No Way! Someone Really Joined the Akatsuki Just to Get the Outfit?

Xuan Yu had never been keen on joining the Akatsuki.

The other Uchiha who joined the Akatsuki, aside from getting an Akatsuki outfit for free, didn't seem to have done anything meaningful.

That Uchiha was none other than the future Uchiha Sasuke.

But for once, Xuan Yu seriously considered whether he should try joining the Akatsuki.

Xuan Yu rubbed his chin and fixed Kakuzu with a scrutinizing look. "Kakuzi, are you sure the Akatsuki can provide me with ninjutsu, or help me find a way to get some? How come I've never heard of this?"

Xuan Yu knew the Akatsuki's operations quite well.

He knew perfectly well that the Akatsuki had never provided ninjutsu to its members before, so Kakuzi's sudden offer naturally made him suspicious.

Kakuzi couldn't figure out why Xuan Yu knew so much about the highly secretive Akatsuki.

Still, Xuan Yu was right. The Akatsuki had never provided ninjutsu to its members before.

Fortunately, Kakuzi knew just how to answer Xuan Yu's question.

Before coming to see Xuan Yu, he had made a point of bringing this up with Konan.

Kakuzi crossed his arms and explained nonchalantly, "The Akatsuki is far more capable than you imagine. Normally, we don't provide members with access to ninjutsu, but if a member needs it, the organization can help."

Xuan Yu let out a quiet, "Oh," his expression somewhere between a smile and a smirk.

Based on what Xuan Yu knew, joining the Akatsuki wouldn't get him ninjutsu outright. Otherwise, he would have signed up long ago.

But Kakuzi sounded so certain, and considering he'd disappeared for several days recently, Xuan Yu guessed he'd probably discussed this with Konan and Pain in advance.

After all, the Akatsuki had worked with all sorts of factions across the Ninja World. Getting hold of a few ninjutsu scrolls wouldn't be difficult.

At that thought, Xuan Yu suddenly smiled. "I'm still not considering officially joining the Akatsuki for now. But the organization can pay to hire me to work for you."

Kakuzi: (O_O)???

Kakuzi was stunned. This was a path he'd never even considered.

To recruit Xuan Yu successfully, he'd even gone to the Black Market ahead of time to find out about him, concluding that Xuan Yu's main concerns were making money and getting ninjutsu.

But he'd never imagined Xuan Yu would make such an unusual request.

He didn't want to join the Akatsuki. He wanted the organization to hire him instead.

In all his years with the Akatsuki, Kakuzi had never run into anything like this.

After a moment of silence, Kakuzi could only say, "I can't make that decision. You can come with me to the Akatsuki's headquarters, and the higher-ups can decide whether to accept your terms."

Kakuzi was starting to get a headache. The kid never did anything the usual way, and Kakuzi worried he was about to come away empty-handed again.

If Xuan Yu was too cautious and flat-out refused to go to the Akatsuki's headquarters with him, they'd have a problem.

But Xuan Yu didn't even hesitate. He simply said, "Lead the way!"

"Hm?"

Kakuzi paused, then nodded and immediately turned to lead the way to Amegakure.

Xuan Yu didn't waste time either and followed right behind him.

The sky above Amegakure was blanketed in dark clouds, and a fine drizzle fell without end.

Amegakure's buildings were mostly tall, tower-like structures, with metal drainage pipes lining their exteriors.

Generally, the village's residents lived on the lower floors of the towers, while the upper floors were used to store corpses.

Others might not understand why Amegakure had such a bizarre custom, but Xuan Yu knew the reason: it made it easier for Nagato to create "Pain."

Nagato's legs were crippled, and his real body couldn't leave the Life Support Device. Naturally, he couldn't just go elsewhere whenever he wanted to make a Pain.

As soon as Xuan Yu and Kakuzi entered Amegakure's detection range, Konan, Pain, and the other Akatsuki members received word that a newcomer was approaching the village.

On the open platform atop one of Amegakure's towers, Pain, Konan, Zetsu, Orochimaru, and the others looked down over the streets in the distance.

Beside Orochimaru, Sasori, concealed inside the Hiruko puppet, asked in a hoarse voice, "Orochimaru, do you know anything about that newcomer?"

Orochimaru gave a disdainful chuckle. "Hmph! Why would I pay attention to some nobody?"

As a rogue ninja from the Leaf Village, he knew its inner workings quite well.

Yet he had never heard the name "Uchiha Xuan Yu" while he was there, let alone formed any impression of him.

There were two possibilities.

Either Xuan Yu was a nobody, which was why Orochimaru had never heard of him.

Or the Uchiha Clan had hidden him away and secretly raised an exceptionally powerful clansman.

The second possibility couldn't be ruled out entirely, but Orochimaru didn't think it likely.

While they discussed Xuan Yu atop the tower, Xuan Yu and Kakuzi had already entered the streets of Amegakure, coming into view.

One of the Akatsuki members, a half-black, half-white figure with a pitcher-plant-like body, watched Xuan Yu for a moment, then shook his head. "This Uchiha looks pretty ordinary."

It was obvious that "he" was Zetsu.

Zetsu's assessment wasn't unreasonable.

After all, he had "seen" Madara.

Compared to that great man, Xuan Yu at this stage really did pale in comparison.

As soon as Zetsu finished speaking, Kisame Hoshigaki chimed in, "They say you can't judge a book by its cover... but this newcomer really does look unremarkable."

As the others discussed Xuan Yu, Pain and Konan remained silent.

They had already gotten some information about Xuan Yu from Kakuzi and knew he wasn't as ordinary as he looked.

Still, compared with the Uchiha Clan's famous members, Xuan Yu did seem unimpressive for now.

But as they spoke, Xuan Yu suddenly moved in the street below!

"Whoosh!"

Xuan Yu instantly pushed his Body Flicker Technique to its limit and shot forward like an arrow released from its bow!

Kakuzi's vision blurred. He couldn't react in time.

Xuan Yu's mastery of the Body Flicker Technique was already exceptional. Combined with his terrifying speed stat of more than five thousand, he moved so fast when he unleashed his full power that he was almost impossible to track.

He seemed to transform into a black bolt of lightning, flickering through the rain several times before vanishing from where he stood in the blink of an eye.

On the tower above Amegakure, the Akatsuki members witnessed the scene with their own eyes, and their expressions turned remarkable.

Forget everything else—when it came to speed, Xuan Yu was unquestionably the fastest member of the Akatsuki!

"Heh, interesting." After Xuan Yu vanished, Orochimaru gave a sinister chuckle and commented casually.

But before he'd finished speaking, Xuan Yu suddenly appeared at the entrance to the tower platform!

The moment he appeared, Xuan Yu didn't waste a single word. He fixed his gaze on Orochimaru and launched a Leaf Taijutsu Secret Technique.

"Leaf Whirlwind!"

In the blink of an eye, Xuan Yu appeared in front of Orochimaru, raised his leg, and unleashed a powerful Whirlwind Fierce Kick, sweeping it hard across!