"Did you say... culture?"
Konan spoke up—a rare occurrence. Her voice carried unmistakable surprise.
The shinobi world was not a peaceful place. Beyond Konoha, where the protagonist happened to be born, conditions varied wildly. The major hidden villages fared reasonably well, but smaller ninja villages and the cities of minor nations were often impoverished and backward. Konan and her companions had only been able to learn ninjutsu and other disciplines because Jiraiya had taken the time to teach them during their childhood.
In those perpetually war-torn countries, the vast majority of people might go their entire lives without ever learning to read. Konoha, with its stability and a dedicated Academy, was genuinely the most comprehensively developed hidden village in the world.
Outside the hidden villages, the remaining towns and cities could be described in two words: starkly polarized. In the prosperous cities, the wealthy and powerful congregated, living in absurd luxury with education to match. These places also concentrated the most military force, making them virtually untouchable even in wars between the great nations.
The towns without profit to extract, however, had essentially no protection. A few of the more well-off settlements managed, but most were small, defenseless villages where putting food on the table was already an open question—never mind culture. If they ran afoul of bandits or rogue shinobi—the Orochimaru type, who thought nothing of using human beings as experimental material—then these people were, for all practical purposes, no different from two-legged livestock.
Against this societal backdrop, "culture" was unmistakably a luxury that was still far from widespread, let alone ripe for innovation. For Hinata to propose selling an entirely unheard-of thing called "otaku culture" in this context was, to put it mildly, jaw-dropping.
"Yes. Exactly what it sounds like: a completely new cultural system—one that can transform this entire world."
Spreading her hands wide, Hinata swept her gaze across the Akatsuki members surrounding her without a trace of fear. Her voice rang with conviction: "This world is in ruins, waiting to be rebuilt. The gap between rich and poor yawns like an uncrossable chasm. People's spirits—rich and poor alike—are starving!
"They've heard enough of the same tired traditional operas and stale dance performances. They're sick of rhetoric that hasn't changed in a thousand years. This is the moment a pioneer, a trailblazer, seizes the chance to open a new era!" She thrust her right hand high and clenched her slender fingers into a fist, her voice rising again: "Seize this opportunity, and we can dominate this world! The cultural legacy of this world is overdue for an overhaul—and we can become the founding sages of that new culture!"
Without question, Hinata's charged declaration left every Akatsuki member around her stunned to varying degrees. Genuinely compelling speakers were rare, because being one demanded a command of many things at once—and, above all, unwavering clarity of purpose.
"That's incredible~ Look, she's practically like—"
"Shut up!"
The first to cry out was, predictably, White Zetsu with his bizarre temperament. Before he could finish naming whoever he had in mind, Black Zetsu roughly cut him off, stamping out what would have been a dangerous slip.
"Hmm~ Hmm-hmm~ Kakuzu, I think I might have just fallen in love with her~ Her oratory puts all those empty-promise blowhards to shame~ She reminds me of my old cult leader~"
Hidan, too, was watching Hinata with keen interest. Her speech had clearly stirred something nostalgic in him.
"Impressive rhetoric and powerful promises, to be sure. But~ it's still a bit hard to follow. When you say 'otaku culture,' do you just mean selling the figures that Deidara and Sasori make?"
Kisame bared his teeth in that slightly menacing grin of his, though the curiosity in his tone made it clear he wanted to hear more.
"Heh. Your words are polished indeed. But, if you'll forgive my bluntness—you don't possess the power to actually accomplish this."
As leader, Pain carried the most weight in the room. Yet even as he said it, there was a subtle new caution in his phrasing—proof that, at least on the level of rhetoric and intellect, he was already treating the girl before him as a worthy opponent.
"Each of us has witnessed more than enough of this world's cruelty and absurdity. Among those before you stand a man who slaughtered his entire clan, a thug whose missions involved killing his own comrades, a bounty hunter who cares for nothing but money—and more. Then there is me—Pain, the god who will deliver true peace and order to this world. Do you believe your ideals are worthy of comparison to the suffering we have endured?"
Spreading his own arms wide, Pain's voice rose involuntarily as he went on: "Answer me! Do you truly believe the people of this world can be saved by this so-called 'otaku culture' of yours?"
Ah... He actually said it out loud. The "I am a god" line. Delivered with a straight face.
Even someone with a hide as thick as Hinata's felt the corners of her mouth twitch. Fine. In sheer shamelessness, Pain had already won.
"Save the world? I've never had such a boring idea. So~ if you, as a god, wish to carry out some grand salvation, I'll simply stand to the side and quietly observe your divine handiwork."
Neatly sidestepping the trap of arguing against Pain head-on, Hinata gave a slight nod. "I may not have been clear enough. What I mean is: I intend to use a new cultural system to extract everything I want from this world. Wealth, influence, power, glory—all of it. As for what shape the world ends up in afterward, that's simply not within my scope of concern."
This answer clearly caught the surrounding Akatsuki members off guard. After a moment's pause, Kisame tilted his head and spoke with a dangerous smile. "I see. So she's the kind of brat who lights the fire and walks away. Meaning this 'otaku culture' of yours is nothing more than a tool for manipulating the mind—and you're perfectly aware of the risks that entails. We just happen to be the most powerful organization in the current underground world, which is why you've gone to such lengths to get in with us and leverage our strength for your own ambitions. Am I wrong?"
Kisame may have had a face that could curdle milk, but his analytical precision and mental agility were clearly among the sharpest in all of Akatsuki. His assessment was flawless.
