"What are you going to do with this woman?" Nagato asked.
"We'll keep her locked up for now."
After dealing with that matter, the two began discussing other business, including the most important issue: funding.
They had thought conquering Amegakure would bring them plenty of startup capital, but after examining the accounts, Konan had nearly coughed up blood in anger.
The village's expenses had long exceeded its income, and the books showed enormous losses. Most of the money had gone toward maintaining Hanzō's personal security operation, and those guards did practically no missions.
Instead, the Genin had to earn money to support them.
Amegakure had been keeping itself running by borrowing from the daimyo.
In other words, not only had Akatsuki failed to get any money, they would have to dip into their own pockets to cover the shortfall.
"The village has actually gotten this bad. That bastard Hanzō deserved to die..." Nagato wanted nothing more than to drag Hanzō back and whip his corpse.
"What should we do?"
This was no small sum. Akatsuki's claim to power was illegitimate, and the daimyo might not lend them any more money.
Nagato thought for a moment. "Let's divert some of the money Kakuzu turned in to keep the village running."
"I suppose that's all we can do."
Kakuzu would just have to suffer a little more.
With Hanzō dead, the position of guard naturally no longer existed. Of course, aside from Aoki Tsuki's squad, the other guards were all dead too.
For the moment, he didn't know what to do.
He was only eighteen and already unemployed. A position as an adviser or whatever... carried no real authority and didn't even pay.
The tower Hanzō had lived in had been converted into an office, complete with all the necessary equipment. That saved them some money.
What a woman who knew how to manage a household!
As the saying went, "You can't run a household unless you're deaf and blind."
Nobody liked someone who managed the household with such penny-pinching thrift, including Aoki Tsuki.
"You're just in time, Tsuki. There's something I need to discuss with you..."
Konan had already begun working at some point. She was sitting behind the desk, going through documents with her delicate brows tightly furrowed.
A hardworking female boss was the worst.
In his experience, people like that weren't very capable, but they loved picking at details and quibbling over wording.
Hmph! A woman with real power really is different. She even put on makeup today. Not only did she apply eye shadow, she even got a lip piercing. Pretty trendy, tsk, tsk...
Naturally, Konan sensed him studying her in secret. Her sharp eyes immediately swept toward him.
Aoki Tsuki hastily lowered his head. "Lady Konan, how may I be of service?"
His tone was respectful, without the slightest fault to be found.
She could forget about finding fault with him!
"We've verified that woman's identity. She's a spy from Konoha's Root, and she used a Ninja Cat to pass along information."
"A Ninja Cat?"
Aoki Tsuki froze. It was her!
He had suspected Kikuno Momo before, but on second thought, it had seemed impossible. Satō Ichirō was a cautious man, and she was an ordinary person spying right under a Jonin's nose.
Was that possible?
So he had automatically ruled her out.
Seeing that Aoki Tsuki said nothing, Konan thought he was worried about the woman and reassured him. "Don't worry, we didn't kill her. But we can't let her out either. The village's secrets can't be exposed."
"Thank goodness you thought everything through, Lady Konan. I was muddleheaded for a moment and was deceived by her appearance. I never imagined it would turn out like this..."
Aoki Tsuki looked indignant.
"Now, why don't you come clean about yourself?"
"Me? There's nothing I need to come clean about... I'm absolutely loyal to the village and Lord Pain. I've never deceived you, much less done anything to betray the organization."
Aoki Tsuki loudly protested his innocence.
"Are you sure?"
"A straight body casts no crooked shadow."
Konan was at a loss for words as she looked into Aoki Tsuki's clear eyes.
With someone like him, unless you slapped the evidence right in his face, he would never admit it, even if beaten to death.
"Although I'm not one to dig up the past, I can make an exception for you."
As Konan spoke, she tossed him a scroll.
Aoki Tsuki opened it without the slightest fear and took a look. He immediately couldn't help cursing. "That damned bastard! And to think I trusted him so much! He clearly told me it was 3.5 million ryō."
The scroll contained the record of the mission Takenaka Osamu had commissioned him to drive Kakuzu away, but the payment written on it was five million ryō.
Fuck!!
How could he do that? Did he have no basic respect for a contract?
"You're no better!"
Konan still remembered how Aoki Tsuki had assured her that the village had given him two million ryō in startup capital and that he was willing to split it evenly with her.
So he had pocketed some first and then offered to split the rest with her.
People's hearts really were treacherous.
"Lady Konan, please hear me out... After I scouted the situation, I reported back to him and classified it as an S-rank mission. I said the village was having a hard time, so an A-rank reward would be enough.
"The money saved was to be used as a bounty on the black market. You know the black market doesn't provide its services for free, and there was intelligence to buy too.
"In the end, I only thought of you when I had nowhere else to turn. By then, there were only two million ryō left."
He had spent 1.5 million ryō gathering intelligence?
Amegakure, which borrowed money to get by, was actually so extravagant? They really hadn't given tomorrow a thought.
Konan waited quietly until Aoki Tsuki had finished rattling on. Only then did she say, "Hmph, I'll believe for now that what you said is true.
"But the organization won't accept someone whose identity is unclear as a senior member. I asked you to come clean of your own accord to give you a chance."
"I understand, I understand. Even if you hadn't asked, I would have explained everything to you myself today."
Aoki Tsuki said he understood. It was just like how Hanzō's guards had been divided into core and peripheral guards.
Akatsuki now had distinctions too: trainees, full members, and senior members.
