Kakuzu: "???"
Even though Takigakure is only a small shinobi village, it's rather special. Among all the villages outside the Five Great Nations, it's the only one that has a Tailed Beast! The Seven-Tails, Chōmei, is sealed in Takigakure. That alone sets it apart from all the other medium or small villages.
When Senshi spoke, Kakuzu's body stiffened, almost throwing out his century-old back. What the heck is he talking about? Senshi was suggesting Kakuzu become the Taki-Kage?!
Kakuzu knew Senshi very well: Senshi never gave away benefits for no reason. If Senshi was tossing him a "carrot," there had to be a massive pit behind it. Without overthinking, Kakuzu immediately shook his head.
"This isn't feasible. Takigakure isn't like Kusagakure; they have a Jinchūriki."
Hearing that, Senshi just grinned and spread his hands.
"A mere Jinchūriki—how is that a problem?"
Kakuzu: "???"
His words left Kakuzu momentarily stunned. Then he thought it over and realized Senshi might be right. Senshi had effortlessly crushed the wild Three-Tails before. Even though a Tailed Beast is stronger when it has a Jinchūriki—especially a perfect Jinchūriki like Yagura, who can combine forces with his beast to achieve "more than the sum of its parts"—Kakuzu suspected that even a fully synchronized Seven-Tails Jinchūriki wouldn't be much of a threat to Senshi. In Kakuzu's judgment, Senshi's real strength already exceeded that of the Five Kage—he was practically "beyond Kage."
Seeing Kakuzu's conflicted expression, Senshi shrugged.
"No hurry. I'll give you three days to think about it."
Over the next three days, his system would be upgrading anyway, so he planned to spend some time exploring the village with Karin. Once Karin finished her meal, Senshi activated his Kāma space-time transportation ability. A dark-red vortex, like a black hole, formed behind them, and then the two vanished from sight.
They reappeared at the top of a tower in Amegakure. Thanks to the village's perpetual rain, its architecture was dominated by metal piping, and people typically lived on the lower levels while leaving the upper levels for storing bodies. No sooner had Senshi and Karin arrived than a flurry of paper flew in from afar, quickly assembling into Konan's figure.
At the sight of Senshi and Karin, Konan wore a blank expression.
"What are you two doing here?"
They were, after all, quite close to the life-support chamber where Nagato's real body was kept. Currently, both Nagato and Konan saw Senshi as the most dangerous individual in the Akatsuki. There was no telling if he might one day accept an assassination contract targeting Nagato himself.
Senshi hadn't expected that merely coming here to watch the rain with Karin would draw Konan's attention. But once he probed briefly with his Mantra, he understood the reason: Nagato's real body was indeed nearby, and although that location had protective measures, it couldn't block his sensory ability. Konan had rushed over as soon as Senshi turned up in that area.
Senshi waved lightly.
"Miss Konan, we came to watch the rain."
Hearing that, Konan remained poker-faced, though internally she was rolling her eyes. Growing up in Amegakure, she'd had more than enough of the rain—and it held no appeal for her. After Yahiko's death, she had lost any interest in such things anyway.
Karin, on the other hand, also wondered why Senshi had brought her here. But once she learned that it was just to see the rain, she couldn't help rolling her eyes, too.
"Miss Konan," Senshi said gently, "there's still so much in life that's beautiful. You just need to learn to look for it."
Long ago, Konan had been a much more cheerful girl. After Yahiko's death, she was devastated and became the cold, impassive "ice queen" she was now. She initially didn't feel like humoring Senshi; with no immediate tasks that needed his attention, his presence here made her uneasy, so she felt the need to keep an eye on him.
Hearing his remark about "the beauty in life," Konan couldn't resist responding.
"The only 'beauty' in your life is the endless stream of missions, isn't it?"
From what she knew, Senshi's greatest interest lay in taking on missions, earning pay, and just working nonstop. Surely that was the "beauty" he talked about, right?
Senshi let out a hearty laugh. Hearing Konan's deadpan sarcasm, delivered so seriously, was unexpectedly amusing. Who in their right mind would think of never-ending missions as the pinnacle of a fulfilling life? Missions were only a means, not the end. His real joy came from growing stronger. Even Kakuzu was in it for the money, not just for the sake of missions.
