The Akatsuki's Expansion Plan

The Demonic Statue of the Outer Path stood tall in the void, its ten thick fingers resembling stone pillars. At this moment, the figures standing upon those fingers were the protagonists of this gathering.

"Hehe, I didn't expect us to meet again so soon, Itachi."

Orochimaru's voice echoed through the void, carrying a viscous, cloying quality.

His phantom stood upon one of the fingers, those snake-like pupils flickering with a cold, eerie light in the darkness.

His gaze fell upon Itachi, filled with undisguised greed, as if he were looking at a rare treasure or a delicacy not yet served at the table.

Itachi stood there expressionless, his eyes lowered as if he hadn't heard, or perhaps as if he couldn't be bothered to respond.

Orochimaru didn't mind his silence in the slightest; in fact, the arc of his lips widened a fraction more.

His voice grew increasingly "affectionate," carrying a gentleness that made one's skin crawl:

"As fellow countrymen and comrades in Akatsuki, if there is anything you don't understand, feel free to come to me for consultation."

He paused, his snake-like pupils narrowing slightly:

"Let us get along well."

Before Itachi could open his mouth to reply, another voice cut in.

"Consultation? Get along well?"

The voice was hoarse, its tone dripping with undisguised mockery.

Sasori of the Red Sand's phantom stood on another finger, as if laughing at something:

"Since when did you become so enthusiastic? That doesn't sound like something you would say, Orochimaru."

He tilted his head, those hollow puppet eyes "looking" in Itachi's direction.

Though he lacked facial expressions, the schadenfreude in his tone was audible to everyone:

"That Uchiha brat who just joined, you'd best stay away from this disgusting fellow. This stinking snake doesn't take an interest in you for no reason."

His voice dropped lower, as if sharing a secret, yet the volume was enough for everyone present to hear:

"Before you, he harassed that other brat from the Uchiha clan as well.

It's just that he seems to have been taught a harsh lesson by that kid, and he scurried away in a sorry state, just like a loach."

Sasori's gaze shifted from Itachi to Orochimaru, the satisfaction in his tone unconcealed.

Listening to Sasori's taunts, Orochimaru's expression remained calm. He chuckled—the sound was not loud, yet it made the air grow several degrees colder.

Ignoring Sasori's words, he kept his gaze on Itachi, his tone remaining gentle:

"Once you've made up your mind, you can contact me at any time."

Seeing himself ignored, Sasori's eyes turned cold.

That chill pierced through the puppet shell of Scarlet Amber like tangible killing intent, stabbing straight at Orochimaru:

"You—"

Itachi listened to their dialogue with indifference, silently noting the intelligence gleaned from their words.

It seems there is quite a deep grudge between Orochimaru and Sasori of the Red Sand.

Especially Sasori; he seems to loathe Orochimaru.

His gaze swept between the two. Although he hadn't activated his Sharingan, his observational skills remained sharp.

According to what Sasori just said, Orochimaru once fought with Big Brother Kou... with Kou, and Orochimaru actually lost.

A flicker of shock crossed Itachi's eyes.

The shock was faint and quickly suppressed, yet it stirred ripples in the depths of his heart.

As a Konoha ninja, he knew all too well just how terrifying Orochimaru's strength was.

Having experienced the Second Ninja World War and the Third Ninja World War, and having participated in countless battles large and small, he was a decorated veteran and one of the most renowned top-tier powerhouses in the ninja world.

He was currently in his middle years, the peak period of a ninja's strength.

And yet, such a powerhouse had actually been defeated by Kou...

This was not because he looked down on the "Big Brother Kou" he had known since childhood; on the contrary, it was precisely because Itachi understood Kou so well that he felt such shock.

A genius of hard work—in Itachi's eyes, that was exactly what Kou was.

He did not possess the top-tier talent that he or Shisui had; even among his peers in the Uchiha clan, his aptitude could only be described as average.

Even accounting for the novel ideas that always popped into his head and a level of understanding that belied his age, he could only be considered slightly above average.

Yet, through his own efforts, he had stepped by step become the most outstanding person of his generation within the Uchiha clan, conquering everyone in the clan who had looked down on him.

He had also relied on a cheerful and enthusiastic personality—one that didn't seem like an Uchiha at all—to earn the recognition of almost everyone in Konoha.

In a sense, he had even improved Konoha's negative impression of the Uchiha clan to some extent.