He had changed employers, and his previous project experience didn't count. His new employer had to assess him again, so he had to show sincerity.
Konan silently rolled her eyes. If she hadn't held the power over life and death and produced evidence to put pressure on him, she probably wouldn't hear this supposed voluntary confession even if she waited another ten years.
Aoki Tsuki said, "As I reported to you before, first and foremost, I'm an Amegakure ninja. That's my main job. Besides that, I've taken a few part-time jobs to earn some extra money."
"Part-time jobs?"
Konan turned the term over in her mind. It just sounded strange.
Calling espionage a part-time job was like calling murder an accidental killing.
No wonder Hanzō sent him to Konoha as an envoy. He's sharp-tongued.
"Yep, part-time jobs." Aoki Tsuki nodded with complete composure.
Selling out the village's interests and working part-time jobs were entirely different things. He knew the difference between a death sentence and a fixed prison term perfectly well.
"My first part-time job was providing intelligence to our Akatsuki. Oh, and that was all thanks to you for giving me the opportunity, Lady Konan..."
Konan immediately interrupted him. "You don't need to flatter me. I know you've done a lot for Akatsuki, and I've kept it all in mind. There's no need to remind me deliberately. Go on..."
"You know about my second job too. Hanzō and Danzo were in league, so naturally they needed someone to keep in regular contact between them. I was the one responsible for that.
"The last time I went to Konoha to see Danzo, it was to make sure the alliance wouldn't be affected by the appearance of a new Hokage."
"Mm."
Konan nodded. Even though Aoki Tsuki had never stated that role outright, she had guessed it long ago.
"My third job: Danzo didn't trust Hanzō, and the two of them were wary of each other. He had me keep an eye on Hanzō and report anything that happened to him, and he would reward me.
"By then, I'd already decided to join our Akatsuki. Even if Danzo hadn't given me anything, I would have volunteered information to him to make them fight each other."
"You're saying you actually joined Danzo for Akatsuki's sake?"
Konan felt her blood racing faster. She had no doubt that if Nagato were standing here, he would kill the man in front of her on the spot.
"Yes, Lady Konan. Back then, my body was in Amegakure, but my heart was with Akatsuki."
"Anything else?"
"Of course. Sometimes I also took part-time delivery jobs. That guy Tsunodahara often secretly sold the village's strategic supplies to rogue ninja factions, and I was responsible for getting the goods safely to the buyers.
"Akatsuki was once one of our customers, so Leader Yahiko and I were acquaintances, you could say."
So that was for Akatsuki too, was it?!
How could this guy tie everything he did back to Akatsuki?
Konan couldn't find a reason to refute him, because it was true. Akatsuki had been struggling back then and had only found this channel with great difficulty.
Before she could question him further, Aoki Tsuki continued, "Oh, I also trade the Ninjutsu I acquire through various channels in the village, so those Genin have a chance to learn Ninjutsu too.
"Making money is secondary. The main thing is, my own abilities are limited, but I just can't bear to see people suffer. Sigh... nobody has it easy."
It was the first time Konan had ever seen someone make earning money sound so noble. She had thought she already knew Aoki Tsuki quite well.
Only now did she realize she had thought too simply.
What she had seen and heard was just a drop in the ocean of the truth. She couldn't say the records on his village information card were completely worthless; she could only say they were fit to fool ghosts.
"Just how many part-time jobs have you had?"
"No more, no more. That's all. Oh, wait. I've recently become quite interested in Medical Ninjutsu. I'd like to go over there and study for a while. I hope you'll allow it."
He hadn't had the chance before. Even if he had wanted to learn, they wouldn't have taught him.
Now, during the transition of power, he wanted to seize the opportunity to learn something useful for developing physical activation.
"Shouldn't a ninja specialize? Don't you understand that?" Konan kindly reminded him.
Aoki Tsuki had probably figured out his cultivation on his own. Without a teacher to guide him, he was bound to take some wrong turns.
It wasn't easy for the village to produce a talent like him, and Nagato and she were planning to make Aoki Tsuki an official core member of Akatsuki.
How could outsiders be as reassuring to use as someone from their own village?
I have a cheat. I'm not afraid, Aoki Tsuki thought to himself, but aloud he said:
"I understand, but I've just lost my job, haven't I? I might have to leave the village and do missions to make a living. If I get hurt, knowing some Medical Ninjutsu might save my life."
"So you're saying... this is my fault!?"
He was blaming them for killing Hanzō and leaving him unemployed. Konan's blood, which had only just calmed down, began racing again.
"That's not what I mean. I just thought it was better to be prepared."
"Sigh... Suit yourself. If you want to learn, go ahead."
Emotionally exhausted, Konan waved a hand and told Aoki Tsuki to leave.
She could see it now. The greatest dream of everyone in the village was to secure a position as Hanzō's guard, then slack off and lie flat. Nobody cared about the village's future at all.
The great nations around them had started wars on the Land of Rain's soil, leaving countless people displaced, but they paid it no mind. They simply huddled in the village and pretended not to see.
They poured all their energy into promoting Hanzō's greatness: without Hanzō, there would be no Land of Rain; the Land of Rain could not lose Hanzō.
What they did best was bully their own, striking hard at anyone who threatened their rule.
Even someone as outstanding as Aoki Tsuki was like this, to say nothing of the others.
"The village is rotten to the core. What hope is there for a country like this? Yahiko, Nagato, which of your paths is right?"