Akatsuki Base
Pain's voice echoed through the dim cavern.
"Team assignments are complete."
"Carry out your missions."
The pairs dispersed one by one.
By Mirror Lake
Itachi stood quietly by the water, watching the moon ripple across its surface.
Since leaving Konoha to become an undercover agent, his life no longer belonged to him.
A voice broke the silence.
"From today on, I'm your partner."
"Former member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist—Hoshigaki Kisame. Looking forward to working with you."
Itachi did not turn immediately.
"Uchiha Itachi."
"Likewise."
Kisame stepped closer, as if greeting an old acquaintance.
"I've heard a lot about you."
"They say your hands are stained with your own clan's blood too."
"I think I understand you."
"That's why, in Akatsuki, I chose you."
Itachi finally glanced at him.
"You talk a lot."
"Maybe you think you understand me."
"But do you understand yourself?"
"Wandering in the mist until you ended up here…"
"You're just a man who couldn't even choose his own path."
"Am I wrong?"
Kisame's shark-like eyes sharpened.
Samehada slid into his hand.
"Let me tell you something."
"Some sharks are ovoviviparous."
"The pups hatch inside the mother."
"But not all survive."
"Do you know why?"
Kisame's grin widened.
"Because they kill each other."
"From the moment they're born, they devour their own kind."
"Everyone but yourself is just food."
He rested Samehada over his shoulder.
"We're partners now."
"So watch yourself."
"You're pretty arrogant."
Itachi's Sharingan spun—three tomoe merging into the Mangekyō pattern.
"Same to you."
For a moment, tension thickened the air.
Then Kisame chuckled and lowered his weapon.
"Let's hope we work well together."
"And don't become enemies."
Itachi closed his eyes.
"Anyone who harms their own people…"
"Never dies well."
"Prepare yourself for that."
Kisame laughed softly.
"Then we're the same."
"We're beyond saving."
Itachi replied calmly,
"No."
"We're human. Not fish."
"Only when a human is close to death…"
"Can they truly see themselves."
Akatsuki Expands
Itachi (Suzaku) and Kisame (Nantō) formed a two-man squad and began expanding Akatsuki's influence under Pain's orders.
At the same time—
Kakuzu was paired with Hidan.
Kisame jokingly called them the "Zombie Combo."
Kakuzu despised the arrangement.
"So I lose one heart and get assigned a brainless fanatic?"
Hidan shot back,
"You're the one who stabbed me first!"
Kakuzu's eyes were cold.
"Annoy me again and I'll kill you."
Hidan grinned.
"Go ahead. I'm immortal."
Kakuzu paused.
"…I don't want your heart."
"The only thing I value besides hearts is money."
Hidan blinked.
"So that's why you're obsessed with bounty posters."
Kakuzu's glare could freeze rivers.
Hidan swallowed.
Good thing his head wasn't worth anything.
Otherwise Kakuzu would've sold it already.
While Itachi and Kisame efficiently completed missions—
Kakuzu and Hidan traveled from one bounty to another.
Akatsuki needed funds.
Kakuzu became its walking treasury.
The Art Duo
Meanwhile, Sasori and Deidara operated constantly.
"Art is an explosion. Hmm."
With those words, another target vanished in flames.
Sasori sighed.
"I truly don't understand your art."
Deidara immediately brightened.
"Art is the beauty of a fleeting moment."
"You should've understood by now, Sasori-nii."
Sasori replied flatly,
"Not even slightly."
"For me, art is eternal beauty."
Before their argument escalated, Pain's voice interrupted.
"A new village has appeared in the Land of Rice Paddies."
"Otogakure."
"Orochimaru is likely connected."
"Investigate quietly."
Sasori's tone turned sharp.
"He prefers hiding in the dark."
Deidara smirked.
"Then I'll drag him out with my art."
Sasori glanced at him.
"Quietly."
"Your explosions are not quiet."
Yusuke Does Not Interfere
While Akatsuki stirred in the shadows—
Uchiha Yusuke did nothing.
