The atmosphere in the room grew tense at my words, minds racing as they took in my request, the information it contained, and what it meant.
Immortality.
Living for a thousand years.
Someone from the era of the Sage of Six Paths.
Sasori and Orochimaru were hooked at once, they both cared deeply for eternity, Sasori believing his art was the right way, while Orochimaru deeply desired to escape mortality so he could learn all ninjutsu.
Even Kakuzu was curious about someone who had lived even longer than he had, someone who likely knew a lot, maybe even having collected a lot of money over that time, and if not... such a heart... surely it must be special.
Pain was interested due to both the immortality, as he was very aware of his own fragile body, but also the fact that it was someone from the Sage's time, he saw himself as the second coming of the Sage thanks to his Rinnegan.
Itachi and Jūzō Biwa had little personal interest, though neither could resist, at least being curious.
Konan only cared on Nagato's behalf, wondering whether this secret could be used to restore his body.
And Zetsu, he was the hardest to read.
"Someone immortal?" Orochimaru asked, his snake-like tongue licking his lips. "I must know more. Who is this person? And what leads do you have? To live since the age of the Sage... They would have a wealth of knowledge beyond our imagining. A walking relic of the very genesis of ninshū!"
"Patience, Orochimaru," Pain's voice cut through the growing excitement, his tone a flat, commanding line of frost. He didn't look at the Sannin, his Rinnegan eyes remained locked on mine. "This is not a classroom for your curiosity. This is a condition of my potential new subordinate. I will hear it from her."
He was reasserting control. This was an interview, not a discussion. I was the one being tested, and my request was the test itself.
As I prepared to answer, I felt a subtle shift, a disquieting presence that had been lurking in the corners of my Byakugan's perception. A swirl of distorted space, easily missed, it was clear to me that even Obito was paying close attention.
He had stayed hidden, a ghost at the feast, but this… this had piqued his interest as well. He who sought the power of the Sage of Six Paths for himself would find the concept of a true contemporary impossible to ignore.
"His name is unknown to me," I said, keeping my explanation concise and deliberately vague on some points. "I only know he is a monk, someone who learned the secret of living forever, and is able to survive impossible wounds. He has been keeping a low profile; all my efforts have had no results," I explained with a helpless shrug.
It truly wasn't a lot to go off on, but given how tempting the prize was, the challenge didn't dampen their greed much; if anything, it only made them believe it all the more.
After all, if it was easy, I wouldn't ask for help. And if I could gather a lot of information, they would question why they themselves had never picked up even a rumor.
Only if it were truly obscure knowledge would they accept that they indeed didn't know everything.
Sasori, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke, his voice a hollow, metallic echo. "Immortality is a myth. An illusion created by the desperate. You speak of a fairy tale."
"Is it now?" I countered, a faint smile gracing my lips. "Then what do you call yourself, Sasori of the Red Sand? A permanent puppet? You have found your own form of eternity. This man has simply found another."
For a moment, Sasori was silent. My words had struck a chord. As for how I knew his secret? He didn't even bother to ask, because it was clear to all, the Byakugan would indeed allow me to easily see through his true state. "His methods... are they ninjutsu? Senjutsu?" he probed, his desire for eternal art warring with his cynicism.
I shook my head at his question. "It wouldn't be those, you must remember, in the time of the Sage of the Six Paths, there were no such things as ninjutsu, back then, he was spreading his ninshū," I answered him.
I honestly had no idea how to start explaining how he would be alive, after all, despite Isshiki being an Ōtsutsuki, he didn't currently have his own body, living as a parasite in a human body, hidden away somewhere.
How he kept his host alive... I honestly had no idea.
So it was just better to be vague and let them come to their own conclusions; it was better than me trying to come up with some flimsy excuse. I had no faith that someone like Orochimaru wouldn't see through it.
And if he found out I lied? That would be a far worse outcome than keeping my information sparse.
"Ninshū..." Pain repeated the word, his Rinnegan swirling with a deep, unreadable light. The connection to the Sage of Six Paths, the progenitor of his own power, was a hook he couldn't ignore. "You believe this person possesses knowledge from that era?"
"I believe he is knowledge from that era," I corrected him gently. "It is entirely possible he was even taught by the Sage personally, or maybe it is the Sage himself?" I added some more vague nonsense. I didn't think they would believe it was the Sage himself, but I could use him as an excuse.
The idea that the legendary Rikudō Sennin himself was still alive, walking the world in secret... it was a thought so audacious, so breathtaking, that it silenced even the cynical Kakuzu. For a moment, they all just stared, their minds grappling with the sheer scale of the possibility.
Then, Orochimaru let out a soft, sibilant laugh. "The Sage... alive... oh, the secrets he must hold... the truths behind all jutsu..."
"He is a god," Pain declared, his voice filled with a sudden, fervent conviction. "To survive for a millennium is to transcend the mortal coil. If this monk truly exists, he is very likely the Sage himself; only a god can live for that long." Clearly, as someone who believed himself a god, he would only accept that another wielder of the Rinnegan could possess something like immortality.
He had bought it, hook, line, and sinker. He wanted what this unknown man had. He believed that understanding how this monk survived could hold the key to restoring his own broken body.
"And your reason for finding him?" Pain asked, his tone shifting back to interrogation. "What could you possibly want with an immortal from the age of legends?"
