Turning Enemies into Friends! Konan's Amazement

"Bang!"

The Uchiha Ye who had been dodging in mid-air suddenly dissipated into smoke, while the Uchiha Ye who had destroyed the Third Kazekage suddenly began to cough. His lips turned a shade of purple, and he knelt on one knee, gasping for air.

He had been poisoned!

"Tch, is this where it ends?"

Watching Sasori of the Red Sand land once more with a grim expression, Uchiha Ye wiped the sweat from his face, his vision already blurring. "Lord Sasori, I concede!"

"I will provide high-quality materials for you to repair the human puppet you lost!"

Sasori, who had been intending to continue the fight and reveal his final, incomplete trump card, snorted upon hearing this. "No need! I know you can still fight; don't pretend you're already at your limit."

"My own final trump card isn't fully perfected yet either. If we fought to the bitter end, we'd likely just end up in a draw."

As he spoke, he tossed over a bottle of green liquid. "This is the antidote. Let's spar again when we have the time!"

Hearing this, Uchiha Ye grinned. "Then I shall be troubling you in the future, Lord Sasori."

Konan landed nearby, her expression filled with admiration. "You are the second ninja besides Pain to destroy the Third Kazekage puppet. It's no wonder Sasori acknowledges you so highly, even going so far as to invite you to spar!"

"However..."

Konan looked at Uchiha Ye and asked, "You agreed to join us so readily—aren't you even a little curious about the origins of our Akatsuki?"

"Don't you want to learn about our goals or our members? Aren't you afraid that we might recruit you only to turn against you?"

Uchiha Ye smiled at her words. "If I were to die at the hands of a beautiful woman like you, I would consider it worth it."

Upon hearing this, Konan's willow-leaf brows arched, and her face flushed with indignation. "You're barely out of diapers and yet you're so shameless!"

She quickly composed her expression. "Before I set out, a masked man in the organization instructed me: Uchiha Ye is not simple, so it is best to be cautious!"

"Judging by his tone, it seems he had a confrontation with you and didn't get the better of you?"

A sharp glint flashed deep in Uchiha Ye's eyes at these words. "So that masked man is also part of your organization. I merely managed to escape his clutches by luck; it can hardly be called making him look bad."

"By the way, now that I'm joining, that masked senior won't hold a grudge against me, will he?"

Internally, however, he grew vigilant. Uchiha Obito suffered a setback at my hands; logically, he should hate me to the bone and try to stop me from joining so he can take his revenge. Yet he didn't do that. Is that guy plotting something big?

He felt this required serious attention.

Konan smiled. "That certainly won't happen. I trust Mr. Masked Man knows the importance of the situation."

As for Uchiha Ye's humble reply just now, she didn't believe it for a second.

If Uchiha Ye hadn't made 'Madara' look bad, would 'Madara' be so concerned about him?

As if!

Sasori, however, was somewhat bewildered.

'Madara'?

Who was that?

Was there a mysterious member in the organization he didn't know about?

"Let's go."

Konan didn't answer Sasori's unspoken question.

Instead, she took Uchiha Ye and headed straight for Amegakure to meet their leader, 'Pain'.

At that moment, a line of information appeared before Uchiha Ye's eyes.

[Froggy has returned from his travels and brought back a rare mineral from Takumigakure: High-Grade Chakra Metal]

"Claim!"

He knew of Takumigakure, a small village known for producing exquisite ninja tools.

There had once been a master blacksmith named 'Seimei' who crafted several tools with power rivaling the Seven Ninja Swords.

A piece of oily-green metal the size of a fist appeared in his hand.

Konan and Sasori stared at the metal in his hand, both unable to help but exclaim, "How do you have such high-purity Chakra Metal?"

Sasori, in particular, looked at Uchiha Ye with burning intensity. "Would you be willing to sell this piece to me? Money is no object!"

Whether for repairing puppets or crafting new ones, adding such high-purity metal could drastically improve a puppet's performance; he couldn't help but be tempted!

Uchiha Ye smiled and handed the metal to Sasori. "Lord Sasori, you are too kind. Consider this an apology for destroying those two puppets of yours."

Sasori was stunned. "This... as an apology?"

Uchiha Ye had indeed said he would provide materials to repair the puppets.

But he hadn't expected Uchiha Ye to produce such precious Chakra Metal.

Even he couldn't help but be shocked. "Something so valuable, and you're just giving it to me like that?"

Uchiha Ye nodded. "Why not?"

Sasori didn't stand on ceremony anymore. After taking it, he said solemnly, "If you ever need anything, just say the word. I will not refuse!"

The frustration he had felt from being bested by Uchiha Ye earlier vanished in an instant.

Konan couldn't help but marvel at the sight. "You didn't even blink when giving away such a treasure. Does this kind of item truly hold no value in your eyes?"

Uchiha Ye smiled at her words. "So what if it is a treasure? In the hands of a mediocre person like me, it is nothing more than a rock. Only in the hands of a capable person like Master Sasori can it realize its true worth. Since that is the case, why not facilitate it?"

A flicker of pride crossed Sasori's eyes at this, prompting Konan to remark, "It is truly hard to imagine such smooth talk coming from your mouth. Are you really only thirteen?"

Whether it was the indirect praise of Sasori of the Red Sand or using the Chakra Metal to win his favor, he had managed to bury the hatchet with Sasori with a single smile.

Such sophisticated and natural social maneuvering did not look like something a thirteen-year-old should possess.

Yet, it appeared with jarring clarity on Uchiha Ye.

This undoubtedly made him seem all the more mysterious.

"Heh, I simply trade sincerity for sincerity."

As if he knew exactly what Konan was thinking, Uchiha Ye looked at her with a playful smile.

Konan replied, "Perhaps."

Half a day later!

The Akatsuki headquarters, all members assembled!

"Welcome, Uchiha Ye!"

Pain Deva Path appeared before Uchiha Ye via the Magic Lantern Body Technique, those cold Rinnegan eyes carrying a terrifying sense of oppression. "Sasori happens to be missing a partner; you shall fill the vacancy. How about it?"

Uchiha Ye nodded. "Agreed!"

As expected of the strongest boss before the Ninja World arc in the original story, he couldn't help but marvel inwardly. He is so powerful that one cannot even muster the heart to resist.

In front of him, he felt like a lone skiff in a raging sea, ready to be swallowed up in an instant.

"Heh, can someone so young really shoulder such a heavy responsibility?"

At this moment, an aged, gravelly voice rang out. The speaker was a Magic Lantern Body projection with a pair of emerald eyes. "I am very skeptical, old man."

Before Uchiha Ye could speak, Sasori of the Red Sand, standing beside him, said coldly, "Kakuzu, are you questioning my judgment?"

"He is someone who has earned my recognition. If you have an issue with that, why don't the two of us have a fight?"