Danzo's request clearly displeased Kakuzu.
Recently, someone on the black market had raised Danzo's bounty by another forty million ryō. To Kakuzu, that was nothing less than a walking treasure chest.
After all, he had nearly lost everything in the betting pool White Zetsu had organized. He was still waiting to cash in Danzo's head and recover his losses.
Although he had no idea what method Danzo used to come back from death, Kakuzu refused to believe such an ability came without a price.
After all, his own Earth Grudge Fear had required him to steal hearts from others just to prolong his life, turning himself into a monster in the process.
Thinking about it, Kakuzu licked his lips.
A technique capable of repeatedly cheating death?
His interest in Danzo grew even stronger.
"Danzo, this old man once attempted to assassinate the First Hokage. Even the current Fourth Hokage was only able to fight me to a draw. Naturally, my standards are high. Those lacking sufficient strength have no place in Akatsuki. I was merely testing your abilities on behalf of the leader. What, do you have a problem with that?"
No one responded.
It was obvious this was not the first time they had heard Kakuzu brag about the First Hokage and the Fourth Hokage. Everyone present had heard those stories so many times that they were practically numb to them.
Danzo merely snorted.
"I think it would be better if I were paired with Fugaku. We're both from Konoha. Our cooperation would be much smoother."
His true target, however, was Fugaku's Mangekyō Sharingan.
Fugaku had led the Konoha Crush Plan, and Danzo had witnessed the chaos of that night firsthand. There was no way he could remain indifferent.
A strange light flickered in Fugaku's eyes.
"If Elder Danzo wishes to partner with me, that isn't impossible."
In reality, Fugaku's objective had already been nearly achieved.
He had wanted Kakuzu to test Danzo's dōjutsu and force him to expend more Sharingan in the process. Thanks to that battle, Fugaku now had a rough understanding of Kagami Uchiha's Mangekyō ability.
"Hey, hey, Fugaku, are you abandoning me already?" Biwa Jūzō complained, glaring coldly at Danzo.
Pakura listened quietly as the room descended into noise.
Though she remained silent, she had her own grievances.
The source of her current situation could be traced directly back to Sasori's assassination of the Third Kazekage.
And now she was still being assigned to work alongside him.
No matter how she looked at it, the arrangement felt wrong.
Countless times, she had nearly failed to suppress the killing intent she felt toward Sasori.
She wanted nothing more than to kill him and send both his corpse and the Third Kazekage puppet back to Sunagakure.
Just imagining Chiyo and Rasa's expressions was enough to satisfy her.
As those thoughts drifted through her mind, her killing intent rose slightly once more.
Her gaze shifted toward Fugaku.
For some reason, he seemed strangely familiar.
Could this guy be the masked man she had lived with in that cave for months?
Pakura gradually drifted off into her own thoughts.
Meanwhile, the meeting room had become as noisy as a marketplace.
Arguments.
Insults.
Challenges.
Provocation.
Daydreaming.
Every kind of distraction was present.
"Enough!"
Pain's icy voice instantly silenced the room.
These people were becoming increasingly unruly.
Did they even regard him as their leader anymore?
Did they think this was some kind of market where they could bargain and choose partners at will?
Perhaps it was time to make an example of someone and establish unquestionable authority.
Pain's cold gaze settled on Danzo.
"Team assignments are based on the compatibility of your abilities. Since the teams have already been arranged, these assignments will remain in effect for now. Minor adjustments may be made after new members join. Until then, the current teams will not change."
Nagato's tone was frigid.
In his view, explanations were unnecessary.
Subordinates only needed to obey orders.
His Rinnegan fixed itself upon Danzo, its overwhelming pressure impossible to ignore.
Faced with that terrifying gaze, and seeing everyone else immediately fall silent, Danzo reluctantly chose to back down.
He had a feeling that if he continued arguing, he would become the perfect target for a demonstration of authority.
Ironically, this was exactly the kind of thing he used to do within Root.
Thinking of Root made Danzo recall his days in Konoha.
When Fugaku had addressed him as "Elder Danzo," he had almost become emotional.
