AN: Chapter title: A Talk In the Rain
The Hidden Rain's most dominant feature was, since the ascension of their current leader, the tower that rose up towards the heavens.
It was the tower in which God resided within.
At the moment, the man who called himself God observed the village below from a tunnel stretching from the tower's exterior to a central room. He observed those who worshipped him after his defeat of Hanzo the Salamander, who revered him as was fitting of a God seen by such simple creatures as humans.
"You every think of stopping the rain?" From further back in the tunnel, Kisame Hoshigaki, kept himself out of the rain. "Maybe just give them a cloudy day every now and then?"
"You should be careful when saying such things in the Hidden Rain. Many would consider it a blasphemy, heretical, to speak such a thing. To those creatures like you down below, the rain is welcomed here." Pain looked towards the sky. "In my absence, the sky will continue to weep."
"Huh." Kisame found himself only able to shake his head. He restrained himself from saying what he felt, what he wanted to say. He instead decided to join Pain at the edge of the tunnel. "So, any ideas when he's going to show up?"
Pain offered no answer from where he stood. If he was being honest, Kisame had anticipated the lack of response from the puppet in front of him. Without a word, Pain left his perch, entered one of the rooms of the tower instead. Kisame, used to such behavior, followed after him without a word.
A distortion opened before the two members of Akatsuki, the two who knew the true goals of the organization. A masked man's body emerged.
"I see the others are gone." He examined the room with one eye. The other, if it was even present, went unseen behind the mask he wore over his face. His single eyed gaze eventually focused on the two in the room with him. "Am I right to assume the plan is progressing?"
"Konan and Kakuzu have been dispatched to the Hidden Leaf at my direction. Itachi and Sasori will be investigating the status of the Hidden Sand and it's Jinchuriki. Deidara and Hidan have yet to report back but it is unlikely either of them will fail their mission in the Hidden Grass. Everything is going as intended." Pain seemed set to say no more, the purple gaze of the Akatsuki's leader focused on the masked man. "Now, what of your suspicions?"
"I've confirmed them myself. The Jinchuriki has left the village with Jiraiya. With such a development, we no longer have the ability to pursue him. The losses even you would take against such a foe isn't something we can risk, not with so much still left to do. For now, the longer we mask our identities, the simpler the next steps of the plan will be." The masked man didn't seem upset or disappointed, had expected such a turn of events in truth once he had learned of the failed attack on the Hidden Leaf.
"So what exactly are those two doing?" Kisame asked the one question on his mind. With Jiraiya of the Sannin with him, there wasn't much he could do. The man was formidable in all areas, more than lived up to the stories about him if not exceeded them.
"More than likely, they are pursuing his teammate. Sarutobi is attempting to consolidate his strength, prepare his defenders for the next war." The masked man didn't seem any harm in answering it seemed.
Kisame was sure if the man let himself act normally, Pain would've scoffed at the words of the masked man. Since it was Pain, he merely shook his head.
"Something to add?" A familiar tension laced the few words the masked man spoke as he turned his head to the man.
"It doesn't matter." Pain spoke it as a fact. "The next time we meet, Jiraiya will not survive."
"Hmm." The masked man seemed amused if not simply interested in Pain's words at such a claim. "Can you really be so callous against the man who gave you so much so long ago? Is there not even an ounce of the old you that remains to spare your old teacher?"
"That man died a long time ago." The voice did not come from Pain, it came from behind them.
Another man with orange hair and piercings approached. Although he spoke in the same voice, his much longer orange hair was tied back in a ponytail, one fringe hanging over one side of his head, and seemed to lacked eyebrows. Even the piercings he carried were different with the most prominent being a bridging one through his nose, connected to a stud on either check.
"Perhaps." The masked man truly did seem amused now. "We will see. Our paths are now set to cross if nothing else. The man has grown to care for the Jinchuriki more than he should. Once we retrieve him, he will likely attempt to avenge his fallen student by coming after Akatsuki. We will need to be ready for that inevitable clash."
"There is nothing to prepare for. If he challenges Akatsuki, jeopardizes my vision, he will die like so many others have before him." Pain spoke the words with finality.
"I would normally advise you against thinking so little of your opponent but you did crush Hanzo. A feat not even your teacher could manage when he was with his esteemed teammates." The masked man dropped the topic of the Toad Sage, moved on to something more concerning for him. "Beyond his teacher, I believe the boy himself is a concern. He does have an army of strange clones to worry about. Kakuzu no doubt complained about the current lack of bounties and the fact that all of the offices have been all but emptied because of his 'Orange Legion'."
"That kid should probably be dealt with sooner rather than later." Kisame said his piece, couldn't help but chuckle at the reminder of what the kid's been up to. "Him and that army is only going to get stronger the longer we leave him alone."
"Simple numbers won't be enough to save him. Or stop you. When the time comes, you and Itachi will likely be responsible for collecting him so we may extract the Kyubi."
"Well, isn't that interesting." Kisame couldn't deny the grin on his face. "You just gave me something to look forward to. Although, Itachi may be an issue. He didn't say much but he may have a vendetta against the kid for messing with his little brother."
