35. Grouping

The Masked Man couldn't help but pause, looking up at Chen Xiaoxi's leisurely retreating figure.

What did he mean?

Would I be surprised if I saw them fight?

I'd already seen Uchiha Itachi get taken out in an instant. How could something like this possibly surprise me?

The Masked Man let out a quiet breath and began to ponder.

Tsk...

That brat Chen Xiaoxi really was as unfathomable as ever.

If White Zetsu weren't keeping him under constant surveillance, I'd almost suspect he'd sneaked off to the Leaf Village to put on an act...

That's right.

White Zetsu's surveillance.

The Masked Man had never stopped being suspicious of Chen Xiaoxi.

In fact, a long time ago, he'd arranged for several White Zetsu to disguise themselves as residents of Amegakure and keep Chen Xiaoxi's home under close, round-the-clock surveillance!

This time, after returning to Amegakure, the Masked Man had immediately made time to ask how the surveillance was going.

And he'd learned—

Chen Xiaoxi hadn't left his room all night.

All the White Zetsu reported that he hadn't come out until the Akatsuki meeting began.

Besides, if Chen Xiaoxi had really left Amegakure without permission, Pain's Rain Tiger Self-Control Technique should have detected him by now.

There was no need to investigate further.

Unless... the golden-eyed man had mastered a space-time ninjutsu like his own, there was no way he could have gone to the Leaf Village without anyone noticing.

But in fact, during the months since Chen Xiaoxi had joined Akatsuki, the Masked Man had secretly observed him countless times.

He'd already reached a fairly definite conclusion:

His dōjutsu, called the Wicked Eye of the Tyrant, didn't include any space-time abilities.

Therefore,

based on these facts,

Obito had gradually stopped suspecting Chen Xiaoxi.

Though there was no denying that both the Fox Ghost and Chen Xiaoxi were unnaturally powerful, their styles were worlds apart.

They were, indeed, two entirely different beings.

The Masked Man's eyes flickered.

Then he silently stepped forward to catch up.

He hadn't paid much attention to Chen Xiaoxi's mysterious words just now.

After all, he'd known for a long time that the brat was a complete riddle-spewer who loved saying things that muddled people's thoughts.

At that moment, Obito was thinking,

Perhaps, the next time he ran into that guy wearing the Fox Ghost Mask, he'd have no shortage of extra muscle...

However,

what he didn't know was—

one day in the future,

he would remember what Chen Xiaoxi had said today.

Because then,

he would witness with his own eyes the moment Chen Xiaoxi put on the Fox Ghost Mask.

"The guy who wounded Itachi has already escaped."

That was the first thing the intern Tobi said after returning to the cave.

It was clear

that he seemed thoroughly dejected, nowhere near as excited as before. His head hung low.

When the Akatsuki members in the cave heard the news,

they immediately exchanged glances.

That was it?

They'd only just said they were going to catch the guy, and he'd gotten away in no time?

Juzo Biwa and Fujii immediately looked disappointed.

Kakuzu's gaze sharpened. With his arms folded across his chest, he glanced at the Masked Man and coldly spat out a few words.

"Tch. What a pointless stunt."

Orochimaru's eyes flickered as he stood nearby, his thoughts unclear.

But at that moment,

Deva Path Pain, Konan, and Itachi were all deeply suspicious.

After all, only they knew the Masked Man's true abilities. In theory... no one should have been able to escape him.

Had something gone wrong?

After a brief silence,

Deva Path Pain stopped pondering and spoke calmly:

"If that's the case, then we'll put the matter of the enemy aside for now."

"Now, we'll begin Akatsuki's first official team meeting."

"Everyone, follow me."

Deva Path Pain turned and walked toward a deeper cave.

Clearly, that was where the most confidential meetings took place.

Chen Xiaoxi and the others followed him inside at once.

The Masked Man sensibly stayed where he was, not following them in.

After all, he was only an intern right now and had no right to take part in the meeting.

As soon as he entered the cave,

Chen Xiaoxi saw a massive gray figure standing at its center.

It had a hideous face and an enormous body.

Its arms were raised, its ten fingers outstretched in a strange pose, as if begging for mercy.

It stood perfectly still, seemingly devoid of any life.

The moment he saw it, Chen Xiaoxi's eyes flickered.

The other Akatsuki members might not know what it was or what it was used for.

But he knew it all too well.

This was the Ten-Tails' husk, a special being known as the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.

Chen Xiaoxi looked up at it,

and couldn't help feeling awed.

He hadn't expected it to look even bigger up close than he'd imagined.

Just then,

a familiar notification suddenly rang out in Chen Xiaoxi's mind—

"Ding! Congratulations, host. Side quest complete!"

"Viewed the Ten-Tails' husk, the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, up close once (1/1). Complete! Rewards: Reiatsu +1000, Shop Points +100!"

"Hm?"

As the notification sounded, Chen Xiaoxi's expression shifted, and a delighted smile appeared on his face.

That counted?

He'd only looked at it for a couple of seconds, and he'd earned a reward?

And there were Shop Points, too?

After a moment of surprise, Chen Xiaoxi immediately understood.

It seemed that now the System Shop had been unlocked, all future side quests would come with a certain number of points as a bonus.

That was pretty good. He wouldn't have to go out of his way to do extra quests for money anymore...

He could start thinking about buying some items from the System Shop, too.

As Chen Xiaoxi pondered,

Deva Path Pain spoke.

He swept his gaze over everyone without changing expression, then said coolly:

"Starting today, Uchiha Itachi is officially a member of Akatsuki."

"He will act as our partner and work with us toward our future plan to conquer the world."

"However, while we're here..."

"I need to remind you all once again."

"Akatsuki's absolute rule forbids members from fighting among themselves or launching malicious attacks against one another."

"Anyone who violates this rule will be branded a Traitor of Akatsuki, expelled from the organization, and hunted by every member of Akatsuki!"

"Is that clear?"

As he said this, Pain seemed to glance at Orochimaru out of the corner of his eye.

"?"

Feeling that gaze, Orochimaru's expression shifted. He quickly gathered his thoughts and gave a sinister chuckle.

"My, how strange..."

"When the leader says that, it almost sounds as if he's talking to me."

"Don't worry,"

"I'm not foolish enough to do something like that."

"..."

Pain slowly looked away and said indifferently,

"Good. See that you don't."

Then he continued:

"Now, next—"

"it's time for Akatsuki's first official team assignments."

"These may be the partners you'll be working with for a long time to come."

"So make sure you remember them—"

"Team One: Konan and me."

"Team Two: Kakuzu and Fujiwara."

"Team Three: Uchiha Itachi and Juzo Biwa."

"Team Four: Orochimaru and Zetsu."

"Team Five: We're short on members, so for now... Chen Xiaoxi will make up a team by himself."