Nagato crossed his arms, calm but firm. "Do you need our Rain Ninja Village to buy your Sand Village products? I can have them start purchasing."
Mufasa scoffed, his tone laced with mockery.
"How many things could your broke village even afford?"
"They'd pawn their headbands for a loaf of bread."
"I don't do charity work."
Nagato's eyes narrowed. "Then what exactly do you want from us?"
Mufasa flashed a sly grin.
"You and your country need to learn to make money first—then you can spend it."
The biggest headache in growing an industry is having no one to sell your products to.
In the Sand Village, their tech was booming—automated factories, weapons manufacturing, even chakra-powered vehicles.
But production without buyers was like building a dam with no river. Suffocating.
So Mufasa made it his mission: make other countries wealthy enough to buy Sand goods. Even if they didn't want to.
And the Rain Village, sitting in the center of the map like a pressure point, was the perfect start.
Historically, the Land of Rain was a battlefield for other nations. But in times of peace, its location made it a potential economic giant.
That opportunity came with a price—the pain of rebuilding. But someone had to start.
Mufasa unrolled a scroll and pressed his palm to it. A magnetic field flared to life, lifting a glowing blueprint into the air.
"Here," he said, pointing to a colorful web of lines connecting the Sand and Rain villages.
"Green is the underground water channel—our water-diversion project. It'll send clean water from your lands to our deserts. Don't worry, we'll pay."
"Red is the highway system."
"Black is the rail network."
"At the center of it all: a massive transport hub near your village. From there, people can travel to the Lands of Earth, Fire, Thunder, Iron—you name it."
"With this setup, it's almost impossible for you guys to stay poor."
He paused. "Almost impossible not to suffer too, but hey—growth hurts."
Nagato studied the projection, the spiderweb-like network with his village at the heart. He let out a dry laugh.
"Kazekage, your plan is ambitious. But this? This is a dream."
Mufasa raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"
Nagato's voice turned cold. "You forget what world we live in. The Five Nations are always on edge. One war, and this whole network burns to ash."
Mufasa snapped his fingers. "Then we rebuild."
He grinned wider. "And we double the investment."
Nagato snorted. What a lunatic.
"So," Mufasa leaned in. "Are you in?"
Nagato considered it.
Joining didn't cost him anything—yet. And he figured the whole system would crumble before it bore fruit anyway.
"Fine. We'll join."
Mufasa clapped his shoulder. "Welcome aboard, my friend. Now, you guys will be in charge of building the roads and rails on your land."
Pain's eyes widened. "Wait. You want us to fund this?"
Mufasa acted surprised. "Of course. It's your infrastructure. If you don't have the gear, we can sell you ours. Fair price."
Nagato sighed. "How much are we talking?"
Mufasa rubbed his chin. "Hmm. Could be around a hundred million ryo, give or take. Depends on the terrain."
Nagato turned to Konan.
She looked like she'd swallowed a kunai.
'I spend our savings on explosive tags,' she thought. 'Now I'm supposed to fund a train station?'
Mufasa spread his hands, all smiles.
Nagato and Konan felt a strange chill.
Their minds flashed back to that ominous day when they felt something was off.
Konan snapped, "We don't have that kind of money."
Mufasa didn't flinch. He just nodded.
"No money? That's fine. I'll front the cost."
Nagato and Konan blinked.
'Didn't he just say we had to pay?'
Konan rolled her eyes.
Mufasa chuckled. "Not for free, of course. I have a little job for you."
He held up a finger.
"Catch me a tailed beast. One per ten billion ryo."
"I already have One-Tail. That leaves eight more. That's 80 billion."
"After deducting the costs of construction, you'll still have profit. See? Everybody wins."
Silence fell.
Nagato and Konan tensed, eyes narrowing.
They were ready to strike.
Why would Mufasa suddenly bring up the tailed beasts?
Did he know?
Did he already uncover the secret behind the Akatsuki?
This was his first meeting with them—and yet he talked like he'd been watching them for years.
Mufasa calmly met their stares.
"Yeah, I know who you are. The Akatsuki, right?"
Nagato almost lunged. But stopped himself.
"How do you know that?"
"And what do you want?"
Mufasa's eyes gleamed.
"Come on. I killed two of your members already. Do you think I wouldn't dig deeper?"
"This meeting isn't just about roads. I want to hire you. To catch the rest of the tailed beasts."
