Asuma's Surprise

The wind was as sharp as a blade, whipping through Kyusuke's hair as a katana pointed directly at his throat.

This veteran of the Akatsuki, one of the first to follow Yahiko and his companions, stared with beads of sweat rolling down his forehead at the blindingly white blade before him and the cold, grim youth holding it.

So fast! So strong!

In just a single exchange, he had been defeated before he could even launch an attack or react in any way.

The three members of Yahiko's group standing to the side now wore serious expressions.

Though the three of them were the strongest combatants in the Akatsuki, they had to admit that in terms of pure speed, none of them could compare to the youth before them.

Kakashi sheathed his blade and said to the Kyusuke standing before him, "My apologies."

Kakashi had initiated this spar himself, specifically to demonstrate his own strength.

Judging by the reactions of everyone present, the effect was nothing short of spectacular!

"Obito, your speed is truly incredible!" Yahiko was the first to break the silence, clapping his hands as he praised Kakashi.

With Yahiko taking the lead, the others followed suit, crowding around Kakashi and showering him with praise.

The Akatsuki currently built by Yahiko was different from the terrifying organization of rogue ninjas that would exist in the future.

They might have been far weaker than the future members of the Akatsuki, but they had all joined with the dream of achieving peace and ensuring the Land of Rain would no longer weep.

These were people with a shared ideal, true like-minded companions.

Surrounded by the group and led by Yahiko, Kakashi followed them into the building.

This three-story concrete structure served as the current base for the Akatsuki.

The interior of the building was very minimalist, containing only the most basic living necessities.

From this, Kakashi could see even more clearly that the Akatsuki's financial situation was quite dire.

As they descended from the third floor to the main hall on the second, a youth with his upper body wrapped in bandages, leaning against the wall, entered Kakashi's line of sight.

The youth's gaze met Kakashi's, his body stiffened abruptly, and his face froze as he stared at Kakashi.

Does this youth know me?

Kakashi's vigilance spiked due to the youth's instantaneous change in expression.

He was certain that he had never seen this youth before.

"Obito, let me introduce you. His name is Kazusuke, a child I rescued from a merchant caravan," Konan noted Kakashi's gaze and took the initiative to explain.

The moment Konan spoke, Kakashi, who had been observing the youth, caught another flash of surprise on his face.

This time, Kakashi was completely certain that the youth before him definitely knew something; otherwise, he wouldn't have worn such an expression.

Judging by the youth's behavior, Kakashi first ruled out the possibility that he was from the Anbu, as someone with such poor control over their facial expressions could never have come from the Anbu.

In that case, Kakashi could only think of one possibility.

It was possible this youth was from Amegakure, a mole planted by the village within the Akatsuki.

Although Amegakure could not compare to the Five Great Shinobi Nations, they were renowned for assassination and took on such missions from various countries year-round, meaning they possessed decent intelligence-gathering capabilities.

If he were one of their ninjas, he might have had access to their intelligence, allowing him to recognize Kakashi despite the lack of heavy physical disguise.

"Kazusuke, this is Obito, a ninja who just joined us. He's very talented. Didn't you say you wanted to become a ninja? You can ask him for advice later," Konan said, trying to bridge the gap between the two.

Asuma nodded, struggling to compose his expression as he looked at Kakashi standing beside Konan, his heart filled with astonishment.

How could Kakashi be here? And joining the Akatsuki under the name Obito—what is he trying to do?

Could this be a mission from the village? Are the Old Man and the others targeting the Akatsuki?

At this thought, Asuma also became vigilant. He had no intention of betraying Konoha, but he did not want to see the Akatsuki come to harm.

These past few days of living together had allowed Asuma to forge genuine friendships with Konan and the other members of the Akatsuki.

Especially Konan, who in Asuma's eyes was like an angelic sister.

She was the angel who had saved him when he was severely wounded and his consciousness was sinking into an abyss of darkness.

With these thoughts, Asuma slowly walked toward Kakashi and extended his right hand, which was still wrapped in gauze. "My name is Kazusuke. I look forward to your guidance."

"If you have any questions, feel free to ask," Kakashi said, shaking Asuma's hand, his eyes scanning him up and down with a hidden, scrutinizing glint.

As they let go, Kakashi had already analyzed quite a bit of information from their brief contact.

The youth before him was not a ninja, nor had he undergone any ninja training.

This was evident from the youth's frail physique and the lack of calluses or signs of training on his hands.

Extracting this information only made Kakashi more curious about the youth's identity.

Why would a youth from the Land of Rain who wasn't a ninja show surprise upon seeing him, and why would he react to the name Obito?

"Kazusuke, your body hasn't recovered yet, so don't move around for too long. Go back to your room and rest!" After the two finished their greeting, Konan came to Asuma's side, reached out to support him, and prepared to take him away, half-forcing him to leave.

"Obito, you can rest here with everyone. I'm going to take Kazusuke back to his room first," Konan said to Kakashi before leaving.

Kakashi stood where he was, staring expressionlessly at the backs of Konan and the Asuma she was supporting.

Kyusuke, not far away, noticed this and walked over to Kakashi's side, nudging his arm lightly and whispering, "What do you think? Isn't Lady Konan beautiful and kind?"

"Still, I didn't expect a brat of your age to have such thoughts already."

Kyusuke seemed to have misunderstood something, assuming that Kakashi had been staring at Konan's back.

Kakashi turned his head to look at Kyusuke and corrected him, "I wasn't."

Kyusuke wore an "I understand everything" expression, reached out to hook his arm around Kakashi's neck, and leaned into his ear to whisper, "No need to be shy. In this organization, among those who haven't settled down, who wouldn't like Lady Konan?"

Kakashi felt helpless and stopped trying to deny it; he knew his explanations would be superfluous.

Besides, his mind was currently more occupied by that boy's strange reaction.

Kakashi used the excuse of needing to use the restroom to leave the hall alone. Once inside, he closed the door and began to call out to his father with his consciousness.

"Father, that boy named Kazusuke reacted strangely just now. He seems to know me, and he also had a reaction to the name Obito."

Sakumo's soul appeared beside Kakashi. "During this time, I will monitor that boy from the shadows."

As an experienced ninja, Sakumo had also sensed that something was wrong.