Deidara

"The village doesn't have many tasks right now, do you have any ideas?"

Konan has been managing Amegakure for almost ten years, and just when they had finally recovered some strength, a war wiped them out of power.

This cycle has continued for many periods in the history of Amegakure.

What good is development if the fundamental problems aren't solved? When war comes again, it will still destroy everything.

Therefore, Nagato was determined to develop Tailed Beast weapons to break the vicious cycle of large countries exploiting small countries.

However, the plan takes too long. It's more urgent to focus on the immediate tasks and improve the village's economic strength.

Aoki Tsuki had thought about it countless times: both the Akatsuki and the village relied heavily on mission rewards to maintain their operations.

Konoha is resilient because many large clans have their own businesses.

The Akimichi Clan specializes in pharmaceuticals and food, the Nara Clan in animal husbandry and Inuzuka Clan targets the veterinary and pet markets.

Other families also each occupied a market segment, encompassing clothing, food, housing, transportation, weapons sales, and so on.

What does Amegakure have to offer?

It rains Tenten Tenten, so much so that a large sea has formed next to the village, teeming with fish.

The most common dishes in restaurants are various kinds of fish.

"Our village is suited to developing food as a sideline business, especially the deep processing of fish. We have neither the foundation nor the technology to do anything else."

The key point is that it's also closed off. Konoha is a tourist destination and very open, where villagers can easily make a living by doing small businesses and selling souvenirs.

In Amegakure, everything relies on internal circulation, and many supplies have to be purchased from outside.

What should it be processed into?

"The fish meat is made into fish balls, packaged in small bags, frozen, and sold to merchants. The three-colored fish balls are very popular in various places and have a market."

The remaining fish bones and scraps can be made into cat and dog food. We can ask the medical department to help develop the recipes and conduct experiments to find the best flavor.

"That's one way."

Tōu of these are technical jobs; many people can do them. The key is the stable, long-term income.

There's no need to worry about sales. Aoki Tsuki can even sell business to terrorist organizations, so selling something as trivial as Aoki Tsuki is no problem.

Having achieved the result she wanted, Konan left satisfied.

When in doubt, consult Lord Yue. As the chief advisor of Amegakure Lady Angel's strategist, he is dedicated to helping her resolve various decision-making issues.

In fact, Amegakure has another hobby: collecting 'Gundams'. They're not used to make cosmetics, but rather as a reserve for Pain.

The Lady Angel's specialty is dealing with 'Gundam'.

In the Land of Fire, in a hidden stronghold of Root.

" Shadow Cat, here's the intelligence you requested." The orange-haired Root member tossed over a scroll.

Shadow Cat opened it and glanced at it, his expression filled with shock. He then tossed his own scroll to the other party.

The person from the root verified it on the spot and nodded.

"We regret what happened to your mother, but this disaster was caused by 'Madara'. Danzo hopes that you can return to your roots."

You will receive our covert support; we have a common enemy.

"Hmph, you just want to use me to provide you with information, don't make it sound so nice."

"Even if we don't return, we can still cooperate. That person's abilities are beyond your imagination; only Danzo can deal with him."

"Bring me detailed information about 'Bandit' next time, and then we can discuss cooperation."

"Looks like we can't talk this out anymore, let's fight!"

The other two people lying in ambush immediately launched an attack upon seeing this.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh...

A barrage of Shuriken was fired, and while the opponent was parrying the Shuriken, the orange-haired Root member immediately launched a sneak attack.

The Mind Body Switch Technique

Thump...

"Hmm? No, this is... Shadow Clone."

Bang!

Shadow Cat's body turned into a wisp of white smoke and disappeared, leaving only the intelligence scrolls that the two sides had just exchanged behind.

"What a cunning woman."

Five kilometers away, by a small river, Kikuno Momo received a message from her Shadow Clone and turned to leave.

"Root's way of doing things hasn't changed over the years. I just don't know if this information is true. 'Madara' should have died long ago."

Connecting this to the mysterious masked man in the Uchiha Clan Massacre, the identities of the two seem to overlap.

The Root members secretly returned to the village. On the surface, Root had been reintegrated into the Anbu by the Third, Danzo was now just a figurehead.

