There were three reasons, but the most convincing one was simply: "I don't like it!"
No argunts there!
That's just pure, unshakable authority!
Even though Sasori had turned himself into a puppet, he still had a "heart," and he had once been a complete human being.
"Big Brother Sasori's right! I don't like those cursed things either—every ti I want to blow them to bits!" Deidara imdiately jumped out to back Sasori, and this ti he didn't get any side-eyes.
"No matter how strong an insect is, it's still just an insect. As a human, all you can do is see it and stomp it to death," Kakuzu said, revealing his honest thoughts.
Itachi and Kisa weren't quite so extre in their thinking, but they knew one truth: those who aren't of our kind have different hearts.
Although Akatsuki's stance differed from that of the major nations, and a deadly conflict between them was inevitable sooner or later, there was one major premise:
This is a war among humans!
No one present wanted to end up replaced by a bunch of "insects."
Otherwise, what's the point of world peace?
Nagato had thought of this before too. He simply worried about his fragile body and the limited ti he had left, which made him a bit impatient.
But after hearing that most of the others shared the sa view, he imdiately stopped overthinking it.
"Then… all missions proceed as usual. For now, Akatsuki's developnt goal remains profit. Kakuzu, manage the accounts carefully."
Kakuzu nodded. Who dared compete with him for financial control? That person would quickly learn the consequences.
"Konan, continue accepting commissions as needed."
"There are many commissions now, but not enough manpower."
"We'll deal with that later."
"Understood."
"Everyone else, if you encounter any of those extrely powerful special cursed spirits…"
Pain's Deva Path paused, then spoke in a grim tone: "…while ensuring your own safety, annihilate them completely to prevent future trouble!"
Everyone responded in unison.
Itachi and Kisa just smiled wryly. Today, they had truly been embarrassed. Next ti, there would be no slacking off.
---
Once the eting ended, the illusions disappeared.
Nagato turned to Konan. "Do you rember the one who destroyed Kakuzu's three hearts?"
Konan was a little surprised but recalled the event. "According to investigations, the necklace that person wore was a symbol of an organization called the Cult of the Evil God, Jashin. But when I took ti later to inspect the site with others, I found the cult had been completely slaughtered. Hundreds of corpses lay rotting in the open, and the sa pattern was carved in blood on the ground, presumably as a sacrifice."
"I compared so of the wounds and confird that the fatal injuries were caused by the target's executioner blade. So other wounds likely ca from a three-blade scythe."
"If nothing goes wrong, the people who massacred the entire cult were probably the target and one other individual."
"After that, they vanished without a trace."
Massacring your own organization… truly ruthless!
Akatsuki loved people like that.
"This intelligence ca from Zetsu. I didn't have ti to show it to you before."
Konan took it without hesitation and began examining it carefully.
The report mainly contained information about the cursed spirit Saibote, but according to oral descriptions from the exchange personnel, Zetsu also confird parts of the information and sketches of those who later fought Saibote and sold the intel to Sunagakure.
Even if height, appearance, and accent could be faked, the massive executioner blade and three-bladed scythe were unforgettable—no one else could replicate them.
Konan could almost imdiately determine that these two were the ones they had been searching for.
The executioner blade and scythe user—the characteristics matched perfectly!
---
"I'll take people to the Land of Wind imdiately."
"No. This ti, I'll go personally."
"But your body…"
"Occasionally getting so activity isn't a problem. Besides, the others are all busy with missions. If only you and Kakuzu go, we might not be able to 'convince' the target."
Konan frowned. If the target were alone, she and Kakuzu might have a chance to defeat them using their full strength.
But if the target had companions, it would be uncertain.
Looking at it this way, Nagato personally going was the safest option.
"Will you bring all Six Paths of Pain with you?"
"No need. Just Deva Path is enough."
Nagato's gaunt face wore a confident smile.
Konan couldn't find any reason to stop him, so she nodded. "Fine. I'll go with you then."
Nagato understood this was her bottom line, and he indeed needed soone to protect his battered real body, so he agreed.
---
anwhile, Shinji and Hidan didn't yet know that they had already been targeted by the infamous Akatsuki, who wanted to recruit them.
Even if they did know, with their personalities, they probably wouldn't have cared at all.
Three days later, the ti seed right.
Shinji and Hidan put on straw hats and stored their conspicuous weapons in a box, following a guide to leave the country.
Yes—a tour guide.
They had joined a traveling group from the Land of Fire midway through.
Although they looked suspicious, and even the three Konoha Chunin in charge of security thought they shouldn't be allowed to travel with them, Shinji simply waved money to smooth the way.
The money-blinded guide was dumbfounded, wanting to treat Shinji and Hidan like royalty, ignoring everything else.
You can't refuse such generous guests over baseless suspicion!
Besides, why did they hire Konoha ninjas? To handle trouble!
Otherwise, spending that much money would be a waste!
So, Shinji and Hidan smoothly joined the group.
Along the way, the three Konoha ninjas occasionally watched them closely.
Probably suspecting they had caused trouble in the Land of Wind but unable to confirm.
If they were wrong, the mission would be ruined, and they'd miss out on future opportunities for official-funded travel.
The suspicion was infuriating!
If Shinji hadn't reminded Hidan not to cause trouble, Hidan might have gone berserk and killed them all, sending them off to et the Evil God.
Oddly enough, the journey went smoothly.
No arrests, no inspections—none of the expected obstacles appeared.
This completely confused Shinji—he didn't know if Sunagakure was slow to react or if he was just being overly cautious.
In any case, following this tour group, Shinji and Hidan safely left the Land of Wind.
Then, they quietly took the box of weapons and disappeared without a trace.
When the Konoha ninjas noticed their absence, they weren't surprised. If anything, they were relieved.
Who knew why, but facing these two always brought imnse pressure.
Better they left early!
Even the money-stunned guide felt relieved—after all, it's better to be safe than sorry. If anything went wrong, he couldn't take responsibility.
Fortunately, everything ended safely.
This extra profit was an absolute jackpot!
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