A frail-looking teenager with pale skin and dark circles under his eyes was sitting on the ground surrounded by dead bodies. He was drenched under the rain but rain wasn't the only thing tainting his clothes. The blood of both enemies and allies changed the color of his clothes into something else. Most people would be bothered by this and leave the place as soon as possible but that's not the right thing to do right now.
After all, he just started his second life by possessing the corpse of this young man.
He closed his eyes gently enjoying the sensation of raindrops falling on his skin. He wouldn't lie by saying he didn't feel cold but perhaps it is part of the enjoyment too.
'It feels strange.'
Just a few seconds ago he felt the gaping hole in his chest left by the enemy blade but now? He feels better than any moment in his life both previous and new. Perhaps this is what death does to someone.
'Maybe it should have been better if I possessed the body of someone with more healthier body? Well, a body is a body I guess. No need to be greedy.'
He slowly opened his eyes staring into the distance, dozing off, and then slapped himself in the face to wake up.
"That was a close call."
Shaking his head and fearfully, he forces himself to get up from the ground. Just now the doze-off was so sudden and unnatural, not only that he was sure he saw something he wouldn't have wanted to see. Hidden in the darkness of the woods strange red dot shines faintly revealing its unnatural shape and color. He doesn't need to even wonder much to realize what that was. Probably one of the most famous eyes in the history of anime in his previous life — Sharingan.
"I guess you have noticed me… how unusual."
In an attempt to escape, he bumps into the owner of the voice, a man dressed in a hoodie and mask he stares down at him with his blood-red eye. Yellow mask with black flame pattern and single eye hole — not the most practically designed mask but you can't deny its charm. Under the silent breeze of the night his long spiky hair gently wavers.
He didn't look him in the eye to feel his burning gaze on himself.
"What's your name child?"
He knew refusing to answer wasn't an option, especially in this particular encounter. Since he experienced it once it was pretty easy to detect it second time the feeling comes right before the death, the instinctive fear of the death.
"Naraku sir."
Naraku answered hesitatingly.
"No surname?"
He sounded almost curious but there was also clear disappointment in his tone. In nervousness, Naraku added:
"It's because I was an orphan and my caretaker gave me this name. I'm not sure about who is my parent sir."
This time curiousness in his voice becomes even more evident.
"Uh."
From this, he understood where the interest was coming from. It was possible that the masked man saw him rising from the dead and thought he possessed some kind of unknown kekkai genkai.
"You are an interesting one, how about this Naraku? I will save you from this battlefield in return you will owe me your life."
Naraku let out a low chuckle and said dryly.
"It doesn't seem like I really have a choice do I?"
The masked man gently placed his hand on his head.
"There is always a choice."
Space around them starts distorting cantering around his Sharingan creating the illusion of his eye absorbing him and Naraku into itself.
"Just because you decided to ignore it because you didn't want to choose doesn't mean it isn't there."
***
The Third Shinobi War hasn't ended yet so the current Akatsuki is still grieving over the death of their comrades — mostly Yahiko — and starting to see the flaws of their ways. This means currently the current Akatsuki is basically empty nowhere near its future majesty of the collection of S-class rebels.
Currently, there were two permanent — founding members of the Akatsuki: Nagato and Konan, followed by another two temporary members: "Uchiha Madara" and Black Zetsu.
Nagato who lost his ability to walk during the incident is now permanently nailed to the wheelchair… something like a wheelchair with a leg. Black rods stabbed behind him also limited his movement options by a lot even rendering him almost useless in everyday life. Luckily these rods weren't exactly completely useless to him by being stuck to him they prominently connected him chakra network created by those rods. One of its greatest uses was of course allowing him to control puppets using them from very long distances without being detected.
That's where Pain comes from a puppet made of his best friend's corpse that's capable of wielding part of the power of his Rinnegan. Say the truth Nagato wanted to revive Yahiko using the power of Rinnegan but he knows his friend… he knows that his friend wouldn't have wanted to come back to life in exchange for his life. Also, he was too ashamed to show his friend the state of their organization and his own state.
