"Now that everything here is settled, let's go."
Ash said softly as he looked up at the gradually brightening sky.
Not far away, Orochimaru stared at Uchiha Itachi's retreating figure. He bent down, picked up his severed left arm, and his expression twisted with undisguised hatred. Yet beneath that hatred was an even deeper obsession—an obsession with the Sharingan.
And inevitably, another name surfaced in his mind.
Uchiha Sasuke.
"Since he's Itachi's younger brother, there's no reason his talent would be inferior," Orochimaru muttered.
Ash Ketchum.
Uchiha Itachi.
And Madara.
The power of the Sharingan linked those three figures together in his thoughts, igniting a dangerous ambition.
Meanwhile…
Within Uchiha District – Zone A, Danzo Shimura arrived with more than a dozen Root ANBU operatives, standing opposite the masked man before him.
Although Danzo could not confirm whether this man was truly Madara Uchiha, the overwhelming sense of danger radiating from him was unmistakable.
After the Uchiha clan's annihilation, both Danzo and the masked man had begun collecting Sharingan. Unfortunately, there were only a little over three hundred pairs of fully awakened three-tomoe Sharingan.
There should have been more.
But members of the Akatsuki had destroyed over half of the clan's bodies during the operation.
There were plenty of one-tomoe and two-tomoe eyes left behind, but they were nearly useless. Unless transplanted and painstakingly cultivated, they would never evolve further. And advancing to the Mangekyō Sharingan was already notoriously difficult even among pure-blooded Uchiha—let alone outsiders.
"You were the one who broke the agreement first, Danzo."
The masked man spoke calmly, his tone devoid of fear.
Danzo snorted coldly. "It seems the Uchiha's eyes will end up with me after all."
His right eye was wrapped tightly in bandages.
The masked man's Sharingan spun slowly, piercing through the concealment. Beneath the wrappings was an eye identical in nature to his own.
"So the Uchiha clan is gone," the masked man continued. "Our agreement is nothing more than scrap paper now."
"Move!"
Danzo raised his hand sharply.
The Root ANBU behind him lunged forward without hesitation.
"An attack?"
The masked man did not move, his composure absolute. Even behind the mask, his confidence was unmistakable—and Danzo felt it keenly.
At that moment, a figure emerged silently from the ground.
"Madara, the Sharingan have already been secured."
"I see."
The masked man nodded slightly.
"Danzo… we'll meet again."
Before anyone could react, a space–time vortex spiraled into existence. The masked man's body twisted and vanished, sinking into nothingness as though reality itself had swallowed him.
"Lord Danzo," one of the Root operatives said quickly after scanning the area, "there's no trace of the enemy's chakra left."
"…As expected," Danzo muttered.
"Space–time ninjutsu is troublesome indeed. Forget it. I've already obtained nearly a hundred pairs of Sharingan—more than enough for experimentation."
With a wave of his hand, the barrier surrounding the Uchiha district was finally dismantled.
The Next Day
Explosive news swept across the ninja world.
Uchiha Itachi, the once-hailed genius of the Hidden Leaf, had massacred his entire clan—sparing only his younger brother—before defecting.
He was officially branded an S-rank missing-nin.
Three Days Later – Akatsuki
Something unusual occurred within the Akatsuki organization.
After returning from the mission, Orochimaru vanished.
No matter how Nagato attempted to contact him through the rings, there was no response.
Orochimaru had defected.
"So… do you want me to hunt him down?"
Ash asked calmly.
Nagato shook his head after a moment of silence.
"No. Not for now. He won't expose Akatsuki, and Orochimaru is not someone easily tracked. It would be a waste of time. There will be opportunities later."
With that, the meeting ended.
Nagato—now fully recovered—no longer needed to hide himself. The Akatsuki members had all gathered once more, and their operational teams were reorganized.
Nagato, due to the Six Paths of Pain, functioned alone.
Ash & Konan formed one team
Uchiha Itachi & Kisame Hoshigaki another
Kakuzu & Hidan were paired together
Sasori operated solo
Originally, Orochimaru had been intended to partner with Itachi.
No one had expected his betrayal to come so soon.
"Ash, take the Azure Dragon ring first."
Nagato flicked a blue ring toward Ash, but Ash did not reach out to take it.
Back when Orochimaru had joined Akatsuki, Ash had given him his vacant ring. Now that Orochimaru had betrayed the organization and taken the ring with him, Ash no longer intended to carry one. Moreover, possessing two space–time rings at the same time made him feel distinctly uncomfortable.
"What will you do during future gatherings, especially when we seal the Tailed Beasts?"
Nagato asked as he withdrew the ring.
"It's fine," Ash replied with a shrug. "I can use space–time ninjutsu. Just have Konan notify me when the time comes—no need to complicate things."
Nagato considered this for a moment, then nodded. After all, everyone had already witnessed Ash's terrifying speed when it came to space–time techniques.
"As a matter of fact, Nagato," Ash said after a brief pause, "there's something I've always wanted to ask… I just wasn't sure whether I should."
Since Uchiha Itachi had officially joined Akatsuki, the members had begun handling their own affairs, and this was one of the rare quiet moments.
"Ash, what is it?"
Konan glanced at him with some curiosity.
Nagato also turned his gaze toward Ash, mildly puzzled. Ever since Ash and Konan began acting together, there had been little between them that required secrecy.
"What do you want to know?" Nagato asked calmly.
Ash hesitated for a heartbeat before finally voicing his doubt.
"Your Rinnegan… was it originally yours?"
From the very first time he had met Nagato, Ash had sensed something unusual. Those eyes had not awakened naturally—they carried the unmistakable feeling of transplantation, rather than birthright.
...
TN:
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