Hello, my name is A Fei!
At present, the Akatsuki organization was still nothing more than a temporarily assembled force.
However, that did not mean it was weak in any sense.
At this stage, aside from the masked man who called himself Madara and the mysterious Black Zetsu whose true strength was completely unknown and Uzumaki Nagato and Konan, whose abilities were partially exposed to the world…
Just Sasori of the Red Sand, Orochimaru, and Kakuzu three infamous Kage-level rogue ninjas along with Uchiha Itachi, the S-rank traitor from Konohagakure who had only recently joined, were already enough to make every major ninja village remain on high alert.
Before long, Tendō Pain brought Uchiha Yi back to the hidden cave that served as Akatsuki's current base.
Orochimaru and Sasori had remained behind, while Kakuzu had just returned from hunting bounty targets.
There was also a tall man wearing the Akatsuki cloak, carrying an oversized sword wrapped in bandages on his back. His shark-like features were unmistakable, with a large cross-shaped scar on his face and dark blue skin, red markings spreading beneath his eyes.
Because they had received advance notice from Tendō Pain, everyone was already present.
"Pain, who is he?"
Tendō Pain had been suddenly summoned away earlier, leaving no time for explanation. Konan had been quietly worried the entire time.
Seeing him return safely, she finally relaxed slightly.
But when she noticed the unfamiliar masked figure behind him, confusion appeared in her eyes, and she asked softly.
"…Are you bringing new experimental material for me?"
Orochimaru's gaze locked onto Uchiha Yi the moment he entered the cave.
His long tongue slid unconsciously across his lips as he smiled eerily.
At a glance, he noticed the three-tomoe Sharingan beneath the mask.
The greed and desire in his eyes deepened instantly.
Recently, his research into body reincarnation had reached a bottleneck.
According to his calculations, only a vessel possessing a rare bloodline could allow the technique to reach true perfection.
The kind of transplant Kakashi had undergone carried far too many flaws and side effects something Orochimaru, who pursued absolute perfection, utterly despised.
Unfortunately, within the current ninja world, the only confirmed members of the Uchiha clan were Uchiha Itachi, Uchiha Sasuke, and the masked man known as "A Fei" within Akatsuki.
Now, another suspected Uchiha had appeared before him.
How could he not feel excited?
But…
Compared to Uchiha Yi's three-tomoe Sharingan, Uchiha Itachi's Mangekyō Sharingan was obviously far more tempting.
As for A Fei…
That man was troublesome.
Orochimaru was not foolish enough to provoke someone he could not read.
"No."
"He is a new member of Akatsuki."
Tendō Pain interrupted calmly, shaking his head.
"Oh?"
"A newcomer?"
Before Orochimaru could say anything else, an exaggerated voice rang out from behind Uchiha Yi.
"Hello!"
"My name is A Fei!"
"I'm just an intern in the Akatsuki organization!"
"Please take good care of me!"
The masked man suddenly appeared behind Uchiha Yi and enthusiastically reached out, intending to put him on the shoulder.
However
"Ahhh! Hot! Hot! Hot!!"
The instant his hand made contact with Uchiha Yi's shadow clone, scorching heat surged directly into his nervous system.
Before his brain could even process it, his body reacted instinctively, and he let out a loud scream.
Uchiha Yi's pupils shrank slightly.
A sneak attack?
He sensed malicious intent approaching from his blind spot.
Enemy or ally it didn't matter.
Uchiha Yi reacted instantly and turned his head.
Fortunately, this was only a shadow clone.
And fortunately, it had remained in an elemental state the entire time.
Otherwise, being ambushed by someone this elusive would have been disastrous.
No unnecessary words.
"Amaterasu."
The moment his gaze locked on, pitch-black flames descended silently, igniting directly on A Fei's body at a speed impossible for the naked eye to track.
In the original story, Amaterasu often appeared ineffective during battles between Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Sasuke.
But anyone who truly understood knew
Those scenes were exceptions, not the rule.
"AAAH!!"
Another piercing scream echoed through the cave.
The black flames burned relentlessly, clinging like parasites to every inch of flesh.
The pain was unbearable.
But this alone was not enough.
Although Amaterasu was known as inextinguishable black fire, it had its counters.
Sealing techniques.
Fire-sealing barriers.
And most importantly, this man A Fei was almost certainly Uchiha Obito.
Amaterasu alone would not kill him.
It would only cause suffering.
So
Increase the damage.
"Ignition."
Without even a pause in thought, Uchiha Yi activated his second ability.
Still no hand seals.
Still instantaneous.
Once locked on, there was almost no chance to escape.
Unlike Amaterasu, which could be sealed or shed using substitution-like techniques, Ignition could not simply be removed.
Orochimaru's Snake Substitute could counter Amaterasu.
But Ignition?
Once struck, the target could only endure the burn until the duration ended.
At present, it lasted only ten seconds.
Even so, killing someone like Uchiha Obito was unrealistic.
"Tch… damn it."
For years, reliance on Kamui had made Uchiha Obito arrogant.
Even Nagato, the wielder of the Rinnegan, had never truly threatened him.
Who would have thought he would suffer such humiliation at the hands of an unknown Uchiha?
This hatred was etched deeply into his heart.
Uchiha Yi was silently added to his personal kill list.
But before that
He needed answers.
Having already lost face in front of the entire Akatsuki, he could not remain any longer.
Without saying a word, the Mangekyō Sharingan spun violently.
A spiraling distortion engulfed his body, swallowing him whole as he vanished.
"How interesting…"
Orochimaru finally spoke again, eyes gleaming with renewed interest.
This time, his gaze toward Uchiha Yi carried genuine seriousness.
"Leader, if there's nothing else to say, hurry it up."
"You're wasting my time making money."
Kakuzu, already impatient, urged Tendō Pain bluntly.
He had zero interest in the internal drama.
Money was all that mattered.
Sasori, like Kakuzu, remained silent, but the slight shift in his gaze toward Pain revealed his thoughts.
Only Uchiha Itachi stood quietly, his eyes fixed on the space where A Fei had disappeared.
Those black flames…
They reminded him of the masked man who had taken his parents' bodies on the night of the massacre.
I'll need to test him… when the time is right.