'What the hell…?'
'Had the title of "Rice Thief" really spread even to the Land of Hot Springs?'
Konan's usually calm face darkened, her lips tightening in disbelief. The icy composure she carried cracked for a moment.
Beside her, Tendō Pain's figure stiffened. His godlike presence faltered in silence. A recruitment operation he had carefully orchestrated was already collapsing into humiliation before it had even begun.
Konan quickly tried to salvage the situation, her soft voice cutting through the awkwardness. "The members of the Akatsuki are all S-rank missing-nin from various villages. Hidan, we have researched your abilities. Joining Akatsuki will be of great benefit to you."
But Hidan's reply was sharp, mocking, and utterly merciless. His wild eyes glittered as he pointed at Pain.
"Missing-nin? Don't you mean a rice-carrying organization? I've seen it myself on TV — Pain hauling sacks of rice on his shoulders!"
Pain's expression twitched slightly, though his face remained stern.
Hidan pressed on, grinning ear to ear. "I even heard that while you were hauling rice, you got run over by Konoha's Fifth Hokage. So tell me, did you even manage to carry the rice back in the end?"
His words echoed off the stone walls of the roadside path, as if the entire land mocked along with him.
Kakuzu, standing nearby, folded his arms and watched with thinly veiled amusement. He had followed the leader long enough to know his temperament. And now, seeing this reckless boy taunting Pain without restraint, Kakuzu's eyes gleamed with glee.
'He's done for.' Kakuzu thought. 'This idiot just signed his death warrant.'
Hidan tilted his head, staring with exaggerated innocence. "Why so quiet, huh? Doesn't say much, but everyone's calling you a rice thief. Is it true?"
Pain's jaw clenched. The veins on his temple bulged.
"Shinra Tensei!"
A massive wave of repulsive force erupted from his body.
*BOOOOM!*
The blast tore through the path, sending rocks and dirt flying in every direction. Hidan's body was hurled backward like a ragdoll, smashing into the ground with bone-crunching force. The earth split wide, a deep ravine stretching outward from where Pain stood.
Hidan's limbs twisted at unnatural angles as he lay scattered across the debris.
Pain's face was a mask of wrath, the veins across his forehead forming a cross-shaped grid. Perhaps… recruiting this lunatic was a mistake from the start.
…
Meanwhile, at the entrance of a hidden cave, another Akatsuki member advanced.
Sasori of the Red Sand, his form concealed beneath the puppet wearing black robe patterned with red clouds, moved cautiously. His hunched posture gave him the look of an old man, though the gleam of his eyes betrayed sharp alertness.
'According to the leader's intelligence, the next potential recruit was inside this cave.'
Sasori's mind wandered briefly to his last partner. That loathsome, serpentine traitor. Orochimaru had been an endless source of irritation — and then he had defected, slithering back to Konoha and, shockingly, carving out an unprecedented new role for himself.
Sasori's lip curled. "I hope this one is better. If they're weak, my puppets won't show mercy."
His footsteps echoed as he entered the cave.
*Click… click… crack!*
The sound was subtle at first — then, suddenly, a volley of kunai shot out from the walls, their tips flashing with cold steel.
*Clang! Clang! Clang!*
The Hiruko puppet's metal tail lashed out, deflecting each blade with contemptuous ease.
"What a boring trick." Sasori muttered disdainfully. "If this is the caliber of my new teammate, it's pathetic."
But then, a mocking chuckle drifted from deeper in the shadows.
"I thought Konoha's Anbu had finally tracked me down. But it seems it's just an unlucky intruder instead."
Sasori froze, narrowing his eyes.
Konoha?
His mind sharpened instantly. 'Could this recruit be a missing-nin from Konoha?' The dossier had said nothing of the sort.
His interest sparked like fire. "So, you're a Konoha traitor? Interesting. I wonder who's stronger — you, or Orochimaru?"
The voice from the darkness grew harsher, laced with venom.
"Orochimaru…?!"
The unseen man's teeth ground audibly, fury bursting forth at the name.
