"Recruiting more members?"
In the void, several phantom figures flashed across the ten fingers of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, all entertaining the same thought at nearly the same time:
"So you gathered this whole bunch of weirdos for a meeting just to say that?"
Aside from Pain and Konan, the other members of Akatsuki shared a rare moment of understanding.
"Wasn't this common knowledge already? Is there really a need to make such a big deal out of it? Has this guy's love of authority kicked in?"
Kou grumbled to himself.
His expression remained as indifferent as ever. He folded his arms over his chest and lazily gazed at Pain in front of him.
But deep in his eyes, he watched with cool scrutiny.
He didn't believe Pain would waste time over something so trivial. There had to be something bigger coming!
Beside him, Tobi was waving his hand around comically, but the eye visible through the hole in his mask was fixed on Pain as he wondered what the man was going to say.
Pain looked down at them, his purple Rinnegan utterly unreadable.
He didn't bother to keep them in suspense and continued explaining:
"At present, Akatsuki has seven core members, including me."
He deliberately ignored Tobi, who was waving his hand as if protesting that Pain was ignoring him on purpose, and continued in an even tone:
"That leaves us three short of our target. Recruiting at least three more powerful fighters is one of Akatsuki's main priorities."
His gaze swept over everyone present. It carried no emotion, yet somehow made the air feel heavier.
"Once we have all ten members, the eight besides Konan and me will be split into four teams of two, and carry out missions together."
When he finished, the void fell silent.
"So that's what this was about?"
Kou looked around at the others and realized:
"That explains it. Forming teams and all that really is something you'd have to tell these eccentrics in advance."
After all, these people were used to working alone. If they were suddenly expected to carry out missions with someone else, failing to give them a heads-up could end in bloodshed.
"Well, giving them a heads-up might not help much anyway..."
Kou silently added.
Scorpion and Kakuzu looked distinctly displeased.
For people who were used to working alone, a so-called "partner" was nothing but an annoying obstacle.
But when they looked at Pain's purple Rinnegan, they swallowed their objections.
"As long as it doesn't interfere with the money I get for the missions, I don't care."
Kakuzu was the first to reply to Pain in a low voice:
"But if I can't stand him, I'll kill him."
He spoke calmly, but there was nothing joking in his murky eyes.
Scorpion nodded in agreement. His puppet's head bobbed up and down with a faint mechanical whir.
"If he gets in the way, there's no problem with getting rid of him, right?"
As he spoke, the puppet's empty eyes stared straight at Orochimaru.
The killing intent in that gaze was unmistakable.
Orochimaru, however, paid Scorpion's stare no attention at all.
All his attention was fixed on Itachi. His snake-like eyes brimmed with delight.
Even through the phantom, Kou could see his long tongue and the saliva dripping from his mouth.
Itachi felt Orochimaru's fervent stare and was puzzled.
He had no idea why Orochimaru was so enthusiastic about him. Before now, he had never had any dealings with the legendary Sannin.
But his expression remained calm, his eyes lowered so that they gave nothing away.
Seeing Orochimaru's perverted gaze, Kou felt grateful for the first time that he wasn't particularly talented.
When he'd first joined Akatsuki, this clingy snake had also harassed him relentlessly.
Kou knew perfectly well that Orochimaru had approached him because he wanted his body and eyes.
By then, Kou had already grown strong enough to fight a Kage. With the dual aims of testing his strength and avoiding getting too entangled with Orochimaru, he'd fought the man when Orochimaru came after him.
During that fight, Kou had gained the upper hand thanks to his knowledge of Orochimaru's abilities and the genjutsu he had studied so diligently.
While Kou found himself getting into a better and better rhythm, his fighting spirit growing hotter with every exchange, Orochimaru's enthusiasm gradually cooled from its initial excitement.
The light in those snake-like eyes went out bit by bit, as if some expectation had been disappointed.
In the end, Orochimaru left with a disappointed remark: "So you're nothing but an ordinary man after all."
He left Kou, who had been thoroughly enjoying the fight, standing there dumbfounded.
Thinking back on it now, that guy Orochimaru, with his impossibly high standards, had probably realized during their fight that Kou was actually of average talent and had reached his current strength through hard work and other means.
He'd probably been evaluating whether Kou's body was worth using as a vessel during their spar, then decided it wasn't.
At the thought, Kou's mouth twitched, and he felt inexplicably annoyed.
What did he mean, "nothing but an ordinary man"? What was wrong with being ordinary? Did ordinary men eat his rice or something?
But when he saw Itachi being hounded by Orochimaru, his mood improved considerably.
"Itachi-kun."
Orochimaru's voice sounded again, its sticky tone raising goosebumps:
"How about considering teaming up with me?"
His snake-like eyes brimmed with anticipation as his long tongue licked his lips.
"With your abilities, we could accomplish all sorts of interesting things together.
"I'm very interested in your eyes and your body... No, I mean your talent."
"...I'll think about it."
Itachi stared at him without expression. His voice was flat, giving nothing away.
He gave a perfunctory reply, then unconsciously glanced in Kou's direction.
Pain watched the atmosphere grow noisier and a hint of impatience flashed through his purple Rinnegan.
His voice sounded again, still even, but carrying an unquestionable authority:
"This was only an advance notice. We'll discuss the specific arrangements later, once everyone has been recruited."
He paused, his eyes sweeping over everyone present.
"That concludes this meeting."
As soon as he finished, Scorpion and Kakuzu's phantoms vanished.
Orochimaru watched Itachi form Hand Seals and leave in a hurry, a trace of regret in his eyes.
He turned and cast a meaningful glance toward Kou. Something unreadable flickered in his snake-like eyes.
His fingers formed Hand Seals rapidly, and his phantom began to fade.
"Heh heh..."
His laughter echoed through the void, lingering long after he was gone.
Kou was thinking about experimenting with the Mangekyo and was about to form Hand Seals and leave.
"Kou."
Pain's voice came from above. It wasn't loud, but it stopped Kou's fingers in midair.
"Stay for now."
Huh?
Kou's brows furrowed slightly, confusion flickering in his eyes.
He looked up at Pain, whose purple Rinnegan was calmly fixed on him.
Beside them, Tobi slowly lowered the hand he'd been using to form Hand Seals.
He said nothing, only watching Pain coldly.
Though he was only a phantom, the invisible pressure he gave off still filled the entire space.
Pain paid it no mind.
His purple Rinnegan met Tobi's gaze without hesitation.
His eyes were calm and unruffled, like a wall firmly holding back the pressure Tobi was exerting.
"I already said it."
"Everyone except Uchiha Kou can leave."
He paused, his gaze still fixed on Tobi.
"That includes you, Madara."
The void fell utterly silent.
Tobi stood there, his one visible eye fixed coldly on Pain.
His body didn't move, but the invisible pressure grew heavier by the moment.
Kou felt the oppressive atmosphere and looked at the two men facing off. For once, he was completely bewildered.
"Could this be... an Asura's Arena?"
The thought flashed through his mind, and he immediately crushed it.
"No, hold on. What kind of Asura's Arena is it when two grown men are radiating killing intent at each other?!"
His gaze instinctively shifted to Konan, who stood beside Pain and had remained silent the entire time.
She watched everything calmly, with no intention of intervening.
"Konan, why are you just standing there watching?"
Kou silently cried out in his heart:
"Do something about your Pain! Say something, Konan! Come on, say something!!"
Konan: OMO
(All same-sex relationships depicted in this story are purely platonic. If anything seems a little gay... that's just the friendship of Konoha, so don't question it!)
Before you continue