Compared to Kakuzu, who had suffered grievous wounds and lost four hearts, Aoyama's ability to recover in just two days was impressive. It was thanks to his relentless training over the years—otherwise, it might have taken him a week or two to fully heal.
As for Sasori, he simply scavenged some rotten wood, pulled out the tools hidden inside his puppet body, and got to work. After patching up the half of his torso that had been blown apart by Gai's kick, he was back in one piece.
Once his body was repaired and he could move freely again, Sasori left the cave to resume his solitary hunt for puppet materials.
The Akatsuki was still far from fully formed. Several rings were yet to have owners. Sasori's future partner, Deidara, was still just an immature brat. Only later would the two of them become the infamous "art duo."
Sensing a pulse from his Akatsuki ring, Aoyama raised a brow and muttered, "Looks like you'll have to put your heart-hunting on hold. The leader is summoning us—probably another mission."
Kakuzu snorted. "Fine. My wounds are healed anyway. I can replenish my hearts any time… so long as I don't run into a Kage—or that monster who can open the Eight Gates whenever he pleases."
Aoyama chuckled. He wasn't mocking Kakuzu, but he knew full well: even if Kakuzu felt insulted, he wouldn't dare start a fight with him.
Neither man spoke further. They both slipped into the astral-link state and appeared at Akatsuki's hidden base, each in their designated position.
The Gedo Statue's ten fingers represented the ten official members of Akatsuki. Each finger corresponded to a ring and a codename. For example, the leader—Nagato, controlling Pain's Deva Path—was "Zero" (also called "Zero Grave").
Konan was "White Tiger." The others followed accordingly, with several spots still vacant. Orochimaru's figure was absent as well, but no one expected him to attend.
Once all present members had gathered, Nagato—through Deva Path Pain—spoke in a calm yet commanding voice:
"Everyone. Konoha's probing hasn't ended. Two days ago, a squad led by Hatake Kakashi was repelled. Now, they've dispatched another team. Their target remains the same: Akatsuki."
Sasori scoffed. "So the Blue Beast of Konoha isn't with them this time? Then I won't hold back. I'll take their heads and craft fine puppets from their corpses. Imagine that Beast of Konoha is forced to fight against his former comrades."
He had nearly died in his last encounter with Might Guy—his body shattered in half by a single kick. If not for turning his body into a puppet, grass would already be growing over his grave.
So when he heard Konoha was sending another squad, it was only natural that Sasori wanted revenge—especially now that he had finished repairing his Third Kazekage Human Puppet, upgrading it with new mechanisms and boosting its strength.
But before he could say more, Aoyama noticed Kakuzu's face twist with fury. The miserly shinobi stood and growled:
"Their hearts are mine. This time, I'll wash away my humiliation."
Aoyama smirked inwardly. As expected. After all, Kakuzu and Sasori had been the ones humiliated the worst. Kakuzu had lost four hearts in one fight—nearly dying outright. Sasori had half his body destroyed. Of course, they both burned for revenge.
Pain seemed satisfied with their determination. Then his gaze slid toward Aoyama, who looked like he was only watching a show. Ignoring that, Pain continued:
"According to Zetsu's intelligence, this Konoha squad includes an elite from the Hyūga clan, a jōnin from the Uchiha, and a member of the Aburame clan. Leading them is Sarutobi Asuma. Do not underestimate their strength."
Zetsu chuckled darkly. "It's true. Asuma, son of the Third Hokage Hiruzen, had only just returned to Konoha when his father immediately sent him on this critical mission. I dug into it—Asuma spent years away from the village, serving as the Fire Daimyō's guardian in the so-called Guardian Twelve Shinobi.
His skill is average jōnin level, but with a Hokage as his father, who knows what hidden techniques he might have? If you choose him as your opponent, be prepared for surprises. Don't get caught off guard like last time."
Aoyama silently shook his head. They're overestimating Asuma far too much. If he hadn't stormed out after fighting with Hiruzen, he might have learned some powerful sealing techniques from the Scroll of Seals. Instead, he spent years as a bodyguard, only to return to Konoha later out of some half-baked reconciliation with his father. In the end, he'll just be the first Konoha jōnin Akatsuki kills.
Compared to his three teammates, Asuma was the weakest link. The Sharingan and Byakugan each had obvious advantages, amplifying their users' strength. And while the Aburame clan didn't have flashy reputations in Konoha, they were formidable across the shinobi world—once competing with other insect-controlling clans for territory. An Aburame could easily outmatch Asuma in raw battlefield impact.
After Zetsu's briefing ended, Aoyama raised his hand.
"Sorry. Can I sit this mission out? My injuries from last time were severe. I still need time to recover."
Pain's eyes narrowed, his tone a touch colder. But he nodded. "Granted."
From the corner, Konan's gaze swept over Aoyama like an interrogation. He only grinned back silently, thinking to himself:
Only a fool would jump into another mission now. Akatsuki wasn't supposed to surface until much later, but here they are, already exposed and branded enemies of Konoha. This group has no future. Maybe I should cut ties early…
When it came down to it, Akatsuki was just a shadowy underground syndicate. Even with a powerful rogue ninja, they couldn't match the true great villages in strength or heritage. Compared to even the underground exchange network, Akatsuki was in an awkward position.
For Aoyama, joining Akatsuki was never about loyalty—it was just a means to unlock the summoning of the Ancient Titan Behemoth. Once that condition was met, he had no intention of staking his life for them. And Behemoth wasn't the only titan monster he could unlock; there were others, though their requirements varied in difficulty.
This organization isn't worth dying for.