After a bout of persuasion, Madara leaned against the Gedo Statue to rest.
For a moment, he genuinely considered grooming Obito to become the Hokage. However, based on his years of observing Konoha, he knew that even with his meticulous training, the chances of Obito becoming Hokage were slim.
Beyond the Uchiha clan being marginalized by the Senju lineage, the overwhelming strength of the Senju clan was also a factor.
Nevertheless, after Tobirama became Hokage, Madara began to disdain the position.
Tobirama's reforms twisted both Konoha and the Will of Fire beyond recognition.
At first, the dream he and Hashirama shared was simple: a haven for their families, safe from the horrors of war. But the Will of Fire morphed into something unrecognizable.
What began as a vow to protect comrades had warped into a demand for self-sacrifice for the village. This wasn't the future they envisioned. A mere thirty or forty years, and everything had been corrupted.
And those who remained in Konoha, the younger generation, were completely unaware of this. Foolishly aspiring to become Hokage was akin to seeking their own death.
No, it was better for Obito to join him. Together, they'd break free from this rotting husk of Konoha and enact the Eye of the Moon plan.
With this thought, Madara sighed lightly, his thoughts drifting towards Obito in the distance.
After two months of interaction, his relationship with Obito had improved significantly. If he were to betray Obito now, it might push Obito to evolve his Sharingan to the three-tomoe state.
However, just a three-tomoe Sharingan would not suffice for the plan.
It seemed he would have to start with Kakashi and Rin Nohara... But what kind of plan could make Obito thoroughly despise this world and willingly execute the Eye of the Moon plan?
Lost in thought, Madara plotted his next move.
---
A few days later, in the early morning.
The crisp morning air did little to wake Byakuya as he stumbled into the interview room, eyes heavy with sleep. Yahiko, perched in the head seat, eyed him with a wry smile.
"Still tired? Why not catch some shut-eye on the couch? You'll need your energy for the interviews later."
Byakuya mumbled a sleepy refusal.
"I can hold on for a bit longer. I'll sleep soundly during the interview, and besides, you're the interviewer. I'll just listen in."
Hearing this, Yahiko felt a bit helpless but had no choice.
Byakuya's involvement in these interviews was a recent development. In the past, internal meetings were either tedious nitpicking sessions for Byakuya or opportunities for him to catch some serious Zzz's. It was as if the passionate discussions meant nothing to him.
Seemingly guessing Yahiko's thoughts, Byakuya perked up and grinned.
"Just kidding, I'm actually looking forward to meeting the fresh faces. Hopefully, we'll find some interesting additions this time around."
Yahiko couldn't help but be skeptical. Interesting ninjas rarely translated to reliable ones. But Byakuya's participation was a win in itself. If anything happened to Yahiko, Byakuya's presence ensured the Akatsuki wouldn't crumble.
After all, compared to Byakuya, the other members were even less reliable and couldn't take on such a responsibility.
Half an hour later, Kyūsuke, the Jonin with Lava Release, led over a dozen newcomers into the room. Their eyes darted around the room, anxiety clinging to them like a second skin.
Yahiko observed these newcomers, evaluating their behavior silently. Well, from the moment they entered, the interview had already begun.
A few months ago, the Akatsuki didn't have an interview process. Back then, the organization was so poor that anyone willing to join could do so without much scrutiny.
But as the number of members increased, the Akatsuki introduced a selection process.
This was to test if the new members truly wanted to join the Akatsuki.
After all, not all ninjas joined for the organization's ideals; many were drawn by the benefits of exchanging jutsu and resources.
The presence of these individuals gradually diluted the purity of the Akatsuki.
Initially, Yahiko was unwilling to believe this, but after several internal conflicts, he realized this was a growing pain the Akatsuki would inevitably experience.
Yahiko had asked Byakuya about this issue.
Byakuya offered two suggestions: kill, kill, kill, or implement a selection process to reduce such incidents.
Naturally, Yahiko chose the latter. He disliked killing and had never taken a life.
If they could discourage ninjas with weak resolve during this process, it would be ideal.
The selection process was straightforward. Yahiko would first ask some basic questions while Nagato, his Rinnegan activated, probed for any telltale signs of deception. If they passed muster, the Akatsuki welcomed them with open arms.
Byakuya had no interest in the questioning process and kept yawning in his spot.
Aside from this Q&A, he had a better way to conduct the selection. By turning off the blocker for low-level ninjas, each new member who joined the Akatsuki would receive corresponding system rewards.
By simply evaluating the type of rewards, Byakuya could roughly discern the true identities of new members—simple and efficient.
[Genin Fujiwara joined the Akatsuki. You received a Water Release Chakra Fragment.]
[Chunin Sasaki joined the Akatsuki. You received the Ninja Art: Super Beast Imitating Drawing.]
[White Zetsu joined the Akatsuki. You received the Mayfly Technique.]
Byakuya's joy was short-lived. Upon receiving the rewards of the Super Beast Imitating Drawing and the Mayfly Technique, he opened his eyes and looked at the new members being interviewed.
A Water Release Chakra Fragment was fine; it was a common reward typically dropped by low-level genin.
But the Super Beast Imitating Drawing was a secret technique of the Root, never used by ninjas outside of Konoha. This meant that Danzo had placed other spies in the Akatsuki besides himself.
This indicated a lack of trust in him!
As for White Zetsu and the Mayfly Technique, there was no need for further identification. Their very names revealed their origin, indicating Madara's overt surveillance.
This was a blatant insult, a clear message of distrust in Byakuya. Who the hell they think they are?!
Despite his internal complaints, Byakuya didn't expose these spies immediately. Instead, he closed his eyes again, planning how to make use of them.
Since they had joined the Akatsuki, regardless of their true identities, they would have to contribute to the organization.
Soon, the interviews for the new members concluded. Yahiko and Nagato seemed unaware of these spies, which made Byakuya question the Rinnegan's capabilities.
The Rinnegan should be able to sense good and evil, even extracting souls for interrogation.
But quickly, Byakuya realized it wasn't Rinnegan's fault but rather that Nagato hadn't yet mastered it fully, unable to utilize its full power.
After all, Nagato wasn't the true owner of the Rinnegan; many of its secrets were known only to Madara. No, even Madara might not know everything about Rinnegan. After all, he had awakened the Rinnegan much later in his life and right after some time, he implanted them in Nagato.
Anyway, after the new members were led by an Akatsuki jonin to retrieve their uniforms from the warehouse, Byakuya approached Yahiko and Nagato.
Yahiko, remembering the earlier joke, smiled at Byakuya.
"What are your thoughts on the new recruits? Any promising prospects?"
Byakuya looked at Yahiko and raised his brows.
"How about spies?"
Yahiko's expression immediately turned grim.
"You're saying there are spies among them? Nagato and I tested them, and they didn't oppose our ideology."
Byakuya shook his head before responding calmly.
"Not opposing our ideology doesn't mean they aren't spies. To achieve their goals, they can pretend to be exactly what we need."
Yahiko took a deep breath.
"Which ones are spies? I'll expel them from the Akatsuki immediately."
Byakuya shook his head slightly. "Expelling them is unnecessary. Even if we kick them out, new spies will infiltrate. It's better to make the most of them and let me train them."
When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. Since Madara and Danzo were so generous to lend their fighters and gifting Byakuya some unique jutsu, he would definitely make good use of them.