"So, now that you know about all this filth, do you still want to kill a Daimyo?" Kakuzu asked Diarmuid with a chuckle.
Diarmuid rubbed his chin. "First, I need to confirm two things. One: you and Sasori are both S-rank rogue ninja, and I'm an S-rank wanted criminal, right?"
"Correct," Kakuzu and Sasori nodded.
"In other words, we aren't exactly the 'good guys' in the public eye, and we won't be having any official cooperation with the Five Great Nations anyway, right?" Diarmuid asked again.
"Correct," they replied once more.
After a slight pause, Sasori added, "But don't forget Orochimaru. He's still a shinobi of Konohagakure."
"Don't worry about that guy. Given his pursuits and ideals, he's bound to fall out with Konoha sooner or later. We'll just keep his involvement a secret for now," Diarmuid laughed.
Orochimaru? Was he the type of person to care about such things?
Before Sasori or Kakuzu could speak, Diarmuid continued, "So, as it stands, our reputations aren't exactly pristine. We don't need to worry about whether this job will tarnish our image. That leaves only two considerations. First: if we take out this Daimyo, will we actually get paid?"
Kakuzu, being a professional in this field, answered immediately. "The money won't be an issue. For these kinds of black-market bounties, the funds are held in escrow by brokers with ironclad reputations. The money is in the broker's hands, and we take the mission from them. We won't even know which village officially posted the bounty. Once the mission is complete, the broker hands over the reward. Of course, whether you live long enough to spend it is another story."
"Excellent. Then that settles the first point. The second point leads into what you just said, whether we'll have the life left in us to spend the money. What I want to ask is... do either of you actually care about being labeled a 'terrorist organization' by the nations?" Diarmuid asked with a grin.
He certainly didn't care. He had no intention of cooperating with the Five Great Nations, and the same went for the Five Hidden Villages. He had already offended Kumogakure to the point of no return, and eventually, he'd likely do the same to Konoha. As for Sunagakure, Iwagakure, and Kirigakure, Diarmuid had almost zero interest in them. Considering his likely future pursuit of the Tailed Beasts, they were bound to end up on opposite sides anyway.
Diarmuid didn't give a damn how they defined him. He had no plans to play nice.
Kakuzu glanced at Sasori, who was looking back at him. Then, both of them started to laugh.
"Takigakure is a subordinate ally of Konoha. To Konoha, I'm an S-rank rogue ninja and a top-tier target for assassination. Do you think I care?" Kakuzu chuckled.
"I killed the Third Kazekage and turned the Third Raikage into a Human Puppet. What do you think?" Sasori said, amused.
Exactly. From the perspective of the Five Great Nations, there wasn't a single "good person" in this group. Does it matter what label they give the organization? It was meaningless.
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go big! We'll do what others don't dare. It's just the Daimyo of the Land of Earth, right? We'll send him to the afterlife and collect those 300 million Ryō. That's how we'll establish the name and style of the Yorozuya. We don't look at the consequences; we only look at the money! If the price is right, we'll even kill a Daimyo for you. I bet once the Five Great Nations realize they can't touch us, the Hidden Villages will be crawling to us in secret whenever they have a problem they can't handle themselves. Hahahaha!" Diarmuid roared with laughter.
"If the price is right, we'll even kill a Daimyo for you?" Kakuzu whispered, repeating Diarmuid's words. A spark lit up in his eyes. "Excellent. I love that. If the Yorozuya needs a signature style, I think that fits us perfectly."
"Daimyo always seemed like pathetic specimens to me, but I wouldn't mind adding one to my collection of Human Puppets," Sasori added with a thin smile.
The three quickly reached a consensus: they were going after the Daimyo of the Land of Earth. They began to exchange tactical thoughts.
"While the Daimyo themselves have no power, they are always protected by high-level shinobi," Kakuzu noted. For example, the Land of Fire had the Twelve Guardian Shinobi. Sarutobi Asuma and the monk Chiriku, who would later die at Kakuzu's hands, were both members. The Land of Earth likely had something similar.
"How 'high-level' are we talking?" Sasori asked dismissively.
Kakuzu blinked, then realized the absurdity of the question. He shook his head and laughed. "True. There's no need to worry about them."
With their combined strength, anyone who stood in their way would simply be slaughtered. Kakuzu recalled the overwhelming power Diarmuid had shown when he killed the Raikage in the Land of Earth; thousands of shinobi couldn't even breathe under his pressure. No matter how important a Daimyo was, he couldn't travel with thousands of ninja at all times. At most, he'd have a dozen or so elite bodyguards. Against this trio, a dozen elites weren't even worth looking at.