While Senshi roared with laughter, Konan looked puzzled but sensed he wasn't hostile. Maybe he genuinely had come just to appreciate the rain. She herself saw no appeal in the constantly overcast sky and the ceaseless drizzle that made the streets slick. She'd never liked it, especially after Yahiko's death.
As she was pondering this, Senshi spoke again:
"Miss Konan, you could have Kusagakure's shinobi redesign the village a bit. Right now, our drainage system is too primitive, and the architecture lacks aesthetic appeal—it's like a big factory."
She didn't respond. Honestly, she didn't feel that strongly about it, and in her mind, Amegakure was already a lot better off than it had been under Hanzo, or back when it was locked down. She figured if the village had been this stable back when she, Yahiko, and Nagato were young, they would have lived a much happier life.
With that in mind, Konan said,
"The village is already fine as it is. Your previous ideas worked well, but the Akatsuki's goal isn't to build up the village. Even if we perfect this place, when another war breaks out, pain and despair will just return. Only by realizing the Akatsuki's ultimate objective can we achieve genuine, everlasting peace."
Karin was baffled. Senshi, however, knew exactly what this was about—a plan engineered by Black Zetsu to resurrect Ōtsutsuki Kaguya. For the time being, he had no intention of exposing that, but he did hope to steer Konan in a more positive direction.
"Miss Konan, after Ame and Kusa formed their partnership, both villages made immense progress in every aspect. If all the medium and small villages banded together—like a shinobi alliance—even the Five Great Nations would have to think twice before waging war. Each small village has its own specialties or unique local products. If they all traded with each other, every village would see rapid growth. Right now, we've only combined Ame and Kusa, and look how far we've come. If more villages join this alliance, Amegakure and the others will advance even faster."
While he spoke, Konan's eyes betrayed a thoughtful expression. He'd mentioned this idea before, and at the time, both she and Nagato had been uncertain if it was viable. Seeing Ame and Kusa's success proved that maybe Senshi's model had merit. If more villages joined such a "Shinobi Alliance," it could greatly reduce the likelihood of war. Starting with the First Shinobi World War, it was always the large nations that battled, while smaller ones got trampled. Villages caught between big countries inevitably became the battlegrounds.
After a moment's deep consideration, Konan raised a critical question:
"But why would other medium or small villages follow Kusagakure's example and cooperate? How can you be sure?"
It was a tough question. Kusagakure's alliance with Amegakure only worked so smoothly because Mui had, in effect, wiped out the old leadership, and now he was in full control. Konan's question wasn't easy to answer, but Senshi replied anyway:
"It's actually doable. We can subdue them with force first, then reason with them—offer both pressure and profit. If we show them both power and benefits, they'll come around. Besides, now that Ame and Kusa have grown so fast, spies from those other villages probably already reported back. When the leaders see all the perks that an alliance brings, some of them might come knocking on their own. Of course, the Five Great Nations won't be thrilled about a tightly bonded alliance of smaller villages. Most of these smaller villages have been victims of the Great Nations' expansion, or else they're basically the Great Nations' vassals. If they unify, it'll definitely impact the Great Nations' interests."
As Senshi explained all this, Karin's eyes were already spinning in confusion; it was far too complicated for her. She's still got a ways to go, Senshi thought, *if she wants to become the next "mission machine." Konan, on the other hand, was deep in thought.
The Akatsuki's goal of gathering all the Tailed Beasts put them directly at odds with the Five Great Nations. Relying on the Akatsuki alone, or on Amegakure alone, wouldn't be enough to handle the inevitable conflict. But if other medium and small villages joined them, it might further Akatsuki's plans significantly.
Meanwhile, Konan's real body conferred telepathically with Nagato.
"Nagato, what do you think of what Senshi just said?"
Although Nagato's body was frail, his mind was sharp. After a moment, he answered:
"If he can actually make it happen, it's a solid idea. Back in the First Hokage's time, the ninja world experienced a brief peace thanks to Hashirama's overwhelming power. If Senshi's 'Shinobi Alliance' can form, a bunch of small villages might avoid war for a long stretch. More importantly, once the Akatsuki starts collecting Tailed Beasts, we'll inevitably clash with the Five Great Nations. Ame alone, or even the Akatsuki alone, won't suffice to challenge them. But if enough smaller villages stand with us, we can push our plans forward. The key is whether he can get them to willingly join this alliance. Anyway, there's no need to intervene now. Let's watch and see what he does next."