This mission is a clandestine operation; we can't afford to be discovered.

" Danzo, we've obtained the information. Itachi has indeed joined Akatsuki and become a core member."

Where is that woman?

" Shadow Cat refused. We lack effective means to control her. She's very cautious; this time she only used Shadow Clone to meet us, so we can't make a move."

" Shadow Clone? Are you sure!" Danzo's eyes sharpened.

Don't be fooled by the fact that this technique seems simple and that all Konoha ninjas seem to know it. In reality, as a technique registered in Konoha, it's not easy to learn.

"Yes, according to the information, Shadow Cat was not previously a combatant and did not possess this technique. It must have been learned after he left Root."

A person who was supposed to have died in a file suddenly reappeared and even joined Xiao's side.

"Her ability to obtain information about Itachi suggests she likely works in intelligence within Akatsuki, which is very valuable to us."

"Hi, I'll keep in touch with her."

Danzo waved for the reporter to leave, then sat in his room lost in thought.

Since being relieved of his duties as Hokage's assistant, there has been a shortage of manpower, making many things inconvenient, especially the intelligence aspect, which has lagged behind.

This greatly affected his judgment of the current situation.

"Hmph, it's not like I gained nothing at all. That Ōnoki guy did help me get rid of a problem. Now it's up to you to take over."

Orochimaru, you'd better not disappoint this old man.

Within the Land of Grass.

" Earth Release: Earth... Uh..."

The target ninja didn't have time to Hand Seals; his eyes rolled back and he collapsed to the ground.

Bang!

"Hehe... Itachi-san, doing missions with you is really easy." Kisame swung Samehada and smashed it into the target's body to finish him off.

Itachi didn't speak. He walked up to the ninja, used Kunai to pry open the ninja tool pouch, and pulled out the Explosive Tag.

Seeing this, Kisame said, "Speaking of which... our supplies are all distributed by the organization, there's no need to be so frugal."

"Let's not waste resources, let's go."

Itachi turned and left, his mind filled with even more doubt: 'Who is selling Uchiha -specific Explosive Tag?'

This isn't the third time I've seen this, which suggests that someone is producing it in large quantities.

There are many ways to draw Explosive Tag on the market, and each brand has its own unique runes. But when it comes to power, the Uchiha Clan's are the best.

Previously, this item was never allowed to leave the clan; it was only used by their own people.

Soon, Itachi found the target by following the sales channels using his own methods.

" Jashin Cult!"

This result surprised him.

As one of the Uchiha's key technologies, even if the Uchiha had cooperated with the Jashin Cult, they shouldn't have possessed this.

Just then, Jue appeared before them.

"Itachi, Tobi asked me to pass on some information to you: Orochimaru seems to be allied with Sunagakure and is planning to launch an operation against Konoha."

Azure Dragon seems to have gotten involved, and Tobi couldn't stop him. He expressed his regret, saying, "That's all, bye."

As soon as he finished speaking, he left without daring to linger, feeling unsafe even with Black Zetsu by his side.

Itachi remained silent throughout, while Tobi's purpose was crystal clear and made no attempt to conceal it.

He simply wanted to use him to eliminate disobedient members of Akatsuki one by one, thereby strengthening his control over Akatsuki.

Buzz...

Just then, the ring vibrated; it was the leader summoning him.

In the dark cave, the members appeared one after another using Astral Projection Technique.

"It's been a long time since we last met. What's up this time?" Kisame, that chatterbox, always talks the most during meetings.

Pain turned to Scorpion: "I've found you a new partner."

"Oh? You've already made progress so quickly. Hopefully, you won't end up like that Orochimaru kid."

"He's a rogue ninja from Iwagakure. His abilities are very useful to us. Sasori, Itachi, Kisame, the three of you will go this time."

"Um."

The three acted swiftly and quickly achieved their goal.

On this day, Aoki Tsuki was exploring how to temper a part of his right hand with Senjutsu Chakra. Before he obtained an advanced method, he could only fumble around.

I want my hands to truly possess divine power.

Splash...

A flurry of paper butterflies flew up and transformed into Konan's appearance. "A new member has arrived. Let's meet at the Land of Grass base."

