The meeting was finally winding down.
"Those who agree to scrap the current plan and switch to the Makoto Plan, stay put," Pain announced, his gaze sweeping over the freaks gathered below him.
"Those who disagree, take a step back."
Silence.
Not a single person moved a muscle.
It was impressive, really.
Makoto's speech had actually managed to convince a room full of S-rank criminals.
Sasori was probably the most indifferent about the whole thing. The guy had turned himself into a literal human puppet; he didn't have the hormones for ambition or strong desires anymore.
Changing the plan? Keeping the plan? He couldn't give less of a shit either way, so he just stayed put to save energy.
The real hard sell was supposed to be Black Zetsu.
Zetsu might be an evil bastard, but he wasn't an idiot.
Makoto had laid out the pros and cons so clearly that the choice was obvious. Besides, Zetsu actually bought Makoto's story.
First off, if this new guy was lying, what was the endgame? There was no benefit for him.
Second, Makoto had said the job of hunting down Isshiki Otsutsuki would fall to Zetsu.
That meant Zetsu would be the first to know if this was bullshit or not.
"Hey, so what the hell are we supposed to do now, un?" Deidara broke the silence.
"Kakuzu runs the economy and fixes Amegakure's finances, While Zetsu go out and fetch 'materials,'" Makoto answered, ticking points off his fingers.
"The rest of you? You're free agents. You can go help Kakuzu if you're bored, or just keep doing whatever you usually do. Train, invent new jutsu, jerk off—I don't care. Just stay sharp."
Makoto knew that before Shippuden kicked off, the Akatsuki didn't have much on their schedule anyway.
There was no point micromanaging them.
Besides, he knew none of them were going to help Kakuzu.
These guys were allergic to teamwork!
They would probably go off on their own to research Ninja techniques, train, or something of the sort.
After all, the pressure of the Otsutsuki Clan now loomed over them.
"Fine..." Deidara mumbled, looking stressed.
Makoto's description of these "Otsutsuki" aliens had reignited a sense of crisis in the bomber.
Deidara had already been busting his ass training to counter Itachi's Mangekyo, but now? Now he felt like even that wasn't enough.
'Wait. Itachi?'
"Yo, about today's business..." Deidara spoke up again. "Itachi and Kisame aren't here. Who's gonna break the news to those two?"
"I'll handle it," Makoto said. "The next mission requires their specific skillset anyway, so I'll just catch them up on the way."
"Are you talking about the Land of Waves job?" Kakuzu asked, narrowing his eyes.
He'd been quiet this whole time. When Makoto said nobody else had tasks, Kakuzu had been wondering why the hell that Land of Waves mission wasn't given to him.
Before, he would have assumed Makoto was trying to screw him over.
Now, after that long-ass speech, he just thought Makoto might have forgotten about it after talking so much.
"The Land of Waves sits right between the Land of Water and the Land of Fire," Makoto explained, anticipating the greed.
"If we just wanted to rob that Gato guy blind, I'd send you, Kakuzu. But we want sustainable development. For that, it's better to send someone from the Leaf and the Mist."
"Leaf and Mist... what a coincidence, considering who's on that team," Kakuzu grumbled. "Whatever. Just call me when you need me to count the money."
He paused, a practical thought hitting him.
"Wait, Leader. The new guy doesn't have a ring. How do we contact him?"
"Itachi and Kisame are moving with him," Pain said, his voice flat. "They can handle communications."
"Fine."
With that, the meeting was officially adjourned.
As everyone scattered, Konan intercepted Makoto.
"You know Itachi is a spy, yet you're still planning to go on a mission alone with them?" Konan was very concerned for Makoto's safety.
Makoto's life was now the future of Amegakure and the Akatsuki.
Losing him wasn't an option.
"That was always part of the plan. With a spy, you either kill them or you use them. You can't just let them hang around in limbo," Makoto shrugged. "If they find something out, it puts us at a disadvantage."
"So that's why you didn't have us kill him or kick him out?" Konan frowned.
"As long as our interests align and we have a common enemy, anyone can be a 'teammate.' Don't worry about me. Even if I were an ordinary person with no Chakra and no Ninja Techniques, I could still handle him."
Makoto smiled, and it wasn't arrogance.
It was a fact.
Smart, rational people were easy to predict. It was the underlying logic of the Shinobi World.
The more intelligent and calm someone was, the less dangerous they were to someone like Makoto.
The only person who had actually tried to kill him so far was Hidan. If Makoto really was just a normal guy, he would have passed Pain's test, passed everyone else's test, and then gotten his head chopped off by the religious nutjob.
Even Kakuzu, crazy as he was, could weigh the pros and cons and realize Makoto's brain was worth more than his heart.
Besides, Makoto wasn't exactly a "normal person."
"Fine," she sighed, defeat evident in her voice. "But take this."
She raised her hand.
A bouquet of paper flowers materialized from her sleeve. They were pale yellow, waterproof, and infused with a faint trace of her chakra.
"If you die," she muttered, shoving them into his chest, "I'm not cleaning up the mess."
"Understood."
...
Three days later, on the border of the Land of Fire.
Two figures in straw hats sat at a tea shop, resting.
"What is so damn great about these sticky rice balls?" Makoto asked, walking over from the stall next door.
He was holding a cup of oden, looking unimpressed. "Why does everyone in this world love dango so much?"
He sat down directly opposite the two rogue ninjas.
"You the new strategist the Leader wouldn't shut up about?" Kisame stared at Makoto with his dead, shark-like eyes.
"That's me. I assume you've already got the mission specs Pain sent over..."
"To assist you and fulfill all your requests," Itachi cut in smoothly, interrupting him.
Before Makoto had walked up, Itachi had been debating whether to hit this "strategist" with a Genjutsu to test him.
After thinking it through, he scrapped the idea. According to Pain, the entire organization had voted to approve this guy.
If Itachi attacked him now, he'd just be painting a target on his back and risking his cover as a spy.
Genjutsu was the quick way to get info, but it wasn't the only way. They were going to be traveling together; Itachi would have plenty of time to pick him apart slowly.
So, Itachi played the role of the loyal soldier.
Kisame respected Itachi.
Seeing his partner fall in line, the Shark Man didn't push it. He just nodded at Makoto, signaling he'd follow orders too.
"Good," Makoto said, taking a bite of his oden. "You two missed the big meeting since you were out on a job. We'll head out in a minute. Once we're somewhere private, I'll explain everything to you again."
Of course, when Makoto said "explain everything," he meant a heavily edited version of the truth.
The vague promise sparked a little curiosity in the two S-rank criminals.
They finished their dango quickly, and the three of them set off down the road.