Chapter 54 Team Building Goal: That Slippery Snake
Deep underground in the Hidden Rain Village, the Akatsuki's core meeting room.
A thin reimbursement form was slammed heavily onto the stone table, making the teacups dance from the vibration.
"Bam!"
"One hundred and twenty million Ryo!!"
Kakuzu's dark green eyes stared intently at the red-haired youth opposite him, his voice icy: "Sasori of the Red Sand, did you plate your Puppets in gold?!"
In less than twenty-four hours on the job, this new 'Technical Director' had burned through half a year of the Hidden Rain Village's military budget.
The reimbursement form clearly read: [Performance of a Hundred Puppets Repair] and [New Strategic Strike Materials].
Facing Kakuzu, who held the financial power, Sasori—the Puppeteer who had already switched back to his original youthful form—didn't even lift an eyelid.
He nonchalantly adjusted his finger joints. "Vulgar. That's not scrap metal; it's Refined Tungsten Steel with the highest Chakra conductivity, along with anti-corrosive toxins from the Land of Wind. How can one pursue eternal art without spending money?"
"Spending money?"
The veins on Kakuzu's forehead throbbed violently. "My principle is to spend money where it counts! Not for you to just make some noise! This single expense is enough for that waste Maeda to gamble in the casino until his hands cramp!"
"That's your problem."
Sasori snorted with contempt, a natural disdain from a technical geek toward a capitalist. "The leader promised that my research and development budget would have no ceiling. If you can't afford it, it only proves your ability to amass wealth doesn't match my technology."
"You're looking for death, brat..."
Kakuzu's killing intent surged. He had never been subjected to this kind of 'you're poor, so shut up' attitude in his life.
Sasori's fingertips moved slightly, and several nearly invisible Chakra threads instantly pulled taut, connecting to the scrolls behind him.
The meeting room instantly turned into a pressure cooker, liable to explode at any moment.
Caught in the middle, Nagato sighed silently and maneuvered his wheelchair back a bit. With the purse strings on one side and the firepower on the other, as the nominal 'God', he felt this sort of office infighting reeking of money was truly damaging to his image.
"Enough."
A soft whisper, not loud, yet like a bucket of liquid nitrogen, instantly froze the explosive atmosphere in the room.
Kakuzu and Sasori, who were ready to beat each other's brains out a moment ago, both stiffened and withdrew their Chakra with perfect synchronicity.
In this room, only one person possessed absolute authority.
Yahiko rested his chin on one hand, sitting in the main seat with a playful look in his eyes. "Kakuzu, give it to him."
Kakuzu's face darkened, clutching his chest as if a piece of his flesh had been cut out, but he still grunted in response: "...Yes. However, leader, at this rate of spending, the casino revenue from Maeda's side won't last three months."
"Money is not an issue."
Yahiko waved his hand, his gaze sweeping over the cold-faced Konan.
The moment Sasori signed the contract, Konan had already activated her Stand [Heavens Door]. In the backend of Sasori's 'Book of Life', she had implanted a top-priority underlying logic:
"Only in the Akatsuki can eternal art be realized; betraying Yahiko is equivalent to betraying art itself."
This was a Mental Seal, and the switch was held in Yahiko's hand.
"Sasori, since the funds have been approved, you must produce results." Yahiko tapped the table lightly with his knuckles, like a client inspecting a project. "Let me see your work."
When his professional field was mentioned, the arrogance in Sasori's eyes faded, replaced by fanaticism.
"Of course. Although that Puppeteer's corpse was of average quality, this new vessel is simply an aesthetic of violence."
Nagato signaled the Animal Path behind him to form hand seals: "Summoning Jutsu!"
"Bam!"
A huge cloud of white smoke exploded. As the smoke cleared, a bald man, as burly as an iron tower, stood before everyone.
It was indeed the Puppeteer's corpse that Yahiko had brought back, now the—Asura Path.
But under the craftsmanship of Sasori, the Grandmaster, and with the investment of Kakuzu's 'money-power', the Asura Path before them had been completely transformed, exuding a cyberpunk aesthetic of violence.
"Clack, clack, clack—"
The dense sound of interlocking gears was enough to make one's teeth ache.
The Asura Path's originally normal body suddenly split open!
Two rows of honeycomb micro-missile pods ejected from its back, its arms transformed into high-speed triple-barreled Gatling guns, and a pitch-black hatch slid open on its chest, revealing a laser cannon port condensing terrifying purple Chakra.
