"What do you mean by that?"
Sasuke asked with a frown.
He could tell that there was more to the situation than the black-robed figure was letting on, 'It seemed that Itachi not killing me wasn't as simple as I had originally thought… there might be some hidden reason behind it.'
The black-robed figure spoke in a tone tinged with amusement. "Perhaps because Itachi cared for you."
"Cares for me? Humph!"
Sasuke didn't believe it. After all, if Itachi truly cared for him, why would he have done what he did?
The black-robed figure explained, "In Danzo's memories, it was Danzo who ordered the annihilation of the entire Uchiha Clan. But you didn't die, which clearly means it was Itachi's independent decision. Originally, Danzo wanted to kill you, but before Itachi was sent to the Akatsuki as a spy, he threatened Danzo: if anyone harmed you, he would expose Konoha's secrets to enemy countries. That's why you survived."
"What? How is this possible?"
Sasuke couldn't believe it. The Itachi he knew was a cold-blooded killer, someone who treated him like an insignificant insect. How could he have done something like this behind his back?
'Could it be true that Itachi actually cared for me?'
The thought flickered in Sasuke's mind but was immediately dismissed.
No matter the reason, even if Itachi spared him, Sasuke couldn't forgive him. Itachi had annihilated their entire clan, and even worse, he had poisoned Naruto. Sasuke couldn't let Itachi go unpunished.
Shaking the thought out of his head, Sasuke asked, "Is there any other information about the Uchiha Clan?"
The black-robed figure thought for a moment, then responded, "The rest of the memories have nothing to do with you, as they concern how Danzo framed the Uchiha Clan. By the way, that guy named Shisui really got a raw deal. Also, Danzo's right eye was Shisui's eye."
Sasuke was not interested in other things. After thinking for a while, he asked again, "Earlier, you mentioned that Danzo colluded with the Akatsuki, and that Itachi also joined them. Do you have any intelligence on the Akatsuki?"
The black-robed figure spoke up, "The first person Danzo collaborated with was Uchiha Madara from the Akatsuki."
"Uchiha Madara? What's going on?"
Sasuke was stunned, 'Wasn't Uchiha Madara a legendary figure who fought alongside the Shodaime Hokage and was supposed to have died long ago? How could he possibly be working with Danzo?'
The black-robed figure explained, "Uchiha Madara has a deep grudge against Konoha, which is why he and Danzo became allies. It was Uchiha Madara who was responsible for the Kyubi's attack on Konoha. Not only that, but when the Uchiha Clan was destroyed, Itachi couldn't have wiped out the entire clan in one night by himself. Uchiha Madara helped him. Afterward, Itachi also followed Uchiha Madara into the Akatsuki. However, in Danzo's memories, he never saw Uchiha Madara's true face because Uchiha Madara always wore a one-eyed mask. Because of that, Danzo never confirmed Uchiha Madara's identity. For now, let's just call him 'Masked Madara'."
"Whether his identity is confirmed or not, this Masked Madara is dead the moment I get my hands on him!"
Sasuke gritted his teeth, his body shaking with rage.
If Danzo was the instigator, then Masked Madara was the true executor. After all, without the Kyubi's attack, even if Danzo tried to sow discord, the Uchiha Clan wouldn't have fallen so quickly.
At least, Sasuke would have had a happy childhood. Not to mention, the Kyubi's attack had caused the deaths of Naruto's parents. Sasuke swore that, for both his sake and Naruto's, he would personally kill this Masked Madara.
Not to mention that Masked Madara had been involved in the Uchiha massacre. His crimes were unforgivable, and Sasuke would make him pay in the most painful way possible!
After taking a deep breath to calm himself, Sasuke continued, "As a spy, Itachi must have also passed along information to the Akatsuki, right?"
"That's right."
The black-robed figure nodded slightly, "After Itachi joined the Akatsuki, he discovered that Masked Madara wasn't actually a member of the organization. However, the fact that Masked Madara was able to insert Itachi so easily into the Akatsuki meant that Masked Madara was the true mastermind behind the scenes. It's likely that Masked Madara was conducting some secret, more sinister research. Itachi couldn't uncover all the details. However, in the intelligence Itachi passed on, he mentioned that the leader of the Akatsuki had tasked the members with collecting the Biju, which probably ties into Masked Madara's hidden plans."
"What? Collecting the Biju? No wonder Itachi came to Konoha to capture Naruto."
Sasuke narrowed his eyes slightly, "Are Hoshigaki Kisame, Kakuzu, and Hidan also members of the Akatsuki?"
"Oh? You actually knew about them?"
The black-robed man exclaimed.
Sasuke paused for a moment before continuing, "I fought against Itachi's companions before. After some investigation, I confirmed that those three were the ones I encountered. The one thing they all have in common is that they are all Missing-nin."
"You guessed correctly. The common trait among these individuals is that they are all Missing-nin. The Akatsuki specifically recruits Missing-nin."
The black-robed figure explained, "According to the information Itachi sent back, the members of the Akatsuki that we know of include the leader Pain, Konan, Zetsu, Uchiha Itachi, Hoshigaki Kisame, Kakuzu, Hidan, Deidara, Sasori, and the mysterious Masked Madara, who is lurking in the shadows."
"Good! Good! Good!"
Sasuke growled, clenching his fists.
'It's all coming together now!'
'No wonder Itachi has so many powerful individuals around him, they were all from this mysterious Akatsuki!'
Sasuke's mind burned with hatred, 'It was clear now that this Akatsuki was the real cause of Naruto's death.'
For the sake of his clan and Naruto, Sasuke had made up his mind!
"Akatsuki... I, Uchiha Sasuke, will definitely destroy you all!"
Sasuke gritted his teeth, his eyes filled with fury.
The enemies were now fully gathered, and all he had to do was hunt them down, one by one, and eliminate them.
"In the information Itachi sent back, there should be a mention of the Akatsuki's base, right? Please take me there."
Sasuke said in a deep voice.
The black-robed figure nodded slightly: "The members of the Akatsuki are scattered all over the world all year round, but the headquarters is in a high tower in Land of Rain's Amegakure. As long as you arrive at Amegakure, the leader Pain's Rain Tiger at Will Technique will detect any outsiders and he will appear."
Whoosh!
The two figures swiftly traversed the forest.
But after a short distance, the black-robed figure voiced a question for the first time, "Sasuke, this route isn't headed for the Land of Rain. Where are you going?"
Sasuke explained, "With my current strength, I won't be able to face so many of them alone. I don't expect you to help me after I owe you so much. To be honest, I'm planning to go to Otogakure in the Land of Rice, to seek out Orochimaru. Once I inform Orochimaru of all this information, he'll assist me and come with me for revenge."
"Orochimaru, huh? I actually forgot to mention something."
The black-robed figure pondered and said, "In the intelligence Itachi sent back, Orochimaru was mentioned as well."
"Huh? What's that about?"
Sasuke frowned, 'How could Orochimaru be involved with Akatsuki?'
The black-robed figure explained, "When Itachi first joined the Akatsuki, Orochimaru was also part of the organization. However, after a fight with Itachi, Orochimaru lost and for some reason, he completely left the Akatsuki."
"What… how could something like that happen!?"
Sasuke suddenly stopped in his tracks, shock written all over his face.
He had never expected Orochimaru to have once been a member of the Akatsuki.