"His opinions on this doesn't matter." The masked man dismissed Itachi Uchiha rather quickly. "As much as he tries to stop us, he will fail just like anyone else." Kisame could feel the stare of the man on him, how it promised a swift end. "You haven't forgotten why you've been partnered with him, have you?"
"Yeah, I'm well aware of my place in all this. The insurance for this grand plan you two have got going on." Kisame shook his head. "Doesn't change the fact that the guy's going to want to head to check up on his brother one of these days. Sending him off with Sasori probably only made it worse. You know how close the Land of Wind is to the Land of Fire. Being that close, knowing he could get there and back with no one knowing? It may just be a little bit too tempting for him to resist. If you really want me to take care of the Jinchuriki, maybe you should pick somebody new to partner up with Itachi when I do. With how that guy acts, I'm not so sure he'll back me up when his brother shows up. I can't be sure what he'll do if he sees what the kid is like now."
"…Hmmm. That's rather concerning." The masked man actually sounded surprised. "This may prove to be more of a problem than I originally thought. But perhaps there are still ways to use this. If he believes the Hidden Leaf responsible for this change in his brother, then perhaps he will no longer split his loyalty between it and Akatsuki."
"I doubt it." Kisame wanted to laugh. "That guy is too loyal to even think of switching sides. He goes on about his brother in that special way of his enough that I know he won't let you go and kill him. My best guess? He's going to try and talk some sense into the kid, talk him out of following the Jinchuriki. And that's not going to work."
"You're certain of that?" He knew he had not only the full attention of the masked man but of Pain as well.
"I'm more than sure. From how a guy like Zabuza's gone on and on about the kid, the impact he leaves with that personality of his, Itachi's little brother is never going to break away from whatever place he holds in that army. The thought of leaving, of not following the Jinchuriki, has probably never even entered his head since he decided to sign up for this 'Uzumaki Empire' business. Whatever he was like before the kid got to him, whatever he wanted to do with his life, doesn't matter anymore." Kisame didn't hold it back anymore, just outright laughed. "Itachi is going to figure that out for himself the next time they meet. And it's going to tear him apart."
"How so?" The masked man was curious. Kisame could understand why.
With how committed Itachi was to the Hidden Leaf, how loyal he was despite the tragedies that had shaped him, it was difficult to imagine anything being severe enough to break him.
If left with no choice, the masked man was sure the Uchiha prodigy would take his own life rather than raise a hand against the village with true malice.
"The love Itachi has for his brother isn't something that can survive what he'll figure out at that moment. From what Zabuza's sent off, that kid is looking to conquer and that path isn't one he, or anybody with him, can walk and still be considered a loyal Shinobi. It doesn't matter who he pledged his loyalty to before all this, it doesn't matter anymore, not with that kind of ambition. People still don't take that title of his, that Caesar thing, seriously but he's not kidding around and if Zabuza believes it, I'm willing to do the same. When Itachi recognizes that his brother is the same, that he's set himself on this path, that he'll eventually go against the village he's sacrificed so much for, it'll tear him apart. The idea that the same brother he killed so many for will have to die by his hands? That's going to shatter him."
"How…fitting." The masked man clearly enjoyed learning such information, such a fact of Itachi Uchiha's future. He was likely smiling beneath the mask he wore, that concealed his identity. "The man who did such an atrocity as the massacre of our clan has lost the brother he did it all for. And he doesn't even know it."
He chose to laugh like Kisame had, laugh at the absolute tragedy that would be the life of Itachi Uchiha.
"To take pleasure from another's suffering is unfitting of you Madara." Pain shook his head, the face of the puppet wasn't annoyed but seemed disappointed. "As misguided as the child is, his despair should not be used in turn for such a perverse joy."
"Such words coming from a man who has chosen the moniker of Pain? How hard it is to believe their sincerity." The masked man, Madara Uchiha, allowed his frustration to show, replaced his humor with anger. "This shall be a lesson for him, a final one that at last demeans him for his foolish ideals of peace through sacrifice."
"Nothing to be upset about really. He brought what, ten, fifteen, years of peace from that night. All at the cost of the clan that tossed you out like trash. I thought you would be happy hearing about it, how they got what they deserved." The former Kirigakure Shinobi turned to Madara. "Besides, you were the one who set everything into motion when you set the Kyubi loose. Didn't even bother to save us the time and capture it."
"My aim that night was to kill the Fourth Hokage, not set that village against the Uchiha Clan nor capture the Tailed Beast from the Jinchuriki. The Kyubi attacking the village was simply a distraction to make that goal easier. Unfortunately, I underestimated him and he managed to wrest control of the Kyubi from me, uncover more information than he should have with that frightening intellect of his. Much like Hashirama did during our last clash, he took a moment of inattention to try and deal the finishing blow." The masked man chose to laugh at that knowledge. "If nothing else, that boy was sickeningly similar to the Senju. Always preaching this or that, believing in things as foolish as dreams. I must admit, his death not coming by my hands was frustrating but the threat he posed against Akatsuki was removed when he fell in battle against the Kyubi."
