Chapter 53: Itachi Uchiha, Skilled at Storytelling
"I'll head back to the base first."
After Pain finished talking with Uehara Naraka, he instructed coldly, "Uehara, you also return to the Akatsuki base immediately. Don't make your teacher worry."
After speaking, Pain dispersed the summon, dissolving into smoke.
Because the Deva Path Pain was too far from the main body, Nagato, the chakra within the Deva Path Pain was actually nearly depleted after releasing two dōjutsu.
If it couldn't receive chakra transmission from Nagato, the Deva Path Pain couldn't be of much use; staying here had no meaning.
Better to return quickly and probe Uchiha Itachi for information.
Uehara Naraka didn't linger either. He summoned Pain only to make Uchiha Obito, hiding and peeking in secret, recognize the fact that his actor identity had been stripped away.
Uchiha Obito should have recognized the facts by now, right?
The only regret was that Orochimaru had secretly slipped away.
Since matters were concluded, Uehara Naraka left the Land of Water with Kisame Hoshigaki, Mangetsu Hōzuki, Haku, and the others, embarking on the road home.
After everyone had left.
In a shadowy part of the mountain forest.
The figure of the mysterious masked man appeared. He murmured to himself somewhat melancholically, "Miscalculated. That kid can actually summon Pain..."
His identity was about to be completely exposed!
However, the mysterious masked man had long prepared for the worst.
If Nagato wanted to kick him out and start collecting the Tailed Beasts alone, it was simply impossible, because only Zetsu could gather all the Tailed Beast intelligence.
This identity exposure only affected his status and image; it didn't hinder his continuation of the Eye of the Moon Plan.
The mysterious masked man wasn't entirely without gains.
He suspected Orochimaru had sensed his identity and leaked it to Kakashi. Who else would make Orochimaru appear in the Land of Water for no reason?
Logically and reasonably, Orochimaru was the most likely candidate.
"Forget it, I can only give up on suppressing the news..."
The light in the mysterious masked man's eye flashed momentarily. A space-time vortex appeared behind him, pulling him into it.
Land of Rain.
Akatsuki's base.
Pain [Nagato] cancelled Uehara's summoning technique and had just returned here when he was met by a worried-looking Konan.
Konan, Kakuzu, and Uchiha Itachi had only returned to the Akatsuki base in the last two days after recruiting Hidan from Yugakure (Village Hidden in Hot Water).
"Nagato, did something happen with your main body?"
"No, it's Uehara."
Pain shook his head, his expression grim, "Perhaps we can uncover the truth from twelve years ago. First, go restrain Uchiha Itachi. Absolutely cannot let him escape!"
"What happened?"
"The man calling himself Uchiha Madara is a ninja named Obito. It's highly likely he's a Konoha spy wanting to use us!"
Pain's face was ugly. He continued gravely, "Uehara discovered his true identity and is currently being hunted down by him!"
"I'll go save Uehara!"
Konan's paper wings spread behind her, about to leave.
The Deva Path Pain stopped her and explained in a low voice, "No need to worry. Uehara happened to encounter Orochimaru over there; I've already dealt with it for him. He has three Seven Ninja Swordsmen protecting him, there shouldn't be any problem..."
"Then let's go see Uchiha Itachi first!"
Sheets of paper fluttered around Konan's body, her voice cold, "Get the information from his mouth!"
Since Uehara hadn't returned yet, Uchiha Itachi didn't have a new teammate, so he couldn't go out on missions, merely sitting by the lakeside outside the base contemplating life.
A swarm of paper butterflies suddenly fluttered down before him, converging into a blue-haired woman standing on the lake surface, creating ripples.
Konan looked at him, frowning slightly, "The famous Clan-Killer Itachi, could he possibly have troubles too?"
"Konan-senpai, is something the matter?"
Uchiha Itachi felt somewhat depressed. He just wanted to sit quietly by himself for a while, not really wanting to chat with the woman before him.
Konan, however, didn't care about his mood, just asking coldly, "Uchiha Itachi, you're a Konoha rogue ninja. When you were in Konoha, did you ever hear the name Obito?"
"Obito?"
Uchiha Itachi remembered a funeral he attended long ago, looked up in confusion, and supplemented the name Konan mentioned, "Uchiha Obito?"
Konan's brow furrowed slightly. She carefully observed Uchiha Itachi's expression. Seeing he showed no abnormalities, she felt somewhat surprised inwardly.
Uchiha Itachi also doesn't know the masked man's identity?
Konan continued gravely, "You are both from the same clan; you should know the person named Uchiha Obito, right?"
"Hm?"
Uchiha Itachi lowered his head, just gazing at the lake surface as he answered softly, "Uchiha Obito died in battle during the Third Great Ninja War. Because his body couldn't be found, he is also the only hero not enshrined on the Konoha Memorial Stone."
"Oh?"
Konan nodded with interest, "Continue!"
Judging solely from Uchiha Itachi's words, the probability that the mysterious masked man was Uchiha Obito was at least eighty to ninety percent.
But from Uchiha Itachi's expression, it seemed he still didn't know the mysterious masked man's true identity?
Thinking this way, Uchiha Itachi probably wasn't a Konoha spy; after all, he did kill his entire Uchiha clan.
"..."
Uchiha Itachi looked somewhat puzzledly at Konan. Uchiha Obito died long ago, what more did she want him to say?
What else was there to say!
Should he recount Obito's life story?
Why would someone who died long ago arouse Konan's interest?
Uchiha Itachi carefully observed Konan's tone and expression, while continuing softly, "It's said Uchiha Obito's grades weren't very good. Perhaps precisely for this reason, during the Konoha ninja graduation assignments, Obito was placed on the same team as the era's greatest genius ninja, Kakashi Hatake, becoming disciples of the Fourth Hokage..."
The story of a dead last unfolded smoothly from Uchiha Itachi's mouth.
News Itachi heard from others in his clan, combined with his own understanding and embellishments, crafted a positive growth story of a dead last ultimately becoming a Konoha hero.
Listening, Konan couldn't help but look sideways. She hadn't expected this guy Uchiha Itachi to actually have a talent for storytelling.
The ninja story told by Uchiha Itachi was much more engaging than Jiraiya's.
That Tales of a Gutsy Ninja written by Jiraiya, what kind of stuff was that? So obscure it was hard to read through, really not as good as Uchiha Itachi's story.
"...Ultimately, Uchiha Obito became a hero of Konoha, resting eternally in a foreign land, while the genius ninja Kakashi Hatake, carrying his comrade's will, achieved the honor of 'Sharingan Kakashi' with the Sharingan gifted by his old friend."
This story couldn't be considered leaking intelligence; much of its content was common knowledge, and it was a story spreading the Will of Fire.
After finishing the story, Uchiha Itachi himself was even moved by the Obito in the tale. He slowly turned his head to look at the composed female ninja, feeling somewhat puzzled inwardly...
Wasn't his story good?
Didn't the Will of Fire spread into Konan's heart?
"Finished?"
Konan frowned. If she didn't know the mysterious masked man was Uchiha Obito, she might actually have felt some admiration for him [Obito from the story].
"Mm..."
Uchiha Itachi's expression wasn't too good; he felt this woman was somewhat incorrigible, "Konan-senpai, why are you interested in matters concerning Uchiha Obito?"
Konan didn't answer his question, just unfolded the paper wings on her back and said coldly, "Come with me. Pain wants to see you!"
(End of Chapter)
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