That was the Big Brother Kou who had once earned the heartfelt respect and admiration of both Shisui and himself.

At that time, in their hearts, Kou was both their role model and the embodiment of what they believed the future of the Uchiha should be.

However, this did not mean that Itachi fully approved of everything he did.

Talent—this was the only area where Uchiha Kou fell short.

It was true that through his own hard work and a unique, unconventional style, he had carved out his own path to strength, reaching the level of an elite jonin at a young age.

But that was also his bottleneck.

The level of an elite jonin and the level of a Kage were two entirely different realms.

To possess Kage-level strength, the most important factor was talent.

In Itachi's estimation, given Kou's talent, it would take at least another dozen years to reach that realm.

Yet now, only five years after his defection, not only had he reached Kage-level strength, but he had actually defeated Orochimaru, a veteran Kage-level powerhouse?

Itachi could not help but cast his gaze toward Kou, a sense of bewilderment rising in his heart:

Kou, in these years, what on earth have you...

"Haha!! I won!"

A triumphant voice interrupted his train of thought.

Kou stood on another finger, waving his arms, the pride evident even on his mosaic-like phantom face.

He pointed a finger at the phantom opposite him, who had turned his back, his tone filled with the exhilaration of a victor:

"Tobi, you noob, get on your knees for your brother Kou!"

Tobi's phantom was currently turned away, dejectedly drawing circles on the void floor.

A moment later, "Tobi" stood up abruptly and shouted in his comical voice, full of defiance:

"Tobi doesn't accept this!! You must have used your Sharingan to watch my moves, Senior Kou!

One more time, one more time! Best two out of three!"

"Quit your yapping, if you can't handle losing, don't play!"

Kou retorted without hesitation, his tone dripping with disdain:

"If you're trash, just practice more!"

"1, 2, 3, rock-paper-scissors!!"

Tobi ignored the mockery entirely, turning around with great enthusiasm and raising his hand again.

That comical voice echoed through the void, blending perfectly with his act of playing the fool.

"Tch, as stubborn as ever, never listening to a word anyone says..."

Kou clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction, his tone carrying a hint of genuine helplessness and disgust.

As if sensing something, he turned his head and locked eyes with Itachi, who was observing him.

"What are you looking at?"

Although Kou's face was blurred by the phantom projection, the annoyance in his eyes was unmistakable.

He snapped irritably:

"Never seen a handsome guy before?"

Itachi opened his mouth and said stiffly:

"...We are phantoms right now; we can't see each other's faces."

"Shoo, shoo!"

Kou completely ignored Itachi's response, waving his hand at him as if shooing away an annoying fly:

"This is a game for adults, kid, stay out of it and go home to your mommy and daddy."

He paused, a hint of sharp mockery entering his tone:

"Oh, right, I forgot your parents are both dead."

Itachi: "..."

His expression did not change, but the silence between them seemed to linger for a fraction of a second longer than usual.

"Enough."

A low voice descended from above, carrying an invisible pressure.

Pain stood on the highest finger, his purple Rinnegan eyes looking down at everyone present.

His gaze was devoid of any emotion, yet it made everyone fall silent.

The previously rowdy atmosphere instantly quieted.

Kakuzu's indifferent expression, as he squinted while watching the fun, tightened slightly, and a flash of sharp light crossed his murky eyes.

Scorpion stopped speaking, merely staring coldly at Orochimaru.

Orochimaru still wore that half-smile, but his gaze had shifted, landing squarely on Pain.

Tobi stopped his antics, shrinking his neck like a mischievous student caught by a teacher, and stood there obediently.

Even Kou reined in his usual lax demeanor, crossing his arms over his chest and fixing a calm gaze upon Pain.

Konan stood silently at a position slightly behind and to the side of Pain, her eyes sweeping over everyone present before finally settling on Pain, filled with helplessness.

Pain scanned each person with those purple Rinnegan, his gaze lingering for a moment especially on Kou and the "Madara" beside him, who was currently feigning a trembling appearance.

After a long silence, he said in a deep voice:

"I have summoned everyone for this meeting to discuss..."

"The upcoming expansion plan for the Akatsuki."

In the void, there was absolute silence.

No one spoke, yet everyone was silently calculating something in their hearts.

And Pain simply stood there, looking down at everyone with those purple Rinnegan.

Like a... true god.