Knock, knock!
The door to the house at the end of the secluded alley was struck, but despite Kakuzu and En Oyashiro waiting for a long time, no response came from within.
From the doorway, through the gaps in the wooden planks, one could see the interior thick with cobwebs—a desolate scene long left uncleaned. Occasionally, the faint cries of stray cats echoed in the surrounding silence.
En Oyashiro frowned as he surveyed the environment, then glanced at Kakuzu with clear dissatisfaction.
"Mr. Kakuzu, do you really think a godforsaken place like this would hold the highest-level classified intelligence in Unraikyō?"
"I'm saying, let's not waste time, okay?"
For En Oyashiro, twenty years in the Valley of Hell meant spending most of his time throwing stones at birds for food. To him, "godforsaken" was a rather severe descriptor.
And indeed, the scene matched his description—a desolate street that didn't look like it housed a single living soul.
However, hearing this, Kakuzu only spared him a glance and remained silent, seemingly too lazy to deal with En's complaints. He simply persisted, knocking on the rotten door once more.
Knock, knock.
Immediately after this second knock, a black shadow leaped down from the roof.
"Honored guests, please follow me, meow~!"
The agile shadow that landed was an orange ninja cat wearing a red vest. From its appearance, it was Hina, the ninja cat once summoned by Fugaku Uchiha.
Hina stood on its hind legs, pointed toward a nearby wall, and then leaped forward with a graceful bound.
Shua!
A ripple appeared on the surface of the wall, and the ninja cat passed straight through it.
Only then did Kakuzu speak tonelessly: "Let's go. The barrier is open."
"A Genjutsu?" En Oyashiro froze for a moment, his eyes wide with shock. "Even my Ketsuryugan couldn't see through it?"
He quickly followed Kakuzu through the wall. As he stepped through, the scenery transformed instantly. One moment they were in a desolate, stinking, uninhabited alley; the next, they stood inside a vast and luxurious courtyard.
In front of the main gate, a ninja wearing Uchiha attire stepped out. He looked barely twenty years old, yet a pair of scarlet three-tomoe Sharingan blazed in his eyes.
Even the gatekeeper is a young three-tomoe? Just who is inside this place? En Oyashiro raised an eyebrow, unable to stop himself from thinking.
The Uchiha ninja stepped forward, noted the two of them, and spoke calmly:
"Gentlemen, my name is Seiichiro Uchiha. Once your meeting with the elders concludes, you may come to me for detailed information regarding any matters within the Land of Lightning."
After the introduction, Seiichiro led them toward the high-ceilinged mansion in the courtyard. They passed through a long corridor and soon arrived before a tea room. Seiichiro slid the door open and gestured for them to enter.
Looking inside, they saw a middle-aged man and a young man sitting formally.
The middle-aged man was someone who had served as Ren Uchiha's kenjutsu instructor during the Valley of Hell period. He had demonstrated remarkable wisdom, managed to persuade a powerhouse like Kakuzu to join them, and was considered the right hand of Great Elder Setsuna Uchiha. He was a candidate for the council of elders: Hikari Uchiha.
Bypassing this "acquaintance," Kakuzu couldn't help but glance at the square-faced young man sitting beside Hikari. Since the Valley of Hell, Hikari had been his primary contact; he had never seen this young man before.
More importantly, he felt a crushing, heavy pressure emanating from the youth—a sensation he hadn't felt in a long time.
Is this guy... "Wicked Eye" Fugaku Uchiha?
Before the two could process their thoughts, Hikari Uchiha reached into his robes, pulled out a scroll, and placed it on the table. He looked at both of them.
"Kakuzu, here is the defensive layout of Unraikyō's inner city that you requested."
After setting the scroll down, Hikari glanced at En Oyashiro. His gaze lingered for a moment before he asked bluntly:
"Should I address you as En Oyashiro? Or Chinoike Oyashiro?"
"En Oyashiro."
"Very well." Hikari nodded, looking directly at him. "I am a warrior; I don't like beating around the bush. Let's get straight to the point."
"Past grievances aside, En Oyashiro, your recent activities recruiting black market personnel in Unraikyō's underground have alerted many factions. We have already handled some of the interference for you. Regarding the arena and underground market you wish to build, we can take charge and invest in your project."
"Furthermore, we have already brought your daughter back to the Uchiha clan for protection."
Silence instantly fell over the tea room. Upon hearing Hikari's final sentence, En Oyashiro's eyes turned red on the spot!
"What did you say?!"
He slammed his hand onto the table, and a violent surge of chakra erupted from his body.
However, in that instant, Fugaku Uchiha—who had been sitting calmly and sipping tea—snapped his eyes open and locked gazes with En Oyashiro.
The confrontation was swift. The invisible clash of Genjutsu ended as soon as the Mangekyo technique: Tsukuyomi was unleashed.
A moment later, En Oyashiro sat back down, completely tamed.
"You wanted to use Ren Uchiha for your revenge, and whether Ren lived or died didn't truly matter to you," Hikari said calmly. "You were the most unstable element in this newly formed organization!"
"That is exactly why Kakuzu brought you here."
En Oyashiro's lip twitched. He whipped his head around and glared indignantly at Kakuzu. This "Find the Traitor" game he had started... in the end, it turned out the "traitor" was him?
Hikari Uchiha looked at the two with a neutral expression. "So, whether you think I am despicable or cold-hearted, in tomorrow's assassination attempt, En Oyashiro, I need you to understand one thing—"
"Ren Uchiha's life is more valuable than anything!"
Then, Hikari turned to Kakuzu. After a moment of thought, he asked, "Additionally, regarding this organization called 'Akatsuki'... Kakuzu, I need an explanation. Why did you choose to join?"
Having neutralized the unstable element that was En Oyashiro, Kakuzu exhaled a long breath, his eyes narrowing in a rare moment of feeling refreshed. Facing Hikari's question, he thought for a moment with his eerie green eyes.
He then pulled a ring from his sleeve, designed to be worn on the middle finger. Engraved on it was the character for 'North' (Hoku).
This was the 'North' ring of the Akatsuki's Ten Rings. 'North' represented the Big Dipper (Hokuto), which governs death. This fit Kakuzu perfectly, given his nature of stealing lives through the Earth Grudge Fear technique. Yahiko had given it to him after the meeting.
"Those three who founded the organization aren't much different from this guy," Kakuzu said, glancing at the now-quiet En Oyashiro.
"They are all a group of people who set their sights on Ren Uchiha, trying to use him to fulfill their own ambitions."
"However... the actions of that Mist brat five days ago changed the nature of the organization."
"I believe that by joining this group, I can better fulfill the mission you entrusted to me—protecting Ren Uchiha!"
Fugaku Uchiha raised an eyebrow slightly. He asked curiously, "Gathering the internal defenses of Unraikyō was for that purpose as well?"
"Then... what exactly are you planning to do?"
Kakuzu looked up, staring past the tea room toward the towering city-within-a-city.
"Most likely..."
"We are preparing a celebratory gift for the descent of a God!"