Ch.418 Dawn's Break!

Shinji slowly approached his unconscious shadow clone lying on the ground.

Sasuke shouted warily, "What are you doing?"

Shinji's tone was laced with mockery: "If I hadn't stepped in, this kid would already be dead by your hand! And now you're asking me what I'm doing?"

Sasuke was momentarily speechless.

The corner of Shinji's mouth curled beneath his mask: "I saved him. How do you plan to repay me?"

Sasuke demanded, "What do you want?!"

"Join my organization!" Shinji paused, then chuckled, "With your Mangekyō Sharingan, you're just barely qualified!"

"Join your Akatsuki!?" Sasuke was stunned, then roared, "You should know why I awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, right? My goal is to personally kill that man, and now you're asking me to join you?"

Shinji shrugged: "Why not?"

Sasuke bellowed hysterically, "I'd never join an organization with him in it! Give up on that idea!"

Shinji didn't rush to explain, instead smiling: "You seem to have misunderstood something."

Sasuke asked, "Misunderstood what?"

"Who told you I'm with them?" Shinji paused, his expression turning serious, his voice deep: "Who told you there's only one Akatsuki in the shinobi world?"

"What!?"

Sasuke was dumbfounded.

"The Akatsuki that Uchiha Itachi joined is the Dark Akatsuki, scheming to collect tailed beasts and dominate the shinobi world!" Shinji's face hardened, his tone resolute: "But we are the Akatsuki (Dawn), dedicated to protecting the shinobi world and dispelling the darkness!"

In the forest.

Yakumo straightened her posture, her face brimming with pride: "We are the Akatsuki!"

Ido, arms crossed with a smirk, added, "We are 'D'!"

Sasuke stared at Shinji, muttering softly, "So that's how it is…"

In an instant, many of his doubts began to clear.

He had always wondered why the intelligence gathered by the village described the Akatsuki as split into distinct factions—perhaps even three.

Why was Itachi's group of Akatsuki filled with notorious rogue shinobi from various villages, who wore no masks or hoods, only straw hats, showing no fear of their identities being exposed?

Yet the group led by 'A' all wore hoods and masks.

Shinji smiled: "So, what's your decision?"

"As long as you don't interfere with my revenge, I'll join you!"

Sasuke didn't hesitate, agreeing readily.

First, 'A' and 'B' had spared him multiple times. He had no enmity with 'A's group and even owed them several favors.

Second, if 'A' hadn't intervened this time, Shinji would undoubtedly be dead. With 'A' now standing beside Shinji, Sasuke worried that refusing might provoke an immediate fallout.

"A wise choice!"

Shinji smiled, then activated 'Jikibi,' marking Sasuke's spiritual body.

Including Sasuke, his 'Jikibi' had now marked eight people: Karin, Haku, Deidara, Yugito, Yakumo, Ningi, Kimimaro, and Sasuke.

Though he hadn't yet felt a limit, he sensed he was close.

By Shinji's own estimation, if his dojutsu power didn't increase further, the maximum number of people he could mark with 'Jikibi' was likely around ten.

After being marked by 'Jikibi,' Sasuke's brows furrowed: "What did you do to me?"

Shinji was slightly surprised.

Most people marked by his 'Jikibi' could only vaguely sense something amiss. For Sasuke to notice instantly was unprecedented.

Just as Shinji was about to explain, he was startled, realizing Sasuke seemed on the verge of breaking free from his 'Jikibi' mark.

He quickly said, "Don't resist!"

Sasuke, still wary, demanded, "What exactly did you do to me?"

"It's just a mark."

Shinji proceeded to explain 'Jikibi's functions—covert communication, chakra transmission, and the like—to Sasuke in detail.

Sasuke asked, "That's all?"

It was clear Sasuke remained cautious. Shinji said, "There's no need for me to deceive you. If you feel something's off, you can break free at any time!"

Indeed.

In that brief moment, Shinji had confirmed Sasuke possessed the ability to escape his 'Jikibi' mark.

Among all those marked by his 'Jikibi,' only Karin, who was pursuing the Rinnegan, had shown such capability.

Even Yakumo, with her 'Koryugan,' could only resist his 'Jikibi,' not fully break free from its mark.

As for the others, they couldn't even resist the mark.

Thus, Shinji suspected Sasuke's ability stemmed not from his newly awakened Mangekyō Sharingan but from being Ōtsutsuki Indra's reincarnation, endowed with a spiritual body far stronger than that of ordinary shinobi.

Reaching this conclusion, Shinji wasn't troubled—instead, he was elated!

He hadn't orchestrated this elaborate scheme solely to empower Sasuke. His goal, from start to finish, remained unchanged: to find a way to acquire Ōtsutsuki Indra's pinnacle Yin Release chakra.

This wasn't just for Karin's pursuit of the Rinnegan but also for his own eventual attempt at it.

Through the 'Rinnegan Plan,' he had already clarified most of the steps and details needed to achieve the Rinnegan.

Only the final step remained!

Karin's stagnation at this step was no accident. In other words, only by helping Karin overcome this hurdle could he do the same for himself.

Sasuke's ability to see through Yakumo's genjutsu right after awakening his Mangekyō Sharingan and his capacity to break free from the 'Jikibi' mark undoubtedly proved he had gained the ability to tap into Ōtsutsuki Indra's chakra. As Indra's reincarnation, he was finally living up to his title!

After confirming he wasn't under genjutsu and his body hadn't been tampered with, Sasuke fixed his Mangekyō Sharingan on Shinji: "If you're not trying to control me, know that my Sharingan is now far beyond what it was. It can see through everything!"

"Here we go again…"

Shinji felt a bit exasperated.

Sasuke's old habit of getting cocky the moment he gained a little confidence seemed incurable. Fresh off awakening his Mangekyō Sharingan, he was already acting smug, his tone toward Shinji far less respectful than before.

The sky cleared, the rain stopped, and Sasuke thought he was unstoppable again!

At this point, words alone wouldn't make Sasuke face reality.

But Shinji couldn't be bothered to argue with him now. The shinobi world would eventually teach Sasuke his place.

His focus remained on his own goals, so he instructed, "From now on, I'll periodically extract some of your chakra as your membership fee for joining the organization. As for your revenge, if you need it, the organization can provide necessary assistance!"