"Lord Mirai, how should I address you from now on?"
Kisame Hoshigaki looked at Uchiha Mirai and asked in a deep voice.
Since he had already decided to submit, he needed to adopt the appropriate attitude.
Mirai, however, didn't particularly care about such formalities.
He glanced at Kisame and said lightly, "Call me whatever you like."
"You're a ninja of Kirigakure. From now on, you'll serve Kirigakure."
Upon hearing this, Kisame nodded. "Understood, Lord Mirai."
Just as Kisame finished speaking, Mirai suddenly placed a hand on his body.
In the next instant, several pale, humanoid creatures sprouted from Kisame's body.
As soon as these creatures appeared, their bodies began to expand irregularly.
Before long, they collapsed to the ground like deflated balloons.
At the same time, the system's notification rang in Mirai's mind.
[ Ding! Congratulations, Host! Successfully plundered reward: Mental Strength +1! ]
[ Ding! Congratulations, Host! Successfully plundered reward: Chakra +1! ]
[ Ding! Congratulations, Host! Successfully plundered reward: Spore Technique! ]
"This... What is this?"
Kisame was momentarily stunned as he looked at the remains of the White Zetsu clones on the ground.
Why had something like this appeared inside his body?
It looked similar to the abilities of that mysterious "Zetsu" from the organization.
To think the other party could implant something like this inside him without him even realizing it...
Indeed, no one who joined the Akatsuki was an ordinary individual.
With that thought, Kisame spoke in a serious tone. "Lord Mirai, do you need me to share some intelligence on Akatsuki with you?"
Mirai chuckled. "Kisame, I probably know more about Akatsuki than you do."
"Of course. Since you even know that Uchiha Madara is actually Uchiha Obito in disguise, you clearly understand things far deeper than I do."
"However..." Kisame paused before continuing in a low voice, "Even someone like you must have overlooked certain details, right?"
"Although I've lost to you in our previous encounters, when dealing with an organization as powerful as Akatsuki, even a little extra knowledge could be valuable."
Such a classic ninja mentality.
Seeing Kisame's serious expression, Mirai couldn't help but laugh heartily. A strong aura of confidence radiated from him.
"An elephant does not measure the strength of an ant. A god does not concern himself with the knowledge of mortals."
"Those who have fallen to me have never been worthy of being called my opponents."
"Even if I rely solely on pure strength, I can effortlessly crush all my enemies beneath my feet."
Kisame couldn't help but sigh at Mirai's overwhelming confidence.
This was exactly the demeanor he had imagined from Uchiha Madara.
If that Uchiha Obito had even half of Mirai's presence, Kisame would never have defected so easily.
"Alright, you should keep Samehada."
Mirai casually tossed the sword back to Kisame.
With his power, Samehada wasn't particularly useful to him.
Then, turning to the still-stunned Takigakure ninja, Mirai spoke lightly.
"Now that the trouble is dealt with, let's discuss the price you need to pay."
Hearing Mirai's words, the Takigakure shinobi became visibly uneasy.
Gaining the help of such a powerful figure surely wouldn't come cheap.
If they couldn't afford the price, things might become even more difficult...
—
Inside a dark, damp cave, Zetsu slowly emerged from the ground.
Uchiha Obito, who had been waiting for some time, immediately asked, "How did it go?"
Zetsu shook his head and replied, "I was discovered again. My concealment techniques are completely useless against Uchiha Mirai's perception."
Obito frowned in disappointment. "So, you didn't get any information after all?"
White Zetsu's indignant voice chimed in, "How could we have gotten nothing?!"
"Obito, that Uchiha Mirai not only possesses the Rinnegan but also effortlessly killed Sasori of the Red Sand."
"And, Kisame Hoshigaki has defected to join him."
Surprisingly, Obito didn't react much to the news.
He had long known that going against Uchiha Mirai would lead to a bad outcome. It was just that Nagato had stubbornly refused to listen.
Now, they had lost two Kage-level powerhouses for nothing...
Obito muttered, "Nagato is such a fool. If it were me, I would never have let Mirai manipulate me so easily."
Hearing this, White Zetsu suddenly remembered something important and spoke excitedly,
"Oh! I almost forgot! There's an even bigger piece of news, and it's about you, Obito~"
Obito was puzzled. "What is it?"
"You'll never guess," White Zetsu said playfully before revealing, "Uchiha Mirai has figured out your true identity!"
"What?!" Obito exclaimed in shock. "How could Mirai possibly know who I am?!"
White Zetsu shrugged. "No idea. Maybe he analyzed it during your last battle."
"If he hadn't found out you were that good-for-nothing dropout, Kisame wouldn't have defected so easily."
Obito ignored the mocking tone in White Zetsu's voice and silently bit his lip.
No wonder that bastard had taunted him as a failure during their last fight—he had known the truth all along.
Mirai had been playing with him this entire time!
The thought of Mirai watching him put on a serious act, pretending to be Uchiha Madara, while knowing full well who he really was made Obito's face burn with embarrassment.
To be exposed like this in front of an old acquaintance—it was humiliating!
But something felt off.
Back when he really was a nobody, getting mocked by Mirai was one thing. But now, even after inheriting Madara's legacy and uncovering the world's secrets, he was still being played with?
Damn it!!!
Obito shot a cold glance at White Zetsu and warned, "Don't tell Nagato about this. Understood?"
Zetsu patted his chest confidently. "Relax. If your identity is exposed, the image we painstakingly built will completely collapse. I know better than to let that happen."
Seeing White Zetsu acting uncharacteristically serious, Obito found himself unable to feel relieved.
It felt like a dagger had been stabbed into his heart repeatedly, leaving him breathless.
Was his image really that pathetic?!
Slander!
I should sue you for defamation!
----------------
Pls Drop some Power Stones
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