Naruto: I'm in Konoha, my name is Uzumaki Menma

Chapter 222 Hiring the Akatsuki Organization

The Land of Rain, a country shrouded in rain all year round, has a desolate and oppressive northern border region.

The leaden sky continuously poured down cold rain, which pattered against the muddy ground and sparse trees, making a continuous rustling sound.

In the rain, two figures were walking slowly and steadily.

Xiao Nan was wearing a black trench coat embroidered with red clouds. Her purple hair was wet from the rain and clung to her cheeks, making her delicate face appear even more aloof.

She wore a pure white paper flower on her head, but the rain strangely failed to wet or melt it.

Walking beside her was someone with a completely different aura.

Her short orange hair was like a burning flame, and her cold purple eyes were rippling with waves.

Black metal rods were inserted into his face, ears, and arms, making him look eerie and menacing.

Pain, or more accurately, Pain, was created based on Yahiko's corpse and remotely controlled by Nagato using the Rinnegan.

Payne walked steadily, as if the rain around him was deliberately avoiding him, his eyes staring blankly ahead, devoid of any emotional fluctuation.

The two arrived at a long-abandoned cabin deep in the border forest.

The wooden house looked dilapidated, but after being washed by the rain, it strangely revealed traces of human activity.

Nan and Payne silently pushed open the door and went inside.

The room was dimly lit, and the air was filled with a damp, musty smell and a dusty odor.

Four people were already waiting there.

The leader was a tall and muscular man wearing the standard Jonin vest of Iwagakure. He had dark skin, a resolute face, and sharp eyes; he was none other than Iwagakure Jonin, Bunya.

Behind him stood three Chunin, also dressed in Iwagakure vests and exuding a powerful aura, who were warily observing the two who had entered.

"Hmph, you've finally arrived." Wen Ya's voice was low, carrying a hint of scrutiny and arrogance.

"Meeting in this awful weather and in this kind of place, your 'Akatsuki' has quite the peculiar taste." His gaze was mainly fixed on Payne, whose aura was eerie, and was filled with a strong sense of inquiry.

He had already received the secret order from the Tsuchikage and knew that the person he was dealing with was no ordinary person, but seeing the legendary leader of the Akatsuki organization in person still made him feel an invisible pressure.

Especially those eyes...

Konan stepped forward, her voice cool and indifferent: "Jonin of Wenya, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."

Wen Ya grinned, looking at the group in front of him with great interest.

A cool and aloof female ninja using paper magic, and a strange man with an unfathomable aura, covered in black rods.

"Only your Akatsuki organization would dare to take on this job after it's been up for so long in the underground gold exchange." He said this with a hint of probing, wanting to see the other party's reaction.

Xiao Nan's expression remained unchanged; she simply replied calmly, "'Akatsuki' only cares about money, not people. As long as the commission is sufficient, even if the target is the Kage of one of the Five Great Nations, it's not impossible to negotiate."

Her tone was eerily calm, as if she were talking about something trivial.

A hint of surprise flashed in Wen Ya's eyes, which then turned into a complex emotion mixed with admiration and wariness: "Would you risk your life for money? Ha, what an amazing idea."

He paused, his tone softening slightly: "However, this isn't the first or second time we've collaborated."

Since the Third Shinobi World War, Iwagakure used 10,000 shinobi to wear down the Third Raikage. Although they won, they were severely weakened, and the younger generation was almost wiped out.

They won the battle, but the village was almost completely wiped out.

Therefore, after the war, Onoki issued a strict order to preserve the village's manpower to the greatest extent possible.

Missions that are particularly dangerous or involve the destruction of a country are often assigned to mercenary organizations like Akatsuki.

Wenya's voice carried a hint of heaviness and helplessness.

Xiao Nan listened quietly, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

She and Nagato were already aware of Iwagakure's practices.

It was precisely through this "gray" cooperation with major ninja villages such as Iwagakure that the Akatsuki organization was able to rapidly accumulate funds and develop its power.