"Okay, I'll be there on time."

Seeing that Konan hadn't left, she asked in confusion, "What's wrong? Is there something else...?"

" Iwagakure still has no clue about the source of Akatsuki's intelligence, but since then, the frequency of unknown enemies infiltrating the village to gather information has been rapidly increasing."

Be careful when going out during this period.

"Okay, I'll be careful."

The stronghold of the Land of Grass was not far from Amegakure. When Aoki Tsuki arrived that evening, he found himself to be the last one there.

"Oh dear... I miscalculated the time this time, I'm sorry to have kept you all waiting."

"You're too kind. We just arrived too," Kisame said.

"Thank you, I feel much better now. Is this the new member?"

Pain nodded. "Let me formally introduce you. This is Deidara from Iwagakure. Starting today, he will be a member of Akatsuki and team up with Sasori."

Deidara replaced Orochimaru's position.

At this point, Akatsuki has assembled nine members, and once Hidan is officially promoted, the team will be full.

"Congratulations, Brother Scorpion, you have a new partner."

"Tch, all this kid thinks about is explosions. He doesn't look like he'll live long. I'm worried he won't live much," Scorpion said, expressing his concern.

Deidara was immediately displeased upon hearing this, his eyes widening in anger. "Hey, don't underestimate me and my art, drink!"

"Your art is explosive!"

"Uh-huh..."

Have you heard of the 'Big Bang Theory'?

"What?! The Big Bang?... I've never heard of that before." Deidara immediately became interested.

This kid is just a chuunibyou (middle school syndrome) sufferer, much like Hidan. He's just tired of the good life and wants to find some excitement.

To deal with the curious boy, Aoki Tsuki pinched him with his hand, and all he did was scoff, "Never heard of this before? So uncultured, how scary."

Although Deidara was a little annoyed, he still humbly asked for advice.

Konan, standing nearby, looked completely dazed, as if she had just witnessed an adult trying to trick a child with a lollipop.

'This guy always has a way...'

One scientist has proposed that the birth of the universe may have originated from an unknown explosion, after which it began to expand continuously.

Did you know that countless planets are formed in this process? Actually, the sun above our heads is also a planet.

Moreover, it explodes every moment, which is why it can emit endless light and heat.

"Is everything you're saying true?" Deidara, who had no idea what was going on, gaped in astonishment.

"Of course it's real, that's art! Your explosion is just fireworks at best."

When Deidara's art was first criticized, he didn't react with anger, because he felt the other person was right.

Not only him, but others were also drawn to this claim.

Scorpion, also an art enthusiast, became interested upon hearing this and asked, "According to this logic, there are many planets in the universe, so wouldn't that mean there are other humans as well?"

"Not only do they exist, but they are also said to be divided into several levels. Our civilization, which has developed for thousands of years, is still stuck in the same place and can only be considered a primary civilization."

Above that, there are even more advanced civilizations capable of interplanetary travel; it's said that the one that rules this part of the galaxy is a god-like civilization.

"Have they ever been here?" Deidara asked, displaying the curiosity of a curious child.

Aoki Tsuki nodded. "I've been here before. Many ancient murals record that ninjas are actually a byproduct of a god-level civilization."

You must know that this land was once ruled by samurai.

"That's just a legend," Scorpion denied.

"A thousand years from now, ninjas will become legends; ten thousand years from now, humanity will also become legends."

Aoki Tsuki turned to Deva Path Pain and said, "Well, there's a legend about this from a thousand years ago."

Everyone's gaze turned to Pain; in the dim light, his purple Rinnegan shone even brighter.

Pain was also a bit confused. Aoki Tsuki was really good at making things up, bringing him up as proof in order to make the logic consistent.

"Um... okay, you're right."

Scorpion could only admit defeat; given enough time, all species could potentially disappear, and he couldn't refute that.

At that moment, Kisame said, "If it's true, doesn't that mean some people might be descendants of gods?"

"Most likely, someone like me without Kekkei Genkai is probably a primitive native, sigh!"

Aoki Tsuki said he was envious, but his face was full of pride, because he was also an alien.