Unknown Location - Demonic Statue of the Outer Path
Itachi's eyes flickered to the eight other figures in the cave—none truly there, of course. They were merely holograms, apparitions to communicate with each other.
"Kakuzu," the leader of the Akatsuki, spoke in an authoritative voice, his purple eyes blazing with intensity. "Why have you called us? And most importantly, where is Hidan?"
Itachi turned to give his full attention to the self-proclaimed immortal ninja. He, too, was curious to know the reason for the Jashinist's absence.
Kakuzu, eyes closed, paused for a few seconds dramatically. Then he finally spoke, eyes still shut. "Hidan is... dead."
Silence met this proclamation. Then—
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA–"
White Zetsu laughed well and hard.
"Oh – didn't that guy rave around about how great his immortality is? To think he would die first – how ironic – HAHAHA—!"
"Shut up. Losing a member when we haven't even started our plans? Unacceptable."
"Meh, I think it's good that he died," the youngest of the Akatsuki spoke. "That guy was insane – his whole religion was only killing! No sense of art at all!"
"I agree with Deidara-san. That man was barbaric, and I say that as someone who's from the Bloody Mist. His death is for the betterment of the Akatsuki," Kisame grinned in obvious delight at the Jashinist's death.
Itachi agreed with the sentiment of his partners. He was glad he would not be hearing more of that endless, intolerable, and unnecessary boasting of Hidan.
"Regardless of whether we agree with Hidan's actions or not – as Zetsu mentioned – the loss of a member is detrimental to our plans moving forward," Pain spoke, his voice strong, firm, and unyielding. His attention was fully focused on the remnant of the immortal duo. "Kakuzu, do you know the reason for his death, or perhaps you have a hand in your partner's demise?"
All eyes were on Kakuzu, the tension growing tenfold in the room with Pain's inquiry. The Taki rogue ninja had a constant problem of needing his partner to be replaced due to his uncanny ability to kill his allies. This time, however, just as the Akatsuki was mobilizing, a member had been killed, potentially delaying the rogue organization's plans, something that could no longer go ignored.
For me, this is excellent news.
Then Kakuzu's eyes opened, revealing...
"Sharingan?!" Deidara yelled in bewildered wonder, the rest of the Akatsuki in similar states of shock. Itachi could not blame his fellow ninja for the startling exclamation. He, too, was equally surprised. "I thought you bastards were extinct when Itachi went on his murder frenzy! Have you been hiding that the whole time?!"
Itachi bit back a retort, hating the fact that his actions were always dismissed as the actions of an out-of-control psychopath.
"I see. You are not Kakuzu, are you?" Pain spoke once again, a piercing glare reflecting on his expression. His voice rang with malevolent cold, freezing death.
"No," the figure that was once Kakuzu said, his voice carrying a cold, sharp edge. "I am not."
The Akatsuki's holograms flickered as tension spiked. Itachi's breath, though steady, felt like ice in his lungs.
"Hidan is dead," the imposter continued. "Permanently. Not even his cursed immortality could save him when I reduced him to atoms."
Deidara whistled. "Damn. That's some explosive art right there, Hn."
Kisame's shark-like grin widened. "Well, well. Looks like someone's got a grudge."
Itachi didn't react outwardly. Inside, his mind raced.
Apart from him, there were only two other people with two natural Sharingan. It would make no sense for Madara to do all this, despite the man's unpredictability. That ruled out one possibility. No, this was...
"Uchiha Sasuke," Pain intoned, his voice like the toll of a death knell.
'Kakuzu' gave the man an appraising look. "Indeed."
Itachi could only stare.
"Sasuke Uchiha..." Kisame muttered, drawing the name out as if in contemplation. Then his eyes lit up in recognition. "Ah, that brat whom Itachi-san manhandled in that inn we raided when searching for the nine-tails," he laughed, remembering the incident fondly. He turned his attention towards his partner. "I remember quite vividly that – huh? Oh-ho. Now this is interesting, Itachi-san. You're usually so stone-faced, but I think I just saw you flinch! Little brother trouble?"
Itachi remained silent, his expression schooled into perfect neutrality. But his thoughts were a storm.
Why is he here?
Why now?
What is he planning?
"Sasuke... Foolish little brother," Itachi spoke, his voice cool with indifference, even as his heart raced. "For what reason would you want to speak to us?"
The impostor's eyes crinkled into a mockery of a smile, unusual on the stern face of the wielder of the Jiongu. "You. I want you."
"So, revenge it is. The brat now has the bark to complement his bite. However, Itachi is older and far more experienced than you. Still, think you can take him on?" Sasori spoke up for the first time, intrigued by the sudden turn of events.
Kakuzu, controlled by his little brother, ignored the puppet master's words. He pointed at Itachi, his voice carrying a cold, commanding edge as he spoke. "Bounty Hunter Outpost 47, the closest to the Hidden Grass, Today. This is the location where we will meet."
There was a dramatic pause as Sasuke's gaze swept across the room, locking eyes with each Akatsuki member in turn.
"But let me be clear. This isn't a request. This is an order."
Pain's Rinnegan flared.
Sasuke, the fool, Itachi thought angrily, brazenly ignored it.
