Deep within the land of Rivers, east from the Hidden Sand village, an evil was lurking. Simply by passing through one could not tell it was there. The birds were chirping happily, and the deer grazed upon the grass and leaves of small shrubs.
Upon the edge of the forest, stood a steep cliff washed by the rivers that ran throughout the land. At the foot of the cliff stood a tori arch and through the arch was a boulder within the cliffside. Upon the boulder there was a single white tag with the character "barrier" written in red. Through the boulder, there was a dark, cool cave. Although the cave lay next to a river, it was surprisingly dry.
Within the cave appeared nine holograms in the shape of people. The holograms were not but colored silhouettes, withholding the physical features of the actual body. The color of the holograms resembled the color that appears as light reflects off of an oil puddle. The only feature that was allowed to be seen were the eyes of each person. As the personas stood quiet, one spoke out. The man had his eyes shut but as he spoke, they opened revealing a deep, regal purple eye with a black ripple pattern.
"You are all here..." he spoke, his voice deep with power as it echoed through the cave, able to send a chill through the spines of even the most hardened criminals. His eyes had an intense anger and hatred within them, yet something sparkled. His eyes sparkled with an intense desire, the desire to achieve something great. Simply by looking into his eyes, you could feel his merciless heart of steel beating endlessly.
"...it is time for us to make our move. We have worked as mercenaries for a few years, simply for the money we need to support our actions. Now that we have what we need, it is time for us to advance to phase two."
"What exactly is our purpose anyway?" bellowed someone from across the cave. His eyes were a simple black, but his most distinguishing feature was the triple bladed sythe-like weapon he carried on his back. "What's the point of what we do? I mean, I may be the newest member but I'v still been here long enough, yet I still don't get what our goal is!"
"That's alright Hidan..."spoke the leader. "...your only concern at the moment is to hunt the hosts of the tailed beasts, the jinchuuriki. Once this has been done, our goal will become clear to you. Perhaps Kakuzu can explain it in a way you can understand while you hunt.
Hidan looked to his right at his partner Kakuzu. His eyes were odd, what would normally be the white of someones eye, was red within Kakuzu's, accented with a green iris and pupil. This man was different. His battle experience far excelled that of the other members. He was deadly, yet subtle.
"Pay attention more Hidan, the leader has already explained it several times during your membership in the Akatsuki. The problem is that you're too focused on your pathetic cult."
"Why you...!" Hidan yelled, quickly becoming enraged. "Don't insult my religion you atheist prick! Jashin is going to smite you himself one day!"
"Shut up Hidan...or i'll kill you." Kakuzu replied, calmly.
"HA! Like you could pull it off!"
"Enough you two." the leader commanded, ending the strife between the two comrades
"Your job is to capture the nine jinchuuriki and bring them here for sealing, no excuses...Now, dismissed"
As the leader issued his last command, the members of the Akatsuki dispersed, unseen until the time to strike...