An unexpected member of the Akatsuki

Outside a Cave along a deserted river, Uchiha Itachi followed Shisui Uchiha as they slowly approached in a small boat.

"I thought you'd changed your mind. You never showed up that night, after all."

"...The Konoha High Command's contingencies were more troublesome than I expected. It took some time to shake them off."

"Really?"

Shisui Uchiha looked at Itachi's expressionless face without committing to a response.

"We're almost there. Up ahead is that fellow Madara Uchiha's organization, though he isn't its leader on paper."

"He's hiding his identity?"

"He goes by Tobi, pretending to be an unofficial member without much ability." Shisui nodded, then pointed to the black gauze covering his eyes and added, "He's not the only one. I'm doing the same. Aside from the leader and his confidante, you're the only one who knows both our identities."

"I'm telling you now so you don't give anything away later. In the organization, my name is 'Shika.'"

"...A simple disguise. Don't I need one?"

"What you did is too well known. There's no point. Besides, joining as a newcomer with an overly mysterious identity would only invite more scrutiny."

"...You seem quite experienced."

As they talked, the boat came to a stop outside the Cave, and they continued inside on foot.

The Cave was spacious. The moment Itachi stepped inside, he faintly sensed traces of chakra from both the stone bed and the ground. It was most likely a surveillance ninjutsu that would detect anyone passing through.

In the deepest part of the Cave, an eerie, enormous stone statue appeared before Itachi. Embedded in the rock wall, its face tilted toward the sky and its mouth gaped open as though it were howling. Its palms were held before its chest as if supporting something.

Itachi also noticed that the giant