Chapter 218: Purple Hermit's Power!

In the Land of Rain, inside an office at a pawnshop under Akatsuki's control…

"Boss Ginji, is Lord Kakuzu really—"

Leaning against the wall, the young man lowered his voice as he asked.

"Kyo-ya, don't stick your nose where it doesn't belong," said the man called Ginji, a cigarette in his mouth. "The overseer sent by the organization will arrive tomorrow. I hear it's that 'Angel-sama,' Lord Kakuzu…"

He fell silent for a moment before continuing, "I don't know much, either. You—"

"Bang!"

Before he could finish, the office door flew in with a crash. Kyo-ya promptly kicked the splintered door panel back, but before he could make any move, a rough, giant hand clamped around his neck.

"You guys are with Akatsuki, aren't you?" A sullen man, wearing a Amegakure forehead protector on the outside of his clothes, had somehow appeared in front of the desk. His head nearly reached the ceiling, and the thing he wore was more like a cut-up curtain than actual clothing.

His skin was dark brown, and there were strange protrusions on his forehead. Even though some were covered by the "clothes," they still looked bizarre.

Survivors of Hanzo, flashed through Ginji's mind. But he wasn't entirely sure—were these three really even human? They were more disgusting than the freaks from the Otogakure who'd undergone body modifications.

Well, about on par with Lord Kakuzu, I guess.

"Thud!"

Kyo-ya tried to fight back, but in an instant was pinned to the floor. The brute gripping him bared two rows of serrated shark-like teeth. "Hey, Kiru—can I eat him?"

The person in the center, apparently "Kiru," shot his companion a warning look. "Control yourself. I don't want to have to kill you, too."

E-eat him?!

Ginji was terrified. His body began trembling involuntarily. Despite acting tough most of the time, he was actually quite timid. Otherwise, after Lord Kakuzu's death, he wouldn't have immediately dropped to his knees and sworn loyalty the moment Akatsuki came looking for him.

"You seem really scared," said the female monster behind him in a soft voice. Her heavy breathing through her nostrils hit Ginji's neck, raising goosebumps.

"You look pretty handsome—the kind I like. But—"

"You're the kind I like to eat."

"I—I…"

Under Kyo-ya's disbelieving gaze, Ginji wet his pants. On the verge of tears, he rattled off all the information he knew.

Kiru glanced at Kyo-ya. "Go ahead; you can eat him now."

Click—

In the next moment, Kyo-ya's neck was twisted with a sickening crack. The monster tore away its cloak, revealing a bulging, muscular body wearing only a loincloth to cover the essentials. Holding Kyo-ya as though embracing a lover, it began to warp, absorbing Kyo-ya little by little into its skin. About half a minute later, only bits of undigested waste and the remnants of Kyo-ya's clothes were left behind.

"Mmm." A low, rumbling sound escaped the creature's throat as its body swelled a bit larger.

Ginji was left dumbstruck, losing control of both bladder and bowels. Yet the death he expected did not come. The female monster behind him actually released her grip.

Kiru's voice broke the silence. "As long as you cooperate with us, we won't kill you. And if you perform well in the future…we might even consider granting you this sort of power."

Turn me into a monster too…?

A rude thought flickered through Ginji's mind, but he kept his usual two-faced habits, not letting it show. Since he was already kneeling on the floor, he simply bowed his head. "T-thank you very much, my lord."

"You two, stay here and help him clean up," Kiru ordered. "Control yourselves, or else…"

Afterward, it was time to gather everyone else and wait for tomorrow, for the arrival of Akatsuki's "Angel."

A heavy killing intent flickered in his gray eyes. He had paid so much and gained power strong enough for revenge. Now, it was about to begin.

…

Finally, it was drawn.

Link felt like his luck had been horrid. Three whole days, dozens of tries every day, and only now did [Hermit Purple] appear. It was painful.

He wasn't sure why, but [Emperor] kept showing up far too often. That Stand is basically useless in high-level battles.

Luckily, he no longer needed to buy cameras. He had used the Transformation Technique for so long now that he could imitate a camera easily, and his Shadow Clones could handle it. Even if one of his arms got smashed, he could easily restore it. And thanks to Utakata acting like a portable charger, every Stand he drew lasted for a full hour, more than enough time.

If only the Six-Tails weren't so frail right now, unable to provide much chakra. Then he could run a Stand for twenty-four hours straight, which would be amazing.

First, he checked on Zetsu's location. Snap! A photo popped out.

Sure enough, it was near the base in the Land of Waves—Link recognized the aerial view of the nearby red mangrove forest right away. Black Zetsu was indeed tailing him.

No surprise there. After all, he currently held three of Akatsuki's rings, so Akatsuki was probably considering ways to get rid of him.

It was time to put negotiations with Akatsuki on the table. No point in continuing to fight them and exposing himself. He didn't want to end up on the front lines collecting Tailed Beasts, working himself to death. A better plan was to talk it out.

Konan could be dealt with using Yahiko's memory. Pain was no less a demon than Itachi; Link just had to flatter his ideals. Obito was even easier—Link's healing powers could remove the weakness in Obito's heart, so a deal might be simple enough.

As for Black Zetsu, negotiations could wait until Link got stronger. He could throw out something about "Otsutsuki traitors" or "leading the way" as a ruse, pretend to join them, and sabotage them from the shadows—something he was good at.

He was truly coveting those Tailed Beasts. One Six-Tails was far from enough, and raising it for several years would be a pain. It'd be better to make full use of Akatsuki's intel and strength to gather them all. Then maybe in a few years he'd figure out what to do.

In short, the future looked bright.

Pocketing the photo, Link recast the Shadow Clone and Transformation Techniques. Next up was Obito. Snap! Out came a picture of the back of the Hokage Rock in Konoha.

Well, well…back to Konoha again? That guy really did treat it like his own backyard.

Of course, knowing Obito's location was pointless since he could teleport with Kamui. One moment he might be in Konoha, the next in the Mountain Graveyard. But the camera no longer cost him anything, so Link figured why not.

Third shot was Nagato. Thin, gaunt figure, alone on the high tower, gazing at the rain outside. It gave off a melancholic vibe.

Fourth was Konan, which turned out to be interesting. She was actually in the middle of a fight and was on the losing side. The two fighters, with dark brown skin and massive physiques, had to be Orochimaru's experiments.

Putting together the intel he'd gathered earlier about Amegakure shinobi stealing Orochimaru's data and flesh from Jūgo…things were getting interesting.

Perhaps he could do something here.

Rubbing the photo thoughtfully, Link felt a vague plan taking shape in his mind.

~~~

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