5. The Bird's Feather Corner

"Ding! Mission issued: Head to the Amegakure base of the Akatsuki organization. Reward: One lucky draw."

Although Chen Xiaoxi really wanted to have a spar with Uchiha Itachi to see just how strong this legendary Itachi from the original story truly was, the sudden arrival of the system mission dispelled that notion. After all, he had already joined the Akatsuki, so there was no need to rush.

"Let's get going then, Chen Xiaoxi."

Konan seemed to heave a sigh of relief as she spoke, and the two continued their journey toward their destination: Amegakure.

The Land of Rain, Amegakure.

Amegakure, the ninja village of the Land of Rain.

It was founded by the legendary ninja once known as the "Demigod," Salamander Hanzo.

Due to its geographical location, the climate in Amegakure was trapped in a perpetual rainy season, with the rainwater flowing into the inland lake that surrounded the village.

Its location sat right at the intersection of three superpowers: the Land of Fire, the Land of Wind, and the Land of Earth.

Consequently, whenever war broke out between these three nations, the Land of Rain was almost inevitably caught in the crossfire, or even completely engulfed by it.

Furthermore, during the Second Shinobi World War, the ruler at the time, Salamander Hanzo, had launched wars against the Land of Fire, the Land of Earth, and the Land of Iron in an attempt to expand the borders of the Land of Rain.

Although he had been victorious in his personal battles, the nation itself had suffered a crushing defeat.

From that point on, this land had transformed into a place filled with death and resentment.

Now, however, Salamander Hanzo had been killed by the mysterious masked man in league with Uzumaki Nagato, and Amegakure had subsequently become the main base for the Akatsuki.

At this moment, inside a dark, gloomy cave.

The sound of dripping water was constant, and the air was thick with dampness.

"Yo, yo... It seems Konan has returned, Pain."

A man who looked like a pitcher plant, half-black and half-white, made a strange sound as he spoke to the orange-haired man in front of him.

"There are two distinct chakras."

Hearing this, the orange-haired man lifted his eyes slightly and gazed toward the entrance of the cave, saying indifferently:

"It seems Konan has successfully brought back Sasori of the Red Sand..."

When the mysterious masked man had assigned the missions, the only person Konan was responsible for was him, so Pain naturally drew his own conclusion.

Just then, the sound of footsteps at the cave entrance grew closer.

Finally, a woman wearing the red-cloud-patterned black cloak of the Akatsuki and a black-haired youth dressed in black appeared simultaneously.

Naturally, it was Konan and Chen Xiaoxi, who had arrived from the Land of Wind.

"Oh my? Konan, is this really the true form of Sasori of the Red Sand?"

"He's unexpectedly young!"

Seeing the two appear, the pitcher-plant-like figure let out a curious sound, exclaiming in surprise.

Beside him, Tendo Pain frowned slightly upon hearing this.

This person was supposed to be Sasori of the Red Sand? What was going on? He remembered from the intelligence reports that Sasori was a guy with red hair. Was there some place in the ninja world where you could dye your hair?

"What is the meaning of this, Konan?"

After a moment of thought, he looked toward Konan and spoke in a cold voice.

"Are you certain... that this guy is the genuine genius puppeteer, Sasori of the Red Sand?"

There was a hint of skepticism in Pain's tone.

Upon hearing this, Konan stopped in her tracks and shook her head slightly, saying calmly:

"No, Pain. On the contrary, I can confirm that he is not Sasori of the Red Sand."

"Hm?"

As her words fell, a sound of surprise escaped Pain's lips.

"Oh? You actually brought back the wrong person?"

The Zetsu on the side let out an exaggerated sound of astonishment.

Without a doubt, Konan's answer left both of them deeply confused.

Since she knew he was not Sasori of the Red Sand, why bring him to the Akatsuki's headquarters?

The mysterious masked man's orders had explicitly specified the quota for that Sasori of the Red Sand...

"The reason I brought him back," Konan began, "is because I witnessed with my own eyes that he killed Sasori of the Red Sand."

"?"

At these words, the expressions of both Pain (Deva Path) and Zetsu shifted simultaneously.

"When I tracked down Sasori, I happened to see Chen Xiaoxi fighting him."

"It happened so suddenly that before I could even grasp the situation, I saw both Sasori and his Kazekage Puppet pierced through by this short blade at Qingyu's waist."

"Someone capable of killing Sasori certainly has the strength to join, don't they?"

Konan's gaze lowered as she spoke calmly; this explanation was far more detailed than the brief one she had given Uchiha Itachi.

After hearing this, the eyes of Pain and Zetsu both turned toward Chen Xiaoxi and the short blade hanging at his waist.

How could such a short, small blade manage to kill Sasori, a master puppeteer?

Could it be some kind of special ninja tool?

If he truly possessed the power to wield such a weapon, he would indeed have the strength to join the Akatsuki.

"Hey, hey..."

"You call this recruiting? You actually found such a frail-looking brat?"

Suddenly, a strange voice echoed through the cave, interrupting their thoughts.

As the voice faded, a man wearing the wide red-cloud black robe and a black mask appeared behind Pain.

His eyes glowed with an eerie green light.

Seeing him appear, Konan's eyes narrowed slightly. From his appearance, she could tell this was the other person the masked man had ordered Pain to recruit—the rogue ninja from Takigakure, the immortal Kakuzu.

At this moment, Kakuzu's face wore an expression of impatience.

He paced forward and stopped in front of Chen Xiaoxi.

He looked down at Chen Xiaoxi from his towering height.

In front of his burly frame, Chen Xiaoxi naturally appeared quite slender.

"It looks like... you are that immortal ninja, the Akatsuki's wage-earner, Kakuzu?"

"A pleasure, truly a pleasure."

Chen Xiaoxi could not possibly fail to recognize this familiar appearance.

"Tch, you brat..."

"The faint aura of chakra on your body makes me highly doubt whether you have the strength to fight alongside me."

"You're so weak... it makes me want to crush you right here."

Hearing his words, Kakuzu narrowed his eyes slightly as he spoke.

The atmosphere in the cave suddenly grew tense.

Chen Xiaoxi, however, remained as he was, smiling at Kakuzu with a calm heart.

Having watched Naruto, Chen Xiaoxi knew Kakuzu very well. This guy was a jerk who loved killing his own teammates. Aside from that cult fanatic Hidan, who survived thanks to his immortality, almost everyone else who had partnered with him had met a miserable end.

And now, it seemed he wanted to make a move against him...