Joining the Ninja World's Top Male Group

The carriage carrying the group had just entered Amegakure. The architecture here had a punk-like style, with advanced urban pipelines running throughout the city.

Standing atop the tower, Pain detected these unfamiliar clusters of chakra with the Rain Tiger at Will Technique.

"Konan, the new member Madara mentioned has arrived. Go welcome them."

Before the carriage, countless sheets of paper danced through the air and gathered into the form of a woman.

The many Amegakure residents walking nearby excitedly dropped to their knees, heedless of the rainwater on the ground.

Uchiha Izumi, who was driving the carriage ahead, was deeply shocked by the sight.

Hyuga Kei stepped out of the carriage. Seeing the woman's short blue-purple hair and white paper flower, he recognized her at once.

"I was introduced by Tobi to join Akatsuki."

"I know. Follow me."

The group arrived beneath the central tower of Amegakure. After entering the tower, Konan led the four of them to the dormitories.

"This is where you'll be staying. You can live here."

"Clean up the rooms first. I'll get you the organization's uniforms and equipment."

Watching her leave, Hyuga Kei shook his head slightly. No matter how much she changed, the gentleness in her heart would not change.

The four found three adjacent rooms. Karin Uzumaki wanted to stay with her mother, while Yuka cleaned Hyuga Kei's room and made his bed.

Not long afterward, Konan knocked on Hyuga Kei's door.

"Come in!"

Konan entered Hyuga Kei's room and placed a Red Cloud Cloak, a conical hat, and three ninjutsu scrolls on the table. "The cloak is Akatsuki's uniform. Those three scrolls contain techniques you must learn."

She then took a ring and a bottle of nail polish from her pocket. "From now on, your codename will be 'Sora.' The nail polish and ring are necessary mediums for activating those three techniques."

"The ring goes on your left little finger. That corresponds to your position on the Demonic Statue."

"Understood." Hyuga Kei accepted the ring symbolizing "Sora" and put it on.

The Ring of Sky had always been in Orochimaru's possession, but he had defected after Uchiha Itachi joined, so it happened to fall into Hyuga Kei's hands.

But Hyuga Kei remembered that this ring had never been recovered. Had Nagato made a new one?

"Tomorrow's meeting will introduce you to the other members of the organization. My name is Konan, codename: White."

Konan turned to leave after saying that.

"Could I trouble you with something?"

"Go ahead."

"Help me apply for enrollment so Karin can attend Amegakure's Ninja Academy."

"That red-haired girl?"

"Yes." Since he had promised Karin a good life, Hyuga Kei would not break his word.

"I'll arrange it."

"Mm, thank you."

Watching Konan's departing back, Hyuga Kei picked up the ninjutsu scrolls on the table. The three techniques were the Phantasmal Body Technique, Nine Phantom Dragon Sealing, and Transference Technique.

The next day, after resting well for an entire day, Hyuga Kei followed a Rain Ninja attendant to Akatsuki Organization's meeting room.

Several Akatsuki members were already seated there.

"Codename: Sora. Hyuga Kei."

Konan then introduced Hyuga Kei to those familiar faces.

"Our leader, Zero, Pain."

"Codename Xuan, Zetsu, responsible for the organization's reconnaissance."

"Jade, Sasori."

"Three, Hidan."

"North, Kakuzu, responsible for the organization's finances."

"South, Kisame Hoshigaki."

"Vermilion, Uchiha Itachi."

Hyuga Kei nodded to everyone in greeting. Seeing an empty seat beside Uchiha Itachi, he went over and sat down.

"Itachi, I didn't expect you to be here too. Doesn't that make you my senior now?" Hyuga Kei struck up a conversation with Uchiha Itachi.

"Mm." Uchiha Itachi responded with extreme indifference. Naturally, he had no reason to show Hyuga Kei a pleasant face.

Just from the matter of the clan massacre alone, Hyuga Kei was suspected of having used Uchiha Itachi and deliberately provoked the hatred between the village and the Uchiha.

"So cold."

"Don't mind him. Tell me, how did you kill your entire clan?" The talkative Hidan came over to join the conversation.

