51

On a bustling street in a border village of the Land of Water, the air was filled with the savory scent of grilled seafood.

"Wow! This is amazing!" Shiro exclaimed, his hands full of a large, freshly grilled lobster. He and Obito were in the middle of a seafood feast, a whole table spread before them, while Black and White Zetsu quietly kept them company.

"Black Zetsu san! White Zetsu san! Aren't you two going to eat anything? We finally made it to the coast, you have to try some of this!"

White Zetsu let out an innocent laugh. "Tsk tsk… this isn't really to our taste. We only like to eat human flesh, hahahaha."

Hearing this, Black Zetsu rebuked him sharply. "What nonsense are you spouting in front of the child! White Zetsu, restrain yourself!"

Soon, another wave of dishes arrived at their table. Shiro was stunned. "Obito nii! Why did you order another table's worth of food? There's no way the two of us can eat all this."

Obito's visible eye was full of affection. "Today is your birthday. My treat. You can have as much seafood as your heart desires."

"Hehe, since you put it that way, I won't be polite! Sir, two more bowls of shark fin soup, please!"

"Yes! Of course! Right away!" The owner's face was split with a wide, beaming smile. He nodded and bowed, overjoyed. It had been a long time since he'd had such a big customer. Their bill for this single meal was equivalent to his shop's entire monthly income. He had to provide the best service.

"Shark fin soup, coming right up!" Soon, the owner himself brought two steaming bowls to the table. "Please, take your time and enjoy. If there is anything else you need, just let me know. In this shop, if it swims in the sea, I have it!"

"Oh?" White Zetsu shrugged. "And what about things that run on land?"

Looking at White Zetsu's strange, plant-like appearance, the owner was more than a little frightened. But money was money, and anyone willing to spend this lavishly was a king in his eyes. "Of course! What kind of meat would you like? Just say the word!"

"Hehe…" White Zetsu smiled playfully, its jagged, Venus flytrap-like mouth opening and closing. "Do you have any human flesh?"

"Uh…" The owner froze, then let out an awkward, forced laugh. "Sir, you have a wonderful sense of humor, haha… hahaha." White Zetsu said nothing more, simply gesturing for the owner to leave.

The owner departed tactfully, and Shiro and Obito continued to eat voraciously.

White Zetsu commented, "Obito, because of your policy of isolation, even the border towns of the Land of Water have been affected."

Obito replied, "Hmph. What does that have to do with me? Although each country is ruled by a Daimyo, in the end, it is the Kage of the Hidden Village who holds the real power. If the Daimyo of the Land of Water can't figure that out, I might just have to control him directly."

Shiro interjected, "Alright, daddies, today is my birthday. Can we please not talk about work?" He didn't care about politics and grand schemes. As long as he was happy, that was all that mattered.

Obito looked at Shiro, who was happily slurping his soup. "Alright, Shiro. But speaking of which, seeing the shark fin reminds me of Hoshigaki Kisame from the Hidden Mist Village. If we can convince him to join the Akatsuki, he would be a great asset to our combat strength."

Black Zetsu snorted coldly. "You really intend to bleed the Hidden Mist dry, don't you? It wasn't enough to recruit Juzo Biwa, now you want Hoshigaki Kisame as well."

White Zetsu added, "We happen to be in the Land of Water right now. Why don't we go to the Hidden Mist Village and look for him later?"

"Alright," Obito agreed.

"I'm full now," Shiro announced. "Why don't we go now?"

"Okay," Obito said. "Shiro, are you coming with us too?"

Shiro nodded emphatically. "Of course, Daddy. The Akatsuki is an organization you have carefully cultivated, and it will be mine one day. It is only natural that I meet my future employees."

"Alright. Let's go." As soon as he finished speaking, Obito activated his Kamui, sucking Shiro and the remaining seafood into the swirling vortex of his eye. The next moment, he too disappeared, leaving only Black and White Zetsu at the table.

