After learning Itachi Uchiha's identity, Mei felt a cold chill spread through her chest, as if she had stepped into a frozen wasteland.
But hearing Pain's calm and confident words gave her some reassurance.
The legendary Rinnegan of the Sage of Six Paths was said to possess god-like power. Even if it wasn't as world-shattering as the old legends claimed, it should still far surpass the Sharingan.
With that thought, Mei finally strengthened her resolve to carry out the plan.
"In that case, we will await your orders," Mei said as she slapped the table, officially concluding the negotiation.
That night, Itachi intended to send the latest information to Jie. But for some reason, he constantly felt as though someone was lurking in the shadows, silently watching him.
Yet no matter how discreetly he investigated, he found absolutely nothing.
It was as if the sensation itself were nothing more than an illusion.
The strange feeling made Itachi's heart sink. He knew Pain had already begun suspecting his loyalty and had most likely ordered Zetsu to keep an eye on him.
'Damn it… how am I supposed to warn my brother that the Akatsuki is targeting him?' Anxiety slowly crept into Itachi's heart.
After all, Pain possessed the legendary Rinnegan. During his time in the Akatsuki, Itachi had personally experienced the overwhelming pressure that man exuded.
At the very least, he estimated that Pain was several times stronger than himself.
It was worth noting that, due to Jie's strict orders, Itachi had never overused the powers of his Mangekyo Sharingan. Because of that, his physical condition was far better than it would have been otherwise.
On top of that, after mastering many of the ninjutsu Jie had taught him, Itachi had become far stronger than before, even without using the Mangekyo Sharingan.
Even so, Itachi felt that even if he activated his Mangekyo Sharingan and pushed its abilities to the limit, he would only be able to hold out against Pain for a little longer.
Whether he could even force Pain to reveal his full strength was uncertain.
Facing someone that powerful, Itachi couldn't help but worry about Jie's safety.
'Maybe I should just expose myself. Staying undercover in the Akatsuki is important, but my brother's safety comes first,' Itachi thought silently.
Just as Itachi gritted his teeth and prepared to summon his ninja crows to warn Jie regardless of the consequences, he suddenly realized that his concern had clouded his judgment.
He had been so focused on Pain's terrifying strength that he had momentarily forgotten something important...
Jie was no ordinary shinobi either.
Since childhood, Itachi had always been regarded as a genius. He had trained harder than most and pushed himself constantly, yet whenever he compared himself to Jie, he still felt a deep sense of inadequacy.
No matter how much stronger he became, the gap between them never seemed to shrink.
As the years passed, no matter how hard Itachi tried to catch up, the gap between him and Jie only seemed to grow wider.
Against Pain, Itachi at least felt he could put up some resistance.
But against Jie, he honestly couldn't even imagine how the fight would end.
Jie was proficient in all five chakra natures, and his mastery of Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, and Genjutsu had long since reached an absurd level.
Even years ago, relying on swordsmanship alone, the ten-year-old Jie had been able to suppress the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki and kill the Fourth Raikage.
Now, more than five years had passed.
Itachi didn't even want to imagine how powerful Jie had become by this point. Perhaps even the legendary Hashirama Senju might not be his equal.
Thinking of this, the tension in Itachi's heart gradually eased.
As for warning Jie, he decided to leave it to fate.
Once the war truly began and his brother made his move, it would already be a blessing if anyone in the Akatsuki survived. There was no point worrying about it now.
Meanwhile, Zetsu, who had been secretly monitoring Itachi, noticed that the Uchiha hadn't made any suspicious moves. A trace of doubt rose in his mind. Had Itachi truly cut ties with Jie? Was that why he had betrayed Konoha and joined the Akatsuki?
After thinking it over for a moment, Zetsu decided to leave a few spores behind to continue watching Itachi while his main body returned to Pain's room.
"Itachi Uchiha hasn't made a move?" Pain asked calmly after hearing Zetsu's report, his expression completely emotionless.
"Not making a move doesn't prove Itachi isn't Konoha's spy," Pain said, his Rinnegan fixed on Zetsu. "But we'll let the matter rest for now. Once the plan begins in a few days, the truth will reveal itself."
"Understood," Zetsu replied smoothly. "I'll continue monitoring Itachi until the operation starts. However, should I also send a clone to keep watch on Jie Uchiha?"
"There's no need," Pain said flatly. "If Jie Uchiha is truly as powerful as the rumors claim, then he likely has methods to detect you. If you're exposed too early, it could create unnecessary problems for our plan."
"Understood. Then I'll return to monitoring Itachi." Zetsu slowly sank into the ground, disappearing from Pain's sight.
"Jie Uchiha..." After Zetsu left, Pain slowly turned toward the direction of Konoha's forces and spoke quietly to himself.
"No matter what happens, my divine eyes will guide this world toward peace. Yahiko's dream will become reality."
At the same time, Jie was also looking toward the area where the Kirigakure shinobi were stationed.
The temporary palace and the guest house were separated by a great distance. Even with the Thousand-Pupil Byakugan activated, Jie couldn't directly see the guest house from where he stood.
And yet, for some reason, he could vaguely sense someone observing him from that direction.
'Black Zetsu?' Jie wondered silently.
However, even under the vision of the Thousand-Pupil Byakugan, he couldn't detect anything unusual.
'Maybe it's just the instincts of strong shinobi reacting to one another,' Jie thought, a faint smile appearing on his face.
'The power of the Rinnegan... I've wanted to see it for a long time.'
Up to 40 chapters ahead on patreon :-
patreon.com/Vristikk