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The brief meeting ended.
Nagato said nothing, maintaining the cold aloofness befitting the Deva Path Pain.
After getting his approval, Konan planned to take out a loan from the Sunny Day Merchant Guild.
But before that, she acted like a mission guide, introducing the Akatsuki's purpose to Sasame.
Whether he believed it or not didn't matter.
Anyway, a large number of people in the Akatsuki didn't quite believe it either.
"That's roughly the situation," Konan paused. "Do you have any other questions?"
"No," Sasame knew more than her, so there was no need to ask further. Akatsuki, well, it was like a set of Russian nesting dolls. One inside the other. The ultimate victor was Ōtsutsuki Kaguya. Oh, no, that's not right anymore. Now it was no longer her, but Black Zetsu and Ōtsutsuki Isshiki.
Where is Black Zetsu right now, I wonder?Sasame silently mused.
A whooshing sound. Both he and Konan simultaneously showed a hint of vigilance, but it quickly vanished.
"Yo, long time no see." Sasame chuckled softly, his tone teasing. "By the looks of you, it seems you still remember me."
Accompanied by a spatial distortion, Obito Uchiha, wearing a mask, appeared. His exposed single eye glared at Sasame, holding undisguised killing intent.
"Madara Uchiha," Konan said calmly. "Kishi is now a member of the Akatsuki. Any grievances can be set aside for now."
"Why did you let him join the Akatsuki?" Obito Uchiha said through gritted teeth. "He's sabotaged our important plans time and again. He's an enemy of the Akatsuki!"
Sasame's mischievous tone made Obito Uchiha so angry he wanted to spit blood. But he didn't dare to make a move. Firstly, he was still wary of his previous battle with Sasame. He temporarily had no intention of fighting without absolute certainty, or rather, without fully understanding his intelligence. Secondly, he knew Konan was wary of him. If they were to fight, it wouldn't be one-on-one, but one-on-two. With Nagato and Konan's relationship, he would likely be "greeted" by the Rinnegan.
"Kishi is right," Konan completely disregarded Obito Uchiha's feelings, saying calmly. "He has no feud with the Akatsuki, and this is Pain's decision. If you object, go talk to him."
Talk my ass off! Although Obito Uchiha treated Nagato as a pawn, he didn't dare to manipulate him casually. After all, it wasn't time to reel in the net yet. Before then, he wouldn't overly provoke Nagato's displeasure.
"Is there anything else?" Konan's face showed no expression, but her heart was quite pleased. Obito Uchiha's strong reaction proved the irreconcilable conflict between him and Sasame. The saying "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" applied. Perhaps Sasame could help her one day. Although Konan didn't trust either of them, Obito Uchiha was clearly ill-intentioned and more dangerous. Using the name Madara Uchiha, who knew what he was plotting.
"Accepting just anyone will only harm the Akatsuki, especially ninjas with unknown backgrounds like him!" Obito Uchiha said indignantly.
"Are you talking about yourself?" Konan asked calmly in return.
"..." Obito Uchiha paused, speechless for a moment.
"You'll regret this!" Spatial fluctuations re-emerged. In a swirling distortion, Obito Uchiha vanished. Only a familiar menacing remark was left behind.
Sasame felt a little regretful. They didn't fight. But on second thought, there would be many opportunities in the future, so there was no rush.
"He's called Madara Uchiha," Konan averted her gaze, looking at Sasame. "He's a member of the Akatsuki."
"Madara Uchiha?" Sasame's eyes showed confusion. "Are you sure it's Madara Uchiha?"
"I'm not sure," Konan shook her head. "You fought him. Do you think he's Madara Uchiha?"
"No," Sasame said without hesitation. "His strength is too weak, far inferior to Madara Uchiha's."
"Then did you detect his identity?" Konan's eyes held a hint of expectation.
"He should be a former member of the Uchiha clan. As for who specifically, I'm not entirely sure," Sasame speculated. Konan was a little disappointed. These words held little meaning. The Uchiha clan had existed for too long, and its members were countless; it wasn't easy to figure out who he was.
"What are the procedures for a loan from the Sunny Day Merchant Guild?" Konan collected her thoughts and returned to the main topic.