Konan who is now overwhelmed by the guilt and grief doesn't say anything and decides to support Nagato without question in the hope of never causing anything like Yahiko's death to happen again. Even though she was clear that Nagato was driven by hatred didn't have the clearest judgment in his mind.
"Uchiha Madara" whose real name is Uchiha Obito is a teenager that's semi-brainwashed by the real Uchiha Madara. He believes in Madara's plan and belief but he also has his own ideas in his mind making him not exactly the loyal subordinate Madara wanted to turn into. Currently collecting his own set of loyal subordinates that will help him escape from the chessboard called the Uchiha Madara's plan.
Black Zetsu is an even more interesting one because he isn't even a human being but an alien life form created by Ōtsutsuki Kaguya herself. The youngest child is trying to rescue her mother from the hands of his evil brothers who betrayed her. For the last thousand years, he has been scheming this plan of his and finally saw some progress through Uchiha Madara and the possibility of the resurrection of his mother.
It's truly a dream team that will make the dream work.
Currently hailed as the wanted criminal they have no choice but to hide themselves from Ame shinobis using Uchiha Madara is various hideouts that left behind to Obito.
***
Traveling through space using Obito's Kamui was quite an experience is least to say, the feeling of the world around getting twisted into strange shape wasn't exactly the five-star experience. Anyway, once they arrived at their destination he released the breath he was holding without even realizing. Now they were in the dimly lit cave with air filled with moisture and not exactly the best smell.
The walls of the cave shined with purple glimmer under the lit torch, it was clear that the cave was man made from the cleanly cut walls. It seems like their arrival also alerted a few people countless pieces of paper flew towards them fussing into a woman with short purple hair in front of them.
Her beautiful amber eyes stared at them with clear disdain showing that the masked man didn't hold not really a high ground in her mind. The masked man also didn't bother with that either as long the vessel of Rinnegan accomplishes his purpose he didn't care about Kanon or anyone else.
"Did you come to greet me?"
There was clear mockery in his tone which made her even angrier but she held back herself.
"Nagato wants to meet you."
The masked man raises his eyebrow behind his mask and says in a surprised tone.
"Oh did he?"
Konan clenched her fist, it was clear that the masked man wasn't going to take them seriously — at least not her.
"I guess it would be rude of me if I keep our dear leader waiting."
He then looks in Naraku's direction.
"I'll be back once I finish discussing with the leader so wait for me here okay?"
Naraku nodes his head slowly as he witnesses the masked man's body getting twisted and getting absorbed into his eye. His leaving made him let out a sigh of relief but also brought Konan's eyes to him.
"Who are you?"
She asked him coldly not exactly same level as the masked man but still coldly nonetheless.
"Naraku miss. The masked mister rescued me from the battlefield."
His answer made her raise her eyebrow. Clearly not believe what he said.
"I will advise you to be prepared… because whatever he is planned for you won't be anything but pleasant, believe me."
Naraku nods his head respectfully.
"I will keep that in my mind."
Konan then opens her mouth again as if she is about to say more but in the end, decides to not do that and leaves Naraku alone by turning into a bunch of papers and being blown by the air.
It's just he didn't know in the darkness he couldn't detect Black Zetsu was silently observing everything. 'It seems like Obita is doing something useless.' He already knows that Obito isn't willing to follow Madara's original plan so he knows that Obito will try to do some tricks sooner or later.
***
Time flew by Naraku wasn't sure how long he waited perhaps a few minutes, a dozen minutes, or even an hour. He didn't dare to disobey what the masked man ordered him making him quietly sit while leaning his back against the wall while waiting for him.
'It would be great if my chest come out now.'
[Ding! [The Fame Chaser System] finished loading. The system welcomes the host to his new life of adventure and excitement!]
'I'll be dammed… it would be great if I became a Mary Sue character too.'
…
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