Conditions for Joining Akatsuki

Tobi watched his retreating figure, the single eye behind his mask narrowing slightly.

This Uchiha was too dangerous.

But he was also too useful.

As long as he could be lured into Akatsuki, Konoha and the Uchiha Clan could be completely torn apart.

When that time came, whether Konoha fell into civil war or the Uchiha Clan rebelled, it would benefit his Eye of the Moon Plan.

It was just that...

Tobi's gaze fell on Juzo Biwa's corpse.

Would this man called Uchiha You truly obediently become a pawn?

Elsewhere.

Uchiha You walked ahead, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly.

He did not need to guess what Obito was thinking.

Use him?

Fine.

Then they would use each other.

Obito wanted to turn him into a blade that would throw Konoha into chaos.

And he would use Akatsuki as a blade to cut down Danzo first, then sever the hand of the Third Hokage that held the Uchiha Clan's fate.

As for who would control Akatsuki in the end.

That would depend on whose hand was stronger.

The border of the Land of Water.

Mist hung thick in the air.

Cold, damp air rushed toward them.

Unlike the warm, bright environment of the Land of Fire, the Land of Water seemed forever shrouded in shadow.

The sea breeze carried a salty, fishy stench.

The distant villages were ruined and desolate.

Abandoned ninja tools and dried bloodstains could occasionally be seen by the roadside.

Every inch of this land seemed soaked in blood.

The Bloody Mist Village.

The Hidden Mist of this era was at its darkest.

Ninja slaughtered one another.

Comrades could be ordered to execute comrades.

Missions mattered more than life.

Intelligence mattered more than teammates.

Loyalty mattered more than humanity.

In such an environment, it would have been stranger if Kisame Hoshigaki had not gone mad.

Tobi walked beside Uchiha You, his tone turning flippant again.

"Kisame should still be carrying out a mission right now."

"If the intelligence is correct, he'll pass through the reef coast ahead today."

Uchiha You asked blandly,

"Is he being hunted by the Hidden Mist?"

Tobi smiled.

"More or less."

"Someone who knows too much of the truth is never quite suited to keep living in the village."

Uchiha You sneered.

"That sounds like something Konoha's higher-ups would say."

Tobi spread his hands.

"The Five Great Ninja Villages are all pretty much the same."

"So-called villages are merely larger cages."

Uchiha You did not argue.

On that point, he agreed.

Whether it was Konoha or the Hidden Mist.

Different names hung on the surface, but beneath them all lay the same rot.

The only difference was that the Hidden Mist held its blade openly in hand.

Konoha, meanwhile, preferred to hide its blade behind the Will of Fire.

After walking for a while, a burst of chakra fluctuations suddenly came from ahead.

Then came screams.

The sound of blades piercing flesh.

The roar of Water Release techniques exploding.

Uchiha You stopped.

Tobi also looked up.

"Looks like we made it."

On the reef coast ahead.

More than a dozen Hidden Mist ninja were surrounding and attacking a tall man.

The man had a shark-like face, blue-gray skin, and a massive sword wrapped in bandages on his back.

Kisame Hoshigaki.

Kisame had not yet put on Akatsuki's black cloak patterned with red clouds.

But the bloodlust and oppressive presence around him were already astonishing.

Several Hidden Mist ninja corpses lay at his feet.

Some were enemies.

Others had been his comrades.

A Hidden Mist ninja roared,

"Kisame Hoshigaki!"

"You murdered your comrades and leaked mission intelligence. The village has declared you a rogue ninja!"

Kisame gripped his sword, a twisted yet weary smile on his face.

"Murdered my comrades?"

"Wasn't I ordered by the village to kill them?"

The Hidden Mist ninja's expression stiffened.

Kisame continued,

"To prevent intelligence leaks, kill your comrades."

"To ensure the mission's success, kill your superior."

"Then, for the village's secrets, be silenced by the village itself."

He bared his teeth in a grin.

"The Hidden Mist Village really is such an honest place."

"Honest enough to make one sick."

The Hidden Mist ninja's face darkened.

"Enough nonsense!"

"Kill him!"

More than a dozen Hidden Mist ninja charged at once.

A vicious glint flashed through Kisame's eyes, and he raised his massive sword.

But at that moment.

A black shadow suddenly swept in from the side.

The Executioner's Blade swept across them.

Splat!

The three Hidden Mist ninja charging in front were instantly cut in half at the waist.

Blood splashed across the reefs.

Everyone froze.

Kisame was also slightly taken aback.

He looked at the black-haired youth who had suddenly appeared.

The other party carried an enormous Executioner's Blade on his shoulder.

He recognized that blade.

One of the Seven Ninja Blades of the Mist.

And its original owner had been Juzo Biwa.

Kisame narrowed his eyes.

"The Executioner's Blade?"

"Juzo Biwa is dead?"

Uchiha You shook the blood from the blade and answered blandly,

"Dead."

Kisame grinned.

"You killed him?"

Uchiha You looked up at him.

"Otherwise, did he fall to his death by himself?"

Kisame paused for a moment.

"Interesting."

"An Uchiha Clan member carrying the Hidden Mist's Executioner's Blade comes to the Land of Water to kill Hidden Mist ninja."

"Today really is chaotic enough."

Tobi slowly walked out from behind them and waved.

"Mr. Kisame, we've come to invite you."

The remaining Hidden Mist ninja's expressions changed drastically.

"Akatsuki!"

"Black cloaks with red clouds!"

"They're a rogue ninja organization!"

The leading Hidden Mist ninja roared,

"Kill them all!"

Uchiha You did not even spare them a glance.

He merely said to Kisame,

"Want to talk?"

