Looking at the empty room, Itachi seemed lost in thought.
When he saw Tsunade earlier, he had a sudden idea: to curry favor with her and make sure she remembered him.
After all, as Sasuke grew older, Itachi knew he couldn't keep Sasuke in Konoha forever.
If he planned to bring Sasuke out of the village—or even convince Naruto to leave—it would be necessary to find a suitable place for them.
Coincidentally, wasn't Orochimaru in the process of creating a village of his own? Tsunade would be a valuable asset in such a scenario.
...
"Tsunade-sama, where's your money? How about letting me manage it for you?"
Shizune was briefly stunned when she saw Tsunade approach her.
So, they decided to have dinner at a nearby restaurant.
"Manage what? I lost it all! And I even came away with an IOU!"
Tsunade rolled her eyes, feeling frustrated as she downed the drink in front of her.
"What? That fast? Weren't things looking up for you just now?"
Shizune was momentarily bewildered by Tsunade's words.
"Looking up, my ass..."
...
"Should I bring that guy some dinner? After all, it's his money..."
Tsunade's comment was followed by an awkward silence.
After a moment, Shizune softly asked, "Should I?"
"Let him starve. Don't bother."
Tsunade glared at Shizune and responded irritably.
That stingy man! After winning so much money from him, he had the audacity to hesitate when she asked for a loan.
In the end, he only lent her 500,000 ryo, refused to gamble with her again, and even made her sign an IOU.
Not that she had any intention of paying him back…
Now that she thought about it, she might've come out ahead after all.
The thought lifted her spirits slightly.
...
After ordering some food from a waiter, Itachi ate and began refining chakra, planning to sleep once he felt tired.
The night passed uneventfully.
"Sir, who would you like to place a bounty on?"
The next day.
Using a Transformation Jutsu, Itachi walked into a bounty exchange office and submitted a bounty request.
"I don't know his name, but his alias is 'Blood Moon.' He's a bounty hunter. His last known location was in the neighboring town of Shinhe. I'm placing a bounty of 30 million ryo on him."
"Oh, and this is his attire and the design of his mask."
Disguised as a butler, Itachi produced a photo and spoke in a calm tone.
...
After some time, the transaction was completed, and the money was collected.
Itachi left the bounty office, ready to lie in wait.
As the saying goes, money makes the world go round. He had no intention of wandering around to look for people. He'd let them come to him.
Posting a bounty would increase his visibility, draw attention to his location, and possibly catch the Akatsuki's eye. Whether they would recruit him into the organization remained uncertain.
If they didn't, well, with such a high bounty, someone was bound to take on the mission.
And if the Akatsuki didn't recruit him, he'd simply beat the crap out of their members who came after him.
As long as certain individuals didn't step in, he wasn't worried at all.
...
"Kisame, are you sure? Does this 'Blood Moon' really have that kind of power?"
In Amegakure, Pain questioned Kisame seriously.
Sasori, on the other hand, had long since disappeared.
"Yes. I know our organization is short on members, so I came to report this."
Kisame replied in a low voice.
If he could have found Madara, he wouldn't have reported this to Pain first.
Otherwise, if Madara took notice, they might add another member to the organization who was loyal to him.
"Alright. I'll have someone look into it. You may go. The organization is short-staffed lately, so I'll need you to work a bit harder."
After listening to Kisame, Pain nodded lightly and then said,
"Your attitude is quite commendable. After all, we still need to persuade people to get things done."
Kisame truly is a rare and valuable member, worthy of such consideration from him.
…
After Kisame left, Pain instinctively prepared to call Zetsu to investigate this person named "Blood Moon."
However, he recalled that Blood Moon seemed to be a bounty hunter—a loner by nature. There might be a chance to recruit him into their organization.
But when it came to Zetsu, his recent unclear involvement with Obito made Pain uneasy.
"Leader, you called for me?"
Konan's voice came from the office as she was summoned by Pain.
"Hmm, there's something I need you to handle."
Hearing Pain's words, Konan couldn't help but feel a slight joy in her heart. Finally, she could take action again. The last time she had a mission, Itachi's unexpected incident had abruptly cut it short. Since then, she'd essentially been retired...
Now, at last, it was her turn to shine again.
In her mind, she resolved to complete this task perfectly.
…
"There's a talent among the bounty hunters named 'Blood Moon.' He likes to wear a silver demon mask. Go investigate this person."
Pain instructed Konan softly.
"Leader, are we planning to recruit him into the organization?"
After hearing Pain's words, Konan thought for a moment and asked seriously.
She knew she was the person Nagato trusted the most, and he wouldn't call her for trivial matters, fearing for her safety.
"That's not decided yet. First, find out if there's any information on him. Then make contact and see how it goes."
Hearing her question, Pain paused briefly before responding.
The progress of the Akatsuki Organization was indeed somewhat slow recently, mainly due to the lack of members. Their reputation wasn't yet widespread enough.
First, they needed to fill out their roster before addressing other issues.
While they had enough support personnel, what they lacked was top-tier combat power that could hold its own.
…
"Understood!"
After listening to Pain, Konan nodded and replied firmly.
Then, she went off to make preparations.
In her heart, she vowed to complete this mission flawlessly.
She was practically turning into a useless bystander at this point.
Konan really wanted to help lighten Pain's heavy burden.
Thinking it through, she decided to start by checking with the intelligence division to see if there was any information on this bounty hunter.
…
"Lady Angel, the information you requested has arrived."
Before long, Konan was seated upright in her room when a subordinate entered, carrying a stack of documents over a meter high.
Seeing the pile of papers, Konan felt an instant headache...
"Do you have anything more recent?"
Konan hesitated, feeling discouraged. She thought that going through all these documents might be less effective than venturing outside and testing her luck.
"Lady Angel, the latest information is always sent to the leader first for review."
Hearing her question, the subordinate responded softly.
"Uh… I see. Forget it, you can take them back. I won't read them."
Konan, full of wisdom, responded decisively.
She was certain there wouldn't be anything about Blood Moon in that pile.
It wasn't laziness—absolutely not.
She couldn't even fathom how Pain managed to go through all this information over six months.
…
"Lady Angel, the leader is calling for you."
Just as Konan finished packing her belongings, preparing to head out and investigate, the voice of another subordinate came from outside.
"Understood," Konan replied, a bit reluctant, as she set aside the scroll in her hands.
"No way… I haven't even left yet, and my mission's already about to end without results?"
Konan felt a bit frustrated at the thought.
…
With a slightly bitter smile, Konan stepped out of her room and approached Pain's office. She made sure to ease the frown on her face, not wanting Pain to see her troubled expression.
"Leader, you called for me?"
Konan asked softly, her tone carrying a hint of resignation.
"Yes, I've come across some information regarding Blood Moon. Take a look—it might help you."
Pain, oblivious to her mood, responded calmly.
Seeing Konan, Pain was quite pleased. If Konan ever left the organization, he'd have to resort to using his Projection Jutsu to manage things, which he wasn't keen on.
And that would also reveal his thoughts to others, which he preferred to avoid.
…
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