Cracks Beneath the Surface
The destruction of Root and the annihilation of the Uchiha clan—
carried entirely different implications.
The latter had many underlying causes.
But the former—
was a direct challenge to Konoha's ruling class.
A declaration of war.
Pain fell into silence.
Root was, in essence, an extension of ANBU—
responsible for the village's darkest tasks.
To put it simply—
what ANBU wouldn't handle, Root would.
What ANBU could handle, Root would still involve itself.
A group of fully conditioned shinobi—
Konoha's shadow cleaners.
Under Shimura Danzō's command—
they were even darker than ANBU itself.
And yet—
such a force had been wiped out overnight?
Even the Akatsuki members—
accustomed to standing above the shinobi world—
couldn't remain unmoved.
Itachi destroying the Uchiha—
that, at least, was understandable.
History had proven—
the Uchiha produced powerful madmen.
But this—
A civilian ninja…
single-handedly destroying Root?
And said to be Itachi's equal?
It defied belief.
After a moment, Pain looked to Orochimaru.
"For what purpose?"
His tone was devoid of emotion.
Regardless—
the more chaos within Konoha—
the better for Akatsuki.
If Konoha destabilized—
he could move forward the timeline—
and capture the Nine-Tails sooner than planned.
All eyes turned to Orochimaru.
The Sannin smiled faintly.
"No one knows."
"The most widespread version says…"
"After learning of the Uchiha massacre, Kamizuki Gen—still holding onto a sense of justice—couldn't tolerate Konoha's darkness."
"So he drew his blade…"
"And destroyed those responsible."
"..."
Silence.
Then—
disdain.
Konan spoke calmly:
"That's the version civilians prefer."
Orochimaru nodded.
Even he found it unconvincing.
Pain asked again:
"And Danzō?"
The room sharpened.
If Root was gone—
then Danzō, its master…
should have fallen with it.
That—
would be even more significant.
Orochimaru replied:
"My sources in Konoha Hospital confirm…"
"Danzō was severely injured that night."
"He was treated personally by the hospital director."
Silence fell again.
Danzō wasn't dead—
but heavily wounded.
Which meant—
Root had indeed suffered catastrophic damage.
This information—
was highly credible.
"…A pity he survived," Kakuzu muttered. "But either way…"
"Konoha just gained another S-rank rogue ninja."
As someone who had lived through generations—
he couldn't understand it.
Konoha's "feng shui"—
was absurd.
From Hashirama Senju onward—
monsters kept emerging.
One after another.
Never stopping.
Pain turned to Zetsu.
"Verify this."
"Yes."
Zetsu bowed slightly.
Then—
Pain spoke again.
"Regardless of his motives…"
"Anyone who dares strike at Konoha's leadership…"
"…has likely seen through their hypocrisy."
A faint trace of approval flickered in his eyes.
"This kind of rogue ninja…"
"…is exactly what Akatsuki needs."
Konan asked:
"Should I make contact?"
"…Yes."
"If an opportunity arises—test him."
"See whether he accepts our ideals."
Pain paused.
"Dismissed."
"Yes."
One by one—
the projections faded.
The room returned to silence.
Konan remained.
Her amber eyes swept across the now-empty chamber.
The restraint she maintained during the meeting—
slowly faded.
Her expression softened slightly.
The divinity receded.
What remained—
was something colder.
Sharper.
Like a queen ruling over a broken land.
Her thoughts deepened.
The shinobi world—
was shifting.
War could erupt at any moment.
For Akatsuki—
that was an opportunity.
But internally—
they were still in the accumulation phase.
Funds earned by members—
were split between:
Maintaining Akatsuki operations
Rebuilding Amegakure, ravaged by war
And yet—
the pace was too slow.
Too slow.
Most civilians in Amegakure—
still struggled to eat.
Even if chaos engulfed the world—
Akatsuki might not be able to capitalize on it fully.
Not while burdened with rebuilding the village.
They could—
abandon Amegakure.
Detach from it entirely.
But that—
was never the goal.
Strengthening Amegakure—
ending its suffering—
that was the original purpose.
A private resolve—
shared only between her and Nagato.
The foundation of everything.
Which meant—
financial strain—
was their most urgent external problem.
A flicker of worry surfaced in her eyes.
And internally—
things were no better.
Akatsuki was not united.
Since "Uchiha Madara" had entered the organization—
the members had effectively split into three factions.
The true core—
was only her and Nagato.
Zetsu, Jūzō, and the soon-to-arrive Itachi—
belonged to "Madara's" side.
The more members he brought in—
the more influence he would gain.
Eventually—
they could be sidelined entirely.
As for Kakuzu, Sasori, Orochimaru—
they were neutral.
Each had their own ambitions.
They followed Pain's strength—
not his ideals.
Even Konoha—
fractured from within.
Akatsuki—
would be no different.
When that day came—
where would those neutral members stand?
With her?
Or against her?
So internally—
she needed to recruit those who truly believed.
Those aligned with Pain's vision.
Compared to solving their financial crisis—
this—
was simpler.
"…What troubles you?"
Pain's voice broke her thoughts.
He stepped beside her.
They stood together.
Konan spoke softly:
"Madara has recruited another S-rank rogue ninja."
A quiet pressure settled in her chest.
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