The destruction of Root—And the annihilation of the Uchiha—
Carried entirely different weight.
The latter—
Had many underlying reasons.
The former—
Was a direct challenge to Konoha's ruling class.
A declaration of war.
…
Pain fell into thought.
Root—
A hidden branch of Konoha's ANBU.
Responsible for the dirtiest operations.
In other words—
What ANBU wouldn't handle—Root would.
What ANBU could handle—Root would still take.
A force of completely conditioned operatives.
Konoha's cleaners.Its shadow.Its darkness.
Led by Danzo Shimura.
A faction—
Even darker than ANBU itself.
And yet—
That entire force…
Had been wiped out overnight?
Even Akatsuki members—
Who rarely reacted to anything—
Felt the shock.
The Uchiha massacre?
Understandable.
History had already proven—
The Uchiha produced powerful madmen.
But this?
A single individual destroying Root?
And that individual—
A civilian ninja?
And—
A classmate of Itachi?
Unbelievable.
…
After a moment—
Pain turned toward Orochimaru.
"What was his motive?"
His tone—
Flat.
Emotionless.
Regardless—
The more chaos within Konoha—
The better for Akatsuki.
If instability deepened—
Their plans could accelerate.
The Nine-Tails—
Could be captured sooner.
All eyes shifted to Orochimaru.
He smiled faintly.
"As far as I know…"
"The most widely circulated version is this—"
"He learned of the Uchiha massacre."
"And couldn't tolerate Konoha's darkness."
"So he drew his blade."
"And executed justice."
"He eliminated the masterminds."
"…"
Silence.
Then—
Disdain.
Konan spoke calmly:
"That's the version civilians prefer to believe."
Orochimaru nodded.
He didn't argue.
Even he found it laughable.
Pain spoke again:
"What about Danzo?"
The atmosphere tightened.
If Root was gone—
Then Danzo…
Should be dead.
That would have been an even greater shock.
Orochimaru replied:
"My sources within Konoha Hospital confirm—"
"He survived."
"Severely injured."
"Transported by ANBU."
"Personally treated by the director."
Silence returned.
Heavy.
If Danzo lived—
Then Root was not completely erased.
But the damage?
Catastrophic.
The intelligence—
Highly reliable.
"…A pity he didn't die."
Kakuzu sighed.
"But either way…"
"Konoha has gained another S-rank rogue ninja."
As someone who had lived through multiple eras—
He couldn't understand it.
Konoha—
Produced monsters without end.
From Hashirama Senju onward—
It had never stopped.
Pain turned toward Zetsu.
"Verify this."
"As soon as possible."
"Yes."
Zetsu bowed.
Pain continued:
"No matter his motive—"
"To strike at Konoha's leadership…"
"…is admirable."
His gaze flickered faintly.
"Perhaps…"
"He has also seen through the lies of the great villages."
"This kind of rogue ninja—"
"…is exactly what Akatsuki needs."
Konan asked:
"Should I make contact?"
"…Yes."
"If the opportunity arises."
"Test him."
"Determine whether he aligns with our ideals."
Pain spoke calmly:
"That will be all."
"Continue gathering intelligence on Konoha."
"Dismissed."
"Understood."
One by one—
The projections faded.
The room—
Returned to silence.
…
Konan remained.
Her amber eyes swept across the now-empty chamber.
The composure she maintained during the meeting—
Gradually faded.
Her expression softened—
But not into warmth.
The divine aura receded.
What remained—
Was authority.
Cold. Absolute.
More queen than angel.
Her thoughts sank deeper.
The ninja world…
Was changing.
War could erupt at any moment.
For Akatsuki—
That meant opportunity.
But—
They were still in the accumulation phase.
Funds—
Were a problem.
A serious one.
The money earned by members—
Had to be split:
Maintaining Akatsuki.Rebuilding Amegakure.
And yet—
It still wasn't enough.
Too slow.
Most civilians—
Still struggled just to eat.
If war broke out now—
Could they truly achieve their goal?
They could separate Akatsuki from Amegakure—
But—
That wasn't the point.
Their goal—
Was to strengthen this land.
To end its suffering.
That—
Was hers and Nagato's true purpose.
Their origin.
Their reason.
Which meant—
Externally—
Money was their greatest problem.
Konan's gaze dimmed slightly.
Then—
She turned to internal matters.
Akatsuki was not unified.
Since "Madara" joined—
The organization had begun to fracture.
Her faction—
Only herself and Nagato.
Madara's faction—
Zetsu.Jūzō.And soon—Itachi.
The more members Madara recruited—
The greater his influence.
Eventually—
He could sideline them entirely.
Then—
The third faction.
Neutral.
Kakuzu.Sasori.Orochimaru.
They followed strength—
Not ideals.
They respected Pain.
But they did not believe in him.
And just like Konoha—
Internal conflict…
Was inevitable.
When that day came—
Would they stand with her?
Or against her?
So—
Internally—
The balance of power was critical.
She needed—
True believers.
People who shared their vision.
Compared to finances—
This problem was easier to solve.
"Something is troubling you."
Pain stepped beside her.
Quietly.
They stood together.
Konan spoke softly:
"…Madara has recruited another S-rank rogue ninja."
The pressure—
Unspoken.
But undeniable.