In the same cave, the members of the Akatsuki were gathered.
"Now, the Kage from the Five Great Shinobi Villages have agreed to meet in the Land of Iron. Their purpose is to deal with us!" said Tendo Pain, setting the tone for the meeting.
"If the Five Kage joins forces against us, moving around freely in the Shinobi World will become incredibly difficult," added Kakuzu. His statement resonated with everyone's biggest fear.
Indeed, if all Five Great Villages were to unite against Akatsuki, even with their strength, moving across the world would be a nearly impossible task.
"So, we cannot let their alliance succeed!" spoke Sasori seriously.
"Stopping their alliance? Does anyone have a plan to disrupt the Five Kage Summit?" asked Zetsu, his voice breaking the silence, as the group pondered Sasori's statement.
This question left everyone silent. They couldn't think of a suitable reason to divide the Five Kage.
"If we can't stop them from allying, we need to create chaos so they have no time to deal with us," Kisame Hoshigaki suggested.
Everyone began throwing ideas around, discussing how to create chaos so that the Five Great Villages wouldn't have the resources or time to unite against them.
"Actually, I don't think the solution is that difficult," Kakuzu spoke suddenly, his eyes flickering briefly towards Tendo Pain.
"Oh? What do you have in mind?" Hearing his words, everyone turned their gaze towards Kakuzu, intrigued.
Honestly, Kakuzu was not known for being a strategist among the Akatsuki. Now that he was claiming it was easy, they didn't have much hope, but they were curious nonetheless.
"Leader, don't we have six people who wield the Rinnegan?" Kakuzu began.
"During the Five Kage Summit, wouldn't it be simple for each of the Six Paths of Pain to attack a different Kage?"
"Even if it's a bit tricky if we coordinate and assist with other Akatsuki members, it shouldn't be an issue," he added.
Previously, Nagato had revealed all Six Paths of Pain to inspire greater confidence among the Akatsuki, and the presence of six pairs of Rinnegan had left everyone both surprised and elated.
Kakuzu used this opportunity to suggest that each path of pain attacks one Kage. His idea gained nods from several members, who then turned their eyes towards Tendo Pain.
After all, during the assault on Konoha, the strength displayed by Tendo Pain against Uchiha Akira was significant. So logically, the other five members of the Six Paths should have similar strengths.
Thus, many nodded silently, thinking Kakuzu's suggestion was reasonable. However, despite everyone's expectant stares, Tendo Pain did not immediately agree. Instead, he sighed inwardly.
If it were that simple, he would have already made the decision without Kakuzu's suggestion. But the truth was—he couldn't do it.
While the black chakra rods embedded in the bodies allowed him to control them remotely, if the distance was too great, they wouldn't work properly.
Let alone having the six of them act independently against five Kage—that was simply impossible.
Of course, this limitation was connected to the secrets of his own body, so even if it couldn't be done, Tendo Pain wasn't going to reject the idea outright. Instead, he contemplated what reason he could provide.
As he pondered his response, the other Akatsuki members watched him with curiosity.
"If the six of us split up, our strength would be significantly weakened. On the contrary, if we work together, our power will increase," Tendo Pain eventually spoke, providing a somewhat plausible excuse.
"So, the power of the Six Paths of Pain cannot be divided?" Kakuzu's eyes flashed, and he took mental note of this. As Uchiha Akira's informant within Akatsuki, Kakuzu's earlier suggestion had actually been a deliberate test.
The goal was to determine the limits of the Six Paths of Pain, and surprisingly, the answer was revealed just like that.
Not only did Kakuzu quietly store this information, but other intelligent members of Akatsuki also mentally noted this limitation.
For instance, Uchiha Itachi discreetly glanced at Kakuzu and nodded inwardly. He could tell that Kakuzu's question had intentionally revealed the truth behind the situation.
Since Kakuzu would be reporting back to Uchiha Akira, Itachi didn't need to do so himself.
Instead, Itachi realized he should help Kakuzu cover up his tracks within Akatsuki to ensure he remained undetected. There were probably small details Kakuzu himself wasn't even aware of that needed to be handled properly.
Honestly, there were indeed many details Kakuzu overlooked, but with the meticulous Uchiha Itachi quietly cleaning up the scattered clues, Kakuzu's cover remained intact.
With the notion of the Six Paths splitting up dismissed, the Akatsuki members resumed discussing other ways to deal with the four Kage-level shinobi.
Gradually, a strategy began to take form.
Leaving Akatsuki to their planning, Uchiha Akira had a good night's sleep, woke up, and as usual, performed a life simulation to increase his chakra reserves.
Afterward, he stretched his back, got up, and freshened up.
Hinata, as always, was easily embarrassed.
But that's what made her all the more endearing.
That morning, as Uchiha Akira got up, he felt his back ache slightly.
After having a proper breakfast, during which Hinata ate only a little under the amused gaze of the elders, she quickly retreated to her room, claiming she was full.
Watching her leave, Uchiha Akira chuckled to himself but made no comment—it wasn't surprising that Hinata had had enough.
After leaving the Uchiha compound, they went their separate ways—Hinata returned to the Hyuga estate, while Uchiha Akira headed for the Hokage office.
Upon arrival, he immediately asked for Nara Shikaku and some of the most intelligent Uchiha members to be summoned.
These were all either elite Jonin or clan leaders, with one thing in common—their intelligence.
Inside the Hokage office, these individuals exchanged puzzled glances, understanding that Uchiha Akira had summoned them without prior notice, making them even more curious as to what was going on.
"Everyone, I believe it's time we make some reforms to the administration of the Hidden Leaf Village," Uchiha Akira said without preamble.
He then explained the concept of a council.
"This council will, in simple terms, collectively exercise the authority of the Hokage. After you approve all the documents, bring them to me for final review."
"If everything checks out, I'll approve it. If it doesn't, I'll reject it," he continued.
"And if there are minor changes needed, I'll note them on the side," Uchiha Akira concluded.
His words left the assembled high-ranking members of the Hidden Leaf Village stunned.
They weren't fools—although Uchiha Akira retained his veto power, he was effectively sharing the Hokage's authority.
"Lord Akira, if you do this, won't Lord Hokage reprimand you upon his return from the Land of Iron?" Yamanaka Inoichi asked, voicing the doubt lingering in everyone's mind.
Indeed, wouldn't he be reprimanded for sharing the Hokage's authority like this?
"That's why it depends on how well you all do," Uchiha Akira replied.
"If you perform well, then when Lord Hokage returns, instead of scolding me, he might even commend this innovative council system."
"He might even decide to adopt this system himself," he added.
"So whether or not I'm reprimanded depends on you, not on me," Uchiha Akira said.
Hearing this, the spirits of those present were lifted, and they felt a renewed sense of determination.
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Next bonus chapter if we reach 300 Powerstone
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Note: If you are interested, you can read up to chapter 285+ at patreon.com/Emik01.