"Naruto-kun, are you sure you're not joking?" Kakuzu's breathing grew rapid.
"Why would I lie to you? It's the truth." Naruto said smugly, "As long as you follow my orders, you'll have more money than you can ever spend."
Kakuzu's expression turned serious. "If what you say is true and not just empty talk, then I will obey your every command!"
For someone like Kakuzu, following orders was a small price to pay in exchange for wealth beyond imagination. After all, he joined the Akatsuki for money in the first place.
"Alright, pack up. We'll leave this afternoon. I'll show you what I mean." Naruto said after some thought.
Having visited all the places in the Akatsuki base where he could check in, Naruto figured there wasn't much else to do. Plus, with Nagato's recent directive to bring in funds, going to Zabuza's location would not only deepen Nagato's trust but also help him win over Kakuzu. It was a win-win situation.
"This afternoon? Got it! I'll pack right away!" Kakuzu quickly began preparing.
Naruto stayed in Kakuzu's room for an hour, and after hearing the system prompt in his mind, he got up and left Kakuzu's room and head back to the top floor.
Knock, knock, knock!
Naruto knocked on the door and walked in.
Pain asked, "So, how did it go?"
Naruto grinnedand said, "It went well. Since Kakuzu seems free right now, I plan to take him on a few assassination missions to earn money for the organization. We're planning to leave this afternoon."
"Naruto-kun, you're quite efficient. Here, take this antidote. Consume it in a month, and it will ease the symptoms for another month." Pain handed over a small red pill from his pocket.
"Thank you, Leader." Naruto accepted the pill without hesitation and tucked it away.
After thinking for a while, Pain added, "Kakuzu is partnered with Hidan. If Kakuzu isn't taking on missions, Hidan is also idle. Bring him along, it'll improve your efficiency."
Hearing this, Naruto was slightly taken aback.
He had been planning to approach Akatsuki members one by one but had overlooked the fact that the Akatsuki operated in pairs.
This oversight gave him new ideas. After some consideration, he said, "Leader, I noticed Kisame and Itachi are also free. Why not have them join the mission? The organization could earn more money, and saving up funds isn't a bad thing."
"You're the second-in-command now. No need to report such matters to me in the future. Handle them as you see fit." Payne said after some thought.
Anyway, Naruto is restricted by the Destructive Blood Rot Pill, and it is impossible for him to do anything out of line, so he feels at ease delegating these tasks to Naruto.
Besides, Nagato was exhausted physically and mentally from controlling Pain all the time, so he was happy to be able to take a break and be a hands-off boss.
"Thank you for your trust, Leader. I'll take my leave now. Expect good news from me soon."
Naruto said with a slight bow before departing the top floor and heading back down to the second floor.
He opened Kakuzu's door without hesitation and asked, "Kakuzu, the Leader wants me to bring Hidan along. Which room is he staying in?"
"The one on the far west side of the second floor." Kakuzu answered.
"Got it."
Naruto closed the door and made his way to the room Kakuzu had indicated.
This time when leaving Akatsuki, the reason Naruto wanted to take Kisame and Itachi with him is also to take precautions.
While Kakuzu could be easily won over with money, Hidan was a much tougher nut to crack.
Among the Akatsuki's Ten Ideals, Hidan represented faith, which was a particularly challenging concept to address.
As a staunch atheist, Naruto neither understood the concept of faith nor Hidan's fanatic beliefs.
Changing Hidan's mindset directly seemed nearly impossible.
The only viable strategy Naruto could think of was to alter Hidan's faith entirely… changing him from the most fundamental level.
For this, Naruto needed the cooperation of Kisame and Itachi. Having worked with him for some time, both of them had solid acting skills, which would prove crucial in executing the plan.
When Naruto thinks of a better way, he plans to rely on Kisame and Itachi to back him up. Perhaps together, they might be able to change Hidan's mindset.
With this in mind, Naruto knocked on Hidan's door.
"Come in!"
A magnetic and alluring voice rang out from within.
Opening the door, Naruto saw a man leaning on a bench.
The man had silver hair and striking purplish-red eyes. A ring inscribed with the kanji for 'three' adorned his left index finger, and a necklace bearing the emblem of the Jashin cult hung around his neck. Behind him, resting on the bench, was a large red triple-bladed scythe.
Hidan's appearance resembled that of a vampire from Western mythology, brimming with an almost hypnotic allure.
The only downside, Naruto knew, was this guy's personality: hot-headed, verbose, rude, arrogant, and utterly insane.
This person is none other than Kakuzu's partner, Hidan.
When watching the anime, Naruto felt that the old saying was true: when one door closes, another opens.
Hidan exemplified this perfectly: a handsome exterior paired with a deranged and idiotic personality.
In Naruto's plans, he had marked Hidan as a special case. He was determined to transform this trash-talking lunatic into a refined Western gentleman, one whose soul could match his striking appearance.
With that resolve, Naruto spoke up, "I'm Uzumaki Naruto, the newly appointed second-in-command of the Akatsuki. From now on, all members are to follow my orders. This afternoon, I'm taking Kisame, Itachi, and Kakuzu on a mission. Naturally, you're included as well. Pack up and prepare yourself. Understood?"
"Second-in-command? What a load of crap. Who do you think you are? Some snot-nosed brat dares to order me around?"
Hidan furrowed his brows and started ranting, his tone dripping with disdain.
"I…"
Naruto was so infuriated that he swallowed back his words.
'Hidan was truly a trash talk master. Every word out of his mouth was pure filth, as if he consumed tons of garbage with every meal.'
Naruto took a deep breath, trying to calm himself and attempt a civil conversation.
However, before he could speak, Hidan continued his tirade, "Get lost already! Don't interrupt my prayers, or I'll sacrifice you as a live offering."
Hearing this, Naruto couldn't help but laugh.
'A civil conversation?'
'F*ck your civil conversation!!!'
Naruto knew there is no way to communicate with this kind of low-quality rubbish who can't understand human language!
"Fine, I'll tell you exactly who I am!"
Naruto stomped forward and suddenly rushed towards Hidan.
Before Hidan could react, Naruto delivered a flying kick that sent Hidan, along with his bench, crashing to the ground.
"Brat, how dare you..."
Hidan barely began another insult before Naruto opened the sixth gate. With a burst of energy, Naruto kicked Hidan so hard that he crashed into the wall.
Boom!
Hidan's room was on the far west side of the tower. The sheer force of the impact sent Hidan smashing through the wall and flying out of the tower.
"Second-in-command crap, huh?"
"Snot-nosed brat, huh?"
"Telling me to get lost, huh?"
"Want to sacrifice me, huh?"
Naruto leapt out of the tower. Instead of hovering mid-air to unleash Morning Peacock, he delivered blow after blow, each punch landing solidly on Hidan.
'Since you can neither speak nor understand human language, then I would beat you until you could!'
The deafening sounds of Naruto's punches rang out, soon drawing the attention of every Akatsuki member currently at the base.
Seeing Hidan get thoroughly beaten by Naruto, Kisame, who was standing next to Itachi, couldn't help but tremble, "What did Hidan say to piss Naruto off this much? That must hurt like hell."
Itachi observed coldly and said, "I know Naruto's temper. He wouldn't act like this without good reason. It seems Hidan ran his mouth and brought this on himself."
Kisame nodded slightly. "That sounds about right. Still, I'm curious… this so-called immortal zombie… could Naruto actually beat him to death?"