After finally submitting, Kakuzu received the antidote and successfully neutralized the poison coursing through his body.
True to his word, Kakuzu handed over 20 million ryō to Shigeo Aburame before leaving in a fit of suppressed rage.
He refrained from complaining to Nagato because he knew it would be futile. Complaining would only make him appear incompetent.
When Uchiha Itachi reported Orochimaru's betrayal, it was because he had bested him. A defeated Orochimaru became a traitor.
This was the nature of the Akatsuki—a group where power ruled supreme. Losing not only meant disgrace but often cost one's life.
In comparison, swallowing one's pride seemed far easier to endure.
Thus, Kakuzu made peace with the situation.
Thanks to his secret technique of heart transplantation, he had survived for centuries and could continue living indefinitely.
Even if he couldn't defeat Shigeo or Sasori now, he could wait. He could outlast them for decades and then visit their graves to mock them!
"Hmph, only those who live on can have the last laugh!"
...
Kakuzu's thoughts were unknown to Shigeo Aburame and Sasori.
Even if they knew, they wouldn't care.
Shigeo immediately immersed himself in his cell cultivation lab, using the hefty funding to purchase new equipment and materials for cultivating Hashirama cells.
Meanwhile, Sasori teamed up with Uchiha Itachi for a mission in the Land of Earth to recruit new members.
The Akatsuki was seriously short-staffed.
After Orochimaru's defection, Jūzō Biwa had also perished during a mission in Kirigakure, killed by the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura, in his Tailed Beast form.
Itachi's new partner was the rogue ninja Kisame Hoshigaki from the Mist Village.
Kisame was a formidable ninja known for wielding the sword *Samehada* and excelling in Water Release techniques. His vast chakra reserves had earned him the title "Tailed Beast Without a Tail."
Furthermore, he was one of the few who had encountered Uchiha Obito.
As Itachi's partner, Kisame was tasked with monitoring him under Obito's orders.
Thus, Kisame accompanied Itachi and Sasori to the Land of Earth.
When they arrived at Deidara's residence, they stated their purpose: to invite him to join the Akatsuki.
Despite the Akatsuki's growing reputation, Deidara showed no interest in joining.
Sitting cross-legged on the floor, he continued molding his explosive clay.
"'Akatsuki,' you say? Not my concern. All I care about is creating art, hm!"
"Art?" Sasori raised an eyebrow. "What kind of art?"
"My clay art, of course!"
Deidara held up a fist-sized white clay spider, his voice brimming with pride.
"And it explodes! Only through explosions can art truly be elevated. Art is... an explosion!"
Watching Deidara's fervent expression, Sasori, Kisame, and Itachi grew visibly impatient.
"Annoying."
"Are you done yet?"
"Who knows?"
With that, Itachi stepped forward, his Sharingan glowing crimson. "Enough. I'll handle this."
Deidara turned to face him. "You want to fight me?"
"If I win, you join the Akatsuki," Itachi said calmly, not even considering the possibility of defeat.
Feeling underestimated, Deidara stood up, glaring at Itachi.
"Don't belittle me or my art! My jutsu surpasses all—it's the highest form of art! Experience it for yourself!"
He threw the clay spider at Itachi and formed a single-hand seal.
"Ha!"
*Boom!*
The spider exploded with a thunderous roar, blowing a massive hole in the wall and stirring a cloud of dust.
As the dust settled, Itachi emerged unscathed.
Seeing this, Deidara smirked.
"Heh, that was just a warm-up. You're tougher than you look. But..."
Before he could finish, a massive white clay centipede burst from the ground beneath Itachi and coiled around him.
Deidara's face lit up with excitement.
"Talk big, but this is all you've got? Now you can't escape. It's over, hm!"
He prepared to detonate the centipede, but Itachi spoke first.
"Before you act, take a good look at yourself."
"Huh?"
Deidara froze. When he glanced down, he was shocked to find a white clay centipede wrapped around his own body.
"Wha...what?!"
"Careful, you almost blew yourself up!" Kisame said mockingly.
Sasori added, "Typical. He's the type to die young."
Deidara snapped out of his shock, staring at the clay centipede binding him.
"Was I caught in a genjutsu? But when..."
"From the very start," Kisame interjected with a smirk.
"The moment you looked into Itachi-san's Sharingan, you were already under his genjutsu."
A ray of sunlight streamed through the hole left by the explosion, illuminating Itachi, making him appear radiant.
Especially his Sharingan, which seemed deep and mysterious under the sunlight.
Deidara was momentarily mesmerized.
"Beautiful... This is art..."
Realizing his own reaction, he quickly shut his eyes, guilt flashing across his face.
"How could I be captivated by someone else's ability? That's art? No, I refuse to acknowledge it!"
Unaware of Deidara's internal struggle, Itachi spoke coldly.
"You lost."
"Curse it... Aaaaaaah!" Deidara screamed in frustration, his mind on the verge of collapse.
Kisame chuckled, glancing at Itachi with admiration.
"Impressive as always, Itachi-san. Wouldn't you agree, Sasori-san?"
"Indeed."
Sasori nodded before turning his attention to Deidara.
"This guy is weak. Compared to *that* person, his explosions are child's play."
"What?"
Deidara snapped out of his despair, his eyes widening in disbelief.
"Someone better than me at explosive art?"
"Yes."
Sasori gestured to a tiny blood-red insect crawling on his puppet's finger.
"With just two of these, he leveled a mountain fortress of hundreds of bandits to ash."
"That's... impossible!"
Deidara's eyes widened further. He rushed to Sasori, his voice urgent.
"Who is he? Where is he? I must challenge him to see whose explosions are true art, hm!"
"His name is Shi," Sasori said seriously.
"He's incredibly strong and currently at the Akatsuki base. But I warn you—picking a fight with him might just end your life early."
"Then what are we waiting for?"
Deidara's spirit reignited. He turned eagerly to Itachi.
"I'll join the Akatsuki! Take me to your base right now! I must meet this person. He must be a great artist—art is an explosion, hm!"
"..."
(End of chapter)