Walking out of the rain-sheltering house, he looks up to see the gray sky.
Gray is the only color of this village.
No matter how vivid the colors, they will all turn gray in this village.
The Hidden Rain Village, a place where hopes can only be entrusted amidst the rain.
During the Third Ninja Realm War, this village was once under the rule of the Land of Fire, but then Konoha experienced the Kyuubi Rampage, and with its power diminished and busy with various affairs, this village broke away from the jurisdiction of Konoha in the Land of Fire, gaining autonomy, and quickly resumed development.
And this village is the headquarters of an organization called Akatsuki.
It's also the origin place of Akatsuki.
The cold wind and rain blew on the red cloud and black bottom coat, the black hair floated with the wind, and Itachi couldn't help but grab the collar with his hand; in such an environment, the human body cannot help but feel cold.
Joining Akatsuki, it's been quite some time now.
But even if he has changed to a new environment to live, he still cannot forget everything from the past in his mind.
That blood-drenched night, he plunged his blade into the clansmen's bodies, ended the life of his lover, and personally concluded the lives of his parents...
Then, in Itachi's mind, a tender figure appeared.
He slowly closed the Sharingan emerging with three Magatama, the brother's silhouette became clearer, along with the hatred and despair reflecting on his brother's face, it was so vivid.
He himself is the sinner of the clan.
However, all this was for the village, to prevent the outbreak of war.
These were all necessary sacrifices.
But all this, Sasuke surely would not think rationally about, right?
This unforgettable hatred will let him obtain powerful strength, drive him forward, to seek revenge on his elder brother and revive the Uchiha Clan's honor.
At least now the Uchiha Clan does not have to bear the label of 'Rebel', it remains a proud clan of Konoha.
"Sasuke..."
Itachi murmured the name of his brother Sasuke, and reopened his eyes, the glow of the Sharingan became like blood, ominously bright.
"You look rather at ease now, Itachi."
A voice came from behind, it was his teammate within Akatsuki — Hoshigaki Kisame.
An S-rank felon who successfully assassinated for one of the Five Great Nations, the Daimyo of the Land of Water.
He was once one of the Seven-swords Ninja of Hidden Mist, such a person would also betray the village and become a renegade ninja by assassinating a nation's leader... Such rebellious behavior made Itachi somewhat repulsed.
Carelessness in Kisame's actions could plunge the Land of Water into endless chaos, causing a rupture in relations between Hidden Mist and the top levels of the Land of Water.
Did he consider such severe consequences?
Itachi did not answer; he just turned around and stared at Kisame with his Sharingan.
A burly physique, taller than himself by a good amount, always carrying a bizarre, bloodthirsty smile on his face, probably caused by the peculiar shape of his face, resembling a menacing shark ready to bite.
Seeing Itachi remain silent, Kisame helplessly scratched his head and said, "Stop spacing out here, the leader asked me to call you for a meeting. You should show some awareness of joining the organization; staying cooped up without leaving, you probably don't even know about the big events happening recently in the Ninja Realm."
"Big events?"
Itachi felt puzzled by Kisame's words.
Recently in the Ninja Realm, aside from the clan extermination event he completed personally, is there really any other noteworthy big event?
"Haha, indeed you're unaware here, it's hard to believe you can sit still now. Speaking of which, you Konoha Ninja are getting more impressive by the day, especially those with the Uchiha name, utterly arrogant."
Unsure whether it was ridicule, sarcasm, or just simple jest, Kisame looked at Itachi with interest, seemingly wanting to see something.
Kisame's words made Itachi feel even stranger.
How is this related to Uchiha?
Kisame did not explain anything to Itachi, but turned and left, gesturing for Itachi to follow along to attend the meeting.
Itachi pondered for a moment on the spot, and then followed Kisame, walking in the cold rain toward the tower's location.
The scenery of Hidden Rain Village is rather bleak, mainly due to the shortage of population, making it look quite lonely and silent.
In the past, since this was the disaster-stricken area during the Third Ninja Realm War, many people from the Land of Rain were displaced, fleeing to other countries to escape the chaos.
Akatsuki was formed during those special years.
As the headquarters of Akatsuki, after joining the organization, Itachi had always lived in the secluded area of the Hidden Rain Village, usually undisturbed by anyone, he would also try to shop during times when people were few.
However, as a newcomer, and with needing to get accustomed to the power of the Mangekyo Sharingan, he spent most of these days in training alone, having relatively little time spent with Kisame.
This is because there isn't work during non-mission periods; everyone dislikes staying together with others and chooses to spend time alone.
Entering the tower, the sound of rain outside grew quieter in his ears.
The hard cold flooring made it difficult to feel much warmth.
Proceeding towards the top of the tower, he encountered no one along the way, smoothly reaching the topmost floor.
According to Kisame's description, this tower was said to be the residence of the former Hidden Rain Village leader, Hanzo of the Salamander.
All along, it was the symbol of Hidden Rain, now taken over by Akatsuki's leader Nagato, one area of it is used as Akatsuki's meeting room.