Naruto: Call of Cthulhu

After more than half a month of acclimatization, Itachi had fully familiarized himself with his surroundings and with his assigned teammate in Akatsuki, a man named Biwa Jūzō.

He glanced at Jūzō, taking in the bandages wrapped around his head and the sharp teeth visible when he spoke. A peculiar partner, but perhaps that's fitting for an organization like this.

On the night of the Uchiha clan massacre, he initially intended to say a few words to Konoha's higher-ups before leaving. However, since he didn't encounter the masked man, who claimed to be Madara, at their meeting spot in the village, Itachi grew concerned that something unexpected might happen and abandoned his plan, leaving Konoha without further delay.

Later, he found the masked man at a second meeting point outside the village, and the two had a conversation. The masked man explained that he had killed so quickly that he left the meeting spot before Itachi arrived. However, Itachi knew he was lying. The masked man must have encountered some issues, which caused him to deviate from the original plan.

Of course, he didn't tell the truth either. He merely said that he had faced some resistance from his father, which caused the delay. In the end, neither of them shared with the other the strange people or events they had encountered at the Uchiha compound.

"No matter what, you are now classified as an S-rank criminal by Konoha. The only path ahead of you is joining Akatsuki," said the masked man.

"As I've said before, the ninjas in Akatsuki are all rogue ninjas from various villages. This is the only place where you can find refuge."

After a moment of thought, Itachi nodded. "I'll join."

In this so-called organization, the masked man publicly identified himself as Tobi, an Akatsuki apprentice. Unlike his calm demeanor when speaking with Itachi, he acted frivolously and silly in front of others, coming across as both incompetent and chatty.

During the initiation ceremony, Itachi met the Akatsuki leader, a strange man named Pain. His black piercings on his nose, chin, and ears, combined with his purple eyes made of concentric rings and his expressionless face, were just as eerie as the black pharaoh Itachi had seen on the night of the Uchiha massacre.

By the way, Pain was also aware that the masked man was actually Madara. During the ceremony, Itachi also met other members of Akatsuki, and one familiar face surprised him—Orochimaru. Judging by his conversation with his partner, it seemed they had been working together for quite some time.

Konoha's intel is lacking, Itachi thought, filing away this information for future consideration.

Aside from that, he kept an eye out for the pharaoh and the invisible samurai he had seen during the massacre, but neither was present.

Pain explained Akatsuki's goal—to replace the Five Great Nations and dominate the world. Itachi didn't comment on this.

In the end, he officially joined Akatsuki. He received a uniform that had no spare changes, the scarlet ring, a bottle of nail polish, and a partner for carrying out missions.

"Hope you like black and red, kid. It's all we wear around here," Jūzō handed Itachi his new cloak.

After completing several missions together, the two developed a mutually agreed-upon set of tactical strategies.

"Let's play to our strengths," Jūzō had suggested during one of their planning sessions. "You've got those fancy eyes, and I've got this big sword."

Itachi nodded in agreement. "We should have multiple strategies to adapt to different situations."

They outlined their approaches:

Strategy A: Fight separately, attack freely.

Strategy B: Jūzō would go forward with his blade to draw enemy fire, while Itachi would support from the back with genjutsu or shuriken.

Strategy C: "For this one," Itachi proposed, "we could use a combination of your close-range attacks and my long-range jutsu to create a zone of control..."

---

By a rushing river, two figures in black cloaks with red clouds stood on a rock. "So even for a mission like this, there's no need to think about who or why it was commissioned," Jūzō said.

"Nice view," he added, gazing at the bridge before them. "Shame we're here to blow it up."

As soon as he finished speaking, a violent explosion rocked the area. The stone bridge in front of them was blown apart by explosive tags, revealing thick steel beams inside.

That evening, sitting around a campfire, Jūzō lectured Itachi as usual. Today's topic was Akatsuki's ambitions.

After a lengthy speech, Jūzō finally concluded, "This is Akatsuki."

Itachi, sitting across from him, appeared to be listening intently, though his face remained expressionless in the firelight.

"Pain says Akatsuki will eventually rule the world," Itachi remarked calmly.

