Regarding Old Su, Su Ye could only say that the more he looked, the less he understood.
Old Su was like a treasure trove with unknown reserves; the more you dug, the more you realized there was still hidden beneath.
Su Ye could only get used to it—after all, that was his old man, and he definitely wouldn't harm him.
Standing by the window, Su Ye extended his telepathy outward. Soon, he found the person he was looking for—a crow perched in a hidden corner of the Osborn Group skyscraper's rooftop.
"You?"
Once the telepathic link was established, Su Ye directly communicated with Yu Zhi You, who was controlling the crow, through his mind.
On the other side, Yu Zhi You was visibly stunned before replying hesitantly, "Are you... Su Ye?"
"That's right," Su Ye responded. "I've contacted my dad, and I'm here to extend my sincerest regards and respect for your many years of undercover work."
Yu Zhi You: "..."
After a moment, he replied slowly, "Should I say, 'Serving the people' now?"
Su Ye couldn't help but laugh. He hadn't expected Yu Zhi You to joke, proving that environment truly could change a person.
From Raven, Su Ye finally pieced together some information about Yu Zhi You's family.
Yu Zhi You's father, named Yu Fugaku, was once a comrade of Old Su and now his colleague.
That's right, Su Ye's father, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, was still alive, and so, of course, was Yu Zhi You's father. In fact, the entire Yu family was alive and well.
Naturally, as a heroic family, the Yu clan had shed blood for Longguo.
For instance, during the infamous war a decade ago, a Yu family man named Yu Zhi Dai, a peer of Yu Zhi You, had fallen in battle.
It could be said that the entire Yu family were Longguo's most loyal warriors.
A few years after the 'Unspeakable War,' the Akatsuki organization began to emerge and became active outside of Longguo.
Subsequently, after discussions between Old Su and Yu Fugaku, they decided to send the most talented member of the current Yu generation, Yu Zhi You, into the Akatsuki as a spy under the codename Itachi.
Of course, these were classified missions, not known to everyone. As a special division of Longguo, much of the Yu family's work was hidden from the public, which explained why Hinata was unaware of anything.
This was the localized backstory the system provided for the Uchiha clan and Uchiha Itachi in this DLC.
In a harmonious environment like Longguo, there would never be something as discordant as the Yu clan attempting rebellion, only to be wiped out by their most outstanding member.
Such twisted setups would only appear in twisted foreign stories.
As for the secondary protagonist Sasuke Uchiha from Naruto, he was now known as Yu Zhi Zuo, clearly marked as Yu Zhi You's younger brother by name.
Yu Zhi Zuo was twelve years old, about to enter junior high, currently struggling with cram school and homework.
With one son already sent undercover, Yu Fugaku naturally kept his second son at home to groom him into his ideal successor.
Learning all this, Su Ye genuinely felt happy for the twelve-year-old "Second Pillar."
Attending cram school, solving problems, and preparing for junior high was far better than a life of killing, carrying the weight of the family's expectations, and living under the shadow of vengeance.
After a brief exchange of greetings, Su Ye and Yu Zhi You quickly got down to business.
"How many people are in the Akatsuki now, and what are their abilities?"
Su Ye asked, while Yu Zhi You, noticing the clueless demeanor of his partner, Hoshigaki Kisame, felt at ease and began explaining.
"Currently, the Akatsuki has nine members. Originally, there were ten, but you killed Deidara earlier."
"My partner is a salted fish…"
As Yu Zhi You spoke, he glanced at Hoshigaki Kisame beside him, who turned his head, wearing a pair of confused small eyes and a goofy grin.
Yu Zhi You nodded indifferently but continued communicating with Su Ye telepathically.
"This guy isn't very smart, but he's strong, ruthless, and a perfect kamikaze soldier. He'll do anything to complete a mission and keep secrets."
"Since joining the organization, he's been under my guidance but hasn't fully converted to our side yet."
Su Ye nodded in understanding.
"No rush. I already have a straightforward brute on my side. You can keep working on him, but if it doesn't pan out, don't force it."
"Understood," Yu Zhi You continued. "Deidara's original partner was Sasori, a guy who controls human puppets. You've seen him before."
