"Current loan project—Marine Vice Admiral Akainu Sakazuki"
"Project level—Silver"
"Related information"
Akainu Experience Card: The user currently holds 30% of Sakazuki's understanding of the Magma-Magma Fruit, randomly mutated into 70% understanding of Fire Style chakra.
Bond Amplification: The user shares highly similar traits with the lender, randomly granting a 200% boost to their abilities.
--
What a high compatibility...
But I definitely won't grow up to look like that. He's way too macho.
"Repayment terms—
If overdue, a hunt will be triggered. The user will lose 10% of all attributes every minute until the debt is repaid.
You may choose to pawn 'memory fragments' or 'emotional colors'...
--
Silver...
The platform rated me as Black Iron before. Is that an energy-level ranking?
I'm Black Iron, Akainu is Silver, and Rayquaza is Gold... There probably aren't any other tiers in between, right?
--
As Uchiha Sora gathered the puppet remains from the battlefield, thoughts kept surfacing in his mind.
Shisui, standing nearby, asked, "Sora, are you planning to use these human puppets as bait to lure out the Sunagakure shinobi, so we can sneak in?"
Uchiha Sora casually sealed the puppets into a scroll. "You're not completely stupid after all."
Shisui gave a wry smile. "You're underestimating me. I was at least a squad leader on the battlefield!"
Uchiha Sora was just being casually sharp-tongued. If he really didn't trust Shisui, he wouldn't have chosen to work with him.
As a teammate, Shisui was practically perfect in every way. Most importantly, he was obedient.
If he'd gone out with Fugaku, the two of them would have clashed back in the Land of Hot Water.
Fugaku, deeply poisoned by the Shinobi World's system, would surely think the Feudal Lords possessed some kind of sacred bloodline and must never be harmed.
Uchiha Itachi had been ruined halfway by Fugaku's teachings, then Shisui's death had pushed him completely down a dead-end path.
Thinking of this, Uchiha Sora decided he should bring Uchiha Sasuke out as soon as he got back. Fugaku's family was in a worrying state of mind. He was the only one who could properly raise this rare good kid of the Uchiha.
Hmm... Then Gaara would have a playmate, too. I've thought of everything. I'm practically a saint.
"Sort these out. We'll use the broken puppets as bait and keep the ones in decent condition for later."
Shisui hesitated for a moment, then said, "Are you planning to control Sasori of the Red Sands and make him work for us? Honestly, I can interfere with his senses for a short time, but I can't keep it up for long."
"Or are you planning to have Clan Head Fugaku control him?"
Uchiha Sora shook his head. "Our clan head doesn't have much ambition. We'll be lucky if he can just preserve what we have."
"I'll wait until you awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan, then try to break the seal on Sasori of the Red Sands."
"Mangekyō..."
Before they left, Fugaku had made a point of speaking with Shisui.
Awakening the Mangekyō required experiencing profound grief, which stimulated the brain to produce a special kind of chakra...
Fugaku had also told Shisui about the risks of using the Mangekyō.
He'd specifically warned Shisui not to stir up Sora's emotions too much.
Sora was too proud, too young, and too talented. Being pushed into awakening the Mangekyō at this age wouldn't be a good thing.
You are the future of the Uchiha. In a few years, the clan head position will definitely be handed over to you. The most important thing is to ensure your steady growth.
Seeing the strange look on Shisui's face, Uchiha Sora guessed what had happened.
"Fugaku told you how to awaken the Mangekyō, didn't he?"
Shisui fell silent for a few seconds, then nodded. "The clan head told me. He didn't talk to you because he thinks you're too young. Pursuing the power of the Mangekyō too early can do serious damage to your body."
Fugaku had repeatedly warned Shisui not to spark Sora's interest in the Mangekyō.
But when Uchiha Sora asked, Shisui told him anyway.
"He's not wrong about that." Uchiha Sora agreed with Fugaku's view, then continued, "The best age to awaken the Mangekyō should be around fifteen or sixteen. Awaken it too early, and you risk developing a bloodline disease."
"Sora... Have you studied the Mangekyō?"
Shisui remembered that no one in the clan had awakened the Mangekyō in many years. Where had Sora gotten that information?
