A Conversation!

After leaving the secret room where Nagato was, Uchiha You did not return to his own room.

He went down the tower and arrived outside a dark puppet workshop.

Before he even got close, the mixed stench of poison and metal hit him head-on.

This was Sasori of the Red Sands's domain.

The door was unlocked.

Or rather, Sasori was not afraid of anyone entering.

Uchiha You pushed the door open and entered.

The room was filled with puppet parts.

Incomplete limb models hung from the walls.

Under the dim lighting, Hiruko stood silently in the center of the room.

A hoarse voice sounded:

"Newcomer."

"Did no one teach you to knock before entering someone else's room?"

Uchiha You said flatly:

"I'm in a hurry."

Sasori sneered.

"Then this had better be important."

"Otherwise, I wouldn't mind turning you into a new collectible."

Uchiha You swept his gaze around the room.

"Your taste in collectibles is mediocre."

The room fell silent for a moment.

Hiruko's tail stinger lifted slightly.

Killing intent filled the air.

Sasori's voice turned colder:

"Uchiha You, do you want to die?"

Uchiha You did not care in the slightest.

"Konoha."

As those two words fell, Hiruko's tail stinger stopped.

Uchiha You looked at Sasori and continued:

"I'm preparing to make a move against Konoha."

"The targets include Danzo, Root, Konoha's ANBU, and part of Konoha's upper ranks."

"Are you interested?"

Sasori did not answer immediately.

After a moment, he said hoarsely:

"Konoha's White Fang is already dead."

"You weren't the one who killed him."

Uchiha You said:

"But Konoha still exists."

"Your parents died at the hands of Konoha ninja."

"The hatred between Sand Village and Konoha will not disappear just because White Fang committed suicide."

Sasori said coldly:

"You think those words will persuade me?"

Uchiha You shook his head.

"I have no interest in playing on your emotions."

"I'm only telling you that on the Uchiha Massacre Night, I'll open Konoha's gates."

"Root ninja, ANBU elites, the Shimura Clan, and plenty of experimental materials."

"You can pick them yourself."

Sasori fell silent.

Compared to hatred, he cared more about eternity and art.

But Konoha's corpses, especially those of elite ninja, were indeed valuable materials.

Moreover, he was not entirely indifferent to the old grudge between Konoha and Sand Village.

A hoarse laugh came from within Hiruko:

"Uchiha You."

"You're far more straightforward than Tobi."

"He always liked spouting boring nonsense."

Uchiha You said:

"Because nonsense can't be exchanged for puppet materials."

Sasori chuckled.

"I can go."

"But the corpses are mine."

Uchiha You said flatly:

"There are restrictions."

Sasori's voice turned cold:

"You're negotiating terms with me?"

Uchiha You looked at Hiruko:

"Uchiha clan members and civilians are off-limits."

"Root, ANBU, and the Shimura Clan are yours to do with as you please."

Sasori was silent for a moment.

"Fine."

Uchiha You turned and left.

Before leaving, he added:

"Oh, right."

"Danzo has research records on Hashirama Cells."

"They may be useful for your Human Puppet Technique."

Inside Hiruko, Sasori's expression finally changed.

"Hashirama Cells?"

Uchiha You did not look back.

"If you want them, come to Konoha and take them yourself."

The door closed.

The workshop fell quiet again.

Sasori chuckled softly.

"Interesting."

"This newcomer is better at making deals than I expected."

The last person Uchiha You went to find was Kakuzu.

Kakuzu's room was easy to find.

There was no need to ask.

He only had to follow the smell of money.

When Uchiha You pushed the door open, Kakuzu was sorting through his account books.

A stack of bounty lists lay on the table.

Seeing Uchiha You enter, Kakuzu did not even raise his head.

"If you're here to borrow money, you can get lost now."

Uchiha You sat across from him.

"I'm here to bring you money."

Kakuzu's hand paused as he turned the ledger.

He raised his head, his green eyes staring eerily at Uchiha You.

"Talk."

Simple.

Direct.

Effective.

Uchiha You appreciated that about Kakuzu.

Compared to people who were full of lofty ideals, someone like Kakuzu, with a clearly marked price, was easier to work with.

Uchiha You said:

"I'm going after Konoha's Root."

Kakuzu narrowed his eyes.

"Konoha?"

Uchiha You nodded.

"Danzo's Root."

"It has an independent treasury, mission rewards, black market transaction records, sealed ninja tools, and the wealth accumulated by the Shimura Clan over many years."

Kakuzu's eyes lit up instantly.

"How much?"

Uchiha You held up one finger.

Kakuzu sneered:

"Ten million ryo?"

Uchiha You shook his head.

"At least ten times that."

Kakuzu fell silent.

The atmosphere in the room suddenly turned serious.

Kakuzu slowly closed the account book.

"Are you sure?"

Uchiha You said flatly:

"Danzo has run Root for decades."

"Assassinations, intelligence, human experimentation, secret deals."

