Naruto: I am Uchiha Fugaku

Uchiha Fugaku took out a sealing scroll, preparing to store the corpse of the man with the hideous scar on his face inside it.

However, when he saw the ring on that man's hand, he suddenly paused.

Every official member of the Akatsuki wore a ring that symbolized their identity. These rings had many functions, including long-distance communication.

If he simply sealed the scar-faced man's body into the scroll and left, Fugaku was concerned that the Akatsuki might be able to track his location through the ring.

He took the ring off the man's hand and examined the character inscribed on it.

"'North'… So the one who originally wore this ring—Kakuzu—was the one I killed. It looks like this man was recruited as Kakuzu's replacement."

His expression turned a little strange.

It seemed he had a peculiar connection with members who bore the codename "North" in Akatsuki—both had died by his hand.

Still, this time, the replacement was clearly weaker—nowhere near the level of the original member, Kakuzu.

Then again, finding rogue ninjas of Kage-level strength was no easy task.

"Seal—"

Fugaku sealed the corpse of the scar-faced man into the Sealing Scroll, then walked over to the body of the weathered middle-aged man.

The middle-aged man's body was still trapped inside an icy prison, pierced all over by countless sharp ice thorns—his death was nothing short of miserable.

But Fugaku was utterly indifferent.

For someone who targeted him because of a bounty, no method of retaliation was too much.

"Melt—"

Using Ice Release, he melted the ice prison, exposing the corpse.

"No Kekkei Genkai, no remarkable talent," Fugaku muttered, shaking his head. This corpse was of no real use to him—there was no need to seal it.

"I can't leave the body behind!"

Even if the corpse didn't fall into Orochimaru's hands and expose his identity, it still needed to be destroyed just in case.

He tossed the ring he'd taken from the scar-faced man onto the middle-aged man's body.

Then he stepped back and formed hand seals for a Fire Style jutsu.

"Fire Style: Majestic Destroyer Flame! "

A sea of flames erupted, engulfing the middle-aged man's body and the entire surrounding area.

Whoosh—

The intense blaze roared to life, quickly turning the body to ash.

The ice remnants from the previous battle melted and vanished under the raging flames.

All that remained was a scorched, blackened field.

Whoosh!

After confirming all traces had been erased, Uchiha Fugaku swiftly gave chase in the direction of Uchiha Asami and the others.

He suddenly remembered—there was rumored to be an Akatsuki outpost in the Land of Rivers.

The two men he killed were likely not the only Akatsuki members stationed in this country.

He had to regroup with Asami and the rest quickly and leave the Land of Rivers as soon as possible.

Half an hour after Fugaku left, a pale white figure emerged from the ground, appearing in the still-smoldering battlefield.

It was a White Zetsu clone.

He soon discovered the two warped, scorched rings: "North" and "Three."

"The hunt failed—and they lost their lives! "

Picking up the rings, the White Zetsu clone showed visible surprise.

Although the operatives with the codenames "North" and "Three" weren't Kage-level, they were still elite jōnin.

Especially Bai (Haku), who possessed the Ice Release Kekkei Genkai—his power exceeded most elite jōnin.

And yet, both had died in the mission.

"Looks like we underestimated Uchiha Fugaku! "

The White Zetsu clone frowned slightly.

To defeat two elite jōnin singlehandedly—Fugaku's strength was clearly not ordinary.

Their previous assessment of his capabilities had been off.

It was now very likely that Uchiha Fugaku possessed Kage-level power.

"Damn, they're ruined. It'll cost a fortune to fix them again."

Glancing down at the two deformed rings, he sank back into the earth and vanished.

Every Akatsuki ring was unique and extremely expensive to produce.

Repairing damaged ones was equally costly.

Meanwhile, in the Land of Rivers, Orochimaru arrived at a forest lake.

This was where Akatsuki had invited him to meet.

When he arrived, he saw a man.

The man wore the red cloud cloak of Akatsuki and had bright orange hair.

Black rods pierced through his body, and his gaze was icy and emotionless.

But what caught Orochimaru's attention the most—

Were his eyes.

They were eyes with ripple-like patterns.

"Rinnegan…"

Orochimaru's eyes lit up, as if he had laid eyes on the most exquisite treasure.

The Rinnegan—said to be the eyes once possessed by the Sage of Six Paths—were shrouded in mystery and power.

He never expected to see them with his own eyes.

"I must have them! "

A burning desire ignited in Orochimaru's heart.

This trip was absolutely worth it.

"Those eyes… will be mine! "

His voice trembled with excitement, laced with malice.

"Hidden Shadow Snake Hands! "

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Dozens of venomous snakes burst from his right hand like writhing tentacles, lunging toward the Rinnegan-wielding man.

The Deva Path of Nagato remained expressionless. Even as the snakes lunged at him, his face showed no reaction.

When they drew close, an overwhelming repulsive force surged from his body, blasting the snakes away.

Splat! Splat! Splat!

The snakes exploded into chunks of meat, scattered midair.

Orochimaru, caught in the force, was also thrown backward violently.

Boom!

He crashed to the ground.

Raising his head slightly, Orochimaru's gaze on the Rinnegan became even more fevered.

Just like the rumors said, the Rinnegan truly contained extraordinary power.

"Formation of Ten Thousand Snakes!"

He opened his mouth unnaturally wide—almost splitting it open.

From his throat, a river made entirely of serpents surged forth, charging toward the Deva Path in an unstoppable wave.

"Shinra Tensei."

The Deva Path remained indifferent. This time, he merely raised one hand.

Boom—

A repulsive force dozens of times stronger than the previous one erupted outward.

The serpent river instantly burst into a rain of blood, and a vast section of the forest was obliterated.

The land was scoured into a wide riverbed, as if a flood had torn through it.

It stretched hundreds of meters. Everything in its path—erased.

Orochimaru's genetically enhanced body was no match for that terrifying power.

More than half his body was blown apart—leaving behind only a broken, mangled torso.