As an immortal ninja who had survived since the era of Senju Hashirama, Kakuzu had long lost any lingering attachments to ideology, companionship, or loyalty. The only belief that remained unwavering in his cold, calcified heart was this—
Money.
In a world where bonds could fracture, comrades could betray, and villages could collapse under their own weight, only money retained its value. Stable, emotionless, and eternal. It never lied. It never left.
That was why he had joined the Akatsuki organization in the first place—not for world peace or shared hatred, but because the leader had promised something that made his ancient heart flutter: full control over the organization's financial operations.
For such a secretive, powerful group with operatives that included legendary S-rank rogue shinobi, he had expected a massive flow of resources. And with the leader himself wielding the Rinnegan, an eye said to rival even the Sage of Six Paths… Kakuzu had anticipated managing a treasury that could rival a Daimyō's.
But reality was a cruel teacher.
What he found after joining was a bunch of ragtag rebels and outlaws, most of whom were broke and relied on bounty missions to make ends meet. The "treasury" he'd dreamed of was a hollow log buried behind a crumbling shrine in Amegakure.
So, when the opportunity arose to make money elsewhere—he did what any self-respecting mercenary would do.
Scalping.
He had been acting as a black market scalper, acquiring large quantities of the new medicinal liquid from the mysterious Umbrella Company and reselling it for profit. Just as he was finalizing his latest haul, a cold voice echoed from above.
"Kakuzu."
That voice could only belong to one man.
*Fwoosh*
Descending like divine judgment, Tendō Pain landed silently in front of him, purple Rinnegan eyes rippling with cold authority.
Kakuzu stiffened.
"L-Leader. I'm carrying out the mission you assigned to me!" he said without missing a beat, hands raised in practiced innocence.
Pain raised his hand, and several vials of the Umbrella Company's new medicinal liquid floated up from Kakuzu's coat, spinning slowly in the air under invisible gravitational control.
Each vial bore a distinct logo: a blue and white umbrella.
"What is this, then?"
Kakuzu didn't flinch. "It's the new medicinal solution from the Umbrella Company. It's gaining popularity. I bought a few for backup."
"Oh?" Tendō Pain's gaze narrowed. "Just a few?"
*Crash!*
The sound of glass breaking erupted. Dozens of vials poured out from hidden compartments all over Kakuzu's body—sleeves, inner vest, pant legs, and even from beneath the stitches in his back. In the blink of an eye, the ground around them was littered with enough medicine to supply a battalion.
The silence that followed was deafening.
Kakuzu stood frozen, internally cursing his hoarding habits.
Tendō Pain looked down at the sea of vials, then turned his gaze skyward as if contemplating something greater.
He did not press the matter.
"What's the current situation in Konoha?" he asked flatly.
Kakuzu's tension eased. The leader was letting it go—for now.
He quickly adjusted his tone to professional. "There's no major movement from Konoha's side, but there is something… unusual."
"Speak."
"Konoha has begun contacting several major grain merchants in the Land of Fire. The scale of these communications is suspicious."
"Grain merchants?" Tendō Pain frowned.
Konoha, as the most powerful military village, had plenty of established supply chains. Why would they directly negotiate with agricultural magnates unless...
"Are they suffering from a food shortage?" he asked aloud.
"I doubt that." Kakuzu replied. "Even if they were, they'd handle it through internal channels or political leverage. Direct negotiations with grain companies implies they're planning something larger."
Tendō Pain went silent, digesting the implications.
In recent months, Orochimaru—who had defected from the Akatsuki—had been welcomed back into Konoha under the command of the Fifth Hokage, Namikaze Mirai. That single action had shaken Nagato's trust and stirred ancient anxieties.
Orochimaru had intimate knowledge of the Akatsuki's structure, assets, and operations. With him now integrated into Konoha's leadership, the village posed a direct threat to Akatsuki's secrecy and survival.
Tendō Pain's expression hardened.
"I had a feeling… that man would be a problem."
"You mean the Fifth Hokage?"
"Yes. Namikaze Mirai is not like other Kage. He is unpredictable. Dangerous. And ambitious."
Kakuzu shrugged. "Even someone like Orochimaru was willing to rejoin him. That says everything."
Tendō Pain turned, his black cloak rippling in the breeze.
"Continue gathering intelligence. You'll be… compensated."
With that, he rose into the sky, floating away on gravitational force, vanishing into the misty rain.
Only after the oppressive aura disappeared did Kakuzu finally exhale.
"Damn him. Nearly caught me scalping…"
His eyes returned to the glittering vials scattered on the ground. He crouched down and began collecting them one by one.
"Heh. These potions are practically printing money."
…
Amegakure.
The rain never stopped in this country. It drizzled from above like the endless sorrow of a broken world. Under the steel-gray skies, Tendō Pain stood atop a needle-like spire, the village stretched out beneath him, shrouded in mist and misery.
The black clouds wept as he gazed silently at his homeland.
"Nagato."
The soft voice of Konan drifted up behind him. Her origami-paper cloak rustled softly in the wind.
"The ninja world… will soon undergo a great change." Pain murmured.
"Change?"
She stepped beside him, watching his profile with concern.
"We've seen the destruction of peace, Konan. Again and again, war tears everything apart. Yahiko dreamed of peace… but those in power only understand force."
He clenched his fist.
"They need a god. A divine reckoning."
"And this change… it's related to Konoha?"
He nodded.
"The Fifth Hokage. Namikaze Mirai. I don't know what his ultimate goal is, but he is preparing for something. That's why he's calling the grain merchants."
Konan's eyes dimmed. "You think it's the beginning of a greater conflict?"
"I don't think." Pain said coldly. "I know."
A pause.
"Konoha is the root of the ninja world's cycle of hatred. It must be destroyed if peace is to exist."
Konan turned her gaze downward. She thought of Jiraiya, their old master. A Konoha shinobi.
"Even if it means fighting Konoha… I'll stand by your side, Nagato."
The rain intensified, falling like tears onto the battered metal rooftops below.
Tendō Pain's eyes did not waver.
"If the world will not change… then I shall become the god who forces it to."
…
Konoha Village – Umbrella Research Center.
In the vast greenhouse beneath a synthetic dome, golden ears of rice swayed gently. Yamato stood beneath the artificial sunlight, his face glowing with pride.
"Sensei!" he called out to Mirai, holding up a few enlarged rice seeds. "It worked! The hybrid rice project worked!"
Mirai stepped forward, smiling with pride. The greenhouse behind them shimmered with life—heavy grains bent under their own weight, a field of golden abundance.
"This is a historic day." he said softly. "In the future, textbooks in every academy will record your name as the 'Father of Hybrid Rice – Yamato'."
Yamato flushed with joy.
Standing off to the side, Orochimaru narrowed his golden slit eyes.
"Incredible. You've done something I thought impossible."
As a scientific shinobi, he knew the implications of what he was seeing. Food was more than sustenance—it was power. During wartime, it was often scarcer than weapons.
First medical breakthroughs, now agricultural revolution.
Mirai was seizing the lifelines of the shinobi world.
"Orochimaru." Mirai said calmly, "I plan to summon the major grain merchants of the Land of Fire."
"You intend to release this discovery to the public?" Orochimaru raised an eyebrow.
"Konoha is not an agricultural village. We lack the infrastructure. But by working with grain merchants, we can spread hybrid rice across the entire Land of Fire."
He smiled.
"I've already chosen a name for the new system."
"What name?"
"Agricultural Production Cooperative."
*****
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