"The procedures are simple enough: just sign a contract or something," Sasame chuckled. "The difficult part is why they would lend so much money to the Akatsuki." Konan nodded thoughtfully. Ultimately, it came down to qualifications. She just wondered what the Sunny Day Merchant Guild would require? Konan thought of this and asked, "When are you free to take me to meet the general manager of your merchant guild?"
"I need time to report," Sasame would have to carefully consider what price to make Konan pay. "I'll notify you later, how about that?"
"I'll come find you," Konan mused for two seconds. "Are you usually in the Hidden Mist Village?"
"Alright, you go to the Hidden Mist Village in a week. I'll meet you there then," Sasame estimated the time; a week should be about right.
Konan nodded and asked, "Do you want to meet your teammate?"
"No, we'll meet during missions," Sasame chuckled nonchalantly. "If my teammate were as beautiful as you, Konan, perhaps I'd be more proactive."
Konan glanced at him, showing no reaction. Then her body fragmented into paper, gradually disappearing. Sasame turned and walked out of the cave.
"Lord Kishi," the young ninja was still standing at the entrance. "Does Ajisai need to escort you back?"
Door-to-door service, huh?Sasame smiled. "No need. Summoning animals are too slow. I'll go back myself." He leaped and vanished in front of him.
Away from the canyon, Sasame immediately activated the Flying Thunder God Technique.
Land of Waves Daimyō's palace.
It was exactly noon. He opened the door. Hearing the sound, Karin, who was sleeping at the desk, looked up and saw him. Her previously drowsy little face immediately brightened.
"Big Brother Sasame!" Karin ran over. At ten years old, her height was already almost up to Sasame's waist. Her appearance, compared to her previous cuteness, now had a hint of youthful sweetness.
"Pervert," Tayuya, who was also sleeping, woke up, saw Sasame, and pouted. "She and Karin had become good friends after spending these past few years together. They just happened to be taking a nap together this afternoon.
Sasame picked up Karin. "Why are you sleeping here?"
"Class," Karin wrapped her arms around his shoulders. "Mom is teaching me and Tayuya a lesson."
"Where's your mom?" Sasame glanced at the empty office chair and asked.
"She went out for something; she should be back in a while," Karin said with a smile.
"Then I'll wait," Sasame walked to the desk in the corner.
"Tayuya, hurry up and call him 'Big Brother'," Karin hugged Sasame's neck, as if showing off.
"Hmph! I won't!" Tayuya scoffed, turning her head away from the two.
For some reason, she felt a little sour.
"You're just dishonest," Karin wanted to go educate Tayuya, but she couldn't bring herself to, and eventually ignored her, hanging onto Sasame like a koala. The sound of their cheerful chatter continued. Tayuya bit her lower lip tightly, her face grim, the pen in her hand almost crushed. So infuriating! But she wasn't sure if she was cursing Karin or Sasame.
A moment later, Uzumaki Ena returned and saw a somewhat peculiar scene. Sasame and Karin were getting along splendidly, like siblings, while Tayuya stood by, full of resentment. Uzumaki Ena couldn't help but smile. She actually understood Tayuya quite well. After all, at her age, she wouldn't hide her emotions.
"Mom!" Karin waved and called out.
"You're clinging to your brother again," Uzumaki Ena walked over.
"Am I?" Karin's small face showed displeasure. "Mom spends more time with Big Brother anyway!"
"..." Uzumaki Ena's face immediately flushed slightly. She tapped Karin's head. "We were discussing important business." Tayuya wanted to speak but held back. Are you sure you two are discussing important business? Uzumaki Ena was kinder to her, so she didn't say anything venomous. But the moment she recalled those scenes, her skin felt hot. Pervert! Tayuya glared at Sasame hatefully.
Sasame noticed her gaze, turned his head, and met her eyes.
"..." Tayuya immediately panicked and lowered her head.
"You two continue your nap," Sasame put Karin down, stroked her head, and said, "Your mother and I have something to discuss."
"Okay," Karin nodded reluctantly. Sasame walked out. Uzumaki Ena also left. Since the office was occupied, the two went to a room.
"In a few more years, you'll truly become a man," Uzumaki Ena embraced Sasame, affectionately pressing her face against his.
"Am I not one now?" Sasame said, angrily biting into a peeled grape she held. Grape juice immediately filled his mouth. Sweet.
