At the border of the Land of Rain, nestled within a hidden, rocky mountain range, Obito, Itachi, and the young Shiro stood before a massive stone gate.
"We're here," Obito announced. "This is the Akatsuki base."
As if sensing their arrival, a low rumbling sound echoed from within. The huge stone door slowly ground open, revealing an endless, yawning darkness. As they walked into the maw of the mountain, Obito spoke, his voice low. "Within this organization, I am known as Madara. There may be tis when I must use other nas in the future. I expect your cooperation in not revealing my true identity."
Itachi simply nodded, his face an unreadable mask.
Obito glanced at him, a flicker of curiosity in his visible eye. "Are you not going to ask why I hide my identity?"
Itachi's reply was calm and asured. "You must have your reasons. I have no desire to know things that do not concern . Besides, when you wish to tell , you will do so without my asking."
Hearing this, Obito murmured to himself, This boy is truly unpredictable.
Soon, they arrived in a vast, cavernous hall. Before them stood a colossal, grotesque statue that imdiately captured Itachi's full attention. He stared at it, unable to look away, a sense of profound, ancient power radiating from the stone. He could not help but ask, "What is this statue… for?"
From the shadows, two figures slowly erged: Pain and Konan.
"It is called the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path," Pain's voice echoed in the chamber. "It is the empty husk of the Ten-Tails, the ultimate weapon of war."
The Ten-Tails? Itachi was secretly shocked. So the legends are true.
But what surprised Itachi even more were Pain's eyes. They were a strange, hypnotic purple, filled with concentric, ripple-like circles. This must be the man with the Rinnegan that Obito had ntioned. The Rinnegan and the husk of the Ten-Tails… today, he had seen with his own eyes things that belonged to the realm of myth. His heart was a storm of turmoil, but his expression remained impassive.
"You must be Uchiha Itachi," Pain said, his voice a low monotone as he walked toward him. "Welco. My na is Pain, and I am the leader of the Akatsuki." He gestured to the woman at his side. "This is Konan. She is also a mber of the organization."
Konan looked at Itachi's face, her own expression cold and unreadable. She frowned slightly. "It is ti you changed your forehead protector."
Whoosh!
A sheet of paper, sharp as a razor, shot across Itachi's face, so fast it was a white blur. He didn't even blink, knowing instinctively that she ant him no harm. The next mont, a deep, horizontal scratch was carved across the Konoha symbol on his forehead protector, marking him as a rogue ninja.
Konan withdrew the paper, her voice a soft whisper. "There. That looks much more appropriate." With that, she and Pain turned to leave.
"Itachi," Pain said over his shoulder, "co with . I will introduce you to the other mbers of the organization. I will also assign you a partner. From now on, you will carry out all missions as a two-man team."
Itachi said nothing, simply falling in step behind him.
Soon, only Shiro and Obito were left in the great hall.
"Alright, Shiro, my work for today is done. Let's go. I'll take you to get sothing to eat."
"Wait, Obito-nii! Let go in and take a look. I want to see the other mbers of the Akatsuki!" The powerful, imposing aura of Pain and Konan had captivated Shiro. They were so cool! If they weren't the protagonists of this story, who was? With leaders like that, the Akatsuki would surely achieve great things.
How could Obito refuse Shiro's request? "Alright. Since you wish to see them, I will take you."
Inside a large, communal room, the current mbers of the Akatsuki were gathered. Juzo Biwa, Sasori of the Red Sand, Orochimaru, and Kakuzu. Next to Kakuzu stood a large, oafish man, his limbs thick and powerful, a character who looked like he was destined to be a minor supporting role at best.
Shiro tugged on the corner of Obito's cloak, signaling him to bend down. Leaning close to Obito's ear, he asked curiously, "who is that guy?"
Obito shook his head. "I don't know. Pain recruited him these past few days. He is now Kakuzu's partner."
Oh, Shiro thought with a grim understanding. He rembered that before Kakuzu was partnered with Hidan, all of his previous partners had ended up dead at his own hands. It seed this supporting actor's ti on stage would be short.
Seeing Itachi enter, Orochimaru's expression instantly filled with a predatory greed. "Ah, if it isn't Itachi. It has been a long ti, tsk tsk…"
"Orochi…maru." Itachi clenched his fists, hiding them behind his back. He wanted nothing more than to eliminate the man who had hard his brother, but he knew this was not the ti. As long as he was a mber of this organization, there would be other opportunities.
Pain announced, "This is our newest mber, Uchiha Itachi. As it happens, he is from the sa village as you, Orochimaru. But your shared origins an nothing here. You now belong only to the Akatsuki. The Akatsuki's goal is to achieve true peace in this world."
"Therefore, we do not ask about your pasts. We recruit only the most outstanding ninja to join our cause. We have no hotown, we have forgotten our hotown, we have denied our hotown."
"The Akatsuki will replace the nations and villages of old and rule this world!"
After his passionate opening speech, Pain looked at Juzo Biwa. "Juzo, Itachi is your new partner."
"That is all I have to say. You may return to your duties. For the sake of our great cause… disperse!"
__________________________
"Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed the chapter, please consider donating Power Stones and joining our patreon
[patreon /coolperry]
for early access to future chapters.( 30 chapters)
Reviews
All reviews (0)