"You operate in shadows because you must. The moment the Five Great Nations unite against you, your plans crumble." His voice was calm, methodical, as if discussing the weather rather than the annihilation of the most feared rogue organization in history. "I could walk into Konohagakure tomorrow and tell the Hokage where your hideouts are. I could leak every safehouse, every contact, every scrap of intel I've pulled from Kakuzu's memories. I could even—" A pause, deliberate. "—kill one of your precious Jinchuriki before you ever get the chance to seal them."
Deidara's hologram twitched. "You little—!"
"Silence." Pain's command cut through the outburst like a blade. His Rinnegan bore into Sasuke with divine wrath. "You overestimate your leverage, Uchiha. The Five Great Nations would never listen—"
"I'll kill one of your precious vessels myself." Sasuke flat-out interrupted the leader, like it was nothing. The entire cave had been shocked into silence at the sheer gall. His brother continued, uncaring. "How long will it take for a tailed beast to reform? Years? Decades? How many of your plans will crumble while you are waiting?"
Sasuke-Kakuzu pointed a single finger at Itachi.
"You have half a day to arrive at the intended location, no more, no less. Delay anymore and I will burn this operation to the ground before it even begins."
The room was cold, unbearably cold with each breath feeling like shards of ice cutting through the lungs. The tension was so palpable that it clung to every corner, wrapping the space in an invisible shroud of anxiety and apprehension.
Then finally, the hologram of the most infamous bounty hunter shimmered out of existence, and then there was silence... thick, uncomfortable, tension-filled silence.
Blackmail.
It had been years since Itachi felt such utter, unadulterated disbelief and surprise.
His younger, foolish little brother had just blackmailed the Akatsuki.
Never in his more than two decades of life did Itachi expect the possibility of Sasuke pulling off such an audacious stunt. The idea of his impulsive little brother, who had once been driven solely by revenge, now wielding blackmail as a weapon against an organization like the Akatsuki, was almost comical if it wasn't so dangerously real.
He wanted to throw himself against a wall.
Hadn't he suffered enough? Now he'd have to deal with this insanity. Pain would not let this go.
"I believe this is a rather delicate situation..." Pain spoke, eyes blazing with intensity. Itachi grimaced internally, seeing the pure white-hot fury on the leader's face. Did Sasuke want to die?
"Delicate! This... this is – What the hell?! Did he just threaten us all at the same time? Is he stupid?! Itachi, I know you Uchihas are crazy, but that is far beyond insane! We can't take this crap lying down!"
"I agree with my partner for once. It would be disrespectful to our reputation if we simply turn the other cheek and ignore this blatant intimidation tactic on the Akatsuki."
"I will go to him," The older Uchiha sibling spoke up for the first time, his voice completely blank, betraying the panic he felt internally. There was a hush, a silence that had overtaken the cave, beckoning for Itachi to continue speaking. "As Sasori mentioned, my abilities will no doubt triumph over his. Let me go alone."
If Pain brought down the full might of the Akatsuki on his younger brother, there was no doubt that all his dreams, his sacrifices, and the people he slaughtered for Konoh—Sasuke would be rendered void and useless.
"Denied."
Hot fury and frustration overtook his entire being at the single word from the Leader.
"Your brother – if he managed to drag information from Kakuzu, is no doubt having information on some of our abilities. If he feels confident enough to blackmail our organization to do his bidding, then I am certain that he is in possession of some powerful technique, or... he has quick means of transport to escape in the most likely scenario of defeat. As such, you will not be allowed to go... alone."
Itachi reluctantly backed down. The only sign of his mounting vexation was the clenched fist hidden behind the sleeves of his robe.
"Kisame shall accompany you on this mission. And Itachi..."
The addressed nukenin stared at Pain's hard, cold eyes, glowing with otherworldly intensity—an involuntary shudder coursed through his spine.
"Failure to eliminate your brother will not be tolerated."
Itachi found his voice, steady but laced with an undeniable tremor. "Understood," he replied, his words measured and controlled. "I shall not fail."
"Very well. Disperse."
Just what have you gotten yourself into, Sasuke?
___________________________________________________________________
Unknown Location
"So, that's how it is."
"Indeed. He's grown quite bold."
"HAHAHAHA– imagine threatening the Akatsuki of all things. Although I'm not gonna lie, I enjoyed seeing the look on Itachi's face. You should've seen that too – the shock, the fear – funniest thing I've seen all week. HAHAHAHAHA—"
"Shut. Up."
"Aw, you're no fun."
The millennia-old puppetmaster ignored his counterpart's whining. "Now because Sasuke has become an antagonistic force to our cause, there is a possibility of our plan backfiring. Is recruitment off the agenda?"
"This changes nothing. Sasuke will join our cause regardless of his current actions. It is only due to Itachi's rather forceful methods to fester hatred in Sasuke that he has resorted to such drastic measures to achieve his goal. However, once he learns the truth of that day... he will be easy to manipulate in whatever direction I please."
"I see... and what of Pain and the Akatsuki's inevitable disagreement?"
"Yeah... he did trample on their fragile egos. Hehehehehe– It must burn from the inside."
The man waved a dismissive hand.
"I shall deal with Pain and he in turn shall convince the Akatsuki."
For a moment, no one spoke a word. Only the sounds of rustling leaves filled the air along with the distant chirping of birds. Then the man brushed off his robe and got up, displacing a few nearby pebbles.
"Bounty Hunter Outpost 47 was it? Come Zetsu– time is of the essence, and we have talked for far too long."
The man who walked the Earth under the guise of Konoha's greatest disappeared in a spiraling vortex.