Kakuzu: Teacher Kuro, I Want to Draw Doujinshi (Make Money)!!

The Land of Hot Water, a remote rural area.

This small country, famous throughout the Ninja World for its hot springs, has a heavy humidity in the air even in remote areas far from the hot spring town.

The rice in the paddy fields is heading, and several farmers wearing straw hats are working in the fields with their backs bent.

Not far from them, a discipleship ceremony driven by self-interest was taking place.

"Little devil... uh, no, Teacher Kou! I sincerely want to learn from you!"

Please, please take me as your apprentice!

Under Konan's shocked gaze, Kakuzu bowed deeply and respectfully at a perfect ninety-degree angle.

"Teacher, please teach me how to draw notebooks (to make big money!)!"

"I refuse!!!"

Kou's face turned ashen, but he answered without hesitation.

"Hey kid, don't push your luck! Do you know how much resolve it took for me to condescend to make this decision?!"

Kakuzu abruptly straightened up, his face darkening instantly, and he angrily rebuked him with a tone of utter disappointment:

"You talented brat who doesn't know how to monetize his talent! Do you know how much those guys in Kumogakure have made lately from your works?!"

In the short time we were talking, that lousy Notebook Association has already closed at least three more S-rank missions worth of money!

"It's so noisy! What does that have to do with me? You're the one who's been talking nonstop to yourself!"

Koko looked at Kakuzu with utter disdain, who had so readily abandoned his dignity for money.

"I do love money, but enough is enough. You want me to sell my dignity? No way!"

Even if I, Uchiha Kuro, starve to death, I will never pick up a pen again and draw even a single erotic illustration!

"... Uchiha Clan, you'd better think about the consequences before you speak."

A cold glint flashed in Kakuzu's eyes as he threatened in a low voice:

"If you don't want to teach, I wouldn't mind using some forceful methods."

"If I imprison you and lock you in a basement that only I know about, I won't give you food until you finish drawing a hundred pages every day."

"By then, I'll see if your mouth is still as stubborn as it is now!"

"Ha, Zhao Xiao, something like this stuck to the sole of the shoe is the hardest to remove."

"... Arrogant brat, do you know who you're talking to?!"

"Back in the day, when I faced off against the legendary God of Shinobi — the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju— you weren't even born yet, you brat!!"

"They actually fought, but it was just a matter of throwing a Shuriken at him from 800 miles away."

"They've been bragging about this for so long, it's absolutely ridiculous."

"What did you say?!!"

Kakuzu roared angrily.

As he finished speaking, countless black tentacles, as if they were alive, surged wildly from the gaps in the stitches on his body!

Kou coldly stared at the disrespectful old man before him, the crimson Mitsudomoe silently appearing in his eyes, his right hand already resting on the cold hilt of Inazuma's sword without making a sound.

Looking at the two colleagues in front of her, who seemed on the verge of fighting at any moment, Xiao Konan's cool face, half-hidden by her long light blue hair, was filled with indescribable complex emotions.

Do these two even remember that they have a mission to recruit new members for Akatsuki?!

Recalling Kakuzu's gloomy and silent appearance before the knocking ceremony not long ago, Konan couldn't help but feel speechless.

She initially thought Kakuzu was upset that Koko was late for a mission, since this veteran was known for his harshness throughout the Akatsuki.

She had initially considered trying to calm him down, but it turned out he was mentally preparing for the formal apprenticeship ceremony!

While Konan could certainly understand Kakuzu's love of money, he was still a nearly 100-year-old Ninja World veteran. For him to bow so deeply to a young man in his early twenties just to learn how to draw doujinshi was really a bit shameless...

(Kakuzu: Face? What's that worth!)

Just as Konan took a deep breath, preparing to speak up and stop the infighting that was on the verge of spiraling out of control, a loud and angry roar exploded from beside her first.

"You bastards, that's enough!"

Wearing a leather jacket, sporting a slicked-back hairstyle, and dressed in a style so fashionable it seemed completely Hidan in this remote rural area, Hidan raised his extravagantly designed blood-red Triple-Bladed Scythe high and roared angrily at Kakuzu and Kakuzu:

"You bunch of guys dressed like a band, all flashy and frivolous, come up to me and, without saying a word, try to get me to join that weird organization whose name sounds like a second-rate heavy metal band. Fine, whatever."

And you dare to ignore me and start arguing on your own? Didn't your parents teach you about manners?!

