Ōnoki understood Deidara's personality, knowing that outside of battle, Deidara was largely guileless and almost certainly wouldn't be trying to deceive him at a time like this, especially while shouting so naturally.
So… the other party really did have his blood!
As for how they got it?
Ōnoki's gaze shifted to the direction Bai Mo had just been speaking towards.
The other party had companions skilled in infiltration.
Before today, before knowing about Curse Technique: Death Controlling Possessed Blood, who would care if their blood might be collected?
"What exactly do you want…"
"Wait, wait!"
Just as Ōnoki was about to ask Bai Mo his purpose, Kurotsuchi anxiously and conflictedly stepped between the two, her eyes fixed on Bai Mo: "Um, I'm not also a target of your intimidation, am I?"
"Of course."
Bai Mo smiled.
"I've sustained quite a few injuries over the years. Tell me, you collected my blood when I was injured, right?"
Kurotsuchi's expression was somewhat indignant.
She had already guessed something.
"Here, male ninja might not necessarily be intimidated, but no female ninja, except for someone like Elder Chiyo, can escape. So… what do you think?"
"I think your head!"
Kurotsuchi clenched her fists, "Tell me, which guy in your Akatsuki Organization came up with this perverted idea!"
"Kurotsuchi, don't be impulsive!"
Ōnoki pulled Kurotsuchi back.
Bai Mo had just caused Shi Chun, who attacked him, to die miserably without any hesitation. Ōnoki didn't dare to gamble if Bai Mo would continue if Kurotsuchi attacked him.
"What exactly do you want to do? Intimidation… are you perhaps trying to rule the world?"
Ōnoki watched Bai Mo, wanting to know if the other party was an ambitious person like Uchiha Madara.
"Didn't I just say? We are an Akatsuki Organization that loves peace. Intimidation is only for equal dialogue with the Five Great Shinobi Villages.
We, these insignificant small forces, speak standing up, and you don't listen. We speak kneeling, and you still don't listen. Then we can only make you kneel.
By the way, actually, the leader of our Akatsuki Organization realized this principle, and it has a bit of an indirect connection with your Iwagakure."
Bai Mo still maintained his smile.
"Connected to us?"
Ōnoki quickly searched his mind, trying to find relevant information, but ultimately failed.
Ōnoki looked at Kurotsuchi beside him, seemingly wanting to ask if Kurotsuchi remembered anything.
"I don't remember either. Don't worry, old man, you're not senile yet."
Kurotsuchi had calmed down a bit after some time.
Since things had already happened, there was nothing to be done.
It was better to try and extract as much information as possible from the other party first.
With information, there would be a chance to figure out how to respond and counteract.
"It's normal for you not to remember. As I said, it's just 'a bit of an indirect connection'.
It doesn't matter if I tell you what exactly happened.
Danzo of Konoha once sent his subordinates to impersonate your Iwagakure ninja to kill civilians, then framed us, playing a game of 'driving a tiger to swallow a wolf', which led to the death of our former leader and the earliest members."
Bai Mo very easily recounted the tragic conspiracy in Amegakure that had happened back then.
As for whether the people of Iwagakure would realize that the Akatsuki Organization's headquarters were in Amegakure because of this, it was irrelevant.
Ever since Bai Mo became the Akatsuki Organization's strategist, Akatsuki no longer needed to constantly hide in the shadows.
"Konoha?"
Ōnoki and Kurotsuchi exchanged glances, looking bewildered.
So that's what "connected" meant?
"That old thing Danzo is really a bad seed… Since it was Konoha who did it, why are you targeting our Iwagakure? You should go to Konoha, shouldn't you?"
Ōnoki cursed Danzo to express his stance, then asked, puzzled.
"To save Deidara."
"Ah?"
"Is that all?"
Ōnoki and Kurotsuchi looked utterly confused.
"Yes, as for Konoha, we naturally collected blood from there too, but as I said, we are an Akatsuki Organization that loves peace. Unless the plan's objective is set for Konoha, we won't actively go and do anything."
"…"
Ōnoki's mouth twitched.
What kind of people constantly talk about loving peace?
"I can let you leave, but I hope you don't let ordinary ninja know about this 'intimidation' of yours; it's likely to cause panic."
Ōnoki pondered for a moment, then spoke.
Even if he instantly killed the other party with a Dust Release now, it wouldn't solve the problem, so he could only compromise for now.
"No problem."
"As for Deidara, you don't have to worry either. I know you treat him like a grandson, an elder brother, but we also treat him as a comrade.
I can reveal to you that the ultimate goal of our Akatsuki Organization is to confront an existence that threatens the entire ninja world.
We need to gather the strength of everyone as much as possible, and we will inevitably have to cooperate with your Iwagakure, so at that time, we will still be comrades-in-arms…"
Bai Mo was giving them a sales pitch.
But this pitch indeed resonated with them.
The perspective of "Naruto" has always been centered around Uzumaki Naruto.
Stepping outside of that, one would discover a different world.
Deidara was to Ōnoki what Naruto was to Hiruzen Sarutobi, perhaps even more intimately connected.
When Naruto in Shippūden cheered upon hearing Sasuke killed Orochimaru, he didn't consider that Orochimaru was the "Sasuke" of his master, Jiraiya.
The joys and sorrows between people are not interconnected; it's normal for people in the ninja world to misunderstand each other. Even close friends might not understand, and everyone has grown accustomed to it.
But now, their feelings were articulated by someone they had just met today, someone who was even considered an enemy.
This feeling was truly strange.
"In that case, can I join your Akatsuki Organization?"
"Kurotsuchi, you, what are you saying?"
Kurotsuchi suddenly spoke, startling Ōnoki.
Damn it, a Deidara, whom he raised as a grandson and trained as an heir, ran off, and now his granddaughter wants to run off too?
Kurotsuchi, however, ignored Ōnoki, her dark eyes fixed on Bai Mo, awaiting his answer.
"You can."
Bai Mo was slightly stunned, then gave his reply.
"You're afraid I'm thinking… what?! You can? You agreed?"
Kurotsuchi, hearing Bai Mo speak, subconsciously thought she was rejected and was about to start an argument, when she suddenly realized that the other party had actually agreed directly?
"Aren't you afraid that I want to gather your intelligence, or find a way to destroy the blood you've collected, or something like that?"
Kurotsuchi was very puzzled.
Ōnoki, listening from the side, again had his mouth twitch.
—This granddaughter, why do you always bare your heart whenever someone tries to trick you slightly?
"What's there to be afraid of? If you want to gather intelligence, you need to understand us.
Understanding us will lead you to understand our intentions.
You wouldn't think that what I said, 'the goal is for the safety of the entire ninja world,' is just to fool you, would you?"
Bai Mo shrugged.
For such rational and calm people, Bai Mo could be open and invite them to join his cause.
In Bai Mo's plan, the Five Great Shinobi Villages were forces that could be won over.
The difficulty lay only in the fact that the things he and the Akatsuki Organization said would not be easily believed by the people of the Five Great Shinobi Villages.
Not easily believed, but not never believed.
These could all be persuaded through words and actions.
Only those who, no matter what you say, no matter how reasonable, as long as it doesn't conform to their ingrained beliefs, will shout "friendship," "bonds," or "pain, too much pain," "this world has cruelly destroyed you, now I will repay it with pain," and charge forward—such people cannot be persuaded by common sense.
"No! No way! Strategist, don't agree to her!
This Kurotsuchi is boring and not strong enough!
Her joining the Akatsuki Organization will only lower our Akatsuki Organization's prestige! Hm!"
Deidara's voice suddenly echoed from the cave again.
....
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