Before a remote riverside cave hidden far from civilization, Itachi Uchiha silently followed behind Shisui Uchiha aboard a small boat drifting slowly forward.
"I originally thought you changed your mind."
Shisui calmly looked ahead.
"After all, I waited for you that night and never saw you arrive."
"... Konoha's higher-ups had more backup plans than expected."
Itachi's voice remained expressionless.
"Getting rid of them took so extra ti."
"Is that so?"
Shisui neither confird nor denied the explanation.
"We're almost there."
He glanced toward the dark cave ahead.
"That's the organization controlled by Madara Uchiha."
"Though publicly, he isn't the leader."
"He hid his identity?"
"Yes."
Shisui nodded.
"He uses the fake na 'Tobi' and disguises himself as so useless reserve mber within the organization."
Then he pointed toward the black cloth covering his eyes and calmly added:
"Not just him. too."
"Other than the leader and his closest confidants, only you know our real identities."
"I should tell you beforehand to avoid mistakes later."
"Inside the organization…"
"My na is 'Shika.'"
"... A rather simple disguise."
Itachi's expression remained indifferent.
"I don't need one?"
"There's no point."
Shisui answered calmly.
"What you did was too famous."
"And since you're joining later than everyone else, acting overly mysterious will only attract more scrutiny."
"... Sounds like you've gained experience."
While speaking, the boat finally docked before the cave.
The two stepped inside.
The cave interior was astonishingly vast.
The mont Itachi entered, he imdiately sensed faint chakra fluctuations hidden throughout the stone beds and ground itself.
Most likely surveillance techniques.
Anyone entering here would instantly be detected.
And at the deepest part of the cave—
A bizarre gigantic statue appeared before Itachi's eyes.
The enormous figure opened its mouth toward the heavens while embedded directly into the stone wall.
Its hands were raised before its chest as though supporting sothing.
The entire statue resembled a creature roaring in agony.
More importantly—
Itachi noticed the statue's eyes seed strangely concealed sohow.
For no clear reason, he suddenly felt this bizarre sculpture vaguely resembled Shisui standing beside him.
"Well well, isn't this Itachi? Long ti no see."
A figure suddenly erged from the darkness atop the statue's raised hand and casually greeted him like an old acquaintance.
"Orochimaru?"
Itachi's heart trembled slightly.
He never expected this infamous S-rank missing-nin—whose existence Konoha treated with extre caution—to have already joined Akatsuki.
After all, Orochimaru had once been the Third Hokage's student.
And after losing the battle for the position of Fourth Hokage years ago, he vanished completely from the ninja world.
No wonder even ANBU investigations failed to locate him.
Still—
Outwardly, Itachi remained completely calm.
As though encountering a "fellow villager" within the organization surprised him very little.
"Hehehe…"
Orochimaru's snake-like pupils glead with excitent.
"As expected, you really are a shinobi who understands darkness is the true essence of this world."
"Things like villages, clans, companions…"
"They're rely burdens."
"Discarding them was the correct choice."
The excitent within Orochimaru's eyes was completely undisguised.
Yet Itachi only felt disgust toward him.
Because Itachi could clearly sense that Orochimaru's excitent had nothing to do with him joining the organization.
No…
It stemd from sothing else entirely.
Compared to the Fourth Hokage-sama…
You're far inferior, Orochimaru.
Then Itachi ignored Orochimaru entirely.
Because another familiar figure suddenly erged from atop the statue's hand as well.
The masked man bounced around noisily with exaggerated cheerfulness while greeting them.
"Shika-brother, you're back!"
"Leader, they returned!"
"Shika-brother?"
Itachi glanced toward Shisui beside him.
The latter remained completely indifferent to the nickna.
Then Itachi looked toward the exaggeratedly codic Obito Uchiha and silently understood sothing.
Soon afterward—
Itachi finally t the rumored true leader of Akatsuki.
And honestly—
The mont he saw the Rinnegan within Pain's eyes, even Itachi felt his heart shake violently.