"Kakuzu, go accept the mission. And do it loudly. Announce that for the sake of Konoha's ultimate victory, to end this chaotic war as soon as possible, and for 'love and peace,' our Yorozuya will eliminate the Daimyo of the Land of Earth. Tell him to wash his neck and wait for death," Diarmuid ordered.
"That arrogant?" Kakuzu laughed.
"The more arrogant we are, the better we showcase our strength," Diarmuid smirked.
"Fine, I'll go now." When it came to making big money, Kakuzu's efficiency was unmatched.
As he stood up, Diarmuid added, "By the way, send a message to Orochimaru. Ask him if he wants in."
"I doubt it," Kakuzu said, then chuckled. "He might even quit our 'terrorist organization' once he finds out."
"Don't worry. Even if he isn't interested, he won't quit," Diarmuid waved him off.
Soon, Kakuzu departed to claim the contract. As soon as he left, Diarmuid remembered something and slapped his forehead. "I forgot to ask him about something!"
"Ask what?" Sasori asked, heading toward the inner chambers.
Diarmuid followed him. "Packing up?"
"Yes. This is the perfect chance to test the power of the Third Raikage," Sasori said calmly.
"I'm looking forward to seeing what he can do as a puppet." Diarmuid nodded. "By the way, what do you know about that Akatsuki organization in the Land of Rain that Kakuzu mentioned?"
Sasori turned to look at him. "I know a bit."
The Land of Rain was currently a chaotic mess. In the Third Shinobi World War, everyone, except the Land of Water and the battered Land of Wind, was fighting there. Kumogakure, Konoha, and Iwagakure had turned it into a bloodbath. Even with the "Demigod" Hanzo of the Salamander in charge, the country was in tatters.
"Do you have spies there?"
Sasori didn't deny it. "Yes, but they're just minor assets. I considered going into seclusion in the Land of Rain for a while, so I had the area investigated. But the situation is too grim, and Hanzo isn't someone to be trifled with, so I chose the Land of Birds instead."
"What's the status of Akatsuki and the Land of Rain right now?" Diarmuid asked.
"Why the interest? From what I know, it's just a bunch of optimistic, hot-blooded idiots. A 'peace organization' with an ideology that is frankly baffling. Those guys don't understand the reality of Great Nations. Their vision and scope are trapped within the borders of the Land of Rain. They think 'mutual understanding' can achieve world peace... it's nauseating," Sasori said with utter disdain.
As a descendant of Sunagakure's elite, Sasori knew exactly how ruthless the Great Nations and Hidden Villages truly were. To think they could be moved by "love and peace" was a fantasy.
Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan held these ideals because of where they were born and what they had suffered. Small nations couldn't fathom how Great Nations thought. In Sasori's eyes, they were escaping reality. Lacking the power to enforce peace, they hallucinated that they could talk the strong into it. It was no different from a weakling begging for mercy.
Even if they "succeeded" and the war stopped, it would only be because of the "mercy" of the strong. The moment interests conflicted again, that mercy would evaporate.
This was why Sasori looked down on Akatsuki. It was only later, after Yahiko died and Nagato darkened, deciding to "let the world feel pain," that Akatsuki's influence truly shook the world. The "Peaceful Akatsuki" was ignored and manipulated by Danzo; the "Terrorist Akatsuki" made the world tremble. Reality is often that ironic. When you call for peace, you're a fool; when you use violence, you're feared.
"Don't be so harsh," Diarmuid mused. "They're fighting for their ideals. You might disagree with their philosophy, but there's no need to be so cutting."
Sasori paused. "Fighting for their ideals?" He murmured the phrase. "Perhaps." His voice softened slightly, and his disdain seemed to lessen.
He quickly regained his composure. "As for the Land of Rain, Hanzo may be called a Demigod, but facing the pressure of the Great Nations, especially after his defeat in the last war, he seems... diminished." Sasori hesitated. "I suspect he's grown old. His ambition is gone; he only cares about protecting his own power."
In the Second Shinobi World War, Hanzo was the protagonist of the era. He declared war on the Lands of Wind, Fire, and Iron simultaneously. Though he lost, he nearly elevated the Land of Rain to the status of a Great Nation. But now, he was an old man... and he had changed.