She saw through him at a glance—and chose to bet anyway.
It was obvious—Konan and Nagato intended to pull him into their inner circle and use him to counter "Madara's" creeping influence over the Akatsuki.
Eight members.
Eighteen group chats.
Eight hundred scheming minds.
That was Kamizuki Gen's honest impression of Akatsuki's internal dynamics.
This damn place… is just a workplace.
He howled inwardly.
Fortunately, he was here now. As the future leader of Akatsuki, he had come to clean house.
"You and the Leader trust me this much?" Gen faced Konan and asked seriously. "What if I really am a spy, like Orochimaru said?"
Konan gazed out at Amegakure beneath the endless rain and answered without hesitation, "Would Konoha really send its future Hokage to act as a spy? Besides… my instincts tell me you won't betray the organization."
In her eyes, someone with Gen's strength would be groomed as a future Kage in any village.
If Konoha truly possessed such talent, why send him undercover?
Which meant only one thing—Konoha didn't fully understand his strength. And that meant Gen had been hiding it from them.
But more than logic, Konan trusted her intuition.
When Gen spoke of his disgust for this corrupted world, the conviction in his voice… it reminded her of Yahiko.
The same fire.
The same unwavering belief.
Looking at him, she could almost see Yahiko's shadow.
And beyond that—
Even if Gen truly were a spy, if she and Nagato could win him over, the entire balance within Akatsuki would shift instantly.
So after witnessing his strength, whether he was a spy… mattered far less.
Even if they couldn't fully win him over, Gen could still serve as the perfect counterweight to "Madara."
A three-way balance.
Mutual restraint.
Under that structure, "Madara's" influence over Akatsuki would be reduced to its lowest point.
"Hahaha!" Gen laughed. "Konan, you've got a sharp eye!"
"Please give it serious thought," Konan said, bowing slightly.
She wasn't in a hurry for an answer.
After all, Gen had only just joined. His understanding of the organization came solely from her words.
If he hadn't fully embraced Yahiko's ideals yet, then even if he verbally aligned with her faction, the connection would be fragile at best.
"Alright." Gen nodded.
He understood as well—
Joining a faction immediately after being persuaded would only raise suspicion.
The so-called neutral faction within Akatsuki—people like Orochimaru—had already sensed that a greater force was manipulating things from behind the scenes.
They were watching. Waiting.
As for Kakuzu and Sasori—
They simply didn't care.
"There's one more thing," Konan said, raising her slender right arm.
From within the wide sleeve of her Akatsuki cloak, a smooth black rod slid out.
Clearly—
It was a creation of Nagato's Rinnegan, forged through Yin–Yang Release.
She handed it to Gen.
"This is compensation from the Leader—for the blind man's cane you lost during the test."
Gen paused slightly, then took the rod and weighed it in his hand.
Light.
Smooth.
Warm to the touch.
It was the exact same size as his original cane—now shattered beyond repair.
Unexpected.
But—
A good item.
Better than anything Konoha would've given him.
"Thank the Leader for me," Gen said with a smile, accepting it without hesitation. "By the way… where is he?"
Konan's brows tightened.
You crippled two Paths of Pain the moment you arrived—
—and now you're asking where the Leader is?
Right now, he's probably locked in the workshop repairing puppets.
"He has important matters to attend to. When he's finished, he'll make time to see you."
"I see."
Konan turned to leave, then added, "Rest for now. Tomorrow, I'll teach you the Astral Projection Technique—the jutsu we use for remote communication and meetings."
"If something urgent comes up, how do I contact you?" Gen asked.
Konan paused, thinking briefly.
Then she extended her palm.
A sheet of white paper peeled from her skin, folding itself into a paper crane.
"Infuse it with chakra. It will find me."
With a light flutter, the crane took flight—like a living creature—and landed gently on Gen's shoulder.
"There will be attendants coming to tailor your Akatsuki cloak," she continued. "Also… choose a codename for yourself."
"Alright." Gen nodded.
After telling her his chosen codename and exchanging a few more words—
he closed the iron door and returned to the hall, sensing Konan's departure.
He dragged over a wooden chair and sat down.
Placed the black rod beside him.
Then began reviewing his recent gains—and planning his next steps.
First—
Aside from the system rewards, he had unexpectedly gathered all five chakra natures.
And now, Nagato's black rod.
More importantly—
During his clash with the Deva Path, he had secretly cut away its technique—
Chibaku Tensei.
The only issue was—
Without the Rinnegan, he couldn't use it yet.
Not a big problem.
In the shinobi world… who doesn't end up playing with eyes eventually?
Sooner or later, he'd get his.
Even if he could use it now, though—
His chakra reserves wouldn't be enough.
Which brought him to his most urgent problem:
He needed a massive supply of chakra.
In this world, there were several ways to achieve that quickly.
The simplest and most brutal—
Become a jinchūriki.
Let a tailed beast "pay rent."
That aligned perfectly with Akatsuki's long-term plan.
But the problem was—
After capturing a tailed beast, how would he convince Nagato to let him become its host?
And unlike Sharingan—
Tailed beasts weren't plug-and-play.
If a jinchūriki lost their tailed beast—
They died.
One problem after another.
Gen shook his head with a bitter smile.
Being the future leader of Akatsuki wasn't easy.
He couldn't help but wonder—
what reward awaited him after completing the main storyline.
Still—
He had already joined Akatsuki.
For now… one step at a time.
The most urgent issue—
was surviving the seven-day cooldown of "Equality for All" within the organization.
If a mission came up…
He could always claim he'd suffered internal injuries during his fight with the Deva Path.
Just as his thoughts settled—
A maid sent by Konan knocked politely and entered.
She began arranging furniture and taking his measurements.
…
…
Demonic Statue Tower.
A dark chamber.
Sparks burst from a workbench as machinery whirred.
In the shadows, Nagato sat in his mechanical chair, silently controlling the Naraka Path—
repairing the damaged Asura Path and Preta Path.
With the Rinnegan, he had no need for protective goggles.
He watched everything directly.
Konan stood beside him, recounting her impressions of Gen.
"When choosing his codename," she said calmly, "Kamizuki Gen said—since your codename is Zero… he'll take One."
Nagato didn't look away from his work.
"…Oh."
◇ BONUS & SUPPORT ◇
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 10 reviews — drop a comment!
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read chapters ahead on Patreon → patreon.com/c/CelestialInkstudios