A Meeting Called by the Akatsuki

In the secret chamber, Kou's gaze settled on the Byakugan in the crow's eye socket.

The Mangekyō in his right eye was growing slightly warm, the heat spreading from deep within the eyeball.

Yet at that moment, his mind was exceptionally calm.

It was an instinct Kou had honed through years of scraping by on the edge of life and death: the greater the temptation, the more he needed to slow down.

Impulsiveness was the devil, and the devil's favorite targets for an intelligence tax were emotional creatures like the Uchiha. (A shout-out to Prisoner Madara and Prisoner Obito.)

"The Uzumaki Clan's ruins may well require the Byakugan's power. Absorbing all of this eye's chakra right now would be far too wasteful."

He quickly considered his options:

"I'll draw out a little chakra and see what happens..."

Having made up his mind, Kou focused his ocular power and murmured:

"Inari God."

The instant the words left his lips, the eerie Mangekyō pattern deep within his right eye began to turn slowly.

From Kou's perspective, the Byakugan was filled with milky-white ocular power. It churned like pale halos, resembling a cloud trapped inside a glass bottle.

Drawn by the Inari God, a thread of milky-white ocular power slowly emerged.

It was incredibly fine, thin as a strand of spider silk. It peeled away from the Byakugan's core, traced a barely visible arc through the air, and flowed into Kou's right eye.

Feeling the ocular power from the Byakugan, Kou's heart stirred.

It wasn't as potent or aggressive as the Sharingan's ocular power. Instead, it was gentler and more soothing.

At Kou's command, the Inari God gradually transformed the thread of milky-white ocular power.

The white faded, replaced by a streak of scarlet.

Yet within that scarlet, he could still sense a faint milky-white glow.

Kou slowly closed his eyes and fed the thread of ocular power into his Mangekyō Sharingan.

It flowed along with his intent, gradually spreading through the ocean of ocular power within the Mangekyō.

There was so little of it that it was almost negligible.

But thanks to the keen perception he had developed through years of training, Kou still detected an extremely faint change.

"It really can replenish ocular power..."

He murmured softly. Beneath his closed eyelids, his eyeballs shifted slightly, as though tracking something invisible.

"The Byakugan's ocular power has a certain soothing quality. Perhaps it can repair the damage caused by overusing the Mangekyō Sharingan..."

His voice grew quieter. Suppressed excitement crept into his tone, but reason kept it firmly in check.

"I just don't know whether chakra that isn't ocular power has a similar effect."

He paused as a name surfaced in his mind.

"For example... Hashirama Cells."

If he could absorb the powerful vitality contained in Hashirama Cells, then even if he couldn't upgrade to the Eternal Mangekyo, he wouldn't have to worry about going blind from overusing the Mangekyō.

Kou quelled his thoughts and continued the test.

He slowly opened his eyes. The Mangekyō Sharingan gleamed eerily in the dim light.

His scarlet Mangekyō swept across every corner of the secret chamber. Its powerful perception let him clearly see everything within his field of vision.

Kou's gaze sharpened slightly.

"I can feel it..."

The difference was negligible, but his field of vision had indeed expanded.

His theory had been right!

Kou couldn't help laughing. If he hadn't been worried about disturbing Karin, who was sleeping soundly, he would have let out a classic Uchiha laugh to vent his feelings.

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

The crow tilted its head, looked at him with its Byakugan, and gave a soft caw.

But just as he turned his gaze back to the Byakugan in the crow's eye, a glow from his left hand made the joy vanish from his eyes, leaving them cold.

The glow was faintly purple. It pulsed from the ring on his middle finger, flashing in the dim chamber like a silent summons.

He raised his left hand and looked at the ring engraved with the character "Mysterious." He murmured:

"This is... a message from Pain about a meeting?"

His brows drew together. The eerie light in his Mangekyō Sharingan quickly faded, and his eyes returned to their usual clarity.

"Didn't we just hold Itachi's initiation ceremony? Why are we having another meeting so soon?"

He paused, a hint of confusion entering his voice.

"Did something happen? But Obito hasn't said anything to me..."

His finger brushed lightly over the ring, its cold metal pressing against his skin.

Kou suppressed his questions and put on his usual carefree, irreverent smile.

The smile came naturally, perfectly concealing the schemes and wariness beneath his eyes.

He crouched down and rapidly formed Hand Seals in front of him.

"Illusionary Body Technique."

As the words fell, his consciousness was pulled away in an instant.

When Kou slowly opened his eyes, he found himself facing a colossal figure.

The Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.

The enormous, grotesque stone statue loomed in the void, its head bowed as if sleeping—or waiting for something.

It held out ten fingers, each as thick as a stone pillar.

And people stood on those fingers.

Seven shadowy figures—or rather, eight, counting him.

Pain stood on the highest finger, his distinctive Rinnegan gleaming coldly in the darkness.

Konan stood slightly below him. Her gaze swept over everyone present, as if counting heads or scrutinizing them.

Scorpion, the genius puppeteer who had turned himself into a Human Puppet, was concealed beneath Scarlet Amber, his puppet's expression plainly impatient.

Kakuzu, the old monster who had lived for decades, kept his hands tucked into his sleeves and hunched slightly, as if dozing. But now and then, a glint flashed in his murky eyes.

Orochimaru, one of the Sannin who had defected from Konoha, wore a half-smile. His serpentine eyes glimmered dangerously in the dark.

His gaze wandered across everyone present, paused on Kou for a moment, then moved on. He focused entirely on Itachi, as though he'd found something interesting.

Uchiha Itachi, the boy who had just slaughtered his entire family, stood quietly on one of the statue's fingers, his expression so calm it was almost numb.

His hands were tucked into his sleeves and his gaze was lowered, as though deep in thought—or thinking of nothing at all.

Uchiha Obito, who called himself "Tobi," wore the Akatsuki's Black Cloak with Red Clouds and his orange Spiral Mask.

He tilted his head and curiously surveyed his surroundings through the eyehole, like a newcomer attending his first gathering.

And then there was him—Uchiha Kou.

The Akatsuki member with the codename "Mysterious" stood on one of the Demonic Statue's fingers, arms crossed and wearing his signature carefree, irreverent smile.

All seven of the Akatsuki's main members, along with one "intern," had arrived!

Kou's gaze swept over the shadowy figures before settling on Obito, who seemed to be looking his way.

From the eye visible through the mask, Kou understood what Obito wanted to convey.

He hadn't known about the meeting either.

A trace of doubt stirred in Kou's heart.

"What on earth is Nagato planning?"