"Did he die just like that?"
Looking at the corpse lying on the ground, Jokichi was filled with mixed emotions.
With the system's help, he had never doubted his ability to take revenge, but he had never expected it to be completed so easily.
The system's assistance had caused his growth to far exceed his original expectations.
Still...
After taking his revenge, he didn't feel delight or satisfaction. Instead, an indescribable sense of discomfort lingered in his heart.
Was it because my feelings for my parents weren't deep enough, or is this simply how revenge always feels afterward?
Jokichi didn't know. He only knew that he never wanted to experience this feeling again.
He raised his eyes and looked at the people around him...
His gaze landed primarily on Deidara, Sasori, and Kakuzu.
They were quietly watching Jokichi, waiting for what would come next.
After reflecting for a brief moment, Jokichi asked, "...I am the leader of Akatsuki from now on. Do you wish to continue following me, or do you choose to leave?"
"I don't care as long as there is money to be made," Kakuzu said indifferently.
"A slave to money, huh?" Jokichi nodded in understanding. A faint smile appeared on his face. "Then you should definitely follow me. Once my goal is achieved, you'll have endless opportunities to earn money."
"Hey, hey! Your goal isn't just chasing filthy money, is it?!" Deidara shouted in annoyance. "If all the missions are going to smell of filthy money, I'm saying goodbye right now!"
Kakuzu sneered, "Look at you, constantly blabbering about filthy money. Who are you looking down on? Aren't you using money all the time as well?"
"I'm only earning enough to cover my basic needs! I'm not like you, never satisfied no matter how much money you hoard!"
"Still better than that incomprehensible art of yours."
Watching the two bicker, Konan turned to Jokichi. "They're both like this. Handle it as you see fit."
"No problem!" Jokichi waved his hand to show it was fine.
Then, he turned his attention back to the bickering duo.
"Deidara, you can rest assured. Money and art do not conflict. Once my goal is achieved, even more people will be able to appreciate your art."
"Really?" Deidara asked, somewhat skeptical.
"Really. And no one will view your art as mere destruction anymore."
"If that's the case, I guess I can work under you then, hmm!" Deidara crossed his arms over his chest and nodded with a tsundere expression.
Having settled things with Deidara and Kakuzu, Jokichi looked toward Sasori of the Red Sand, who had remained silent the entire time.
Having converted himself into a puppet and hiding inside one, this man showed no facial expressions and revealed no emotions. He was an extremely difficult person to get along with.
"Sasori, are you going to follow me?"
Hearing Jokichi's question, Sasori remained silent for a moment before asking back, "...If I don't follow you, will you kill me?"
Jokichi smiled faintly, his lips parting slightly. "Of course."
"..."
This approach of offering a choice that seemed sincere, yet was actually a terrifying threat, left everyone speechless.
However, they were all rogue ninja who walked outside the law. They didn't dislike this method; in fact, they felt that acting this way was precisely how a boss should behave.
"Since I have no choice, why bother asking me?" Sasori replied flatly. Though his voice was monotone, his tone carried an undeniable air of rolling his eyes in annoyance. "I only joined Akatsuki in the first place because I was interested in Konan's body. Whatever your goal is, it doesn't matter to me."
When Sasori mentioned being interested in Konan's body, he was referring to her Dance of the Shikigami.
Because of that, Jokichi had no objections to Sasori's condition.
"Since everyone has decided to follow me, I'll lay down the rules first."
"Wait a minute, aren't you going to invite that guy to join?" Deidara pointed at Itachi and asked.
Nagato and Konan also looked at him curiously.
As the official leader of the organization on the surface, Nagato was well aware of Itachi's abilities. In the entire Akatsuki, aside from Madara and Obito, no one was stronger than him.
"You mean him?"
Jokichi looked at Itachi as well, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly. "That guy has been my subordinate from the very beginning!"
"WHAT?!" Deidara seemed to find it completely unbelievable, pointing at Itachi in utter shock. "T-T-That guy was a spy planted inside Akatsuki?!"
The others were equally astonished.
However, their personalities were more composed, so they didn't blurt out questions as impetuously as Deidara.
"While I am indeed a spy..." Itachi slowly closed his eyes. "I am not his spy."
"Eh? Eh?! What's going on then?"
Jokichi chuckled softly and said, "Although Itachi is my subordinate, I never deliberately instructed him to do anything. Joining Akatsuki was entirely his own choice."
"There's actually such a thing?"
Everyone marvelled, feeling that the world was vast and full of strange occurrences.
"Next, I will tell you my goal. But before that, I want you to restrain yourselves. You are no longer allowed to break the rules of the Shinobi World."
Jokichi turned his stern gaze toward Sasori. "Especially you. You're not allowed to casually kill people to make Human Puppets anymore."
Without giving Sasori a chance to speak, Jokichi continued, "Don't worry. In the future, there will be plenty of materials for you to make puppets—and they will all be high-grade materials you've never seen before."
Sasori, who had been about to object to Jokichi's order, obediently kept his mouth shut.
"I understand."
Afterward, Jokichi thoroughly explained his plan to connect the Shinobi World to other dimensions to fulfill the survival needs of shinobi while simultaneously achieving peace in the Shinobi World.
After listening to Jokichi's plan, everyone had different reactions.
Kakuzu's eyes revealed a trace of joy.
If the Shinobi World was unified, he could legally accept missions and make money.
And once connected to other worlds, he would have an endless stream of missions to take on.
Naturally, money would come rolling in.
Deidara, on the other hand, danced around in excitement, making no effort to hide his joy.
Once connected to other worlds, he could showcase his art to even more people.
Sasori, after remaining silent for a while, said with a hint of disdain, "Shifting the wars of the Shinobi World to other dimensions, yet you have the cheek to call this working for peace."
Itachi nodded in deep agreement.
Although Jokichi claimed it would be a war against non-human races for the survival of humanity, that was only the initial stage.
As time passed, the entanglement of interests between different worlds and the conflicts between dimensions would inevitably erupt sooner or later.
Just like the current Shinobi World.
Even if the other dimension shared a common enemy of humanity...
With the aid of a Shinobi World, the humans capable of holding off those enemies would quickly resolve their threat!
When that time came and the common enemy was gone, could everyone still coexist peacefully as they did in the beginning?
Perhaps they could, perhaps they couldn't.
Without actually entering that era, no one could make a definitive judgment.
However, Sasori did not believe things would develop in such a dreamlike direction.
In response, Jokichi merely smiled softly. "I have already considered these things and devised solutions for them."
"Still, there's no point in discussing things so far off right now. Let's focus on unifying the Shinobi World first before opening the paths to other dimensions!"
"...Is it truly necessary to unseal Kaguya to achieve the unification of the Shinobi World?" Itachi voiced his doubts about this method.
Once Kaguya was unsealed, putting aside whether they could defeat her, even if they won, the Shinobi World would be left devastated.
When Jokichi told Obito the story of Kaguya and the Sage of Six Paths earlier, he had mentioned it.
The battle between the two brothers and Kaguya lasted for months, leaving the entire land desolate.
In the end, it took the collective effort of the entire Shinobi Sect over several decades to restore it to its former state.
"Two days from now, the Five Shinobi Villages will hold a Five Kage Summit in the Land of Iron. You might as well negotiate with them then."
"After all, this is something that benefits the entire Shinobi World. Perhaps they will agree to a peaceful merger!"