Sasori's warning instantly silenced both Deidara and Hidan. Within the Akatsuki, the reputation of "disciplinary officer" Konan carried quite a bit of weight.
"Hmph! Who told you, Sasori-danna, never to take me along to Konoha?" Deidara muttered resentfully under his breath.
Ever since he had seen, from a distance, that awe-inspiring sight of a "giant mushroom cloud" over Konoha, Deidara had been pestering Sasori non-stop about wanting to meet the one who had displayed such an "ultimate art" there, to exchange artistic insight.
If Sasori hadn't stopped him, Deidara probably would've run off to Konoha on his own already.
"That was the leader's order," Sasori replied impatiently. "If you have complaints, take them to him."
This was Konoha, after all—not some roadside latrine you could wander into at will.
At that, Deidara immediately deflated.
It was strange. He wasn't afraid of Itachi, who had beaten him decisively and dragged him into Akatsuki. He didn't fear anyone else in the organization, either. The only ones who intimidated him at all were Pain, and to a lesser degree, Konan.
As Deidara once put it: seeing Pain was like being summoned by the homeroom teacher; seeing Konan was like running into the head of the disciplinary committee.
"Was Konoha fun?" Hidan asked eagerly. Among those present, only Deidara was willing to pay him any attention.
At that time, Hidan had just joined Akatsuki and hadn't yet been assigned a partner, so he'd missed out on the Konoha mission.
"You want to know?" Deidara's eyes lit up with mischief. He crooked his finger at Hidan. "Then come closer, I'll tell you."
The two of them squatted down together, whispering animatedly, with words like "low-tier art," "mid-tier art," and "ultimate art" sprinkled throughout their chatter.
Both were the type to flare up and cool down quickly, always noisy when people were around.
Not long after, several more figures materialized—Pain's Deva Path and Konan.
"It seems everyone is here," Pain said flatly, his voice calm yet authoritative as it echoed through the cavern.
Deidara and Hidan immediately straightened up, dropping their antics and standing solemnly beside their partners, as if they had been serious all along.
"Before we begin," Pain's commanding voice reverberated in the chamber, "there is one matter to address. Itachi Uchiha, for acting on his own and infiltrating Konoha, has been slain by his younger brother, Uchiha Sasuke."
"This is his ring."
He opened his hand, revealing the ring engraved with "朱" (Scarlet), lying silently in his palm.
The news drew a variety of reactions from the Akatsuki members: some shocked, some unsurprised, some indifferent. The one who reacted the strongest was Deidara.
Not because he had been close to Itachi, but because Itachi was the one he had sworn to defeat. Itachi had humiliated him with genjutsu, and Deidara had long dreamed of repaying him with his "art."
But one thing all of them shared was acknowledgement of Itachi's strength.
To have nearly annihilated Orochimaru in direct combat—that feat alone had proven Itachi's terrifying power.
"What a pity," Kisame said in his distinctive, drawling tone. He had known of this outcome beforehand, yet every time he thought of Itachi, he felt a pang of regret.
Itachi-san… I had hoped to witness that true world at your side.
But now, you will never see it.
"Leader, are we to avenge him?" Deidara was the first to ask. As much as he disliked Itachi, the man was still Akatsuki. Inside the group, they could fight among themselves—but outsiders had no right.
"If you're planning to go after Sasuke Uchiha, count me in."
But the reply he got was—
"No." Pain's refusal was immediate and cold. "He never truly joined us, nor did he share our ideals. In truth, he was Konoha's spy."
"…Is that so?" Deidara nodded and said no more.
If he was a traitor, then vengeance was unnecessary.
Still, he silently etched the name "Uchiha Sasuke" into memory.
Someday, he would make him witness "art."
The father's debt repaid by the son, the elder brother's grudge avenged by the younger. Fair, isn't it?
"A Konoha spy, killed by Konoha shinobi… how amusing," Hidan sneered.
"That's nothing unusual," Kakuzu cut in, as if provoked by Hidan's remark. "Ninja villages are never truly united. Only a fool like you would find that surprising."
"You bastard! You wanna fight?!"
"Looks like I've got another bounty to claim." Kakuzu pulled a small ledger from his cloak, licked his finger, and flipped through it until he found Hidan's name. His face twisted with mock regret. "Your bounty's down to five million ryō. A shame."
"After all, that's the fifth time this month already."
"What? Are you looking down on me?" Hidan roared, holding up three fingers. "Three days! Give me three days and I'll push that bounty back up to fifteen million, believe it or not!"
"…Is that so? I'll be watching." Kakuzu sneered.
"All right, enough about Uchiha Itachi." Even though Pain's body was just a puppet, Nagato himself felt a headache coming on. His members were powerful, yes—but far too idiotic at times.
"Now, onto the first matter of this meeting."
"Finally!" Deidara's palms twitched with excitement, the mouths in his hands drooling as their tongues lolled out. "Where are we going this time? Hm? I've developed a brand new form of art—I call it Number 18!"
"Deidara, this isn't a school trip." Konan glared at him, exasperated. "Pay attention to what Pain is saying. Don't interrupt."
The way she scolded him, it was like dealing with a misbehaving child.
Which, in truth, he was—barely fifteen years old, and with his flighty temperament, very much still a child.
"Yes ma'am, Konan-nee!" Deidara snapped to attention, standing straight.
Even Sasori, the one he called "danna," never dared provoke the big sister of Akatsuki.
The moment the "disciplinary officer" spoke, the entire chamber fell silent—her words carried more weight than the leader's.
Pain nodded and continued: "By rights, Akatsuki should consist of ten members.
"Orochimaru betrayed us, and now Itachi has been eliminated. The 'Suzaku (Scarlet)' and 'Chūkū (Sky)' rings are vacant.
"To fill them, I have recruited several new members."
This immediately drew everyone's attention.
"Fresh blood, eh?" Kakuzu took out his little book again. "Wonder how much they're worth."
"Recruited personally by the leader? They must be strong," Deidara said.
"A new Chūkū? Then Orochimaru's ring has been retrieved?" Sasori asked.
"I have a suggestion."
The sudden voice shocked everyone present. Without anyone noticing, another figure had appeared—no, not one, but two… no, three.
"Can't we hold these meetings somewhere brighter?"
The speaker's form became visible, the first thing catching the eye being a head of striking blond hair.
With hands spread wide, he went on: "Meeting in a pitch-black cave like this… doesn't it make us seem too much like a villain organization?"
Pls drop some power stones supper me at my
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