Black Zetsu turned to White Zetsu. "Do you have any money?"

White Zetsu shook its head. "I have never concerned myself with money in my entire life."

Black Zetsu sighed. "Tsk tsk… It looks like we will be dining and dashing."

White Zetsu added, "It seems to be the only way. I truly do not understand why the people of this world use paper as a token for transactions." With that, the two of them vanished into the ground without another word.

After a while, the owner emerged from the kitchen carrying more dishes. "Huh?" The table was empty. "Where did they go?" On the table, amidst the leftover seafood, was a neat stack of money left by Obito.

On the border of the Land of Water, Juzo Biwa and Uchiha Itachi were running through the woods.

"Hey, Konoha ninja," Juzo grunted. "Do you know a man named Might Dai?"

Uchiha Itachi replied, "…I only know a ninja named Might Guy."

"Oh, so it was his son," Juzo said faintly. "I used to be one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. Because of that man, the seven were reduced to three. I never expected that mustached fool who couldn't even use ninjutsu could perform such a forbidden taijutsu. Hmph! So, there is one thing I must clarify. I am not going to ask why you joined the Akatsuki, nor am I interested. As for my own reasons, they are not worth mentioning. But Itachi, I want to know why you betrayed Konoha. As far as I know, the Hidden Leaf Village is a very tolerant place."

Uchiha Itachi was silent for a long time. "Perhaps. But that village is the only one that does not tolerate the Uchiha."

Juzo snorted. "Compared to Konoha, my village is a nightmare. A village that doesn't even trust its own companions is not worth my loyalty."

"Itachi, let me make this clear. Since we are in the same group, you are my partner. They say ninjas are cold-blooded, but I am not. I am only cold-blooded toward my targets. For my companions, I am someone who is willing to sacrifice my life. I don't care what you think of that. I just wanted to make it clear to you."

Uchiha Itachi replied, "I can see that you are a good ninja. Compared to you, I am ashamed."

"Hmph," Juzo grunted. "Don't misunderstand me. I am just a man who is unwilling to accept his fate."

Not long after, they came upon a group of men carrying a palanquin. "We have reached our target. Let's begin!" Juzo gave the order, and the two of them instantly appeared before the procession.

"Huh? Who are you? Get out of our way! Are you looking to die?" a guard shouted.

"Hmph!" Juzo disdainfully drew the massive Executioner's Blade from his back. "You great nations are always talking about peace and stability, yet you are constantly worried that your own village will grow weak. You secretly plot to undermine the other villages while strengthening yourselves. But you don't want anyone to discover your dirty work, so the Akatsuki has more work to do."

"Hmph… you hypocrites. Though I have no personal grudge against you, your fate… is death!" As soon as he finished speaking, Juzo brandished his greatsword and rushed toward the guards.

Swish!

In just a few seconds, all the guards had become fodder for the Executioner's Blade. Uchiha Itachi had not even had a chance to make a move. Juzo stepped over the bodies with contempt and said coldly to Itachi, "Kid, don't just stand there. There is another task waiting for us."

"Tsk. The more peaceful the world becomes, the more work we have. Only now do I truly understand the significance of the Akatsuki's existence." The two quickly departed, heading deeper into the Land of Water.

Juzo said, "Itachi, you see, this is the Akatsuki. It is an organization that exposes the deepest darkness of this ninja world."

Uchiha Itachi replied, "Pain said that the Akatsuki will eventually rule the world."

Juzo scoffed. "Hmph. It is too early to say that. Ruling the world is not so easy. Just look at us now. Are we not still doing the dirty work that the other great villages are unwilling to do? First, we must accumulate enough money and strength. Only then can we move toward our longer-term goals."

Uchiha Itachi was a little touched. Though it was his first time meeting Juzo Biwa, he could feel that the man truly regarded him as a companion. The camaraderie he felt from this rogue ninja was stronger than anything he had ever experienced from the high-ranking shinobi of Konoha.