The Valley of the End was silent except for the faint rustling of leaves, cold breeze sweeping through. Mahito stood still, her golden irises glowing faintly under the moonlight while staring at the masked man in front of her.
Her lips curled into a mocking smile as she glared at the masked man who stood there silently. "Fake Madara," she sneered. "I'm surprised you aren't attacking me this time for saying it."
The masked man's visible eye narrowed slightly. He gave a deep sigh but his voice was laced with amusement. "You carry the deepest part of the Uchiha's curse, it's just in slumber. And I don't find killing you to be of any use to me."
Mahito looked at him coldly with her Sharingan activated, "Cut the bullshit. Why did you attack Kushina? What were you trying to achieve?"
"You're sharp, but there's still so much you don't understand, child. The Nine-Tails… it was never about her. The Nine-Tails is much more important. A tool—a weapon—that Konoha cannot be allowed to own for too long."
Mahito let out a ridiculing laugh.
"A tool? A weapon? That 'tool' is a living creature, No one can own someone. Even if it was some sort of monster. And even if you didn't mean to hurt Kushina, she nearly died because of you."
She pointed at him, "You need to atone for that, Fake Madara."
The masked man wasn't phased in the slightest.
"Casualties are inevitable in this world. You, of all people, should know that. Isn't that what you told me the first time we met?"
Mahito's gaze pierced through the man. "If that's your excuse, I have no reason to listen to you. Your offer just doesn't fit me. Konoha might have its flaws, but if you think I'll let you harm my village, you're mistaken."
The masked man's eye softened into a calculative gleam. "You somehow remind me of my past self. But don't worry, you just misunderstood me. I'm not here to destroy Konoha."
"What do you mean by that?"
He gestured toward her and threw an identical cloak to his on her.
"I'm here to offer for the second time—Mahito Uchiha. You've seen the limitations of Konoha's ideals, and you've seen how stupid and chaotic the other four hidden villages are as well."
The masked man gripped her shoulder.
"You've witnessed their inability to create true peace. And you had wondered so long about how to achieve it. But you, yourself, are a dangerous factor to the peace you want to achieve because of your curse."
The two Sharingan's users stared at each other.
"Join me—join my organization, the Akatsuki. Together, we can build a world free from this endless cycle of hatred."
Mahito scoffed at him and brushed his hand away.
"And how exactly do you plan to do that? You almost caused Konoha's destruction just because you wanted the Nine-Tails! Do you think I would trust you?"
The masked man chuckled again before retreating.
"I can't force you, but you should understand that some sacrifices are unavoidable."
After staring at the man for a long time, she sighed and deactivated her Sharingan. She draped the cloak over her shoulder.
"Let me make this clear." She started,"If you or your organization has any plans to harm Konoha or its people, I'll destroy you. All of you. I may be unable to do it now, but don't try me."
The masked man studied her for a long moment in silence before nodding at her and turning around.
Before leaving, the masked man left a single sentence.
"Wait for your missions, you will receive one soon after your recovery."
"What do you mean?"
"You're officially part of the Akatsuki," the masked man flatley responded, "I won't harm Konoha or its residents unless they attack first. And you won't be forced to hurt anyone from the village. But you'll have to contribute to the Akatsuki just like the other members."
Saying that, the man faded into the shifted space behind him.
Mahito dropped to the ground and stared blankly at the sky. She felt her chest heavy with emotions.
Was that man truly Madara? Mahito didn't believe him one bit, but she knew he was a true Uchiha just like her. Their first meeting wasn't pleasing, and the second meeting was earlier when she was defending Kushina.
And now it was the third meeting.
She accepted to be part of the Akatsuki despite not knowing everything about it because she realized how strong they were.
'I need to be part of them if I want to know anything about them. This guy… He wanted to control the Nine-Tails beast, he must've had a way to do it.'
An organization that could control one of the Tailed Beasts wasn't something that could be ignored.
Yet, they went unnoticed by many it seemed.
Her gaze shifted to the horizon, where the moon bathed the Valley of the End in silver light. A quiet laugh escaped her lips.
Mahito was bitter.
Eventually, she pulled herself together and left the valley.