"Until the Tailed Beast plan officially begins, Akatsuki's true objective must not be leaked."
At the head of the conference table, Pain swept his gaze over everyone.
"Each team will continue taking on war, assassination, and bounty missions to accumulate funds and expand our underground channels."
"No matter whom you encounter during a mission, you are not permitted to expose core intelligence without authorization."
Smack.
Pain paused, then continued:
"The great nations have begun noticing Akatsuki's activities. At this stage, any unnecessary action could invite a joint investigation by the Five Great Shinobi Villages."
Smack, smack.
The hall was very quiet.
Normally, when Pain spoke, even Hidan, the most impatient of them, would not interrupt him casually.
That made those chewing noises especially distinct.
Pain said a sentence.
Two smacks came from the corner.
Smack.
Pain finally turned his head.
Cangyue sat on the purple Flame Sword, a lunch box in front of him, and was picking up the last piece of fried egg.
The Thunder Sword hovered beside him.
"Kambara Sogetsu."
"Hmm?"
Cangyue looked up.
"Could you refrain from making noise while you eat?"
[Valor Points +30]
Cangyue swallowed the fried egg, looking perfectly cooperative.
"Sorry."
"I'll keep it down. Carry on."
With that, he picked up another piece of meat.
Smack.
It was indeed quieter.
But only a little.
Around the conference table, several people's expressions turned strange.
What had Akatsuki's meetings been like before?
Pain stood at the front and issued orders.
The others listened, took their assignments, and left.
Serious, concise, no pointless chatter.
Even if Hidan had objections, he usually only dared to curse after the meeting.
Cangyue had been here for just two days, and the meetings had already changed completely.
Yesterday, he had recorded everyone's height and weight.
Today, he had arrived late with a lunch box and even made their leader accommodate the sound of his chewing.
And somehow, Pain had actually put up with it.
[Valor Points +20]
Pain stopped dwelling on the lunch box.
"Next, your assignment."
He raised his hands and clapped lightly.
A masked figure suddenly emerged from above the meeting room.
"Hellooo~"
He stood upside down on the ceiling, cheerfully waving to everyone below.
Then, a second later, he seemed to lose his footing and fell straight down.
Thud!
Everyone's eyelids twitched. Where had this clown come from?
The Masked Man lay on the floor, silent for half a second, then immediately raised both hands.
"Oh dear, I'm terribly sorry!"
"I wanted to make a cool entrance, but I lost my footing!"
His distinctive squawking voice rang through the hall.
The Masked Man scrambled nimbly to his feet and brushed the dust off his Red Cloud Cloak.
"Hello, everyone!"
"My name is Tobi, and I'm an Akatsuki intern!"
"I look forward to learning from all you veterans!"
Cangyue looked at that Swirl Mask, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.
Tobi?
Obito, right?
Just last night, he had hidden inside the wall to spy on me, only to be scared off by the Sword Intent Domain.
Today, he had put on a Red Cloud Cloak and appeared before me as an intern.
He certainly moved fast.
Pain said gravely, "Kambara Sogetsu, for the duration of your trial mission, you and Tobi will form a temporary team."
"You will supervise each other."
"Whether it concerns Konoha or Akatsuki, do not attempt to pry into intelligence that must not be disclosed."
Cangyue could not help letting out a laugh.
So that was it.
Pain had allowed me to retain my identity as Konoha's undercover agent, but he had no intention of letting me act freely.
Assigning Obito to me was clearly meant to have him keep an eye on me.
And Obito probably wanted to use this opportunity to investigate the secret behind my sudden increase in strength.
But uncover the system's secrets? Try again in your next life, buddy.
"What are you laughing at?"
Pain suddenly asked.
The smile instantly vanished from Cangyue's face.
"Nothing."
"I just remembered something happy."
Deidara perked up.
"What happy thing, hmm?"
"My wife had a baby."
Cangyue paused briefly after saying that.
"No, wait."
"My friend's wife had a baby."
The hall fell silent again.
Kisame glanced down at Cangyue's age.
Twelve years old.
Never mind him finding a wife-even a friend of his finding one would earn plenty of electric shocks.
The excuse was so halfhearted that even Hidan could not stand it.
"At least make up a fucking believable excuse!"
[Valor Points +50]
Tobi, however, acted as though he had understood none of it and trotted eagerly over to Cangyue.
"Senior Cangyue!"
"I look forward to working with you!"
"I may only be an intern, but I'll work hard and take this seriously! I won't hold you back!"
Cangyue sized him up for a moment, then nodded.
"Good."
"But right now, I need you to do me a small favor."
Tobi patted his chest.
"At your service, senior!"
Cangyue raised a hand and pointed at the lunch box, bowl, chopsticks, and empty plate on the table.
"Go wash those."
Tobi's outstretched hand froze in midair.
He had prepared to handle probing questions and was ready for Cangyue to ask about his abilities and background.
The one thing he had not expected was for Cangyue to actually order him around like an intern.
"What?"
