A Meeting from the Akatsuki

In the secret chamber, Kou's gaze fell upon the Byakugan within the crow's eye sockets.

The Mangekyou Sharingan in his right eye felt a slight warmth, a heat spreading from the depths of his eyeball.

But at this moment, his heart was exceptionally calm.

This was an instinct Kou had honed over years of surviving on the brink of death; the greater the temptation, the more he needed to slow himself down.

Impulse was the devil, and the devil's favorite way to collect its tithe was from the IQ of emotional animals like the Uchiha. (A jab at Prisoner Madara and Prisoner Obito)

"The Uzumaki Clan ruins likely require the power of the Byakugan. If I were to absorb all of this Byakugan's ocular power now, it would be a terrible waste."

He quickly calculated in his mind:

"Let's draw out a little ocular power to test it first..."

Kou made up his mind internally, activated his ocular power, and whispered:

"Inari God."

The moment his voice fell, deep within his right eye, the strange Mangekyou pattern began to slowly rotate.

In Kou's sight, the Byakugan was filled with milky white ocular power, like milky white halos surging within the Byakugan, like a cloud of mist trapped in a glass bottle.

Under the guidance of "Inari God," a wisp of milky white ocular power slowly moved out.

The ocular power was extremely thin, as thin as a spider's silk, peeling away from the core of the Byakugan. It traced a faint arc in the air, being drawn into Kou's right eye.

Kou felt the ocular power from the Byakugan, and his heart stirred slightly.

It wasn't as powerful or aggressive as the Sharingan's ocular power, but rather more peaceful and gentle.

Under Kou's will, that wisp of milky white ocular power was gradually transformed by Inari God.

The milky white faded, replaced by a hint of crimson.

Yet, within that crimson, a faint milky white halo could still be felt.

Kou slowly closed his eyes and infused this wisp of ocular power into his Mangekyou Sharingan.

The ocular power flowed according to his will, slowly diffusing into the ocean of Mangekyou ocular power.

Its quantity was very small, so small it was almost negligible.

But with the extremely high perception honed through years of cultivation, Kou still detected an extremely faint change.

"It can indeed be used to supplement ocular power..."

He murmured softly, his eyeballs rolling slightly beneath his closed eyelids, as if tracking something unseen:

"With a hint of the Byakugan's gentle nature, perhaps it can be used to recover from the damage caused by overusing the Mangekyou Sharingan..."

His voice grew softer, his tone carrying an irrepressible excitement, yet it was firmly suppressed by reason:

"I just don't know if non-ocular chakra has a similar effect."

He paused, and a name surfaced in his mind.

"For example... Hashirama Cells."

If he could absorb the powerful life force contained within Hashirama Cells, even if he couldn't evolve into an Eternal Mangekyou, he wouldn't have to worry about going blind from overusing his Mangekyou.

Kou suppressed his emotions and continued his test.

He slowly opened his eyes, the Mangekyou Sharingan flashing with an eerie light in the dim illumination.

The crimson Mangekyou scanned every corner of the secret chamber, its powerful perception allowing him to clearly see everything within his line of sight.

Kou's gaze sharpened slightly:

"I feel it..."

Although it was only a minuscule amount, his field of vision had indeed expanded.

His conjecture was correct!!

Kou couldn't help but laugh. If it weren't for fear of disturbing the sleeping Karin, he would have let out a Uchiha-style hearty laugh to vent his current emotions.

He raised his hand and gently stroked the crow's head.

The crow tilted its head, looking at him with its Byakugan, and let out a low "caw."

However, just as he shifted his gaze back to the Byakugan in the crow's eye, a halo of light emanated from his left hand, causing his gaze, previously filled with joy, to instantly turn cold.

The halo was pale purple, emanating from the ring on his middle finger, flashing in the dim secret chamber like some silent call.

He raised his left hand, looked at the ring on his middle finger engraved with the character "Mysterious," and murmured:

"This is... a communication from Pain, regarding a meeting?"

His brow furrowed slightly, the eerie light in his Mangekyou Sharingan quickly retracted, returning to its usual clarity.

"Didn't we just finish Itachi's induction ceremony not long ago? Why is there a meeting so soon?"

He paused, a hint of confusion in his tone:

"Did something happen? But Obito didn't notify me either..."

His finger lightly brushed over the ring, the cold metallic sensation transmitted from his fingertips.

Kou suppressed the questions in his heart, his face once again masking itself with that lazy, unrestrained smile.

That smile was incredibly natural, perfectly concealing all the calculations and vigilance hidden deep within his eyes.

He sat cross-legged, his hands moving rapidly to form seals before him.

"Illusionary Body Technique."

As the words fell, his consciousness was instantly drawn away.

When Kou slowly opened his eyes, a colossal figure came into view.

The Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.

That massive, hideous stone statue stood in the void, its head bowed as if in deep slumber, or perhaps waiting for something.

It extended ten fingers, each one as thick as a stone pillar.

And standing upon those fingers were people.

Seven phantom projections—no, including himself, there were eight.

Pain stood upon the highest finger, those iconic Rinnegan eyes emitting a cold, eerie glow in the darkness.

Konan stood at a slightly lower position beside him, her gaze sweeping over everyone present as if taking roll or scrutinizing something.

Scorpion, the genius puppeteer who had turned himself into a human puppet, was currently hidden entirely within Scarlet Amber, the puppet's eyes filled with obvious impatience.

Kakuzu, that old monster who had lived for decades, had his hands tucked into his sleeves and his back slightly hunched, looking as if he were dozing off, though a sharp glint occasionally flashed through his murky eyes.

Orochimaru, one of the Sannin who had defected from Konoha, wore a smirk on his face, his snake-like pupils flickering with dangerous light in the dark.

His gaze wandered over everyone present, lingering on Kou for a split second before moving on, then focusing entirely on Itachi, as if he had found something interesting.

Uchiha Itachi, the youth who had just slaughtered his entire clan, stood quietly on a finger, his expression so calm it was almost numb.

His hands were tucked into his sleeves, his gaze lowered as if lost in thought, or perhaps thinking of nothing at all.

Uchiha Obito, who called himself "Tobi," wore the Akatsuki Black Cloak with Red Clouds and that orange swirl mask.

He was currently tilting his head, curiously surveying his surroundings with that single visible eye, like a newcomer attending a gathering for the first time.

And then there was himself—Uchiha Kou.

Codename "Mysterious" of the Akatsuki, currently standing on one of the fingers of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, arms crossed over his chest, wearing that signature, lazy, unrestrained smile.

The seven core members of the Akatsuki plus one "intern" had all arrived!

Kou's gaze swept over those phantoms, finally landing on Obito, who was looking toward his direction intentionally or otherwise.

From that single exposed eye, he read the message Obito intended to convey.

He was also unaware of the purpose of this meeting.

A trace of doubt surged in Kou's heart:

What exactly is that guy Nagato trying to pull?