Revenge needs to be rhythmic.
Konan knew that Hanzo of the Salamander was always cunning, with a malicious and evil mind, and was likely to set traps at other ninja outposts.
Although any trap was nothing but child's play for Konan now, their goal was to force Hanzo of the Salamander to summon all his loyal followers back to The Hidden Rain Village to protect his safety, without letting him quietly escape out of fear of the enemy's power.
In the upcoming time, Konan decided to temporarily return to Akatsuki's base to handle some affairs and then continue selectively attacking the Rain Village's strongholds.
A mere Hidden Rain Village can be taken care of with effort.
But Akatsuki is different; it concerns their future and dreams.
The organization often faced some chaotic issues, and this time the problem was especially troublesome. During Konan's absence from the base, Akatsuki's three teams encountered problems, losing three members.
First of all, Kakuzu lost another partner in battle.
During their mission, that poor teammate was blown up along with the enemies by Kakuzu's Fire Release, and his corpse was exchanged for a box of money at a bounty station.
This was not surprising to anyone, as the members of Akatsuki were used to Kakuzu's tactics, and for the sake of money, they preferred to keep quiet.
However, the organization's newcomer, Uchiha Itachi, reported that his partner, Biwa Juzo, died, and died in his homeland The Hidden Mist Village!
According to Uchiha Itachi's report, while their team was on a mission in The Hidden Mist Village, they encountered Fourth Mizukage Yagura and his Pursuing Ninja Squad.
As one of the Seven-swords Ninja of the Hidden Mist who defected from the village, Biwa Juzo was well aware of the consequences of falling into the hands of the Mizukage and Pursuing Ninja Squad, and despite desperately trying to escape, they were eventually surrounded by Yagura and his men.
Yagura was not only the Fourth Mizukage but also the Three-tailed Jinchuriki.
During the battle, Yagura entered a Half-Tailed Beast Transformation state. Biwa Juzo blocked a Tailed Beast Ball with his Decapitating Carving Knife to save Uchiha Itachi... but Juzo himself was not so lucky and was pierced in the chest and abdomen by the broken Decapitating Carving Knife.
These were just minor issues; to Pain, a member dying during a mission only indicated his lack of strength.
The last matter, however, was absolutely intolerable.
Orochimaru attacked the returning Uchiha Itachi but was defeated by Itachi's Genjutsu in one glance. Perhaps fearing retribution, the snake fled in betrayal.
When Konan brought Uehara Naraku back to the base, the remaining members of Akatsuki were discussing hunting down Orochimaru and recruiting new members.
"Konan, you're back."
Pain glanced at Konan and the young man beside her and said softly, "We are discussing the issue of recruiting new members for the organization. Zetsu has found two suitable candidates to partner with Kakuzu and Uchiha Itachi, respectively, and we need someone to recruit them."
"Understood."
Konan frowned slightly and nodded.
"The first is an Evil God Cultist from the Hidden Hot Water Village named Hidan, who is said to have an Undying Body and can be paired with Kakuzu."
After delivering information on the first candidate, Pain turned to Konan, "Konan, take Uchiha Itachi and Kakuzu to recruit Hidan…"
"Yes."
"Zetsu, tell us about the next person!"
"The second person is named Hoshigaki Kisame."
After offering the first person's information, Zetsu turned his attention to the mysterious masked man and continued in a hoarse voice, "He hails from the Hoshigaki Family of the Land of Water, known as the Hidden Mist Monster, and like Biwa Juzo, is one of the Seven-swords Ninja of the Hidden Mist..."
"Hey hey hey, I discovered Kisame!"
The mysterious masked man suddenly interrupted Zetsu's speech, waving both hands as he volunteered, "Just let me recruit him into the organization; he can be Itachi's partner!"
"..."
Pain pondered for a moment, then raised his head, looking at the masked man in confusion, "I seem to have heard this name before. Is Hoshigaki Kisame not yet a traitor ninja?"
"He can be enticed to defect at any time!"
The mysterious masked man chuckled and brushed it off with a wave of his hand, "Hoshigaki Kisame has always been tasked with slaughtering his comrades in The Hidden Mist Village. Surely, he has long thought of defecting!"
Pain nodded, not doubting his methods but simply assigning him the task according to his request, "Then you go recruit Hoshigaki Kisame!"
"Hehehe… alright!"
After jestingly agreeing, the mysterious masked man interlocked his fingers sheepishly and said, "Um, this mission might be a bit troublesome. Can I bring another intern from the organization with me?"
"..."
Troublesome, my foot!
Isn't Hoshigaki Kisame one of your underlings?
In the heart of Akatsuki's other intern, Uehara Naraku, alarms rang loudly. Why did this sinister and cunning guy want to drag him along?
Before Uehara Naraku could respond, Konan took the lead in rejecting him, "No."
"Huh?"
The masked man waved both hands and exclaimed, "But if I go on the mission, we'll be a little short-handed! The Hidden Mist Village is a very dangerous place…"
"He is my apprentice."
Konan furrowed her brows tightly, looking coldly at the mask-wearing man who coveted her apprentice, "I don't see any reason why he should carry out missions with you… If you think The Hidden Mist Village is dangerous, I can go recruit Hoshigaki Kisame instead!"
The masked man hesitated before responding, "Senior Konan, he is also a member of the organization; we are both interns… why can't he execute missions with me?"
"..."
Konan's face immediately showed some impatience.
Because she knew the mysterious masked man was none other than the utterly evil Uchiha Madara and was utterly unwilling to have her apprentice interact with the masked man in any way.
Not just the mysterious masked man, but Konan wished that Uehara had no contact with any members of Akatsuki apart from herself and Pain.
However, at that moment, everyone cast their gaze upon them, somewhat surprised as they looked at Konan, their expressions a bit peculiar.
A group of S-Class Traitors was not really afraid of danger, but it was clear that Konan showing such favoritism and delegating a dangerous mission meant excluding her apprentice while letting the other members undertake it?
It did not seem very fair.
Pain briefly surveyed everyone present and then made the final decision, "Konan, go with Kakuzu and Uchiha Itachi to recruit Hidan… and as for Uehara, let him approach Hoshigaki Kisame with Tobi."
Konan unwillingly looked at Pain, who subtly shook his head, and she could only bow her head and comply, "… Understood."
"Actually, it doesn't have to be so troublesome."
Uehara Naraku raised his eyes to look at everyone present and said softly, "Since senior is worried about danger, why don't I go to The Hidden Mist Village myself? It's just about recruiting one person to join the organization; it's not a particularly dangerous mission."
"Huh? All right then!"
The mysterious masked man suddenly clapped, high-spiritedly saying, "In that case, I can free up some time to assist Zetsu in finding Senior Sasori's partner candidate…"
"Fine."
Pain agreed.
Sasori of the Red Sand had a different opinion entirely; from within the puppet, a hoarse voice emerged, "You go ahead. I don't enjoy aimlessly looking for people…"
After speaking, Sasori of the Red Sand turned to Pain, "Now that Orochimaru has defected, can I go to kill him?"
When Orochimaru was still with Akatsuki, the two always quarreled over ideological and budget issues, and now that Orochimaru had defected, Sasori of the Red Sand naturally wanted revenge and planned to kill him!
"Of course you can."
Pain gently asked, "Do you have any clues?"
Sasori of the Red Sand nodded, his voice sinister, "I've planted a spy beside him and should soon find out his whereabouts."
"Then the task of tracking Orochimaru will be left to you."
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