Chapter 308: Dark Clouds, Ultimate Weapon · Akatsuki!
[Ding!]
[You bravely confronted Mifune, the General of the Land of Iron, who sought to kill you. He perished, unable to rise again. Critical reward triggered—you have acquired a random skill from him: Secret Sword: Sky-Splitting Slash (A+, Master).]
[Ding!]
[You bravely confronted Chiyo, the elder of Sunagakure, who sought to kill you. She had no way to refute your strength. Critical reward triggered—you have acquired a random skill from her: Forbidden Technique: Impure World Reincarnation (Incomplete, S-, Proficient).]
[Ding!]
[You bravely confronted Kitsuchi, the elite of Iwagakure who sought to arrest you. He perished, unable to rise again. Critical reward triggered—you have acquired a random skill from him: Earth Release: Super Weighted Boulder Jutsu (A+, Master).]
[Ding!]
[You bravely confronted Rōshi, the Jinchūriki of Iwagakure who sought to kill you. He played dead but could not rise again. You have acquired a random skill from him: Lava Release: Granite (B, Master).]
[Critical Reward Triggered!]
[Since you have already mastered Fire and Earth nature transformations, combined with the proficiency boost from your Master of All Martial Arts Enhancement effect...]
[You have advanced Lava Release: Granite into a higher skill—Lava Release: Seabed Needles (A, Master).]
[Additionally, you may now begin training in Lava Release and fully awaken this new Bloodline Limit.]
[Your Heartsteel stacks have increased.]
---
When Uchiha Ci woke up again, he struggled to open his eyelids, which felt as though they had been sealed shut by a steamroller.
The dark sky he had seen before losing consciousness was gone.
Sunlight streamed through droplets hanging from the cave's ceiling, refracting onto his face, making him squint uncomfortably.
Beyond the broken cave entrance, which resembled a prison cell, a sprawling city built into the mountains stretched to the horizon.
Outside, the rumbling of heavy carts and wagons carrying goods echoed intermittently.
As Uchiha Ci moved his limbs slightly, he realized his body was wrapped in bloodstained bandages, with black sutures faintly visible beneath them.
A dull, gritty pain spread through his entire body at the slightest movement.
He was currently lying in what looked like a damp underground prison or possibly a makeshift refuge.
A droplet fell from the ceiling onto the back of his hand. Uchiha Ci furrowed his brow slightly, lifted his hand, and gazed up.
"…Is this Rain Tiger at Will Technique?"
For some reason, his body felt exceptionally sensitive to external chakra at this moment.
Even the sensation of water droplets striking his skin allowed him to detect an unfamiliar chakra infused within them—like a conduit, linking the moisture spread throughout the cave and transmitting information in a specific direction.
From the structure of the technique, it was clearly a sensory ninjutsu.
As if confirming his suspicions, footsteps soon echoed from outside the cave.
A red-haired boy wearing a black high-collared robe and a Hidden Rain forehead protector stepped inside, his gaze filled with curiosity.
"You're awake?"
Uchiha Ci recognized him immediately.
This was Nagato, the vessel Uchiha Madara had chosen for his eyes—the second leader and founding member of Akatsuki.
However, at this time, they had little connection. Their only prior meeting had been in the Land of Rain when Yahiko invited Uchiha Ci to join Akatsuki. Even then, Nagato had kept his hood up, never revealing his face.
So theoretically, Uchiha Ci should not recognize him at this moment.
"You are…?"
"Just call me Nagato. We've met once before, in the Land of Rain, along with Yahiko."
"Our other companion is Konan."
Nagato walked up, crouched beside Uchiha Ci, and pulled some food and water from his cloak, offering them to him.
Uchiha Ci accepted the provisions and listened as Nagato continued.
"You were severely injured."
"We planned to find a medical ninja, but Kakuzu sewed you up and said it wasn't necessary—you'd heal on your own."
"But honestly, it was pretty horrifying at the time, so I bandaged you up anyway. Hope you don't mind."
Nagato smiled awkwardly, his expression slightly stiff.
Uchiha Ci thought back to what had happened before he passed out.
He had used a form of Sage Mode different from the Snake Sage's, which led to an unexpected transformation and granted him an innate Sage Body.
However, the process of natural energy merging with his cells was violent—akin to his near-exploding eyes during his fight with Ebizō.
His entire body had swollen like a balloon before boom—shattering apart like a mess of spare parts.
No wonder Nagato, who had seen plenty of death since childhood, had been so disturbed.
"I see. Thank you."
Closing his eyes, Uchiha Ci assessed his body's condition.
Currently, thanks to his Tailed Beast physiology and regenerative abilities, most of his wounds had healed. Only the sutures from Kakuzu's Earth Grudge Fear and Nagato's bandages remained.
His excessive use of Sage Mode had pushed his body into a temporary weakened state—his heartbeat was slow, metabolism sluggish, and his cells seemed almost inert.
