85. Ame no Agitation

Hinata stood and spoke with casual authority. "So, from here on out, Shikamaru, it's all yours. Shino and the others will assist you—make it look sharp."

As she walked toward the sliding door, Shino frowned slightly and asked, "Forgive my bluntness, but you're not participating yourself?"

"The eldest daughter of the Hyuga clan can't be seen dabbling in mundane affairs that involve too many family interests. Besides…" A smirk crept onto her lips, "I have other things to do."

Yes—everyone else only saw how Hinata's group was under pressure from all sides. But she knew better. This wasn't decline—it was the world's way of telling her to accelerate.

---

Meanwhile, deep within Amegakure, a paper airplane fluttered into Konan's hand. She opened it, and her delicate brows knitted together. Turning, she called from the rooftop, "Pain. She's requesting a meeting—again, right on the Fire Nation's border."

"Hmm… looks like she's finally making her next move. So… are you going to go?"

Pain spoke without turning, but his words weren't for Konan. They were aimed at a shadowy figure hidden further back—cloaked head to toe in black, with a swirling orange mask covering his face.

"Of course. If she really is a valuable business partner… then even lending her some of Akatsuki's power won't be out of the question."

The masked figure's voice was raspy and low. From the single eyehole, a gleaming red eye glowed ominously.

"So, this time I'll go myself… to see what she's really made of."

---

Hinata brushed aside the strand of hair by her neck, visibly annoyed.

"My time out here is limited. Or is it that Lord Pain had more important things to do?"

The location was clearly one of Akatsuki's temporary meeting points. Though still near the Fire Country's border, they'd changed the exact site—standard evasive tactics for any ninja group.

Oddly, today every Akatsuki member was present in the flesh—including Pain himself. Yet Hinata had still been left waiting for nearly ten minutes.

"My apologies. But I believe whatever time you've lost will be compensated by our efficiency."

Pain didn't seem offended. In fact, her bluntness was something he appreciated. Shinobi who didn't fake politeness could often be more trustworthy.

"Ma~ ma~, Little Suigin~ I hear those tasteless barbarians are making a mess for you lately, hmm~?"

Deidara was the first to greet her, clearly fatigued. Besides making figures for the Fox Tales franchise, he'd been chasing down knockoff hand-sculpting rings. Even as an S-rank rogue ninja, he was spread thin.

"Well~ the rights to Fox Tales are officially back under Konoha now. Even if it's just to weaken the village, the other nations wouldn't let that slide. Kinda sucks, huh?"

Kisame chuckled, but his insight was sharp. It was a straightforward dissection of the situation.

"That's why money's the only thing worth trusting," Kakuzu grunted. "Even nations that pretend to be peaceful will show their fangs when profit is involved."

But Hinata cut them off coldly. "I didn't come all this way to hear your analysis. I couldn't care less what other villages think. All I need is to submit a transport escort request to their local shinobi villages. Even if they hate Konoha, they'll have no choice but to switch from saboteurs to guardians. If we're still talking about problems money can solve, then they're not worth discussing here."

The room went silent for a beat. Her words hung with unmistakable arrogance.

"Puhahahaha! I like her!" Hidan burst out laughing. "'If money can solve it, it's not worth talking about'—what a line!"

Kakuzu, uncharacteristically, widened his eyes. "I think I'm starting to understand why fortune follows you."

Even Pain couldn't help but smirk. Though Hinata looked like a barely-chūnin girl, her words radiated the weight of power. Talking with her almost felt like catching confidence and ambition through osmosis—something Akatsuki, a group obsessed with strength, found genuinely magnetic.

"Very well. What brings you here today?"

Hinata's grin widened. "Heh. I'll be direct. Originally, I planned to wait. But thanks to those idiots accelerating the timeline, I've decided to move forward now—into a new industry: televisions and video tapes."

Raising her hand slightly, Hinata swept her gaze across the room. "This isn't like the hand-sculpture market. It's bigger. So if you want in, it'll take more capital and more effort. Are you prepared?"

Very few people would dare ask Akatsuki if they were prepared. The phrasing itself demanded superiority over S-rank criminals. But Hinata's tone made it sound natural.

"You mean Fox Tales is moving to TV?" Kakuzu, their financial expert, spoke first.

"Yes. And while I respect your instinct for profit, I need you to hear the plan before deciding."

"Why bother?" Hidan scoffed, scratching his head. "We've got figures and artbooks—who the hell even watches TV anymore? I sure don't wanna see those old fogey daimyos or some ad for chef knives."

Hinata smiled—sharp, not kind. "Exactly. The current state of TV programming is abysmal. Once I realized that, it was like being buried in gold dust up to my neck. I hate what's on TV now. So why not change it?"

"You're serious… the author wants to move Fox Tales for television?" Deidara gasped.

"Correct. Live visuals, dynamic characters, full voice and lighting. It's far beyond still-frame books. People always want more—and better—entertainment. Higher visual quality will always beat static images. It's an inevitable evolution."

According to her research, only 15% of Konoha households even owned a TV. And less than 10% watched programming regularly. That was absurd for a world where TV tech already existed. But due to the past Ninja Wars, the world's media had stagnated.

Now, with peace and prosperity slowly taking hold, Hinata had a golden window. Fox Tales could be the tip of the spear.

She wasn't about to cluster all her eggs in one basket, either. Concentrating all industries in Konoha would make them vulnerable. Diversification was just common sense.

"Buuut~ what's that got to do with manufacturing TVs and tapes?"

A goofy, high-pitched voice interrupted her thoughts. Hinata instantly frowned, fingers twitching with annoyance. She knew exactly who it was.

Wearing a swirly orange mask and standing on one foot in a deliberately silly pose, Tobi waved enthusiastically from behind the group.

"Ehh~ did I say something wrong~?"

Hinata turned to Pain with a flat expression. "Who's the clown in the mask? Does Akatsuki keep him around just to give everyone a reason to exercise their facial muscles?"

"Don't mind him. He's just an intern. Shall we continue?"

Pain waved it off. He understood Hinata's goal now—to persuade Akatsuki to build and operate a facility for TV and magnetic tape production.

And while ninja weren't easily led around, even Pain had to admit—Hinata's results spoke for themselves.

"I want you to fund and construct a proper electronics factory. The kind that can mass-produce televisions and video tapes. Once Fox Tales hits TV, demand will skyrocket. When that happens, would you really be worried about selling stock?"

This time, Pain's eyes narrowed with genuine consideration.

With the figures and artbooks, he'd used his jutsu to temporarily create worker units for Sasori and Deidara. But this was different. Electronics were delicate and technical. Real machinery, real engineers, real infrastructure—none of that could be faked with ninjutsu.