"But he has a radical personality, not easy to work with, and it's hard to turn him to our side."
"Then there's a pair: Hidan and Kakuzu. They're pretty disgusting because they're immortal."
Hidan and Kakuzu, the famous Immortal Duo of the Akatsuki.
One has immense regenerative power—even if decapitated, he can be stitched back and recover. He loves dragging enemies into mutual destruction where they die, but he survives—absolutely disgusting.
The other has five lives and can wield five chakra natures, switching between them freely, often catching opponents off guard.
For most ninjas, these two are tough to handle.
But they're not invincible: one starves to death if he doesn't eat, and the other dies once he's lost all five lives.
So, all things considered, they're not that big of a deal.
The real trouble lies with the remaining two pairs.
"One pair is quite mysterious. I suspect they're either the true masterminds behind Akatsuki or close confidants, but they didn't come here this time."
"The final pair is the Akatsuki's apparent leader, Pain, and his most loyal partner, Konan."
"Those two are the masterminds behind this operation."
After listening to Yu Zhi You, Su Ye finally grasped the current situation.
The Akatsuki's members were the same as in the original Naruto—names and abilities unchanged—but the true masterminds, Uchiha Obito and his superior's pawn Zetsu, had yet to appear.
Thus, Su Ye's greatest enemy was the man known as "How many floors can you carry a sack of rice up?"—Pain Tendo, or rather, his controller, Nagato.
If that was the case, could his side handle it?
Among the Guardians of the Wall—Harry, Max, Gwen, and Terry—only Max had any real advantage against the Akatsuki members.
Even Max might be overpowered if he faced Kisame or Kakuzu, both of whom excelled in Water Style techniques.
On the Avengers' side, they could enlist a few allies—Iron Man, Thor, the yet-to-be-tamed Abomination, and Bruce Banner, who hadn't transformed into the Hulk recently.
Oh, and Captain America.
Captain America could face off against Pain Tendo one-on-one—not to defeat him, but to hold him in a stalemate.
With this lineup, they could potentially hold their own against the Akatsuki.
Whether in individual duels or a chaotic brawl, most Akatsuki members could likely be held off by the Guardians and the Avengers.
As for the Akatsuki's greatest threat, apart from "art-is-an-explosion" Deidara, that would be Konan, and Su Ye decided to take her on himself.
Konan was the only female member of the Akatsuki. Although she was a bit older—35—and always wore a robe, making it hard to judge her figure...
But humans can't help but fantasize about the unknown.
At 35, Konan might not rival Tsunade or Samui, but she surely wouldn't lose to Mei Terumi, Kurenai Yuhi, or Anko Mitarashi, all in their early 30s.
Despite her age, Konan's face was wrinkle-free, and Su Ye felt she was definitely worth the challenge.
Yes, Su Ye was a simple man. He only meant to challenge Konan in ninjutsu—nothing inappropriate.
Of course, if he could win her over, that wouldn't be too bad either.
After all, Sister Konan was the woman with 600 billion explosive tags.
Six hundred billion explosive tags—what a concept!
A single explosive tag should at least cost as much as a grenade.
Let's say a grenade costs $50; 600 billion would be $30 trillion.
The U.S.'s GDP in 2021 was only $23 trillion. Sister Konan surpassed an entire year of the U.S.'s GDP.
Wasn't such a woman worth challenging?
Moreover, 600 billion was probably not her limit. If she wanted, Konan could likely create even more explosive tags using her Paper Style.
She was essentially a walking, self-sufficient arms dealer. Compared to her, Tony Stark wasn't even worthy of carrying her shoes.
"Alright, I've made up my mind. That Sister Konan… uh, I mean Konan, is mine to handle!"
Su Ye decisively made the call via telepathy, and Yu Zhi You didn't overthink it.
As the Akatsuki's apparent leaders, both Pain and Konan were formidable opponents.
Since Su Ye volunteered to take on one of them, it was undoubtedly a good thing.
However...
"Are we launching a counterattack on the Akatsuki now? But we still don't know what their plan is, when or where they'll execute it."
Yu Zhi You hesitated as he spoke.