His vision was blurred from overusing Susanoo, Sage Mode, and his transformed Sage state. But since he hadn't yet unlocked the Mangekyō, it was recoverable over time.
After a full day of sleep, his restored stamina barely produced enough chakra for half a Susanoo. Extracting more chakra in his current state would be difficult.
This weakened condition would likely persist for another two days.
"...So, I've been unconscious for a full day."
Uchiha Ci opened his eyes and looked at Nagato, who habitually kept his head down, his red hair casting shadows over his Rinnegan.
"Nagato, can I ask you something?"
"What happened while I was unconscious? Where are we? And where are the others?"
As he spoke, the sky outside the narrow cave entrance darkened, thick clouds swallowing the sunlight inch by inch.
The damp cave was swallowed by gloom.
The sound of water droplets dripping echoed in the silence.
Nagato slightly lifted his head, his eerie, ripple-patterned eyes meeting Uchiha Ci's gaze.
Then, after a brief pause, he spoke calmly:
"We are now wanted criminals."
"The Five Great Nations, their shinobi villages, and the smaller countries—by decree of the Five Daimyō, announced via television—have labeled us a terrorist organization attempting to overthrow the world order."
"Sarutobi Hiruzen has declared you an S-rank rogue ninja. Hanzo of the Salamander has classified us as A-rank rogues."
"Sasori of the Red Sand and Hōzuki Mangetsu have also been marked as traitors by their respective villages."
Nagato's gaze on Uchiha Ci grew darker.
"But none of that matters."
"Uchiha Ci—"
"Before I take you to the others, I have a question for you."
At that moment, the shy and uncertain expression on Nagato's face vanished completely.
His chilling, abyss-like gaze locked onto Uchiha Ci, as if a Pandora's box had been opened.
His voice was utterly indifferent as he asked:
"Uchiha Ci, the greatest pain in my life began ten years ago."
"In that year—"
"The war instigated by Konoha engulfed the Land of Rain."
"Konoha's shinobi stormed my home and murdered my parents."
"That pain—I can never forget it, even now."
"It turned into hatred—for Konoha, and for all ninja of the Great Nations."
Nagato took a deep breath, his Rinnegan gleaming in the dim light.
"Now that I know everything about you—"
"Yahiko has chosen you!"
"Uchiha Ci!"
His voice deepened, his piercing gaze filled with weight and expectation.
"Are you ready to become a god!?"
Uchiha Ci was stunned.
Me? Become a god?
He had originally thought Nagato was just displeased about having a Konoha ninja as a teammate and was looking for trouble. He had even mentally prepared himself for a fight against Nagato—who, at this point, had mastered six nature transformations and could even summon a moving toilet.
But now... what the hell was this?
Wait—
Why were these guys suddenly trying to push him onto some divine pedestal!?
"I—"
Uchiha Ci felt a tingling sensation spread across his scalp.
He had just been about to say something along the lines of, Bro, what have I done to deserve such a lofty title?
Couldn't this whole "god" thing wait another couple of years?
Right now, he definitely wasn't capable of taking on the Sage of Six Paths! He wasn't even confident about going toe-to-toe with an old, tube-ridden Madara barely clinging to life.
Yet here they were, impatiently throwing him straight into the fire pit!
However—
At that moment, Nagato's expression hardened. He let out a soft sigh and said:
"It doesn't matter if you're not ready now."
"It's just..."
"...Forget it. Follow me."
With that, before Uchiha Ci could fully process what was happening or even find the right words, Nagato simply shook his head, grabbed him by the arm, and forcefully helped him to his feet, leading him out of the cave.
As the scenery shifted before him—
The scorching sunlight poured down overhead.
Only then did Uchiha Ci realize that the place he had been in was actually part of an abandoned outer wall from Yunming City's expansion era—an old, disused refuge.
Stepping out of the damp shelter, they arrived at a platform along the outer wall's gate tower.
And there—
He saw six figures sitting in a circle—
Oyashiro En, Hōzuki Mangetsu, Sasori of the Red Sand, Kakuzu, Konan, and Terumī Mei.
Each of them had their heads tilted back, gazing at the figure standing in the center.
Some had confused expressions.
Some looked unimpressed.
Some watched with amusement.
Some sighed while shaking their heads.
And all of them were staring at Yahiko.
Wearing his red-clouded black cloak, Yahiko stood with his arms outstretched, passionately gesturing as he proclaimed:
"So—"
"This is my ultimate plan!"
"To gather all the ninjas who have suffered from war, forming an organization that moves between the great nations, serving as a bridge for peace!"
"And at its core, we will forge a weapon of ultimate deterrence—one that can shock the entire ninja world and prevent all wars and tragedies from happening again!"
"A weapon built around Uchiha Ci!"
"Akatsuki!"
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