Amegakure.
Kanon had just stepped out of the treasury when she found Zetsu already waiting for her.
"Zetsu, I need you to deliver this case of money to Otogakure."
"Even the Hidden Sound needs to grow. It's finally starting to get on the right track."
"And what about you, Kanon-chan? What are your plans?" Zetsu asked softly, his voice echoing from within his Akatsuki cloak as he watched her calm expression.
"It's about time I prepare to slaughter Itachi. But Kakuzu-nii might still need my help for a while."
With that, Kanon handed the money case to Zetsu. Her three-tomoe Sharingan began to spin, and her form was sucked into the spatial dimension of the Flower Realm.
Sitting cross-legged on the ground, she initiated the Projection Jutsu for the Sealing Jutsu: Nine Phantom Dragons.
…
At that moment, Kakuzu and Hidan were deep within a forest, forming the necessary hand signs to manifest their projections. Rain fell incessantly from the sky, soaking their clothes to the bone.
Elsewhere, inside a hidden cave, the Three-Tails was already being drawn into the mouth of the Gedo Statue.
"You called us all back just to seal the Three-Tails?!" Hidan complained loudly.
"From this point on, it will take three days," Pain replied calmly. "Steel yourselves."
"Three days?! Are you serious? That's way too long!" Hidan grumbled.
"Hidan, shut up," Kakuzu snapped. "We'll be able to wipe out Konoha soon enough!"
"Exactly! This is the perfect opportunity to make those atheists recognize the glory of Lord Jashin!"
Hearing Hidan's outburst, Pain spoke with cold indifference. "The shinobi of Konoha are not atheists. They view their ancestors as deities and act according to the Will of Fire. Though, one could simply view that as a high-sounding excuse invented for the sake of combat."
Hidan froze, looking at Pain with irritation. "Huh?! Are you mocking me, you bastard?!"
"No. I have no intention of mocking your reasons for fighting. Because in truth, we are all the same. The reasons for war... anything will do. Religion, ideology, resources, land, grudges, love, or a momentary impulse. No matter how trivial the reason, it can serve as a catalyst for war. One can always find a justification after the fighting is done. Human instinct seeks out conflict."
Listening to Pain's monologue, Hidan interrupted impatiently. "Nobody wants to hear your long-winded lectures. I have my own way of doing things and my own goals. I never planned on doing everything for the sake of the organization."
Pain did not show anger at Hidan's disrespect. He remained detached. "Since you belong to the Akatsuki, please assist us in achieving our objective. If the Akatsuki's goal is met, your own goals will likely be realized soon after."
At that moment, the ring engraved with the kanji for "Void" (Kū) began to glow, and Kanon's projection materialized.
"Ah, Kanon-chan has arrived," Pain noted.
"Mhm. Hidan-nii, Kakuzu-nii, are you both alright in the Land of Fire?"
"Don't worry, Kanon-chan! How could anything happen to me?" Hidan said, rolling his shoulders.
"Kanon-chan, my money…" Before Kakuzu could finish, Kanon gave him a peace sign.
"I've already handled it. However, I diverted one portion of the funds to Otogakure, like we discussed privately before."
"Hmph. Fine," Kakuzu nodded, relatively satisfied.
"So, what happened with Asuma-sensei?" Kanon asked.
"Tch. I didn't even get to take the body to the Bounty Station before I was called back to seal this Tailed Beast," Kakuzu said with deep regret.
"And I wasn't even finished having my fun after killing that guy!" Hidan added, shooting an annoyed look at Pain.
Hearing Kakuzu's description confirmed that Asuma was dead. Kanon felt a flicker of regret. Though Asuma had insulted her and they hadn't interacted much growing up, he had never truly held a personal grudge against her. Furthermore, Shikamaru had been on good terms with her and Naruto when they were children.
Kanon found herself worrying about Shikamaru's state of mind. They were childhood playmates, after all. Even though he had shown clear hostility toward her recently, Kanon could empathize with the pain of losing someone. Having lost so much herself, she could resonate with the grief Shikamaru must be feeling over his mentor's death.