Jet propulsion systems spewed blue flames from the back of its legs, and its joints were lined with cold, gleaming Refined Tungsten Steel blades.
"One hundred and eight mechanisms have been implanted throughout the body, combined with the modifications of the Rinnegan's Summoning Jutsu."
Sasori looked at his masterpiece, his tone tinged with a hint of showing off. "Although flexibility was sacrificed, in terms of fire coverage... it is S-rank."
Nagato controlled the Asura Path to raise its arm.
The dark muzzles slowly rotated, instantly locking onto Kakuzu.
Kakuzu stared at those cold, gleaming barrels. His 'miserly' expression of heartache gradually vanished, replaced by a merchant's shrewd calculation.
"This kind of destructive power..."
Kakuzu's brain rapidly calculated the ROI. "To conquer the Daimyo's Estate of a small country would probably only take ten minutes. No need to hire personnel, no pensions for the dead... Hmm, this money was well spent."
As long as the killing efficiency was high enough, it was a good investment.
"This is just the beginning."
Yahiko stood up and walked to the massive map of the Ninja World.
At this moment, the Akatsuki's 'founding team' was fully formed:
Heavenly Dao (Hanzou): Company spokesperson, nuclear deterrence.
Asura Path (Puppeteer): Humanoid Gundam, fire coverage.
Animal Path (Fuuma): Spirit Beast legion, Summoner.
Preta Path (Grass Ninja Guide): Mage slayer, Chakra-absorbing shield.
Human Path (Takigakure Jonin): Intelligence harvester.
Naraka Path (Jashin Priest): Fully automatic healer, respawn point.
Add to that Konan's crowd control, Kakuzu's turret, Sasori's legion tactics, and Nagato as a super-strong 'nuclear battery'.
And of course, the final trump card—himself, possessing [King Crimson] and the [Flying Thunder God].
This lineup already had the qualifications to Stand on the stage of the Ninja World.
"It's also time to go see that scapegoat."
Yahiko's finger traced across the map, finally stopping at an inconspicuous marker on the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Rice Fields.
The ground in the corner wriggled.
Zetsu's iconic pitcher-plant-like figure slowly emerged.
"Seems I've arrived just in time~" White Zetsu said with a grinning face. "The intelligence is confirmed."
"Orochimaru." Black Zetsu's raspy voice continued. "After the Nine-Tails Attack, he was suspected of stealing the scroll of seals and has been establishing secret bases in the Land of Rice Fields. He is researching 'immortality' and has recently been collecting a large number of orphans with special Kekkei Genkais."
"Moreover~" White Zetsu gestured exaggeratedly, "He is very interested in both the Sharingan and the Rinnegan, constantly muttering about a 'perfect vessel'."
Hearing 'Rinnegan', Nagato's originally calm eyes flickered, his voice cold: "He wants my eyes? Overestimating himself."
"It's not just the eyes."
Yahiko turned around, a smile curling on his lips. "That fellow possesses the top biotechnology in the Ninja World. Nagato, your legs, and your vitality overdrawn by the Gedo Statue, perhaps only he can provide a solution."
Nagato's body was a major hidden danger. Although having the Six Paths share the burden was good, it only treated the symptoms. If the root problem wasn't solved, he would eventually be sucked dry by the Rinnegan.
And Orochimaru, the Genius scientist who mastered 'Hashirama cells' and 'Living Corpse Reincarnation', was the 'private doctor' Yahiko had slated.
"A technical Advisor?" Sasori narrowed his eyes. "I've heard that guy is also an expert in human modification. I'm somewhat interested to see if his physical modification is stronger, or my eternal Puppets."
"He's not interested in money, but the Konoha Forbidden Jutsu data he took with him is worth a lot."
Kakuzu gave an affirmative assessment: "He's a walking vault."
"Since everyone is interested, then it's easy."
Yahiko looked around.
Outside the window, a bolt of lightning struck, stretching his shadow incredibly long, like a Dragon waiting to devour someone. He looked at this group of S-rank monsters, enough to give the Five Kage a headache, as a glint of red light flashed in his eyes.
"The Akatsuki's first all-hands team building activity, destination—the Land of Rice Fields."
"The theme: Capture Orochimaru."
Yahiko paused for a moment, the phantom of King Crimson flashing behind him, its ferocious face carrying a mockery of time.
"Remember, we need him alive. If he's unwilling to join gracefully..."
Yahiko straightened his collar, his tone gentle yet cruel. "Then we'll help him be decent."
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