[Naruto World No. 3]
The rain hadn't stopped for two straight days on the border of the Land of Rain. Water dripped from the overgrown cliffs and moss-covered rocks, sliding in endless sheets off the worn ridges and down into the muddy gorge below.
In a small cave nestled between two towering rock faces, two Akatsuki members waited.
"This country never changes," Kisame Hoshigaki grumbled as he rested against the stone wall. "Rain all day, every day. Like it's allergic to sunlight."
He spoke casually while methodically maintaining the massive weapon known as Samehada, its sharkskin-like blade twitching slightly under his fingers as if alive.
Uchiha Itachi didn't respond.
[TL Note: For clarity, the protagonist typically visits World No. 1, World No. 2, and World No. 4. This current location is a new world/timeline.]
He stood at the mouth of the cave, expression unreadable, the rain pouring down over his shoulders and cloak, soaking through the crimson clouds embroidered on the Akatsuki's black uniforms. Unlike Kisame, he made no effort to avoid the rain.
Kisame glanced up. "Hey, Mr. Itachi. Getting drenched like that isn't exactly healthy, you know."
Itachi's voice was calm but firm. "We don't have much time. Let's move."
Kisame blinked, surprised. It was rare to hear urgency from his ever-composed partner. Their mission had seemed straightforward—observe, retrieve, return. Nothing unusual.
Yet… Itachi was on edge.
Just as Kisame rose, stretching his limbs, he felt it.
The shift.
Like a sudden drop in air pressure before a thunderstorm.
His instincts kicked in immediately. His hand gripped Samehada tighter, and his gaze darted beyond the cave's edge.
In the hazy curtain of rain, a figure had appeared.
Standing perfectly still about fifty meters away, just past a shallow puddle that rippled faintly under his presence.
The man's appearance was strange.
His clothes were unlike anything Kisame recognized—dark, smooth, layered in sleek armor-like fabric with unfamiliar symbols embroidered along the seams. But it wasn't the outfit that commanded attention.
It was the presence. The pressure.
The figure radiated quiet, suffocating power.
An elliptical force field shimmered around his body, effortlessly repelling the falling raindrops. They hit the barrier and scattered like beads on glass.
But what truly froze Kisame's breath in his throat…
Were the eyes.
Rippling, concentric circles of violet.
The unmistakable Rinnegan.
"…The leader?" Kisame asked uncertainly.
But almost immediately, Itachi stepped forward.
"No," he said quietly, his Sharingan already active.
Kisame tensed.
No one else was supposed to possess the Rinnegan. Only Pain—the enigmatic figure behind Akatsuki's leadership—had ever demonstrated such a dojutsu.
This man was different.
His chakra was deeper. Wilder. Yet utterly controlled.
"Who are you?" Kisame asked, his voice low, measured. "And what do you want from us?"
The figure—Kai—did not answer him.
His eyes were fixed on Itachi.
Then he spoke, voice cold, emotionless.
"Enough small talk. Send out your real body."
Kisame blinked. "…What?"
He looked to his left.
Itachi was still standing there.
But then—suddenly—he wasn't.
The image of Itachi standing beside him flickered, then collapsed into nothingness, scattering like mist.
In the same moment, the real Itachi dropped down silently from above the rock face and landed beside Kisame, the folds of his cloak trailing water.
"You've been using a clone on me this whole time?!" Kisame looked at his partner, almost betrayed.
Itachi's answer was simple.
"I could still hear everything you said."
Kisame scratched the back of his head. "…So I've been talking to myself?"
"You were training," Itachi said flatly. "I wanted to test how far your illusion resistance has improved."
Kisame sighed. "You could've warned me. I was worried about your health."
"…That wasn't necessary."
Kai cut in, growing impatient.
"If the reunion's over, let's get to business."
Itachi's gaze sharpened.
He could feel the tension rising.
This stranger wasn't interested in banter. His chakra remained perfectly stable—not even a fluctuation of irritation. But the weight of his presence was enough to make even Itachi feel it in his bones.
"What's your objective?" Itachi asked. "Why seek us out?"
Kai stepped forward.
The rain parted around him.
"Simple. Uchiha Itachi," he said. "I want your left eye."
The words hung in the air like thunder.
For a moment, even Kisame couldn't respond.
Then: "Your…what?"
"You heard me."
Itachi remained still, the only motion coming from the subtle spin of his Sharingan.
"Your Rinnegan is stronger than my Mangekyō. Why would you want it?"
"Because I'm not interested in your power," Kai replied. "I want your Tsukuyomi. Your left eye. Not the Sharingan—just what it sees."
Itachi narrowed his eyes.
He'd heard enough.
"Is there room for negotiation?" he asked.
Kai's answer came like a hammer.
"Borrow it or die."
Kisame's fingers tensed around the hilt of Samehada.
"…That's basically robbery."
Kai smiled faintly.
"That's what I said."
Itachi's expression barely changed, but inside, he was already planning.
This stranger wasn't bluffing. His strength wasn't exaggerated. He had walked through the rain and stared them both down without an ounce of hesitation.
And now, he wanted Itachi's eye.
That meant fighting was inevitable.
But Itachi also knew something else—even Pain would hesitate to directly confront someone with that kind of chakra.
Which made this even more dangerous.
"Mr. Itachi," Kisame muttered. "Permission to engage?"
"Be careful," Itachi warned. "This one…isn't normal."
But Kisame was already moving.
With a roar, he lunged forward—Samehada drawn, water bursting beneath his feet. His speed was monstrous, his trajectory sharp. The blade hummed with hunger.
Kai didn't move.
He simply raised a hand.
"Shinra Tensei."
The blast was silent—but devastating.
A pulse of force exploded outward, tearing through the rain like a typhoon. Kisame's charge was stopped mid-air, his body lifted and thrown backward as if weightless.
He slammed into the cave wall with a crack, the stone fracturing behind him.
For a second, he didn't move.
Itachi's Mangekyō flared to full strength.
He couldn't waste another moment.
"Tsukuyomi!"
The world shifted.
Suddenly, the rain was gone