The Akatsuki's efficiency was impressive. No sooner had Orochimaru been invited to join than Zetsu brought back word—by the very next afternoon, he appeared with the arrangements already made.
Watching Orochimaru calmly put on the Akatsuki cloak, Aoyama couldn't help but feel an itch in his heart. He wanted to grab Zetsu by the collar and ask: Why does Orochimaru get to skip the strength test and jump straight to being a full-fledged member?
Orochimaru received the "Sky" ring. His codename became "Kūjin – Empty Dust", exactly as it had been in the original timeline.
Aoyama, on the other hand, was given the "Nan" ring, placing him in the Akatsuki's Southern Star position. The moment he slipped it on, the ring recognized him as a member, and he immediately felt the pull of the Akatsuki leader's summons.
Zetsu explained:
"First, you'll need to learn the Illusionary Projection Technique. Through it, you can use the ring to project your thought-body and communicate directly with the Akatsuki's base and other members."
The jutsu was simple enough. For a genius like Orochimaru, a single glance and a test run were enough for him to master it without effort.
But for Aoyama—whose "ninjustsu talent tree" had long since been chopped down—it was a nightmare. He had to grind and sweat before he barely managed to pull it off.
When he finally entered projection form and opened his eyes, he found himself in a pitch-black space, not unlike a coal mine underground.
From within the darkness, the leader Pain stirred from his meditation. His gaze swept across the silhouettes standing atop the giant fingers of the statue, his voice steady and commanding:
"Welcome, our newest members. From now on, Orochimaru will bear the name 'Kūjin', and Aoyama's codename will be 'Nandou'—the Southern Star."
The roster was still sparse. At present, the lineup included:
Kakuzu, the immortal miser who loved money more than life itself.
Sasori of the Red Sand, the Akatsuki's so-called "beautiful youth," who in truth was nothing more than a life-sized puppet.
Leader Pain, radiating solemn authority.
And beside him, silent and mysterious, stood the goddess-like Konan.
Even though this was only a projection, and her form lacked fine detail, her figure was undeniable. Aoyama found himself staring, utterly entranced, until Pain shot him several withering glares—none of which he even noticed.
Pain finally cleared his throat.
"Cough, cough. Aoyama. Focus. This concerns your mission. Take it seriously, and don't delay our work."
Snapped out of his daydream, Aoyama reluctantly tore his gaze away, consoling himself with the thought: If I just listen carefully and get this over with, I can look at Konan a little longer afterward…
Pain's expression hardened. He could only glare, for these projected forms carried no combat ability. At last, he continued:
"Our members always work in pairs. This ensures missions are completed efficiently—and that each of you watches the other. Betrayal will not be tolerated. If anyone dares, I will personally hunt them down."
He turned his gaze to Aoyama.
"Your partner will be Kakuzu of the Northern Star. He bears the codename 'Hoku,' so together you form the North and South."
"As for your mission: your primary task is to collect funds. Second, you will assess a potential recruit—a rogue ninja of some skill, who has only recently defected. Zetsu has gathered the intelligence. You two will handle the evaluation."
Aoyama tilted his head, curious. Who could this be, to warrant such attention? Another immortal like Hidan, perhaps?
For some reason, a generic, forgettable face popped into his mind. He remembered that before Hidan, Kakuzu once had another partner—a pitiful soul whose neck Kakuzu had snapped like a twig. Weak, worthless, and ultimately reduced to nothing but spare organs.
Aoyama silently lit a candle for the poor bastard.
With a casual nod, he accepted Pain's mission. His attention promptly drifted back to Konan's long, elegant legs.
"Hehehe… so beautiful."
"Wow, as expected of a goddess. If only that cloak wasn't so oversized—if I could see the full view, I'd already have lost all self-control…"
When the briefing ended, Pain dissolved first. Orochimaru followed with his usual mysterious smirk, then Sasori.
That left Zetsu, Kakuzu, and Aoyama.
Kakuzu's gaze settled on him, sharp and assessing. Feeling it, Aoyama instinctively tugged at his waistband and asked, "What? My pants didn't fall, did they?"
Kakuzu's voice was cold.
"Your strength is considerable. But if you drag me down, I'll make sure you understand—"
Aoyama waved him off.
"Yeah, yeah, I know. You fought the First Hokage, big deal. Happy now? Stop bothering me. We'll talk again when we reach the Land of Earth."
Who even wants to chat with an old geezer like him? Aoyama thought. Especially one with pitch-black stitches all over his body—it was enough to ruin anyone's appetite.
He swaggered away, leaving Kakuzu mid-sentence, his face dark with suppressed fury. Murderous intent flickered in his eyes, only to fade beneath a cold snort.
Behind them, Zetsu chuckled in the empty cavern, the eerie sound more unsettling than a ghost's wail at midnight.
—
Back in reality, Aoyama opened his eyes and immediately spotted a scrap of paper nearby. Orochimaru had left it for him.
There was nothing written on it except an address.
Aoyama tore the note into pieces and stomped on them for good measure.
"So… Orochimaru's already laying foundations in the Land of Earth? No wonder later on Kabuto was able to slip in so easily and play middleman for him. Truly, Orochimaru—you're the slipperiest snake in the ninja world."
The address pointed to a small village in the Land of Earth. If Orochimaru had taken the time to write it down, then barring any surprises, it was surely one of his bases—or at least a place he had seeded with preparations.
Conveniently, the mission was already taking him to the Land of Earth. Aoyama decided he might as well investigate. Who knew? Maybe there would be rewards left behind for him.
Meanwhile, Kakuzu resurfaced in the real world, casually slaughtered a rogue ninja, and exchanged the corpse at an underground bounty station. After pocketing the cash, he finally seemed content.
Looking in the direction of the Land of Earth, his voice dropped to a low murmur:
"That brat Aoyama… his bounty's already up to ten million. Tempting. But his strength is no joke."
"Forget it. One more troublesome partner is just one more. As long as he doesn't get in the way of my profits, I don't care."
Ah, Kakuzu—his eyes truly saw nothing but money. And yet, all that hard-earned wealth he scraped together over a lifetime would one day vanish in an instant—burned to ash on exploding tags by Konan herself.
Half a lifetime of effort, gone in a single bang. And he didn't even manage to take Obito down with it.
Packing up his things, Kakuzu set out toward the Land of Earth.
—
Aoyama, however, arrived ahead of him. His first stop? The local cuisine. The unique "rock-cooked" dishes of the Land of Earth captivated his taste buds, each bite bursting with hearty flavor.
By the next day, he was still happily eating when Kakuzu finally showed up—marching into the restaurant, casually swinging a severed head in his hand.
Aoyama sighed, exasperated.
"Really? I'm still eating here. Do you have to kill the mood like that?"
Ignoring the horrified screams of the villagers, Kakuzu plopped down across from him and said coldly:
Enough wasting time. I've found a rogue ninja with a very high bounty. We'll take him down together. You get ten percent.