"Mr. Shopkeeper."
Gaara greeted Simu with deep respect, a stark contrast to his previous arrogant demeanor.
"Mm, your strength is growing fast. Keep it up."
Simu nodded before turning his gaze toward Sasuke, who was still buried in the sand.
"As for you, Sasuke, it looks like you are no match for Gaara at all."
Sasuke snorted coldly, not bothering to make excuses. If he had been defeated by someone older, he might have used age as a justification, but against Gaara—who was only one year older—he truly had nothing to say.
Hidan leaped down from above to Simu's side, clearly enjoying the spectacle. "Hey kid, I heard you want to kill Itachi Uchiha for revenge. But with your current strength..."
He didn't finish the sentence, but the implication was clear: he looked down on Sasuke.
Predictably, these words sent Sasuke into a rage. Only three days had passed since the Uchiha Clan was wiped out, and he hadn't fully processed his grief and hatred. Agitated by Hidan, his anger surged, and the Cursed Seal on his neck began to spread.
"That's enough."
Simu's words instantly cut through Sasuke's rage. The Cursed Seal retracted as if suppressed by some invisible power.
This scene terrified Sasuke. Although he lacked specific memories of the night the clan was massacred, he could feel the potential power hidden within his body. Yet, this terrifying power was so insignificant before this man that it retreated at a single word.
"Who exactly are you?" Sasuke finally asked.
Simu had stayed in the shadows during Sasuke's recovery, so Sasuke didn't know him. He only knew this man was the one who had taken him from the Hidden Leaf.
Simu acted as if he had just realized his oversight. He pushed his glasses up and smiled faintly. "I almost forgot to introduce myself. My name is Simu Kamizuki, a member of the Jashin Religion."
Sasuke remained buried in the sand, his head fixed on Simu as if trying to verify his words. "What is your goal? Why did you take me from the Hidden Leaf?"
Simu saw no reason to hide his intentions. "My goal, of course, is to turn you into a vessel for the descent of Lord Jashin. As for taking you from the Hidden Leaf, it was simply to train you better."
"That decaying cage called the Hidden Leaf has no way of cultivating a proper Evil God."
Sasuke frowned. "Why did you choose me?"
Simu glanced at him. "Because your talent is great enough, and your heart is filled with hatred and darkness."
"And you've decided I will just follow your arrangements to become the vessel for this Evil God?" Sasuke asked. After all, he was just a seven-year-old child who had suffered a massive life upheaval; his heart was full of doubt.
Simu stared into Sasuke's eyes, appearing to look straight into his soul. "For power, and to seek revenge against the Hidden Leaf and Itachi Uchiha, you will agree, won't you?"
Sasuke fell into a long silence. He lowered his head, and when he finally opened his eyes, they seemed to burn with an infinite fire. "That's right. As long as I can get my revenge, I can accept anything!"
The innocent, cute little Sasuke was dead. The boy buried in front of Simu was a young, but steadfast Avenger.
Satisfied by Sasuke's resolve, Simu nodded. "Very well. Next, I will teach you how to control the power within you. But first, recover your body."
Despite the Natural Energy enhancing his constitution, Sasuke's outburst that night had caused significant physical damage. He needed to heal before training could begin.
At Simu's word, Gaara silently released the sand binding Sasuke.
"I'll leave Sasuke in your care for a while, Gaara." Simu patted Gaara's shoulder. Gaara nodded, his eyes showing no emotion toward the boy.
Simu smiled and walked away.
"Hey, wait for me, you bastard Simu!" Hidan shouted, hurrying to catch up. Once beside him, he asked, "Why are you training those two brats? They both act so high and mighty!"
Clearly, Hidan was annoyed by the attitude Gaara and Sasuke showed him.
Simu's lips curled into a smirk. "Because they both possess extreme hatred. One hates the Hidden Leaf, the other the Hidden Sand. One wants to kill his brother, the other his father..."
He looked at Hidan and asked, "Don't you think that's interesting?"
"Tch, you really have a twisted sense of humor," Hidan grumbled, unable to understand Simu's amusement.
As they spoke, the rings on their fingers grew warm.
"The leader is summoning us for an offline meeting," Hidan complained. "What a pain."
Usually, Pain would only use the Magic Lantern Body Technique to project their images for meetings. An offline meeting meant every Akatsuki member had to gather at headquarters in person.
Simu wasn't surprised. "It seems a new member is coming."
Two days later, Simu and Hidan arrived at the Akatsuki headquarters.
Entering the cold, dark, and empty underground space once more, they saw five figures already standing on the massive fingers of the Gedo Mazo. Pain, Konan, Black and White Zetsu, Orochimaru, and Sasori had arrived.
"You've finally arrived. Long time no see, Simu-kun."
The voice was unmistakable—hissing like a poisonous snake. It was Orochimaru. Following their recent collaboration, Orochimaru's attitude toward Simu had become noticeably warmer, though his voice remained icy.
"I didn't expect Mr. Orochimaru to be so early. It seems I am the one who is late," Simu joked.
Orochimaru smiled faintly. "No, no. I'm afraid the one who is truly late is someone else."