Wen Ya changed the subject, his expression turning serious: "You are probably already aware of the objective of this mission: the Star Country and its military core, the Star Ninja Village."

He carefully observed the reactions of the two people opposite him, but Payne remained expressionless, and Konan merely raised an eyebrow slightly.

Wen Ya continued, "Those rogue ninjas from the Land of Stars have gone too far lately! They overthrew the governments of five countries in one go, and their military strength should not be underestimated. Other mercenary organizations and wandering ninja teams are too scared to take the job when they hear that the target is the Star Ninja Village."

His tone carried a hint of disdain for those rabble, but it also indirectly acknowledged the power of the Star Kingdom.

Not only Iwagakure, but also other ninja villages speculate that Hoshigakure's strength, while not yet reaching the level of the Five Great Ninja Villages, far surpasses that of other small and medium-sized ninja villages, making it a force to be reckoned with, second only to the Five Great Ninja Villages.

"Therefore, our request is: to penetrate deep into the heart of the Star Country and conduct a thorough reconnaissance of the Star Ninja Village's defenses, troop strength, and intelligence on its strongest members! Especially the leader of the Star Ninja Village!"

"At the same time, sabotage their important military facilities, supply depots, and transportation hubs as much as possible! No limit to the means, the bigger the commotion, the better! In short, create the biggest trouble for them, delay or even interrupt their process of assimilating the new territory!"

After Wenya finished speaking, he stared at Payne and Xiaonan, waiting for their response.

This mission is extremely dangerous, tantamount to launching a covert war against a rising superpower.

After a moment of silence between Konan and Pain, Pain slowly raised his head, his cold Rinnegan locking onto Wenya, and uttered a number without any emotion:
"One hundred million taels." The voice wasn't loud, but it resounded like thunder in the small wooden house!

"One hundred million?!" The three Iwagakure chunin behind Wen Ya couldn't help but gasp and exclaim in shock.

Even Wen Ya himself had his facial muscles twitch violently, his eyes filled with shock!
He knew the task would be difficult and the reward would be high, but the amount still far exceeded his expectations!
This is almost equivalent to the annual fiscal revenue of a small country!

Wen Ya suppressed his shock, his face darkening: "One hundred million taels... Isn't that price outrageously high? Even if the target is the Star Kingdom, this price is..."

Payne interrupted him emotionlessly, his voice still flat: "The Star Kingdom possesses military power capable of swiftly annihilating five nations. Its leader's strength is unfathomable, and his subordinates are numerous and powerful. To carry out this mission is tantamount to waging a full-scale war against the Star Kingdom, with an extremely low chance of survival."

“One hundred million taels to buy the risk of my Akatsuki’s elite forces being wiped out is fair. Or, your Iwagakure can send people yourselves.”

Wenya was speechless, and frowned.

He knew Pain was telling the truth; the Tsuchikage had chosen to hire the Akatsuki precisely because he did not want to suffer heavy casualties among the Iwagakure ninja.

Among the many mercenary organizations, only Akatsuki truly possesses the ability to destroy a nation.

After all, the enemies the mission objective might encounter this time are not just one or two elite Jonin.

As for the money, I can get reimbursed by Daming Prefecture later.

After weighing the pros and cons, Wenya finally nodded with difficulty: "...Alright! One hundred million taels it is! But Iwagakure can only pay ten million taels as a deposit first! The rest, after the mission is completed..."

"The remaining 90 million must be deposited in full into the neutral account of the underground gold exchange." Xiao Nan's cold voice rang out, interrupting Wen Ya without room for argument: "The gold exchange will act as a third-party guarantor. We will withdraw the funds ourselves after the mission is confirmed."

Wen Ya's face instantly turned extremely ugly. He sneered, his anger filled with humiliation: "What? Does your Akatsuki organization really doubt that we Iwagakure would renege on our debts? Is the reputation of the Five Great Shinobi Villages really less valuable than an underground money exchange?!"

