Becomes a Rebel Ninja After Annihilating the Hyuga Clan

Chapter 96

Currently, there are not many members in the Akatsuki organization.

After Pain killed Hanzo the Salamander, the most powerful figure in the original Amegakure, he reorganized the Akatsuki from a group dedicated to achieving peace through peaceful means to the current Akatsuki. Their new goal was to collect the Tailed Beasts, summon the Ten-Tails, and use Infinite Tsukuyomi to destroy the existing power structure of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, creating a new, war-free world. This reorganization also brought in Madara and Zetsu, the original proponents of the Infinite Tsukuyomi plan.

This formed the initial team of the reorganized Akatsuki, who deeply understood the significant burden of this grand plan. They realized that accomplishing it alone would be difficult, especially the heavy task of collecting the Tailed Beasts and using the Phantom Dragon Nine Consuming Seals to absorb them, which required the assistance of more elite ninjas. Thus, Akatsuki began recruiting new members.

Especially recently, with the outbreak of the Fourth Great Ninja War, Akatsuki accelerated the recruitment of new members to simultaneously launch fundraising and Tailed Beast capture plans.

First was Sasori, the genius puppet master and rogue ninja from Sunagakure who successfully assassinated the Third Kazekage. He was recruited long ago after being defeated by Konan. Sasori joined Akatsuki because he thought Konan’s body would make an excellent puppet.

The rogue ninja from Konohagakure, Orochimaru, was recruited by Sasori and Pain. Orochimaru joined Akatsuki mainly because he coveted Pain’s Rinnegan, though he recently left the organization for other reasons.

Then came Uchiha Itachi, a former Anbu from Konohagakure, recruited by Madara. After being defeated by Neiki on the eve of the rebellion, he failed to prevent the Uchiha Clan’s coup. The Uchiha Clan leader, Uchiha Fugaku, was eventually killed by Neiki, and the remaining Uchiha who broke through Konohagakure’s defenses are still missing. Itachi, branded as a rogue ninja, joined Akatsuki after hearing Madara and the organization’s plan, though his true motives remain unclear.

Kakuzu was personally recruited by Pain. His greatest love is money. After being defeated by Pain, he chose to submit and join Akatsuki because he believed the organization would encounter many high-bounty ninjas in achieving its goals, providing him ample opportunities to earn money.

After Kakuzu “accidentally” killed a few unnamed Akatsuki members and the recent unexpected death of Juzo Biwa, the new member Hidan was recruited by Konan, Itachi, and Kakuzu. Hidan, a rogue ninja from Yugakure, detested his village’s pacifist stance and embraced killing and spreading his cult’s teachings. He joined Akatsuki, perhaps seeing its inherent “restlessness.”

Next was Kisame Hoshigaki, an elite ninja from Kirigakure. He recently joined Akatsuki after returning survivors from Mei Terumi’s failed mission reported that the failure was due to “Kirigakure’s intelligence leak,” leading to Konohagakure’s early detection and Tsunade’s ambush. This caused a major uproar within Kirigakure, as Mei’s mission resulted in a devastating loss, with only a handful of the 200 ninja returning.

Kisame was suspected of leaking information by Fuguki Suikazan, a member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. After defeating Suikazan and taking the Samehada, Kisame, with no other options, joined Akatsuki through Madara’s introduction.

Currently, Itachi, Kisame, and Sasori are on their way to recruit Deidara, a young genius expelled from Iwagakure by his mentor, the Tsuchikage Onoki, due to his numerous terror attacks. If all goes as planned, Deidara would likely join Akatsuki after encountering the allure of the Sharingan.

Excluding the members “accidentally” killed by Kakuzu, the recently deceased Juzo Biwa, and Orochimaru who just defected from Akatsuki, the current members are:

• Pain, codenamed Zero Burials, Akatsuki’s Zero.
• Deidara, codenamed Blue Dragon, Akatsuki’s Blue.
• Konan, codenamed White Tiger, Akatsuki’s White.
• Uchiha Itachi, codenamed Vermilion Bird, Akatsuki’s Vermilion.
• Zetsu, codenamed Black Tortoise, Akatsuki’s Black.
• Kisame Hoshigaki, codenamed South Star, Akatsuki’s South.
• Kakuzu, codenamed North Star, Akatsuki’s North.
• Sasori, codenamed Rain Girl, Akatsuki’s Jade.
• Hidan, codenamed Three Platforms, Akatsuki’s Three.

