Uchiha Itachi pondered deeply over what Natsuhane might intend to do with Konan. He dared not speculate too much. After all, in Natsuhane's presence, all his thoughts seemed transparent. Itachi wasn't genuinely aligning with Natsuhane; he agreed to watch from within and make his choice later. His concern was solely for his beloved younger brother, Sasuke. He had to decide whether to entrust Sasuke to the Third Hokage as planned or to this former clan "senior" who wasn't even a genin before.
"..." Itachi suddenly sensed something and furrowed his brow.
"What's wrong?" Natsuhane asked.
"My real body has received a summons from the organization leader. I can't spend more time chatting with you. Let's use this crow for future communication." Itachi's body slowly turned into a shadow, then morphed into a black crow.
...
At the Akatsuki base, in front of the Gedo Statue.
In the darkness, several figures appeared one by one, forming a circle. Sasori and Deidara were the last to appear, having just returned from Orochimaru's former hideout.
Pain opened his eyes, revealing the striking Rinnegan, and spoke first, "Sasori, Deidara, did you deal with Orochimaru?"
Sasori, with his deep, hoarse voice, responded, "We had a brief encounter. Orochimaru fled into his hideout. Deidara bombed the place thoroughly. We searched every piece of rubble but found no body. I can't confirm he's dead."
Deidara, tilting his head with arrogance, added, "Hmph, if he's still alive, I'll kill him myself next time, yeah!"
Deidara was frustrated, as his first mission in Akatsuki was to kill Orochimaru, but it seemed he might have failed.
Pain responded, "Never mind. Keep an eye on Orochimaru's actions. If he's alive, he'll resurface eventually. When we get a lead, you two will deal with him again."
Deidara muttered, "Surviving my art...how annoying, yeah…"
Konan interjected, "Speaking of elusive individuals, we have a new mission."
Pain continued, "Yes, it's a request from the Village Hidden in Hot Water. A serial killer has appeared within their territory. They want us to eliminate him."
Kakuzu commented, "Don't they have their own shinobi? Why ask us?"
Konan explained, "Their ninja can't kill the man. Apparently, he's unkillable."
Kakuzu's interest was piqued, "Interesting…"
Pain assigned, "Itachi, Konan, Kakuzu, you will go to the Village Hidden in Hot Water. Find out who this man is."
"Understood…"
...
Back in the Uchiha clan grounds of Konoha Village, Natsuhane was training with Sasuke.
This was a daily routine. No matter how busy, Natsuhane always trained with Sasuke for an hour, honing his reflexes and hand seal speed. Possessing such great power without knowing how to use it would be ridiculous.
"Caw—Caw—"
The familiar cawing of a crow came from the branches.
"Hm? Strange…" Natsuhane was puzzled. He had just met with Itachi this morning, and now, before noon, there was another message.
"Sasuke, keep practicing. I need to take a break."
"Okay, Natsuhane-nii!"
Natsuhane followed the crow to a secluded spot.
The crow's form dissolved, and Itachi's shadowy image emerged.
"Natsuhane, you wanted to meet Konan, right? There's an opportunity now. Come to the Village Hidden in Hot Water. Konan, another member, and I are heading there now. This crow will guide you to us. Come quickly."
With that, Itachi's form turned back into a crow and flew off.
"The Village Hidden in Hot Water…" Natsuhane recalled this village, located in the Land of Rivers, the homeland of the Akatsuki member Hidan. Its location, between the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind, wasn't too far.
Itachi and Konan rarely acted together, except for the time they went to recruit Hidan, accompanied by Kakuzu.
"Oh, I see. Today must be the day Hidan joins Akatsuki…"
Combining his memory of the original story, Natsuhane pieced together the situation. Smiling slightly, he took off in pursuit of the distant crow.
...
Afternoon, within the Village Hidden in Hot Water, along a forest path.
Konan, Itachi, and Kakuzu walked until they reached a large tree.
A human corpse hung from the tree, blood dripping from it, with a strange circular pattern drawn below in blood.
Kakuzu remarked, "Not for wealth or revenge, just for the sake of killing. What an odd person."
Itachi surveyed the scene and deduced, "There are many ways to kill. Such a complicated method suggests a ritualistic purpose."
Kakuzu's irritation spiked, "Itachi, you really annoy me."
Turning slightly, Kakuzu addressed Konan, "Konan, did the leader send you to keep me from killing Itachi?"
Konan responded emotionlessly, "The leader doesn't waste effort on such trivial matters. He sent me because I'm a sensor-type. And only someone like me, seemingly fragile, can act as bait."
Kakuzu was taken aback, "Bait? What do you mean?"
Konan explained, "You'll understand soon. Follow me discreetly. The killer is close."
...
Konan advanced alone for about a hundred meters.
Suddenly, a playful and seductive voice called out, "Yo! Miss, are you alone? Want to join the Jashin cult?"
A stylish, handsome man with slicked-back silver hair blocked her path.
"Jashin cult?" Konan feigned curiosity.
"Yeah! The Jashin cult allows killing without punishment. Not only that, but our god, Jashin, will be pleased with us for killing!"
"Really?"
"Absolutely! So, what do you say? Want to join?"
"I'm not interested… but you must be the serial killer, right…"
"Huh? Serial killer? No way! I'm just offering sacrifices to Lord Jashin!" The man brandished a red triple-bladed scythe, spinning it around gracefully before laughing maniacally: "Ahahaha, woman, since you insulted me, I'll have to sacrifice you to Lord Jashin! Prepare to experience the pain of ascension! It's exhilarating!"
...