In its early days, the organization traveled between nations, selling and gathering intelligence.
To collect the tailed beasts, they needed to know their movements and establish an intelligence network of their own.
Of course, those were all peripheral members.
The true core members formed Akatsuki's fighting force.
They worked in pairs, each possessing the strength to collect tailed beasts independently!
The organization flourished, but finding a child who could bear the Rinnegan was like searching for a needle in a haystack.
Even he could not withstand the Rinnegan's side effects, let alone a child.
Most children would have their life force rapidly drained within two or three minutes.
He kept lowering his standards. Talent no longer mattered, as long as they could withstand the Rinnegan.
Eventually, he discovered a red-haired child named Nagato.
On the day he found him, ninja were killing the boy's parents.
The boy's own life was also in danger.
That eased Izuna's guilt about making him bear the Rinnegan.
He was saving the boy's life anyway. If the boy truly could not withstand it, he would remove the eyes in time.
It would only cost him a little life force.
Wearing the Spiral Mask, Izuna had appeared shrouded in mystery and intervened to save him.
That same day, he transferred the Rinnegan to the child.
Sure enough, Nagato did not disappoint him. He actually withstood the Rinnegan's side effects.
And he gradually adapted to them.
Izuna began secretly observing and testing Nagato, considering whether to take him as his disciple and entrust him with a great responsibility.
Ultimately, however, he realized that Nagato might not be suitable. He was not the candidate Izuna wanted most.
He could be trained as a peripheral member, or even a core member of Akatsuki, to help collect the tailed beasts.