"Yet he thought ahead even at that moment, acted to not only maintain the balance between the five great powers but ensure the strength of the Kyubi remained for a future battle against you. There's no telling what information he managed to pass on concerning your existence, what message he could have prepared in the short time he had between your retreat and his arrival to battle the Tailed Beast."
"Regardless of what happened that night, Minato Namikaze is dead. With that soft-hearted boy of Tobirama's back in charge, the village lacks a formidable leader. His experiences have made him too cautious, his survival of so many battles letting him know the hell of war better than most. He's eager to pursue peace ahead of anything else, step off the path to war unless he is truly forced." Madara shook his head. "If not for that Will of Fire nonsense, he could perhaps have been a valuable ally to Akatsuki. With him being such a formidable believer in Hashirama's foolishness, he's only in the way of our goal."
Kisame wasn't exactly sure if Madara was telling the truth or not.
With the mess that mission had seemingly turned into, it wouldn't surprise him if the masked man was lying, trying to save face in front of the two, some of the few people who knew the true goals of Akatsuki.
But it was also just as likely he was telling the truth, that he really had only intended to weaken the Hidden Leaf, that his entire goal that night had been the death of Minato Namikaze, perhaps the death of his entire family.
It was hard to tell.
A good Shinobi had to have a stellar poker face no matter what age they came from.
"You try to hide your mistake under the cover of a fortunate accident." Pain shook his head at Madara's supposed goal that night, clearly believed him nothing but a liar. "As long as no one learned your identity and survived the night, the goal of Akatsuki will remain safe."
"There's no reason to fear for my sake boy." Madara's visible eye flashed, a warning in his gaze. "From the ANBU stationed as guards to that boy's wife, I made sure to kill them all."
"So you say." Pain didn't regard Madara's threat as dangerous, a clash between the two not certain victory for either.
Kisame didn't involve himself in the conversation.
He didn't particularly like it when these two met.
The "public" leader of the Akatsuki and the man behind the group were destined to clash one of these days.
Their goals, one seeking tranquility and one seeking peace, were too opposed for either to exist together. While the path they would walk, collecting the nine Tailed Beasts, was the same, that was all they had in common. Once the material for what they needed was gathered, they were unlikely to agree on what to do with it next.
Their goals would see them destroy one another at the end.
As much as they spoke of peace, of putting an end to war, neither saw violence as a burden, were quick to resort to it.
Once they reached a point where they could no longer cooperate towards the same end, they would seek to eliminate the other.
Kisame was interested in seeing who would win but not at risk of becoming a victim of such powers of this world meeting.
He would content himself as being little more than an observer when the time came, a tool to pursue the goals of both before then.
A distortion pulled him from his thoughts, the departure of the masked man coming as swiftly as his arrival.
With his departure, he left Kisame alone with Pain.
Without a word, Pain departed.
Kisame followed.
"So, where exactly are we headed?" Kisame shouldered Samehada, the blade more than a little anxious around Pain. The Chakra of the leader of Akatsuki was something the sword, more often than not, avoided consuming. Consequently, coming to the Hidden Rain left Samehada in a testy mood for a few days.
"The Land of Demons."
"Huh."
Kisame took a moment to stare at the puppet, considered arguing against this not entirely clear course of action.
While they were, to those in the know, mere mercenaries, it wasn't very common for Pain himself to take on missions. While strong, he was usually set to focus only on recruitment to fill any positions left by the deceased or hunt down traitors to the group.
The former Hidden Mist Shinobi chose to move pass what he was feeling. He continued down the tunnel Pain was taking, that would take the two of them out the village with none the wiser. This wouldn't be his first time taking this path and, more than likely, it wouldn't be his last. A 'privilege' of his for knowing so much.
As they traveled down the damp tunnel, Samehada shifted in his hold as drops of water fell from the ceiling. The entire blade seemed to ripple beneath the bandages wrapped around it, grew almost wild in his hold. For a moment, he thought the blade would unravel, would try something in the cramped quarters of the tunnel.
It passed as swiftly as it had arrived, a more noticeable draw on his Chakra coming from the blade.
He was sure of it now, the blade was feeling some anxiety at the close proximity to Pain, the fact that the entirety of the Hidden Rain if not the country itself was all but soaked in the Chakra it had taken such an intense dislike to. The greater drain on his Chakra was a consequence of such an anxiety, the blade gorging itself on a familiar food source before likely slipping off into something close to hibernation. He didn't see a reason to interrupt the blade, knew how to wake the blade if he needed to.
"I've never been there myself but I've heard rumors about that place. Real isolationists. They usually don't send out contracts, hardly even allow Shinobi over the borders. How'd they get a hold of Akatsuki?"
"One of the priestesses once heard of a God in the Hidden Rain Village. She approached me." It was difficult to place Pain's voice, was odd to hear the man sound almost fond of someone.
'So, a personal favor.' He didn't put word to such thoughts, considered them better left unsaid. 'Wonder who got through to you?'
He figured he would find out when they arrived.
If not? He was content with whatever battle they would find themselves in.
'It's about time I got to see what 'God' can really do.'