*Amegakure Village, The Tower*
"Your little brother is truly a remarkable genius. With this device, controlling the entire region just got a whole lot easier," Nagato remarked, admiration coloring his tone as he observed the surveillance monitor displaying real-time footage.
"Sometimes, I wish he were just an ordinary person," Konan sighed wistfully.
Nagato paused, then shook his head. "If he were ordinary, the two of you would never have crossed paths."
"You're right," Konan conceded, her pale golden eyes fixed on the screen. "So… you didn't plant any surveillance devices in private spaces, did you?"
"What?" Nagato blinked, caught off guard by the sudden shift in topic.
"Places like girls' bedrooms, hot springs, that sort of thing…"
"Konan, do I look like some kind of pervert like Jiraiya-sensei?"
"Hard to say," Konan replied flatly, her expression unreadable. "Back then, your body didn't allow for such inclinations. Now, though…"
"I'm starting to think you're the one who's changed," Nagato muttered, his eye twitching slightly. "Throwing around baseless accusations like that—Yahiko would be shocked if he saw you like this."
"Speaking of Yahiko… he'll be back with us soon," Konan murmured, gazing out the window with a serene smile.
The Deva Path of Pain had already been sent to the Hollowfication research facility in the Land of Waves. Lately, Akatsuki's meetings had been presided over by Nagato himself—yet none of the members had noticed anything amiss.
Such was the absolute dominance of Kyōka Suigetsu's power.
"Bringing the dead back to life… Are Arrancar really that miraculous?" Nagato still found it hard to believe.
"I saw Hanzō of the Salamander in Land of Waves' Umbrella Corporation. He's now an Arrancar, flesh and blood once more," Konan stated matter-of-factly.
"Hanzō, huh…" The name still stirred complicated emotions in Nagato.
The hatred was long gone—it had vanished the moment he'd used the Deva Path to kill him.
But the idea of the man being alive again, now an ally in the same faction? And worse, working alongside Yahiko once he was revived?
'This is beyond absurd.'
"Two former enemies setting aside their grudges for a greater cause… That was Yahiko's dream, wasn't it?" Konan murmured, still staring out the window.
Nagato nodded solemnly. "What Yahiko couldn't achieve, Hayashi Yuto did."
*Knock knock.*
"Lord Nagato, Lady Konan…" A young girl's voice called from outside. "Kakuzu is here."
"We'll see him. Let him in," Nagato replied.
"Understood."
Once the footsteps faded, Nagato turned to Konan, his rippling violet eyes curious. "This new apprentice of yours… What's the plan for her? Will she join the ranks of the 'Saviors'?"
"If we're following the original plan, in a few years, you'd turn her into the Animal Path," Konan said bluntly.
The Animal Path…
Nagato winced. "That would've been brutal."
*Creak.*
The door swung open.
Kakuzu strode in, clad in Akatsuki's signature black-and-red cloak—only to freeze mid-step upon spotting Nagato standing beside Konan.
"Those eyes… the Rinnegan?!"
'How?!'
"There's no way there's another pair besides the Deva Path!'
"Judging by your reaction, I'm clearly not in my Deva Path form," Nagato mused, instantly deciphering his thoughts. "No need for shock. This just means Yuto truly considers you one of us now."
"Wha—what?!" Kakuzu stood dumbfounded.
"During the mission to capture the Seven-Tails, you witnessed Yuto's… unique abilities, didn't you?" Konan's golden eyes pinned him in place, her voice cool.
Kakuzu's eyes widened. "You—you mean—"
"Yes. We've known about Yuto's powers from the start," Konan confirmed. "In other words, we're the real inner circle."
*Hiss.*
Kakuzu sucked in a sharp breath, feeling like he'd just been slapped with the world's most ridiculous plot twist.
'So we're all in the same organization, but you've got a secret club within it?! What's even the point of Akatsuki then? Why not just disband and do your own thing?!'
"Given Akatsuki's current… diverse membership, we'll explain everything in detail later," Nagato interjected, picking up a document from his desk and handing it to Kakuzu. "For now, take a look at this report. Any issues?"
It was, more accurately, a financial ledger—black ink denoting purchase costs, red ink marking post-production profit margins.
Kakuzu skimmed it, then dropped it back onto the desk with a scoff. "Who the hell made this? There are at least seven amateur mistakes here! If I were handling it, material costs would drop by 30%, and profits would spike by 50%!"
Konan and Nagato exchanged a glance, then spoke in unison:
"Perfect. You're our new Finance Minister."
*Beneath Konoha, Hidden Base*
Kushina eyed the towering, grotesque creature on the platform, her curiosity piqued. "A super-hybrid of Tailed Beast chakra and Hollowfication… So the experiment worked?"
The monstrosity stood over ten meters tall, its head encased in a bone-white mask. Armored plates covered its body, and six massive arms sprouted from its torso. Everything about it screamed lethal.
"Half-success," Yuto corrected, shaking his head. "As predicted, Hollowfication can fuse with Tailed Beast chakra, but the output isn't at the 'Menos Grande' level I wanted."
"You're already incredible," Mikoto chimed in, spearing a slice of apple and holding it to his lips. "Even a Kage-level ninja would struggle against that thing, wouldn't they?"
*Munch.*
Yuto chewed thoughtfully. "Honestly, I don't plan to deploy them in combat. Their intelligence is too low—micromanaging them would be a hassle."
"Hah?"
Both women stared at him. This monster—not for fighting?!
"First, we refine Hollowfication to achieve perfect fusion, boosting Arrancar power further," Yuto explained, patting Kushina's thigh. "Second, these 'failures' can be repurposed—sent to factories for heavy labor."
"F-Factories?!" Kushina's eye twitched. "You're gonna make these Tailed Beast-Hollow abominations work on assembly lines?! Your brain's a bigger black hole than actual black holes!"
"Is this what you meant by 'automation' earlier?" Mikoto deadpanned.
"Even if it's not fully automated, it's bio-engineering! they're replacing human labor, aren't they?"
"Tch. I love that stubborn look on your face right now." Kushina suddenly yanked him into a headlock. "C'mere—time for your 'motivational bonus'!"
Before he could protest, she crushed her lips against his.
*Mwah.*
The sound hung in the air. Mikoto watched, cheeks burning, eyes brimming with envy.
Finally, they parted.
"Ugh, so frustrating!" Kushina groaned. "This ghost body ruins all the fun!"
'Oh, boo-hoo. You got to 'eat' and still complain about the 'flavor'?' Mikoto shot her a glare that could melt steel.
*Bzzt.*
The intercom crackled to life.
"Lord Yuto, Danzō requests your presence."
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