"Mutual exploitation—isn't that how people actually deal with each other? Deidara and Sasori possess artistic abilities that could reshape the world. I possess the vision and foresight to propagate a new culture across it. And all of you possess the power to ensure this plan goes smoothly. If you'll forgive my frankness, this kind of partnership would be far more profitable than your current arrangement of scraping by on pitiful bounty missions."
Hinata dismissed Kisame's analysis without batting an eye. If she were standing before Naruto—that bleeding-heart idiot brimming with positive energy—this little speech would have earned her a punch in the face. But the people in front of her comprised what was arguably the single most concentrated wellspring of negative energy in the entire Naruto universe. For them, this was probably the correct way to hold a conversation.
"Heh. I see. You may indeed be a saint—but you're nothing more than a selfish saint."
Pain's tone relaxed. He'd clearly realized that Hinata had no intention of competing for his "divine role" of saving the world, which meant there was essentially no conflict between them.
"Go on. How do you intend to use us? And how shall we use you?"
With things laid out that plainly, the message was obvious: approval. All that remained was for Hinata to make her proposal.
"Simple. First, we need a factory capable of mass-producing professional-grade figures. As for start-up capital and location, I imagine you can secure a temporary site. Workers and equipment, likewise. In two months, when the second launch event takes place, I want enough figure inventory to completely dominate the current market."
She laid out her demands without hesitation, making no attempt to hold anything back. Since this was mutual exploitation, Akatsuki needed to meet these hardware requirements at minimum.
After all, without a mature production line, mass-producing goods was extremely difficult. Even if Deidara and Sasori worked around the clock without eating or sleeping, their output would still be limited. Fine as premium pieces, certainly—but an industry built on nothing but luxury items and no mass-market goods could never truly flourish.
"So you want to turn Sasori and Deidara into your personal figure-makers while you sit back and rake in the profits. Quite the exploitation scheme."
Kakuzu, ever the one most attuned to money, spoke first. But even his tone carried a note of skepticism: "Your figures today did fetch tens of millions, I'll grant you that. But you can't possibly think every batch will sell at those prices? People's wallets have limits."
"Which is precisely why we need to tier the product line. Supreme Edition figures for the wealthy merchants and aristocrats. Platinum Edition figures for the middle-class merchants. And Standard Edition figures for the common people. With a proper production line, we can absolutely guarantee volume. Besides, figures are only one product in the otaku-culture ecosystem."
Hinata spread her hands and looked around the circle. "Any other questions?"
"Heh. A selfish saint indeed. Using that kind of talent for reading people to line your own pockets—how tragically human. But, very well. Akatsuki can grant all of your requests, provided you deliver real profits."
Pain folded his arms and let out a quiet laugh. Regardless of his misgivings, he now understood what Hinata was proposing: a joint manufacturing and sales venture. The results would have to speak for themselves in two months.
"Then~ what about craftsmen and equipment?"
"Leave those to us. Deidara. Sasori. Prepare to use that technique. Zetsu—bring out the spares."
Pain's offhanded instruction made both Deidara and Sasori blink. Deidara pursed his lips in visible displeasure. "Ugh, that technique?"
Meanwhile, Zetsu sank into the ground with a ghoulish chuckle. As his arms made contact with the earth, several unconscious shinobi were disgorged from below—unlucky souls Akatsuki had captured at some point, entombed underground with Earth Release.
"Hehehe~ These ones are still nice and fresh~"
"Perfect for that technique."
The sight made Hinata raise an eyebrow. Pain's approach had caught her slightly off guard.
"Deidara and Sasori are the finest figure craftsmen there are. You believe so too, don't you? For the next two months, at least, we won't need ordinary workers."
Pain's tone carried a note of warning. After Deidara and Sasori each pressed a hand against one of the prone shinobi, the leader of Akatsuki—wielder of Six Paths Power—began forming hand signs. "Forbidden Technique! Shapeshifting Technique!"
A surge of strange chakra rolled outward. Hinata watched clearly as the two shinobi beneath Deidara's and Sasori's hands gradually transformed into perfect replicas of their respective counterparts. The Deidara duplicate even raised one hand—the grotesque mouth on its palm was identical to the original's.
"This is..."
Hinata's eyes sharpened. She recognized it now—this was the forbidden technique that had appeared in canon during the Gaara Retrieval Arc: a jutsu that could transform another person into an exact duplicate of the caster, perfectly replicating even Kekkei Genkai. The catch was that anyone turned into a duplicate died the moment their chakra ran out. It was a powerful forbidden technique that only someone wielding Six Paths Power could perform.
"This Shapeshifting Technique can provide Deidara and Sasori with multiple duplicates. They will produce all the figures you need within these two months. And then, in two months' time, I very much look forward to your answer to Akatsuki."
Pain had clearly noticed her unease, and his tone took on a soothing quality. "No need for concern. These duplicates only last until their chakra is depleted. Even with Soldier Pills, they won't survive more than a week. Using them to permanently replace a person is impossible. You need not worry."
The deliberate implications and the faint undercurrent of threat were unmistakable—a reminder that Hinata had better not renege on the deal.
Understanding the message, Hinata smoothed away the discomfort on her face and gave a slight nod.
"Then~ I'll await your good news. I'll send over the special art collections from Fox Tales on a regular schedule so you can create figures with more varied designs. Now then—may I take my leave?"
With a faintly disgruntled flick of the hair at her neck, Hinata's gesture was, of course, noted by Pain. But it only reassured him further—if she truly had the leverage to resist, she wouldn't need to make such emotional tells.
"Of course~ Deidara, escort Suigintou out. From this day forward, Akatsuki and she..."
"...are true partners."