Because the structure of the shinobi world had already stabilized.
Akatsuki was gathering power.
The Five Great Nations remained wary.
Kirigakure descended into the Bloody Mist.
The balance was delicate—but steady.
What Yusuke needed to do now was simple:
Before the next variable appeared—
Raise his own power to another realm.
Uchiha District — Strategic Shift
Yusuke summoned Fugaku, Shisui, and Kakashi.
He intended to step back from daily political management and focus fully on cultivation.
All three were speechless.
They were considered elite powerhouses in Konoha—
Yet even if the three of them fought together, they would likely lose to Yusuke.
And that monster still wanted to train further?
Fugaku sighed inwardly.
If a genius like him never relaxed—
How could others afford to?
Yusuke delegated authority.
Fugaku and Kakashi would act on his behalf in administrative matters.
Shisui, co-leading ANBU with Tsunade, would relay any high-level movement instantly.
The arrangement was airtight.
Akatsuki posed a threat—
But they would not invade Konoha soon.
The coming years would be relatively peaceful.
The perfect window for growth.
Political Balance
Yusuke's retreat caused no shockwaves.
Tsunade no longer openly opposed the Uchiha faction.
With only the Third Hokage and the two advisors remaining in the old camp—
Fugaku and Kakashi handled affairs smoothly.
The Third valued his reputation.
He would not cross blatant lines as Danzō once did.
Homura and Koharu barked loudly—
But they dared not provoke Yusuke directly.
After all—
He killed Danzō.
No one wished to test whether they would be next.
Although Yusuke faded from public view—
His influence did not diminish.
It grew.
Villagers praised him constantly.
"If Lord Yusuke hadn't intimidated the neighboring nations, would we have today's peace?"
Public sentiment leaned heavily toward him.
The Third Hokage could do nothing.
Because "Hero Yusuke" was created by his own miscalculation.
When reinforcements were withheld during the front-line crisis—
Yusuke's desperate counterattack forged his legend.
The Third became a silent contrast.
To the Hokage, villagers offered respect.
To Yusuke, they felt admiration.
Three Years Later
Time passed quietly.
Three years slipped by.
At the training grounds—
Shisui, Kakashi, Might Guy, and Kurenai sparred intensely.
Kakashi faced his eternal rival.
"Take this, Kakashi!"
"Konoha Strong Whirlwind!"
Guy avoided eye contact deliberately, reading limb movements instead.
Kakashi formed seals.
"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"
The clash intensified.
"Sixth Gate—Gate of Joy, Open!"
"Morning Peacock!"
Even Kakashi's Water Wall trembled under the assault.
Mangekyō flickered in his eye.
On the other side—
Kurenai faced Shisui.
Years of refinement had sharpened her genjutsu tremendously.
"Demonic Illusion: Binding Trap!"
Shisui countered with Sharingan analysis—
Yet even he struggled against Kurenai's refined illusions.
"Demonic Illusion: Mirror Heaven and Earth Change!"
The technique rebounded.
Both were caught halfway inside the illusion.
Blood trickled from their lips as they bit through the genjutsu.
At the three-tomoe level—
They were evenly matched.
They smiled.
Mutual respect.
Quiet Romance
After training, Kurenai personally prepared dinner and delivered it to Yusuke's home.
Their relationship had quietly deepened over three years.
Unspoken.
But real.
Yusuke appreciated her elegance and calm strength.
However—
Tsunade.
And Kirigakure's Mei Terumī.
Those two were far more complicated.
Tsunade no longer opposed him politically—
But they still argued fiercely whenever they met.
As for Mei—
That grudge traced back to the Third Shinobi War.
Their clash had ended under… unconventional circumstances.
Since then—
Letters arrived again and again.
Mei insisted he marry her.
Yusuke could handle battlefield crises—
But emotional entanglements?
Those were troublesome.
Still—
The true storm had yet to arrive.
And Yusuke knew it.
The board was set.
The world was waiting.
The next variable—
Would soon appear.
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