As the tension in the lounge grew thicker, 'Heaven's Path' and Konan entered, instantly quelling the charged atmosphere with 'Heaven's Path's' presence.
Coldly scanning the gathered members, 'Heaven's Path' spoke, "This time, we successfully captured three Jinchuriki. The five great shinobi villages are now on high alert, so the mission to capture Jinchuriki will be paused for a while."
The Akatsuki members nodded in acknowledgment.
From the assault on the Hidden Stone Village's two Jinchuriki to the subsequent raids on the Hidden Leaf, Hidden Cloud, and Hidden Waterfall's Jinchuriki, the Akatsuki had employed sudden strike tactics.
Having successfully captured three Jinchuriki, the five great shinobi villages would undoubtedly fortify their defenses. Acting rashly now would greatly increase the chance of failure.
Moreover, among the remaining Jinchuriki, aside from three who were not yet adults, the Two-Tails, Three-Tails, and Eight-Tails Jinchuriki were all formidable figures bearing the title of 'Perfect Jinchuriki.' Capturing them was already an immense challenge.
'Heaven's Path's' gaze lingered on Hidan and Kakuzu for a moment before he continued, "During this time, each of you should adjust your condition. The next phase of missions will be even more arduous. I don't want another incident like Kurosuki Raiga's to happen again!"
At the mention of Kurosuki Raiga, Ranmaru, who had been in a dazed state, suddenly lunged forward, clinging to 'Heaven's Path's' leg and shouting, "Lord, please let me join the Akatsuki!"
'Heaven's Path' looked down at Ranmaru.
In Ranmaru's translucent Hogan eyes, a glint of what could only be called 'hatred' shimmered—a look 'Heaven's Path' had seen countless times.
The Akatsuki members in the lounge exchanged complex expressions.
They all knew this partially disabled Hogan-eyed boy had always followed Kurosuki Raiga, rarely leaving his side. Now that Kurosuki Raiga had died in the Hidden Leaf, the boy's desire to join the Akatsuki was self-evident.
'Heaven's Path' said, "Unfortunately, you're of no use to us!"
Ranmaru pleaded, "Please give me a chance!"
'Heaven's Path' glanced at Ranmaru's disabled body and ultimately shook his head.
The Akatsuki's future missions involved the dangerous task of capturing Jinchuriki. A disabled child, even with a dojutsu Bloodline Limit, would be of little use to the organization.
Shinno grinned, "Leader, I can perform surgery to fix his disability. Of course, he'd need to be fearless, as I can't guarantee the surgery's success rate!"
"Even if his body is restored, he won't amount to much!" Sasori interjected coolly, glancing at Ranmaru. "Kid, if you're willing, I can turn you into a puppet—far better than his surgery!"
'Heaven's Path' remained impassive, as if awaiting Ranmaru's decision.
Ranmaru looked at Shinno, then at Sasori, confusion clouding his face.
At that moment, Hiruko stepped forward. "Kurosuki Raiga was my partner, so leave this kid to me!"
'Heaven's Path' nodded once and turned to leave.
Konan gave Ranmaru a complicated look, sighed softly, and followed 'Heaven's Path' out.
After some time, Hiruko brought Ranmaru to a hidden underground chamber.
This was his secret base, unknown even to his partner, Kurosuki Raiga.
Though the chamber was dim, the darkness posed no obstacle to Ranmaru's Hogan eyes. He curiously surveyed his surroundings, then froze in shock upon discovering a series of cells, each containing prisoners bound by layers of chains.
"These prisoners…"
The more Ranmaru saw, the more alarmed he became.
He realized these prisoners were not only all shinobi, but many possessed chakra levels rivaling Jonin. Even in the five great shinobi villages, they would be considered elite.
Hiruko's lips curled into a smirk. "Looks like you've noticed."
Ranmaru asked, "Who are they? Why are they imprisoned here?"
"These are all materials I've painstakingly collected!" Hiruko chuckled. "Don't underestimate them. Anyone locked up here is at least a shinobi with a Bloodline Limit, just like you."
Ranmaru gasped, "So many shinobi with Bloodline Limits?!"
Across the entire shinobi world, those with Bloodline Limits weren't exactly rare, so collecting a few wasn't particularly difficult for someone determined.
Like Orochimaru or Goyashiro En, they too had gathered numerous youths with Bloodline Limits.
With the Akatsuki's support, Hiruko had completed a ritual that elevated his strength to that of a powerful Kage-level shinobi. When he personally acted, even Jonin with Bloodline Limits rarely escaped his grasp.
Hiruko casually pointed. "This one has Boil Release, this one has Explosion Release, this one has Platform Release…"
Hiruko's familiarity with his collection sent chills down Ranmaru's spine.
"In general, dojutsu Bloodline Limits are far more valuable. I searched for a long time but never found one."
As he spoke, Hiruko's gaze turned predatory, fixing on Ranmaru.
Ranmaru shrank back.
Hiruko laughed heartily. "Relax, I've already completed the ritual and gained the precious Mangekyo Sharingan. A mere pair of Hogan eyes doesn't interest me anymore. Remember these shinobi with Bloodline Limits—during the ritual, you can freely choose four to fuse with!"
Ranmaru's eyes lit up. "Freely choose?"
Hiruko explained, "Not entirely freely. It depends on the weather phenomenon you select and your own chakra nature. But I have plenty of materials here, so you should have enough to pick from."
Soon, Hiruko led Ranmaru to a laboratory.
Inside, Ranmaru noticed not only a plethora of equipment but also several cages, each containing shinobi.
These shinobi, however, all bore varying degrees of physical deformities.
As Hiruko's gaze fell on them, his expression darkened. These were all his failed experiments.
Approaching a cage, Hiruko said, "Before the ritual, you must pass a test!"
"What test?"
Hiruko replied, "You must master the 'Kimyaro no Jutsu' and implant a Kimyaro seed capable of fusing with flesh! Only by successfully accepting the seed will you qualify for the ritual!"
Ranmaru asked, "And if I fail?"
Pointing to the deformed shinobi in the cages, Hiruko said coolly, "If you're lucky, you'll end up like them. If not, you'll die!"
Only then did Ranmaru understand—the shinobi in the cages weren't born deformed. They were the failed products of Kimyaro seed implantation.