Chapter 14: Arrival at Amegakure, Uchiha Itachi Receives a Warning!
Chapter 14: Arrival at Amegakure, Uchiha Itachi Receives a Warning!
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Even though the instigator had left, the chaos in Konoha continued to escalate, spreading its influence far and wide.
Of course, this was no longer Uchiha Yi's concern.
On the Shinobi World's map, the Land of Rain is located northwest of the Land of Fire, sandwiched between three great nations: the Land of Wind, the Land of Earth, and the Land of Fire.
Whenever a war broke out among the three great nations, it was always this small nation caught in the middle that suffered the most.
With no strength to protect itself, such a nation could only be reduced to a tragic casualty of war.
Using the Fire-Release Spatial Leap, Uchiha Yi quickly traversed the distance. After a few minutes, a faint flicker of fire in an unremarkable corner of Amegakure suddenly flared up.
Moments later, a figure emerged from the flame—it was Uchiha Yi!
The skies over Amegakure were shrouded in thick clouds, and a constant drizzle of rain fell unrelentingly.
"Damn it, I completely forgot about this horrible weather in the Land of Rain!"
Arriving in a rush, he hadn't prepared for the rain, leaving Uchiha Yi drenched shortly after appearing in Amegakure. Annoyed, he muttered a few complaints under his breath.
"Forget it, I should focus on finding the Akatsuki."
Though he knew Amegakure was the Akatsuki's base, he had no clue where exactly it was hidden.
He had no intention of searching every corner, so the quickest and most efficient solution was to make them come to him instead.
With this in mind, Uchiha Yi put on his mask and began strolling boldly down the streets. Occasionally, he paused to gaze curiously at the towering steel structures that resembled the industrialized world of a bygone era.
Amidst the rain, the locals hurried by in raincoats, paying little attention to their surroundings. In stark contrast, Uchiha Yi leisurely wandered through the streets, attracting quite a bit of attention.
It wasn't long before his conspicuous behavior raised suspicion, prompting some locals to secretly report his presence to the ninja leaders or even "Angel-sama."
Uchiha Yi, however, remained entirely indifferent to the unfolding situation.
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Meanwhile, in a cave not far from Amegakure.
After several days of travel, Konoha's rogue ninja, Uchiha Itachi, had arrived at the location indicated by the masked man.
Confirming that this was the place, Uchiha Itachi stepped forward, his steady footsteps echoing in the silent, cavernous space.
"Pain, someone's approaching!"
"It's an unfamiliar ninja!"
Inside the cave, a blue-haired woman furrowed her brow and quickly folded a paper blade infused with chakra, readying herself for combat.
"Relax, he's someone I specifically recruited for the Akatsuki—a rogue ninja from Konoha, Uchiha Itachi."
At that moment, the space before them rippled, and a man wearing a spiraling mask appeared before the two of them, offering an explanation.
Shortly after, another figure emerged from the ground—a black-and-white figure, the Akatsuki's informant, Zetsu.
Hearing this, Pain nodded expressionlessly and directed his gaze toward the cave entrance. Meanwhile, the blue-haired woman, Konan, remained cautious.
Not long after, Uchiha Itachi stepped into the cave, immediately spotting the "familiar face" of the masked man, Uchiha Obito. However, he showed no intention of engaging him and instead shifted his gaze to the man seated in the lead position.
"The Rinnegan!?"
"The legendary eyes of the Sage!?"
Seeing the distinctive concentric circles of the Rinnegan, Uchiha Itachi's pupils contracted slightly, and a surge of shock coursed through him. This was far beyond his expectations.
However, he quickly calmed himself.
Uchiha Madara, a man with the Rinnegan, and a gathering of rogue ninjas from various nations—this Akatsuki organization wasn't as simple as a mercenary group.
With such a powerful collection of individuals, they could easily topple smaller nations, and even the great nations wouldn't be able to ignore them.
Uchiha Itachi had no illusions about their true motives.
His agreement to join the Akatsuki had always been part of his plan to infiltrate and serve as a spy.
Now, after witnessing just a glimpse of the Akatsuki's true power, his resolve to carry out his mission only deepened.
He then explained his intentions to Pain.
"Uchiha Itachi, I don't care what you've done in Konoha to become a rogue ninja."
"But if you join the Akatsuki, betrayal will not be tolerated under any circumstances!"
"Otherwise…"
By now, Uchiha Itachi's reputation had spread across the ninja world, and Pain was well aware of his capabilities. However, Pain didn't care about the details. What he needed were strong ninjas who could carry out missions and contribute to the Akatsuki's goals.
Still, a warning was necessary.
Yet, before Pain could finish his sentence, he suddenly sensed something through his Rain Tiger at Will Technique, which monitored the entire Amegakure.
His words abruptly stopped.
"What is it, Pain?"
Having spent years alongside Pain, Konan immediately noticed the change in his demeanor and asked with concern.
"Nothing."
"Just a small insect that managed to sneak into the village."
"I'll send the Asura Path to deal with it."
With that, Pain shifted his focus to one of the high towers in Amegakure, where his six bodies were stored.
Through the black rods connecting them, he commanded the Asura Path to head toward Uchiha Yi's location.
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