Standing atop the thumb of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, Pain swept his Rinnegan across the gathered members. His voice, cold as always but tinged with a rare intensity, rang out: "Now that the Akatsuki's roster is nearly complete, I will reveal our ultimate goal."
Ultimate goal?
Even the typically composed and enigmatic Itachi Uchiha, the seemingly indifferent Sasori, and the experienced and pragmatic Kakuzu couldn't help but show visible reactions. Their gazes locked onto Pain, the mysterious leader who possessed the legendary Rinnegan, a power said to belong only to the Sage of Six Paths. The surreal merging of myth and reality demanded their attention.
"The Akatsuki's goals are divided into three stages," Pain began. "The first stage is accumulating wealth. Over the years, our organization has essentially completed this phase."
"The second stage is to use these funds as a foundation to establish a war-for-hire organization within the ninja world..."
"Hey, hey! How is that any different from the other ninja villages? Isn't it just completing missions for payment? Are you aiming to become the leader of a small, unremarkable village that no one hires? How boring," Hidan interrupted, his fearless, irreverent attitude on full display. To him, nothing mattered except his devotion to Jashin.
"Hmph," Pain let out a cold chuckle.
"No one willing to hire us? You're gravely mistaken!"
"Allow me to explain the sequence. In the current ninja village system, mission commissions account for a significant portion of a village's finances. In other words, if a ninja village wishes to maintain its scale, it must engage in a certain level of warfare."
"But in this era, while small skirmishes occur frequently, large-scale wars have disappeared. As a result, ninja villages have begun to shrink in size. Small villages, in particular, lack the funds to maintain their previous scale. Yet, if they downsize, they cannot respond effectively to emergencies."
"This is where our Akatsuki comes in. By offering low-cost services, we will edge out the smaller villages. Using the Tailed Beasts, we will gradually monopolize all warfare. Eventually, even the larger villages will be unable to sustain themselves."
"In this way, we will achieve the third stage of our plan—world domination!"
Deidara pondered Pain's motives. Why hadn't Nagato directly stated his ultimate goal of achieving world peace? Was it due to a lack of trust in the Akatsuki members? Or perhaps even he felt the chances of success were too slim, making it embarrassing to admit?
If Deidara hadn't known the future storyline, he might have applauded. At the very least, Pain's vision painted an alluring picture. The plan was grand and ambitious, yet also practical.
However, judging by the reactions of the others, it was clear they didn't fully trust Pain's words. Questions lingered—what exactly was the purpose of the eerie Demonic Statue of the Outer Path? And even if the blueprint was compelling, what benefits would they, as members, ultimately gain?
Pain seemed unconcerned with their attitudes or reactions. Perhaps, in his eyes, the Akatsuki members were merely tools. After all, Zetsu wasn't truly his subordinate, Itachi had his own hidden agenda, and the rest were all arrogant and unruly. A few words wouldn't be enough to control them. Pain was neither Naruto nor Orochimaru; he lacked the talent for "talk no jutsu."
"Now, let's proceed with the sealing of the Seven-Tails. The process will take three days. The sealing technique will be transmitted to you shortly. During this time, be cautious of your physical forms," Pain instructed.
Deidara soon received a stream of information through his ring. It was the Nine Phantom Dragons Seal, a technique frequently used in the storyline. Initially, it seemed impressive, but later it felt rather absurd—after all, characters like Obito and Madara could seal Tailed Beasts instantly.
"What?! Three days? I still need to pray to Lord Jashin!" Hidan complained.
"Shut up, Hidan," Kakuzu scolded.
"Hey, Uncle Kakuzu, it's not like I can help it. The teachings require it! I find it annoying too—having to pray every day!"
"Shut up, or I'll kill you!"
"Well, you'd have to be able to kill me first," Hidan replied nonchalantly.
Three days of idle time? Deidara quickly opened his system interface.
Strongest Artist System Host: Deidara Shock Value: 2750/4000 Skill Points: 2 Unlocked Skills: Explosion Mastery Level 1, C2 Enhanced Great Dragon
Having defeated the Seven-Tails, Deidara had successfully leveled up twice thanks to the Shock Value gained from Sasori and the Seven-Tails. That was the good news. The bad news was that each level required an additional 1,000 Shock Value, meaning it wouldn't be long before leveling up became significantly harder.
No point overthinking it—better to focus on allocating skill points.
Within the Pyrotechnics skill tree, three new branches had emerged after unlocking the C2 Enhanced Great Dragon: C1 Special Sensory Landmine, Extreme Heat, and Greater Detonation Range. Among them, Extreme Heat was the main branch, leading to a longer skill tree, while the other two were side branches.
Deidara felt that the C2 Enhanced Great Dragon was sufficient for now. It might be better to invest in other areas, such as Chakra Augmentation from the Ninja Arts skill tree. At only 12 years old, his chakra reserves were limited. During the battle with the Seven-Tails Jinchūriki, he had nearly depleted his chakra.
After some thought, Deidara allocated one skill point to Improved Clay from the Material Science skill tree and the other to Chakra Augmentation from the Ninja Arts skill tree.
Wait, why doesn't it feel like my chakra has increased?
"Host, Chakra Augmentation provides a gradual enhancement. From now on, all your chakra growth will double until you reach the age where it can no longer increase naturally."
That was actually quite impressive. While it didn't offer an immediate boost, the long-term benefits were undeniably significant.
"And what about Improved Clay?" Deidara asked, realizing he could simply consult the system about skill effects instead of testing them himself.
"Improved Clay is an upgraded version of your original clay, optimized in all aspects. It offers slightly enhanced resistance, reduced material consumption, and marginally increased explosive power."
"Wait, what's this 'Lightning-Resistant Clay (requires Thunder Swords)' mentioned here?" Deidara noticed that the next skill in the Material Science tree was named Lightning-Resistant Clay. Could it mean he was close to overcoming his weakness to Lightning Release?
"Exactly as it sounds. Lightning-Resistant Clay enhances resistance to Lightning Release, eliminating the flaw where your creations become duds upon contact with lightning. However, it does not overlap with Improved Clay; they are two separate types of clay."
"Additionally, Host, note the unlock conditions listed in parentheses. Unlocking this skill requires not only a skill point but also the acquisition of the Thunder Swords from the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. These must be sacrificed to the system to unlock Lightning-Resistant Clay."
Worth it. Decision made! Once the Seven-Tails sealing was complete, Deidara resolved to set out and claim the Thunder Swords!