Kakuzu was standing at the back of the crowd. Seeing how much of a headache Xuan Yu was giving both the Deva Path and Konan, he couldn't help secretly enjoying himself.
He wasn't going to be the only one suffering at Xuan Yu's hands.
But after the Deva Path asked his question, Kakuzu found it a little harder to enjoy himself.
If he answered truthfully, he'd inevitably be publicly humiliated in front of everyone.
He was one of the Akatsuki's best men when it came to completing missions, yet he'd repeatedly fallen prey to this brat Xuan Yu. It would be pretty embarrassing if word got out.
But Kakuzu quickly changed his mind.
He could use Xuan Yu's performance and rate of growth to praise him to the skies.
That way, he'd earn Xuan Yu's favor, and since Xuan Yu was an exceptionally gifted genius of a ninja, it would be understandable that Kakuzu had come off worse in their encounters.
With that thought, Kakuzu cleared his throat and said, "What the kid said should be true. I've crossed paths with him four times in the past month, and each time, I could clearly tell he was stronger than before."
"I've encountered plenty of ninjas who called themselves geniuses while carrying out missions across the Ninja World, but none of them grew anywhere near as fast as this kid here."
Kakuzu had praised Xuan Yu to the heavens.
What he meant was that being a genius was only the bare minimum when it came to Xuan Yu.
As soon as Kakuzu finished speaking, the Deva Path Pain gave a slight nod, then turned his gaze back to Xuan Yu and asked, "What's the third reason?"
Xuan Yu replied without hesitation, "The third reason? I have an intelligence network whose capabilities far surpass those of the Akatsuki. It knows countless little-known secrets about the ninja world. For example, the secret of the Deva Path Pain, the Akatsuki's plan to create a Tailed Beast Weapon, and why each of the Akatsuki's members joined. I know all of it."
The Deva Path and Konan had already felt that the Akatsuki seemed to have no secrets from Xuan Yu.
Hearing him spell it out, they were startled. Their instincts had been right.
The source of Xuan Yu's information was unknown, but in his eyes, the Akatsuki really did seem transparent.
The Akatsuki had only two options when dealing with a ninja like him.
Either recruit him or kill him on the spot.
Given the value Xuan Yu had just demonstrated, the Deva Path and Konan both leaned toward the first option.
After a brief moment of thought, the Deva Path Pain said, "I can agree to your terms. The Akatsuki can hire you for long-term cooperation at a rate of ten million ryo a year."
"Hold it!" Xuan Yu was clearly dissatisfied with the offer. Frowning, he complained, "Brother Men, you're seriously underestimating me. Do you think I'm only worth ten million ryo a year to the Akatsuki? At least one hundred million a year! Missions worth more than that will be paid separately. Otherwise, there's no deal!"
Xuan Yu made an outrageous opening bid, demanding an astronomical fee from Nagato.
Negotiations were all about starting high and meeting somewhere in the middle. Of course he had to ask for as much as he could.
The Deva Path Pain naturally couldn't agree to such an absurd price.
But seeing that Xuan Yu was a talent the organization needed, he considered it briefly before making a concession. "The Akatsuki can offer you at most thirty million ryo a year. In return, you must complete missions for the organization worth the same amount each year."
"Also, the organization can provide you with additional mission opportunities, help you obtain ninjutsu, and offer other assistance you might need..."
Before he could finish, Xuan Yu flashed forward and appeared right in front of the Deva Path Pain. Grinning, he held out his hand. "Brother Men, pay up."
The Deva Path Pain: (O_O)???
Konan: (O_O)???
Everyone else: (O_O)???
Three question marks popped into everyone's heads at once.
Hadn't he said there was no deal if he got less than one hundred million a year?
So why had he agreed so readily to thirty million?
Nagato, who was controlling the Paths of Pain, felt as if he'd been played. He thought that even if he'd offered only fifteen million a year, the kid might have agreed.
But Nagato wasn't the sort to let himself be taken advantage of. He was already thinking about how to "welcome" Xuan Yu.
Xuan Yu wanted to take thirty million ryo from him, did he?
Then Nagato would simply make Xuan Yu Kakuzu's partner.
Given Kakuzu's efficiency and the sheer number of missions he took on, it wouldn't take long for Xuan Yu to complete missions worth thirty million ryo for the organization.
After he'd passed that amount, Nagato could pay him additional fees.
With that in mind, Nagato made the Deva Path Pain nod slightly at Konan.
Konan understood. She promptly took out a check, wrote it for thirty million ryo, and handed it to Xuan Yu.
Xuan Yu took the check, grinning from ear to ear.
Coming to the Akatsuki really was the right choice! I've already earned thirty million ryo in less than an hour. If I'd gone to the Black Market in the Empty District, I don't know how many bodies I'd have had to loot to get that much money!
Only after seeing Xuan Yu happily pocket the check did the Deva Path Pain speak again. "Xuan Yu, welcome to the Akatsuki as a mercenary and one of our members. According to the Akatsuki's rules, you'll be teaming up with Kakuzu in a two-man squad to carry out missions together."
Hearing that, Kisame Hoshigaki couldn't help giving Xuan Yu a sympathetic glance.
Xuan Yu might be strong, but Kakuzu was infamous for being a terrible teammate. It wouldn't be long before Kakuzu took Xuan Yu's corpse to the Bounty Exchange to cash in the reward.
"Ha. Unlucky kid," Orochimaru sneered with malicious glee. He shared Kisame Hoshigaki's opinion.
In the Akatsuki, even when other members changed partners, it wasn't because their partners had died. But Kakuzu was different. Every time he got a new partner, it was basically because his previous one had met with an "accident."
Kakuzu frowned slightly at the Deva Path Pain's decision.
He'd recruited Xuan Yu to the Akatsuki because he wanted Xuan Yu on his side and no longer fighting against him. But he didn't want Xuan Yu as his partner. Unlike the others, this teammate would be rather difficult to kill.
He really had no idea how long it would take to kill Xuan Yu, then haul his corpse to the Bounty Exchange to collect the reward.
Xuan Yu, on the other hand, was very pleased with the arrangement.
He gave the Deva Path a thumbs-up and said with a grin, "Brother Men, you really get me! With my mission skills, if I didn't team up with Kakuzi after joining the Akatsuki, it'd be a complete waste of my talent!"
"With Kakuzi and me working together, the Akatsuki's reserves are going to shoot through the roof!"
The Deva Path Pain had no interest in Xuan Yu's grand promises. He simply turned to Konan and instructed her, "Give him an Akatsuki uniform and arrange a place for him to stay in Amegakure."
"Understood." Konan nodded, then turned to Xuan Yu. "Come with me."
Xuan Yu didn't object. Smiling, he followed Konan away from the tower platform and headed to his new home in Amegakure.
Konan brought Xuan Yu to a house and stopped outside it. "This will be your place in Amegakure from now on. Your partner Kakuzu lives in the room across from yours."
"I'll have someone bring you an Akatsuki uniform shortly. If you have any questions, you can ask Kakuzu or come to me."
Xuan Yu asked casually, "Sister Konan, when are you going to give me a way to get ninjutsu?"
Konan paused, only then remembering what Kakuzu had promised when he recruited Xuan Yu. She nodded slightly. "The Akatsuki doesn't usually provide ninjutsu to its members. We'll need some time to prepare something suited to your situation, either ninjutsu itself or a way for you to obtain it."
"Until then, stick with Kakuzu and get familiar with the Akatsuki and its mission procedures."
Before you continue