Akatsuki's secret base

"Chief, what brings you all here? I was just thinking of making some money on the black market!"

Kakuzu's voice was tinged with suppressed dissatisfaction; he felt that the meeting was preventing him from making money.

"Today I'd like to introduce a newcomer to you."

Pain surveyed Orochimaru, Itachi, Kakuzu, Sasori, and the others present with an indifferent expression. "From today onwards, Uchiha Itachi will join the Akatsuki organization and become one of you."

At this moment, Itachi had changed into a black outfit with red clouds, and painted his nails with trendy nail polish. He stood expressionless in the dark corner.

"Uchiha Itachi," Orochimaru chuckled coldly, a complex expression flashing across his pale face. "I never expected that a genius ninja from the Uchiha clan would join this organization. I heard you slaughtered your entire clan; what a waste!"

Orochimaru has a cold, magnetic voice and snake-like eyes. He also sticks out his long tongue and rolls it around while he speaks, making him look like a humanoid snake monster. If Hyuga Kaze were here, he would definitely be disgusted.

Sasori, who has always been at odds with Orochimaru, surprisingly agreed with Orochimaru's opinion this time.

"This stinky snake finally spoke a human word. Killing the Uchiha clan members directly is too wasteful. Only by making them into human puppets can their value be better utilized. That is the eternal art."

Hearing the two guys' inhuman words, even the usually composed Itachi Uchiha couldn't help but feel a surge of anger.

He never imagined that he had already arranged the best possible exit for his clan. That someone would still lament that he hadn't made the most of the Uchiha clan's physical abilities!

Itachi glanced at the two of them coldly, without any reaction.

His injuries had not fully healed; he had only received emergency treatment from the Konoha doctor and the mysterious man who called himself Uchiha Madara, so he was not fit to fight now.

"Uchiha Itachi, huh?" Kakuzu pulled out a stack of bounty posters from his pocket, glanced at them, and then regretfully put them back, muttering, "How come no one has a bounty on someone like you!"

"Alright," Payne interrupted the crowd with a cold expression, his gaze sweeping over them like that of a god looking down upon all living beings.

"I've gathered you all here today not only because of the new members joining us, but also to discuss the current situation in the ninja world and to determine our next course of action."

"Not long ago, the Fourth Raikage led a team to break through Konoha's border outposts. Perhaps to guard against Iwagakure, they did not go any further, but only swept through the outposts along the border. According to Zetsu's intelligence, Konoha has already dispatched troops to the border to reorganize the defenses."

Xiao Nan's voice was cool and serene, and she spoke in a nonchalant tone even when explaining wars between major powers.

"As for Iwagakure, Onoki has reached the vicinity of the border, but they haven't chosen to launch a large-scale offensive; they're currently only maintaining small-scale skirmishes. Under these circumstances, the organization needs to clarify its next steps!"

Upon hearing this, Itachi Uchiha remained outwardly calm, but inwardly he was in turmoil.

He lowered his eyes slightly, concealing the turmoil within them. Could it be that the sacrifice of the Uchiha clan still couldn't bring peace and stability to Konoha?

Orochimaru stretched his tongue out even longer. "Such fragile lives, consumed in one war after another. Boss, if possible, I'd like to go to the border to collect some research materials."

At this moment, Zetsu appeared and said, "Onoki wants to hire the Akatsuki to help attack Konoha's stronghold, and they're offering a very generous price."

Upon hearing the generous price, Kakuzu immediately perked up. "Chief, let me go. I can earn some bounty along the way."

Payne seemed to pause for a moment before retorting, "The organization is currently in a phase of accumulating strength. We need to continue recruiting new members and will not participate in the struggles between major powers. Kakuzu, Orochimaru, you two better behave yourselves!"

Payne's usually cold voice rose a few decibels as he spoke, while giving Kakuzu a warning look. He was worried that Kakuzu might have secretly taken on Onoki's mission and exposed the organization prematurely!

"For the next period of time, the organization will focus on accumulating strength. Everyone should pay attention to secrecy during operations and not expose the organization too early!"

Payne's voice, though not loud, was filled with undeniable authority.

The Akatsuki members sighed helplessly. "You have the bigger fist, so you get to call the shots."

"As is customary in Akatsuki, missions are always carried out in pairs. Itachi, you will be paired with Juzo Biwa from now on. Since you've just joined, take a few days off. We'll assign you missions later. Alright, meeting adjourned!"

After making his arrangements, Payne seemed to have no desire to face the talented individuals within the organization any longer, and simply disappeared!

They remained silent all the way back to the tower in Amegakure, where only Nagato and Konan remained.

Konan stood naturally beside Nagato. "Itachi and the mysterious man who claimed to be Uchiha Madara concealed a lot of information. According to the intelligence I obtained, there may have been other mysterious people who appeared that night and rescued dozens of Uchiha clan members, causing considerable casualties in Konoha."

"It doesn't matter. 'God' doesn't care what attitude they have or what secrets they have, as long as they can contribute their power and capture the tailed beasts."

For Nagato, who possessed the Rinnegan, all Akatsuki members, except for Konan, were merely cannon fodder tools to be used. They recruited powerful rogue ninjas to collect the Tailed Beasts when it was not their place to act.

As long as the mission can be completed, Nagato doesn't care about their inner thoughts and intentions at all.

Once the organization has completed its recruitment and strength building, and has figured out the location of the Tailed Beasts, Nagato plans to launch a dispersed attack to collect as many Tailed Beasts as possible at once.

Once a few tailed beasts are sealed inside the Outer Path Demon Statue, the pressure the demon statue exerts on itself will be greatly reduced.

That way, Nagato would be able to act at will, capturing all the tailed beasts. With the Rinnegan and the Gedo Mazo, he would be able to suppress all resistance.

Konan glanced helplessly at her friend and said in an angelic tone, "Zetsu sent word that something has happened in Kirigakure. The Fourth Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi, and the Three-Tails, Isobu, are both dead. It seems that collecting the Tailed Beasts won't be possible in the short term!"

Nagato's withered and emaciated body trembled violently, and his godlike aura vanished without a trace. "How could this happen!"

"It must be due to the power struggle within Fog Shadow Village. Jue has already gone to investigate."

Nagato's pallor lasted only a moment before he quickly regained his composure. "Have Zetsu investigate thoroughly. If the Three-Tails is truly dead, it will take several years for it to revive. In the meantime, we need to increase our combat strength as much as possible and try to ascertain the whereabouts of the other tailed beasts."

"Okay, I'll go take care of some paperwork first," Xiao Nan agreed, then turned and left to attend to village affairs.

Because Nagato was unable to move around easily, Konan took on most of the village's affairs, even though she didn't like them.

Since Yahiko's death, Nagato has become her only bond. Since her best friend wants to walk this path, even if it is an endless bloody journey, Konan is prepared to go with him to the end!