"I'm going to slaughter you all and offer you all as sacrifices to the Lord Jashin!!"

Hearing Hidan's arrogant words, Toki and Kakuzu, who had just been on the verge of a fight, turned around simultaneously and shouted in unison:

"Shut up! You have no right to speak here. Just wait quietly!!"

Hidan:(눈Benefit눈)

"... I'm going to kill you all!!!"

With that, he charged towards Kakuzu and Kakuzu, carrying the enormous scythe that still gleamed coldly in the sunlight.

Kou and Kakuzu exchanged a knowing glance, then simultaneously raised their fists and delivered a solid punch to Hidan's face, which was still roaring in anger.

The next second, Hidan: "Ooohoo!!!"

A moment later, Kakuzu, dragging Hidan whose face was bruised and swollen, almost unrecognizable from the Hidan, followed Konan and Konan slowly toward the organization, and reluctantly suggested again:

"Hey kid. Think about it again. If it really doesn't work out, we can cooperate. We'll split the profits 90/10 (I won't go into the details, but I'll say who gets 90/10)."

Are you really willing to let those barbarians from Kumogakure keep taking all the money that should belong to us?!

"I refuse!!"

Let me think about it again!

"I refuse!!!"

Konan walked at the front, listening to the sounds coming from behind, and sighed silently in her heart.

She looked at the dirt road ahead, slowly pulling her attention away from the farce behind her, and refocusing on the plan that was extremely important to Xiao at this moment.

The plan is to leverage the terrifying economic value of Kouchi in the Ninja World to secure a massive amount of funding for the future of Akatsuki and Amegakure.

This plan had already begun to take shape in her mind long before the financial report of the Kumogakure Doujinshi Association spread throughout the entire Ninja World.

Seeing Kakuzu how deeply Kakuzu's work had influenced her, further strengthened her resolve to push forward with this cause.

"But given the current situation, getting Kou to cooperate on this matter will probably be quite difficult..."

Konan glanced at the black-haired youth behind her, who was still glaring angrily at Kakuzu, and made a judgment with a hint of regret in her heart.

Or, how about we try having Nagato contact Nagato privately and have him talk to Kotori again?

After all, it's for the development of the Akatsuki and the smooth progress of the Eye of the Moon Plan; Madara will probably be tempted too...

"If it's Madara who speaks, Koko will probably listen at least a little, right?"

With these thoughts in mind, Konan turned her gaze back towards Amegakure and quickened her pace...

--

Meanwhile, on the outskirts of Iwagakure, inside an abandoned temple.

"Damn it!! My art, my art..."

A blond boy was kneeling among the cratered rubble, pounding his fist on the cracked ground.

He was covered with Black Cloak with Red Clouds that had just been draped over him, and the expression on his face, a mixture of resentment and humiliation, made him look like the protagonist in a Japanese action movie.

Opposite him, Uchiha Itachi was coldly looking down at him, the Three Tomoe Sharingan in his scarlet eyes slowly fading.

"... The Sharingan, huh? It's a power that I both miss and hate."

A hoarse, deep voice slowly drifted from the dilapidated shadows at the temple entrance.

A young man with long black hair and half his face wrapped in bandages leaned against a cracked door frame, staring intently into Itachi's eyes, which had just turned black.

With his calloused hands, he pulled the Thunder Sword, infused with Lightning Release Chakra, from the pile of clay beside him, a cruel smile curving his lips.

"Now that the mission is complete, shouldn't we head back and report as soon as possible?"

Although our teamwork was alright, you probably don't like me.

"But it's okay, me too."

Hearing the young man's indifferent words, Itachi remained silent, only coldly watching the tall figure carrying the Thunder Sword gradually disappear into the afterglow of the setting sun...

The light in his eyes silently faded away in the dilapidated temple shrouded in twilight.

"Former Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, Raiga Kurosuki."

Itachi silently murmured the name of the partner the Akatsuki had recently assigned to him, and his brows furrowed slightly.

"Even he's joined Akatsuki...?"

And this all happened at this crucial juncture when Konoha was about to form an alliance with Mist Village!

Is this really just a coincidence?

Itachi slowly turned his gaze away from the direction where Raiga Kurosuki had disappeared, a meaningful thought flashing in his eyes.

Perhaps it's time for me to find a suitable opportunity to return to Konoha...

--

I'm a bit busy and tired today. I'll make up for the next chapter tomorrow morning. Sorry...