"Thank you, thank you, young sir! No, my lord!" The head of the Dog's Paw Inn, Gouhachi, was so frightened he was incoherent, his mind still reeling from the near-death experience. After a few moments, once he was sure his life was no longer in danger, his calculating mind began to whir.
Gouhachi's eyes darted around, and he quickly adopted a fawning, flattering tone. "My lord! Please… please believe me. You saved my life. I will do exactly as you say! All future profits from the Dog's Paw Inn will be yours!" Of course, he meant none of it. Donate all my future profits? Hmph, as if! He planned to placate the little devil before him for now, and then spend a fortune hiring mercenaries or shinobi from one of the great nations to protect him. That way, he wouldn't have to fear Kakuzu or any other members of the Akatsuki in the future.
"Heh." Looking at Gouhachi's groveling, Shiro smiled coldly. "Although I am young, I have learned not to trust the words of others, especially businessmen. I would rather trust my own eyes." Two scarlet tomoe swirled to life in Shiro's eyes. Gouhachi hadn't even registered what was happening. The moment he met the boy's gaze, his own thoughts and consciousness began to unravel, slowly turning to nothingness until his mind was a blank slate. Gouhachi's will was now completely under the control of Shiro's Sharingan.
"Success!" Shiro smiled proudly at Obito. "How was that, Obito nii? I have now mastered the illusion you taught me." It was the unique, powerful genjutsu of the Sharingan, the same one Obito used to control the Fourth Mizukage. Obito gave him a thumbs up. "Not bad, Shiro. Not bad at all!"
A few hours later, Kakuzu and his group returned to the Akatsuki base. Pain and Konan were waiting for them before the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.
"Welcome to the Akatsuki, Hidan," Pain said, his voice flat as he handed Hidan a ring engraved with the character for "Three." "From this day forward, you are an official member."
Hidan slipped the ring onto his finger. "Hey, I heard I'd get to kill a lot of people here, so I joined. You didn't lie to me, did you?"
Konan replied, her expressionless face a perfect mask. "That is correct. The Akatsuki is a group that does not shy away from murder. Wherever there is assassination and war, there you will find us."
"Hehehe, very good," Hidan cackled. He mimicked the other members, drawing a line through the symbol on his Yugakure forehead protector. "But the Akatsuki doesn't matter to me. As a devout believer, my true mission is to spread the word of the great Lord Jashin."
Pain replied, "Do as you wish. As long as you complete the missions assigned to you by the organization, you may do whatever you please in your own time. The organization will not interfere."
Hidan rubbed his nose with his finger and said without a hint of hesitation, "I have one more request. Can I get a new partner? This guy is always so mean to me, and his mouth is even fouler than mine!"
"What did you say?!" Kakuzu glared at Hidan, his voice a low growl. "I haven't even begun to dislike you, and already you dislike me?" He then turned to Pain. "Leader, I refuse to be in a group with him either. His sacrificial rituals are far too long. They're a waste of my time."
"How dare you call my rituals a waste of time?! Kill me if you've got the guts!"
"Hmph! Why are you yelling? What's wrong with me despising you? If you don't like it, come and kill me!"
"You damn black-hearted monster!"
"Tsk! Idiot!"
The two of them argued back and forth, their bickering threatening to go on all night.
"Enough! Stop arguing!" Pain's voice boomed with authority. "There is no one more suitable for either of you than each other. The teams have been decided. If you have nothing further, go and receive your new missions."