In the original story, the members of the Akatsuki were basically endgame bosses, fully leveled, top-tier configurations. Every time they went after a tailed beast, it felt like adults bullying children.
Many people said every Akatsuki member had Kage-level strength, but that was a bit of an exaggeration.
Aside from Pain, Uchiha Itachi, and Sasori, who indeed possessed Kage-tier combat power, the rest, like Hidan, Kakuzu, Zetsu, and Kisame, were more like specialists who mastered niche techniques.
They relied on others' lack of intel to exploit the information gap, struck with a few well-prepared combos, and if it didn't work, they'd just retreat. With the Akatsuki's mysterious reputation, they could move unchallenged in the original story, which in turn made each member overly confident.
That confidence was also the reason they worked only in pairs, it was their limit.
Any more people, and they'd either worry about leaking information or take it as an insult to their power.
But now…
The Akatsuki members had adjusted their mindsets.
The reason was simple, they had seen the photo of the "Demon's Hand."
An ultra-wide-scale attack that spanned kilometers and reached thousands of meters underground…
Wait, wasn't the dinosaur extinction caused by Ryosuke?
If they had enough people, they'd probably send their entire force out together every mission, everyone tied to one another, terrified that one day a single purple vine would find them and bring annihilation from the sky.
They had become humble. And cautious.
As the Land of Water fell and the Land of Wind became Ryosuke's ATM, the remaining financial conglomerates of the Fire, Earth, and Lightning Nations had gone completely mad, scrambling to send Pain money.
If Kakuzu could see this from beyond the grave, he'd probably die satisfied.
Besides throwing money, the three nations secretly established research labs, recruiting scientists, tacticians, and ninjutsu experts from all across the land, dedicated entirely to supplying the Akatsuki with weapons, battle strategies, and every possible resource for free.
And for all this, the corporations had only one demand, or rather, one plea, someday, kill Ryosuke. Overthrow his evil rule.
The telescope in Itachi Uchiha's hand was one of the customized tools made according to his tactical style.
It wasn't just a regular monocular. It had rangefinding, night vision, and target-locking capabilities.
Itachi's model was for long-distance combat, while another version, head-mounted like Deidara's mini-scope, allowed hands-free use during battle.
The labs were also rushing to develop chakra armor and upgrade the mechanical weaponry used by Pain's Asura Path. They even mass-produced explosive tags for Konan, without limit.
Everyone knew that a battle between Ryosuke and the Akatsuki was inevitable.
The loss of Shukaku to Ryosuke, the financial backing from the corporations, their conflicting ideals, all these reasons were like unseen hands pushing both sides toward each other.
Eventually, they would face each other at noon, standing face-to-face, looking into one another's eyes, ready to kill or be killed, drawing their "guns" and firing their bullets.
Before that, they had to prepare.
Their training, their equipment, and their hearts.
Uchiha Itachi lifted his gaze to glance at the others inside the base. His eyes, calm as still water, betrayed no emotion. He put down the telescope and walked out of the lounge.
Zetsu and Konan watched his back.
He was always like that, polite, restrained, never showing emotion.
And because of that, aside from his partner Kisame, no one in the Akatsuki dared to get close to this patricidal maniac.
Who knew when he'd lose his mind again?
Itachi slipped through the base's corridors, avoiding all hidden sentries, and came to an empty clearing outside. There, he waited quietly.
After ten minutes or so, a crow flew in from afar, flapping its wings before landing on his palm.
Tied to its leg was a letter.
Itachi untied it.
The letter was short, barely twenty or thirty characters including punctuation, but Itachi stared at it for nearly five minutes, reading it over and over.
Countless thoughts flashed through his mind, only to be crushed one after another, until he finally accepted a single truth, "The Fifth Hokage, Tsunade, does not recognize Uchiha Itachi as a Konoha ninja."
He had been expelled.
