Chapter 3: The First Meeting of Three Best Actors

Chapter 3: The First Meeting of Three Best Actors

"Slicing Maelstrom!"

A thundercloud storm suddenly appeared around Uehara Naraka. In an instant, a bolt of lightning struck down, rapidly hitting the man behind him!

"Waaaaah... It hurts, it hurts, it hurts!"

The man standing behind Uehara Naraka didn't take any defensive measures; instead, he let the lightning strike him, his body wobbling unsteadily.

The wooden mask on the man's face was smoking, and his black robe with red clouds uniform also showed scorch marks from the lightning, even sparking slightly.

The first impression this guy gave was that of an idiot with an IQ of two, completely non-threatening.

Bringing some amusement seemed to be his purpose.

However, anyone who thought that would be gravely mistaken, because he had always been bringing the people of the ninja world pain sufficient to cause mental breakdowns.

Uehara Naraka looked up, his eyes narrowing slightly, staring intently at the masked man before him. The future probably wouldn't be too boring...

However, he couldn't relax too much either.

But the next moment, Uehara Naraka's expression turned solemn, because not far from the masked man, he saw a young man standing in a tight-fitting uniform.

The young man had tear troughs under his eyes, wore a spiral-patterned ninja headband, and had a serious, proper expression, looking like he had an excellent upbringing.

Uehara Naraka's expression turned a bit unpleasant: "..."

Is this ANBU-era Uchiha Itachi?

No, since he appeared in Akatsuki, it proved he was no longer a Konoha ANBU ninja, but an S-rank rogue ninja who had killed his entire clan and fled Konoha.

Compared to other S-rank rogue ninjas, Uchiha Itachi's methods were more ruthless.

Kakuzu merely killed the higher-ups of Takigakure (Village Hidden by a Waterfall), and Takigakure was just a vassal village of Konoha without many strong individuals.

Sasori of the Red Sand only killed the Third Kazekage, which wasn't surprising; the Kazekage often played the role of the one getting killed.

Uchiha Itachi, however, slaughtered his own kin!

That was a ninja clan with a bloodline limit (Kekkei Genkai) passed down for a thousand years, the Sharingan Uchiha, always known as the number one powerhouse clan in the ninja world!

"Hey! Kid, show a little respect to your senior intern!"

The masked man pointed angrily at Uehara Naraka, but after seeing Naraka's gaze, he immediately gave a thumbs-up and pointed to the young man behind him [Itachi].

The masked man chuckled and said, "Hey, I recruited a powerful member for the organization! I'll soon shed my intern status and become a full member!"

Even while angry, the masked man continued to act foolishly in front of Uehara Naraka, showing no intention of revealing his other hidden identity.

After saying this, the masked man smugly introduced him, "Do you know who he is? Although he's about your age, he's already killed the entire Uchiha clan! His strength is enough to become a full member of the organization!"

"..."

Uehara Naraka looked at the masked man as if looking at an idiot. How could he shamelessly perform with such exaggerated acting in front of him and Uchiha Itachi?

Did this guy really think his acting was excellent?

Uehara Naraka standing before him, Uchiha Itachi standing behind him—both were figures capable of competing for the title of Best Actor!

Alright, the masked man's acting was also quite brilliant.

Uehara Naraka had just gained Konan's trust, and perhaps Pain's as well; Uchiha Itachi played his younger brother like a puppet, revealing nothing suspicious until the very end.

The masked man remained hidden until the future Fourth Shinobi World War; before his mask was broken, his identity was never discovered.

Even if someone suspected his identity, they would be refuted by many others.

If Uehara Naraka didn't know his true face, he would most likely guess his identity was someone like Uchiha Izuna.

How interesting!

Three individuals confident enough to compete at the Best Actor level were now putting on a performance for each other, each assuming they could deceive the others.

Honestly, it felt a bit foolish.

One day, I must expose both their identities, let everyone be honest with each other.

The masked man suddenly patted Uehara's shoulder, coaxing him warmly, "Kid, want to spar with Uchiha Itachi? If you can kill him, you can definitely seize his full member position!"

"..."

Uehara Naraka looked at the masked man like an idiot again: "Since you want to be a full member so badly, why don't you kill him and take his place?"

"Hahahahaha, of course, it's because, it's because..."

After laughing heartily for a while, the masked man drooped his head and gave his answer, "My strength is too weak, I'd most likely be killed by him!"

"But my strength is also weak..."

Uehara Naraka blinked, his expression somewhat innocent.

Based on his current strength, unless he could summon Justice Colossus Galio, defeating these Akatsuki S-rank rogue ninjas would be quite difficult.

If Uehara Naraka conserved chakra, he could use his skills a dozen or so times. Beating someone like Juzo Biwa would probably be fine, but facing Uchiha Itachi, who was proficient in all areas, was another matter.

Ninjutsu, taijutsu, genjutsu, and dōjutsu—mastery in all aspects made his fighting style extremely versatile. The most troublesome part was his high intelligence; he wouldn't underestimate any enemy, carefully analyzing their techniques and employing counter-strategies.

"Then you can only blame yourself for being too weak..."

The masked man spread his palms and turned his head to the young man behind him, "Hey, Itachi-kun, if you want to establish yourself in the organization, then kill someone! Interns within the organization are not under protection!"

"..."

Thirteen-and-a-half-year-old Uchiha Itachi glanced at the masked man, then slowly turned to Uehara Naraka. He finally nodded and drew the ninja sword from his back.

He had been brought in by the masked man.

In Uchiha Itachi's impression, the masked man claimed to be Uchiha 'Madara,' a mysterious and powerful man who had recently assisted him in slaughtering the Uchiha clan and recruited him into this Akatsuki organization.

The masked man had mentioned on the way that Akatsuki was his organization, and this intern was likely someone he wanted to eliminate.

Before this, their agreement had just been reached: the masked man promised not to attack Konoha or harm Sasuke in exchange for Itachi joining Akatsuki and serving him.

Now, the masked man's implied meaning was nothing more than wanting his help in dealing with the organization's other intern.

It didn't matter.

As long as this guy kept his promise, Uchiha Itachi didn't mind helping him resolve small troubles.

"Interesting..."

Uehara Naraka glanced at Uchiha Itachi holding the ninja sword and recalled the two side quests that had appeared.

Defeat Uchiha Itachi once (0/1), Reward Unknown.

Defeat the Mysterious Masked Man once (0/1), Reward Unknown.

Uchiha Itachi slowly closed his eyes, nodded towards Uehara Naraka to express his apology, "Sorry, I have reasons why I must do this."

As his voice fell, his figure vanished from the spot!

(End of Chapter)