A person cannot live without a bottom line, nor can they be ungrateful, she thought. A teacher for a day is a father for a lifetime. If it were Jiraiya who had died, she would surely collapse, but then again, how could Jiraiya ever die? In Kanon's heart, Jiraiya was one of the strongest people she knew, and she trusted her "cheap teacher" implicitly.
Seeing Kanon's silence, Hidan, uncharacteristically, offered a word of comfort. "Don't worry about it, Kanon-chan. That guy dared to insult you, so I took him out."
Pain spoke up, cutting through the chatter. "Everyone, focus. We are beginning the Nine Phantom Dragons immediately."
Hidan, however, continued to mutter under his breath, complaining about Pain. "All that talk, but the Akatsuki's goal is just to collect money, isn't it? Just like Kakuzu. Out of all the reasons to fight, that's the one I hate the most."
Pain did not deny it. "You are correct. The current objective is indeed wealth. However, the Akatsuki's ultimate goal lies beyond that. To achieve that goal, a massive amount of capital is required."
Hidan interrupted again. "I'm a newcomer who joined before Kanon and Tobi! I've never heard you explain this in detail! You mean you were keeping secrets behind my back..."
Pain let out a cold snort. "Are you throwing a tantrum? Fine. I suppose it is time to tell you. The ultimate goal of the Akatsuki is completed in stages. There are three stages in total."
"The first stage is the accumulation of wealth. The second stage is to use that wealth as a foundation to establish the first-ever war-for-hire organization in the shinobi world."
Hidan shouted in dissatisfaction, "Hey, hey! Isn't that exactly the same as the other Hidden Villages? They all take commissions to earn rewards. Do you plan on becoming the leader of some tiny village that no nation wants to hire?! How boring!"
Pain gave a faint, chilling smile at Hidan's reaction. "No nation wants to hire us? You couldn't be more wrong. Let me explain the sequence of events. Kanon-chan, and the rest of you, listen well."
But Kanon's voice didn't join the acknowledgment. The others looked over to see the girl with the twin tails and the fox mask propped up on her forehead; she had fallen asleep with her legs crossed.
"She's asleep again," Itachi murmured.
"Heh, can't be helped. She's at the age where she's still growing. You should show your little sister some affection, Itachi-san," Kisame chuckled.
Deidara immediately molded a small piece of clay and detonated it right next to Kanon's projection. The bang startled her awake instantly.
"Do you want to die, Deidara-nii?!"
"Heh heh. Using Art always gets the best results."
Once Kanon was awake, Pain continued his explanation.
"Now then. For the nations that possess powerful Hidden Villages, the shinobi business accounts for a massive portion of the national income. The villages earn enormous sums of money by participating in wars, both domestic and foreign. They are the economic pillars of their nations, much like Kanon-chan's Otogakure is currently."
"In other words, to obtain the profits that stabilize a nation, a war of corresponding scale is required. However, in this current era, small-scale wars happen constantly. Nations have been forced to downsize their Hidden Villages, leaving many shinobi with nowhere to go. Shinobi exist for war! Risking one's life for a country only to receive such a reward... it is a cycle of betrayal."
"The Five Great Shinobi Nations are stable for now; their villages are massive and command trust, receiving many commissions. But the smaller nations are different. If a village tries to maintain a state of war-readiness, the upkeep costs are astronomical. Yet, if they downsize, they cannot respond to sudden conflicts."
"Therefore, our Akatsuki will establish a force that belongs to no nation, a group of shinobi ready to move whenever necessary. We will be an organization that holds the necessary power to accept war commissions from all small nations and villages. In the beginning, we will accept any mission, regardless of the price. We will monopolize the war market. Then, by using the Tailed Beasts to trigger conflicts that suit the market, we will ultimately control and manipulate all war."
"When that happens, the Hidden Village systems of the Great Nations will collapse. They will have no choice but to turn to the Akatsuki. And then, we will reach the final stage of our ultimate goal."
Pain raised his hand, feeling the phantom sensation of the rain in Amegakure.
"The third stage... Conquering the world. And then, bringing about an unprecedented era of eternal peace."