The New Akatsuki

"Akatsuki?" Sasori frowned slightly.

The name was unfamiliar to him. As a rogue ninja, he was unaware of the emergence of Akatsuki.

"I've never heard of it."

His body still weak, he stood trembling. His eyes swept the people in front of him.

"So, you're not ninjas from Sunagakure?"

"Of course not, we're here to capture..." Konan began to explain, but Satoru spoke first.

"We're here to invite you to join our Akatsuki organization."

Konan's eyes widened, staring at him in disbelief.

This was not at all the script she had expected!

Weren't they here to capture Sasori?

Satoru looked at Konan's confusion. He blocked her gaze and turned to Sasori, smiling.

"Our organization has just been established, and we need talents like you."

There was confusion in Sasori's eyes, but it was more of a complex emotion.

"Is that so?"

He observed the man in front of him.

He always felt there was an unknown secret behind this smiling man.

Sasori continued, "But I am a rogue ninja from Sunagakure."

Sasori pointed to the forehead protectors on Nagato and the others, "You should be from Amegakure. Aren't you afraid of reprisals from the major ninja villages by inviting rogue ninjas?"

Satoru looked into Sasori's wary eyes, and a meaningful smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

After that, he immediately removed the forehead protectors from Nagato and Konan's foreheads, holding them in his hands, and said with fake surprise, "Amegakure? Oh, these forehead protectors... They have nothing to do with our Akatsuki organization."

"Satoru!" Nagato and Konan exclaimed simultaneously, clearly shocked by his actions.

"What are you doing!" Konan stared at him angrily. She didn't want to cause trouble for Akatsuki or even Amegakure because of Satoru's rash actions.

Satoru waved his hand indifferently and said, "Don't be nervous. Akatsuki's job has nothing to do with Amegakure. We're a recruiting organization, and anyone can ask us to do something, right? So what if he's a traitor? As long as he's valuable, we don't care about his past."

Nagato pulled him aside and whispered, "Satoru, weren't we out this time to make a name for the Akatsuki organization? Kakuzu is problematic enough, being a rogue ninja from Takigakure. It's been years, and they might have forgotten. But the one in front of us is a rogue ninja from Sunagakure, and he just betrayed the village."

"No, Nagato. That's why we need him to join us." Satoru said with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Nagato was confused by his decision.

He looked at him doubtfully.

Satoru smiled thinly and began to explain his thinking, "Nagato, I've actually been thinking that even though we could capture all rogue ninjas, it would be a time-consuming and exhausting task. More importantly, we need a lot of time for the Akatsuki organization to truly become famous. Don't forget, our first priority now is to uncover the secrets in your eyes."

After hearing this, Nagato nodded in agreement.

Satoru continued, "When we disbanded the Akatsuki organization, wasn't it because the ninja strength within it was uneven and difficult to handle tough tasks and get more commissions? Now, we have a ready-made treasure trove, at least for now, we don't need to worry about funding."

Nagato immediately understood that it referred to Kakuzu.

Satoru changed the subject and asked, "So, what's the most effective way for the Akatsuki organization to grow rapidly?"

Nagato thought for a moment, asking, "What's that?"

A gleam flashed in Satoru's eyes, and he said slowly, "The fastest way is to absorb powerful rogue ninjas into our organization and shock the world. Think about it, these rogue ninjas in each Ninja Village might have a lot of influence. As long as Akatsuki can accommodate them, we can demonstrate our great power. Moreover, as long as we both lead Akatsuki, we don't need to worry about them causing trouble."

"Among these rogue ninjas, many have potential and talent. Not all of them are assassins. We just need to make careful judgments and absorb those valuable talents into Akatsuki to be more effective and efficient."

"Furthermore, I have a bolder proposal. We can officially turn Akatsuki into a mercenary organization, carrying out tasks with various levels of difficulty, and using high rewards as a means to complete tasks. In this way, we can not only gather wealth but also gradually build the reputation and influence of Akatsuki. What do you think of this plan?"

Nagato expressed his concern, "If these rogue ninjas are held accountable by their ninja villages, I'm afraid it will have a negative impact on Amegakure. Besides, Akatsuki still belongs to Amegakure."

Satoru smiled thinly, with cunning in his eyes, "We can operate in a more secretive way."

"Codenames."

"Codenames?" Nagato was surprised.

"If not, what do you think we're doing with codenames? As long as we wear masks and don't reveal our real names. At the same time, Yahiko can declare that Akatsuki is breaking away from Amegakure's jurisdiction and becoming an independent entity. This way, even if someone pursues rogue ninjas, the problem cannot be linked to Amegakure. We just need to transport the materials obtained by Akatsuki back to Amegakure, but in the eyes of the outside world, we are an independent organization, so they have no evidence to accuse us."

Nagato pondered for a moment, with doubt, "Satoru, according to what you said, won't the members of Akatsuki lack clear interests?"

Satoru shook his head, "No, that's actually good."

"Akatsuki will provide protection for all rogue ninjas."

As he said this, Nagato widened his eyes slightly, "Satoru, you..."

Satoru smiled thinly, "Nagato, think about it, rogue ninjas are like rats crossing the street in the ninja world, everyone shouts to defeat them. What they lack is not just a shelter, but also an identity that can be reactivated in the ninja world under everyone's watch."

"Akatsuki can provide them with such protection."