"Mmm-mmm-mmm—"
Kurenai struggled violently on Ryou's shoulder.
Ryou patted her buttocks and grinned lewdly: "Kurenai, just accept your fate. In your next life, give birth to a bunch of little Uchihas for me!"
Kurenai's mouth was gagged, making her unable to speak; otherwise, she would have definitely cursed Ryou's ancestors.
Ryou walked toward the Akatsuki's base, carrying a young girl like a bandit chief taking a captive wife back to his mountain lair, appearing somewhat villainous.
It somewhat affected his sun-like influence within the Akatsuki.
Ryou had Candy find a snakeskin bag to put Kurenai in, then summoned the Snowy and had it carry her.
The current High Cloud Quintet all had Ryou's life spores grafted onto them, making each of them equivalent to having an elite White Zetsu. They could provide Chakra, assist in battle, and even possessed all of Ryou's techniques.
Candy and the Snowy's combat power was already comparable to a Jonin.
This was Candy's previous decision; after learning about the benefits of Ryou's life spores, it teamed up with the Snowy to capture five White Zetsu.
After refining them, Ryou installed them onto them.
However, this meant their life and death were now determined by Ryou.
Approaching the Akatsuki base, crowds could be seen coming and going, and a small market had already appeared outside.
Yahiko and the others had spread word of Ryou's superb Medical Ninjutsu, and countless people came to seek treatment from him every day.
Ryou used his life spores to create a clone, which received patients 24 hours a day for assembly-line treatment.
Due to this terrifying medical efficiency, the Akatsuki attracted young Ninjas from all directions to join.
The organization's numbers had already surpassed the eight-hundred mark.
This popularity also made the Akatsuki lively, forming a small market outside.
In a bit more time, this place would become a small Village.
As Ryou walked along, the Akatsuki youths all stood at attention.
"Lord Yakuganra!"
"Ryou-sama!"
"Grandpa Ryou!"
The Akatsuki members called out in a disorganized fashion—some used the respectful title Hanzo had bestowed upon Ryou, some called him 'Lord', and some directly shouted 'Grandpa'.
Ryou smiled and greeted them one by one, though the titles were quite messy, and none of them were jumping for joy and weeping.
He wasn't the 'Sun' of the Akatsuki yet!
It seems more training is needed!
When Ryou entered the Akatsuki base, Konan was waiting nearby and called out to him when she saw him return.
"Uchiha Ryou, where have you been?"
Ryou's clones were truly ingenious; even Nagato's Rinnegan couldn't distinguish them.
Konan, Yahiko, and Nagato all thought the person treating people outside was Ryou's original body.
Ryou put his hands on his hips and laughed at Konan, "Naturally, I went to report your information to my mastermind behind the scenes. What else did you think?"
"To go out and enjoy myself?"
Konan frowned.
Ryou played a huge role; the Akatsuki's rapid expansion was all thanks to his superb Medical Ninjutsu attracting wandering Ninjas from the surrounding areas.
However, Ryou's conduct was hardly commendable; upon seeing attractive patients, his 'medical treatment' would often end up in the obstetrics and gynecology department.
If Konan hadn't been watching, the Akatsuki would have practically become Ryou's den of debauchery.
Moreover, Ryou was still a rogue ninja of Konoha, and he had come to the Akatsuki for Nagato's Rinnegan.
Yahiko said Nagato could keep Ryou in check, but Konan felt Nagato's Rinnegan wasn't that powerful yet, and that Ryou was a dangerous individual.
This was a woman's sixth sense.
Konan approached Ryou and sniffed hard, immediately frowning, "A scent of fox musk... Uchiha Ryou, did you go out looking for women again?"
Ryou reached out to touch Konan's hair, but she noticed and dodged backward.
Ryou laughed, "Konan, since you won't let me 'eat' you, I can only go outside to 'eat'."
"Eat your head!"
Konan cursed at Ryou, then ran to her room with a blushing face.
Yahiko and Nagato were hiding behind a rock wall, peeking anxiously; seeing Konan run away in anger because of Ryou, they were instantly overjoyed.
"Nagato, see? Konan definitely won't like someone as unfaithful as Uchiha Ryou."
Nagato nodded and slowly felt relieved.
Those who love pure romance are blessed!
Nagato then said to Yahiko, "What Ryou's Ninja Cat is carrying is a person."
The Rinnegan didn't have X-ray vision, but it had insight capabilities exceeding the Sharingan. Even from a great distance, Nagato could clearly see the snakeskin bag on the Snowy's back twitching slightly.
"What?!"
Yahiko was instantly shocked.
The Akatsuki had been expanding rapidly lately, even recruiting some spies.
Ryou would sometimes have his Ninja Cat kidnap these spies in the middle of the night. For what purpose? Only he knew.
But they could guess that they were likely absorbed by Ryou's forbidden jutsu.
Yahiko grew increasingly wary of Ryou because his conduct was that of an old demon.
After the three of them intervened, Ryou stopped absorbing people, but they didn't expect him to reach out directly to Ninjas outside.
If this matter were exposed, that the Akatsuki's Yakuganra relied on stealing the lives of Ninjas to possess such superb Medical Ninjutsu...
The Akatsuki would completely become a pariah.
"Let's go, Nagato. We must control him today."
After returning to his room, Ryou set Kurenai down and had the Snowy release her for interrogation.
Ryou sat cross-legged on his bed to rest and recover; he had just fought his way out of an ambush only to encounter Kakashi's group.
Then there was Minato's Flying Thunder God; if Ryou hadn't noticed quickly, he would have lost several lives by now.
He was a bit exhausted. Candy massaged Ryou's shoulders and said, "Minato has set out for the Akatsuki base?"
How did Candy know?
Through Ryou's spores, of course.
When Ryou controlled Kakashi and the others earlier, he had planted several spores to eavesdrop on them.
Candy had Ryou's spores on it, and the spores on Kakashi would transmit their words verbatim.
White Zetsu clones have telepathy; as long as the distance isn't too great, Kakashi and the others' actions are under Candy's surveillance.
Ryou was in no hurry, "Let him come! When the time comes, I'll hide in the toilet. If he knocks, I'll say it's occupied—what can he do?"
"⊙﹏⊙∥," Candy.
Ryou stroked Candy's head and smiled; in fact, he didn't need to fear Minato that much.
Minato was an excellent Ninja, but he also had weaknesses and areas where he wasn't skilled.
For example, he couldn't use Earth Release.
Minato's Chakra attributes were Fire, Wind, Lightning, Yin, and Yang; he didn't know Earth Release Ninjutsu.
If Ryou activated the Mayfly Technique and slipped into a crack, what could Minato do?
He could only stare helplessly.