Sasori's smirk widened. So this one knew Orochimaru — and hated him bitterly. Perhaps, after all, this recruit would prove more entertaining than expected.
…
Far away, across the sea, another scene unfolded.
The Land of Water. Kirigakure.
Deep in a damp underground chamber, blood spattered the walls.
*Schhhk!*
A blade pierced flesh.
"Ki… Kisame… you dare betray me…?"
The voice of the Suikazan Fuguki trembled, his eyes wide in disbelief. His most trusted subordinate — his most loyal executioner — was the one plunging a blade into his body.
Kisame's shark-like grin was merciless. "Loyalty? You think I'm unprepared for this moment?"
Fuguki's hand shook as he clawed backward, desperate to grasp Samehada's hilt. That monstrous blade — one of Kirigakure's seven legendary swords — was his last hope. With it, he might kill Kisame and cling to life.
But Kisame twisted the blade savagely.
"Gaaahhhhhh!"
The scream split the underground chamber. Blood poured freely, his life force draining too quickly. His vision blurred, strength ebbing with every heartbeat.
At the last moment, he fixed Kisame with a venomous glare, whispering like a curse. "Kisame… you will regret this…"
But Kisame rammed the sword deeper, ending his life in a final shudder. The great Suikazan Fuguki fell silent forever.
Kisame pried Samehada from the corpse's back, running his hand affectionately along the rough scales of the weapon.
"You're finally mine, Samehada."
A voice slipped from the shadows, smooth, almost soothing.
"Well done, Kisame."
Kisame froze, his hand snapping instinctively to the hilt. His predatory eyes narrowed, scanning the dark.
From the gloom stepped a short man with a boyish face, a scar like a centipede under his right eyelid. Karatachi Yagura — the Fourth Mizukage.
Kisame stiffened. The Mizukage here? And showing no surprise at his betrayal? Something was terribly wrong.
"Don't bother hiding." Kisame growled. His senses flared with danger, his killing intent spilling into the room.
"Come out!"
A second figure stepped forward from the shadows behind Yagura. Red light glowed eerily — Sharingan.
Kisame's breath caught. "Sharingan…?"
A horrifying thought crashed into place. 'The Mizukage… controlled? By these eyes?'
His suspicions spilled out. "So, the Fourth Mizukage was your puppet all along. You have the power to control a Perfect Jinchūriki — the Mizukage himself. Who are you?!"
The masked figure's voice was heavy, deliberate. "Uchiha Madara."
The air thickened into silence.
Kisame's heart raced. 'Madara? That ancient legendary-nin from another era? How could he still be alive?'
The masked man removed his mask slowly, his eyes burning into Kisame's soul. Reality bent.
The world shifted into a white void, a blood-red moon hanging in the sky.
"Eye of the Moon Plan. This is my vision."
The words dripped like honey and poison together. Obito laid out his plan, step by step.
Kisame listened. Shock flickered across his face, then disbelief, then fascination. Finally, the confusion in his eyes gave way to resolve.
"So… that's the truth."
A wide grin spread across his face. "Akatsuki, huh? Fine. I'll join."
Obito's Sharingan gleamed with satisfaction. "A wise choice."
This had gone smoother than he expected. Kisame, loyal yet broken by his burdens, had always been a man Obito marked. Burdened by blood, haunted by betrayal, Kisame sought meaning. And now, Obito had given him one.
But even as Obito smiled, his heart remained heavy.
For behind his mask, behind his lies of "Uchiha Madara", he knew the truth. He was not a god, nor a savior. He was walking on the knife's edge, and the shadow of one man made it more precarious.
Namikaze Mirai. The Fifth Hokage.
If Mirai ever learned Obito's true identity — that he was the disciple who betrayed Minato, who unleashed the Nine-Tails — then there was no telling what hell Mirai would unleash upon him.
Nagato was already faltering, his image reduced to a laughingstock, the "rice thief" mocked across nations.
Obito clenched his fist. "I need more power. Kakashi's Sharingan… the other eye to complete mine."
His gaze darkened. One eye would not be enough against Namikaze Mirai. To challenge him, he would need the power of his complete Kamui.
*****
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