Agakure, Akatsuki Base.
The Akatsuki organization, whose mbers rarely gathered together, had assembled once again due to the loss of Kakuzu, bringing this powerful group lurking in the shadows back into one place.
Standing on the right thumb of the Gedo Statue, Tendo Pain looked on with a cold and stern expression.
"I assu you are all aware of the intel regarding Kakuzu?"
The only response he received was silence.
Itachi, Konan, Zetsu, Kisa, Sasori, and Deidara all wore expressionless poker faces, as if they didn’t care at all.
"Well, well... so this is the teammate you wanted to introduce to, Itachi-san? My supposedly powerful partner has now been killed!" said Hidan, who wore a Yugakure forehead protector, with a twisted grin on his face.
"Doesn’t seem like this organization is as strong as you all make it out to be! Is this what they call false advertising?"
"Mind your tongue." Sasori said, turning with a hint of killing intent in his eyes. "Show so respect in front of the leader, or I won’t hesitate to make you part of my collection. I hear your body’s blessed by so evil god, granting you immortality. Perfect. I’ve always wanted an immortal puppet."
His words were both a warning and his true feelings.
As a human-puppet enthusiast, Sasori had little interest in ordinary people. What fascinated him were those with unique kekkei genkai or special abilities.
Hidan happened to be that type.
"Since he’s immortal, then surely he can withstand my art as well. Sasori-san, before he becos your puppet, how about I let him taste my art first... and then he can beco yours?" Deidara proposed.
"You bastards!"
Hidan was furious, glaring at Sasori and Deidara.
One commanded countless puppets, the other attacked from a distance with explosives. For Hidan to kill an opponent, he needed their blood—a condition neither of these two would allow him to fulfill easily.
Without the advantage of his technique, Hidan was just an ordinary jōnin at best, with nothing but endurance to his na.
That was why the two of them often toyed with him rcilessly. His brand new clothes were proof of their recent "fun".
"Enough. We’re here to discuss Kakuzu. According to the intel, Kakuzu was killed by a chunin from Konoha while he was alone on a bounty mission." Pain interjected, trying to steer the discussion back on track.
"Oh my, killed by a re chunin? And soone like that was part of this organization? Don’t tell you’re all that pathetic!" Hidan kept pushing his luck.
This ti, Pain responded directly.
*Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!*
Four black rods shot out from Pain’s hand, instantly piercing Hidan’s hands and feet, pinning him firmly onto the Gedo Statue.
Hidan struggled, trying to free his body from the black rods.
After all, as soone blessed by Jashin, as long as he didn’t die, any injury ant nothing to him.
But the black rods seed to possess so kind of suction—no matter how hard he struggled, he couldn’t free his hands or feet.
"What the hell is this thing?"
Even like this, Hidan couldn’t keep his mouth shut. Talking seed to be more important to him than breathing.
"This is one of the leader’s abilities. You’d better watch your tongue. After all you were only recruited because we let you in. Don’t throw your life away already." Deidara sneered, but his words offered Hidan a way out.
Realizing he couldn’t escape the strange black rods, Hidan reluctantly kept quiet. But begging for rcy was absolutely out of the question.
Fortunately, Pain knew the personalities of his subordinates well. As long as they aided him in collecting the Tailed Beasts, he didn’t care too much about the rest.
"Besides the Konoha chunin, there’s another matter we need to pay attention to." Zetsu spoke up.
Half black, half white, his head shaped like a venus flytrap, Zetsu was one of the strangest figures present.
Among those gathered, only Kisa rivaled him in oddity. But at least Kisa still looked sowhat human. Zetsu was outright monstrous.
Still, in the shinobi world, where even talking beasts existed, no one thought too much of it.
"What is it?" Pain asked, signaling that Hidan’s punishnt was finished. A lesson had been delivered, and that was enough.
"Heh... it’s Konoha’s Tsunade. She’s awakened the First Hokage’s Wood Release and has even mastered Sage Mode. Her Wood Release is extrely powerful. The Fourth Raikage of the Hidden Cloud and the Third Tsuchikage of the Hidden Stone fought her together, and she defeated them easily. Word is those two villages are now scraping together ransom money."
"What!" Deidara exclaid, then burst into laughter. "You an that old geezer actually lost to the Hokage? That’s great!"
Seeing Deidara’s joy, Sasori silently stepped away, as if stupidity might be contagious.
"Deidara, even if the Third Tsuchikage lost, you don’t need to be that happy..." Hidan muttered helplessly.
Still pinned by Pain’s black rods, his situation was miserable enough without having to watch Deidara celebrating.
"You don’t know what that old fossil put through!" Deidara said, speaking from the heart. As soone who’d suffered under Onoki’s thumb, the na alone stirred bad mories.
Now that the old man had been humiliated, Deidara wished he could fly straight to him just to laugh in his face.
Ignoring Deidara’s antics, Konan spoke up: "If Tsunade has grown that strong, this is not good news. With both the Nine-Tails jinchūriki and Wood Release in Konoha, we’ll have to leave that village for last when we begin collecting the Tailed Beasts."
"It doesn’t matter." Compared to Konan’s caution, Pain was more domineering.
"Tsunade or not—even if the First Hokage himself were revived, I wouldn’t fear him. Before these eyes, no one can stand in my way."
At his words, everyone’s gaze drifted to Pain’s eyes—purple, rippled, and circled. The eyes of a god.
The eyes said to belong to the Sage of the Six Paths.
"Continue the missions as usual. Zetsu, search for Kakuzu’s ring. That ring represents our identity as Akatsuki—it cannot be left behind."
"Yes, leader." Zetsu replied obediently.
But deep within his gaze, a mocking glint flashed unseen.
’Just a pawn... and yet he thinks he’s in control. Once you resurrect the Ten-Tails, the real ga begins... hahaha!’
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Read 40 advanced Chapters on my P@treon.
/KakuzuTL
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