Chapter Sixty-Nine: The Dawn's Assembly

"Stop, Shisui, don't chase him."

Uchiha Li called out to halt Shisui, who was about to pursue. They were deep within the endless mountains, the terrain around them winding and treacherous. With Kakuzu's strength, if he was intent on escaping, tracking him down would take an immense amount of time. Moreover, Kakuzu possessed four additional hearts; slaying him swiftly was nearly impossible. If it were only Kakuzu, there would be little worry, but the problem lay in the fact that the Akatsuki organization had other members. Should any of them arrive—especially Pain—the two of them could easily find themselves in grave danger.

Hearing Uchiha Li's words, Shisui deactivated his Dragon Transformation mode, his expression heavy. "Li, that black flame you used just now—it's the special ocular jutsu of your Mangekyo, isn't it?"

His own battle had been less intense, so he had time to observe Uchiha Li. The black flames had startled him; the formidable Kakuzu, not weaker than himself, could not withstand them at all. Though the Dragon Transformation granted him some resistance to fire, Shisui instinctively felt he could not withstand those terrifying black flames.

"That's right. The black flames are the 'Amaterasu' I mentioned to you before," Uchiha Li replied simply.

"Such fire is terrifying," Shisui said, then shifted the topic. "But what exactly is the Akatsuki organization? That man who fled is strong—I don't think he used his full power."

Uchiha Li nodded, slowly explaining, "This organization may become our enemy and the village's in the future. I'll tell you more about it as time goes on." He paused briefly, then continued, "As for the man who escaped, his name is Kakuzu. Unless all five of his hearts are destroyed, he cannot die..."

He carefully detailed Kakuzu's abilities, so Shisui would not be caught unawares should they meet again.

After listening, Shisui nodded gravely. "If he had combined all five elemental jutsu from the start, the fight would not have ended so easily."

"Enough about them for now. Completing the leader's task is our priority," Uchiha Li said. "No matter how strong the Akatsuki members are, we have the power of the Apostles. We will always be stronger."

Shisui wholeheartedly agreed. "Exactly. Terra has the Apostles, and our leader as well."

A look of anticipation shone in his eyes. "Li, if the time comes when we face someone we can't defeat, our leader will come to help us, won't he?"

Uchiha Li smiled slightly at the question, offering no answer.

Shisui took the smile as tacit confirmation.

No longer lingering, the two set off toward the location of the Grell Ore Veins.

...

Inside a pitch-black cave, water droplets fell ceaselessly from the rock columns. Suddenly, several human-shaped projections clad in cloud-patterned robes appeared within the cave.

Nagato, controlling the Deva Path Pain’s projection, swept his gaze around, finally landing on Kakuzu. He spoke, "Kakuzu, what happened that made you contact me so urgently?"

Before Kakuzu could answer, Konan frowned. "Where is your teammate? Why isn't he here?"

Kakuzu's expression remained calm as he replied, "He's dead."

"What, dead again?" Konan said, puzzled. "If I recall, this is the fifth teammate you've replaced. What happened this time?"

Ever since Kakuzu joined Akatsuki, his assigned partners rarely lasted long. This time, it was their first mission together, and already his teammate was gone.

Kakuzu shook his head at Konan's dissatisfied tone. "This time is different. He was killed by someone very formidable."

He paused, a trace of lingering fear in his voice. "If I hadn't escaped quickly, I would have died there as well."

Hearing this, Scorpion, who had been silent, showed a hint of surprise and couldn't help but ask, "Who was it? Someone even you couldn't handle?"

Kakuzu was among the strongest in Akatsuki. With the unique nature of his Earth Grudge technique and five hearts, even other Kage-level shinobi found him a difficult opponent. Yet he now claimed he was no match and had nearly died.

Konan’s gaze grew serious; she knew well Kakuzu’s strength. Moreover, all the organization’s finances were managed by Kakuzu, then handed to her for distribution among the members. If something happened to him, Akatsuki would be severely impacted.

Kakuzu snorted coldly. "I was about to report this. Tonight, while on a bounty mission, I encountered an organization called Terra. The key point is that both of their members possessed the Mangekyo..."

He described the night’s events in detail, including Uchiha Li’s ‘Amaterasu’ technique.

The cave fell silent, everyone’s expressions grave. If it was as Kakuzu described, then Terra was truly terrifying. When had such an organization appeared in the world, and how had they never heard of it until now?

"Terra..."

Nagato repeated the name, his face darkening. Akatsuki’s plans were already in preparation, and any disruption at this stage demanded utmost caution.

Yet now, Terra had appeared, and for some reason, he felt uneasy.

"Could Terra be related to Konoha? After all, the Uchiha clan has produced two Mangekyo users," Scorpion speculated.

Konan shook her head. "Unlikely. If the Uchiha had so many Mangekyo, their situation in Konoha wouldn’t be so dire. That doesn’t fit our intelligence."

Although Akatsuki was still recruiting, their intelligence gathering had already begun. They had spies in every village. While these agents couldn’t obtain deeply hidden secrets, they could report ordinary events.

According to their intel, the Uchiha’s position in Konoha was never favorable. Even with Fugaku’s Mangekyo, he could barely protect himself. If the Uchiha in Konoha had this many Mangekyo, their nature wouldn’t allow them to remain so low-profile.

The Mangekyo in Terra must have another origin, like that man who claimed to be Madara Uchiha.

Listening to Konan’s analysis, everyone nodded, but silence soon followed. If Terra wasn’t the Uchiha from Konoha, then who were they, and what was their purpose? Most importantly, would Terra threaten Akatsuki?

Everyone’s gaze turned to Pain, awaiting his decision.

Nagato looked around, then, through Pain, said, "Spread information about Terra and observe their reactions in secret."

He paused, then decided, "If necessary, I will take action personally."

At these words, everyone relaxed. They had witnessed Pain’s power; with him involved, Terra would not be a match.

After a brief discussion, Nagato spoke again, "Dismissed. Kakuzu, your new partner will be assigned soon."

He had found new candidates lately—it was time for Akatsuki to expand.

Soon, one by one, the projections faded from the cave...