"Myriad Thunder Heavenly Prison!"
A storm of thunderclouds suddenly appeared around Uehara Naraku, and in an instant, lightning struck towards the man behind him!
"Ahhhhh... pain, pain, pain!"
The man standing behind Uehara Naraku didn't use any techniques; instead, he let the lightning strike him, his body swaying unsteadily.
The wooden mask on the man's face was smoking, and his Red Cloud Black Robe was singed by the lightning, with small sparks flickering.
The first impression this guy gives you is that he's an idiot with an IQ of two, posing no threat at all.
Bringing a bit of joy is his only use.
However, anyone thinking this would be gravely mistaken, as he has been inflicting mental torment on the people of the Ninja World.
Uehara Naraku raised his head, eyes slightly narrowed, staring intently at the masked man in front of him; it seemed the days ahead wouldn't be boring…
Still, he shouldn't relax too much.
In the next moment, Uehara Naraku's expression turned solemn because he noticed a young man in a tight uniform standing not far from the masked man.
The young man had tear troughs on his face, wore a swirl-patterned Forehead Protector, and had a stern, proper expression, as if he had received good upbringing.
Uehara Naraku's expression didn't look too good: "..."
Is this Uchiha Itachi from his Anbu days?
No, since he appeared in the Akatsuki, it proves he is no longer a Konoha Anbu Ninja but an S-Class Traitor who killed his entire clan and fled Konoha.
Compared to the other S-Class Traitors, Uchiha Itachi's methods are more ruthless.
Kakuzu only slaughtered the high-ups of the Hidden Waterfall Village, which was merely a vassal Ninja Village of Konoha without many strong fighters;
Sasori of the Red Sand only killed a Third Kazekage, which wasn't surprising as Kazekages always end up playing the role of being killed.
As for Uchiha Itachi, he slaughtered his entire clan!
That's a clan with a thousand-year-old bloodline legacy, long considered the first noble family in the Ninja World, the Sharingan Uchiha!
"Hey! Kid, show some respect to your senior intern here!"
The masked man angrily pointed at Uehara Naraku, but seeing Uehara's look, he gave a thumbs-up, pointing at the young man behind him.
The masked man chuckled and said, "Hey, I recruited a powerful member for the organization, soon I'll be out of the intern status and become a full member!"
Even when angry, the masked man continued his act of foolishness and madness in front of Uehara Naraku, showing no intention of revealing any other hidden identity.
After saying this, the masked man proudly introduced, "Do you know who he is? Although he's about your age, he already killed the entire Uchiha Clan, enough strength to become a full member in the organization!"
"..."
Uehara Naraku looked at the masked man as if looking at an idiot; how could he perform such an exaggerated act in front of him and Uchiha Itachi?
Does this guy really think his acting is good?
Standing in front of him, Uehara Naraku, and behind him, Uchiha Itachi, both contenders for the title of "Best Actor"!
Okay, the masked man's acting is quite good too.
Uehara Naraku just gained Konan's trust, maybe even Pain's; whereas Uchiha Itachi toyed with his own brother until the end of the Pacific War, all without revealing any hints.
The masked man remained hidden until the future Fourth Ninja World War, his identity never discovered until his mask was knocked off.
Even if someone doubted his identity, they would face rebuttals from many more people.
If not for Uehara Naraku knowing his true identity, he would probably only guess he's someone like Uchiha Izuna.
How interesting indeed!
Three self-proclaimed contenders for the best actor, now here, showcasing their acting skills, each thinking they can fool the others.
Honestly, it all feels a bit silly.
Someday, their identities must be uncovered, forcing everyone to be honest with each other.
The masked man suddenly patted Uehara's shoulder and enticingly muttered, "Kid, want to spar with Uchiha Itachi? If you can kill him, you can certainly take his spot as a full member!"
"..."
Uehara Naraku looked at the masked man as if he was an idiot: "If you want so badly to be a full member, why don't you go kill him and take his place?"
"Hahahahaha, of course, it's because, because…"
After a while of giggles, the masked man dejectedly stated his reply, "I'm too weak, and I might get killed by him!"
"But I'm also very weak..."
Uehara Naraku blinked, his expression rather innocent.
Based on his current strength, unless he could summon the Giant of Justice Gallio, defeating those S-Class Traitors in the Akatsuki was quite challenging.
If Uehara Naraku conserved some Chakra wisely, he could use his skills a dozen times; taking on someone like Biwa Juzo might not be a problem, but facing a well-rounded Uchiha Itachi, it was hard to say.
Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, Genjutsu, and Dojutsu, full proficiency in all areas made his fighting style extremely versatile, with the biggest headache being his high intelligence; against any opponent, he wouldn't be careless, cautiously countering enemies' Jutsu with defensive maneuvers.
"Then it's your fault for being too weak..."
The masked man spread his hands, turning to the young man behind him: "Hey, Itachi, if you want to establish yourself in the organization, then go kill someone! Interns in the organization aren't protected!"
"..."
The thirteen-and-a-half-year-old Uchiha Itachi glanced at the masked man, then slowly looked towards Uehara Naraku, finally nodded and drew the Ninja Blade from his back.
He was brought in by the masked man.
In Uchiha Itachi's impression, the masked man claimed to be 'Madara Uchiha', a mysterious and powerful man who recently assisted him in annihilating the Uchiha Clan and then brought him into the Akatsuki.
The masked man mentioned on the way that the Akatsuki was his organization, and that this intern should be one he wanted to get rid of.
Previously, their agreement had just been reached, with the masked man exchanging not attacking Konoha or harming Sasuke for his active role in the Akatsuki.
Now, his meaning, both explicitly and implicitly, was none other than wanting him to trouble this organization's other intern.
No cares.
As long as the guy kept his promise, Uchiha Itachi didn't mind helping him with minor nuisances.
"Interesting..."
Uehara Naraku glanced at Uchiha Itachi, who was holding his Ninja Blade, recalling two sub-tasks that had appeared before.
Defeat Uchiha Itachi once (0/1), reward unknown.
Defeat the mysterious masked man once (0/1), reward unknown.
Uchiha Itachi slowly closed his eyes, nodding apologetically towards Uehara Naraku: "Sorry, I have to do this for my own reasons."
With those words, his figure vanished from where he stood!