Itachi believed that back then, those two must have had a conspiracy in doing so.
But this also confused Itachi.
If they were using an Uchiha orphan to carry out a conspiracy, it would definitely be linked to the Uchiha Clan.
But the Uchiha Clan had already been destroyed by him, leaving only his younger brother.
This meant that their purpose for hiding Takumi no longer existed.
If so, why had Takumi recently risen to prominence?
In his view, someone like Takumi was like the strongest sword.
As a Shinobi, hidden in the shadows, the strongest sword that no one had ever seen would certainly have greater lethal power.
If it were Hiruzen or Danzo as he knew them, they would definitely hide him, waiting for a critical moment to strike, making him unstoppable against enemies.
But Takumi's situation was not like that.
Although his memories were faint, he vaguely remembered Takumi being in the same class as his younger brother since childhood.
He still vaguely remembered Takumi when he was young.
Takumi back then seemed very ordinary, just a very common orphan in Konoha.
But now, that Takumi had risen to prominence rapidly in a short period, and his name now shook the entire Shinobi World.
Most of his achievements, when brought to the Shinobi World, showed that few could be his opponents.
And Itachi, who had personally fought Takumi, knew even more clearly that Takumi still had more power yet to show.
This completely did not align with Itachi's understanding of Hiruzen and Danzo.
That is to say,
Takumi was not an Uchiha orphan deliberately hidden by those two.
But the question returned to the starting point.
That was, why could Takumi use Susano'o, something only the Uchiha Clan, or more specifically, those with Mangekyo Sharingan, could use?
He could even use the Complete Body Susano'o, and his combat ability was terrifyingly strong.
He simply couldn't figure out how Takumi managed to do all this.
"I feel like if this continues, he'll become an incredibly huge problem."
Kisame lamented. "Thinking that someone like this will stand in our way makes my head hurt like crazy."
He wiped his head with his hand; the residual wounds on his body ached dully.
Although the injuries from the previous fight with Takumi had all healed,
Recalling that battle, Takumi's ferocious form which was even more intense than his own still startled him.
He relied on fusing with Samehada to display that kind of combat form.
But Takumi, as an ordinary person without their clan's bloodline, how could he also do that kind of thing?
And he was faster and stronger.
Thinking carefully,
He realized Takumi had many abilities similar to their Akatsuki's members, but seemed stronger.
For example, Deidara's explosive ability. Takumi not only didn't need clay, but it was also silent and caught people off guard.
For example, Itachi's Susano'o. Takumi's Susano'o had an equally massive build, yet its speed was not slow at all, and the power of its fists was astonishing, easily leveling a mountain.
For example, Sasori's puppetry. Takumi could control even more quantity simultaneously, with greater accuracy than Sasori.
Thinking this way, Takumi's situation appeared increasingly strange.
"I always feel like he can imitate our abilities."
Kisame frowned as he spoke.
But after saying it, he felt something was off. "But this is too strange. How can someone imitate something and be stronger than the original?"
"Imitate?"
A flash of insight seemed to strike Itachi's mind. "Maybe you're right, Kisame."
"Huh?"
Kisame was stunned. "You mean imitate? But that's too ridiculous."
"For an ordinary person, relying solely on imitation would definitely only learn a superficial understanding, maybe not even that."
A glimmer of light flashed in Itachi's eyes. "But what if it's a Kekkei Genkai?"
The disparity in information led Itachi to such an absurd conclusion.
There was no other way.
This was already a fairly reliable conclusion.
There were many types of Kekkei Genkai; it wasn't impossible for one that could imitate others to exist.
Although there was no evidence, nor any data on such an imitative Kekkei Genkai,
Based on Kisame and Itachi's understanding, this possibility was the highest.
Anyway, they certainly couldn't imagine that Takumi could gain those powers entirely because he had a system.
"Don't worry about Takumi for now."
In Pain's room, the three of them – Pain, Konan, and Obito – stood in a triangular formation. "The main task now is to collect the Tailed Beasts and complete our plan."
"That's right, the Tailed Beasts are the most important."
Obito nodded. "Once we gather all the Tailed Beasts and begin our plan, we won't need to worry about Takumi at all."
Konan was silent; generally, she wouldn't casually interject at times like this.
Her thoughts had already drifted far away, not here at all.
"Madara, this time the Three-Tails is your responsibility."
Pain turned to look at Obito, using the alias Obito claimed for himself.
Although Pain didn't believe Obito was Uchiha Madara at all, until he figured out Obito's true identity, he wouldn't fall out with him.
Pain also knew Obito intended to use him.
But he didn't mind. To complete his plan, he didn't mind following Obito's schemes.
As long as it could free this world from the suffering of war, he was willing to make any sacrifice.
This was to fulfill Yahiko's wish.
"Once Zetsu finds the Three-Tails, I will immediately go and capture it."
Obito said in a deep voice.
In front of these two, he didn't need to disguise his voice as Tobi, which made things much easier for him.
"But with Deidara around, it might waste some time."
Obito added another sentence.
To avoid exposing his identity, he naturally couldn't reveal the power of his Sharingan either.
Deidara didn't know Obito's true identity, so Obito could only use powers that wouldn't expose himself.
Fortunately, he could still use Wood Release.
This would make people even more confused about his true identity.
And for Pain and the others who knew his hidden identity, it would deepen the impression that he was Madara.
Little did he know, Nagato had determined he was not Madara.
Obito might have thought he was disguising himself well,
But anyone using their brain would know that the esteemed Uchiha Madara, if disguising himself, definitely wouldn't use such an erratic personality.
"Leave the task of monitoring Takumi's movements to me."
Konan said unexpectedly.
Monitoring was real, but wanting to see Takumi was also true.
In her heart, Takumi was the one who truly inherited the will of the Akatsuki.
The current Akatsuki was just a fake one that had gone astray.
It was no longer the Akatsuki from the time when Yahiko led them.