"And why do you think there is someone like that out there in the first place?" Zetsu asked, finally opening his mouth for the first time since I entered.
Both their questions were reasonable and important. I didn't blame Zetsu for asking it; he still didn't know I was me, even if he might suspect it, and even if he didn't ask, someone else would.
"You must know," I said calmly, as if asking about something trivial rather than something that could reshape the foundations of the room, "the Sage of Six Paths left something behind for the Uchiha clan, did he not?"
For the first time since I had entered the chamber, Itachi's composure shifted — not visibly, not to anyone without a trained eye, but to me it was unmistakable. His mind was already calculating what I knew, how I knew it, and whether revealing anything would endanger his clan further.
Unfortunately for him, everyone was now looking at him.
He had little choice.
"Our clan possesses an ancient stone tablet," he said at last, his tone even. "It is said to have been left by the Sage himself. The message upon it can only be read by the Sharingan."
A ripple of interest passed through the chamber.
"But it contains nothing about an immortal monk," he added carefully.
Instantly, the attention returned to me.
I allowed a small, thoughtful smile to touch my lips.
"The Kaguya clan," I said slowly, "had something similar."
Now that changed the atmosphere entirely.
Sasori's head tilted slightly within Hiruko. Orochimaru's eyes narrowed with renewed curiosity. Even Pain's chakra shifted subtly.
"An ancient bone," I continued, "older than any record within the clan. It was preserved as a sacred relic, passed down from one generation to the next."
I paused just long enough to let the parallel settle.
"And only the Byakugan could perceive the inscription hidden within it." I raised my pale eyes to Pain. "Once upon a time, the Hyūga clans and the Kaguya clans were one big family, but over the ages, they drifted apart, and the Byakugan never saw that bone for centuries, until me." I explained, and the best part, it wasn't entirely a lie.
The connection between the two clans was not well known, but it was a historical fact, something which at least the Hyūga still knew about.
Now they understood what I was getting at, though Zetsu had already understood, I could see him starting to sweat, fearing I might expose him as Kaguya's will given I had just claimed to have knowledge from the Sage's era.
But Zetsu had no need to worry, exposing him wouldn't help me.
"Did this bone speak of this immortal monk?" Pain asked, leaning forward slightly, the piercings on his face gleaming under the torchlight.
"It spoke of a shadow," I said, my voice dropping to a near-whisper. "A being who could not die, who wandered even after the Sage's passing. One who… took what was not meant to be taken. And then disappeared from history."
No one spoke. They could hear that there was more to it.
"It is because of that inscription that I believe he is still out there," I finished. "It is why I ask for your help. Your spy network, your influence across the land… together, we can find him."
He said nothing for a while before he finally nodded. "It is a reasonable request, someone like this monk... if he is real, if he is still out there, then surely he would be an excellent addition to the Akatsuki." He gave a reason, and whether or not it was his real thoughts, it was enough.
Though even if he hadn't accepted, the others had enough reason to help me on their own.
"And what of the bone? You got it?" Jūzō Biwa asked, finally breaking his own silence.
To this, I shook my head. "I do not, I saw it only once, and now that the Kaguya clan is gone, who knows what happened to it." There was no bone, but thanks to Obito purging the clan, there was no evidence left.
No way for them to call me out on it.
Pain clearly knew that as well, so he just nodded his head. "Very well, for now, your partner will be Kakuzu, as for this request, Zetsu is in charge of our intelligence network. Talk with him." He commanded.
"Good," I nodded, with my demands met. "Then we are in agreement."
"Then it's settled," Pain declared, his Rinnegan fixed upon me. "You are now a member of the Akatsuki. But make no mistake… you will obey. Your search will not impede the mission. You will assist when called upon."
The unspoken threat hung heavy in the air. My personal quest was tolerated, not prioritized. I was a tool, albeit a very valuable one.
"Of course, Pain-sama," I inclined my head, playing the part of the dutiful subordinate. "I am eager to contribute to your… peace."
As if on cue, the astral projections of Orochimaru and Sasori flickered and vanished, their interest satisfied for the moment. The others began to disperse, Kakuzu grumbling as he strode past me, Jūzō Biwa giving me a last, appraising glance. Itachi was already gone, a ghost who had evaporated before the meeting was formally concluded.
Zetsu, however, lingered. "A fascinating story," the black half murmured, its voice a dry rustle. "I will have to dig through some old, dusty scrolls. See if any… shadows match your description."
He clearly thought it was about himself, fearing that maybe Hamura had really left something behind.
"Here," Konan walked up to me, holding a scroll in one hand, and a ring in the other. "Your uniform and this ring can be used to contact us. Wear it always, and keep it safe. Instructions are in the scroll along with the uniform." She gave me a standard introduction.
I took the offered items. The ring was cold, heavy silver, etched with a stylized kanji. I glanced at the character for a moment: Gyu (牛), the Ox. My designated place among them. The scroll contained the familiar black cloak with red clouds, a stark symbol of my new allegiance.
With nothing else to be said, I turned and walked away, leaving the oppressive chamber behind. I didn't look back at the Gedō Statue, the hollowed-out corpse of my other half. I would reclaim you, I promised silently. But not today.
(End of chapter)
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