Kakuzu looked away, clearly displeased.
The tiny shred of conscience he had left was already screaming at him.
Meanwhile, Sasori and Deidara wore the most complicated expressions imaginable.
Even if they did manage to infiltrate the Mechanicus, they weren't sure they could walk out with Gaara alive.
Let alone sending three traitors to pull it off.
Sasori was certain that the Ichigo Kurosaki standing in front of them was the bishop of the Mechanicus. And while Deidara wasn't entirely sure of his background, he could guess the guy was definitely from the Mechanicus camp.
"Let's go."
"I want to see you bring back the One-Tails in three days."
After giving his orders to the newcomer, Pain pulled Kakuzu aside, clearly having more to say.
Nagato felt like he'd neglected Akatsuki's affairs for too long these past two years, and now everyone was going wild.
Uchiha Itachi, who wore a mask all day. Uchiha Madara, who vanished off the map. Sasori and Deidara, who were basically freeloading at this point.
And now even Kakuzu was acting on his own?
If Kurosaki Ichigo didn't resemble Yahiko a little, he wouldn't have even given the kid a chance.
And seriously—every single time he was about to start collecting tailed beasts, some lunatic would pop up trying to destroy or conquer the world.
Nagato was tired. Physically, mentally—cosmically tired.
Naruto, Sasori, and Deidara exchanged glances and silently left the Hidden Rain Village. Once they were outside, Deidara immediately jumped ahead of the other two.
He pointed a dramatic finger at them and scoffed.
"Oi! Kurosaki Ichigo!"
"You heretic! You've actually infiltrated our Akatsuki organization!"
"If you don't want me to report you…"
"Then be smart and hand over the Grayl Stone!"
Sasori didn't hesitate. He lunged forward with a giant mechanical hammer, swinging at Deidara's head. His face stayed blank, but his tone was pissed.
"Heretic! Shut your mouth!"
"If I hear you disrespect the bishop again…"
"Don't blame me for what happens next!"
Naruto watched the two squabbling and covered his face.
Nice going, little dumbass. You're saying I infiltrated your organization?
Aren't all three of us undercover?
To Naruto, this kid clearly just wanted the Grayl Stone for himself.
"Wait… Bishop!?"
"You're Uzumaki Naruto!?"
Deidara wasn't shocked by Sasori calling him a heretic—that was just Tuesday—but the word bishop caught him off guard.
Both the Mechanicus and the Society of Scientific Truth were well aware that their leaders had roots in Konoha.
It was only because the corrupt Hokage tried to stop their expansion that they'd captured their bishop in the first place.
Now Deidara realized the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki had joined Akatsuki?
This was way above his pay grade.
Wait a minute… Pain literally just said they were about to start capturing the Jinchuriki…
Did this guy just walk straight into a bear trap?!
"Enough! Today I'm purging you, heretic!"
Sasori whipped out a scroll and instantly summoned several cyber puppets. Just as the two were about to throw hands again, Naruto finally stepped in.
"Alright, knock it off."
"Did you forget about the mission Pain gave us?"
To be honest, Naruto didn't care all that much about Pain's task—but he was serious about collecting the tailed beasts.
Besides, the ancestors always said—love what you do.
If he wanted to be a true member of the Justice Akatsuki, this was the first step.
After his words, the two stared each other down for ten seconds before begrudgingly stowing their weapons.
Sasori looked long and hard at Naruto, then spoke hesitantly.
"Bishop… how about we just pack up and run?"
"I don't want to stay in this messed-up organization for another day."
"These meetings keep interfering with my artistic research!"
"If we don't dip soon, Pain's gonna blow us to pieces."
Sasori couldn't understand why the bishop was even going undercover. He tried to persuade Naruto with a rare touch of sincerity.
Even Deidara—who usually couldn't stand Sasori—nodded in agreement.
Because once their church got exposed, the consequences would be nuclear.
The best plan? Bail and regroup before Pain connects the dots.
"As much as I hate to agree with a heretic like you," Deidara muttered, "you finally said something smart."
"And I haven't even passed intermediate chemistry yet."
"Coming to this hellhole every day really messes up my studies."
Honestly, Deidara wanted to capture Gaara too—he was the holy son of the Mechanicus—but Sasori warned that if Gaara were taken, it would mean total war between the Mechanicus and the Society of Scientific Truth.
Naruto: ...
After hearing these two rant, Naruto was speechless.
So you two have been slacking all this time—just waiting for the right excuse to bail on Akatsuki?!
"You two…"
"This isn't the first time Pain's asked you to capture One-Tails, is it?"
Naruto clearly remembered the Shinra Tensei vibe in Pain's eyes when he looked at them earlier. These guys had definitely been dodging the mission for way too long.
"Uh-huh."
"I've just been really busy."
"Had to study chakra machine souls, develop some new gear, write a few papers…"
Sasori bowed to Naruto and began reporting his recent work like a diligent employee.
He even griped that Pain was surprisingly easy to fool.
Apparently, the mission to capture One-Tails started two years ago—the night of the green moon. No one really knew why Pain suddenly became so desperate.
After getting the assignment, Sasori and Deidara left the village and... just forgot what they were supposed to do.
When Pain asked, they tossed around some flattering words and brushed it off.
"Yeah, Pain is pretty easy to fool," Deidara said.
He'd been reading a lot these past couple of years—really leveling up his perspective and IQ. Now, whenever he looked at Pain, he felt this weird superiority.
Just wait.
Once I finish studying chemistry, that's when the true judgment will begin, Sasori!
Deidara decided it wasn't the right time yet, so he turned and began walking away.
But just as he did, Naruto pulled out a thumb-sized piece of Grayl Stone.
The moment it glowed, both Sasori and Deidara whipped their heads around, eyes glued to the shimmering fragment in his palm.
"I knew you had it!"
"Praise Bishop Naruto!"
The two reacted very differently.
Sasori looked like he was watching the Mechanicus's gospel spreading across the world.
Deidara, on the other hand, looked like his soul had taken a critical hit.
No way!
I have to find a way to steal that thing for myself!
﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌
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