Cangyue raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Akatsuki interns don't help their seniors wash the dishes?"
"We do! Of course we do!"
Tobi immediately resumed his cheerful tone.
"Leave it to me!"
He gathered the lunch box, bowl, and chopsticks into his arms, then turned and left the meeting room.
[Valor Points +30]
Through the Deva Path's Rinnegan, Nagato witnessed the entire scene.
Akatsuki's ordinary members only knew Tobi as a newcomer.
But he and Konan both knew that the Masked Man had helped establish Akatsuki's current order under the identity of "Madara Uchiha."
In other words.
Kambara Sogetsu had just sent the legendary Madara Uchiha off to wash his dishes.
Pain fell briefly silent.
Fortunately, very few people knew the Masked Man's identity.
Otherwise, Akatsuki might have been overturned today over a single rice bowl.
Cangyue watched Tobi leave, then turned toward Itachi.
"Akatsuki Vermilion-wilion."
Itachi slowly turned his eyes toward him.
"Has Sasuke written to you lately?"
"I kind of miss him."
Hidan froze for a moment, then burst out laughing.
"Akatsuki Vermilion-wilion?"
"Hahaha! Uchiha Itachi, that nickname of yours..."
Itachi merely glanced at him.
The tomoe in his scarlet Sharingan quietly rotated.
Hidan's laughter stopped abruptly.
His body went rigid, and he fell to the floor with a thud.
Even an immortal body could not grant immunity to genjutsu.
Pain said coldly, "No infighting in front of me."
Itachi withdrew his gaze.
"It was only a mild lesson."
Pain looked at him impassively. "Do not let it happen again."
Cangyue propped up his chin and watched Itachi with interest.
"Akatsuki Vermilion's all timid and shy, but he's cute when he's fierce, too."
Several members looked at Cangyue at the same time, an involuntary chill running through them.
The smile on Kisame's face faltered slightly.
Deidara even edged silently closer to Sasori.
Did this brat have some unusual tastes?
Itachi stared at Cangyue expressionlessly.
He did not understand why this boy repeatedly brought up Sasuke and kept provoking him with these bizarre nicknames.
Was he truly confident that nothing could touch him?
Or was he trying to test my abilities the same way he had provoked Hidan and Deidara?
"If you wish to witness the power of the Uchiha..."
Itachi's voice was calm.
"I can oblige."
His scarlet eyes suddenly changed.
The three tomoe linked together, forming a distinctive pattern.
Mangekyō Sharingan!
The air seemed to freeze in an instant.
Deidara fell silent too.
His memories of those eyes were anything but pleasant.
Yet Cangyue did not avert his gaze from Itachi. He merely sighed softly.
"Akatsuki Vermilion, Vermilion."
"Kind words build bonds; cruel words wound hearts."
"I've just made a small breakthrough recently. I wanted to teach Sasuke a new secret of Dream Training so he could grow stronger."
"I never imagined you thought of me that way."
Cangyue pressed a hand to his chest.
"I'm deeply hurt."
[Valor Points +50]
Inside, however, Cangyue felt wonderful.
So this was the Akatsuki?
I didn't even have to do anything.
Just a few casual words, and I could keep earning Valor Points from a bunch of Kage Level Missing-nin.
They were worth far more than those classmates at the Ninja Academy who had already gotten used to me.
Itachi fell silent.
Was Cangyue trolling him, or was he serious?
For a moment, he genuinely could not tell.
More importantly, what was this new secret of Dream Training?
Could it really make Sasuke even stronger?
"Sasuke hasn't contacted me."
Itachi finally spoke.
Now that was the answer one would expect.
Sasuke wanted nothing more than to kill him with his own hands. Why would he ever write to him first?
Cangyue spread his hands.
"All right, then."
"I'll just have to wait until I'm back in Konoha and teach him myself."
Itachi asked no further questions, but he had already committed the words "new secret" to memory.
Just then, Deidara suddenly raised his hand.
"Wait."
He stared at Cangyue.
"I read the intelligence report on you last night."
"It said you can train by sleeping, and that your strength changes every time you wake up."
"Is that true, hm?"
Everyone around the conference table turned their attention to Cangyue again.
Kakuzu and Hidan had witnessed Cangyue's combat prowess firsthand.
Pain and Konan had also experienced his inexplicable power.
As for Itachi, he had long since received intelligence on Dream Training from his informants in Konoha.
Cangyue looked at Deidara with a cheerful smile.
"Of course it is."
"Want to try?"
Deidara's eyes lit up.
"You can teach me?"
"I can trade you my art for it!"
"Sure."
Cangyue sat up on the Flying Sword.
"Bring your head over here."
Deidara did not move right away.
He eyed Cangyue's hands warily.
"Dream Training requires touching my head?"
"The first time you enter a dream, you need someone to help you relax quickly."
Cangyue looked around, picked up a neatly squared brick beside a collapsed stone pillar, and hefted it in his hand.
Then he beckoned to Deidara.
"Come on."
"Bring your head over here."
Before you continue