The rain continued to batter the steel tower. Uehara Naraku sat on his bed, his eyes closed, seemingly resting. In reality, he was excitedly browsing the System Store.
The massacre of the Hanzo remnants had been lucrative. Between the mission rewards and the gold dropped from kills, his balance had swelled to over 1,300 Gold Coins.
"Finally," Uehara muttered internally. "I can fix my biggest weakness."
His card skills were powerful, but they consumed "Mana" (Chakra). His own chakra reserves were decent for a teenager, but pathetic compared to monsters like Kisame or Nagato. If he wanted to spam skills, he needed a bigger tank.
He navigated to the Equipment Shop and scrolled down to the item he had been eyeing for weeks.
[Item: Tear of the Goddess]
• Cost: 850 Gold Coins.
• Stats: +240 Mana (Chakra).
• Unique Passive - Awe: Refunds 15% of Mana spent.
• Unique Passive - Mana Charge: Grants +3 Mana every time a skill is used, up to a maximum of +360 bonus mana.
• Description: A tear shed by a goddess, containing vast magical power.
"Purchase," Uehara commanded mentally.
A surge of cool, refreshing energy flooded his body. It felt as if a dry well had suddenly been connected to an underground spring. His chakra reserves didn't just increase; they felt denser. And with the passive mana refund, his combat sustainability had just tripled.
"Now I can throw cards without worrying about fainting," he smirked.
Just as he finished equipping the item, a knock came at the door.
"Naraku," Konan's voice came through. "Come out. The Leader wants to see you."
Uehara's expression tightened. The Leader. Pain.
He quickly wiped the smirk off his face, replaced it with a look of respectful obedience, and opened the door.
"Sensei," he bowed.
Konan nodded. She seemed in a better mood than usual, likely due to his 'patriotic' performance in the cave. "Follow me. Pain-sama rarely grants audiences to subordinates. Mind your manners."
They ascended the tower, climbing stairs that seemed to go on forever, until they reached the highest room in Amegakure. It was a dark, hollow space, with large pipes lining the walls and a balcony that opened up to the rainy sky.
Standing on the balcony, with his back to them, was a figure wearing the black cloak with red clouds. Orange hair, metal piercings studding his face.
The Deva Path. Yahiko's body.
"Pain-sama," Konan announced softly. "I have brought Uehara Naraku."
The figure turned slowly. The Rinnegan—the legendary ripple pattern eyes—stared down at Uehara. The pressure in the room seemed to increase tenfold.
"Uehara Naraku," Pain's voice was deep and indifferent, like a god speaking to an ant. "Konan has told me about your mission. You did well."
Uehara bowed low, feigning nervousness. "I... I only did what was necessary for the village! Those traitors wanted to destroy the peace you created!"
Pain stared at him for a long moment. He was using the Rinnegan to scrutinize the boy, checking for any falsehood. But Uehara's acting was perfect, and his logic (protecting the village) aligned perfectly with Pain's twisted ideals.
"Peace..." Pain repeated the word. "You understand that peace is built upon pain. To protect the village, we must sometimes be ruthless."
"I understand!" Uehara shouted with the fervor of a brainwashed zealot. "If killing traitors brings peace, I will kill them all! I want to be your blade, Pain-sama!"
Konan looked at her student with a mix of pride and sadness. She saw Yahiko in him—the same passion, the same desire to protect.
Pain nodded slowly. "Very well. You have potential. Konan, give him the ring."
Konan stepped forward and produced a small silver ring. It wasn't one of the ten main rings of the Akatsuki (like 'Zero' or 'Vermilion'), but a subordinate ring, marking him as an elite operative directly under the leader.
"This signifies your status," Pain intoned. "From today, you are a full member of the Akatsuki's outer circle. You answer only to Konan and myself."
"Thank you, Leader!" Uehara accepted the ring with trembling hands (fake trembling).
[Side Mission Complete: Gain Pain's Approval.]
[Reward: 300 Gold Coins.]
Uehara suppressed a grin. Another 300 gold. This meeting was worth it.
"Naraku," Pain spoke again, turning back to look at the rain. "The world is full of suffering. We, the Akatsuki, will end that suffering. But to do that, we need power. Grow stronger. Soon, we will begin our true work."
"Yes!" Uehara replied.
"Go now," Pain dismissed him.
Uehara bowed again and backed out of the room with Konan.
Once they were in the hallway, the pressure lifted. Uehara let out a breath he had been holding.
"You were nervous," Konan noted.
"Of course, Sensei! That was... God," Uehara said, wiping sweat from his forehead. "His eyes... they are terrifying."
"Those represent his power," Konan said. "One day, if you work hard, you will understand the path to true peace."
Uehara nodded, but in his mind, he was checking his stats.
Mana pool increased. Approval gained. Ring acquired.
He touched the ring on his finger. To Pain, it was a symbol of loyalty. To Uehara, it was just another accessory for the Mastermind who would eventually flip the table on all of them.
"Sensei," Uehara looked up, his stomach rumbling loudly. "Now that I'm an elite member... do I get a salary raise?"
Konan: "..."