Chapter 35: Are More People Slacking Off?

In the secret underground base of Amegakure, the Gedo Statue was summoned once again. This time, the mission was to seal the One-Tail, Shukaku—Akatsuki's second captured tailed beast.

"Hey! Aren't there more and more people slacking off lately?"

"If you don't start managing this better, Leader, the organization might fall apart," Hidan complained, clearly annoyed.

First, Sasori went AWOL. Then Itachi disappeared. Add to that Orochimaru, who outright defected, and now three fingers on the Gedo Statue are unoccupied.

What should've been a three-day sealing process has now dragged out to four.

"This is so frustrating!"

"Shut up, Hidan!"

"Focus and finish sealing the tailed beast already! I still need to find a new heart!" Kakuzu barked, though it was obvious he wasn't too happy about the delay either.

"By the way, Kakuzu," Deidara chimed in, "how much were those bounties worth last time? Don't you dare try to stiff me!"

"Deidara…" Kakuzu growled through gritted teeth. But as the most professional bounty hunter in the shinobi world, his pride wouldn't let him skip out on paying.

"Altogether, it was 1.2 billion ryo. You'll have to come to the Land of Tea to collect it." Kakuzu's heart ached just thinking about it.

That money should've been mine!

"No need. Just transfer the entire 1.2 billion to me," Konan suddenly interjected.

"What?! Konan-san, that's my money!" Deidara protested.

Since when did she get this bold? She's straight-up robbing me now!

"Amegakure needs funds for expansion. You were there last time—you saw the situation," Konan replied calmly. "We'll use this to cover costs for now. Once Amegakure's finances are stable, we'll pay you back."

Pay me back in fifty years with no interest? Even the most ruthless loan sharks would cry tears of envy!

"Fine. Once the sealing is done, I'll have the money sent from the Land of Tea to Amegakure," Kakuzu sighed in defeat. For some inexplicable reason, the whole situation gave him a strange sense of satisfaction.

After four grueling days of work, the One-Tail was finally sealed. Another eye on the Gedo Statue opened—only to shut tightly once more.

"So exhausting!" Deidara groaned, shaking his arms as he entered the central tower's office. Behind the desk sat a long-haired version of Pain—Human Path.

Human Path looked up, locking eyes with Deidara. His expressionless face betrayed no emotion, but Deidara could see a deep despair in his eyes.

"Leader, this Six Paths ability of yours sure is handy. You can handle so many things at once."

Human Path lowered his gaze back to the seemingly endless stack of documents on his desk.

No! I regret this! Why does the Rinnegan have to come with Six Paths abilities? Even while sealing a tailed beast, I still have to work. I'm not just a beast of burden—I'm six beasts of burden. This is absurd!

"What do you want?" Human Path asked without looking up.

"I'm planning to visit Orochimaru," Deidara said. It had been a while. Time to check on Orochimaru's research progress. If Nagato's body could be fully optimized to handle unlimited use of the Rinnegan, everything would become much easier.

"Mm," Human Path replied faintly, signaling his approval.

Later, Deidara found Kisame, who seemed eager for action.

"So, who's the target this time?" Kisame asked, his voice tinged with excitement. He was arguably the most battle-hungry member of Akatsuki.

Hidan didn't count—he just enjoyed killing.

"Not a fight. We're going to see Orochimaru," Deidara replied, spitting out a clay bird.

"Deidara, make one for me too," Kisame said, standing nearby.

"Oh? I thought you didn't care about this stuff," Deidara teased while crafting another bird.

"It's not that. I just didn't know how Itachi felt about it, so I stuck with him. But now that Itachi's taking a break, I can afford to relax a bit," Kisame grinned.

As the two soared into the sky, Kisame continued the conversation.

"So, why meet with Orochimaru? Weren't you and Sasori ordered to kill him?"

"Orochimaru's too valuable to waste. We're collaborating on some research projects now," Deidara explained.

"Is that so?" Kisame mused.

Suddenly, Deidara glanced at Kisame.

"You're not planning to report this to that self-proclaimed Uchiha Madara, are you?"

Kisame froze for a moment, then broke into his signature shark-like grin.

"Oh? So you know about him."

"Of course. That so-called Uchiha Madara tried to recruit me and Sasori too. Said a bunch of cryptic nonsense. Honestly, it's hard to take him seriously," Deidara said. "Between him and the Leader, what's your take?"

Kisame's usual confidence faltered slightly. "Honestly, I'm not sure. Both their goals and ideals are compelling, but it's hard to choose between them."

Hearing this, Deidara wasn't annoyed. If anything, he felt relieved. Kisame's indecision meant that Nagato's vision had resonated with him—otherwise, he'd be unwavering in his support for Tobi.

"Take your time. We've only captured two tailed beasts so far. There's still time to decide," Deidara said calmly.

"You're right," Kisame agreed.

Their journey continued in silence until they arrived at Otogakure in the Land of Rice Fields.

"Kimimaro, it's you again," Deidara quipped, spotting the pale, white-haired boy with the distinctive markings on his forehead. "What are you, the permanent gatekeeper of Otogakure now?"

"Deidara-sama, what brings you here?" Kimimaro asked politely.

"I'm here to see Orochimaru. Go let him know," Deidara said. "And drop the hostility. We're not enemies—yet."

After receiving confirmation from Orochimaru, Kimimaro personally led Deidara and Kisame into the secret underground base.

"This place has grown quite a bit since my last visit," Deidara remarked casually as they walked.

"Orochimaru-sama's experiments have increased, and Sasori-sama is here too. She needed some space," Kimimaro explained.

"So, Sasori's been hiding out here making puppets, huh?" Kisame said. "I thought he and Orochimaru didn't get along."

"Who knows?" Deidara shrugged. "Maybe he suddenly developed a thing for soft, squishy types like Orochimaru."

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Pls Drop some Power Stones

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