Chapter 114 Kakuzu Joins, Current Status of the Kage
Souji led Utakata all the way to a small town outside Konoha.
The members of the Akatsuki were all staying here temporarily. When Souji arrived, he summoned everyone to a small house.
The aura of Sasori and Kakuzu, two Kage-level powerhouses, made the Akatsuki trio, who were still just rookies in the ninja world at that time, tremble with fear.
It was fine when there was only one Sasori, but with another one, even if they didn't pay much attention to them, it still made them feel a little uneasy.
"These are the standard uniforms of the Akatsuki."
The Souji first handed the red cloud black robe and white jade ring to Kakuzu, then thought for a moment and said:
"I originally planned for each official member to have their own code name, but now it seems unnecessary."
"I wanted to keep a low profile and hide your identities, but you are too strong. It seems that you can't hide them anymore, so there's no need to hide them anymore."
"So the code name is canceled from now on. Sasori, we will still call you by your original name from now on, and there is no need for disguises anymore."
Souji said this to Sasori, and Sasori replied calmly:
"Whatever, do as you please."
The Souji was also helpless about the code name issue.
I didn't think too much about it at the time, and just copied Akatsuki.
But when it came to actually fighting, because I was a specialist in big things, I was even more exaggerated than the original Akatsuki, and that immediately exposed my weakness.
Ordinary puppeteers simply control one puppet. Even Kankuro during the Fourth Shinobi World War only managed to control three puppets.
Being able to control dozens of puppets at once, even disregarding the precision of the control, the sheer number of puppets alone demonstrates that this puppeteer is undoubtedly a Kage-level figure.
Chiyo, the chief advisor of Sunagakure, is one of them, but since Chiyo is in Sunagakure, it is obviously not true.
Even considering those who secretly enhance their strength or remain low-key, there are only a handful of puppeteers who could potentially reach the Kage level.
In addition, back in the Land of Rain, high-ranking members of Sunagakure, such as Rasa, actually knew that Sasori had been in contact with him.
Taking all these factors together, it's not difficult to deduce that Sasori is the mysterious puppeteer under his command.
Moreover, there was Kakuzu, who attacked him in full view of everyone, and Kakuzu's attacks were so distinctive, making him much more recognizable than Sasori.
He can't keep up the act anymore; his strength won't allow it.
Anyway, now that he can even kill Kage-level opponents, even the Hokage can't easily openly clash with him.
Many books will pretend not to hear, and there's no need to worry about the impact of taking Sasori and Kakuzu as his subordinates.
Souji then looked at Kakuzu.
"Well then, Kakuzu, let me introduce you.
This is Sasori of the Red Sand, the first official member of the Akatsuki, and a genius puppeteer from Sunagakure."
"I know him, Chiyo's grandson, right?"
Kakuzu glanced at Sasori and said calmly:
"The little girl from back then is now a top figure in the ninja world, but my grandson seems to be more talented than her."
"This kid once had a high bounty on his head, but unfortunately I was busy elsewhere at the time.
Later, he defected from Sunagakure and disappeared without a trace, so the bounty was dropped..."
"Hmph, taking advantage of your age!"
Hearing Kakuzu comment on him in a senior's tone, Sasori snorted coldly, his face full of disdain.
We were all subdued and recruited by Mochizuki Souji, so what's with the pretense?
"Kid, watch your mouth..."
Kakuzu stared at Sasori, his eyes gleaming with a hint of ferocity.
If the Kage were only Yahiko and others whose strength was far inferior to his, then Kakuzu wouldn't care.
However, the first official members to arrive were all Kage-level, and one of them happened to be a young man. To avoid being overpowered by the other party, Kakuzu couldn't help but be somewhat confrontational.
The Souji gently clapped his hands and calmly said:
"Alright, I know you're all strong and have big tempers. While I don't expect you to help and love each other, it's still forbidden for members of the Shadow Division to kill each other.
I will personally hunt down and kill anyone who kills another member."
"So, since you're going to cooperate with them, and you can't kill them, you'd better try to get along harmoniously. That's better for everyone."
"..."
The two glanced at the Souji and fell silent.
Souji then gestured to Yahiko and the other two.
"These three are Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan.
They are from the Land of Rain and were previously unaffiliated ninjas.
They once founded a small mercenary organization called Akatsuki.
Now, to help me realize my dream of changing the ninja world, they have joined the Kage."
"They are not strong yet, so they are only reserve members of the Akatsuki, not official members.
However, they all have great potential, and I believe they will grow up quickly and become official members."
Kakuzu glanced at the three of them, showing no interest in them whatsoever.
It seems that Kakuzu was unaware of the Rinnegan's existence, he wouldn't have treated Nagato the same way.
The Souji sized up the three of them and smiled:
"In the previous battle, I know you killed some Hidden Mist ninja. Do you have any particular thoughts on that?"
"this..."
When suddenly asked the question, the three seemed a little flustered.
Souji looked at Yahiko and said:
"Especially you, Yahiko, what do you think?"
"Don't misunderstand, I'm not encouraging mere murder. What I'm encouraging is letting go of unreasonable restrictions and constraints imposed on ourselves."
"Killing is certainly not something to be excited about, but similarly, there's no need to force yourself to feel so much guilt.
Everyone is fighting for their own position. Killing or being killed, though unavoidable, is just a normal thing."
Hearing Souji say this, Yahiko pondered for a long time, then finally nodded slightly and said with a very serious expression:
"Yes, I... Although I was greatly shocked when I killed the enemy for the first time, I remembered what you once told me, Captain, that my insistence on not killing was just self-righteous hypocrisy."
"To achieve peace, I insist on not killing people, but the people I spared went on to kill others. In the end, peace cannot be achieved this way."
"So it can only be me... I used to think this idea was fallacious, but it seems that my understanding was just too shallow..."
The Souji nodded slightly and said earnestly:
"Hmm, it seems you've started to learn to think about problems more deeply on your own, that's good."
Nagato and Konan also looked at Yahiko with expressions of relief.
They had been worried about Yahiko, wondering if he could handle the psychological impact of killing an enemy for the first time.
Now that they heard him say this, they were finally certain that he was alright.
Souji didn't ask Nagato and Konan any further questions.
They weren't as insistent on these matters as Yahiko, and mostly just followed his lead, so it was enough for them to keep an eye on Yahiko's condition.
"How inexperienced..."
Listening to these conversations, Kakuzu thought to himself.
These three are so naive that they have to think so much about killing someone.
I really can't see what's so important about these naive young people.
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End of this chapter...