According to this Naruto theory, Kishimoto wrote Neji as a potential Akatsuki member but dropped the ideas due to his similarities with Sasuke.

The Akatsuki's rings were a crucial symbol and ... The following characters manage to avoid confrontation in the perilous Naruto universe. If the rings merely played an aesthetic role in the ...

There has been this one male Akatsuki member whose striking features have always had fans go crazy, but now imagine, what if ...