On the surface, there are nine members in total.

Of course, there is also the man claiming to be Uchiha Madara, the actual founder of the reorganized Akatsuki, who hasn’t officially joined as “Tobi.”

Now, Pain hopes to recruit the rogue ninja from the Hyuga Clan, Neiki, who once rivaled Itachi in talent and directly caused the Fourth Great Ninja War, as the tenth member of Akatsuki.

“Alright,” Konan nodded, though she was puzzled. Kirigakure, what was Neiki doing there?

Moreover…

“If Zetsu and Madara are both there, couldn’t they recruit Neiki themselves?” Konan voiced her confusion.

Pain shook his head, “Madara has issues with Neiki and is reluctant to recruit him. Besides, Madara is currently busy investigating other matters.”

“What matters?”

“A man claiming to be Hashirama Senju has appeared in the Land of Waves…”

Zetsu’s intel wasn’t very detailed, only stating that the individual possessed formidable and strange Wood Release abilities, responsible for decimating Mei Terumi’s Kirigakure squad. Even if he wasn’t the legendary “God of Shinobi” from Konoha, his strength was likely not far off, definitely not a mere impostor.

“Madara… Hashirama…” Konan repeated the names.

Though Konan wasn’t a Konoha ninja, she had heard of the legendary battles between these two century-old rivals.

But… Madara could be plausible, but Hashirama too? Were all these ancient top-tier warriors so long-lived?

Or were they like Kakuzu and Hidan, essentially immortal?

“What does Madara think?” Konan found Madara’s reaction to this news intriguing.

“He says it’s a fake and told us to ignore it,” Pain’s tone carried an odd note.

He told us to ignore it, but he’s investigating it himself… not very convincing.

“I’m passing through the Land of Waves on my way to Kirigakure. Should I take a look?” Konan asked softly. “Kakuzu is said to have fought Hashirama before. I’ll take him along.”

The Akatsuki members were always wary of Madara, suspecting his true identity. This self-proclaimed Hashirama in the Land of Waves could verify Madara’s authenticity.

Chapter 98: Scheming for the Eight-Tails

“You don’t need to go now. Your task is to recruit Neiki,” Pain replied indifferently. If the man claiming to be Hashirama is a fake, it would be fine. If he’s real… things will become very complicated. “As he said, as long as Hashirama doesn’t get in our way, there’s no need to bother.”

Konan nodded. She then reported on the movements of several Akatsuki members and the arrangements for the subsequent daily affairs. Under the reverent gaze of the villagers, she spread her wings, made of countless white paper pieces, and left Amegakure.

Her destination: Kirigakure.

Kirigakure is one of the five most powerful ninja villages in the Shinobi World. Located in deep mountains, its territory is perpetually covered in thick fog. Due to its distance from the mainland and being surrounded by the ocean, Kirigakure has maintained very conservative customs since it was founded by the First Mizukage.

The Second Mizukage, Hozuki Gengetsu, despite developing innovative practices such as establishing the ninja academy and the ANBU, also formulated secret laws based on Kirigakure’s customs to protect the village’s secrets, especially concerning the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.

Though Kirigakure ranks last in strength among the Five Great Ninja Villages, comparable to Sunagakure, it boasts the best weapon-forging capabilities among them. The Seven Ninja Swordsmen’s power primarily comes from their unique swords.

These seven swords were forged by master weapon makers within Kirigakure. Due to Gengetsu’s secret laws, these master weapon makers remain unknown outside the village. There are many theories about the origins of the seven swords, some even claiming they were weapons passed down by the Sage of Six Paths.

Of course, this is not true.

The Sage of Six Paths did pass down weapons, but compared to those true divine artifacts, the abilities of the seven swords are rather “simple.”

