"What did you say?!" Obito's cover had been blown. Shock and anger flashed across his face as he glared at An.
An couldn't care less about the murderous look Obito was giving him. He only sneered.
"You had a hand in the Uchiha massacre, too. Don't think I'll let you off easily!"
"You should consider yourself lucky!"
"I don't have time to deal with you until I'm finished with Itachi!"
"I'll make sure the two of you live in hell!"
"You've got some nerve!" Obito roared, slamming his hand on the table and springing to his feet, his eyes blazing with murderous intent.
An refused to back down. He shot to his feet and glared at Obito, the two of them squared off like opponents ready to trade blows at the slightest provocation.
Just as Obito was about to strike first and kill the man who knew his true identity, an immense pressure suddenly descended from above, forcing both men back into their seats.
"That's enough. Both of you, be quiet!" Pain roared.
"Don't test my patience!"
"I'll say it again: infighting is forbidden within the organization!"
Seeing Pain lose his temper, Uchiha An immediately sat up straight, putting on the air of a well-behaved child as he raised his hand with a smile.
"Leader, I was only sharing some information about Uchiha Obito. I wasn't trying to start a fight!"
"He's just so sensitive and afraid I'd expose him, so he threatened me. I only fought back because he forced my hand!"
"Hmph!" Pain glared at him, warning him to be quiet. Then he took Obito's side. "That's enough. It doesn't matter whether he's Uchiha Madara or Uchiha Obito."
"As long as he shares the organization's goals and can help us bring the nations of the Ninja World to heel and restore peace, he's our ally!"
Though he said that, Pain had already come to believe Uchiha An's account.
He had been wary of "Uchiha Madara" because the man was so mysterious and his motives so unclear. It was hard not to suspect that he was plotting something behind the scenes.
But now that he knew the man's identity, all he had to do was investigate his past and background. Then it wouldn't be difficult to judge his motives accurately and decide whether he was an enemy or an ally.
As for his strength, Pain wasn't concerned. No matter how powerful he was, he was still only human. He couldn't compare to Pain, a god.
Seeing Pain take Obito's side, there was nothing Obito could do. He sat down with an angry huff, folded his arms, and glared viciously at Uchiha An, thinking about how to eliminate this unforeseen variable in his plans.
"I understand," Itachi said suddenly. He had been sitting quietly beside them. "I've been watching you, and I've had some suspicions about your ability."
"The powers of the Mangekyō Sharingan often defy reason, but their origins can still be traced."
"The Sharingan is the eye that reflects the heart. The Mangekyō Sharingan represents the owner's most urgent wish at the moment it awakens."
"I remember what happened then. I stabbed you through the heart in one stroke, then killed your father, mother, and younger brother, too, as casually as crushing an ant."
Uchiha Itachi followed An's example and began using cruel words to provoke his opponent.
Under Uchiha An's blazing glare, Uchiha Itachi's lips curled into a satisfied smile.
"When I slaughtered your entire family, what do you think you wished for?"
"Your beloved father, mother, and younger brother had all fallen before your eyes. Your most urgent wish must have been to bring them back to life, right?"
"So your eyes transformed their power into Yang Release, giving you the ability to heal."
"You said yourself that the ability was called 'Inaba's White Rabbit.'"
"According to legend, the white rabbit tricked crocodiles into helping it cross the sea, and they skinned it as punishment. In terrible pain, it met the Eighty Gods, brothers of Okuninushi. The Eighty Gods tricked it into washing its wounds with seawater, making them worse. Later, Okuninushi healed the rabbit with fresh water and cattail pollen. The rabbit prophesied that he would win Yakami-hime's heart and become ruler of the land."
"Afterward, the white rabbit became Okuninushi's symbolic messenger, representing healing and prophecy, as well as loyalty and gratitude."
"I see nothing in you that has to do with 'loyalty and gratitude.' So the Dojutsu in your eyes must be 'healing and prophecy,' right?"
"That's enough. Both of you, be quiet!" Seeing the three Uchiha constantly exposing one another and spilling each other's secrets, Pain grew even angrier.
"I'm adding another rule. From now on, no one is allowed to reveal information about any organization member to anyone—not even to another member!"
Itachi had already said everything he wanted to, so he didn't object. He obediently closed his mouth.
Uchiha An stared hard at Uchiha Itachi for a moment, then suddenly broke into a smile.
"Well, if you think it's prophecy, then let's call it prophecy."
The two of them fell silent, and the others had nothing to add. They all put away their eager, gossipy expressions.
But everyone looked at Uchiha An a little differently now.
The power of prophecy!
That was a truly powerful and practical ability!
Pain looked around. Seeing that everyone had settled down, he continued the meeting.
"Since Uchiha An wants to team up with Orochimaru, and Orochimaru has no objections, we'll adjust the teams. An will team up with Orochimaru, and Scorpion will team up with Itachi."
"Scorpion, Itachi, do either of you object?"
Scorpion and Itachi exchanged glances, then both shook their heads.
"Good. Then that's settled."
"Now, back to business."
"The Akatsuki Organization originally planned to keep a low profile and grow in secret, slowly building our strength until we were strong enough to gather all nine Tailed Beasts at once. Then we'd use the Ten-Tails' power to overthrow the Five Great Shinobi Countries."
Pain paused. "The newcomers probably don't know what the Ten-Tails is. The Ten-Tails is..."
"I know!" Uchiha An suddenly raised his hand high again and cut in. "The Ten-Tails is the source of all the Tailed Beasts and the incarnation of the Divine Tree. After the Sage of Six Paths sealed the Rabbit Goddess, he divided the Ten-Tails into nine Tailed Beasts, and its husk became the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path."
"Once the chakra of all nine Tailed Beasts is injected into the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, the Ten-Tails can be revived, granting it the power to destroy heaven and earth."
Pain stared at Uchiha An, speechless.
Good grief!
I didn't even know about the Rabbit Goddess, and you know more than I do. You still want to claim your Dojutsu Ability isn't "prophecy"?
"All right. Since you already know, I'll spare myself the explanation." Pain paused, then continued.
"The plan may be perfect, but the unexpected always happens. Our job is to deal with anything unforeseen and keep the plan on track."
"Now that we've clashed with Konoha, war will probably break out soon."
"The organization isn't fully prepared. We're short on manpower, and we lack all kinds of strategic resources. The Asura Path's weapons and the Animal Path's Summoning Animals both require a great deal of money and supplies."
"Even if the Land of Fire intends to attack the Land of Rain, it'll need to gather intelligence first. We still have some time to prepare."
"Does anyone have any suggestions?"
As soon as Pain finished speaking, Uchiha An raised his hand high again.
"What are you up to now?" Pain snapped.
Before you continue