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With Obito's Kamui, leaving Konoha was effortless.
Soon, Kagaya and the others were far from the village, heading toward Akatsuki's base.
"In the organization, everyone calls me Tobi. I'm not a formal member, just a lowly intern with no great skills, so watch how you treat me," Obito suddenly said to Kagaya on the way.
"By the way, I haven't introduced myself. I'm Uchiha Madara. Don't be shocked. That's exactly why I don't want people knowing I'm still alive—it'd cause too much trouble. Oh, and the leader of Akatsuki is the guy next to you. You can call him Pain. Only a few people here know my true identity."
"I'm Konan," Konan introduced herself simply.
Pain spoke expressionlessly, "In Akatsuki, we operate in pairs. Our ultimate goal is to collect the Tailed Beasts to deter the world and achieve peace. Though you joined Akatsuki to take revenge on Danzō, you can't go against this goal. Once we reach the base, I'll assign you a partner."
Soon after, they arrived at a stone cave. Upon entering, Kagaya clearly saw the massive husk of the Ten-Tails.
In the early days, this was Akatsuki's base.
"A kid?"
Suddenly, a figure appeared on the giant palm of the Ten-Tails' husk. He wore the standard Akatsuki robe, his face pale with purple markings. Looking at Kagaya's eyes, he spoke with surprise.
"A three-tomoe Sharingan? Hmm, could it be that Uchiha Kagaya from Konoha?"
Kagaya looked at the man coldly.
"Orochimaru, huh?"
Orochimaru smiled faintly.
"You've seen me before?"
"No, I've heard descriptions of you."
"I see. So, Kagaya-kun, interested in being my partner?" Orochimaru asked with a sinister smile.
Obito, who had lost his earlier imposing aura and now acted like a fool, jumped in. "Hey, hey, Orochimaru-senpai already has Sasori-senpai as a partner, doesn't he?"
Orochimaru turned to Pain.
"Leader, partners can be switched, right?"
Pain gave Orochimaru a cold glance.
"He's a newcomer. Though he's strong, he's only seven. For now, let him partner with Tobi."
Kagaya was startled. Partner with Obito? This couldn't have been Pain's decision alone—Obito must have wanted it too.
But it didn't matter. Kagaya wasn't worried about Obito attacking him. Honestly, while he had awakened his Mangekyō, it wasn't something he could use just because he had it. Kagaya's awakening had happened too quickly, and his chakra reserves couldn't keep up with his eyes' evolution. As a result, even activating his Mangekyō was difficult, let alone using its unique abilities.
In truth, with his three-tomoe Sharingan, Kagaya's strength was at Jōnin level. If he pushed himself to the limit and used his Mangekyō recklessly, he could briefly reach Kage level.
Under normal circumstances, Kagaya's strength didn't meet Akatsuki's standards.
Orochimaru spoke with a hint of regret, "An intern like Tobi, then?"
Pain's voice remained cold. "No, he's a formal member. But his current strength doesn't meet Akatsuki's standards, so he'll partner with Tobi for now."
"I see."
---
A few days later.
Kagaya's hands had fully recovered after treatment. Now wearing the black-and-red-cloud Akatsuki robe, he met the organization's members.
"Oh, a kid? When did Akatsuki become a charity?" a hunched, masked old man said sarcastically.
"He's a formal member," Pain clarified again.
"Oh, so young and already qualified to be a formal member?" another masked figure with green eyes remarked.
"Haha, don't underestimate him, seniors! He's really strong. He's my partner now!" Tobi boasted, hands on hips, laughing proudly.
Kagaya remained silent, quietly observing Akatsuki's members.
The hunched, masked old man was likely Sasori. The green-eyed masked figure was Kakuzu. There were also Orochimaru, Pain, and Konan.
Another man with noticeable red stripes on his face caught Kagaya's attention. After thinking, Kagaya realized this was likely Biwa Jūzō, Itachi's first partner in the original story. Kagaya had thought he might partner with him, but Obito wanted to team up with him for now.
There was also a large man Kagaya couldn't identify. He was certain this man wasn't a future formal Akatsuki member, but Kagaya didn't know who he was.
After all, Kagaya wasn't a machine—some details had long faded from memory. The large man was actually a nameless character from the original story, killed by Kakuzu without ever being named.
But what caught Kagaya's attention most was the figure resembling a Venus flytrap, half white, half black.
Zetsu.
Kagaya gave him a few extra glances—this was, in some sense, the ultimate boss of the future.
Then, Kagaya closed his eyes. He had no interest in bonding with Akatsuki's members. His sole purpose for living now was to kill Danzō. Everything else was irrelevant.
"Hmph, what an arrogant brat," Sasori snorted, displeased.
"Enough. Now that you've all met, let's assign tasks," Pain said to Kagaya. "Before we do, let me explain Akatsuki's current state. We're an underground organization, taking on various commissions from the Five Great Nations. No matter the task, as long as the reward is substantial, we'll do it. Since you've joined Akatsuki, you'll need to complete missions too."
Kagaya nodded.
"Understood."
Though the Five Great Nations were in a period of peace, they secretly feared others growing stronger and surpassing them. Thus, they resorted to covert military actions. Since these couldn't be done openly or by their own ninja during peacetime, Akatsuki filled that role. As long as a commission was issued, Akatsuki would carry it out.
"Then you and Tobi will handle missions near the Land of Fire. You're familiar with the area," Pain ordered.