Akatsuki Has Had a Difficult Time These Years
Hoshigaki Kisame's crisp response stunned the two Uchiha present.
Even through spiral masks and controlled expressions, the surprise was palpable.
A man nearly two meters tall. One of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. A shinobi whose name alone caused fear across nations.
And yet
He surrendered so cleanly?
If Kisame knew what they were thinking, he would have scoffed.
Pride?
Unyielding spirit?
When facing a Mangekyō wielder capable of turning the battlefield into volcanic hellfire, stubbornness was simply another word for suicide.
Kisame was brutal but he was not foolish.
If not for maintaining some semblance of dignity, he might truly have knelt on the spot.
Of course, that thought passed as quickly as it came.
The deeper reason was something else entirely.
He was tired.
Tired of Kirigakure.
Tired of blood.
Tired of lies.
Years ago, he killed his superior none other than Fuguki Suikazan, the previous wielder of Samehada. That act should have branded him a traitor.
Instead, he was protected.
Protected by the Fourth Mizukage Yagura Karatachi.
At the time, Kisame believed it was recognition. That the Mizukage saw through Fuguki's corruption and valued Kisame's loyalty and strength.
But over time, doubt crept in.
Kirigakure was known as the "Bloody Mist." Assassinations, internal purges, silent disappearances these were not rumors. They were policy.
And Yagura… was said to be the perfect Jinchūriki of the Three-Tails.
Yet his rule had grown increasingly tyrannical, detached.
Looking back, Kisame began to see a different possibility.
Perhaps he had not been saved.
Perhaps he had been used.
Used as a blade to eliminate dissent within the ranks of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen.
After Fuguki's death, ambition within the village surged. The title of "Seven Ninja Swordsmen" became something fought over through betrayal and blood.
Kill to rise.
Die to be replaced.
Families avenged families.
Hatred layered upon hatred.
An endless cycle.
And at its center
Hoshigaki Kisame.
He had become the symbol of that brutality.
Whether fairly or not.
Sneak attacks. Poison. Assassination attempts. Internal conspiracies.
They became part of his daily existence.
At night, a single question echoed in his mind:
If I killed someone who sought to betray the village… was I wrong?
Or was I merely convenient?
And the most important question of all
Was the Mizukage truly on his side?
Or had he always been a pawn?
That question was why he endured.
And now, fate had presented him another path.
The Akatsuki.
"I will join the Akatsuki."
Kisame's voice was steady.
"But before that, there is something I must confirm."
His eyes darkened with resolve.
If necessary
He would confront the Mizukage himself.
Even if the opponent was a perfect Jinchūriki.
Even if it meant death.
The emergence of Akatsuki and Uchiha Yi's invitation were merely catalysts. With or without them, Kisame would eventually have left Kirigakure and become a missing-nin.
Uchiha Yi studied him carefully.
"Very well."
"If you require assistance, inform us."
"Welcome to the Akatsuki."
From within his cloak, Yi retrieved a black ring engraved with the character '南' (Nan – South).
He tossed it forward.
"You will bear the code name 'Nan.'"
The assignment was deliberate. Within the Akatsuki's structure under Pain, each member carried a symbolic ring position. Kisame's partnership would eventually align him with Uchiha Itachi.
Kisame accepted the ring.
"Thank you."
Without further hesitation, he departed likely toward Kirigakure.
The battlefield grew quiet.
Only two figures remained.
Uchiha Obito still masked.
And Uchiha Yi.
"Waaahhh Senior is amazing!"
Obito suddenly reverted to exaggerated theatrics.
"The sky full of magma like divine punishment! Senior Yi is practically a god!"
His tone was lively, admiring.
Convincing.
If one did not know better.
But Yi did.
He knew the man behind the mask.
He knew the mind calculating beneath the façade of foolishness.
Since you enjoy acting…
Let's perform.
"You useless trash. Be quiet."
Yi's voice turned ice-cold.
Obito froze.
The insult struck harder than any ninjutsu.
To preserve his public persona as the clumsy subordinate "Tobi," he lowered his head.
"I I'm sorry, Senior…"
"I don't know what I did wrong…"
Internally, however, fury burned.
Yi stepped closer.
"What have you accomplished these past months?"
Silence.
Obito opened his mouth then closed it.
His true efforts the manipulation of Akatsuki from the shadows, the continuation of the Eye of the Moon Plan could not be spoken aloud.
His entire disguise relied on appearing incompetent.
If he showed too much capability, suspicion would arise.
Without Kamui's intangibility and space-time manipulation, his direct combat power did not surpass the top Akatsuki members. Against figures like Pain or Itachi, recklessness meant death.
Even invoking the name of Uchiha Madara had limits. Overuse invited scrutiny.
Yi pressed on mercilessly.
"If I call you trash, then you are trash."
"Recruiting one swordsman took months."
"Akatsuki struggles for manpower, and you can't handle even that?"
"You joined before me, yet you remain a trainee."
"Have you ever reflected on why?"
Obito's fists tightened beneath his cloak.
Anger surged.
But he endured.
Yi abruptly changed tone.
"A-Fei."
His voice softened.
"My words are harsh because I expect more from you."
"Akatsuki needs talent. This was your opportunity."
"Lord Pain entrusted this to you because he believed you could grow."
"But you disappointed him."
A pause.
"Think carefully."
He placed a hand on Obito's shoulder.
The gesture was almost brotherly.
Almost sincere.
Obito trembled theatrically.
"Th-thank you, Senior…"
Inside, however, calculations shifted.
This Uchiha Yi
His strength had grown too quickly.
Too unpredictably.
Uchiha Yi's Mangekyō glinted beneath the dim light.
Akatsuki was changing.
And power
Was quietly shifting.
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