The two figures wearing Akatsuki cloaks navigated their way through the gloomy forest with a sense of familiarity.
Chasing after them, Akashi pondered.
'They know that I'm tailing them. They know that I can catch up to them anytime but doesn't do so, such that I can reach wherever they are heading to.'
Coupled with that ominous presence he felt previously, he was sure that he was being monitored.
'Yet, they pretend as if they haven't seen me. If... yes, if there truly is another me in this world, it is likely to assume that our thought processes would be quite similar.'
Akashi judged based on this idea that they—Akatsuki of this world—were trying to find out what his goal was.
By setting up a trap at the central tower, they made a rough estimate of his prowess. By setting up two Akatsuki members to head to a desolate area, they confirmed that Akashi isn't interested in the destruction of Ame, the village that must be harboring a good deal of hatred around the world due to how prosperous it's gotten.
This leads to a conclusion that Akashi is searching for something or someone.
Now, they would try to figure out what exactly that was.
Two Akatsuki members then finally came to a stop.
It wasn't in the forest, but on a flat land that was filled with mud and puddles.
The rain continued.
'The rain...'
Akashi, coming to a stop as well, watched as two Akatsuki members turned around and revealed their faces.
One of them, he immediately recognized.
"...Kakuzu."
"Oh? You know me?"
Kakuzu. The man whom he killed years ago was still alive in this world.
The other one was someone whom he never saw before, however.
Crouched and wearing a mask, he remained silent next to Kakuzu.
Then, his body creaked in a strange manner. The silence broke as he spoke,
"...How marvellous. The body of someone who resembles the leader... you would make a perfect puppet."
Puppet. Puppeteer.
'Could it be Sasori—no, it must be Sasori. He was the only one in the Elemental Nation who makes human beings into puppets.'
Akashi drew Ryuma, preparing for a battle.
'Resembles the leader, he said. This does confirm my speculations then. At the top of Akatsuki, as well as the village itself... there is an alternate version of myself.'
"Akashi..."
Then, Chakka whispered to him from the inside.
"Four... no, five. I sense five more."
It was just as Chakka said.
From his left and right, four more individuals, cloaked in Akatsuki cloaks, made appearance.
Their faces were all familiar to him.
'Orochimaru, Hidan, Juzo, and Kisame...'
And, from his front, one was walking toward him, walking past Sasori and Kakuzu.
Orange hair. Familiar features.
"...Yahiko?"
Yet, a pair of Rinnegan on his eyes.
Akashi's eye narrowed as Yahiko, without an ounce of emotion, opened his mouth.
"How intriguing. Yes, I've never seen something like this happen before."
The way Yahiko spoke was strange. It was as if he was being controlled, as if he was nothing but an empty shell.
"You know Yahiko. Judging by your reaction, you recognize the members of Akatsuki. You are familiar with the landscape of Ame. You are searching for someone. Hm..."
Yahiko's stoic expression broke as he revealed a smirk.
"Clearly, you aren't from this world. In that sense, that someone whom you search for must also be someone of not this world."
"And how are you sure? That I'm not from this world?"
"Oh, please."
Yahiko crackled.
"It is by no means possible for two of us to be born in the same world."
Yahiko walked and stopped right in front of Akashi, just a couple steps away.
"Tell me. Why didn't you seize the Rinnegan, myself?"
"...There is no way that I would take it from Nagato."
"Oh, that kid's name was Nagato? Good to know."
Akashi felt an intense gush of anger in him.
He was certain. Yahiko in front of him wasn't really Yahiko, but himself, another Akashi in this world. He seized the Rinnegan from Nagato and was controlling Yahiko through the use of the eyes.
And yes. Since Yahiko was now right in front of him, he could tell.
Yahiko's heart wasn't beating. His body was cold. It meant that Yahiko that his other self was controlling was nothing more than a corpse.
"How interesting. You think almost the same way that I do. We are very alike, except one thing."
Yahiko grinned.
"I don't let myself be swayed by something as meaningless as emotions. You're pathetic."
Ignoring the taunt, Akashi quickly recollected how he met Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato in the past.
'What's the chance that he doesn't know Konan?'
"Even the way you look is pathetic. How did you come to lose your eye like that?"
'They know that I'm looking for someone. They know that I'm not from this world, and hence, would likely deem that whoever I'm searching for must also be someone not from this world.'
Wherever it is that Konan woke up at, it is the most probable that she would try to head to Ame. That's what the sense of familiarity and attachment does to a person.
Immediately after the entry, his other self would've sensed her presence via the rain. Should Konan not be familiar to him like Nagato, he may have ignored her. However, the fact that she possesses the level of chakra that is well above a civilians' will place a chase after her.
'...'
There were two ways to find Konan.
One, continue with the investigation and track her down.
Two... make a ruckus and have his name known worldwide. Konan will come find him.
At this point, Akashi deduced that remaining hidden and unknown would take a great deal of time.
Given how he didn't know how much time he had, it was for the best that he speeds up his duty here.
