When they met again in Cat Country, Uchiha Shisui asked Shiba Seika, "Who's that Mysterious Person in the Akatsuki Organization who led Kakashi astray?" Seika nearly lost it laughing again.
You're asking me who I am?
This was just too hilarious!
And he hadn't expected that seed he'd casually planted back then to blossom into such a dazzling flower so soon.
Kakashi was even more action-oriented than he'd imagined. Was he already starting his revenge?
And from Uchiha Shisui's earnest account, Shiba Seika quickly spotted an opening he could exploit.
"You said a lot of people in Konoha suspect Root was behind Kakashi's trial?"
Uchiha Shisui hesitated, wavering for a while before finally saying, "Aizen, I can't really discuss that."
Shiba Seika smiled. Your attitude says more than a thousand words, you silly boy.
And then he had an idea.
"I do know a little about that Akatsuki member. His name is Shimura Taiga. He's a wandering ninja who fled from the Eastern Region to the Land of Rain. He's quite capable, but a little ruthless."
Shiba Seika casually made up a new identity for himself.
The name was fake, but only a few sounds were different. That way, even if he got found out someday, he could claim he'd misremembered what he'd heard from someone else.
The best part was that his surname differed by just one syllable from the surname of the leader of Konoha's Root.
The moment Shisui heard this, his expression changed.
"Aizen, you're saying that evil Akatsuki member's surname is Shimura?!"
And wasn't the Land of Fire directly east of the Land of Rain?
Uchiha Shisui felt as if he'd just made a shocking discovery!
Shiba Seika feigned confusion and asked, "That's right. Is there a problem with that surname?"
Uchiha Shisui didn't say anything.
The Shimura Clan wasn't a major ninja clan, and Danzo rarely went out of his way to publicize his surname or his family. It seemed quite normal that people in the Land of Rain wouldn't know about them.
But didn't that make things even more suspicious?
Uchiha Shisui didn't want to think so poorly of the village's senior elders, but he couldn't help wondering, given everything that had happened lately.
First, Minato and Elder Danzo had clashed. Then Kakashi had suddenly been accused. And now Shisui had discovered that the person who'd led Kakashi astray might have come from the Shimura Clan!
It all fit together!
The more Uchiha Shisui thought about it, the more alarmed he became.
Shiba Seika only had to watch Uchiha Shisui's expression for a moment to know that the seed he'd planted had sprouted again.
He smiled faintly, filled with anticipation for what might happen next in Konoha, and said, "Does this information satisfy you, Shisui? If you ever want to know anything else about the Akatsuki, you can come to me. As a friend, I'll give you a discount."
Uchiha Shisui nodded, still rather muddled. Hadn't you said not long ago that he was your dearest friend, your sworn brother?
But good-natured Shisui couldn't bring himself to ask outright. Instead, he readily pushed over the scrolls containing the copied ninjutsu.
"Aizen, these are the techniques I promised you earlier. They're not very high-level, so I hope you don't mind."
Shiba Seika cheerfully accepted them.
He'd tricked someone and gotten paid for it. How could he possibly mind?
"Then it's been a pleasure doing business with you, Shisui. I hope we'll have a chance to work together again."
Afterward, Shiba Seika paid the Gray Cat Shopkeeper the referral fee. He also ordered a high-end Ninja Blade made with Chakra Metal before forming Hand Seals and leaving Cat Country.
Once he returned, he quickly gathered the Akatsuki Organization members at the base.
"Everyone, I've recently had a few insights and acquired some ninjutsu. I'll teach it to my teammates first.
"As for everyone else, as long as you work hard and contribute to the Akatsuki Organization, I'll teach you in turn. I hope you'll all keep up the good work and help build the Akatsuki!"
Though Shiba Seika had made his speech sound noble and righteous, the clever members soon understood what he really meant—
Captain Seika had somehow obtained a batch of teachable ninjutsu, and he'd decide for himself who got to learn it!
He said that anyone who contributed to the organization could be taught, but here was the question: could contributing by doing what Yahiko said really be counted the same as contributing by doing what Captain Seika said?
It didn't take long for word of this to reach Yahiko.
It gave him such a headache that he couldn't help rubbing his temples.
Yahiko was naive, not stupid. How could he not see that Shiba Seika was winning people over and trying to sideline him?
But his nature made it impossible for him to go to Shiba Seika and forcefully order him to hand over the ninjutsu.
At a loss, he thought of his two friends.
But just then, Nagato came in, looking delighted.
"Big Brother Yahiko, this is great! Seika helped me recruit a few people today and taught me a bunch of new methods. He also gave me a lot of information about Konoha. Now I can finally get my intelligence network up and running."
As luck would have it, not long after, Konan came in too, beaming.
"Yahiko, good news! Seika found us a way to sell our goods through Cat Country.
"From now on, we can sell some of the food and medicine Ando the merchant left behind to Cat Country, then trade it for Ninja Tools and weapons to equip our members!
"Now everyone will have the Ninja Tools they need when they go on missions!"
Yahiko looked at the smiles on his two friends' faces, and for a moment, he forgot what he'd been about to say.
Just as expected, Shiba Seika had come prepared again. With a single move, he'd once more gotten both of Yahiko's friends on his side.
Yahiko stiffly said, "Congratulations."
After that, he didn't bring up his own concerns.
He already knew what his friends would say, without needing to ask. Being kindhearted, he didn't want to put them in a difficult position.
But the day's surprises still weren't over.
Before long, a subordinate came in to report, "Leader Yahiko, those ninja clan members who joined us a few days ago have also applied to join Captain Seika's squad."
Yahiko's eyes widened in disbelief. "How could that be?! Weren't they listening to me talk about our vision and ideals for peace just yesterday?"
For a moment, the subordinate didn't know how to respond.
The ninjas who'd applied to follow Shiba Seika were precisely the refugees from the small ninja clans who'd contributed all their possessions, along with Cat Country's Summoning Contract.
They'd trusted him so much before and shared his ideals. Why had things turned out like this?
Yahiko didn't understand.
But Shiba Seika understood perfectly. However much people might be inspired by ideals, when it came to getting things done, ninjas would naturally prefer to follow a capable and reliable leader.
Besides, Shiba Seika had always followed Boss Cao's example of "holding the emperor to command the lords." No matter how much he argued with Yahiko, he'd never openly rebelled.
So, to the new members, following Shiba Seika didn't seem to conflict with following the Akatsuki's ideals.
After taking one blow after another, Yahiko finally slumped back in his chair, alone, with only one thought in his mind—
Oh no. I've become a substitute!
Would he really be left with nothing to do but recruit people and give speeches to inspire them from now on?
Before you continue