Land of Rain, Amegakure.
Yahiko, leader of Amegakure, frowned as he looked over the documents on the desk before him.
"Still this many?"
They were all applications written by the village's ninja.
Nagato, standing beside him, said, "The ninja in the village all hope to join Akatsuki now."
Yahiko pondered this. "If everyone in the village joins Akatsuki, then what is the point of Akatsuki existing?"
He casually opened one letter and read its contents without being moved.
If so many people had wanted to join Akatsuki before they took over Amegakure, he would have been overjoyed.
Nagato asked in confusion, "Wouldn't it be good if everyone joined Akatsuki? That would make Amegakure more stable under our control."
Yahiko merely gave a silent, bitter smile.
If he raised the threshold for joining Akatsuki, those below would only rack their brains even harder to get in.
Akatsuki's status in the village would then be elevated invisibly, placed above every other department. That sort of situation would be difficult to stop—perhaps impossible.
But if everyone truly joined Akatsuki...
Would Akatsuki become Amegakure, and Amegakure become Akatsuki?
Yahiko sat there, lost in thought.
"What are you thinking about?"
Konan entered just then with a faint smile.
Yahiko told her about the situation he faced and his concerns.
After thinking for a moment, Konan said, "The troublesome part is that Akatsuki's status in the village is too special. It has become a separate collective."
Yahiko said helplessly, "We can't exactly disband it."
Akatsuki was the product of his heart and soul, and its companions had followed him from the very beginning until now.
Konan said, "We can define Akatsuki's role in the village."
Yahiko was taken aback, and Nagato beside him asked in confusion, "What do you mean?"
Konan said, "Turn Akatsuki into one