pain

Pain is the acknowledged leader of Akatsuki, partnered with Konan, and supported by Tobi. He plays a pivotal role in the tailed beast sealing ceremony. The first and primary "Pain" introduced in the series is actually Yahiko (弥彦), one of six animated corpses known as "The Six Paths of Pain." These corpses are all controlled by Nagato (長門) from Amegakure. As a child, Nagato was secretly visited by Madara Uchiha, who implanted his Rinnegan (輪廻眼, meaning "Saṃsāra Eye") into Nagato's body, granting him powerful abilities based on the six Buddhist paths of reincarnation. Orphaned in war-torn Amegakure, Nagato met fellow orphans Konan and Yahiko, and they were all trained by Jiraiya. Nagato sought world peace and helped Yahiko establish Akatsuki to pursue that dream. However, a trap set by Amegakure's dictator Hanzo led to Yahiko's death, prompting Nagato to take over as the new leader of Akatsuki. This event crippled Nagato but also made him realize that peace could only be achieved by teaching the world the pain caused by war. To this end, he adopted the alias "Pain," conquered Amegakure, and created the Six Paths of Pain to overcome his physical limitations and kill Hanzo, becoming a "god" in the eyes of Amegakure's citizens. By dyeing the hair of the other Paths to match Yahiko's and outfitting them with numerous piercings, Nagato enhanced their appearance and control over them. Through his Rinnegan, they can share visual information and coordinate attacks. Jiraiya later confronted Nagato about his role as "Pain," leading to a battle where Nagato dismissed his former mentor's ideals and killed him. During Pain's attack on Konoha, the six Paths were defeated by Naruto. After conversing with Naruto, Nagato renewed his faith in his late master and the possibility of peace. He sacrificed his life to revive those he had killed in Konoha. Later, Nagato was resurrected by Kabuto and sent alongside Itachi to fight Naruto and Killer Bee, but was returned to the afterlife. (Source: Wikipedia)