Heh heh. It seems Qianye-kun harbors quite a grudge against the Third Hokage," Orochimaru said with a dry chuckle, breaking the silence in the room.
"Of course. If that old man hadn't gone back on his word and colluded with the old dog Danzo to put me to death, I wouldn't have chosen to defect. After all, who likes living such a precarious life? Isn't it better to be a Konoha Jonin, do missions when there's nothing else to do, earn some commission, and live a stable life?"
Qianye sighed helplessly, spread his hands, and put on an innocent expression.
This made Orochimaru and the other two's mouths twitch.
Anyone who didn't know would think that someone else had annihilated his family, not that he had annihilated someone else's.
"It seems that the Ninja from Konoha are getting along quite well," a majestic and domineering voice suddenly echoed in the tower.
As the voice faded, a young man with black piercings all over his face walked in.
Behind him was a young woman.
Light purplish-blue hair, an exquisitely cold face, and a graceful figure!
This was a young woman a few years older than Kurenai Yuhi.
In terms of beauty, she was no less stunning than Kurenai Yuhi.
Even with Qianye's composure, he couldn't help but lose himself for a moment, sighing inwardly that the Naruto World was indeed a place that produced many beauties.
It's a pity that few of them had good endings.
(P.S.: Sakura doesn't count; in Green Pepper's eyes, she's not a beauty.)
But since I, Qian, am here,
I should at least give these ladies a good ending.
"Leader," Orochimaru greeted him symbolically. As for Tobi, who was Obito in disguise, he had slipped away at some point.
Pain didn't mind Orochimaru's attitude. He waved his hand, and Orochimaru, knowing his place, left.
For Pain, as long as Orochimaru didn't cause trouble and completed the missions he assigned, it was fine.
His light purple Rinnegan swept over Qianye and Itachi in turn, and Pain spoke, "I am the leader of the Akatsuki Organization, Pain, codename Zero. You can call me Leader, or Pain, or Zero. The Akatsuki's goal is world peace, for the Akatsuki to dominate the world in place of the Five Great Nations."
"What a grand ambition," Itachi commented lightly.
Qianye, on the other hand, stated his own view, "A good ambition, but as long as the Ninja Village system exists in this world, there can be no true peace. The root cause is the system itself.
They don't produce anything, relying on completing missions to earn commissions. Once there's peace, the Ninja Villages' income will decrease.
Friction will erupt between nations, and they will try every means to create chaos.
The Fourth Shinobi World War arose from this."
Uchiha Itachi, who was standing nearby, showed an expression of disapproval upon hearing this.
Qianye glanced at him, crossed his arms, and said, "Don't think I'm talking nonsense. The reason you can't agree is simply because your vision is still limited to Konoha. Konoha itself occupies the best land resources. And that old man Hiruzen Sarutobi is a complacent fellow, naturally yearning for peace."
"But those Ninja living in barren lands or in areas constantly ravaged by war won't think that way."
"They also want better resources and a better living environment; otherwise, who would be so bored as to go to the battlefield?"
"I imagine the leader, who was born in Rain Village, must deeply empathize."
"Indeed," Pain nodded, looking at Qianye with a hint of interest.
Qianye continued, "Ultimately, it's nothing more than a historical legacy issue."
"If the First Hokage had been willing to join forces with Uchiha Madara back then, unify the Ninja World, and rectify all nations and Ninja Villages, instead of naively trying to move others with some fire will, then there wouldn't have been so many problems later."
"During the first Five Kage Summit, the reason everyone was able to sign a peace treaty was merely out of fear of the First Hokage's strength. It wasn't about mutual understanding."
"After the First Hokage's death, the First Shinobi World War broke out, which is the best proof."
Hearing this, the scene fell into a brief silence. A moment later, Pain was the first to speak, asking Qianye, "Then how do you think permanent peace can be achieved?"
"I don't know," Qianye shook his head. "Even unifying this world and establishing a complete system would only be temporary. As long as supernatural phenomena like Chakra exist, the world cannot achieve permanent peace. Ambitious individuals who gain power will continue to proliferate.
People like the truly villainous Danzo and the hypocritical Hiruzen Sarutobi are just the tip of the iceberg in this era."
"I see," Pain nodded thoughtfully, returning to the main topic. "The Akatsuki's goal is world peace, for the Akatsuki to dominate the world in place of the Five Great Nations. For this, we gather excellent Ninja, regardless of their origin or background. Itachi and Qianye of Konoha, welcome."
Upon hearing this, Qianye and Itachi tacitly removed their headbands and scratched a line across them, symbolizing their complete separation from Konoha.
Seeing this, Pain then handed over two rings that only official Akatsuki Organization members could possess.
Uchiha Itachi's ring was still 'Vermilion'.
As for Qianye, he received Deidara's original ring, 'Azure'.
These would also be their codenames within the Akatsuki Organization from now on.
Pain said, "From now on, your codenames in the Akatsuki Organization will be Vermilion and Azure, respectively. These two rings have communication functions and must be worn at all times.
In addition, when taking action, you must wear the Akatsuki Organization's exclusive uniform. Currently, the Akatsuki Organization is still in its development stage, and this will help spread the Akatsuki Organization's reputation.
Furthermore, nail polish must also be applied.
I will have someone deliver these two items to you shortly."
"Uh, your red cloud black cloak is nice… but do I really have to wear nail polish? A grown man wearing something like that…"
Qianye put the ring on his right index finger, his mouth twitching. Before he could finish speaking, Pain's undeniable voice sounded in his ear: "No."
"Alright then," Qianye sighed helplessly, then added, "Then, may I ask if you can arrange a sufficiently safe and independent residence for me? I need to settle my childhood friend."
"Of course. Protecting Akatsuki Organization members and their families is the Akatsuki Organization's consistent policy. Your residence will be in the highest tower of the Akatsuki Organization. No one is allowed to enter there except for Konan and me," Pain nodded.
"Are there any precautions?"
Qianye vaguely remembered that the highest tower in Rain Village was Nagato and Konan's residence.
To some extent, it was indeed the safest place in the Ninja World so far.
Of course, the premise was that Qianye remained alive and had not betrayed the Akatsuki Organization.
It seemed that Tobi still didn't trust me, Qian.
He specifically placed me, Qian, under the surveillance of the Rinnegan.
Pain said, "Of course. The top floor is my residence. No one is allowed up there except for my partner, Konan. As for other places, you can do whatever you want, whether it's training or relaxing, as long as you don't damage the internal structure."
P.S.: First update. Please give recommendation tickets, please give monthly tickets.