A Meeting of the Akatsuki

"I came to see you again..."

At Konoha Cemetery, a white-haired man wearing a mask crouched before a gravestone, placed down a bouquet of flowers, and spoke softly.

His voice carried endless weariness.

He sat cross-legged on the ground without a care for his appearance, removed his mask, and let it hang above his head.

This man was Konoha's Technician, the Copy Ninja, Kakashi Hatake.

After removing his mask, Kakashi revealed a flawless face, along with the scar cutting across his left eyelids and the Sharingan in its socket that could never be closed.

His eyes were unfocused as he simply stared blankly at the gravestone before him.

He said nothing, yet it felt as though he had said everything.

The images constantly flashing through his mind sometimes made the corners of his lips rise, and sometimes filled him with sorrow.

He was immersed in his memories.

Under the blazing sun, the gravestone's shadow overlapped with Kakashi's. A gentle breeze lifted his white hair, as though an invisible figure were stroking it and whispering softly to him.

The scene shifted. Kakashi rose to his feet, and at some point, his mask had returned to his face.

"What is it?"

A cold voice brimming with killing intent came from Kakashi's mouth.

At that moment, none of his earlier tenderness remained. He was like a machine built for slaughter.

"Lord Hokage wishes to see you."

The visitor, enveloped by Kakashi's aura, answered with unease and fear.

"I understand. You may leave."

Kakashi's icy response came from beneath his mask, yet it made the visitor feel as though a huge burden had been lifted.

"Yes!"

After his subordinate had left.

Kakashi turned back and gave the gravestone one long, deep look.

"I'm leaving. Maybe this time, I'll be able to go and keep you company..."

His figure vanished, while his voice lingered in the air before fading with the wind.

When Kakashi appeared again, he was already in the Hokage's office.

"Lord Hokage."

After coolly addressing Hiruzen Sarutobi, Kakashi said nothing more and simply stood quietly where he was.

"Mm, Kakashi, you're here."

Hiruzen Sarutobi put down the document in his hand, looked at Kakashi before him, and spoke softly.

Then, with practiced ease, he picked up the pipe beside him, lit it, and took a satisfying puff.

The thick smoke entered his lungs, and the powerful irritation brought patches of red to Hiruzen Sarutobi's aged cheeks.

Then came a violent coughing fit. He exhaled the diluted smoke, which drifted upward into the air.

The choking smell lingered in the room.

After lighting his pipe and taking a satisfying puff, Hiruzen Sarutobi saw that Kakashi still had no intention of speaking. He found it a little dull, though he had long since grown used to it.

"The dead are gone, but the living must go on..."

After pondering for quite a while, Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke with mixed emotions.

It sounded somewhat like an attempt to comfort Kakashi, yet also like words of mutual encouragement.

It was unclear whether he truly meant it or had simply said it to create a sense of resonance.

"Mm. If there's nothing else, I'll be leaving to get back to work..."

Kakashi responded to Hiruzen Sarutobi's words with complete indifference.

He was no longer the inexperienced kid he had once been.

"You've been going around in circles in ANBU for so many years. It's time to step out and get some sun. Konoha needs you."

Kakashi's flat reply left Hiruzen Sarutobi feeling frustrated. The conversation had gone nowhere.

"Fine."

Whether he agreed with Hiruzen Sarutobi or merely feared that the old man would keep pestering him, Kakashi answered blandly.

"This year's students are about to graduate. Go test them."

Kakashi's response pleased Hiruzen Sarutobi greatly. He did not particularly like people who went against his will.

"Alright. Then I'll get going."

Kakashi paused for a moment but still agreed.

So after all that, he wanted him to become a Jonin squad leader. He could've just said so instead of rambling on forever.

Kakashi thought irritably.

"No rush. Before that, there's one more task I need you to handle. Leading a squad can wait until you return."

Seeing Kakashi open his mouth to leave again, Hiruzen Sarutobi felt speechless. Was he really making Kakashi this restless? Did Kakashi truly dislike being around him that much?

But now that they had reached business, Hiruzen Sarutobi no longer had any intention of making small talk with his subordinate.

He took another satisfying puff from his pipe, pulled out a scroll from the drawer, then rose to his feet as he exhaled smoke and walked toward Kakashi.

Partly to show concern for his subordinate and close the distance between them.

Partly because his backside hurt from sitting too long, and he needed to stand up and walk around.

Kakashi held his breath against the heavy tobacco smell clinging to Hiruzen Sarutobi and slowly opened the scroll.

After confirming there were no issues, he gently rolled the scroll back up.

"Then I'll depart now."

"Good."

This time, Hiruzen Sarutobi said nothing more. He merely waved his hand, signaling that Kakashi could leave.

Only after Kakashi had gone did Hiruzen Sarutobi raise an arm and gently sniff the clothing around his shoulder.

Finding no strange odor, he became confused.

"There's no smell. What are young people thinking these days?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's puzzled muttering echoed through the office.