Hyuga Kei smiled. "I knocked on every household's door under the cover of night, then killed them all."

"Cool. What an elegant way to kill!"

Hidan felt that Hyuga Kei was one of his kind. "Interested in joining Jashinism?"

"I'll consider it seriously." Hyuga Kei did not refuse. Once he became stronger in the future, perhaps he would consider seeing whether gods truly existed.

"Heh heh heh, I never expected all the culprits behind Konoha's great clan massacre to join Akatsuki. Our organization is truly flourishing more and more." Kisame Hoshigaki sighed.

Kakuzu silently took out a bounty booklet. "Hyuga Kei, fifty million ryo in the black market."

"Hyuga Kei, have you considered defecting from Akatsuki? Then I can take your head and collect your bounty."

Hyuga Kei responded, "Not for the time being."

Pain spoke up and interrupted their conversation. "Quiet. I'll explain the upcoming missions."

Everyone fell silent.

Pain explained the upcoming missions. Most were commissions from various villages. Before they began capturing Tailed Beasts, Akatsuki Organization took on missions for the villages to sustain itself.

"Does anyone want to take the mission of recruiting Deidara?"

Hyuga Kei and Sasori raised their hands at the same time. Hyuga Kei wanted to witness Deidara's Explosion Release, which might help with his research.

As for Sasori, he had heard that the other man also pursued art and was curious how his art differed from the eternal art he pursued.

"Fine. This mission is yours. Zetsu will guide you."

Hyuga Kei stood and headed outside. "Senior Sasori, let's go. Iwagakure is quite far from here."

Sasori did not reply and followed Hyuga Kei out of the meeting room.

Hyuga Kei went to explain things to Uzumaki Yuka and the others, telling them to remain here. He also left behind a sum of money, enough for them to live in the Land of Rain.

Uzumaki Yuka still wanted to follow Hyuga Kei on missions. "Lord Kei, let me come with you. I can take care of you as well."

"This is a mission, not a trip. Stay home and learn Fuinjutsu properly. You'll be useful in the future."

"Understood, Lord Kei."

"Mm."

Then Hyuga Kei and Sasori set out for the Land of Earth.

There was a minor incident when they entered the Land of Earth. With war approaching, the Land of Earth had already entered a state of martial law, and it took some effort to get inside.

At night, the two sat beside a campfire.

Hyuga Kei offered him the roasted meat in his hand. "Senior, would you like some?"

"No." Sasori remained hidden beneath the puppet Hiruko, looking like a hunched old man.

"Fine. Eating Soldier Pills all the time isn't good for your body." Hyuga Kei pretended not to know that Sasori had already transformed himself into a puppet.

"Senior, you're a puppeteer, right? Could I commission you to make a few puppets for me?" Hyuga Kei continued the conversation. He remembered that the Tenseigan possessed the ability to grant puppets spirits, and he would need puppets in the future.

"What kind of puppets do you want?"

"They don't need to be especially powerful. They just need to be mass-producible."

"Then I can give you the blueprints in a few days." Sasori believed that Hyuga Kei's interest in puppets meant he might become a companion on the same path.

"Then thank you. If there's anything you need help with, just say so."

Sasori designed a puppet blueprint according to Hyuga Kei's requirements. It was simple and could be mass-produced: a basic humanoid warrior puppet wielding a tachi.

Along the way, Hyuga Kei asked for advice on puppet-making techniques. By the time they reached Iwagakure, he had finally made a puppet that was at least usable.

Deidara had been sent outside the village by Ōnoki because of his experiments, which made things easier for Hyuga Kei.

"Deidara is in that house ahead. His Explosion Release often damages buildings, so Ōnoki had him live here alone." Zetsu poked his head out of the ground.

"Understood. Leave inviting him to me."

Hyuga Kei knocked on the door.

"Is that the food delivery?!"

Before the man appeared, his voice arrived first. Deidara opened the door and saw the two standing outside.

"What are you doing here?" Deidara looked at the two strangers and assumed a guarded stance.

Hyuga Kei said, "We're here to invite you to join Akatsuki."

"What organization? I've never heard of it."

"I don't plan on joining any organization. I want to keep researching my art."