"Do you think he'd be poor?"

Kakuzu began to think.

The more he thought about it, the more reasonable it seemed.

A man like Danzo could not possibly lack his own source of funds.

Root was not entirely bound by the public budget, so it definitely had a vast amount of money hidden away in secret.

If he could loot Root...

Kakuzu's heartbeat sped up slightly for the first time in a long while.

He looked at Uchiha You.

"I want thirty percent."

Uchiha You said directly:

"Twenty percent."

Kakuzu sneered.

"Do you think I'm joking with you?"

Uchiha You said calmly:

"I'll give you the location of the Root Treasury, a chance to enter Konoha, and a safe escape route."

"You only need to take the money."

"Twenty percent is already a lot."

Kakuzu's gaze turned sinister:

"Thirty percent."

Uchiha You looked at him.

"Besides money, I can also give you something."

Kakuzu asked:

"What?"

Uchiha You said:

"Operational intelligence on Konoha ninja with high bounties."

"Including some ANBU rosters that were never meant to circulate on the black market."

Kakuzu fell silent.

This thing held value for him as well.

Its long-term value was even greater.

After a moment, Kakuzu said:

"Twenty-five percent."

Uchiha You rose to his feet.

"Deal."

Kakuzu looked at him.

"You agreed too quickly."

Uchiha You said calmly:

"Because I intended to give you twenty-five percent from the start."

Kakuzu: "..."

He suddenly felt like this brat had played him.

Uchiha You walked to the door, then turned back and added:

"Kakuzu."

"Don't think you can take the money and not do the work."

Kakuzu sneered:

"No one has ever dared threaten me."

The Mangekyo Sharingan flashed in Uchiha You's eyes before vanishing.

"Now someone has."

Kakuzu's green eyes narrowed slightly.

The two faced each other for several moments.

In the end, Kakuzu let out a low chuckle.

"Uchiha brat."

"You'd better really be able to show me that much money."

Uchiha You smiled.

"Don't worry."

"Danzo will pay for me."

When he returned to his room, Kisame was leaning against the doorway.

He looked at Uchiha You and grinned.

"Finished talking?"

Uchiha You nodded.

"More or less."

Kisame asked:

"What was the result?"

Uchiha You walked into the room, his tone calm.

"Pain will go."

"Konan will go."

"Sasori will go."

"Kakuzu will go."

"You'll be going too."

Kisame froze for a moment.

Then he could not help laughing.

"You've only been in the Akatsuki for one day."

"And you've already pulled half the organization into attacking Konoha?"

Uchiha You poured himself a glass of water and said calmly:

"Let me correct you."

"This isn't an attack on Konoha."

"It's a cleanup of Konoha."

Kisame looked at him, his smile growing wider.

"Now I finally understand why you dared say you would change this organization."

"You didn't come to join the Akatsuki."

"You came to take over the Akatsuki."

Uchiha You took a sip of water and did not deny it.

The rain continued falling outside the window.

In the distant shadows.

A White Zetsu clone silently sank into the wall.

A moment later.

Atop another tower in Hidden Rain.

Tobi stood in the rain, listening to the intelligence brought by White Zetsu. Behind his mask, his expression darkened completely.

Uchiha You had met Konan alone.

Then he had met Nagato.

Then he had persuaded Sasori.

Finally, he had struck a deal with Kakuzu.

In a single day.

On his very first day after joining the Akatsuki, he had already begun bypassing him and directly influencing the Akatsuki's core members.

This was not a pawn.

This was someone who wanted to seize the chessboard.

Tobi said in a low voice:

"Uchiha You..."

"Just how much do you know?"

White Zetsu poked half his body out of the ground.

"Should we deal with him now?"

Tobi was silent for a moment.

Rainwater streamed down his mask.

"No."

"If we kill him now, Nagato and Konan will become suspicious."

"Besides, Konoha still needs him to stir things up."

White Zetsu asked:

"Then what do we do?"

A cold gleam appeared in Tobi's single eye.

"Let him return to Konoha first."

"Let the Uchiha Clan and Konoha's upper ranks slaughter each other."

"Once he and Konoha have both been weakened, we'll deal with him."

White Zetsu giggled.

"What if he wins?"

Tobi did not answer immediately.

After a long while, he said coldly:

"Then that will prove he's more dangerous than I imagined."

"When that time comes, we can't treat him as just a pawn anymore."

The rain grew heavier.

Meanwhile.

Uchiha You stood before the window, gazing at Hidden Rain's dark nightscape, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.

He knew White Zetsu had come.

He also knew Obito would definitely receive the news.

But so what?

He wanted Obito to know.

From the moment he entered Hidden Rain, the Akatsuki's game was no longer something Obito could decide alone.

Uchiha You slowly raised his hand.

In his palm, a wisp of black-red chakra pulsed slowly like a virus.

"Danzo."

"You sent me out of the village."

"I'll bring the Akatsuki back."

"I hope you like this return gift."