Xuandou looked at his three-year-old son before him, a faint smile rising to his lips.
"You and I had the same idea."
He picked up his brush and wrote a reply. Its contents were simple: do not refuse. Agree to Ōnoki's request and act as an inside agent when the time came.
He handed the letter to the Kirigakure Anbu and instructed:
"Deliver this to the Fifth personally."
The Anbu accepted the order and left.
Mirai had not left yet.
He looked at Xuandou, hesitating to speak.
"Any other ideas?"
Xuandou asked.
"Father, rather than passively waiting for them to attack, why don't we... strike first!"
At this, Xuandou nodded approvingly.
Since Sunagakure and Iwagakure were so determined to court death, it was time to cause them some trouble.
After all, the Akatsuki was in his hands too!
So he stood up and took a black ring from a drawer.
Controlling the Deva Path Pain puppet, Xuandou convened an Akatsuki meeting.
The Magic Lantern Body Technique activated.
In the dim meeting space, spectral figures appeared one after another.
Kakuzu folded his arms, his face expressionless.
His gaze swept over the others as he said coldly:
"Another mission?"
Hidan crouched on the ground and grinned.
"Good! It's been days since I last offered Lord Jashin a sacrifice!"
Deva Path Pain's spectral figure appeared at the head, his Rinnegan sweeping over everyone.
"This mission is to harass the Land of Wind and the Land of Earth."
"Your tasks include assassinating nobles who support Rasa, as well as members of the Daimyō's clan who are Ōnoki's trusted associates."
"For every important target assassinated, a bounty will be paid according to the organization's standards."
"The objective is to throw the Land of Wind and the Land of Earth into internal turmoil first."
"Understood!"
"Got