He was an undercover agent, but unlike the highly autonomous Itachi from the original, this Yu Zhi You mainly focused on infiltration and gathering intelligence. He didn't participate in analysis or planning and only carried out orders.
Thus, when Su Ye took over contact from Old Su, Yu Zhi You naturally deferred decision-making to him, focusing on providing intelligence and filling in gaps.
If Su Ye had a more dominant leadership style, Yu Zhi You would speak less, do more, or even just act without saying a word.
However, since Su Ye seemed approachable, Yu Zhi You decided to share his opinion.
Su Ye was about to say, "I know their plan—it's the Eye of the Moon project, Infinite Tsukuyomi. They aim to control everyone, put them into a dream-like state, and create a fabricated world of peace."
It's not much different from a large-scale immersive MMORPG.
Come to think of it, isn't this basically The Matrix?
Since it's a fabricated world, even those who've died in the real world could be resurrected there.
The Akatsuki's behind-the-scenes schemer, Uchiha Obito, was captivated by this idea, orchestrating the Akatsuki's actions to create a world where his childhood friend Rin Nohara was alive.
The real mastermind, Uchiha Madara, also subscribed to this idea—creating a false world where everyone could live peacefully, achieving a different kind of world peace.
What they didn't know was that the true purpose of this plan was to resurrect Kaguya Otsutsuki. Both Obito and Madara were unwitting pawns.
If these three layers of plans unfolded step by step, Su Ye felt it could be as catastrophic for Earth as Thanos's Infinity War.
The final Kaguya Otsutsuki's displayed combat power was not far off from a fully-equipped Thanos.
Meanwhile, on Earth, Su Ye's superhero team wasn't fully established. Key heroes like Scarlet Witch weren't on board yet, nor had they secured the Infinity Stones.
Thus, confronting Kaguya Otsutsuki at this stage would clearly be disadvantageous.
As for what was going on with Old Su, Su Ye wasn't sure and didn't count on him.
Su Ye was in America, and so was the battlefield; he'd focus on handling the issues here.
Besides, even if the Eye of the Moon plan succeeded here, with a giant eye hanging in the sky, it wouldn't significantly affect Longguo on the other side of the planet, right?
Perhaps that's why Old Su was calmly enjoying his time, having sent Raven over and then retreating to drink and sleep without a care?
In any case, for Su Ye, avoiding a war right now was definitely the best option.
"At the moment, a full-scale battle is indeed not ideal. We're not fully prepared yet. The question is, can you delay the Akatsuki on your side, make them postpone their plans?"
Yu Zhi You was silent for a moment before speaking in a serious tone, "Perhaps you could find a way to meet with Konan. If anyone can persuade Pain to delay their plans, it would be her."
So, after going in circles, the problem returned to Su Ye's initial idea: targeting the Akatsuki's leading lady, Sister Konan.
"Alright, I get it. Here's the plan: I'll arrange a fight. You can have that idiot next to you fight the idiot on my side. That'll give you something to report when you return."
"Deal!"
Soon, the two agreed on a battle location and ended their conversation.
Su Ye withdrew his telepathy and redirected his consciousness toward another location—the Osborn Group's basement, where a green-skinned monster, Abomination, was smashing walls.
"Hello, Mr. Emil Blonsky!"
The sudden voice in his head almost made Abomination lose his mind, even wondering if he had been smashing walls for so long that he was hallucinating.
However, Abomination quickly calmed down. As previously mentioned, his IQ and EQ far surpassed Hulk's.
"Who are you, and what do you want?" Abomination growled.
"I'm Uncle Su of the Guardians of the Wall. You've probably heard of me," Su Ye said with a smile.
Over the past while, both Sharon and Black Widow had tried to persuade Abomination to switch sides, so he definitely had an impression of the Guardians of the Wall.
"Now, I have a question for you: Are you willing to join the Guardians of the Wall? I can guarantee you'll have countless powerful opponents to fight until you've had enough!"
Su Ye's voice was as tempting as the serpent coaxing Adam and Eve to eat the forbidden fruit.
Abomination paused for a moment and then asked, "What about Hulk?"
Su Ye chuckled. "If you're willing, I can arrange that."
"Alright, I'm in!"