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"Who was the ninja that stopped you?" asked the shadowy figure in the center.
"Itachi Uchiha," Kakuzu replied.
"A ninja from the Uchiha clan?" The other shadowy figures expressed surprise.
"Why has he been targeting you? Is it a mission from Konoha? Or did you go too far and attract their attention? Haven't we already agreed not to draw the attention of the Five Great Shinobi Villages for now?" Sasori questioned.
"Who would want to provoke Konoha's attention? He has no ties to the village anymore. Apparently, his younger brother went missing, and Konoha failed to find him. In his anger, he severed all connections with the village. In other words, he's now a rogue ninja without any village affiliation."
Kakuzu had thoroughly investigated Itachi's background over the past period.
"Can you confirm he has no ties to Konoha?" the central shadow pressed.
"I've looked into him. Over the past year, he's had no contact or communication with Konoha whatsoever," Kakuzu explained.
"If that's the case, shouldn't we consider recruiting him?" suggested a smaller shadowy figure.
"Him? How is that possible?"
"He's strong and has no connections to any major village. We could use skilled ninjas like him," the figure argued.
"But I was planning to kill him…" Kakuzu clenched his fist.
If Itachi joined the Akatsuki, wouldn't that mean he'd lose his chance for revenge?
"Recruiting him is also my intention," the central shadow interjected. "Our organization has been taking on increasingly dangerous missions to secure more funds. Because of this, our personnel turnover has been high. Kakuzu, you should understand this better than anyone. You've gone through quite a few partners yourself."
Kakuzu fell silent.
It was the truth.
"Any powerful ninja who has been ostracized by their village is a potential recruit for us. They can fill the gaps in our ranks. Of course, we also welcome exceptionally strong individuals who revel in slaughter and are shunned by society—like Hidan." The central shadow's tone was matter-of-fact.
"Heh heh…" The shadow beside Kakuzu chuckled, clearly pleased by the remark.
"If that's the case, I know another one—Zabuza Momochi. He's a missing-nin from Kirigakure with a bounty of ten million ryo. If you think he's worth it, I won't kill him."
"Zabuza? You should be familiar with him. What do you think, Kisame?"
"His strength… well, let's just say he has other priorities. He's still attached to Kirigakure, deep down. By the way, do you know why he's being hunted by his own village?" Kisame asked.
"I heard he attacked the Mizukage," Kakuzu answered, having seen the bounty notice.
"Exactly. Someone like him wouldn't truly align with us even if he joined. I say we eliminate him," Kisame declared.
"Tsk tsk, no mercy for your fellow villagers, huh?" Sasori spread his hands mockingly.
"Like you have any right to judge me," Kisame shot back.
"Actually, I disagree. I propose we recruit Zabuza. Think about it—he despises the Mizukage for what he's done to Kirigakure, but he doesn't know the Mizukage has ties to the Akatsuki. We bring him in, let him die on a mission, and then reveal the truth to him right before his death… Heh heh heh… Just imagining it excites me." Sasori covered his mouth as he laughed.
"…" Kisame stared at Sasori's shadow for a long moment before finally muttering, "You're sick."
"Just joking. All I care about is adding another puppet to my collection. The rest means nothing to me." Sasori's voice was icy.
"…" Kisame seethed silently.
If Sasori had been standing in front of him, he wouldn't have hesitated to fight.
"Let's table this for now. Sasori, I want you to relay a message to Orochimaru—he must attend the next meeting," the central shadow commanded.
"But I can't reach him either," Sasori shrugged.
"I don't believe that. If you wanted to, you'd find a way. Our next phase is to recruit more suitable members and then begin our plan in earnest!"
Sasori frowned.
Over the past year, Orochimaru had grown even more elusive.
He didn't want to be disturbed—his puppets were strong enough on their own—but Akatsuki's rules required partners to work in pairs, partly for mutual supervision.
Tracking down Orochimaru… That was going to be a hassle.
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Meanwhile, after leaving his training grounds, Midorima also set out to find Orochimaru.
Considering his many enemies and his reluctance to get involved with the Akatsuki, he could no longer use the white mask he'd worn in Konoha. Instead, he opted for a black one.
He also paid an underground informant for updates on the past year's events.
After the change in Hokage, Konoha had undergone significant reforms.
On one hand, they promoted more young ninjas. On the other, the Uchiha clan had been traveling extensively, searching for Orochimaru and Danzō.
Then there was the "Hiatus Declaration" by "Lord Jiraiya," claiming that writing novels wasn't profitable and that his family had forced him to inherit a fortune worth billions.
Readers were furious, calling it a lazy excuse to quit.
Little did they know, Jiraiya was telling the truth.
Returning to the village as a high-ranking official was practically inheriting a fortune—just not his own.
It seemed Tsunade had taken Midorima's advice: using Danzō and Orochimaru as scapegoats to unite the village while bringing Jiraiya back to stabilize internal politics.
Of course, given Jiraiya's wanderlust, he'd probably leave again soon—but that was a problem for later.
As for Kirigakure, many ninjas had defected, but there was no news about Mei Terumī. She must still be in the village, though her situation was unclear.
The other three major villages didn't concern Midorima much, so he paid them little attention.
Overall, Tsunade was sticking to the strategy he'd suggested.
Naturally, these were the easier parts. The real challenge lay in nurturing the next generation—but that had nothing to do with Midorima.
After a simple disguise, he headed for Orochimaru's last-known laboratory.
He had already planned his approach.
His goal was simply to obtain a blood sample from Jūgo, not to provoke Orochimaru into open conflict. So, he opted for the most straightforward method—knocking on the front door.
As for why he didn't try sneaking in… The lab was built into a mountainside. He would've loved to find an alternate entrance, but the difficulty was absurd.
However, when he arrived, he was stunned—the stone door had been smashed to pieces.
He hurriedly searched the lab, only to find it in complete disarray, with shattered equipment scattered everywhere.
Had Itachi found this place first?
Midorima scratched his head. With this lead severed, he felt a headache coming on.