For the sake of protecting the village, for peace, he had slaughtered his entire clan, endured humiliation, and carried that burden alone… and yet, the Hokage had really banished him.
What was the point of his sacrifice?
What about his parents and clan, whom he had personally killed?
Itachi's expression remained calm as still water, but inside, waves were raging.
His thoughts were a mess. Sometimes his mind drifted back to that night of slaughter; other times it jumped ahead to the present, worrying that with Konoha now so closely tied to Ryosuke, it might have already become a thorn in the Fire Nation's side.
Countless thoughts spiraled through his head as he stood frozen in place, not knowing where to go or what to do.
His eyes lost focus, his Sharingan flickering between three tomoe and Mangekyō, blood trickled down his face, but he didn't care. His mind was drowning in chaos, regret, anger, and an unspeakable sense of betrayal.
Until, Itachi suddenly smiled.
He had found his answer.
"Tsunade."
He stared hard at the letter in his hand, a faint smile curling at his lips.
'I heard Ryosuke is the reincarnation of a succubus. Tsunade must have fallen under his charm, that's why she refused to let me return. Yes, that must be it.'
'Otherwise, it makes no sense. She knows everything, she knows it was all Danzō's plan, done for peace, so why couldn't she understand my reasons?'
'If I kill her, the next Hokage won't reject my return.'
'And Tsunade's pro–Ryosuke policies will only turn the Fire Nation and the corporations against Konoha. She'll drag the village into the abyss.'
'Only by killing Tsunade can I save the Leaf.'
A banished shinobi returning to kill the Hokage, that was outright treason. But for the village's long-term survival, Uchiha Itachi was willing to bear the sin.
Just as he always had.
His once-confused gaze turned firm again.
"This… is the Will of Fire."
Having made his decision, Itachi tore the letter to pieces, returned to the lounge, picked up the telescope and other equipment, and went to the training hall to continue his practice.
Seeing him come back suddenly so motivated, Konan, Zetsu, and Kisame exchanged confused looks.
"What's up with him?" Zetsu asked.
Kisame scratched his head. "Maybe…"
"His constipation's cured, so he's in a good mood?"
———
Thirty horse-drawn carriages rolled into Gorin City under the blazing sun, stirring the entire city.
Ryosuke told everyone to lift the covers off the carriages and show the citizens the gold and jewels they'd brought back.
When they heard that every coin would go toward rebuilding the city and compensating the families of the fallen, the cheers along the streets grew even louder.
Ryosuke sat in the carriage, listening to the shouts, watching the smiling faces of children who could finally eat well and live under a new roof.
He smiled too.
Gaara, sitting beside him, saw the citizens waving at him. He wanted to wave back, but halfway through raising his hand, he caught sight of his father standing straight beside him. Afraid of being scolded for not being dignified, he quietly lowered his hand again.
Yet, in his eyes, there was a faint light of life that hadn't been there before.
"The people outside the village… they're so warm."
"Going out like this… feels really nice."
After escorting the convoy to the city hall, Ryosuke parted ways with the others and got out alone, heading toward the outskirts.
Ten minutes later, he knocked on an old wooden door.
The floorboards creaked. The door opened. A woman in a wheelchair, Yui, the wife of the City Blind, sat there. When she saw Ryosuke, she froze for half a second.
She had already heard the convoy was returning today. She had taken the time to put on light makeup and a pretty dress, waiting at home for her husband to come back.
Even though her husband was blind, she knew that with his sharp senses, he would still feel her care and preparation.
But after that brief moment of confusion, she quickly realized something was wrong.
The convoy had just returned, and her husband wasn't among them. If something had merely delayed him, anyone could have been sent to deliver the news.
Yet the one standing at her door now, was none other than the legendary Lord Ryosuke.
The answer… was obvious.
Ryosuke reached into his bag and carefully took out a small wooden box containing a broken, charred hairpin.
"This was the last gift he chose for you."
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