Akatsuki Organization Personnel Changes

World peace.

The moment those words were spoken, even Itachi Uchiha was stunned for quite a while.

Especially after he realized that Konan did not look like she was joking.

The Akatsuki Organization had always orchestrated and monopolized wars between various countries to obtain generous compensation. Yet an organization of mercenaries like this was claiming that its goal was world peace?

It was simply ridiculous!

"World peace, you say?" Sasori looked at Konan and said in a deep voice, "The original Akatsuki did seem to have that goal, but after the leader became that person with the Rinnegan, everything changed, didn’t it?"

"That’s right. I’m part of the Evil God Cult. Saying world peace is just too ridiculous." Hidan looked rather disdainful.

Even Kakuzu let out a cold laugh.

He had lived for over ninety years and had witnessed nothing but endless wars.

Even the First Hokage had been unable to achieve peace, and had even ended up fighting his own companions.

"We grew up in small countries caught in the flames of war and lost important companions. We understand the pain of war better than those from powerful nations." Konan was not surprised by their astonishment and merely said calmly, "That pain made Nagato realize that creating peace through peaceful means was impossible. So he chose to make the world experience our pain and use that as a path toward peace. But I’m not as radical as Nagato."

Make the world experience pain?

Remembering the ultimate purpose behind creating the Tailed Beast weapon, they vaguely understood what this dead former leader had wanted to do.

A madman who wanted to destroy the world?

"You said your approach is different. What do you intend to do?" Itachi Uchiha looked at Konan and asked.

If even that kind of method could be considered a pursuit of world peace, then the goal itself was meaningless. The only meaningful thing was the method used to achieve that "goal."

"It’s very simple!"

Konan spread her arms wide. Her cold voice carried tremendous Haki. "That lord has handed this world over to the Chamber Members to decide. I only need to keep fighting on this Stage of Fate, defeat every member who opposes peace, and then consider how to let the people of the world live stable lives."

Listening to her blunt words, Shen Mo’s lips unconsciously curled into a smile.

In this world where he existed,

such a method could achieve more than world peace. It could probably even fulfill every fate in existence.

Because by then,

the fate of the world would already be in the hands of the victor.

Hidan, Kakuzu, Sasori, and even Deidara were all completely stunned.

They felt that something was wrong, yet they could not think of anything to refute her with.

If that was the case,

then people like them, who were not even Chamber Members, did not have the qualifications to fight at all.

"If the current world were the only factor, it really would be that simple." Itachi Uchiha stared deeply at Konan, who was still floating in midair. "But the other members—or the people in those villages—even if they also yearn for peace, may not accept peace led by you."

That was how wars began.

Sometimes, it was not that people did not want peace.

They simply had no choice but to wage war.

There would always be differences.

"Then we’ll fight." Konan did not hesitate at all. "War is a law of nature. If you want to change it, you can only guide it through human effort. I won’t vent my pain like Nagato did, but neither will I fear war. That includes those who betray their companions."

Her robes, long hair, and the surrounding talismans seemed to be constantly stirred by an invisible aura.

Her gaze radiated her determination.

Itachi Uchiha had already realized that this new leader of the Akatsuki Organization might be even more troublesome than the previous one.

Not merely because of her strength,

but because she was a pragmatist.

That man called Nagato would receive support from no one except a few madmen. But the person before him could easily win the support of the people behind her, and even the allegiance of the defeated. She would continue expanding, gradually swallowing the surrounding nations and using the power of the Jars to advance toward the conquest of the world.

A war with Konoha seemed unavoidable.

"So, what is your decision?"

Konan’s voice came again as her cold eyes swept over everyone.

"If you want to leave, this is your only chance. Once you decide to join us, then as I said, those who betray their companions will not be forgiven."

She truly did not care much about these people.

Shen Mo had already said so.

Within a faction, the more of fate a person bore, the higher the threshold for becoming a Chamber Member would be.

Once most of the fate had been shouldered,

the qualification threshold for everyone else to become a Chamber Member would drop substantially.

In other words,

as long as she took responsibility for everything in the Rain Village, she would have no trouble selecting enough outstanding people to become Chamber Members and assist in achieving world peace in the future.

Faced with the choice Konan had offered,

the scene fell silent for a long time.

Unexpectedly, Kakuzu was the first to make a decision.

"I’ll stay." Kakuzu raised his head and said, "My goal is money anyway. Since you want to conquer the world, there won’t be any shortage of money, right?"

"I’m leaving." Hidan was the second to speak. The corners of his mouth split into a smile that held a hint of madness. "World peace and all that is utterly ridiculous, just like those ignorant old men in the village. We’re ninjas! Ninjas are meant to fight!"

"Don’t say I didn’t warn you." Konan turned her gaze toward Hidan. "That lord has explicitly forbidden large-scale massacres of ordinary civilians."

Hidan’s face was full of disdain.

His personality was arrogant and brutal, and he loved fighting. Even his so-called "preaching" consisted of nothing more than killing as many people as possible, including ordinary civilians.

"Hidan, compared with ordinary people, the stronger ones are more valuable sacrifices, aren’t they?" Kakuzu looked at Hidan. He had worked fairly well with this man. If they split up, it would probably be difficult to find another partner so suitable.

"Of course, the strong can satisfy the Evil God more, but our creed is to kill everything around us!" Hidan’s face was filled with fanaticism.

He had become a rogue ninja because he could not tolerate the village’s pacifism.

He craved chaos, battle, and slaughter.

"If he wants to leave, there’s no need to persuade him anymore." Konan spoke.

Kakuzu shook his head and said nothing more.

"I’ll stay, I suppose. After all, I have nowhere else to go." Sasori followed up.

Sasori had been driven out and become a rogue ninja of Sunagakure because he had turned the Third Kazekage into a Puppet.

In truth, he was not bloodthirsty, nor was he particularly warlike. He was merely pursuing the art of Puppets.

Deidara also decided to stay.