The Rinnegan.
The legendary eyes belonging to the Sage of Six Paths himself.
A myth Itachi previously knew only through secret Uchiha records.
Yet those eyes truly existed.
Still—
Itachi's acting never revealed even the slightest trace of his inner emotions.
"... Akatsuki's true purpose…"
Pain's emotionless voice echoed throughout the cave.
"Is to eventually bring true peace to this ninja world."
"Akatsuki will replace the Five Great Nations and govern the world itself."
"And for that…"
"We require greater strength."
"Uchiha Itachi."
"The one who denied Konoha."
"You are welco to join us."
"What an ambitious dream."
Looking directly into those mythical eyes, Itachi genuinely could not determine how much truth or lies existed within Pain's words.
But he had already prepared himself.
To beco the eyes of the Will of Fire.
To investigate the truth and monitor Akatsuki's movents.
So that the future envisioned by the Fourth Hokage could eventually beco reality.
Thus, beneath Pain's gaze—
Itachi decisively carved a slash across his Konoha forehead protector.
The mark symbolizing betrayal.
"Itachi."
Pain handed him a ring engraved with the kanji for "Scarlet."
"This ring will represent your codena."
Afterward, Pain personally brought Itachi to et the organization's mbers.
Whether it was Jūzō Biwa of the Seven Ninja Swordsn of the Mist…
Or Orochimaru of Konoha's Legendary Sannin…
Or terrifying figures like Kakuzu and Sasori…
Although sowhat surprised, Itachi still expected most of them.
Yet—
When a young man with pink eyes also appeared before him dressed in Akatsuki's black cloak patterned with red clouds—
Itachi genuinely felt shocked.
The missing Fourth Mizukage of Kirigakure…
Actually joined Akatsuki?!
How is that possible?!
Sensing Itachi's gaze, Yagura Karatachi slowly turned toward him with a calm expression.
Genjutsu?
A puppet?
What exactly…
"... Itachi will partner with Jūzō Biwa."
Pain calmly ignored Orochimaru's request to change teammates.
"Everyone continue operating according to the established plans."
Hearing his assignnt, Itachi remained expressionless.
Yet while observing the organization mbers pairing off one by one, he silently morized everything.
So Shisui's current partner really is the Fourth Mizukage…
Ignoring Orochimaru's obvious dissatisfaction, Pain repeated the upcoming mission details once more before dismissing the gathering.
After everyone left the cave—
Konan finally stepped toward Pain and frowned.
"Pain…"
"According to the original plan, we already have enough mbers."
"In fact, we've exceeded the required numbers."
"Do we really need to continue recruiting more?"
"..."
Pain said nothing.
Instead, he slowly turned toward the enormous Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, seemingly lost in thought.
"All the rings that help simplify your Illusion Lantern Body Technique have already been distributed."
Konan crossed her arms.
"Should I create more?"
"... Yes."
Originally, Konan still wanted to say more.
Watching Akatsuki's expansion accelerate so rapidly, she increasingly sensed sothing was wrong.
Yet she ultimately swallowed her concerns.
She didn't want to burden Nagato further.
Ever since Itachi Uchiha joined, Konan's wariness toward "Madara Uchiha" had already reached its peak.
Combined with Shisui Uchiha—
Too many mbers within Akatsuki had been brought in directly by him.
Even Yagura Karatachi—the Three-Tails jinchūriki and forr target of the organization—had sohow joined Akatsuki itself.
Konan genuinely could not understand any of it.
Yet whenever she questioned Nagato privately, he rely reassured her that he already understood the reason behind Yagura's presence.
And—
Regardless of what happened, Pain—wielder of the Rinnegan—possessed absolute power to suppress them all.
Still—
Konan's unease refused to disappear.
Everything happening now made her feel she absolutely needed to prepare ahead of ti.
Deep inside—
She constantly carried a premonition she never dared voice aloud.
Things…
Would absolutely not develop the way Nagato believed they would.
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