Black Zetsu: You're already courting death... Huh?

After Deidara helped destroy the used "PPT," Hidan was called back into the cave.

Hidan noticed that everyone else's attitude toward Shirozumi had changed.

It seemed the other party really had proposed some convincing strategy or plan.

Hidan scratched at his head, intensely curious.

Before Hidan could say anything, Shirozumi spoke again. "Besides the plan I just mentioned, there's another one that could serve as a deterrent. It's just relatively more troublesome to carry out."

"Say it, say it! The next victim... uh, I mean, who's the next person honored enough to deter the Shinobi World?"

Deidara was unusually excited, seeming eager for chaos, and had nearly let his true feelings slip.

"Big Sis Konan..."

Shirozumi had just turned his gaze toward Konan.

Even the way he addressed her had changed without him noticing.

Konan's heart skipped a beat. Before Shirozumi could finish, she walked up to him and placed one hand on his shoulder. Her face was cool, her expression complicated, as she uttered four words: "I'm begging you."

"Since Big Sis Konan is begging me, I'll just reveal this plan of mine outright."

Shirozumi wore an expression that said, "I understand."

"That's not..."

Konan looked deeply conflicted.

She wanted to stop Shirozumi from proposing some outrageous plan with her as its main character.

But she also clearly understood that the things Shirozumi proposed were beneficial to both the Akatsuki Organization and Amegakure.

"Big Sis Konan, your technique should be pretty good at disguise, right?" Shirozumi asked.

"...It's decent."

Konan's heart tightened at his words.

To guard against "Madara," she had been able to disguise Explosive Tags as an entire "ocean."

Even "Madara's" Mangekyō Sharingan had been unable to see through her Paper God Technique.

Konan hadn't expected Shirozumi to bring that up.

She couldn't explain it too clearly, but for the sake of the village and the Akatsuki Organization, Konan still gave an affirmative answer.

"Then it'll work. Big Sis Konan, disguise your Explosive Tags as toilet paper and mix them in with the batches sold to the Five Great Shinobi Villages. Then, when they use the toilet paper to wipe their butts..."

"Let the world feel pain! Art is an explosion!"

This time, Shirozumi did not use a "PPT" for his presentation. He performed it personally with wholehearted dedication.

"Why do those last two lines sound kind of familiar?"

While everyone else was speechless and shocked, Hidan, whose intelligence was somewhat lacking, once again made a remark that left everyone smiling in relief.

Hearing Shirozumi steal his signature cool line and use it in a situation like this, Deidara instantly felt as sick as someone who realized halfway through jerking off that he was holding the wrong stick.

"I'm begging you..."

Deidara couldn't help saying those same four words as well.

"Even begging requires getting in line. I'm currently talking about a plan exclusively for Big Sis Konan."

Shirozumi pointed at Konan.

Konan's expression was somewhat helpless, utterly lifeless, yet mixed with a trace of admiration.

This really was something she could do, but had never once thought of doing this way.

"No! We can't do that!"

Kakuzu suddenly shouted in a deep voice, startling everyone.

The members of the Akatsuki Organization looked at Kakuzu in surprise.

They had never expected Kakuzu, a prime candidate for the Akatsuki Organization's most deranged member, to oppose this plan.

Had they all misjudged Kakuzu?

"Why?"

Shirozumi and Konan asked Kakuzu at the same time in an oddly synchronized manner.

After noticing that the other had spoken as well, the two exchanged a glance.

"How much does an Explosive Tag cost per sheet? How much does a roll of toilet paper cost? If you disguise Explosive Tags as toilet paper, how much money will we lose? Have you calculated that?!"

Kakuzu's green eyes glared furiously at Shirozumi.

Kakuzu's indignant questioning made Konan secretly breathe a sigh of relief.

—Looks like it hasn't been exposed.

Just as she thought. Even "Madara" couldn't see through that disguise, so how could Kakuzu possibly notice?

"Kakuzu, that's rather narrow-minded of you."

Shirozumi shook his head.

"I'm narrow-minded?! Do you know how long I've lived?"

Kakuzu narrowed his eyes.

"A thousand years?"

"..."

"Apparently not. You haven't even lived a thousand years, so you'd better not throw your age around.

Besides, I'm not insulting you. There's a reason I say this.

I heard Hidan once asked you why you didn't just kill the people at the Bounty Office. Wouldn't that earn more money?

Your answer was that earning rewards through bounty missions was the only way to develop sustainably.

That's a very sound understanding of economics and money.

But in this matter, you're still only seeing the immediate benefits, not the long-term development."

As Shirozumi spoke, Kakuzu listened.

Though Shirozumi's remark about throwing his age around greatly displeased him, he endured it.

What came next was crucial.

Shirozumi's previous proposals had already proven that he possessed sufficient strategic insight and would not speak without reason. Kakuzu trusted him greatly in that regard.

"First, there's a saying: military spending is not something you can cut. Any military budget you save will eventually become reparations paid to someone else.

Second, have you forgotten the Amegakure Development Plan I showed you before?

Once we achieve stable growth, the profits will be enough to support more than a dozen loss-making projects like this.

What's more, we can produce toilet paper ourselves.

Toilet paper produced elsewhere might explode. Only ours can be used safely. That's a monopoly.

All Five Great Shinobi Villages will have to use the toilet paper we produce.

Then we'll print some images and slogans on the toilet paper.

As everyone knows, people like to read something while taking a dump.

By then, the ordinary people of the Five Great Shinobi Villages will gradually be influenced by us..."

"Of course, they can choose not to use paper and go back to wiping their asses with branches and grass like before.

But that would make it much easier to injure their delicate little butts.

You know what comes next."

Shirozumi abruptly stopped at the end.

Everyone instantly understood. Hidan had returned.

This was not something they could say outright.

"Your scheme actually connects from beginning to end? That's ridiculous, yeah!"

Deidara's complaint voiced everyone's thoughts.

"I have another question."

Kakuzu spoke again. "What did you mean by printing things on toilet paper?

Are you trying to make the Five Great Shinobi Villages accept Akatsuki's ideals? I think you're being far too unrealistic.

Forget anything else—once we begin capturing the Tailed Beasts, we'll become mortal enemies with the Five Great Shinobi Villages no matter what."

The others fell silent in agreement.

Even people like Pain, Konan, and Deidara still rather hoped their own ideals—art, perhaps—would be recognized by others.

But they did not believe the people of the Five Great Shinobi Villages could understand them.

"This is the final thing I wanted to say. I've decided that the Akatsuki Organization will abandon the plan to capture the Tailed Beasts and create the Ten-Tails as a deterrent."

Shirozumi wore a solemn expression.

"..."

Pain, who had stood silently in the corner all along, shifted slightly.

Yet compared to Nagato, the one whose emotions fluctuated most intensely was Black Zetsu below.

The moment those words were spoken, Shirozumi had become someone Black Zetsu had to kill.

Just as Black Zetsu wondered when he should notify that brat Obito and have Obito take care of Shirozumi, Shirozumi's next words left him completely stunned.

"Our new plan is—reviving Kaguya Otsutsuki."