At these words, Kakuzu was astonished to hear that Uchiha Ye had been doubted, and even Deva Path Pain's eyes showed a hint of surprise.
Both men couldn't help looking at Konan. She replied, "Sasori fought him to a draw. Yes, Sasori was the one who suggested it."
Now it was Kakuzu's turn to be surprised. "You actually got Sasori to suggest ending the fight in a draw? I really underestimated you."
He knew how strong Sasori was.
Sasori was only a little weaker than him!
Yet Uchiha Ye was so young, and he had actually fought Sasori to a draw. He was truly a monster.
It seemed he really couldn't afford to underestimate him.
Even Nagato, behind Deva Path Pain, felt a chill in his heart. No wonder 'Madara' specifically warned Konan not to underestimate Uchiha Ye before she left. Sending Sasori with her really was the right choice.
Otherwise, Konan's trip might genuinely have ended in failure.
"Well, well, Itachi, you're here too!"
Uchiha Ye thanked Sasori, then looked at the Magic Lantern Body opposite him, pretending not to know the truth. His smile was bright. "Looks like we made the same choice, surprisingly!"
At his words, Uchiha Itachi's Three-Tomoe Sharingan spun, his gaze piercing. "You've hidden your true strength well. You even fooled me."
After a pause, he said coldly, "You were the one who killed Uchiha Tensho, weren't you?"
When he heard that Uchiha Ye had fought Sasori of the Red Sands to a draw, he understood everything.
His voice was razor-sharp. "A man like you hid among the Uchiha back then, and now you've joined the Akatsuki. What exactly are you planning?"
There was another question he forced himself not to say aloud: Are you planning to harm Konoha?
Uchiha Ye smiled at that, narrowing his eyes. "What's the point of bringing that up now?"
Uchiha Itachi's gaze grew even sharper. "I'll keep my eyes fixed on you. I won't let you do anything reckless or endanger the organization!"
The others were happy to watch this little drama of "Uchiha infighting" unfold.
Seeing this, Sasori met Uchiha Ye's gaze. His eyes asked, Want me to kill Uchiha Itachi?
Uchiha Ye shook his head and thought, You're only pretending to worry that I'll harm the Akatsuki. You're really worried I'll harm Konoha, aren't you?
Then he answered Uchiha Itachi, "I'll be waiting!"
He already had to keep an eye on Uchiha Obito, making sure the mysterious man didn't harm Konoha.
Now he also had to guard against Uchiha Ye. It must have taken a lot out of him.
No wonder Uchiha Itachi died so young in the original story.
Overusing his energy must have been one of the reasons.
The Konoha High Command feared your clan's power and slaughtered your entire clan, yet for the sake of the Will of Fire in your heart, you still chose to protect Konoha. You willingly became a spy and infiltrated the Akatsuki, providing intelligence to Konoha without complaint to keep the Akatsuki from harming it.
He couldn't help feeling moved. Was all this really worth it, Itachi?
He had liked Uchiha Itachi as a character in his previous life.
Calm, powerful, and handsome!
But he truly couldn't understand the Will of Fire that Itachi clung to.
He could never sacrifice himself for the greater good in the name of the Will of Fire, slaughter the entire Uchiha clan without mercy, and even turn his blade on his own parents.
At that, Uchiha Itachi fixed his eyes on Uchiha Ye and said each word with conviction, "I will."
In secret, Uchiha Obito watched the scene and couldn't help the faint curve of his lips.
He had been most afraid that Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Ye would join forces.
Fortunately, that hadn't happened!
When he looked at Uchiha Ye, his gaze suddenly sharpened. "Uchiha Ye, hurry up and grow stronger. Awaken the Three-Tomoe Sharingan as soon as possible. Then I'll be able to claim an even better pair of eyes later."
Was there any need for him to stop Uchiha Ye from joining the Akatsuki?
No!
There was a ready-made Sharingan right in front of him. All he had to do was wait for it to mature, then harvest the ripe fruit.
What was there not to like?
Besides, he had more important things to do and no time to target Uchiha Ye.
"Now then..."
Deva Path Pain spoke again. "Let me tell you about the goals of our Akatsuki members."
He began by explaining how they would amass a fortune, then went on to describe their plans to establish an independent mercenary group, monopolize all war contracts, and destroy the shinobi systems of the great nations.
"Our ultimate goal is to collect all the Tailed Beasts and create the ultimate weapon. We'll bring peace to the shinobi world through the deterrence of absolute force!"
Hearing this, Uchiha Itachi's gaze sharpened, and he unconsciously clenched his fists. "Even the Tailed Beasts are targets for them? The Akatsuki really is a dangerous organization. Infiltrating it was definitely the right choice."
One day, they'll certainly turn against Konoha.
As for Uchiha Ye...
He simply pretended to be surprised. "That's quite an ambitious goal, Leader."
Kakuzu snorted and mocked him. "Kid, even if you're scared, it's too late to ask to leave now!"
Uchiha Ye replied at once, "Then I guess I'll have to see this through to the end. I hope the Tailed Beasts live up to their reputation!"
Deva Path Pain nodded, then swept his gaze over the group. "But the most important thing before us now is to expand our team."
"Does anyone have a candidate to recommend?"
Everyone shook their heads.
Uchiha Ye had several people he could recommend.
But why recommend them?
If he stood out too much, wouldn't that make Uchiha Obito even more wary of him?
At this stage, it was better to keep a low profile.
"Since none of you have anyone in mind, I have two candidates."
He looked at Uchiha Ye and Uchiha Itachi. "I'll leave recruiting these two to you, Azure Dragon—Ye's codename—and Vermilion Bird—Itachi's codename. What do you say?"
Uchiha Ye's thoughts stirred. He knew the two people he meant had to be Deidara and Hidan!
"We've only just joined, and we've already been given such an important task. I'm thrilled!"
Uchiha Ye looked at Sasori beside him. "Brother Sasori, what do you think?"
Sasori of the Red Sands replied, "Fine by me!"
Uchiha Itachi naturally didn't object either.
"Here are the two profiles!"
Two copies of the scrolls appeared, laid out before the four of them.
"Hidan, a Jashin Cult follower, is considered the number one villain by the peaceful villagers of the Village Hidden in Hot Water. He has committed countless murders. They've specifically commissioned the Akatsuki to eliminate this heretic and restore peace to the village!"
As Sasori of the Red Sands read the profile, his brows furrowed. "He doesn't sound like much of a proper shinobi."
The profile before Uchiha Itachi was for Deidara, the "genius Explosion Release shinobi" from Iwagakure.
"Just as I thought..."
Looking at the two profiles, Uchiha Ye thought, They're exactly the two I expected!
That means the countdown to Orochimaru leaving the Akatsuki can begin, too.
He glanced at Orochimaru, who was staring intently at Uchiha Itachi, his gaze greedy and feverish, and made his calculations.
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