Kisame glanced at the Hidden Mist ninja around them.

"Let's deal with these nuisances first."

Uchiha You nodded.

"Fine."

The next instant.

The Mangekyo Sharingan suddenly emerged in his left eye.

The black umbrella spun.

Pathogen Chakra spread through the sea mist.

The dozen or so Hidden Mist ninja had only just formed hand seals when their bodies abruptly stiffened.

"What's happening?"

"My chakra..."

"There's something in the mist!"

Uchiha You carried the Executioner's Blade on his shoulder and slowly walked forward.

"The mist in the Land of Water is nice."

"It's perfect for spreading."

Kisame watched this scene, and the smile on his face gradually faded.

He could sense it.

That was no ordinary poison.

An extremely bizarre chakra had mixed into the mist and was invading everyone's bodies.

In the Land of Water, this ability was practically more terrifying than poisonous mist.

The Hidden Mist ninja began to panic.

Some tried to retreat.

But their bodies grew heavier and heavier.

Some forcibly unleashed Water Release.

The water had barely formed before black-red chakra polluted it and coiled back around its user.

Uchiha You swung his blade.

One strike, one kill.

With every move he made, someone fell.

The screams of the Hidden Mist ninja were quickly swallowed by the waves.

Moments later, the rocky shore fell silent once more.

More than a dozen Hidden Mist ninja lay sprawled across the ground.

Kisame looked at Uchiha You, and his gaze finally changed.

He had seen powerful people before.

He had killed many powerful people, too.

But this Uchiha before him felt different.

Strong.

Calm.

Dangerous.

And unlike those people who only knew how to shout slogans.

There was no excitement when he killed, nor was there any hesitation.

It was as though he were simply taking out the trash.

Kisame grinned and asked,

"You want to invite me to join Akatsuki?"

Uchiha You shook his head.

"This isn't an invitation."

Kisame raised a brow.

Uchiha You looked at him, his voice calm.

"It's an opportunity to leave the filthy swamp that is Hidden Mist."

Kisame fell silent.

Tobi chuckled beside them.

"Mr. Kisame, Akatsuki can show you the real world."

Kisame looked at Tobi.

"The real world?"

Tobi's voice lowered slightly.

"This world is full of falsehoods."

"Villages, missions, companions, trust—they're all lies."

"Only the Eye of the Moon Plan can create a world without falsehoods."

Hearing that, Uchiha You sneered inwardly.

Here it came again.

Obito's whole spiel about how the world was fake, so he wanted to create a dream.

Maybe it would work on Kisame.

But it would not work on him.

Besides, he had no intention of letting Kisame become Obito's loyal dog.

Uchiha You cut him off directly.

"No need to listen to that nonsense."

Tobi's tone faltered.

Kisame also turned to look at Uchiha You.

Uchiha You walked up to Kisame and pointed at the Hidden Mist corpses on the ground.

"What you hate isn't the world."

"What you hate are the people who forced you to kill your comrades, then threw the blame onto you."

Kisame's gaze tightened slightly.

Uchiha You continued,

"What you despise isn't the mission."

"It's the fact that everyone is clearly lying, yet they insist that you believe it is the truth."

"What you want isn't some false dream, either."

"You only want to know what you should be swinging your blade for."

The smile on Kisame's face gradually disappeared.

Tobi's gaze behind his mask slowly turned cold as well.

Everything Uchiha You had said was completely tearing down his argument.

Yet those words struck Kisame far more easily than his Eye of the Moon rhetoric.

Because Uchiha You was not talking about some vague, intangible ideal.

He was talking about Kisame's most real and immediate pain.

Kisame stared at Uchiha You.

"Then what do you think I should swing my blade for?"

Uchiha You answered blandly,

"For yourself."

"For an organization that won't turn around and silence you once the mission is over."

"For a future that at least dares to kill its enemies openly, instead of hiding in the shadows and pretending to be good people."

Kisame was silent for a long time.

After a while, he smiled.

This smile was different from before.

There was less madness in it.

And more genuine interest.

"Uchiha You, right?"

"You're more interesting than this masked guy."

Tobi: "..."

The corners of Uchiha You's lips lifted slightly.

"So, are you joining?"

Kisame hoisted his greatsword onto his shoulder and grinned.

"I can join."

"But I have one condition."

Uchiha You asked, "What condition?"

Battle intent rose in Kisame's eyes.

"Fight me."

"If you can earn my acknowledgment, I'll go with you."

Tobi stood to one side. He seemed to be smiling, but his heart had turned cold.

The situation had already begun to shift.

He was supposed to be the one persuading Kisame.

But now, almost all of Kisame's attention was on Uchiha You.

That was not a good thing.

But Uchiha You smiled.

He dragged the Executioner's Blade forward a step.

"Fine."

Kisame gripped his greatsword tightly, excitement appearing on his shark-like face.

"Then let me see just how strong the Uchiha who killed Juzo Biwa really is."

The Mangekyo Sharingan in Uchiha You's eyes slowly spun.

"You'll see."

"But let me make this clear first."

"I'm not responsible for treating injuries that are too severe."

Kisame froze for a moment, then burst out laughing.

"Ha ha ha ha!"

"Good!"

"Arrogant enough!"

"I like it!"

The waves crashed against the reefs.

A bloody mist hung in the air.

One was the future tailless tailed beast of Akatsuki.

The other was an Uchiha with the Umbrella Mangekyo Sharingan.

Their chakra erupted at the same time.

The next moment.

Kisame charged first.

Uchiha You tightened his grip on the Executioner's Blade, a faint smile curling his lips.

Kisame Hoshigaki.

From this day onward.

You would no longer be Obito's pawn.

You would be mine.