"Anbu of Konoha? That's impossible! Jiraiya-sensei..."
Upon learning from Byakuya that they were attacked by Konoha ninja, Konan furrowed her brows tightly, exclaiming it was impossible.
It wasn't that Konan didn't believe Byakuya; it was just that the conclusion that the attackers were from Konoha's Anbu seemed too exaggerated. Even if Konoha wanted to disguise themselves to incite war, they wouldn't specifically choose the Akatsuki.
Even if the Akatsuki were attacked, they didn't have the capability to start a war.
Moreover, she, Yahiko, and Nagato's sensei was Jiraiya. If he wanted to do something, he could easily contact the tri.
Hearing this, Byakuya sighed lightly.
"Konan-senpai, you're still too naive. After experiencing so much, your way of thinking is still so one-sided."
"You're still too naive..." being repeatedly chided for her naivety nearly made Konan lose her temper.
She knew she had some shortcomings in certain aspects, but she had been working hard to correct them and could distinguish whether an enemy was really an enemy in disguise.
But Byakuya always insisted on calling her naive, as if she were freaking child.
Clearly, she was the older one here for Sage of Six Path's sake!
Byakuya didn't continue to toy with Konan's mentality and began to explain.
"Konan-senpai, it's natural that Lord Jiraiya wouldn't lay hands on the Akatsuki, but Jiraiya can't represent the entire Konoha."
Do you still remember how Nagato became an orphan? Those Konoha ninjas could even attack their allies. They, just like Jiraiya, are Konoha's ninjas.
However, Konoha is a large village with tens of thousands of ninjas, with different voices inside, some supporting Jiraiya, and naturally, some opposing Jiraiya and wanting to cause trouble for him.
We encountered the latter today.
As for why I'm certain they are Konoha ninjas, it's because I just fought with their leading Jonin, who used a secret technique of Konoha's Aburame Clan. It's hard to deceive with such a technique."
At first, Konan listened attentively with a learning attitude to Byakuya's words. But in the end, when she heard that Byakuya identified the attackers' identity through a secret technique, she couldn't help but roll her eyes.
So you're not much stronger than me after all.
However, Byakuya's analysis of Konoha did teach Konan a lot, so she decided not to dwell on this point.
At this moment, Konan seemed to remember something important.
"Byakuya, how should we handle these bodies next?"
"Of course, we leave it to our dear leader, Yahiko to decide. If possible, we can also directly hand them over to Jiraiya. As one of the Legendary Sannin, he must have a way to handle this matter."
Byakuya gave an unhelpful suggestion while teasing wink.
"Konan-senpai, don't always make things difficult for this small member of the organization. I'm not all-powerful either. I can't help here."
Konan ignored Byakuya's sarcastic remark and fell into thought.
Reporting to Yahiko was a given, but it might not be a good idea to hand the bodies over to Jiraiya-sensei. Moreover, the three of them hadn't contacted Jiraiya-sensei for many years, and the toad they used for communication died in an accident.
Otherwise, if they encountered an unsolvable problem, they would still seek help from their sensei. However, when mentioning the identity of their sensei, Konan glanced subconsciously at Byakuya beside her.
In a certain sense, Byakuya did resemble their sensei. The Akatsuki couldn't have developed to their current extent without Byakuya's help, much like their sensei's teaching.
But she always felt that there was a mysterious veil surrounding Byakuya. The closer she got, the less she could understand Byakuya's true nature, and instead, she began to feel confused.
Sensing Konan's gaze, Byakuya smiled knowingly, his eyes filled with calculations of the upcoming events.
---
After the minor incident during their mission, Byakuya and Konan returned to the Akatsuki base.
Comparing it to their last outing, the number of buildings within the base had increased significantly. It wouldn't be impossible for it to develop into a town or tourist attraction during holidays.
Entering the office with Konan, Byakuya tossed the mission report before Yahiko and sat on a nearby chair.
Yahiko didn't get angry; instead, he skimmed through several pages of the mission report and nodded lightly.
"Byakuya, Konan, you both did well this time. The organization doesn't need to worry about financial issues for the next few years."
Pausing for a moment, Yahiko continued with a serious face.
"However, there are some details in the mission report that need clarification.
During the week spent near the black market, Byakuya, where did you go? You didn't go and provoke other organizations or ninja villages again, did you?"
Given Byakuya's previous attack on the Kusagakure, Yahiko felt anxious whenever he didn't hear from Byakuya, fearing that if Byakuya continued like this, it would only be a matter of time before everything unraveled.
After all, if Byakuya's role as the main financial supporter of Akatsuki were to be revealed, it could put the entire organization in jeopardy. Therefore, Yahiko wasn't concerned about Byakuya's ability to solve problems, but rather was afraid that Byakuya's strength and abilities might pose a risk to Akatsuki.
"I didn't provoke any other ninja villages. Instead, this time is the other way around. Konan-senpai and I were attacked by Konoha's Anbu."
Byakuya shook his head, wearing an innocent expression.
Yahiko found it hard to believe that Byakuya would be attacked. With Byakuya's mindset and strength, not attacking others would already be considered good.
These words were surely nonsense.
At that moment, Konan, who had been silent for a while, stepped forward to clear things up.
"Yahiko, what Byakuya said is true. We were indeed attacked by Konoha's Anbu."
"You really were attacked by Konoha's Anbu?"
Yahiko frowned. Byakuya might be lying to him, but Konan wouldn't.
Seeing this scene, Konan nodded and recounted their experiences along the way.
After hearing Konan's description, Yahiko glanced at the heavy rain outside the window and then at the distant dark clouds. He sighed lightly and took a deep breath.
"I'll find a way to negotiate with Konoha and handle this properly."
Involving Konoha, Yahiko didn't know what else to say.
As the Akatsuki flourished, Yahiko, reminded by Byakuya, knew that many individuals and other organizations would target the Akatsuki. But he didn't expect the first to target and take action against them would be Konoha, not the Amekagure.
What's even more unexpected was that Konoha acted not because the Akatsuki posed a threat to Konoha but because they were disciples of Jiraiya, their sensei.
"I trust you, Leader Yahiko."
After leaving a nonchalant response, Byakuya left the Akatsuki headoffice. At this moment, he didn't feel suitable for further conversation.
He left the space for Konan and Yahiko to continue their discussion, knowing that they needed to figure things out.
After all, Hiruzen Sarutobi attacking the Akatsuki had nothing to do with Jiraiya or Yahiko; he simply targeted them to stir up trouble in the Land of Rain.
However, this didn't stop him from deceiving Yahiko and Konan. The trio were still too naive and needed some training.