As if to prove his point, a spatial vortex appeared behind Simu the moment he finished speaking.
"Oops! It looks like I'm late!"
Tobi scrambled out of the vortex, followed by a cold, aloof young man: Itachi Uchiha.
The moment Itachi arrived, his eyes landed on Simu. His pupils constricted, and a wave of fury nearly broke through his calm exterior.
This was the man who had destroyed all his plans. He had wanted to protect Sasuke and the Uchiha's honor, but his efforts had come to nothing. Not only were the Uchiha branded as traitors, but Sasuke had been labeled a Rogue Ninja and fallen into the hands of the Jashin Religion.
And the culprit was this sophisticated, gentle-looking man.
Fortunately, Itachi's mental discipline suppressed his impulse. He knew that attacking Simu here would solve nothing and only put him in danger. This was Akatsuki territory, and he was only a prospective member. If a conflict broke out, it was obvious who the others would side with.
He had to endure.
Tobi spoke up, "Seniors, let me introduce you. This is an S-Rank Rogue Ninja from the Hidden Leaf, Itachi Uchiha. He is the newcomer joining Akatsuki."
"Please guide me," Itachi said, his expression returning to indifference. Even Simu had to admire his composure.
"So this is the famous 'Clan Killer,' Itachi Uchiha. I've heard that name so many times it's made my ears itch," Orochimaru said, looking down at Itachi with eyes full of hunger and greed.
At the title "Clan Killer," Itachi's eyelids flickered, but he remained calm. "I didn't expect the legendary Sannin, Mr. Orochimaru, to be here as well."
While Itachi appeared calm, his heart sank. With Orochimaru, the Jashin Religion, the man claiming to be Madara Uchiha, and the mysterious leader, the power of this organization was far greater than he had imagined.
"Besides Itachi, I also have a new member to recommend," Konan's cold voice rang out.
Everyone turned to her, though Simu remained calm, having already sensed the figure hiding in the shadows with his insects.
A figure emerged from the darkness. He wore a black vest, had a fierce face with a cross-shaped scar on his right cheek, and his mouth was covered by a red-toothed pattern. His forehead protector was slashed, marking him as a Rogue Ninja.
"Juzon Biwa, an S-Rank Rogue Ninja from the Hidden Mist and one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist," Konan introduced.
"Hello, everyone. I am Juzo Biwa." He held a massive blade, revealing a mouthful of sharp teeth as he spoke.
"Since there are no objections, Juzo, Itachi—you two may choose your codenames," Pain announced. Two uniforms and rings flew through the air toward them.
Because of Tobi's special status, he didn't have a codename. Three names remained: [Vermilion Bird], [South Star], and [Azure Dragon].
Looking at the rings, Itachi politely declined first. "Please choose first, Senior."
Juzo didn't stand on ceremony. He took the ring representing [South Star] and put on the Akatsuki cloak. Itachi then chose the [Vermilion] ring, representing the [Vermilion Bird].
Simu ignored the ritual, taking his place on the Gedo Mazo's fingers with Hidan and nodding to Sasori. Once the newcomers were settled, Tobi spoke up impatiently.
"Leader, now that Itachi and Juzo have joined, we are finally at full strength. Can we take the next step?"
Everyone present knew what that meant: capturing the Tailed Beasts.
Pain nodded. "I will have White Zetsu collect intelligence on the Tailed Beasts from the major villages. We will act when the opportunity arises." He turned to the newcomers. "Juzo, Itachi, you two will be a team. Use this time to familiarize yourselves with each other's combat styles."
"Understood," Juzo grinned. Itachi gave a faint nod.
After a few more instructions, the meeting adjourned. As Simu prepared to leave, Itachi called out to him.
"Is there something else, Itachi-kun?" Simu turned, looking at the cold young man. Simu noticed that the lines on Itachi's face seemed deeper, likely from days of rage and anxiety.
Itachi didn't waste words. "How is Sasuke?"
Simu pushed up his glasses. "He is doing well. He's training hard so he can kill you."
Hearing that Sasuke was safe, Itachi felt a secret sense of relief. "Good. I hope you take good care of him."
"Of course. You can rest assured, Itachi-kun." Simu maintained his smile, though to Itachi, it felt like a mockery of his helplessness.
"If that's all, I'll be going."
As Simu's figure vanished, Itachi clenched his fists. Unfortunately, he had no way to deal with Simu right now.
"Itachi-kun seems quite angry," Orochimaru's voice drifted from behind.
Itachi turned to meet Orochimaru's predatory gaze. Suddenly, two massive pythons erupted from the ground beneath Itachi, binding him in a double-helix coil.
"Your eyes... they are truly beautiful," Orochimaru whispered, his hunger for the Sharingan reaching a peak.
But in the next second, a voice from behind made his blood run cold.
"Thank you for the compliment, Mr. Orochimaru."
Itachi's hand rested lightly on Orochimaru's shoulder. The "Itachi" bound by the snakes began to crumble, turning into a murder of crows that dissipated into the air.
Only then did Orochimaru realize with a shock that he was caught in a Genjutsu.
"Since when..."
Itachi had no intention of answering. "Mr. Orochimaru, until we meet again."