The Akatsuki organization's management of its members is actually quite loose. When there are no missions, core members are not restricted in what they want to do.
The small matters of the organization's operation are arranged by Konan and then carried out by non-core members.
These non-core members also play an important role as sacrifices.
For example, when the Gedo Statue needs to be used, these members have to come out and die.
In general, the treatment of non-core members in the Akatsuki organization is very poor.
They do a lot of work, get paid little, and are always in danger of being pulled out as sacrifices.
The core members, on the other hand, are more comfortable.
For example, during the previous meeting, Pain asked the core members to make money, but in fact, except for Kakuzu, the others would probably slack off.
They are not interested in this kind of thing.
Even if Pain knew, he would only turn a blind eye and wouldn't bother with them too much.
The Akatsuki's hope of making money rests on Kakuzu.
And Kakuzu would not disappoint Pain's expectations. He had just taken on a bounty mission.
"This is?"
Kakuzu handed Kimimaro a photo. The photo showed a middle-aged man with long green hair.
"The target of the mission I took. Someone is paying for his head, and they are very willing to pay, a full 30 million Ryo. So I think I'll keep him alive and finish him off in the next two days."
"Kurosuki Raiga? One of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, the wielder of the Lightning Blade, Kiba? Are you going to kill this person without discussing it with Kisame?"
Looking at the information recorded on the back of the photo, Kimimaro asked curiously.
"Although Kisame and Kurosuki Raiga are both members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, they don't belong to the same batch and don't know each other at all. When Kurosuki Raiga defected, Kisame wasn't even one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen yet.
Besides, do I need Kisame's permission to kill someone? Back then, I even dared to kill the First Hokage. A mere Seven Ninja Swordsman is nothing."
Kakuzu's face was full of disdain.
As a veteran of the ninja world, there were few people he was afraid of.
"Senior Kakuzu even fought with the First Hokage?"
Kimimaro looked at Kakuzu with a half-smile.
"Although the First Hokage was called the God of Shinobi back then, I wasn't afraid of him. That battle lasted for a day and a night, and I only lost by one move. Speaking of which, it was a long time ago. Kid, why are you looking at me like that? Don't you believe me?"
Kakuzu was a little unsure of himself under Kimimaro's gaze.
"Of course not, I was just thinking that Senior Kakuzu has really had a rich experience."
"Hehe, in my nearly hundred years of ninja career, I naturally have many legendary experiences. Alright, let's not talk about the past anymore, let's talk about serious business now.
According to the information, this Kurosuki Raiga is in a nearby town. We need to find this guy as soon as possible and kill him. This way, we can get the 30 million Ryo bounty.
I'll say it upfront, I took this mission, so all the bounty will be mine in the end. Don't have any ideas about it."
"Senior Kakuzu seems to be very attached to money."
Kimimaro didn't expect Kakuzu to be so stingy, not even planning to give him a share of the reward.
"In this world, everything will betray you, but money will never. Who doesn't like money?"
Kakuzu said, a look of reminiscence flashing in his eyes.
This was a money-loving person with a story.
"Senior Kakuzu has a point."
"Oh? I didn't expect you to know the beauty of money at such a young age. That's rare."
"That's also a very long story. Senior Kakuzu, let's split up and look for this person. It will be faster."
"Okay. Whether we have any news or not, we'll gather here after dark."
Everyone in this world has a story. Kimimaro didn't want to elaborate, and Kakuzu didn't want to ask in detail. This was a kind of tacit understanding.
The two of them dispersed and searched for Kurosuki Raiga.
But...
Kimimaro walked a few steps, and after seeing Kakuzu go far away, he found a secluded cave and went in to rest.
Help Kakuzu find someone?
Sorry, not familiar.
When working in the Akatsuki organization, slacking off is the way to go. They don't even pay wages, so why risk your life?
Kakuzu, the stingy guy, didn't even give him a reward.
In the cave, Kimimaro opened a small bottle.
Dozens of small purple bugs crawled out of the bottle and landed on his hand.
These were the Explosive Bugs he had obtained from the Raikage before.
But now they should be called Starburst Bugs.
After obtaining the Explosive Bugs, Kimimaro wanted to cultivate them, but unfortunately, the cultivation had not been going well.
It wasn't until he obtained the Insect Jamming Technique from Shino that the process of cultivating the Explosive Bugs became smooth.
Under the cultivation of the Insect Jamming Technique, the number of Explosive Bugs increased from the original few to dozens now.
Although it was far less than the number of Aburame clan's kikaichu, it was a good start.
The kikaichu and the Explosive Bugs were inherently different.
The larger Explosive Bugs naturally couldn't compare in number to the kikaichu, which were smaller than ants.
Although the number couldn't compare, the quality of the Explosive Bugs was higher than that of the kikaichu.
As for why they were now called Starburst Bugs instead of Explosive Bugs, it was because the Explosive Bugs had mutated.
The so-called Insect Jamming Technique was to feed the bugs with one's own chakra using special methods.
Originally, Kimimaro used his own chakra to feed them, but after obtaining the Star Fragment, he had a sudden idea and withdrew his own chakra, using the Star Fragment's chakra to feed the Explosive Bugs.
The result was that the originally white Explosive Bugs turned purple, and their size also decreased. Several star patterns appeared on their backs, making them look more mysterious.
At this time, Kimimaro took out the Star Fragment and placed it on the ground. The Starburst Bugs, as if they had found their target, crawled onto it directly.
Not long after, the Star Fragment was covered with densely packed Starburst Bugs.
About fifteen minutes later, the Starburst Bugs were full and began to secrete purple liquid, wrapping their entire bodies and turning into cocoon-like crystals.
Kimimaro had an expression of not being surprised, obviously this wasn't the first time.
He skillfully put these dozens of cocoons back into the small bottle and then closed the lid.
"This is the third time they have cocooned. I wonder what they will look like after the transformation."
The transformation of Explosive Bugs into Starburst Bugs wasn't just a change in color and size.
After the previous two transformations, Kimimaro had already discovered that their explosive power had more than doubled.
If they continued to evolve, they might be comparable to Deidara's explosive clay.
Thinking of this, Kimimaro's eyes lit up.
"That's right. Explosive Bugs can be fed with chakra, so Deidara's Explosion Release chakra might be a good feed. If I use his chakra to feed the Starburst Bugs once, their power will definitely increase by another level!"
Kimimaro was tempted.
Deidara, who was discussing art with Sasori, couldn't help but sneeze.
"Strange, the weather isn't cold yet, why am I sneezing?"
Deidara looked puzzled, unaware that his chakra was being targeted.
(End of chapter)