Payne and Nan didn't speak, they just looked at him quietly, their eyes seeming to say: Yes, we just don't believe it.

Silence is the most powerful answer.

Wenya's chest heaved with anger at this silent contempt, but remembering the Earth Shadow's secret order to "complete the mission at all costs," he finally suppressed his rage and snorted coldly: "...Fine! We'll do as you say! The commission will be deposited into the gold exchange!"

"However, you will have to bear the high intermediary fees charged by the exchange!"

"Okay," Xiao Nan agreed readily.

For the Akatsuki organization, ensuring they get the money is the top priority.

"Hmph! That's settled then! The detailed mission scroll is here, and we will pay the deposit through the underground exchange within three days!" Wen Ya threw a sealed scroll on the ground, seemingly not wanting to stay a moment longer. He turned and left the wooden house angrily with his three subordinates, his figure quickly disappearing into the vast rain.

Silence returned to the cabin, with only the patter of rain outside.

Payne stood quietly in place, his Rinnegan flashing slightly.

Far away in the tower of Amegakure, Nagato was carefully sensing, through Pain's senses and the "Rain Tiger Free Technique" that covered the area, that the four members of the group had indeed gone far away and that there was no longer any spying chakra around them.

Before arriving, Nagato had controlled Pain to make it rain in the area.

Since it rains all year round in the Land of Rain, the ninjas of Iwagakure (Hidden Stone Village) did not suspect anything.

“They’re gone,” Payne stated emotionlessly.

Xiao Nan stepped forward, picked up the scroll, checked it to make sure it was correct, and then put it away.

She looked up at Pain, a hint of worry flashing in her eyes: "Nagato, the expansion speed of the Land of Stars... is just too fast. That 'Shura's' strength is unpredictable, and he even has an Uchiha under his command who could defeat 'Madara'..."

Although neither she nor Nagato believed that this 'Uchiha Madara' was the real Uchiha Madara, there was no doubt that the other party was powerful.

Payne was silent for a moment, then slowly spoke, his voice coming through the puppet, carrying a hint of solemnity and strange interest: "Hmm. I didn't expect that besides us, there are others walking the same path, and... walking so fast, so far."

His tone was devoid of emotion, more like a condescending scrutiny: "Destroying the old ninja villages, establishing new nations, breaking the old order with absolute force... this approach does indeed resemble my ideal path to peace."

"I just didn't expect that his strength was so great that he was able to recruit a powerful person who could defeat 'Ban' and even step into the limelight, becoming the sixth power that even the five great nations have to take seriously."

After Yahiko's death, Nagato realized how naive Yahiko's dream was, so he cooperated with 'Uchiha Madara' to collect the tailed beasts and create tailed beast weapons, wanting to obtain a power that could destroy a country.

At that time, this weapon of destruction will be used as the 'Sword of Damocles' to instill fear in all nations, thereby curbing war and achieving world peace.

The guy called 'Shura' seems even more arrogant. He recruited powerful ninjas to form a new country and continued to annex neighboring countries to eliminate the barriers between nations...

Payne slowly walked to the door, gazing towards the Land of Stars: "And we... are still trapped in the Land of Rain, not even completely dealing with that old bastard Hanzo yet. We can only secretly accumulate strength, waiting for our opportunity..."

It must be said that, in this respect, Shura's path went much further than theirs.

Xiao Nan walked to his side and asked softly, "So, about this mission..."

"The mission will proceed as planned." Payne's voice regained its absolute calm: "But this is also an excellent opportunity. An opportunity... to personally contact and assess this 'Shura'."

A profound light flashed in Rinnegan: "If his ideals align with ours, perhaps we could try inviting him to join Akatsuki and work together to create true peace. Such power should not be wasted on pointless nation-building games."

He paused, then his voice suddenly became filled with divine majesty:

"If he is unwilling... or his very existence is another deviation from 'peace'..."

"Then let him see it for himself..."

"What, is this the true power of God!"

(End of this chapter)