A few days later, the Akatsuki held one of their internal meetings.
Before Pain (Deva Path) began assigning missions, Obito Uchiha stepped forward and shared intelligence about the surviving Uchiha clan members settling in the Land of Whirlpools.
The moment the words "Uchiha remnants" were spoken, several members' eyes lit up like wolves spotting fresh meat.
The most obvious reactions came from Orochimaru, Sasori, and Kakuzu.
One wanted bloodline samples.
One wanted Sharingan for artistic "collections."
And one was already calculating the bounty value in his head.
Kekkei genkai ninja were walking treasure chests. Once they lost the protection of a hidden village, they became prime hunting targets.
Still, they restrained themselves.
Because sitting there—calm, silent, and radiating quiet menace—was Itachi Uchiha, wearing the Suzaku ring.
Yes, Itachi had slaughtered his own clan.
Yes, he was insane by normal standards.
But that didn't make him someone you casually provoke.
What if they showed interest in the Uchiha remnants and ended up on Itachi's kill list?
Sharingan were valuable—but not valuable enough to risk getting their heads cut off in their sleep.
Of course… if they happened to "accidentally" encounter an Uchiha during a mission?
Well.
Accidents happened all the time.
Under the subtle stares of his fellow criminals, Itachi's expression remained unreadable.
He and Shisui Uchiha had chosen completely different paths. If they met again, it might be as enemies.
Still, Itachi knew Shisui's strength. Even without the Mangekyō, a three-tomoe Sharingan Shisui was no joke. The biggest difference was Susanoo—and using that came at a brutal cost.
What bothered Itachi more was something else.
The intelligence had come from Zetsu.
That suggested Zetsu might be aligned with the masked man—Obito's faction.
Like Konoha, Akatsuki wasn't unified. It had factions.
Sasori and Konan were clearly closer to Pain.
Itachi and Jūzō Biwa, recruited by the masked man, were in another camp.
He had assumed only he and Jūzō were tied to Obito. Now, Zetsu's involvement complicated things.
If he played his cards right, he could subtly encourage internal conflict.
But provoking Obito too much could trigger retaliation against Konoha—or worse, against Sasuke.
The village had already suffered enough.
Sasuke had suffered enough.
This was not the time.
The meeting resumed.
Pain began assigning missions—assassinations, intelligence theft, border destabilization. Some came from the black market, others directly from daimyō or even Kage.
Ironically, in an era of "peace," organizations like Akatsuki were extremely convenient.
When no country dared openly start a war, hiring psychopath mercenaries was the next best thing.
After the projection meeting ended, Itachi disconnected from the Astral Projection Technique and returned to reality.
In the real world, he and Jūzō Biwa were sheltering inside a crude earth-style hut while torrential rain poured down outside in the Land of Water.
They were tracking signs of the Six-Tails (Saiken).
Money and political chaos were secondary.
The true goal of Akatsuki was always the Tailed Beasts.
Itachi quietly ate a rice ball, then glanced at Jūzō.
The meeting had ended ten minutes ago.
Why was this guy still using the projection?
After another few minutes, Jūzō finally opened his eyes.
He accepted a rice ball from Itachi without hesitation and devoured it. Clearly, he wasn't worried about poison.
After wiping his mouth with his sleeve, he said,
"The leader contacted me privately. New mission. We're infiltrating Kirigakure to investigate the Fourth Mizukage—Yagura Karatachi."
Yagura was the Three-Tails' jinchūriki.
Investigating him made sense.
But Itachi's gaze sharpened.
This felt like Jūzō's initiative.
After all, Jūzō had defected from Kirigakure. Personal motives were likely involved.
Still… everyone in Akatsuki had personal agendas.
If this bunch of criminals ever truly united, they'd surpass the Five Great Nations overnight.
But that would require miracles—and probably divine intervention.
"Infiltrating Kirigakure isn't simple," Itachi said calmly. "We need proper identities."
Jūzō smirked.
"Kirigakure's security is already a damn sieve. We'll just walk in."
Itachi said nothing.
Confidence was one thing.
Suicide was another.
Meanwhile, in the Land of Rivers—
Orochimaru and Sasori ended their Astral Projection and immediately kept a cautious distance from one another.
One was a puppet-obsessed artist.
The other was a morally bankrupt scientist.
In theory, they should've been best friends.
In reality, they couldn't stand each other.
Both believed their path was superior.
Orochimaru suddenly smiled, eyes glinting.
"Sasori… interested in a trip to the Land of Whirlpools? Uchiha specimens would make exquisite material. Imagine Sharingan puppets."
Sasori snorted coldly.
"If you want them, go yourself. I have more important work. I don't waste time chasing leftovers."
Orochimaru felt mild regret.
He had hoped to use Sasori as a test pawn.
The Uchiha bloodline was valuable—but not as fascinating as his Cursed Seal research.
Through curse seals, he could artificially produce fighters near jōnin level.
Creating power from nothing.
Manufacturing evolution.
That was true art.
Of course, he wasn't uninterested in the Mangekyō Sharingan.
But attacking Itachi without certainty?
That was a good way to get hunted down by the entire Akatsuki.
Still…
If he didn't want to go personally, he could always hire someone.
A high enough bounty on the black market would naturally attract Kakuzu.
And Kakuzu loved money more than life itself.
For Orochimaru, money was never the problem.
After all—
Why dirty your own hands when you could pay someone else to do the killing?
Much cleaner. Much more elegant.
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