Forging an Alliance, Rapid Development? An Unforeseen Path!

Xuan Yu, however, remained unaffected by the Heavenly Path's influence, continuing to voice his thoughts with complete nonchalance.

"With Kakuzi and me working in tandem, we swept through the Black Market missions in the Grass Country, the Land of Rivers, Amegakure, and parts of the Land of Fire with incredible, high-level efficiency, earning a massive amount of commission for the organization. Surely, there's no issue with that, right?"

Just like the commissions earned by ninjas in hidden villages, the Akatsuki organization took a cut of the earnings from its members; this was a vital source of revenue for both hidden villages and mercenary groups like Akatsuki.

The Heavenly Path did not evade this line of reasoning, instead nodding frankly. "That cannot be denied. Your mission volume over the past month equals what other two-man teams complete in eight months or even a year. As for the commissions you've earned for the organization, they are even greater, which is a direct result of you completing a large number of high-difficulty tasks."

Xuan Yu chuckled. "Doesn't that settle it? Akatsuki currently needs a massive amount of funds to push forward the Tailed Beast Weapon project, and when it comes to work, Kakuzi and I do in one year what others do in ten! You won't find members as excellent as us even if you searched with a lantern, Brother Men. You should be counting your blessings!"

The Heavenly Path said coldly, "Those are two different matters! I do not deny your and Kakuzu's mission capabilities, but the negative impact you have brought upon Amegakure has seriously hindered the development of the Akatsuki organization."

Xuan Yu retorted, "The negative impact on Amegakure has nothing to do with Kakuzi or me. Once a mission request is placed in the Black Market's Bounty Exchange, it is open for any ninja to complete."

"Kakuzi and I didn't just execute a large number of missions in the Grass Country and the Land of Rivers; we also swept through parts of the Land of Fire's Black Market. Why did the Land of Fire have no reaction to our actions, while the higher-ups in the Grass Country and the Land of Rivers were so dissatisfied? The problem actually lies with the Grass Country and the Land of Rivers themselves."

"From ancient times to the present, the disputes in the Ninja World have always been about the great powers vying for hegemony, while the small nations suffer. The Grass Country, the Land of Rivers, and the Land of Rain are all small nations struggling to survive in the cracks of the great powers' conflicts. Instead of uniting against a common enemy, they fight among themselves—that is the fundamental error."

Xuan Yu's words this time parted the fog, striking straight at the essence.

Upon hearing this, Nagato, who was behind the Heavenly Path Pain, was moved.

After a brief silence, Nagato controlled the Heavenly Path to speak: "And so?"

Konan's gaze also fell upon Xuan Yu with great seriousness.

What Xuan Yu had just said was a truth that most people automatically ignored most of the time.

When conflicts broke out between the great powers, small nations were often dragged into the fray, their lands becoming battlefields even if they had no part in the dispute.

As for the feelings of the ninjas and civilians in those small nations, the higher-ups of the great powers did not care.

Every dispute ignited by the Five Great Nations focused solely on their own interests; whether the small nations were plunged into catastrophe was of no concern to them.

Xuan Yu had merely taken the opportunity to mention a truth that most people habitually overlooked.

Seeing that Nagato, Konan, and even the others in Akatsuki were interested in this topic, he used his advantage in intelligence to share his understanding of the Ninja World with them.

"The Five Great Nations and their Five Great Hidden Villages possess immense strength, fierce combat power, and the Tailed Beasts—a powerful deterrent to the entire Ninja World. Almost every Great Ninja War has been instigated by these five powers, while the small nations caught in between are either wiped out in the fallout or have their entire lands turned into battlefields for the great powers, becoming hellscapes of blood and gore."

Xuan Yu's few words left both the Heavenly Path and Konan in silence.

Xuan Yu was absolutely right, for the Land of Rain was a small nation that frequently served as a battlefield for the great powers.

Nagato, Konan, and their late, dear friend Yahiko had all become war orphans after their country was turned into a battlefield.

Therefore, the small nations were not natural enemies; they were natural allies.

They were too weak, and if they wanted to avoid being bullied and crushed by the great powers at will, they had to unite.

As the Heavenly Path and Konan realized this, Xuan Yu cleared his throat and said, "All the small nations in the Ninja World should unite, share resources, and progress together! For example, the Land of Snow has the advantage of creating scientific ninja tools like Chakra Armor; Amegakure could introduce their technology to accelerate its development."

"The Grass Country lacks high-level combat power, so they are unable to complete the high-difficulty tasks on their own Black Market. We could complete these tasks, helping the employers in the Grass Country resolve their urgent troubles."

"Then there is the Grass Village, which has made significant achievements in ninjutsu research; this advantage could complement Amegakure. Other nations, like the Land of Artisans, which excels in crafting ninja tools, or the Land of Grain, which has abundant food resources—all these advantages can be complementary."

The Heavenly Path and Konan listened, expressions of contemplation appearing in their eyes.

The rest of the Akatsuki ninjas were also lost in thought.

Undoubtedly, what Xuan Yu was describing was a path that no one in Akatsuki had ever envisioned before.

While such a thing had never happened in the Ninja World, it was logically sound.

If small nations wanted to avoid being bullied and crushed by the great powers, uniting for development was the only way.

Small nations with abundant food resources would provide food, those with large populations would provide manpower, those rich in natural resources would provide materials, and those skilled in crafting ninja tools would provide technology...

Once the many small nations contributed their strengths to form a coalition, the great powers would no longer be able to act as recklessly as they had in the past.

After some thought, the Heavenly Path shook his head again. "The idea is good, but such a thing has never happened in the Ninja World, which shows that it is not easy to achieve."

Xuan Yu countered, "Brother Men, aside from the possibility you mentioned, there is another! That is, no one has ever tried to do it, which is why this situation has never emerged. If the organization is willing to pay me 100 million ryo, I can quickly facilitate an alliance between a small nation and Amegakure."

Heavenly Path: (O_O)???

Good grief, after all that talk, this was where Xuan Yu had been leading him!

Not to mention whether Xuan Yu could actually pull it off, even if he could, why would he spend that kind of money?

The Heavenly Path asked directly, "What benefit does an alliance between the Land of Rain and other small nations bring to Akatsuki? Why should Akatsuki spend so much money?"

Xuan Yu turned uncharacteristically serious. "Brother Men, the benefits are immense! Once the Land of Rain forms an alliance with other small nations, both sides can engage in trade, boosting their economic development."

"The more prosperous the economy, the better the village develops, and the more mission requests there will be from all sides. This allows ninjas to receive more commissions, while simultaneously encouraging more people to become ninjas."

"Akatsuki can obtain massive funds during the village's development process, and the sheer volume of mission requests will also allow Akatsuki to earn a massive cut in commissions. If we manage to secure a few more small nations in the future, this advantage will lead to a qualitative change through quantitative accumulation."

After listening to Xuan Yu, the Heavenly Path began to seriously consider the feasibility of his plan, while Konan was very interested in the proposal.

She often provided aid to the children of Amegakure, so she knew clearly that the vast majority of people in Amegakure and the Land of Rain were still living in poverty.

Although Akatsuki's ultimate plan could bring permanent peace to the Ninja World, lifting people out of poverty and achieving permanent peace were like two tracks on a railway—they did not conflict and could progress side by side.

She looked at Xuan Yu earnestly and asked, "How certain are you that you can facilitate cooperation between the Land of Rain and other small nations?"

Xuan Yu thought for a moment and said, "As long as the commission is paid, I can complete this mission no matter what."

Hearing this, Konan immediately looked at the Heavenly Path; she was very tempted by Xuan Yu's proposal and wanted to let him try.