Akatsuki's first breakout meeting ended fairly quickly.
Although a few members (specifically Juzo) expressed dissatisfaction with the group pairings and tried to swap partners with Kuzo, he ultimately backed down.
Now, aside from Kuzo, the other members had already dispersed.
Leader Pain had instructed everyone to begin building rapport and cooperation with their assigned partners.
...
Walking along a quiet street in Amegakure, Kuzo made his way slowly back to his home.
In truth, after leaving the system's secret realm, Kuzo's lifestyle had changed quite a bit.
Back then, when he was trapped in Hueco Mundo and constantly at risk of being devoured by Menos Grande, he trained obsessively day and night.
He practiced Kidō, Shunpo, Kendo, and Hakuda relentlessly, working toward achieving Bankai.
But now, having left that dangerous realm, he could steadily increase his power simply by completing various side tasks.
It was, he had to admit, much easier than before.
And at the breakout meeting earlier, it seemed Konan had specifically arranged for him to operate solo. Without teammates to hold him back, he could now move freely—something he didn't mind at all.
As for his assigned missions, there were only two:
First, provide support for other team members if needed.
Second, eliminate any enemies of Akatsuki.
In other words, he no longer needed to take on bounty missions or accept paid contracts to earn money for the organization.
He had essentially graduated from being a worker.
And really, if other teams could handle their own assignments, then Kuzo wouldn't even be called in for support—which meant he could spend his time fishing, figuratively speaking, without anyone bothering him.
As for eliminating Akatsuki's enemies—that was a broader task.
After all, Akatsuki's activities often blurred the lines between justice and villainy. In the eyes of the wider shinobi world, they were essentially a criminal organization.
Naturally, they would attract many enemies.
Even those who simply coveted control over Amegakure could be counted among them.
"Hmm, wait a minute..."
"What if I use this opportunity to raise Akatsuki's reputation and deterrence so high that no one dares to challenge us?"
"Wouldn't that make the second mission redundant too?"
Kuzo had a sudden flash of inspiration.
He chuckled to himself.
What a brilliant thought.
If he really pulled that off, he could just kick back, go to work like usual, and do absolutely nothing—without ever having to poke the proverbial needle.
Still smiling at the idea, he reached the front door of his house.
But just as he was about to enter, he noticed two figures approaching from another street.
The one in front was Loquat Juzo, carrying the massive Executioner's Blade on his back.
Behind him followed the newly joined Uchiha Itachi, still wearing his Konoha ANBU uniform.
Seeing the two together, Kuzo immediately understood what was going on.
As Itachi's new partner, Juzo had likely been tasked with helping him settle in and find a place to live in the village.
And just as Kuzo spotted them, the two of them noticed him as well.
Their reactions, however, were very different.
Itachi's face remained unreadable, though a glint of interest flashed in his eyes.
Juzo, on the other hand, visibly tensed up. Without saying a word, he immediately turned and walked the other way.
Naturally, Itachi noticed.
Feigning ignorance, he asked with a hint of curiosity:
"Mr. Juzo, why are we taking a detour? Wouldn't that way be faster?"
"Or... is there something we should avoid over there?"
Juzo frowned, clearly annoyed.
"Tch."
"Isn't it obvious? Of course it's that golden-eyed brat."
Golden eyes?
Itachi paused, then his eyes flickered slightly.
He must be talking about the one named Kuzo...
Thinking back, even during his first visit to Akatsuki's base, the masked man—Uchiha Madara—had shown unusual interest in Kuzo.
He even tried to stir up a fight between the Fox Guy and Kuzo.
Itachi had seen all of this.
And now, another thing struck him as strange.
For someone with such power, why had he never heard of Kuzo before?
"Mr. Juzo, where did Kuzo come from? And why did he join Akatsuki?"
"Huh?"
Juzo wasn't expecting the question. He snorted and replied lazily:
"Who knows?"
"Even Leader Pain and the others tried to investigate him and couldn't find any real background."
"But from what Kakuzu said..."
"He's just another guy whose homeland was destroyed by war."
"Apparently, when Konan found him, he was in the Wind Country's desert, defeating a rogue Sand shinobi—some puppet master named Sasori."
"Since he was powerful and had nowhere else to go, he joined."
Juzo spoke casually. It didn't really matter to him, after all.
But Itachi's expression shifted slightly.
A victim of war?
He joined Akatsuki because he had no place to return to?
Itachi fell into thought.
He hadn't expected that answer.
But before he could dwell on it further, Juzo muttered impatiently:
"Let's go."
"Quit stalling, Itachi."
"Just remember one thing—don't mess with that guy."
"He's got these 'True Eyes of the Evil King' or something... totally unpredictable. Might even be more powerful than the Uchiha's Sharingan."
"Huh... huh?"
Hearing that, Uchiha Itachi, who had been deep in thought, suddenly froze.
What?
The True Eyes of the Evil King?
What kind of nonsense was that?
○○○
!!!For every person joining my patreon I will upload 5+ Chapters!!!
Please Support me on patreon
patreon.com/IA_Extra13651
I really appreciate everything