"Hm? Why did it suddenly get cold?"
Seated inside the hotel, Hoshigaki Kisame immediately noticed the sudden drop in temperature. Deidara, still holding his Sake bowl, froze for a moment as well. As a shinobi specializing in explosive techniques, he too could clearly sense that something about the environment had changed.
The shift made the other relaxed Akatsuki members raise their heads. In a world where ninjutsu was everywhere, a sudden change in the weather was quite possibly not natural at all, but the effect of some enemy technique.
Without a word, Uchiha Itachi's eyes shifted. Three black tomoe surfaced rapidly in each eye, while the atmosphere around the other Akatsuki members sharpened at once. This was no illusion. They could all feel the temperature dropping quickly.
"What's going on? Why did it suddenly get so cold?"
"Seriously... huh? It's snowing?!"
Voices from another room nearby made the Akatsuki members glance aside. Konan, who sat closest to the window, rose slightly and pushed it open. The sight outside made her pupils contract.
Night stretched overhead. The pure white moon hung in the sky like a jade plate, turning the darkness around it into a vast piece of deep-blue crystal. Not a single cloud had gathered, and yet pure white snowflakes were unmistakably falling through the clear sky, as though they had followed some unseen presence here.
"What is this?"
Sasori reached out and caught a snowflake drifting in through the window. After examining it closely, he showed a trace of surprise. It was not an ordinary six-pointed snowflake. Instead, it was shaped like a feather, so detailed that even the shaft and branching barbs could be seen clearly.
"Hehehehehe~ ahahahaha~"
An ethereal girl's giggle drifted through the air. White feathers seemed to materialize from nowhere outside the window in front of Konan, gathering together and condensing into a translucent Ice Mirror. Within the mirror, a figure slowly appeared, rising like a Snow Spirit from the bottom of a frozen lake. Before everyone's eyes, and under Deidara's and Sasori's widening gazes, an arm extended out of the mirror. The figure then emerged completely, a pair of wings formed from snow spreading behind her shoulders and making her look even more like a spirit.
"Oh~"
"Heh~"
The girl in the black dress slowly descended beneath the gaze of every Akatsuki member. With perfect naturalness, she lifted the hem of her skirt and bent her knees in a curtsy. The gesture carried an elegant, almost illusory grace that contrasted beautifully with the pride and confidence in her voice.
"My apologies for keeping Lord Pain waiting~"
The corners of Hinata's mouth rose slightly. As she withdrew her chakra, the Ice Wings behind her slowly vanished, leaving only her figure standing there.
"Oh~ amazing you look incredible~~"
Before Pain could speak, Deidara had already sprung to his feet in astonishment. He circled Hinata several times, his eyes studying the girl before him with intense care, as though determined to memorize every detail of both her features and her clothing.
"It really is impressive. But I've never seen clothes put together like that before. Is this some new kind of art?"
Sasori also examined her several times before asking bluntly. In a shinobi world whose clothing culture was dominated by Japanese-style aesthetics, Suigintou's Gothic dress gave the two artists an entirely new kind of visual impact.
"Heh. Looks like you've found yourself another fine outfit, Suigintou."
Pain sat imposingly at the head of the room, the corner of his mouth lifting into the faintest smile. Even he found the sight interesting. Hinata had clearly used some kind of method resembling the Six Paths Technique to create or control this body, yet the feeling it gave off was nothing like the weakness of the previous one. With the Rinnegan, Pain could clearly see the immense, surging chakra within her current body. And judging from the way she had just appeared, this body likely possessed an exceptionally powerful and rare Kekkei Genkai, or perhaps a secret technique.
"Thanks to Lord Pain, I really did find something I adore this time."
Straightening, Hinata spread her arms as though putting herself on display. She enjoyed showing off the beauty of this body, especially because it also possessed overwhelming power. She could not yet be certain of its exact limits, but in terms of chakra reserves and recovery speed alone, Suigintou's body had already reached roughly half the level of Senju Hashirama himself. Add the Byakugan and Ice Release Kekkei Genkai, and calling her Kage-level on a stat sheet would hardly be an exaggeration.
"Hmm~ I see. So Suigintou is the sort of girl who likes pretty things too. Still, you really are quite adorable like this."
Now that Hinata's identity had been confirmed, Hoshigaki Kisame relaxed back against the cushion behind him. His gaze held open appreciation. The beauty Hinata displayed now was the kind these shinobi could truly respect: beauty backed by strength.
In this cruel shinobi world, beauty without power was nothing more than a fragile flower, one that could be torn apart by a single storm. Only beauty that possessed strength, like a flower woven from metal, was truly worth admiring.
"You gave me quite a shock. But you actually look a lot like Konan this way. You've both got that winged look."
Hidan spoke with his usual cheeky grin. Beside the window, Konan's brow relaxed slightly. Her expression remained as unreadable as ever, but it was clear that Hinata's new appearance had genuinely piqued her curiosity.
"Strength and beauty complement one another. Now then, we can get to the real matter."
Accepting Akatsuki's praise without modesty, Hinata naturally knelt on the cushion directly opposite Pain and cleared her throat. "Then, Lord Pain, shall we begin?"
"Of course. You were the one who helped Kakuzu and the others plan the takeover of the Land of Waves. Naturally, you have the right to give your assessment."
Pain nodded casually. Suigintou's changing appearance and power were secondary to him. What mattered was whether her intelligence and judgment could continue helping Akatsuki move forward.
"Then I'll be direct."
With her hands folded over her knees, Hinata's tone took on unmistakable confidence.
"Please help me obtain the identity of a princess of the Daimyo of the Land of Waves—and, if possible, his heir."
"I need that identity to truly bring this country back to life under the right direction."