The room was silent, the tension thick enough to cut with a knife. Riser still looked shaken from the effects of Itachi's genjutsu, his golden eyes flickering with uncertainty as he stood upright. The Phenex pride in him, however, refused to be extinguished.
"I want a rematch!" Riser declared, his voice steady despite his trembling hands.
Itachi turned to him, his crimson Sharingan glinting ominously. "A rematch?" he asked, his tone cool and detached. "And why would I waste my time on you?"
Riser smirked, though it was strained. "Because I'll make it worth your while. Ten Phoenix Tears if you fight me in a Rating Game!"
At this, murmurs erupted in the room. Even Grayfia raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued.
Before Itachi could respond, Rias interjected. "Ten Phoenix Tears?" Her tone was sharp, her mind racing with the potential benefits. "If he wins, then the engagement between us will be annulled!"
"Rias!" Itachi turned to her, his voice calm.
She ignored him, her eyes locking onto Riser. "Do you agree to these terms?"
Riser hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Fine. But if I win, he'll join my peerage, and you'll stop resisting our marriage."
"Agreed!" Rias said confidently.
Grayfia stepped forward and spoke. "I am a witness to what happened in this room," she said, looking at both of them. "If Riser wins, then Itachi will join his peerage, and Rias will marry Riser. But if Itachi wins, he will get ten Phoenix Tears, and Rias will not marry Riser."
Itachi looked at what was happening and finally spoke.
"Wait." Itachi's calm voice cut through the noise, silencing everyone. He stepped forward, his expression unreadable. "I never agreed to any of this."
Rias froze, staring at him in disbelief. "Itachi! Do you have any idea what's at stake here? This is your chance to help me—help us—against Riser! My brother is the Devil King; his favor will be helpful to you."
"If my intel is not wrong, then you came to the human world to escape the engagement, right?" Itachi asked.
Rias nodded hesitantly.
"You want to prove yourself and don't want your brother to help," Itachi continued.
Again, Rias nodded to Itachi, though she started to feel uneasy.
Itachi's gaze hardened. "Help you? You just admitted you want to prove yourself. Then why are you asking for my help? Prove yourself, Rias. Fight your own battles."
The room went deathly quiet as Rias's face turned pale, her composure faltering. "I…"
Before she could recover, Riser spoke up, his voice laced with irritation. "Then what do you want, human? Name your price!"
Itachi didn't answer immediately. Instead, he turned inward, accessing the system that had brought him to this strange world. His mind raced as he navigated the interface.
"System," he thought, "is it possible to make false communication with Konan?"
The system's response was immediate: [Yes. You can record a sound and transmit it. Each second of sound costs 1 shock point. Each image costs 10 shock points per second.]
Itachi nodded inwardly. "Good. Prepare it."
From his pocket, he slipped on the Akatsuki ring which he got from Itachi outfit. The moment he did, everyone stared at it, confused.
A projection appeared in the air before Itachi through the ring, gradually forming into the image of a woman with striking blue hair and an origami flower in her hair. Her calm yet commanding presence seemed to fill the room.
"Konan," Itachi said, his voice even. "I want to report something."
The image turned to him, her expression stoic but curious. "Did you find the Three-Tails? And where is your partner?"
"No, I did not find the Three-Tails, and my partner is dead," Itachi replied smoothly with zero emotions. "But I've encountered a… unique opportunity. A wealthy family in the underworld is offering rare items called Phoenix Tears in exchange for a fight."
Konan's gaze sharpened. "And why are you contacting me about this?"
Itachi allowed a faint smirk to tug at his lips. "Because I am not good at negotiations. I thought you might handle it."
For the first time, Konan's lips twitched in faint amusement. "Very well."
She turned to face Riser and the others in the room, her presence dominating despite being a mere projection.
"If you want his participation, our terms are simple," Konan began. "One hundred Phoenix Tears. Additionally, the Akatsuki demands unrestricted access to the underworld."
The room erupted into chaos. Riser's face turned red with fury, his mouth opening to object. But before he could say a word, Itachi's Sharingan spun subtly, casting a light genjutsu.
"I… agree," Riser said, his voice robotic.
Grayfia was the first to recover, stepping forward with a sharp glare. "Impossible! The Phenex family only has ninety Phoenix Tears in their possession. If they claim to have more, it would be a scandal of national proportions."
Konan's image flickered slightly as she spoke again. "Then perhaps the Phenex family should reconsider their offer. Itachi Uchiha does not fight for scraps. Also, you will get free intel on our organization, which has stronger members than Itachi."
Grayfia's eyes widened as she asked, "Are all of them humans?"
The blue-haired woman smiled, and it was enough to confirm her thoughts. If all of them were human like Itachi and some were even stronger, then if they became reincarnated devils... She trembled just thinking about it.
Grayfia hesitated, clearly caught in a difficult position. Before she could formulate a response, Itachi controlled Riser through genjutsu even more, ensuring the terms wouldn't cause suspicion due to their magnitude.
"Fine! But there will be conditions," Riser shouted.
Konan's gaze narrowed. "Speak."
Riser smirked, his confidence returning. "Itachi will not fight just me. He'll face three peerages: mine, my brother Ruval Phenex, and my father Lord Phenex. If he wins, the engagement is annulled, and he gets the Tears. If he loses, he'll become a devil under me and marry my sister Ravel!"
"What?!" Ravel's face turned bright red as she sputtered in protest. "Brother, this is absurd!"
Itachi, unfazed by the outburst, stepped forward. His Sharingan glowed as he met Riser's gaze. "I accept."
The room fell silent again, the weight of his words sinking in.
Konan's image flickered one last time. "We agree with the terms, but Itachi will not fight alone. It will be a two-man team." With that, she disappeared.
As the projection faded, Itachi turned to leave, his calm demeanor unchanged. Behind him, the room was a mix of shock, disbelief, and awe.
Inwardly, Itachi smirked as the system chimed.
[Shock points gained: 5,000,000 in total]