"It's no use..." Jokichi gently shook his head. "I just saw the Raikage a few days ago. He didn't even give me a chance to explain my intentions before attacking directly."
"They are the Five Great Shinobi Villages, after all..." Nagato sneered from the side. "As the long-standing overlords of the Shinobi World, even if they were truly willing to believe us and peacefully merge the entire ninja world, they would insist on leading it themselves."
Itachi lowered his head, saying nothing more.
Because what both of them said was the truth. This kind of matter simply couldn't be resolved through conversation.
Still, releasing Kaguya is a bit...
"A completely peaceful unification is impossible to achieve. However, using only a small scale of military force is still doable." Jokichi continued.
"The Five Great Shinobi Villages are the overlords of the Shinobi World, hoarding the vast majority of its power. If the Five Kage can agree to my plan, everything afterward will proceed smoothly."
"I will go to the Five Kage Summit." Jokichi looked at Itachi, who had raised his head. "However, I'm not going to negotiate with them. I'm going to unilaterally announce my plan. If anyone disagrees, I will let them witness absolute power. Nagato and Itachi, you two will accompany me!"
"Understood!"
"Got it."
...
Land of Rivers. In the wilderness of a forest, a traditional Japanese mansion had appeared on what was originally an empty clearing.
It was the Portable Cabin.
With the subjugation of Akatsuki settled, Jokichi had collected the chakra of the other Akatsuki members and a small tissue sample from the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path. He prepared to tally his spoils here.
"Let's start with the weakest one!"
Jokichi took out Hidan's chakra. The system's notification immediately rang in his mind.
[Ding! Special material "Chakra of a Jashin Cultist" detected. The special items "Cursed Scarecrow" and "Blood of the Immortal" can be forged. Forge now?]
"Forge."
Jokichi silently commanded in his mind. Two items immediately materialized in his hands.
A scarecrow and a vial of bright red blood.
"Cursed Scarecrow: Smear the target's blood on the scarecrow to link it to the target's body. Any damage dealt to the scarecrow will be equally transmitted to the target."
"Blood of the Immortal: The blood of an immortal being. Drinking just a single mouthful grants an immortal body. Even if blown to ashes, the user will maintain clear consciousness. (Note: Although one will not die even when turned to ash, continuous energy replenishment is required to maintain immortality. Without nutrient intake, the immortal effect cannot be sustained.)"
These two items were the physical manifestations of the Curse Technique: Death Controlling Possessed Blood and the Immortal Body.
However, is this 'Blood of the Immortal' mentioned by the system referring to Hidan or Jashin?
Although Hidan possessed an immortal body, he wasn't truly unkillable. His blood couldn't grant immortality to others either.
It must be referring to Jashin!
Jokichi pondered for a moment before tossing the thought aside.
Aside from the things depicted in the anime, this world was filled with countless bizarre and mysterious entities.
If I want to understand them completely, I'd probably have to become the will of the planet!
Stowing the two items into the system space, Jokichi then took out Kakuzu's blood.
Kakuzu and Deidara were roughly on par in terms of strength.
But if those two were to fight, the worst-case scenario would be mutual destruction. Therefore, Jokichi judged Kakuzu to be slightly weaker.
[Ding! Special material "Chakra of a God-Tier Sniper" detected. The special items "Intercontinental Shuriken," "Suture Thread," "Frankenstein," and "Akatsuki's Ledger" can be forged. Forge now?]
"Forge."
As the thought settled, four more items appeared in Jokichi's hands.
A super-sized shuriken, exactly like the model the Third Hokage used to test Obito during the Fourth Shinobi World War.
A spool of thick thread, a stitched-up monster doll, and an account book.
"Intercontinental Shuriken: Equipped with built-in homing and propulsion. As long as the user visualizes the enemy's appearance while throwing, it will accurately strike the target even from 400 kilometers away."
"Suture Thread: A thread capable of stitching life together."
"Frankenstein: A stitched monster doll possessing five hearts, infinite strength, and immortality. It can be activated simply by injecting chakra. (Note: With five hearts and superhuman physical capabilities, Frankenstein can endlessly cycle its life force. Thus, a tiny bit of chakra is enough to keep it in a living state permanently. It maintains absolute loyalty to the one who grants it chakra.)"
"Akatsuki's Ledger: A magical account book that records all nearby lucrative business opportunities in real-time. (Note: If you are still poor after obtaining this ledger, it is highly recommended you marry the God of Poverty.)"
The abilities of these items were distinct and easy to recognize. Jokichi identified their origins at a single glance.
The Intercontinental Shuriken was a meme about aiming a shuriken at the First Hokage from 400 kilometers away. The Suture Thread was the manifestation of Kakuzu's secret Earth Grudge Fear technique. Frankenstein represented Kakuzu's heavily stitched body, while Akatsuki's Ledger embodied his penny-pinching nature as the organization's treasurer.
These four items weren't particularly strong, or at least, they wouldn't offer him much help. However, their abilities were quite interesting.
He played around with them for a while before forging the next item.
[Ding! Special material "Chakra of an Explosions Expert" detected. The special items "Explosions Expert," "Great Artist," "Inflating Patrick Star," and "Licker" can be forged. Forge now?]
"Forge."
As his voice faded, four items appeared in Jokichi's hands.
A pair of gloves, an ID card, a palm-sized starfish, and a piece of candy.
"Explosions Expert: A pair of gloves possessing magical powers. Anyone wearing them can turn whatever they touch into a controllable bomb."
"Great Artist: A certificate of 'Artistry'. As long as you wear it, you become a genuine artist."
"Inflating Patrick Star: A Patrick Star that can expand infinitely. Once it swells to its limit, it will produce an explosion with a blast radius of 10 kilometers."
"Licker: A magically imbued piece of candy. By consuming it, you can grow a highly agile secondary mouth and tongue anywhere on your body."
"..."
After reviewing the items, Jokichi didn't know what to say.
He had been quite satisfied with the first three, but that last 'Licker' candy made him unable to look at it straight.
His thoughts instantly derailed into the gutter.
Should I give it to Yamanaka Ino to eat?
The moment the idea popped up, it became an uncontrollable flood. It intensified, instantly filling his mind with all sorts of wicked, improper imagery.
"I'm not that kind of guy."
Jokichi shook his head vigorously. It took a good while to throw those mental images away.
"This thing is a menace to society. I should just destroy it."
Saying that, Jokichi took out the Second-Hand Recycling Bin, preparing to toss the candy inside.
But just as he was about to drop it in, he paused.
He felt there was something wrong with his own thought process.
How can those thoughts be considered wicked?
Ino and he were a couple, after all. They might even get married in the future.
Even if that kind of thing happened, it would be perfectly normal, right!
Thinking up to this point, he carefully stored the candy away.