"That's a long way off. First, we need to accumulate money and power," Jūzō replied. "Speaking of which, they're calling us."

Both Jūzō and Itachi received a signal from Akatsuki and closed their eyes, forming hand signs.

In a pitch-black cave of unknown location, glowing translucent figures appeared around a central stone platform.

Orochimaru immediately struck up a conversation with Itachi. "How's it going, Itachi? Adjusting to Akatsuki yet?"

"How about changing partners? Join me in a two-man team. With your eyes and my... expertise, we'd be unstoppable."

Hearing this, Jūzō was clearly displeased and retorted, "We just got our teamwork down. Don't try to poach him."

He liked his obedient younger partner. Itachi always listened without complaint and followed instructions without protest.

Orochimaru's partner, Sasori, nodded and said gloomily, "I agree with switching partners. A team needs to be in sync."

For a moment, a verbal battle over resource allocation erupted within Akatsuki. But everyone fell silent when Pain spoke up.

"Your performance has spread Akatsuki's name in the underworld, and the missions we're receiving are becoming more important, with larger rewards."

"At this rate, we'll reach the next phase ahead of schedule."

"To give you a heads-up, our next target is the tailed beasts. If you have time, start investigating their whereabouts."

"And then?" Orochimaru asked.

"They will be our tool for world domination," Pain replied seriously. No one questioned him, though Orochimaru made a few cryptic remarks.

"Tailed beasts, huh? I think there are plenty of other ways."

He was recalling the many forbidden creatures described in the Necronomicon. Summoning even one of them would make a tailed beast pale in comparison.

"The leader's plan is flawless." Zetsu said.

The meeting moved on to present tasks. Pain assigned Itachi and Jūzō to a mission in the Land of Water.

Before Itachi could react, Jūzō began to complain. "Ugh, can't we get another mission? Not there again. Can't we go somewhere sunny for once?"

"Don't worry. The mission isn't technically in the Land of Water but near it," Pain reassured him, knowing Jūzō's reluctance to return to the village he had fled.

"The place used to be called the Land of Waves. It was taken over by rogue ninjas from Kiri and renamed the Land of Gods."

"Your task is to assassinate one of those rogue ninjas. Also, for future plans, you'll need to acquire a sample of a special organism."

"That's all I'll reveal for now. The rest will be sent to you in the usual way."

"Dismissed."

With that, the phantom images of the Akatsuki members faded one by one.

As they prepared to leave, Jūzō turned to Itachi. "Don't overthink it, kid. We're just the muscle."

---

Far away, in a tall tower in Ame, a frail red-haired man sat surrounded by a machine full of pipes. A purple-haired woman approached from the shadows and gently helped him up. She softly asked, "Shall we begin the plan to modify White Zetsu now, Nagato?"

"Yes. Akatsuki's growth is on track, and with Itachi's joining, our strength is now sufficient. It's time to proceed with the plan."

Konan nodded in agreement but then asked, "Do you think Jūzō and Itachi can complete their mission?"

"We previously sent many Kiri ANBU under the control of the Fourth Mizukage, but they all failed."

"Now the identity of the Fourth Mizukage is even being questioned by Mei and the Kiri elders."

Nagato gazed out at the endless rain outside and replied calmly, "No matter. The Fourth Mizukage will eventually be discarded as a pawn."

"As for Jūzō and Itachi..."

He hesitated slightly.

"They should succeed."

---

"The Land of Water is such an annoying place. Just being near it makes me feel sick."

"Aren't you originally from Kiri?"

"Yes, and that's exactly why I'm so fed up with that place."

"Let's talk about the mission."

With that, they stopped walking, and Jūzō began explaining the mission.

"We have two tasks this time. The first one is an assassination mission from the Land of Water. We're to eliminate a rogue ninja who established the Land of Gods—Kojiro."

"As a former ninja from Kiri, let me explain a bit."

"Kojiro comes from the Hoshigaki clan in Kiri. Although he isn't part of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, his combat abilities are said to rival any of my generation's Seven Swordsmen. For some unknown reason, he was never included in their ranks."

"I never had any interaction with him, though. He defected from the village long before I realized the true nature of the Mist—The Village of the Bloody Mist."