For outsiders entering the area around Kirigakure for the first time, it’s not just difficult to find these weapon makers; the dense fog can even cause them to get lost and starve.

However, with guidance from an insider and the ability to see through the fog with the Byakugan, finding these weapon makers was not difficult for Neiki.

Thanks to the oppressive atmosphere created by the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura, many ninjas and civilians unable to bear the political terror fled the village. The ninjas became rogue ninjas, while the civilians mostly settled nearby.

The dispersal of people made it hard to maintain Kirigakure’s secret laws. At least for Neiki, as long as he avoided the patrolling ANBU, the entire Kirigakure had no secrets from him.

At this moment, Neiki, holding his black long sword, appeared on a high mountain outside Kirigakure.

The pervasive mist of the Land of Water only reached the foot of the mountain, unable to extend further upward.

In the distance, the mountain peak was perpetually covered in snow, resembling a mound of shaved ice topped with cream. Against the backdrop of the azure sky, wisps of white clouds adorned the view, like mist exhaled by the mountain.

“That’s the Silent Island Volcano, an active volcano currently in a dormant phase.”

Neiki turned around. On the stone path extending to a small cabin, a burly man with a towel wrapped around his head and wearing a thin shirt, exposing his thick arms, spoke indifferently.

“We forge our weapons using the natural high temperatures generated by the volcanic lava,” he added.

Neiki became interested. He looked at the man and asked, “Do you know why I’m here?”

“Anyone who comes here is seeking my weapon-making skills,” the man snorted, took out a key, and walked into the cabin. “But you’re late. Those who have booked my services are lined up for the next two years. Either wait two years or go back where you came from.”

Neiki didn’t follow him through the door but walked to the window. Through the glass, he saw the cabin filled with various weapons and forging hammers of different sizes. Casually, he asked, “Since you’re so popular, why haven’t I heard of any famous swords from Kirigakure besides the Seven Ninja Swords?”

“What kind of things are people asking you to forge?”

The bearded man, named Suzuki Masahide, was a master weapon maker in Kirigakure. The Lightning Blade: Kiba among the Seven Ninja Swords was his handiwork in his younger days.

This was originally a secret of Kirigakure, but for elite ninjas like Mei Terumi, such secrets were hardly secrets. Thus, after Neiki bypassed Kirigakure’s surveillance network, he headed straight for Suzuki’s residence. Finding him not at home, he waited at his door for half an hour.

To Masahide, such actions were typical. For the sake of a good weapon, waiting ten days to half a month was nothing.

However, this young man before him seemed rather impolite.

Masahide’s face darkened. What did he mean by “what kind of things are people asking you to forge?”

He glared at Neiki, grumbling as he opened the door and yelled, “I don’t care who you are, get out! I’m not making anything for you!”

Neiki took his eyes off the various weapons hanging on the walls and glanced at Masahide, suddenly realizing, “So they’re all making decorative weapons for the Daimyo and nobles of the Land of Water. No wonder you don’t see them on the battlefield; they’re all hidden in the nobles’ treasure boxes.”

“You, what did you say?!” Suzuki Masahide was furious. His hand holding the hammer trembled, seemingly ready to smash it on Neiki’s head.

“It’s strange. Since you made all these decorative weapons, why are you so angry?” Neiki asked, puzzled.

“You think it’s easy to make battlefield weapons? Are you providing the materials? Are you covering the costs?” Masahide couldn’t bear it anymore and shouted loudly.

“Ninjas are a bunch of paupers. They’re satisfied with the free kunai and shuriken distributed by the village. Custom weapons? Do you want them to go bankrupt?!”

“Get out! I’m not forging anything for a disrespectful person like you!”

He tried to push Neiki away, but despite using all his strength, Neiki didn’t budge.

Masahide looked up to see Neiki’s calm eyes staring at him, as if he was in a cold spring, feeling a strange chill spreading from his heart to his limbs.

He lowered his hands from Neiki’s shoulders.

He heard the young man’s gentle voice saying:

“You guessed wrong, Mr. Masahide. I’m not here to ask you to forge a weapon. I’m here to show you a weapon, to broaden your horizons.”