Chapter 16: Hello, I'm Tobi!
Currently, the Akatsuki organization may still be a fledgling group, but that doesn't mean it's weak!
At present, aside from the masked man Uchiha Obito, Black Zetsu, and the semi-revealed powers of Nagato and Konan, the group is already formidable. Just with Sasori of the Red Sand, Orochimaru, Kakuzu – three renowned Kage-level shinobi – and the recent addition of Konoha's S-ranked rogue ninja Uchiha Itachi, the major shinobi villages have begun to take notice.
Before long, Pain of the Deva Path returned to the secret cave with Uchiha Yi.
Waiting at the base were Orochimaru, Sasori of the Red Sand, and Kakuzu, who was out hunting.
And then there was another man, wearing the Akatsuki uniform, a large cross-shaped scar on his right cheek, red markings painted on the lower part of his face, carrying a large sword on his back, and a cold expression.
Because of Pain's prior notification, everyone was already gathered.
"Pain, who's this?"
Konan, who had been worried ever since Pain left suddenly, hadn't had the chance to find out what happened. Seeing that he returned safely, she felt relieved. But she was also puzzled by the stranger's presence and asked, "Is this new experimental material for me?"
Orochimaru looked directly at Uchiha Yi, licking his lips with a sinister smile. He noticed Yi's blood-red, three-tomoe Sharingan immediately upon his arrival. The desire and greed in his gaze grew stronger; Orochimaru's Living Corpse Reincarnation experiment had reached a bottleneck. He figured that only a container with a unique bloodline could achieve the perfect rebirth. As for transplanting a Sharingan, like Kakashi's, the drawbacks were too great for someone like Orochimaru, who sought perfection.
There were only a few people left in the entire shinobi world with Uchiha blood: Uchiha Itachi, Uchiha Sasuke, and the mysterious Tobi from Akatsuki, whose background was unknown. Now, another individual with Uchiha bloodline had appeared, making Orochimaru excited and eager.
However...
Compared to Uchiha Yi's three-tomoe Sharingan, Itachi's Mangekyo Sharingan was even more attractive to Orochimaru. But Tobi was a bit tricky to deal with, so Orochimaru wouldn't risk provoking him.
"He's not!"
"He's a new member joining Akatsuki!" Pain replied calmly.
"Oh ho!"
"A newbie?"
"Hello! My name is Tobi, an intern in the Akatsuki organization!"
"Pleased to meet you!"
At this moment, a playful and exaggerated voice sounded from behind Uchiha Yi, as Tobi extended a hand to pat Yi on the shoulder.
However...
"Ah! Hot, hot, hot!"
The moment his hand touched Yi's shadow clone, a surge of heat rushed through his body, causing Tobi to cry out in pain.
Detecting a suspicious approach from his blind spot, Uchiha Yi's instincts kicked in. He turned quickly, thankful that it was only a shadow clone and that he had kept it in an elementalized state the whole time.
Silent but deadly!
"Amaterasu!"
Upon locking onto the target, a pitch-black flame appeared almost instantaneously, igniting Tobi and beginning to burn.
In the original story, Amaterasu often missed, but for those who understood, it was obvious that much was left unsaid.
"Ahhh!"
A piercing scream echoed through the dim cave as Tobi experienced the unbearable, burning pain spreading across his skin.
But this wasn't enough. Though Amaterasu was famed as an eternal flame, it had its limitations. For instance, the Fire Sealing Method, which Tobi, or Uchiha Obito, most likely knew, would only inflict pain, not a fatal blow.
So…
It was time to step it up.
Ignite!
With a swift decision, Uchiha Yi activated his second skill, Ignite, another inescapable attack that couldn't be countered by methods like the Fire Sealing Method or substituting techniques, making it far deadlier.
So far, Uchiha Yi couldn't think of any ninjutsu capable of evading the damage of Ignite, aside from possibly Izanagi.
Of course, the skill duration of Ignite was only ten seconds, which might not be lethal to someone like Uchiha Obito with his arsenal of abilities.
"Curse you!"
Obito's pride in his Kamui Sharingan had inflated his sense of superiority. He didn't think even Nagato with his Rinnegan could truly challenge him. But now, facing this unknown Uchiha, he had suffered a humiliating defeat. This new Uchiha had thoroughly earned Obito's grudge, and he mentally marked him for later retribution.
However, he needed to uncover Yi's background before exacting revenge.
Unable to endure the public embarrassment any longer, Obito quickly activated his Sharingan, spinning the scythe within his eye to pull himself into the Kamui dimension without another word.
"Fascinating!"
Initially fixated on Uchiha Itachi, Orochimaru now looked at Uchiha Yi with newfound interest, a more serious appraisal in his eyes.
"Leader, if there's nothing more, hurry up and get to the point!"
"I don't want to waste my time here when I could be making money!"
Kakuzu, who was waiting impatiently, urged Pain to speed things up. The scuffle between Uchiha Yi and Tobi barely interested him; nothing mattered more than his next payday.
The same went for Sasori, who, though silent, shared a glance with Pain that conveyed his impatience.
Only Uchiha Itachi, who joined Akatsuki alongside Yi, appeared pensive as he watched Tobi burn with Amaterasu's flames. He couldn't help but recall the mysterious man from the night of the Uchiha massacre, who had taken his parents' bodies.
He would need to find a chance to test this theory.
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