Chapter 17: The Withered Tree
"Nagato, how is your body today?"
Konan looked at Nagato with some concern. His condition was deteriorating day by day.
"I'm fine. A new member has arrived. Go and welcome him with Yahiko. He will be helpful to our future plans, but his background is unclear, so we need to observe him for a while."
The Yahiko Nagato mentioned was actually a corpse, a body controlled by Nagato's ability.
Nagato could control six corpses and grant each of them different abilities. These six corpses were collectively known as Pain.
The six corpses were: Tendo (the core of Pain), Shurado, Ningendo, Chikushodo, Gakido, and Jigokudo.
Among them, Tendo was made from Yahiko's corpse, while Yahiko was once a comrade of Nagato and Konan.
"Hmm, which ninja village's rogue ninja is this this time?"
"He's not a rogue ninja. He's an assassin who once attempted to assassinate the Fourth Mizukage. Be careful when negotiating with him; don't get too close."
"Why?"
"According to the information, he rarely uses ninjutsu and is skilled with a ninja sword. His swordsmanship can rival that of the former Konoha White Fang. His name is Bai Ye. He might have some connection to the Konoha White Fang. Keep an eye on him."
Konan was startled but nodded. She had certainly heard of the Konoha White Fang, a man who made countless ninjas tremble with just a ninja sword.
Konan left the room and walked downstairs with Tendo, who was waiting outside the door.
Tendo was controlled by Nagato, both in speech and action. In a sense, this was Nagato himself.
"Are we going together?" Konan asked.
"I won't show myself. You and Kisame will negotiate with him."
Although his voice had changed, it was still Nagato speaking.
"Understood."
Konan knew what Nagato meant. Nagato's personal presence would be a form of intimidation, preventing Su Xiao from escaping after rejecting the recruitment.
In a back alley of the Rain Ninja Village, inside an underground room.
"You guys usually stay here?" Su Xiao asked, sitting in the damp room with a look of disdain. The treatment of Akatsuki members wasn't great. Didn't these rogue ninjas have any complaints?
Kisame leaned against the wall nearby, seemingly unfazed by the damp environment.
"I'm a rogue ninja, so I can't appear in public. Most of the time, we don't stay in the Rain Ninja Village. Akatsuki doesn't restrict its members' movements. As long as you complete your missions when assigned, that's fine."
The door pushed open, and a blue-haired beauty walked into the room. Although Su Xiao knew this was Konan, he wouldn't show it. That would be suicidal. Feigning ignorance was a good way to stay hidden.
Su Xiao wasn't stupid enough to say to Nagato, "I know how things will play out. You'll single-handedly take on Konoha Village, only to have some rich second-generation lower your IQ with protagonist aura and talk you to death."
Su Xiao sized up Konan. He had to admit, the real-life Konan was a great beauty with a good figure and a unique aura.
"So, this is the leader of Akatsuki?"
Konan showed no expression. Su Xiao's current arrogant and unruly demeanor was normal. Without that kind of arrogance, he wouldn't have tried to assassinate the Fourth Mizukage and nearly succeeded.
"I'm not the leader of Akatsuki, but I can represent him."
Konan sat down, also sizing up Su Xiao.
"Do you agree to join us?"
"Yes."
Su Xiao's straightforwardness surprised Konan.
"If I said no, would I leave here alive?"
"No."
"No."
Konan and Kisame said in unison.
"So, to keep my life, I'll join you. But I have conditions regarding treatment. Otherwise, don't expect me to risk my life for you."
Su Xiao hadn't slipped up yet. His assassination of the Fourth Mizukage was a commission, and now joining Akatsuki was portrayed as a move for profit.
"That's no problem. What do you want? Ninjutsu? Secret techniques? Money? Women? We can provide all of that. But first, you need to prove your worth."
Su Xiao, who had been lounging in his chair, sat up straight. Joining Akatsuki couldn't be based on just words and past deeds. He had to demonstrate his value to gain the organization's trust and eventually participate in the tailed beast capture operations.
"Worth... meaning what I can do, what I'm good at?"
"Yes."
"Is that so..."
Su Xiao pretended to think.
"I'm skilled in behind-enemy-lines assassinations, demolitions, intelligence gathering, assassinating enemy leaders, setting up complex traps, disguise, frontal assaults, and long-range sniping. My maximum effective range is 1.2 to 1.4 kilometers..."
As Su Xiao listed his specialties, Konan's frown deepened. She thought he was exaggerating.
"You're also skilled in demolitions? Then what should one pay attention to in demolitions?"
Konan seemed to be making small talk, but that wasn't the case. She was probing Su Xiao for information.
"Demolitions is a bit complicated. It mainly involves predicting the terrain, the target's size, density, and shape, as well as considering the environment. Among them..."
Su Xiao began explaining the specifics of demolitions. Konan was skilled with explosive tags, but she wasn't a demolition expert. Her method of using explosive tags was crude and straightforward.
At first, Konan could understand what Su Xiao was saying, but as he went deeper, she started to get lost. By the time he got to bomb formulation and numerous chemical formulas, Konan was completely baffled, though she pretended to follow along.
"These are the basics of demolitions. I still have about four-fifths left to explain."
Su Xiao cleared his throat, ready to continue. Kisame's eye twitched; he was almost falling asleep.
"Ahem~, let's save that for later. Let's talk about the treatment."
From Su Xiao's knowledge of demolitions, Konan realized he wasn't exaggerating earlier.
"I won't ask for too much. I'm currently being hunted by the Mist Ninja Village's Anbu. They can't do much to me, but it's annoying. As for other benefits, we can discuss that later, since I haven't made any contributions yet."
Su Xiao wasn't going to ask for too much. His main quest time was running out, and he needed to join a faction quickly.
"Is that so? We'll handle the Mist Ninja's pursuit for you. If you want, you can take revenge later, but it has to be on your own behalf."
"Deal."
Su Xiao replied decisively. Outside the door, Tendo walked away.
"Welcome to Akatsuki. You won't regret this choice."
Konan extended her hand, and Su Xiao did the same.
"I hope so."
[Tip: Main Quest: Choice (Completed). Submit? Yes/No.]
Su Xiao chose to submit, earning 3,000 Paradise Coins. More prompts followed.
[Warning: The Hunter has joined the Akatsuki organization. World area difficulty has significantly increased. Raised to a level where the Hunter should proceed with caution.]
[World difficulty increased. Main quest has been adjusted accordingly.]
[Main Quest: The Withered Tree.]
Difficulty Level: Lv.34.
Quest Description: Assist Nagato in destroying Konoha Village.
Quest Information: This is the final stage of the main quest.
Quest Time Limit: 60 natural days.
Quest Reward: 50,000 Paradise Coins, Soul Crystal (Medium) x10, 12 Attribute Points.
Quest Penalty: All Attributes -8.
...
Seeing the main quest, Su Xiao felt terrible. He finally understood why so few contractors joined the Akatsuki organization. The world difficulty would skyrocket.
What did Lv.34 difficulty mean? It meant Su Xiao could encounter enemies he couldn't defeat, with a high chance of death.
This was the terrifying aspect of an open world. A single action could drastically increase the world's difficulty.
Lv.34 was dangerous, but with caution, it wasn't certain death. This was world difficulty, not quest difficulty.
Su Xiao let out a long breath. From today onward, he was a member of the Akatsuki organization, wearing a stylish uniform and cutting down enemies.