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"The goal of Akatsuki is true peace in the ninja world, with Akatsuki ruling the world in place of the Five Great Nations."
Pain stood before Itachi, explaining the organization's purpose.
"That's an ambitious goal," Itachi remarked with a hint of awe.
Deva Path elaborated, "To achieve this, I've gathered exceptional ninjas, regardless of their origins or past. Itachi of Konoha, welcome to Akatsuki. Reject Konoha even more firmly."
Itachi removed his Konoha headband and drew a kunai, slashing a deep mark across the village's symbol. Nearby, Kagaya noticed a difference between himself and Itachi. When Kagaya had slashed his headband, his eyes were filled with determination and hatred. Itachi's eyes, though equally resolute and calm, held a trace of reluctance.
Itachi still harbored an attachment to Konoha. He was, and always would be, Konoha's Itachi. A kunai could destroy the symbol on his headband, but it couldn't erase his love for the village.
'And what about me?' Kagaya thought, touching the slashed headband on his forehead with a self-deprecating smile.
'I'm neither a ninja of Konoha nor Akatsuki's Kagaya. I no longer have a home. All that's left is a walking corpse driven by the desire to take revenge on Danzo.'
But as he thought this, his hand, still touching the headband, instinctively tapped his forehead. He froze. For a moment, it was as if that person had tapped his forehead again.
Beside him, Itachi had already accepted the ring from Pain, officially becoming a member of Akatsuki.
---
Soon after, the Akatsuki gathered again.
Pain addressed Itachi first. "Since it's your wish, you'll temporarily form a two-man team with Izumi."
Itachi nodded. "Understood."
Pain then turned to Kagaya. "Kagaya, after six months, I believe your strength is up to par. Starting today, you'll end your partnership with Obito and form a two-man team with Juzo Biwa."
Kagaya said nothing, only nodding. In Akatsuki, he maintained a cold, reserved demeanor, rarely speaking.
Pain continued, "Juzo, you'll form a two-man team with Kagaya from now on."
"Yeah, got it," Juzo Biwa replied, his tone laced with dissatisfaction.
"Then, let the world feel pain," Pain declared.
With that, the Akatsuki members began to disperse.
Juzo turned to Kagaya. "Follow me."
"Hm." Kagaya replied, following silently without further comment.
---
In a barren wilderness, Juzo spoke with clear displeasure. "Honestly, I'm not happy about the leader pairing me with a kid like you. He says you're strong, but I don't know how strong you really are."
Kagaya looked at Juzo coldly. "So?"
Juzo drew the Kubikiribocho from his back and pointed it at Kagaya. "So, I want to test just how capable a kid like you is."
Kagaya closed his eyes. "I think this is pointless. We should spend our time on missions instead."
Juzo grinned. "No, I think it's necessary. I don't want to end up in danger on a mission because my partner's incompetent."
Kagaya glanced at the sky. It was still noon—there was plenty of time. "Fine, let's get this over with."
Kagaya agreed.
"Good! I was thinking the same. If you die in this fight, kid, it'll give me an excuse to ask the leader for a new partner," Juzo said with a laugh, swinging his blade at Kagaya.
In Akatsuki, it wasn't unheard of for weaker members to be killed by their own comrades. It wasn't surprising.
The blade sliced through Kagaya's waist—or so it seemed. Kagaya hadn't dodged at all.
But…
"No substance?" Juzo stared in shock. His blade had visually struck Kagaya, but his hands felt no resistance, as if he hadn't hit anything.
"A genjutsu? No, this is…" Juzo muttered.
Kagaya looked at him impassively. "You can call it an Instant Clone."
By now, four Kagayas stood around Juzo. The one Juzo had struck was merely an Instant Clone.
"So fast! Is this the Body Flicker Technique of Shisui of the Body Flicker?" Juzo exclaimed. "I've heard of you. No wonder you were trained by Shisui. Not only do you have the Body Flicker, but I couldn't even see when you formed the seals. You've got some skill, but I don't think I'll lose!"
Juzo roared, gripping the Kubikiribocho and swinging it in a wide arc, enveloping all the Instant Clones in his attack range.
"I said I don't want to waste time," Kagaya stated.
In an instant, three Instant Clones appeared beside Juzo. One grabbed the arm wielding the blade, another restrained his other arm, and the third held a kunai to Juzo's throat, pressing it close enough that a slight push would end his life.
Kagaya stood in front of Juzo, unmoving from the start. He looked at the completely restrained Juzo and spoke calmly. "Is that enough?"
Juzo's eyes widened. He was no weakling. For others to overpower him with numbers in an instant was impossible—he could kill or repel them before they got close. But just now, he hadn't reacted. Why? Because it was too fast. Far too fast. His body couldn't respond before the kunai reached his throat.
"You're strong," Juzo admitted.
Kagaya turned away, and the shadow clones restraining Juzo vanished. "You're not bad either. Now, let's move on to the mission. Don't waste time on pointless things."
In the six months he spent lurking in Konoha, Kagaya's greatest improvements were in his Body Flicker Technique and hand-seal speed.
His Body Flicker was so swift that even a Kage-level ninja, if not constantly vigilant, could be caught off guard. As for his hand-seal speed, Kagaya had reached five seals per second. But more importantly, through long-term observation of Itachi with his Sharingan, Kagaya had learned to form seals with one hand—a monumental breakthrough.
Just now, Kagaya had kept his hands hidden in his Akatsuki robe's sleeves, forming seals single-handedly to create the Instant Clones.
After six months of training, with the aid of his Sharingan, Kagaya's progress was staggering. Even without activating his Mangekyō Sharingan, he was undeniably Kage-level.
Such strength at his age was astonishing, though it came at a devastating cost.