"I have to admit, I kind of regret not defecting earlier."

His words revealed a sense of regret for not escaping Kiri sooner, reflecting the disillusionment many felt under the village's oppressive regime.

"Our second task is an internal mission from Akatsuki. We're to obtain a sample from this creature."

With that, Jūzō pulled out a drawing from his coat and showed it to Itachi. The sketch depicted an ugly creature, roughly resembling a cross between a fish and a frog, or perhaps a frog-like fish. It stood on two legs on a simple line representing the ground, with sharp vertical scales on its back.

Judging from its posture, the creature seemed somewhat humanoid, but its head had unmistakable fish-like features, making it hard to categorize as a primate.

When Itachi first saw the creature, he gasped in surprise, wondering how such an odd being could even exist in this world.

"Ugly, right? I thought so too."

Jūzō looked at the grotesque figure with disdain as he held the drawing in front of himself.

I've lived in the Land of Water for years but I've never seen them. But the informant insists these creatures exist—and they're in the Land of Gods.

"Informant?"

Jūzō put the drawing back into his coat. There was no need for Itachi to remember the creature's details too closely—its appearance was so bizarre that anyone who saw it would be unable to forget it.

"Yeah, the informant. She's also our contact for this mission. Any interest, Itachi?"

Jūzō smirked mischievously, trying to tease Itachi, but the young Uchiha seemed unfazed by his comments.

"Oh?"

"A woman, Itachi. As a young ninja busy with training, missions, and... clan matters, you probably haven't had time for romance, right? Still a virgin, huh? Never tasted what it's like with a woman."

He watched Itachi closely, expecting to embarrass him with such a bold statement. But to his surprise, the boy remained silent and expressionless, not even blushing.

After a moment of awkward silence, he waved his hand dismissively. "You're no fun at all. Ever heard of a joke?"

"Forget it, let's go."

Walking behind Jūzō, Itachi's mind wasn't entirely without thought. When Jūzō mentioned romance, a faint image of Izumi crossed his mind.

Izumi... Was that love?

If it was, it had been nice.

After traveling all day, they finally met their contact at the designated location. As Jūzō had mentioned, the informant was indeed a woman.

She had striking purple hair tied back—not in a ladylike ponytail, but in a wild, broom-like style. She wore green clothes embroidered with white camellias, and her sharp eyebrows gave her a fierce look. It was obvious that she wasn't a delicate type.

This seemed to intrigue Jūzō, who strutted forward confidently. He glanced back at Itachi, grinning, "Don't get in my way."

Itachi merely rolled his eyes in response.

Maybe Jūzō's the one who's never had any experience with women.

The woman approached them and glanced at them before introducing herself. "I'm your contact for this mission. You can call me Guren."

"Jūzō. The guy behind me is Itachi."

Trying to assert his leadership in their duo, Jūzō introduced both of them, but Guren's attention skipped over his large frame and the intimidating sword on his shoulder, focusing instead on Itachi.

"You're Itachi?"

"Yes."

"So, you're the kid who wiped out the entire Uchiha clan. Hmph."

"Come with me."

With a cold snort, Guren turned and walked away, leaving Jūzō puzzled. He hadn't expected her to completely ignore his imposing figure and direct her attention to the much younger, less intimidating Itachi.

Feeling slightly defeated, he lowered his massive sword from his shoulder, its shine dulled by his slumping mood.

They followed Guren to a dilapidated house, half of which had collapsed. In a corner of the first floor, she moved aside some broken wood and a filthy carpet, revealing a hidden floor hatch that led down into a cellar.

Deep within the cellar was a small private room, containing only a simple bed, a nightstand, and a chair. The faint scent in the air suggested she lived here.

"This place is close to a town that leads to the Land of Gods. At night, the creatures occasionally wander ashore, but they haven't found this spot."

"Creatures?" Itachi asked.

"Yes." Guren nodded. "Who has the drawing of the Deep One?"

Jūzō, momentarily confused, quickly realized what she meant and retrieved the drawing he had shown Itachi earlier.

"Yes, this is it."

"That creature is called a Deep One."