In a gloomy cave, the sound of water droplets was sparse but endless.
A sound of footsteps splashing through puddles suddenly echoed through the secluded cave. The man and woman taking refuge within the cave became alert.
"Pain, someone is coming!"
The woman frowned, her palm instantly transformed into sheets of origami with chakra attached. They appeared unusually sharp. She somewhat calmly spoke, "Apart from the two of us, only Madara and Zetsu knows of this place… could it be them?"
"No, it's an unfamiliar ninja." The man lifted his head.
His pair of weird eyes turn to the cave entrance, looking at the figure that appeared. He gave an order, his voice sounding somewhat cold and ruthless, "Konan, go and kill him!"
After the death of their late friend, they abandoned the base the first generation of Akatsuki had built here. Even if it had happened twelve years ago, that didn't mean they'd allow some random person to tarnish this land, whether it was men or women. One thing for sure was that they were used to taking people's lives.
"Excuse me, is this the… Akatsuki's base?"
Before they made a move, the figure that appeared in the cave took the lead and spoke to the man and woman standing inside the cave, "I am the son of Uehara Yechu, my name is Uehara Naraku, twelve years ago, my father told my mother that he had joined an organization called the Akatsuki and to follow Yahiko-sama, but never returned since then. "
"…"
The woman's stopped throwing her paper shurikens, and the man's face stiffened somewhat. There was an unconcealed surprise on their faces as they heard a somewhat unfamiliar name.
No, or rather, it was a little familiar but blurry, like a decades-old photo.
—At least for the woman, it was still familiar.
The ninja named Uehara Yechu had died by the enemy's sword to protect her. It was a meaningless sacrifice.
As the silhouette at the entrance of the cave gradually walked in, the man and the woman could finally see the appearance of the incoming person.
It was a boy who was even carrying a crooked ninja forehead guard. He was wearing a wide sleeve robe, which was clearly a little too big for his age.
It was the uniform of the first generation of Akatsuki, and it now looked a little crude as the Akatsuki of that time was really poor. However, they couldn't help but feel a little nostalgic.
"Are you Uehara Yechu's son?"
The man rolled his odd eyes and stared at the boy in front of him. He looked at the boy, and he had many of his father's characteristics. In a deep voice, he continued, "There has never been a person called that in our organization. Now go!"
"…"
The woman opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something. She turned to the man next to her as though begging him, but she only saw the man shake his head slightly.
The woman bit her lip and fell silent in the end.
The boy was holding a shuriken tightly in his hand, seemingly pretending to be calm, but as he stopped and prepared to turn around and leave, he inadvertently saw the appearance of the man and woman. He suddenly put the shuriken away and pulled out a picture from his pocket.
The man and the woman within the cave looked at each other. Their expressions were a little surprised, and they became more vigilant as the youngster took out a picture.
"…"
The boy lowered his head and looked at the picture. He raised his head again and looked at the man and the woman.
Afterward, the young man held the picture up to them and asked softly, "Excuse me, are you Konan-sama and Yahiko-sama?"
"…"
The man and the woman fell silent.
That photo was the only photo taken by the first generation of Akatsuki, and it lacked most of the latecomers. At that time, everyone thought that Akatsuki was a peaceful organization, so they didn't pay much attention to keeping information about its members secret.
Moreover, the Yahiko mentioned by the boy was the first leader of Akatsuki, and it was also the reason the two people's moods were becoming more and more depressed.
The man and Yahiko look exactly the same because the man's body was originally Yahiko's corpse before he made him into a powerful Puppet.
The person controlling the Puppet was the red-haired youngster in the picture.
"Yahiko-sama hasn't changed much."
The boy opened his mouth and said, "Although Konan-sama is a bit older, I can still see a glimpse of her youth…"
"…"
The woman's face darkened.
The man calmly stared at the young man in front of him and suddenly said, "Your father is dead. He died in battle twelve years ago. Now I have forgotten his name. The weak are not worth remembering. "
"Pain!"
Panic flashed across the woman's face!
In any case, she did not expect the man to tell the truth in such a straightforward manner. After all, he had died for them!
The boy's face drooped, and he forcibly retorted, "Since you don't remember his name, why did you say he died in the battle?"
"Because…"
Gazing upon the profile of the boy, the man said coldly, "Twelve years ago, only two people in the entire Akatsuki survived."
"…He could have lived!"
The woman suddenly said aloud and continued to add, "If it weren't for me, many people could have lived."
"…"
The man by her side seemed to want to say something to comfort her, but he finally stopped after looking at the woman's depressed look.
"I know."
The boy's expression instantly closed, and he waved his hand indifferently, "Since he died twelve years ago, then I won't blame you."
After speaking, the boy turned and left.
However, Uehara Naraku had not yet taken two steps before a strange gravitational force pulled him back, and the man suddenly grabbed his collar with his palm!
"Although your father didn't have much power, he was also a ninja worthy of admiration. Do you have no feelings for him?"
"Pain, let him go!"
The woman stretched out her palm anxiously and grabbed the man's arm, trying to make him loosen his grip on the boy's collar.
Uehara Naraku pulled at Pain's palm, looked up at the man's weird eyes. A touch of mockery flashed across his face, "I'm sorry, I was only born 12 years ago, aside from the fact that he's my father I don't know anything about him aside from this picture and this uniform."
From his mouth, a picture of a man abandoning his wife and son was drawn.
In any case, the ninja named Uehara Yechu left his wife and newborn son after his birth to follow the inexplicable Akatsuki. It sounded a little strange.
"… I'm sorry."
The woman whispered an apology next to him.
Konan's eyes were moist. Twelve years ago, they were only fifteen years old, and they couldn't understand how many sacrifices the group of ninjas who followed them had made.
Now they finally brushed the tip of the iceberg.
"There is no need to apologize, that was his choice."
The boy shook his head, pulled the man's hand away, and whispered, "I came to find Akatsuki's base, since my mother passed away, I always wanted to learn a little more about him."
Konan looked at the boy and said nervously, "Your parents have passed away, so where are you…where are you going now?"
"Of course I am going to Hanzo-sama!"
Uehara Naraku spread his hands and explained, "For the past few months, I have been a wandering ninja, inquiring about new of the Akatsuki and my father's trail… Now that I have fulfilled my wish, of course, I will go to Hanzo-sama and become an official ninja. "
"…"
Pain and Konan looked at each other. A descendant of a member of the first generation of Akatsuki was going to defect to his father's murderer?
This kid named Uehara Naraku didn't know the truth. How could someone who knew the truth, especially Konan, tolerate this happening?
"No."
Konan reached out and grabbed his shoulders, squatted in front of him, coldly said, "Your father Uehara Yechu joined the Akatsuki, his child will also be a member of the organization!"
"Your organization… why does it sound like an MLM?!"
Uehara Naraku gazed at Konan and Pain back and forth and couldn't help blinking his eyes. He spat out subconsciously.
But.
He finally achieved his true goal.
Inside Uehara Naraku's brain rang,
[Side Mission: Join an organization (11). Mission completed!]
[Reward: [Galio the Colossus] summoning contract.]