Then he thought about it, and without needing Uchiha Sora to explain, Shisui attributed it to those eyes of Sora's that could see the future.
"Fugaku must have told you that awakening the Mangekyō requires a huge emotional shock, right?"
Uchiha Sora smiled faintly and shook his head. "Why listen to a mediocre man in his thirties who only awakened the Mangekyō at that age?"
"Shisui, we're geniuses. Awakening the Mangekyō won't be as difficult for us as he thinks."
"There's only one thing we need to pay attention to."
"Train harder and build up your body's resilience. That's all."
"Once we get back, on top of your original training plan, do an extra thousand push-ups, a thousand sit-ups, a thousand squats, and run a hundred kilometers every day."
"Not a single day off."
"Build up little by little and break through your physical limits!"
"Sora, I know Might Guy." Shisui rubbed his head with a wry smile. "Don't make me do this. I won't be able to keep up with all that."
Uchiha Sora kept picking up scrap as he replied casually, "It's fine. Just don't regret not working hard enough when the clan faces disaster."
The scene Uchiha Sora had shown him before surfaced in Shisui's mind once again.
"All right... I'll do it."
--
--
Land of Rain.
Amid the downpour, Orochimaru walked toward a tall tower with a gloomy expression.
A moment later, he stopped and looked up.
A figure stood on the platform extending from the tower.
The figure had his back to the dim light, making his appearance impossible to discern. But his deep purple Rinnegan glowed faintly, radiating an overwhelming presence.
Beside him stood Konan, an angel with outspread wings, like an attendant of the gods.
"Leader..."
"What happened to Sasori?" Pain's voice held no emotion, like that of a cold corpse.
"He's dead."
"Who did it?"
"The Uchiha Clan." Orochimaru grinned. "We ran into a group of Uchiha who had defected from Konoha. Sasori was killed, and I managed to escape."
After a moment of silence, Pain spoke again.
"Even against that clan, with your strength and Sasori's, you couldn't defeat them—but couldn't even escape?"
Orochimaru pulled open his collar. A horrific wound marked his shoulder, and even his shoulder blade had been scorched black.
"I only learned from a spy in Konoha that Uchiha Fugaku's unusual eyes were the legendary Mangekyō Sharingan."
"Their clan also has an incredibly powerful summoned beast, one comparable to a Tailed Beast... You can confirm that by visiting Konoha's border."
"Heh, I only managed to escape thanks to a special secret technique. Sasori wasn't so lucky."
For reasons unknown, not a single thing Orochimaru told Pain was completely honest.
No... More accurately, every word was true. He'd simply twisted the meaning.
Two Uchiha brats still counted as the Uchiha Clan, didn't they?
"Pain, should we take revenge?" Konan had recruited Sasori herself, and compared with the other members, she'd been somewhat closer to him.
"No... Since he's dead, there's no need to expose our information for his sake."
"Orochimaru... Does the Uchiha clan head know that you belong to Akatsuki?"
Orochimaru shook his head. "No. I saw Sasori die with my own eyes, and I'm certain no information was leaked."
The Uchiha clan head really didn't know.
"Mm... I understand. Go rest for now. I'll have someone else handle your missions."
"I need some rare medicinal herbs. They'll cost quite a bit..."
"Konan, give him the money."
Orochimaru straightened his collar and walked away. Once he was far off, the blackened scabs beneath his cloak fell away, and new flesh began to grow.
Pain frowned slightly. He only showed clear expressions when he was alone with Konan.
"Madara orchestrated the Nine-Tails' attack, and the Uchiha have defected, too... Why hasn't he recruited this clan?"
They were strong enough to kill Sasori and send Orochimaru fleeing in disarray. The clan was more powerful than expected.
They were still an independent clan. As the Uchiha's ancestor, why hadn't Madara made a move?
Konan fell silent for a moment, then said, "Pain, there are too many suspicious things about that man. He may not actually be the legendary Madara Uchiha..."
"Enough, Konan."
"If he can control the Nine-Tails, doesn't that prove who he is?"
"Contact him and confirm the situation with the Uchiha Clan."
"...All right."
Before you continue