The day Hidan was recruited coincided with Akatsuki's monthly online meeting. Konan gave Hidan the ring engraved with the character 'Three'.
At 6 p.m., the four found a secluded spot in the suburbs, channeled chakra into their rings, and responded to Pain's summons to log in to the meeting.
In the vast, dark, open space, the colossal Gedo Mazo stood.
Nine illusory figures appeared out of thin air in this space, each standing on a fingertip of the Mazo.
Hidan, coming for the first time, found it extremely novel. Without any regard for decorum, he immediately said, "What a strange giant statue!"
Considering the vastness of the space, he deliberately raised his voice so his companions could hear clearly.
In an instant, all eyes in the room fell on him.
Zetsu spoke to warm up the atmosphere, "Yo! Seiya's first victory! He recruited the newcomer so quickly! Congratulations, congratulations!"
Then, pointing to Pain, who was on the thumb of the Mazo's right hand, he said to Hidan,
"Newcomer, let me introduce you. This is our Leader."
Hidan raised an eyebrow and smiled at Pain, "Hello, Leader. I greatly admire the objective you set for the organization-to bring pain to the Shinobi world!"
Pain nodded slightly, "Welcome to Akatsuki."
"Welcome!"
Seiya remembered Konan-neesan applauding when he joined Akatsuki. He followed suit and clapped for the newcomer Hidan.
Konan joined in the applause, so as not to let Seiya feel awkward by the cold reception.
Pain and the others followed with applause.
After the applause stopped, Zetsu continued to warm up, "Who can share the process of the recruitment today? The clash between an immortal body and 'Twisting Reality' must have been incredibly exciting!"
Kisame wondered, "Don't you love watching fights the most? Why weren't you there for such an interesting battle?"
Zetsu sighed.
"I wanted to be there too. But the Leader had other instructions, telling me to track another newcomer. What could I do? Personal hobbies and organizational missions-a choice had to be made!"
"Another newcomer?"
Kisame frowned.
"Is the organization scouting for new members a bit too fast lately? We're about to have three new members in less than half a year!"
"Zetsu, is the one you're tracking just a good-for-nothing filling the spot?"
Kisame deliberately added that last sentence, making it clear he was targeting the latest newcomer.
Otherwise, Lady Angel might think he was questioning Seiya's ability, which would be bad!
"Don't worry, he's not an ordinary commodity."
Zetsu waved his hand and explained, "The newcomer who has yet to be recruited is named Deidara, a rogue Shinobi from Iwagakure, sixteen years old. He's a guy who plays with explosions and has launched many bomb terror attacks in the Land of Earth."
Kisame was noncommittal.
Zetsu's gaze swept over Seiya, Hidan, and Kakuzu, returning to the main topic.
"Which of you is willing to share the process of today's recruitment?"
Publicizing the process of others' defeat was not a good move. Seiya's eyes flickered, and he remained silent.
Hidan, as the person involved, didn't care. He was genuinely impressed with Seiya and readily said, "There was no process. This masked guy's strength is too great! I couldn't hurt him, I was no match for him at all!"
"Oh?"
Zetsu was slightly surprised.
Uchiha Itachi and Kisame exchanged glances, a look of surprise crossing their eyes.
Kakuzu glanced at Konan in the distance, then at Seiya nearby, and praised, "Today, seeing the ability of 'Twisting Reality' was an eye-opener. To have such skill at only fourteen years old is truly promising!"
Konan, upon hearing this, rarely showed a smile during the meeting, then said flatly, "Seiya still has many limitations and a lot of room for improvement. Kakuzu, don't praise him too much."
"Yes, Lady Angel."
Kakuzu smiled faintly, knowing when to stop.
He only deliberately spoke in praise of Seiya out of respect for Lady Angel.
After all, Lady Angel had previously given him the organization's bookkeeping authority, which greatly satisfied his greed for money.
He felt obliged to return the favor and occasionally flatter Lady Angel.
Lady Angel clearly cared for Seiya deeply.
Saying a few good things about Seiya at this moment was not only effortless but also made Lady Angel happy.
Why wouldn't he?
The organization is not about fighting and killing; it's about social skills.
Kakuzu still wanted to manage the accounts for a few more years.
At the same time, seeing that everyone had chatted enough, Pain lightly coughed and announced, "Deidara is currently operating in the Land of Earth. He is a Shinobi skilled in explosions. Since Sasori does not have a partner yet, move quickly to bring Deidara into the organization."
"This member recruitment will be handled by Seiya, Konan, and Sasori. Zetsu will provide relevant intelligence at all times to confirm Deidara's location."
"The time limit is three months, no mistakes."
"Yes, Leader." Seiya and Sasori said in unison.
Pain nodded slightly, waved his hand, and announced the meeting adjourned.
...
With a new mission at hand, Seiya and Konan immediately parted ways with the immortal duo and headed straight for the Land of Earth.
A month later, the two entered the territory of the Land of Earth.
Sasori had a long journey and would arrive later.
Seiya and Konan checked into the 'Yaotu Inn' near the border, waiting for Sasori to meet up.
The Yaotu Inn stood on the loess plateau about five kilometers from the border.
The location was a prosperous tourist town called Yaotu Town.
In the town, buildings with the unique characteristics of the Land of Earth were lined up, and Shinobis and merchants in various clothes were visible everywhere.
Among them, there were quite a few fugitives and rogue Shinobis wanted by major countries and Shinobi villages.
The Yaotu Inn was in the center of the town.
The building was shaped like a mountain, twelve stories high, and business was booming.
People of all kinds came and went endlessly.
Seiya spent 2.5 million ryo to book a luxurious double suite for a week.
Konan saw him spend money without blinking, as casually as if he were staying in a few-thousand-ryo inn, and couldn't help but sigh, "Your mother's income was substantial after leaving the Land of Iron?"
"Mhm, Mother is the director of a Shinobi hospital; she earns a fortune daily."
"No wonder."
Konan smiled faintly, then lightly nodded her chin.
"With your mother's talent, being a director is more than enough."
"Mhm, Mother is very amazing!"
Seiya nodded, then asked confusedly, "The price here is several hundred times higher than the inns we've stayed at before, why?"
Konan smiled gently, "Sister saw you didn't hesitate at all when paying the bill just now, why do you care about the price now?"
"I don't care about the price, I'm just curious what makes it so expensive."
Konan subtly pointed out, "Look at the travelers here, and you'll know."
Seiya looked around, shaking his head in confusion.
Konan continued, "There are rogue Shinobis everywhere here. Many people have injuries, big or small, and are in a weak state, yet they are calm and composed, not worried at all about being captured."
Seiya frowned upon hearing this, his eyes flickering in thought.
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