Chapter 204: The Leader's Summon, All Members Assemble

Rain fell heavily from the sky.

Uchiha Itachi remained seated at the edge of the cliff, deep in thought.

"Thud!"

The barely conscious body of Roshi suddenly landed beside Itachi.

Itachi slightly turned his head, seeing Kisame approaching him from behind.

"Is it done?"

"Yeah, capturing him was quite troublesome. I had to get a bit serious."

Kisame responded while glancing up at the pouring rain:

"This rain is getting heavier. Getting drenched isn't good for our health. Itachi-san, let's go take shelter under a tree to avoid catching a cold..."

Uchiha Itachi spoke softly, "The leader is waiting for our report. The other members have almost completed their captures as well. He instructed us to inform him as soon as we're done here."

"Hehehe..." Kisame's shark-like teeth parted:

"They can wait a little longer. Once the sealing begins, we'll be busy for a while. We might as well take a short break now."

Saying that, Kisame swung Samehada, hanging Roshi on the sword, and walked towards the shade of a tree.

Uchiha Itachi quietly followed behind, glancing at Roshi, "He looks like he's about to die. Be gentler when dealing with the elderly..."

Kisame felt a bit aggrieved, "You wouldn't say that if you knew him better. After all, he's a Jinchuriki, not that fragile... You didn't fight him, so you don't know how tough it was for me..."

As they reached the shade, Pain's voice suddenly echoed in their minds.

"All members, find a safe location and sit down within a minute..."

One minute later.

At the Akatsuki's secret base.

A series of holographic projections appeared in front of the Gedo Statue.

Itachi and Kisame's projections were the last to appear.

"Everyone, you've worked hard..." Pain slowly opened his eyes, "Itachi, Kisame, you're late."

Kisame raised his hand and laughed, "We just finished capturing the Jinchuriki. To prevent his escape, we had to tie him up, which caused a slight delay..."

Pain said, "Don't worry. Zetsu's clone is already on its way. Roshi will be brought back soon."

Kisame responded, "Is that so? Then I'm relieved..."

Though he said that, Kisame secretly sighed in relief, fearing that the leader had discovered their slacking off.

Pain continued, "Next, we will begin sealing the tailed beasts..."

"Currently, we have captured the One-Tails, Two-Tails, and Eight-Tails..."

"The Four-Tails Jinchuriki, Roshi, will be brought back soon..."

"This sealing process will take a long time. Ensure that your real bodies are safe and not interrupted."

Hidan impatiently waved his hand, "Yeah, yeah, we know all that. Let's get started! I still have to find time to preach!"

Ignoring Hidan's interruption, Pain turned to Zetsu:

"Zetsu, use your main body to monitor the outside. Use the largest-scale jutsu."

White Zetsu lazily replied, "Understood~"

"Hmm..." Pain nodded, spreading his hands to begin the hand seals, "Let's start."

With that, all the projections simultaneously disappeared, reappearing on the fingers of the Gedo Statue.

The characters on each member's finger corresponded to the rings they wore.

"Zero," "Green," "White," "Red," "Boar," "South," "North," "Three," "Jewel"...

Then, from the mouth of the Gedo Statue, a dazzling blue light emanated.

"Sealing Jutsu: Phantom Dragon Nine Consuming Seals!"

...