I'm so tired, Hiruzen.
I can't keep living this rogue ninja life.
Where are you?
I miss you.
I even miss your secondhand smoke.
While Danzo was lost in nostalgia, Pain's attention shifted to Kakuzu.
"Kakuzu, if you attack another teammate again, you'll answer to me."
"I understand."
Kakuzu curled his lips dismissively.
Internally, he remained unconvinced.
After all, teammates dying during missions was hardly unusual.
As long as he was careful enough, there would be no problem.
Once Kakuzu had outwardly accepted the warning, Pain continued.
"That concludes the matter of team assignments."
"The next phase of our operation begins now."
"We will no longer focus on accumulating funds. From this point onward, our primary objective is the collection of the Tailed Beasts."
Everyone immediately became attentive.
Pain began assigning targets.
"Sasori and Pakura will travel to the Land of Wind and capture the One-Tail. Afterward, proceed to Takigakure and capture the Seven-Tails."
"Kakuzu and Danzo will travel to the Land of Lightning and capture the Two-Tails and Three-Tails."
"Fugaku and Biwa Jūzō will travel to the Land of Earth and capture the Four-Tails and Five-Tails."
"Konan and Zetsu will travel to the Land of Water and capture the Six-Tails."
"As for the Eight-Tails and Nine-Tails, I will personally handle them."
"These assignments are temporary until additional members join the organization."
The distribution was only provisional.
Capturing even a single Tailed Beast was no easy task, let alone two.
Nagato did not expect immediate success.
Still, the timing was favorable.
The Fourth Shinobi World War had not occurred in this timeline, but the recent great war had left every major village weakened. Years of conflict had caused severe losses across the shinobi world.
Kirigakure and Kumogakure had each suffered devastating destruction.
For Akatsuki, this presented a rare opportunity.
And if the missions failed?
Nagato would personally deploy the Six Paths of Pain.
He possessed the corpses of the Third Mizukage, the Fourth Mizukage, and Hanzō of the Salamander.
After Sasori's modifications, those bodies retained their original abilities. Combined with the power of the Rinnegan, there were few places in the shinobi world beyond their reach.
"Zetsu," Pain said, "continue monitoring developments throughout the shinobi world. Locate the Jinchūriki of every village as quickly as possible."
"Understood."
Zetsu handled the vast majority of Akatsuki's intelligence gathering.
Although he would accompany Konan in capturing the Six-Tails, Kirigakure's current strength was relatively weak. With only a single target assigned, the workload was lighter, allowing him more freedom to collect information.
At the same time, this arrangement reduced the danger facing Konan.
Pain's gaze swept across the room.
"Does anyone have anything else to discuss?"
The meaning was obvious.
Speak now, or leave and get to work.
Kakuzu hesitated.
There was one question he desperately wanted to ask.
During the previous phase, Akatsuki had accepted countless commissions, fought in wars, and collected bounties.
So where had all that money gone?
The money.
The money!
This was an extremely important issue.
For the first time, Kakuzu felt as though he had been deceived.
When he was recruited, he had been promised endless missions and limitless funding.
Now the organization had reached the next stage, and the leader was talking only about work, not compensation.
It felt suspiciously similar to a company promising wealth and status before recruitment, only to stop mentioning salaries once it became successful.
However, after looking into Pain's cold Rinnegan, Kakuzu wisely swallowed his question.
"I will continue using the Astral Projection Technique as our means of communication. It will allow everyone to assemble quickly when necessary."
"Since there is nothing further to discuss, this meeting is adjourned."
As soon as the words fell, Nagato dispelled the technique.
The projections vanished instantly.
Only the lonely oil lamp remained in the
dark room.
Far away, within a forest in the Land of Rice Fields, Kakuzu slowly opened his eyes.
His gaze drifted toward Danzo, who stood some distance away, maintaining a vigilant posture.
A smile slowly spread across Kakuzu's face.
===
Read chapters ahead on Patreon, with every chapter organized into collections.
P-a-t-r-e-o-n.com/_Zeph.