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Although Itachi and Orochimaru had not openly clashed, the tension between them was palpable to everyone present. However, the arrival of Midorima "successfully" shifted all attention onto him.
His sudden interjection diffused the heated atmosphere, and after diverting his focus, Itachi glanced at Orochimaru again, suppressing his anger. He wasn't completely calm, but he had managed to restrain his irrational emotions.
"Uh… what's going on? Did I interrupt something? Don't mind me, please continue," Midorima quickly waved his hand.
Itachi turned his head away, no longer looking at Orochimaru.
"You're the new member?" Orochimaru narrowed his eyes, staring intently at Midorima.
"Yeah."
"At the very least, you should remove your mask. After all, this is our first meeting," Orochimaru said with a smirk.
"You have a point. But this old man over here is also wrapped up in bandages, isn't he? How about this—if he removes his bandages, I'll take off my mask," Midorima replied, glancing at Danzo.
"Me? I'm injured…" Danzo hurriedly explained.
"Really? I don't believe it. How can you prove you're injured?" Midorima countered.
"…" Danzo shot Midorima a furious glare.
Unfazed, Midorima pulled up a chair and sat down.
Given the presence of the Sharingan, Danzo could likely use "Izanagi" multiple times, making it nearly impossible for Midorima to kill him. Conversely, Danzo couldn't kill Midorima either.
Under these circumstances, there was no need for conflict.
Moreover, this was "Pain's" territory. Midorima might be able to handle one of the Pains, but facing all six Paths of Pain at once was beyond him.
It was better to keep a low profile.
Orochimaru and Danzo exchanged glances but didn't press Midorima further.
Danzo's goal was the "Byakugan." Until it appeared, he had no intention of causing trouble. As for Orochimaru, now that Itachi had arrived, he was in no hurry either.
At this moment, his thoughts aligned with Itachi's—how could they shake off the others and fight one-on-one?
The tension that had filled the air moments ago vanished as if nothing had happened.
Sasori approached Midorima and asked, "What did you do? How did things turn out like this?"
"If I really did something, wouldn't you have noticed?" Midorima rested his chin on his hand. "When are you coming out? You can't hide in there forever, can you?"
"None of your business," Sasori snorted from inside Hiruko.
Meanwhile, Pain, standing atop the tower, stepped slowly into the rain, sensing the chakra carried by the falling droplets.
Konan approached Pain once more and said, "Kakuzu and Hidan sent word that they've been pursued by another ninja organization. They'll likely be delayed by a day. What should we do next? Wait for them, or proceed with informing the others of the next phase of our plan?"
"Meet with them first," Pain replied before returning to the tower.
"Are there intruders?" Konan asked.
"There should be, but their chakra suddenly disappeared," Pain answered.
"Then, should we search for them?" Konan inquired.
"Yes. I want the other members of Akatsuki to eliminate that person. I can sense their chakra is strong, so no matter what, they must be killed. However, anything can happen. If they escape and learn the secret of 'Pain,' it will be disastrous for us. So, we must also prepare ourselves. This operation will serve as a test of the newcomers' abilities."
"I'm worried they might not be loyal to us… Not just the newcomers, but even some of the older members, like Orochimaru, aren't exactly reliable," Konan warned.
"No organization can expect absolute loyalty from all its members. Our plan relies more on the shinobi of Kirigakure. As long as they remain loyal, that's enough. As for Akatsuki, while each member is indeed powerful, if we can win their allegiance, we'll do our best. Even if they don't share our ideals, we lose nothing—most of them will likely die before leaving Akatsuki anyway."
Pain swiftly formed hand seals, and the rain gradually lightened. "The rest is up to you."
Konan stepped out of the tower, standing atop its peak.
The previously relentless drizzle had now ceased entirely.
She formed hand signs, and her body split into straight fissures before unfolding into countless sheets of paper, scattering with the wind across Amegakure…
Pain entered the meeting room.
The three groups inside exhibited entirely different demeanors.
Itachi and Kisame, the silent types, remained wordless. Orochimaru and Danzo huddled in a corner, whispering. Sasori, meanwhile, was in combat stance, while the masked man opposite him stretched out his fingers as if trying to pull Sasori out of his puppet.
"Kakuzu and Hidan have been targeted by other shinobi and won't return today. That leaves only us for now," Pain announced.
Midorima stared at Pain, recognizing him as the "Deva Path" in Yahiko's form, but noticed Konan was missing.
This is supposed to be a full meeting of Akatsuki. Is it really okay to leave out such a key figure?
"Your mask is quite striking," Pain remarked, turning to Midorima.
"I like it too," Midorima nodded slightly.
Pain clearly wanted to see his true face but wouldn't say it outright, so Midorima pretended not to notice.
"You've gathered all of us here not just for introductions, but for something else, right?" Kisame spoke up.
"Correct. Until now, we've been focused on raising funds to sustain the organization. Of course, you've all been curious about where this money goes, especially since it seemingly disappears after submission. Today, I'll reveal its purpose—it wasn't spent on Amegakure's development, but on building connections."
"Building connections?" Midorima frowned.
"Beyond the major villages, there are other ninja-centric 'organizations' in this world. Many consist of rogue shinobi working as mercenaries, taking on missions the Five Great Nations overlook. Our first phase involved competing with them.
"But that's not our true goal. We have a greater ambition. Fundamentally, we are all outcasts abandoned by the major nations. They monopolize all high-profile missions, leaving organizations like Akatsuki at a severe disadvantage. So, those funds were used to forge ties with smaller nations, allowing us to monopolize their wars at low costs. By crippling the economic lifelines of the major villages, we will eventually control war itself!"
Pain spread his arms wide, adopting the posture of a savior.
Itachi's eyes widened. Had he not heard it himself, he would never have guessed Akatsuki's ultimate objective was this.
Midorima, meanwhile, covered his face. Pain—no, Nagato—thinking like this… it's no wonder he lost.
*****
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