"I was talking about age, since you haven't fully grown yet," Uzumaki Ena said, her face somewhat flushed.
"..." Sasame gritted his teeth, saying nothing. Damn it! What do you mean, 'haven't grown yet'? He felt that he needed to make Uzumaki Ena properly acknowledge him later. As the saying goes, it's not about age, but ambition!
"Your reaction is just like a child's," Uzumaki Ena leaned down and kissed him, chuckling. "Only children get so angry."
"..." Sasame said nothing, just ate the grapes. Uzumaki Ena gently caressed his head, looking at him tenderly. After a moment, her ears turned a little red.
"Did you come here today for something?" Uzumaki Ena tried to change the subject to adjust the mood.
"Yes, something important," Sasame spat out the grape seeds, swallowed the grape juice, and asked, "Does lending a billion from the guild have any impact?" He hadn't inquired about the Sunny Day Merchant Guild for a long time. He wondered if taking out a billion in liquid cash would cause any problems.
"No impact," Uzumaki Ena's lips curved slightly. She held his hand and asked, "Who are you lending it to?"
"The Akatsuki, a ninja organization," Sasame leaned into her embrace, smiling. "What price do you think we should make them pay?"
"To borrow a billion, theoretically, a country would need to be collateral," Uzumaki Ena thought for a moment. "And they would also need to sign various treaties, such as mining rights." The money the Sunny Day Merchant Guild lent to the Hidden Mist Village was actually arranged this way. As for the Land of Water, it was somewhat similar, but that money went into the nobles' pockets. They didn't care about mines or anything. After all, they didn't have much concept of it. In the ninja world's perception, only gold mines were valuable; others were not.
"They do have a country," Sasame pondered for a moment, then, thinking of Nagato's personality, he said, "But they probably won't allow us to interfere."
"By your tone, you're set on lending to them?" Uzumaki Ena lowered her head, looking at half of his face, and shifted her hips, moving closer.
"Yes," Sasame replied with a smile.
"Since it's a ninja organization, then let them work for us," Uzumaki Ena didn't ask why he insisted on lending the money.
"That's not a bad idea," Sasame's eyes narrowed. "We'll hire a kunoichi to protect you."
"Protect me?" Uzumaki Ena was startled, then raised an eyebrow. "Are you interested in that kunoichi?"
"Huh?" Sasame subconsciously asked, "Why would you think that?"
"Because I understand you," Uzumaki Ena smiled and pressed his hand down. Sasame wanted to struggle but was held fast.
Two hours later. Sasame released Uzumaki Ena. In one sentence: You audacious demon, daring to show off your meager skills before a master? She paid the price for her rash actions.
Sasame opened the door, feeling refreshed.
"Pervert! Die!" Tayuya's voice rang out.
"Your assassination skills are getting worse," Sasame raised an eyebrow and subtly dodged her punch.
"Mind your own business!" Tayuya glared at him angrily.
"Is it because I didn't pay attention to you earlier, and now you're trying to get my attention?" Sasame tilted his head and asked.
"How is that possible?!" Tayuya's face flushed, and she said angrily.
"It seems I misunderstood," Sasame chuckled nonchalantly. "If there's nothing else, don't block the way."
"Wait!" Tayuya subconsciously asked, "What about my punishment?" After speaking, she turned red as an apple. "I... I'm a person who keeps my promises," Tayuya forced herself to remain calm, lest she faint.
Sasame looked at her. Tayuya's small face grew redder, and her heart pounded. She was both ashamed and expectant.
"I recently adopted a black cat," Sasame took out a key and put it in her hand. "Go help me feed her. Remember not to tell anyone about this." Tayuya watched him leave, only reacting a moment later. She stomped her foot in displeasure, and the bells on her neck jingled. That's all the punishment? Is he looking down on me?And making her feed a cat!Damn it! Am I even worse than a cat? Tayuya bit her lip and turned towards the backyard. Although Sasame hadn't told her where, she had thoroughly investigated his residence. It must be the courtyard Uzumaki Ena had prepared for him.
Tayuya took out the key and opened the door. The black cat inside heard the sound, looked up, and instinctively let out a soft "Meow." The two stared at each other, silent for a moment.
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