Cough, cough… Nagato broke into a fit of coughs, and Konan grew worried, recalling how important both Yahiko and Nagato were to her. She'd already lost Yahiko too soon; she didn't want anything to happen to Nagato as well.
Standing atop the tower, Konan's paper clone fixed Senshi with a long look, then dissolved into countless slips of paper that scattered in the wind. Watching, Karin felt a twinge of envy.
"Senshi, I want to learn that jutsu!"
"No," Senshi replied, tousling her hair. "You really don't."
Konan's paper ninjutsu wasn't exactly something you could just learn, and as far as Senshi could recall, only Konan had ever demonstrated it.
"It's probably some special secret technique. You can't just pick it up."
Karin didn't dwell on it. "Senshi, could I go buy some ingredients and practice cooking?" She looked at him, eyes full of hope.
"Hmm…" Senshi thought it over. "Sure, but if it turns out badly, you have to eat it yourself."
"It won't be bad at all!" Karin exclaimed, and then a transparent vortex appeared before her. In a flash, she vanished from their room.
Senshi couldn't help shaking his head, half-amused. He'd apparently steered Karin astray; now she was using Kamui for even the simplest outings. He could imagine the look on Obito's face if he ever saw someone else using dual Kamui. As for Senshi himself, he had his own system storage for space-time needs, and he also had his even faster, more convenient Kāma for teleporting.
Before long, Karin returned with a bunch of groceries, heading straight for the kitchen.
"Hold on!"
The thought of Kushina's notoriously questionable cooking flashed through Senshi's mind, and he quickly stopped Karin.
"Since it's your first time cooking, let's practice in an open area outside—it's safer."
Gathering the tools and ingredients, Senshi teleported Karin to a clearing in the wild.
"Senshi," Karin asked, perplexed, "why do we have to cook out here?"
Senshi chuckled.
"Sometimes, ninja might say they're cooking, but in reality they're making explosive tags. It's safer out in the open."
Karin rolled her eyes, then focused on rinsing the ingredients in the nearby creek and chopping them on a board. After just one glance, Senshi knew he'd made the right call bringing her outside. As cute as Karin was, her knife skills were abysmal: each piece she cut came out a bizarre shape.
She built a small fire with wood, heating up the pan and pouring in half the pot of oil—more like a quarter, but still way too much for stir-frying. Senshi could only rub his forehead in exasperation, thinking, At least I'm not expecting gourmet cuisine here. Clearly, Karin had no experience cooking at all.
Woof!
Because there was too much oil left on the heat for too long, the oil caught fire. Karin, startled, rushed to the creek to fetch water.
"Stop!" Senshi shouted. He grabbed the blazing pot, covered it with a lid, and cut off its oxygen supply. The flames died out quickly. He didn't bother explaining why that worked—he figured it might be over Karin's head right now. Better she just know that "when this happens, do that."
Failure is the mother of success, though. After that first mishap, Karin learned not to pour in so much oil or overheat the pot. She decided to try frying meatballs this time, but the oil still splattered everywhere.
"Susanoo!"
Initially, she was a bit scared. Hot oil splatters could burn her skin. But if she put herself inside Susanoo and used it to manipulate the cooking utensils, she was perfectly safe.
"What the…?"
A short distance away, Senshi gaped at the sight. Karin can already use Susanoo? Well, I guess she does have Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan now. Still, seeing Susanoo used for cooking was mind-boggling. Imagine how the Uchiha ancestors would react, rising from their graves in protest. Then again, a jutsu is just a tool, so if Susanoo helped Karin cook safely, there wasn't really a problem.
In the end, her cooking was relatively successful, though her methods were, uh, unconventional. She'd probably need to do it outdoors from now on. She tearfully ate her own blackened fried meatballs, which were technically edible…but definitely not what you'd call delicious.
After packing up her cookware, Senshi used his Kāma teleportation to bring them back to their lodgings. Having a "tattoo" did indeed make travel a breeze—he could go anywhere, anytime he liked.
~~~
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