After leaving the office, Kakashi took a deep breath of fresh air.

The suffocating feeling finally eased slightly.

After a moment, once the discomfort had faded, Kakashi took out the scroll and examined it again.

After thinking for several seconds, he closed the scroll.

Then he touched his ninja tool pouch and confirmed that he had not forgotten his precious books. The thought of going home to pack faded away. With a slight movement of his feet, he headed for the gates, intending to depart immediately.

His mission this time was to capture a Rogue Ninja from Konoha.

This Rogue Ninja had hidden himself well. Though Konoha had placed a ten-million-ryo bounty on him, he had never shown himself.

But this time, he had offended a powerful noble. The noble released fresh information and raised the bounty.

Only then did the Rogue Ninja reveal himself.

Having received the news, Konoha was naturally paying special attention to the matter. It definitely was not because they were reluctant to give up the ten million they had put up themselves, plus the twenty million added by the noble.

Of course, that depended on what Hiruzen Sarutobi was thinking. Kakashi was not entirely sure.

He only knew that if he captured this Rogue Ninja, all he had to do was bring him back to Konoha.

As for the twenty million offered by the noble, Kakashi could take the larger share as well.

Twenty million ryo was a lot, but Kakashi had little interest in what he could do with it.

He only knew that one of his elders was an exceptional writer.

As a junior, he naturally had to support his elder.

For example, he could collect every book in his elder's entire series to show his filial respect.

This had always been Kakashi's only dream and goal.

It was also Kakashi's only enjoyment in this world...

In the forest, Juzo suddenly stopped walking. Itachi paused slightly, then seemed to realize something.

He looked toward the ring on his thumb.

"Kid, this is the secret weapon of our Akatsuki."

Seeing Itachi's gaze, Juzo chuckled.

"Oh."

Itachi had no interest in Juzo's showboating and merely replied softly, his demeanor incomparably aloof.

After receiving Juzo's guidance, Itachi's consciousness appeared in a certain space.

After carefully examining his surroundings, he realized that he was standing atop a stone pillar.

Phantom figures gradually appeared on the other stone pillars as well. It was incredibly strange.

Itachi had naturally seen this scene before while watching anime, but seeing it and personally experiencing it were entirely different feelings.

"Itachi, have you gotten used to life in the Akatsuki?"

Once everyone had arrived, Pain spoke softly and asked Itachi how he felt.

Perhaps because he found introductions too troublesome, he used this question to tell the organization's members that their big family had gained another new member named Itachi...

"Mm."

Pain's question made Itachi pause slightly, and it also drew everyone's attention toward him.

"Itachi, you've grown so much since I last saw you. How about we form a team? I'll take good care of you."

After a brief silence, Orochimaru's voice rang out.

The view pulled back. The stone pillars beneath them were the ten fingers of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.

Each finger corresponded to a ring. The Demonic Statue of the Outer Path's palms faced upward normally, its thumbs extending outward on both sides, while its ten fingers curled slightly.

In the original story, Itachi wore his ring on the ring finger of his right hand, while Orochimaru wore his on the little finger of his left hand, so the two were not particularly far apart.

"The kid and I have only just developed a bit of chemistry. You think you can just say we should team up? Who the hell do you think you are?"

Hearing Orochimaru's words, Juzo snapped back in displeasure.

Itachi said nothing about this. He quietly acted invisible. Here and now, he did not dare act too arrogant. Keeping a low profile was better.

Once he had grown stronger, there would be plenty of time to show off...

Before the two could start arguing, Pain spoke indifferently and stopped the farce before beginning his address.

But to Itachi's surprise, Pain merely casually asked about each team's progress, repeated Akatsuki's grand ideals, and then announced that the meeting was over.

It left Itachi rather confused, unable to figure out what Pain was planning.

Still, compared to the darkness of the headquarters, Itachi found the bright world outside far more comfortable.

"Confused, huh? The pace of making money has slowed lately, so that's why Pain was like that."

Seeing Itachi's confusion, Juzo said smugly.

"Uh... that's practically slacking off. How can that be acceptable...?"

Itachi held it in for a long time before leisurely tossing out that line, but he had nothing more to add.

"Don't panic. Our efficiency is still pretty good. The slow ones are them."

Hearing Itachi's words, Juzo hurriedly spoke up, afraid that Itachi might suggest speeding up their missions and start an arms race.

"Then for the sake of organizational harmony, we should slow down too... As long as we're not the slowest, it'll be fine..."

The words Juzo feared did not come from Itachi's mouth. Instead, what Itachi said perfectly matched Juzo's inner thoughts.

"Then alright... for the sake of organizational harmony..."

After a moment of silence, Juzo spoke gravely, as though making an incredibly difficult decision.

The two exchanged a knowing glance, suppressed the smiles that nearly appeared, and forced solemn expressions onto their faces.

If Pain saw this, he would probably curse them out.

A whole bunch of teammates, all of them actors...