Uchiha Obito's face under the mask instantly turned livid.
He hated being looked down on more than anything, and he immediately rasped in a hoarse, aged voice: "Ignorant junior!"
"You merely happened to obtain a pair of Mangekyō Sharingan, and you already act arrogant and self-important."
"I, this old man, have roamed the shinobi world for decades, slaughtered countless powerful enemies, and even joined Senju Hashirama in pacifying the chaotic era and creating the shinobi village system. How could someone like you, a mere junior, dare to question me?"
"Tch!"
Uchiha Yasuo glanced at him disdainfully and sneered: "How domineering Uchiha Madara was—how could he ever skulk around with his head hidden like you?"
"If you've got the guts, then take off your mask and let everyone see your true face beneath it."
Obito naturally refused and only feigned composure as he said: "Back then, when this old man left Konohagakure, I fought a great battle with Hashirama and injured my face, so I used a mask to cover it, yet I never thought that because of this I would be belittled and doubted by a junior like you."
"Looks like if I don't teach you a lesson, you won't understand this old man's strength!"
Uchiha Yasuo curled his lips, then turned his head to look at Pain seated at the upper seat and spread his hands helplessly: "Hey, Leader, this time I wasn't the one picking a fight first. Can I kill him?"
"Internal conflict within the organization is forbidden!"
Pain's face was dark as he blocked Yasuo's request.
The main reason was that Pain had already exchanged blows with "Uchiha Madara" and knew his dōjutsu was exceedingly powerful. He did not believe that this newcomer, Uchiha Yasuo, could pose any threat to Madara, and he did not want Madara to use this to continue establishing his authority.
This left Uchiha Yasuo feeling very regretful.
He had originally thought that if Pain agreed, he would simply seize the chance to strike hard and thoroughly screw over Obito.
Even if White Zetsu kept Obito alive, he might not be able to kill him in one go, but he could definitely peel off a layer of his skin first and collect a bit of interest. As for the remaining debt, that could be slowly settled with him in the future.
"Ah, what a pity!"
Uchiha Yasuo let out a sigh, slumped over the table as if he had lost all motivation, and said nothing more.
"Alright."
Pain tapped the table with his hand and said: "From now on, everyone will be comrades within the organization, and you will all have opportunities to learn about one another."
"Yasuo, let me introduce the other members of the organization to you again."
"Right now, all members of the Akatsuki organization are here."
"My codename is 'Zero', Konan's codename is 'White', and the two of us form one team."
"The pair on the left is Zetsu and Biwa Jūzō, and their codenames are 'Gai' and 'South', respectively."
"The pair on the right is Sasori of the Red Sand and Orochimaru, and their codenames are 'Jewel' and 'Void', respectively."
"Madara is a cooperative partner of the organization. He has goals in common with the organization, but he is not a member of the organization, has no codename, and does not need to form a team with anyone."
"You and Itachi are newcomers, and your codenames are 'Scarlet' and 'North', respectively."
"Right now, both you and Itachi still have no partners. I imagine you also are not willing to team up with Itachi, so for now, the two of you will act alone first, and after you find new comrades, we will then proceed with grouping."
As soon as Pain finished speaking, Uchiha Yasuo once again raised his hand high.
"Leader, I want to be in one team with Orochimaru-sama. I imagine Orochimaru-sama would also be very willing to exchange ideas with me about the Konohagakure destruction plan and so on."
Who would have thought that Orochimaru, however, did not want to be used by him; very ungraciously, he shook his head and sneered: "Although I am a renegade from Konohagakure, I do not have any particular interest in destroying Konoha."
"However, if you have intel on how the Fourth Hokage resisted the summons of the Pure Land after using the Dead Demon Consuming Seal, or how he returned from the dead, then I might change my mind."
"I understand, I understand…" Uchiha Yasuo waved his hand indifferently at Orochimaru's decisive refusal, pretending not to have seen it, and still said with a squinting smile: "I know, Orochimaru-sama is only interested in immortality and has formed the 'Immortal Duo' together with Sasori of the Red Sand!"
"However, you don't need to set your sights on Namikaze Minato. His soul should still be in the Shinigami's stomach right now. The figure that appeared before was nothing more than chakra he had preserved in advance inside Naruto's belly."
"Previously, when he came out to fight, the majority of what he consumed was the Nine-Tails' chakra, and the reason he was able to control the Nine-Tails was most likely what Uzumaki Kushina had done inside Naruto's belly."
"The reason he did that was most likely because he wanted to leave his own son some means of staying alive. Now that it has been used up, naturally there will be nothing in the future."
"However, I also have other intel regarding 'techniques of immortality' that will definitely satisfy you."
"So it really is like this! But…" Orochimaru's vertical pupils suddenly contracted, his long snake tongue extending as it licked once around his lips, and he said in a sinister tone: "Even I am not clear on this kind of top-secret intel. How did you, an ordinary Uchiha jōnin, come to know it? How am I supposed to know whether your intel is true or false?"
"Aiya, aiya, if I say it, you can go verify it yourself!" Uchiha Yasuo shrugged indifferently, spreading both hands. "As for how I know it, is that important?"
"Anyway, I just know!"
"And I know plenty more!"
"For example, that guy over there pretending to be Uchiha Madara and putting on airs—he's actually the long-dead hero of Konohagakure, Uchiha Obito."
"Jiejie… how about it, didn't expect that, right?"
"Mm?" At that moment, everyone's gazes instantly shifted over.
Regarding the identity of this Uchiha Madara, everyone actually already had some doubts. After all, Uchiha Madara had long become a legend of the shinobi world, and his age would be far too great.
The shinobi world had already gone through several generations of change, and no matter how formidable a figure, they should have died of old age long ago.
Moreover, Obito had always worn a mask to maintain an unfathomable demeanor. None of the people present had seen his true face.
This naturally deepened everyone's suspicion of him.
But since he had been introduced by the Leader, even if he was not Uchiha Madara, he had to be an extremely powerful shinobi. Only then had everyone reluctantly treated him as Uchiha Madara.
Now upon hearing this, learning that this Uchiha Madara really was a fake, everyone's eyes instantly took on a playful look.
Not only toward "Uchiha Madara," but also toward their own Leader Pain.
If this was an impostor, and the Leader—who was a "God"—failed to discern it and instead had it pointed out by a newcomer, then that was quite something.
Obito's mental fortitude was not as strong as Itachi's. Now that his identity had been exposed, panic immediately surged in his heart. Instinctively, he let out a cold snort and retorted sharply: "Hmph!"
"Nonsense!"
"You're just a junior—what do you know?"
"Who knows who whispered those baseless rumors to you and made you believe them, and now you even dare to question this old man's identity!"
"Utterly ridiculous!"
"Was it Kakashi who told you?"
"Tch!" Uchiha Yasuo let out a disdainful sneer. "I just know these things!"
"The so-called top-secret intel you people believe in has absolutely no secrecy in my eyes."
"Not only do I know you are Uchiha Obito—I also know your dōjutsu is called 'Kamui'. It is a space-time ninjutsu that can send yourself into another space."
"Hehe… a last-place dead weight stays a last-place dead weight; even with Mangekyō, you're still a dead weight—a useless waste who only knows how to run away!"
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