"By the way, these guys have some decent abilities. Killing them outright would be a waste. How about recruiting them into the organization instead?" Deidara suggested, gazing at the five members of the Xuanyuan Group tied up in front of him.
"..."
Sasori remained silent.
Do you have to bring something back to the organization every single time? Every mission you go on, you try to shove something into Akatsuki.
"I'll contact the leader and inform him about this. I forgot to mention it earlier," Deidara added, activating the ring on his hand to reach Nagato. It had to be said, this thing was incredibly convenient.
As the wielder of the Rinnegan and a self-proclaimed god, Nagato didn't always maintain the flawless image he projected. After all, his body had been drained to the brink by the Rinnegan, leaving him so weak that he couldn't even walk. This led to some rather inconvenient situations in daily life.
For example, eating. He had to control the Six Paths of Pain to feed his real body. If anyone were to witness this scene, his godlike image would be completely shattered.
Taking a bite of food handed to him by the Deva Path, Nagato frowned slightly. Since Konan had gone out to retrieve an orphan from the Uzumaki Clan, he had to cook for himself today. Naturally, the result was mediocre—so bad that even he found it hard to swallow.
It's all that brat Deidara's fault, always causing unnecessary trouble.
Hmm? The ring was signaling again? Already irritated from being interrupted during his meal, Nagato's anger flared even higher.
"Leader! Are you there, Leader!" Deidara's voice echoed in Pain's mind.
That brat again! Didn't we just finish talking? Why is he contacting me again?
"What is it?" Nagato asked coldly.
On the other end, Deidara scratched his head, sensing that Nagato seemed to be in a bad mood. Though his tone was as indifferent as ever, something felt off.
"Here's the thing, Leader," Deidara began.
"I think the Xuanyuan Group members have decent abilities. How about recruiting them into Akatsuki?"
"Not necessary," Nagato replied coldly.
Hearing the rejection, Deidara realized that Nagato had misunderstood, thinking he wanted to make the Xuanyuan Group core members of Akatsuki.
"Leader, what I mean is to make the Xuanyuan Group our peripheral members. After all, our Akatsuki's peripheral forces are too weak. We need a few strong ones to bolster them," Deidara explained.
There was a moment of silence on Nagato's end before the signal returned.
"I'll convene a meeting to discuss this and hear everyone's opinions."
Thus, Deidara's second full Akatsuki meeting since joining the organization was convened under these circumstances.
This time, Nagato controlled Pain from an unknown base, summoning the other members via astral projection.
"Didn't we just have a meeting not long ago? Why are we having another one?" Kisame complained.
"Where are Kakuzu and Hidan? Why aren't they here yet?" Sasori asked.
"They're in the middle of a fight. We'll have to wait for them," Pain replied.
"Seriously, I hate waiting for people," Sasori said, his tone full of impatience.
After about half an hour, the astral projections of Hidan and Kakuzu finally appeared on their respective fingers.
"Kakuzu, Hidan, you're late," Sasori said irritably.
Kakuzu glanced at Sasori with his green, beady eyes. His face was so tightly wrapped that his expression was unreadable. "Ask Hidan about that."
Judging by his tone, he wasn't any less annoyed.
"Hey! I find it annoying too, okay? But that's how the doctrine is. I can't disrespect Lord Jashin!" Hidan retorted, his usual brashness on full display.
"Alright, quiet down."
"This Akatsuki meeting is now officially in session," Pain interrupted, cutting short the bickering.
Hearing Pain's command, everyone turned their attention to him.
"So, Leader, what's the reason for calling us this time?" Kisame asked curiously.
Pain glanced at Deidara before speaking slowly. "It's regarding the expansion of Akatsuki's peripheral forces. Deidara believes we should strengthen them. I'd like to hear your opinions."
"Deidara, explain your thoughts," Pain prompted.
"Isn't it obvious?" Deidara placed his hands on his hips, speaking as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"Leader, we're all S-rank rogue ninjas. Wherever we go, we carry a certain prestige. But here we are, running around dealing with trivial matters. It's beneath us."
"And that's with Akatsuki being relatively small right now. If you really plan to rule the world someday, there's no way we can manage everything with just us. The Five Great Shinobi Nations, plus all those small countries—how do you expect to handle it all? What are we supposed to do, take on D-rank missions like catching cats and weeding gardens? That's ridiculous."
"Also, as the peripheral forces of the strongest organization in the shinobi world, our current state is embarrassing. We're not even as strong as some third-rate groups. It's humiliating."
As soon as Deidara finished speaking, Hidan immediately voiced his agreement.
"Deidara's right. You get to sit there giving orders, but we're the ones running around. It's exhausting! Sometimes I don't even have time to pray, and Lord Jashin gets mad at me!" Hidan, ever the blunt one, didn't hold back, openly criticizing Pain.
Pain remained silent, instead going down the line of rings to gather opinions.
"Konan, what do you think?"
"I agree with Deidara," Konan replied. Unlike Nagato, Konan was more pragmatic. She didn't share Nagato's grand ambition of achieving peace across the shinobi world. Her only concerns were Nagato and the late Yahiko. As such, she often approached issues from a different perspective than Nagato, who was more idealistic.
Nagato might naively believe that peace could be achieved by becoming invincible and subduing the world. But Konan knew that even in a peaceful environment, countless conflicts and issues would arise. Poor management could lead to greater divisions, ultimately sparking new wars.
It was akin to how modern, peaceful societies still face crime and ideological clashes.
"Itachi Uchiha, what's your opinion?" Pain asked the next person, turning to Itachi.
"..."
I'm just a spy. And Leader, you know I'm a spy. Why would I have an opinion?
At this point, Itachi's sole focus was on passing his Mangekyō Sharingan to his little brother. He had no interest in, nor the capacity for, dealing with other matters. After all, his health was deteriorating rapidly.
"I have no opinion," Itachi replied coldly.