"I know you have the skills."
He smiled wider.
"So. Do we have a deal?"
"Will you work for me?"
Is the Akatsuki organization a villain?
Well, that depends on how you look at it.
Take Nagato, for example.
His goal was always peace. Even after losing everything—friends, family, ideals—he still wanted to fix this broken world.
Sure, his methods were... intense.
But at least he wasn't like Obito or Madara, drowning in hate. There was still some kindness in him.
After all, he believed in Naruto at the end. Gave up his life to save Konoha.
He was just a kind guy who got lost in the darkness.
From Konoha's point of view?
Yeah, Akatsuki is a threat. They want to tear down the old system, grab power, change the world order.
Villain stuff, no doubt.
But for Mufasa? The Akatsuki isn't the final boss. It's just a powerful mercenary group.
When Mufasa first crossed into this world, he was weak.
Akatsuki felt untouchable back then. But now?
With his system fully online, and after becoming Kazekage, things changed.
Power shifted.
Does the Akatsuki even stand a chance against him?
Not really.
There were ten core members in Akatsuki.
Mufasa already beat two into submission, two more are spies.
That's four down.
The remaining six? The elite teams under his command could handle them.
So, he doesn't see them as monsters anymore.
They're just... employees waiting to be hired.
Which is why he didn't hesitate to call them out by name.
"Come on, Nagato. Drop the act. I know who you are. Let's stop pretending."
Nagato and Konan tensed, but held back.
Mufasa stood there, calm. Confident.
Eyes clear. Smile relaxed.
He didn't need to act like a sheep. Not when he was the lion.
Even villains needed to follow his lead.
The air grew cold around them.
Nagato mentally sent out the signal.
The rest of the Akatsuki should prepare.
If things went south, they might need to fight.
He spoke, voice deep and guarded. "Since you know we're Akatsuki, you don't have any issues with us?"
Mufasa tilted his head, confused. "Why would I?"
"You're made up of rogue ninjas. Sure. But from Sand Village, only Sasori was in your ranks. And I already turned him into scrap metal."
"So we're good."
"Plus, you're mercenaries, right? You take jobs. Get paid."
Mufasa's smile turned sharp.
"So what's this hesitation now?"
"You ignoring my request? Or do you just not like my money?"
Konan narrowed her eyes.
That was definitely a threat.
But Nagato... surprisingly, felt calm. This guy was serious. He really wanted their help.
But why?
"Why do you want the Tailed Beasts, Kazekage?"
Mufasa let out a short laugh.
"Simple. I want to rule the ninja world."
"If it's true the one with all the tailed beasts can rule it, then hey, why not?"
"I've got money to burn. Might as well buy my way to the top."
Konan and Nagato were stunned.
(´⊙__⊙`)!?
(・・;)
Seriously?
He just says it like that?
Conquer the world?
Out loud?
Mufasa caught their expressions and chuckled.
"Don't look so shocked. Once you've got my level of power, you stop pretending."
He raised a finger like he was delivering a life lesson.
"Be humble in words. Bold in action."
"Trying to conquer the world? Don't whisper it. Just do it."
Nagato's brows furrowed.
This guy was nuts. Poweful and nuts.
If someone like him took over, the world might burn.
In just a few years, Mufasa had launched multiple wars.
He didn't fear blood. Didn't mind chaos.
He couldn't let the world fall into hands like his.
Nagato shook his head.
"Tailed Beasts are vital to the balance of the villages. They're heavily protected."
"Our Akatsuki doesn't have the power to take them head-on."
Mufasa waved a hand.
"Oh come on. Don't sell yourselves short. I know how strong you are."
"Alright, let's lower the bar then. If you can't catch the full beast, just bring me some of their chakra."
Before Nagato could respond, Mufasa leaned forward, eyes gleaming.
"But if you say no... I'll let every village know where to find you."
"Watch the world crush you for me."
Konan and Nagato froze.
This guy—
No shame.
No limits.
It was blackmail.
Plain and simple.
Even though their goals were technically aligned, this method was... brutal.
Nagato clenched his fists.
Fine.
If he only wanted some chakra, maybe it was worth it.
At least it would keep Akatsuki in the game.
He exhaled slowly, glaring at the Kazekage.
"Alright. We'll do it."
"Deal."
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Word count: 1554
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