"...Oh?"
Yahiko raised an eyebrow, having sensed the change in Akashi's attitude.
"What's with this sudden change in—"
No more could be spoken as Yahiko's head was severed from his neck.
"I have no interest in having a further talk with a corpse."
Akashi's dark blue eye revealed a cold gleam as he was found standing right behind Yahiko.
"You yourself should know how meaningless it is for us to face each other with a mere puppet."
"Flying Thunder God... huh..."
The detached head of Yahiko whispered before it fell to the ground and rolled.
There was no grunt of pain or shock. The detached head simply smirked.
"I will be looking forward to your visit, then."
The headless body fell.
Akashi's right hand that was holding Ryuma trembled slightly from the fact that he slayed Yahiko's body. His lips quivered, but he quickly masked his emotion and faced the members of Akatsuki ahead of him.
Kakuzu, Sasori, Orochimaru, Hidan, Juzo, and Kisame.
With the exclusion of Hidan, the rest were the infamous ninjas of the Elemental Nations whom the people feared.
'And then,'
Akashi gazed at the huge, tri-bladed scythe that Hidan was holding.
'That isn't one of Kiri's swords.'
It looked durable, but that was about it.
Someone like him, standing among the group of legendary ninjas?
There was something more to him.
"Well well well, it feels strange to be facing... the leader's other world equivalent, albeit lacking the Rinnegan."
Orochimaru was the one to open his mouth. His greedy eyes swept over Akashi with curiosity.
"Your body will be worth researching."
"That body is mine, Orochimaru. Hands off."
Sasori, seemingly hidden in a huge puppet, growled.
'...Orochimaru.'
Along with Jiraiya and Minato, Orochimaru, back in the original world, has been one of the major factors that enabled Konoha to withstand against Kumo and Iwa.
The fact that he was affiliated with Akatsuki right now must mean...
'There are many differences. It's best to assume that their skillsets may be different from what I experienced.'
Cautiously, Akashi monitored as the six members of Akatsuki readied themselves for the upcoming battle.
"That sword of yours... must be worth quite a price."
Kakuzu chuckled in anticipation.
"...I feel like I've seen that sword before."
Juzo frowned.
Kisame simply grinned, thirsty for blood.
"Wait, you all!"
Hidan, closing his eyes, brought himself into a praying motion.
"I need to pray first!"
"No one's interested in your cult, Hidan."
"Shut up, alright?!"
"..."
At last, Akashi sighed, having collected his thought while the enemies caused a ruckus among themselves.
"I only need one of you alive."
Relaxed, Akashi threw Ryuma out of his hand, causing all six of them to flinch and immediately get into battle stances.
Everyone's eyes were locked onto the hovering Ryuma mid air.
Abruptly, the green energy enveloped the blade.
Spirit Blade.
As if possessing the will of its own, Ryuma soared down and like a carp that freely swims in the pond, the blade pierced through Hidan's heart.
"...!"
Others, wide-eyed, immediately backed from Hidan whose chest was punctured within a second.
Having drilled its way out of Hidan's heart, Ryuma then struck Kakuzu who quickly hardened a layer of earth around his fist to block the blade.
Flying Thunder God.
At the next moment, Kakuzu saw Akashi standing right in front of him, holding Ryuma.
"Five hearts, was it?"
Said Akashi as he formed a hand seal with his free hand, to which Kakuzu's eyes widened.
"How did you—"
Urgently, the black spindles exploded out of Kakuzu's body.
Shadow Clone.
With a puff, two shadow clones formed from Akashi's left and right.
Leaping to left and right, they blocked the poisonous weapons shot from Sasori and Orochimaru's attempt to bite him by the neck, with his neck abnormally elongated.
Akashi's hand let go of Ryuma. Moving again by its own, Ryuma flew back and clashed against Juzo's Kubikiribocho while evading Kisame's Samehada, which had the chakra-absorbing property.
"Hmph!"
Kakuzu, meanwhile, revealed water mask and lightning mask from the black spindles around him.
The two masks' mouth-like sections gaped open.
"Lightning Release: False Lightning!"
"Water Release: Water Bullet!"
Akashi, standing right in front of Kakuzu, was bombarded by two techniques, and disappeared with a puff.
"?!"
It was a clone.
"Then the real one is—"
Akashi on the left, who blocked Sasori's poisonous weapons with his body, disappeared with a puff as well.
'I am quite familiar with the most. The two that I should be the most wary of... are Sasori and Orochimaru.'
Akashi on the right, with a powerful grip over Orochimaru's neck, was found forming a rasengan with his other hand.
Rasengan.
The spiralling sphere landed on Orochimaru's chest, drilling its way through.
Spinning, Orochimaru was sent spinning and crashing into the land below, leaving a spiral crater.
Landing, Akashi gazed at the troubled expressions of his enemies.
Dusting his clothes, Orochimaru stood up from the crater, tattered but smiling.
"You are strong, as we expected."
The battle was going to last for a while, it seemed.