Who was he, really?
Itachi Uchiha himself was often confused by this question. But right now, Itachi Uchiha was an ANBU ninja directly under Konoha's Fifth Hokage, acting on her orders to take control of the Akatsuki.
Saying that out loud was the kind of secret that could get people killed. After all, the Akatsuki had nothing to do with Konoha, and here was Itachi, a Konoha spy, about to take over as its leader.
Itachi glanced at Konan, then at Kisame, and said in a low voice, "After this battle is over, I will tell you everything."
"Itachi-san…" Kisame's expression was a mix of confusion and hurt. "Can I still trust you?"
Konan gave him the same look. She felt that neither the mysterious masked man nor Black Zetsu had hidden themselves as deeply as Itachi.
Itachi had joined the Akatsuki at thirteen. For five years, every time she saw him, he looked like he was plagued by a serious illness, yet was still willing to carry out missions for the Akatsuki's grand ideals until he gave his life.
It was all an act.
This guy was actually ridiculously strong.
Konan didn't know that Itachi had only recently obtained the Sage's Eyes. She thought Itachi possessed the same eyes as Nagato, with even greater power, yet had been sneakily using just a tiny fraction of his strength, pretending to be fighting for his life.
Doesn't this man know that liars deserve the worst?
"Some lies are conspiracies, while others are born of goodwill," Itachi said slowly, delivering a philosophical line. Ignoring the thoughtful Kisame, he stepped towards the mysterious masked man.
He now had the information he needed. Next was to carry out the orders given by Naruto Uzumaki.
The mysterious masked man looked at Itachi and chuckled lightly. "I never would have thought, Itachi, that you were hiding so much…"
"Obito Uchiha." Itachi exposed the masked man's identity with a single sentence and said softly, "By order of the Fifth Hokage, I will be taking over the Akatsuki. Will you choose to submit, or to resist?"
"That brat…" The mysterious masked man's eyes narrowed. He said contemptuously, "Does he think that just because you have the Rinnegan, no one is your opponent?"
"There's no need for such pointless talk." Itachi shook his head and said calmly, "I am well aware of your Mangekyo Sharingan's ability, and I have personally seen you use Izanagi…"
"…" The mysterious masked man's heart pounded. He was about to escape into his Kamui dimension.
However, Itachi quickly brought his hands together, his eyes fixed on the masked man. He said in a deep voice, "Tsukuyomi Divine Realm!"
A blood-red moon suddenly rose, and everyone present was enveloped by it. Each of them felt a thin film pass through their bodies as they entered an execution ground filled with crucifixes.
The mysterious masked man frowned. "Is this… a genjutsu?"
"It's not genjutsu," Black Zetsu said in a hoarse, grim voice. "This is Itachi Uchiha's Tsukuyomi space. Like Kamui, it is a real dimension. This is his Rinnegan's dōjutsu!"
Just as Madara Uchiha possessed Limbo, the dōjutsu Itachi had obtained was an enhancement of his Tsukuyomi, turning it into a real space. He named this dōjutsu the Tsukuyomi Divine Realm.
Anyone caught in Itachi's gaze would be judged and pulled into this realm. To leave, one could only defeat Itachi himself.
After entering his intangible state, the mysterious masked man subconsciously let out a sigh of relief. "I can still use Kamui, so it doesn't seem particularly dangerous…"
Black Zetsu coldly stated its judgment. "But you can't use Kamui to escape this space, can you? He has already imprisoned us here!"
As soon as Black Zetsu's voice fell, a red curtain of light suddenly descended, forming a cage that completely trapped Obito Uchiha.
A voice echoed from the blood moon in the sky: "Don't even think about escaping. Everything here is under my control…"
"You…!" The mysterious masked man tried to use his Kamui to leave the red cage but found he couldn't escape no matter what. The red cage seemed to be another, separate space entirely.
Black Zetsu slowly raised its head and looked at the blood moon in the sky. On it stood a black figure, vaguely recognizable as Itachi.
"I never thought there would be a second Uchiha capable of awakening the Rinnegan…" An arrogant voice reached Black Zetsu's ears. A long-haired man had appeared on the ground at some point. He extended his hand towards Black Zetsu. "Black Zetsu, bring me my Rinnegan. I want to see what this child looks like."
It was Madara Uchiha.
After entering the Tsukuyomi Divine Realm, perhaps because the flow of time had changed, his body had finally absorbed the Hashirama cells, and he was completely resurrected.
Another red curtain of light appeared out of thin air. Just as this curtain was about to fall, Madara stomped his foot and smashed his fist into the light. A dull thud echoed.
Bang!
The red light curtain trembled slightly, then fell and imprisoned Madara as well.
On the blood moon, Itachi Uchiha frowned, looking down at the long-haired man on the ground. He said coldly, "Madara Uchiha, even if you are one of the two strongest of the old era, do not attempt to defy my will…"
"To be so underestimated…" Madara closed his eyes, a smile tracing his lips. He said in a low voice, "Just because you can crudely manipulate space-time within this dimension, you think you can imprison me?"
A blue light suddenly erupted from his body. A towering Susanoo rose from the ground, enveloping Madara. With a mighty punch, it shattered the light curtain that imprisoned him.
This red cage, which seemed capable of confining anything, was completely fragile before Madara Uchiha.
"Young one, your Rinnegan dōjutsu is truly interesting!" After breaking the red cage, Madara laughed heartily, still unable to resist praising it. "Even I have never seen such a strange jutsu. It is worthy of being a Rinnegan dōjutsu…"
Then Madara's tone changed, and he sneered, "But the space of this world is very fragile. A true master can easily distort the space of the ninja world itself, let alone this weak dimension!"
"…" Itachi's gaze gradually became grave.
The man known as the Asura of the Ninja World and the Strongest Uchiha seemed even more powerful than he had imagined. Even without the Rinnegan or Sharingan, he could forcibly activate Susanoo. What was more troublesome was his unyielding will and vast combat experience.
Upon seeing the space-time prison, the mysterious masked man had instantly fallen into a helpless rage. But Madara, freshly resurrected and with both eyes blind, had no trouble assessing the situation and quickly found a way to break free.
On the ground, Madara Uchiha extended his hand, received the Rinnegan from Black Zetsu, and calmly placed them in his eye sockets. He looked up at the blood moon in the sky.
With the vision of the Rinnegan, Madara could now see the full appearance of the person on the blood moon. He couldn't help but smile. "Looks like he's only in his teens, and he's already awakened the Rinnegan? What a talented child…"
-----
Bonus:
Madara: This kid looks pretty good!
Black Zetsu: ???
Itachi: ???
Madara: He looks talented, and very strong…
Itachi: Uh… thanks, I guess…
Madara: Do you have a younger brother?
Itachi: I have one…
Black Zetsu: His brother's name is Sasuke. Here's a photo of Sasuke.
Madara: Wow, this Sasuke is even more handsome than his brother!
Itachi: ???
Madara: Be good to your little brother.
Itachi: …Is that any of your business?
Madara: As an older brother, you have to take care of your younger brother, understand?
Itachi: ...