinder the organization's plans, he can be used."
"Compared to White Tiger, I'm more concerned about Uchiha Madara's side."
Konan's expression turned serious. "Has Madara-san made any moves recently?"
"He's already preparing."
Pain's voice was utterly devoid of emotion. "Something major will happen in Konoha soon."
"Should we get involved?"
"No need."
Pain turned and walked into the shadows. "This is Uchiha Madara's own plan. It has nothing to do with the organization."
"Our target is the Tailed Beasts."
Konan nodded and followed him.
...
Outside the tall tower.
Sora and Kisame walked along the streets of Amegakure.
"What are your plans now, White Tiger-san?"
Kisame asked with a grin, shouldering his large sword.
"Find a place to rest first, recover my condition."
Sora replied calmly. "After nearly a month of continuous combat, both my chakra and spirit need to recover."
"True enough."
Kisame nodded. "Well, I'll head back to my place then. Contact me if anything comes up."
With that, he leaped away a few times and vanished into the rain.
Sora watched the direction Kisame had gone, his gaze profound.
'Pain has begun to trust me initially. As long as I don't slip up, I should be able to gain a firm foothold in the Akatsuki.'
'But regarding Obito... the Nine-Tails Incident is about to begin. I must be prepared.'
He pondered as he walked towards his temporary lodging in Amegakure.
He had two objectives during the Nine-Tails Incident.
One was—Yūhi Kurenai's family.
This was simple. Sending Tenji and one of the snake sages from Ryūchi Cave would suffice.
The second was—the Nine-Tails.
Sora remembered that in the original work, half of the Nine-Tails was sealed into the Reaper's belly by Minato Namikaze. He had some ideas regarding that half.
Rather than letting that half of the Nine-Tails idle until the final battle, it would be better to use it as a power bank for his clone.
...
Back at his.., Sora set up a simple soundproofing barrier and sat down cross-legged.
He began to organize the gains from this period.
First, regarding strength.
Through the life-or-death battle with Yotsuki Ryō, the synchronization rate between the White Tiger clone and his soul had increased to about seventy-five percent.
Combined with Wind Release, Magnet Release, and the weakened version of the Azure Dragon fruit's abilities, he could now be considered a strong figure at the Kage level.
At the very least, he was no weaker than Kisame.
Second.
Through this mission, Sora had gained a clearer understanding of the Akatsuki organization's early operational methods.
At present, the Akatsuki's personnel weren't yet complete, and its funds and resources were limited. It mainly sustained itself by taking on high-reward bounties from the black market.
Although Nagato had created the Six Paths of Pain, he clearly hadn't yet begun large-scale plans to capture the Tailed Beasts.
According to the original work, the Akatsuki's formal capture of the Tailed Beasts would start a few years later, with the One-Tail Shukaku as the first target.
'There's still enough time.'
Sora calculated in his mind.
What he needed to do was achieve the Kekkei Mora before Madara Uchiha and Kaguya Ōtsutsuki were revived. There was considerable time in between, enough for him to fully integrate all his clones.
Of course, the prerequisite was that the "Akatsuki," or rather, "Black Zetsu," couldn't advance the plan ahead of schedule.