"Ten Thousand Thunder Prison!"
Suddenly, a storm of lightning and wind erupted around Uehara Naraku. In an instant, a bolt of lightning struck down toward the man behind him!
"Waaaahhh… it hurts! It hurts!"
The man behind Uehara Naraku didn't even try to dodge. Instead, he let the lightning hit him, his body swaying back and forth.
The wooden mask on his face smoked, and his Akatsuki robe, black with red clouds, was singed by the lightning, sparks flickering along the fabric.
At first glance, he seemed like a complete idiot with an IQ of two—utterly harmless. His only purpose seemed to be providing a bit of amusement.
But anyone who thought that way would be gravely mistaken. Beneath the foolish façade, he had long brought the ninja world agonies that could break even the strongest minds.
Uehara Naraku lifted his head, narrowing his eyes, staring intently at the masked man. Future days might not be particularly boring…
But he couldn't relax too much.
The next moment, Uehara's expression turned solemn. Not far from the masked man stood a young man in a tight uniform.
His face showed faint tear grooves, and he wore a spiral-patterned ninja headband. His expression was serious and composed—clearly well-trained and disciplined.
Uehara Naraku's expression darkened slightly: "…."
This was Uchiha Itachi during his Anbu days?
No—since he was now in Akatsuki, he was no longer a Konoha Anbu ninja. He was a missing S-rank rogue ninja who had massacred his clan and fled Konoha.
Compared to other S-rank rogue ninjas, Uchiha Itachi's methods were far more ruthless.
Kakuzu had merely killed the upper ranks of Takigakure, a minor Konoha-affiliated village, with few strong shinobi.
Sasori had only killed a single Third Kazekage—not unusual, as Kazekages often played the role of "slain leader."
Itachi, however, had killed his entire clan.
And that was the Uchiha Clan, one of the oldest bloodline families in the ninja world, famed for its Sharingan and wealth, and respected for generations.
"Hey, kid! Show a little respect to your senior intern!"
The masked man angrily pointed at Uehara Naraku. But when he noticed Uehara's gaze, he immediately gave a thumbs-up toward the young man behind him.
With a playful grin, he said: "Hey, I've recruited a powerful member for the organization. Soon, he'll graduate from intern to full member!"
Even when angry, the masked man played the fool in front of Uehara Naraku, revealing nothing of his hidden identity.
He continued proudly: "Do you know who he is? Despite being about your age, he already wiped out the entire Uchiha Clan. He's strong enough to be a formal member of Akatsuki!"
"…."
Uehara Naraku stared at the masked man as if he were an idiot. How dare this overly theatrical performance be displayed in front of him and Uchiha Itachi?
This guy truly thought he was a great actor?
Standing in front of him was Uehara Naraku, and behind the masked man, Uchiha Itachi—both capable of contending for the title of master actor.
Well… the masked man's acting was impressive, too.
Uehara Naraku had just earned Konan's trust, and perhaps even Pein's. Uchiha Itachi had toyed with his younger brother, hiding his true intentions until the Pacific campaign concluded.
The masked man remained hidden until the Fourth Great Ninja War. His identity had never been discovered before his mask was knocked off.
Even if someone suspected him, most would refute the claim.
If Uehara Naraku hadn't known his true identity, he would probably have guessed he was someone like Uchiha Izuna.
How interesting!
Three confident individuals, each capable of masterful acting, were now here, vying to deceive one another.
Honestly… it looked a bit ridiculous.
One day, he would expose both of their identities, forcing everyone to face the truth.
The masked man suddenly patted Uehara on the shoulder, mischievously coaxing him: "Kid, why not spar with Uchiha Itachi? If you can defeat him, you might even claim his full member spot!"
"…."
Uehara Naraku looked at him as if he were staring at a fool: "If you're so eager to be a full member, why don't you just kill him and take his place?"
"Hahahahaha! Well… that's because…"
After a long, giggling pause, the masked man finally admitted in despair: "I'm too weak. He'd probably kill me!"
"But I'm also weak…"
Uehara blinked innocently.
With his current strength, defeating Akatsuki's S-rank rogue ninjas was tough unless he could summon the Justice Colossus Galio.
If he carefully rationed chakra, he could use his skills a dozen times—enough to take on someone like Kibaku Tenzou—but against a fully versatile Uchiha Itachi, it was uncertain.
Ninjutsu, taijutsu, genjutsu, and doujutsu—mastery of all made his combat style extremely varied. And his intelligence? High. He would never underestimate an enemy, always countering skillfully.
"Then I guess that's your own weakness…"
The masked man shrugged and turned toward the young man behind him: "Itachi-kun, if you want to secure a place in Akatsuki, why not kill someone? Interns aren't protected anymore!"
"…."
Thirteen-and-a-half-year-old Uchiha Itachi glanced at the masked man, then slowly at Uehara Naraku, and finally nodded, drawing the ninja blade on his back.
He had been brought here by the masked man.
In Itachi's memory, the masked man claimed to be Uchiha 'Madara,' a mysterious and powerful figure who had recently helped him massacre the Uchiha clan and recruited him into Akatsuki.
The masked man mentioned that Akatsuki was his organization, and this intern was likely someone he wanted removed.
Previously, they had agreed: he would not attack Konoha or harm Sasuke in exchange for Itachi joining Akatsuki.
Now, the masked man's words implied he wanted Itachi to find this other intern's "trouble."
It didn't matter. As long as the masked man kept his promise, Itachi didn't mind helping with minor issues.
"Interesting…"
Uehara Naraku glanced at the ninja blade in Itachi's hand, recalling two past side quests:
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 toward Uehara Naraku: "I'm sorry… I have my reasons."
With that, he vanished from sight!