Chapter 18: The Ring
Having successfully joined the Akatsuki, although the world difficulty had increased significantly, it wasn't without other benefits.
[Notification: The Hunter has joined the Akatsuki faction. The faction shop is now open.]
[Faction shop opened. Current contribution points: 0.]
[Hunters can use contribution points to exchange items at the faction shop.]
[As the Akatsuki faction is a Neutral Chaos faction, the favorability is Friendly Neutral. No improvement is possible.]
[Hunters must act with caution. Any suspicious behavior will cause Akatsuki members to attack you.]
A series of notifications appeared. As a major power in the Naruto world, the Akatsuki naturally had a faction shop, similar to the CCG Contribution Shop in the Tokyo Ghoul world.
The faction shop was located within Amegakure. Su Xiao had already learned its exact location. As for how to earn contribution points, it seemed he would need to execute missions issued by the Akatsuki.
After Su Xiao joined the Akatsuki, Konan left the room and returned shortly after, holding a black cloak with red clouds and a ring.
"The Akatsuki doesn't have many rules. You must wear this attire when executing missions, and under no circumstances can you remove this ring."
Su Xiao took the black and red cloud cloak, draped it over his shoulders, and examined the ring in his hand.
The ring was unremarkable, with a gem the size of a dragon's eye on the band, engraved with the character 'Kuu' (空).
The previous owner of this ring was a man named Orochimaru, who hadn't been a member long before being 'persuaded to leave' by Itachi. Thus, the ring had been vacant.
[Ring of Kuu]
Origin: Naruto
Quality: Purple
Category: Ring (This is a plot item, does not conflict with equipped gear.)
Durability: 30/30
Equipment Requirement: Official Akatsuki Member
Equipment Effect: Body Path Technique (Active) – After use, constructs a phantom clone at a specific location.
Hint: The phantom clone can last for a maximum of 36 hours.
Hint: Body Path Technique (Active) consumes 100 Mana Points per use.
Rating: 101
Description: Standard issue item of the Akatsuki organization.
Price: Ownership not obtained. Cannot be sold or taken out of this derivative world.
Akatsuki members were scattered across the world and generally didn't stay in Amegakure. Nagato would use the 'Body Path Technique' to gather the phantom clones of Akatsuki members.
Not only for gatherings, but Konan also used this technique for issuing daily missions.
Furthermore, through this ring, Su Xiao could sense the positions of other Akatsuki members, and they could sense his. This allowed members to find each other.
This ring functioned as both a long-range communication device and a locator. Without it, the Akatsuki organization would be scattered and communication would be too inconvenient.
"Understood."
Su Xiao put the ring on his right hand. His left hand was encased in a crimson metal bracer, making it impossible to wear a ring there.
"So... what do I do next?"
Having just joined the Akatsuki, the organization would surely want him to offer a 'pledge of allegiance,' meaning he'd have to do something 'bad' to prove his loyalty.
"Go find your partner."
"Partner?"
Su Xiao was a bit puzzled. The Akatsuki currently had three teams, all consisting of pairs.
Itachi and Kisame's pair, Sasori and Deidara's pair, Kakuzu and Hidan's pair.
"Yes. They are in the River Country."
The River Country was located between the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind. It was a medium-sized, peaceful country. Because it bordered the Land of Fire and separated it from the Land of Wind, the Land of Fire wouldn't allow other countries to invade it.
Su Xiao didn't ask further. If there were Akatsuki members in the River Country, he could sense them through the 'Ring of Kuu'. He was curious about who this unknown partner was.
The negotiation ended here. Although Su Xiao appeared to be an official Akatsuki member, that wasn't entirely true. Konan had assigned him to a two-person team, making him the third member. The implication was clear: the other two were to monitor and observe Su Xiao.
Even though the Akatsuki had already investigated Su Xiao's background, a period of observation was necessary.
Konan stood up to leave the room but paused at the door as if remembering something.
"Oh, and one more thing. You cannot disclose information about the organization. Also, be careful of your two partners. Don't let them kill you."
Konan sighed and left the room. The Akatsuki had originally had many reserve members, but after the official teams were formed, many of them were killed. Kakuzu and Sasori had made significant 'contributions' to this.
Kakuzu, in particular, had several partners killed one after another. It wasn't until he met the oddball Hidan that, after many attempts, Hidan was still bouncing around, while Kakuzu had lost two of his hearts~
After Konan left, Kisame also departed, leaving only Su Xiao and Bubu Wang in the room.
Bubu Wang lay on the floor, his expression unchanged, but internally he had already given Kisame and Konan nicknames. In Bubu Wang's mind, Kisame's nickname was 'Dried Fish', and Konan's was 'Long-Legged Female Creature'.
Su Xiao lit a cigarette. Wisps of blue smoke curled upwards. His eyes narrowed slightly, as if he was deep in thought.
The first stage of the main mission was complete. As for destroying Konoha, Su Xiao wouldn't be involved in that for a while.
Nagato would eventually go to Konoha, but as long as one person was alive, Nagato wouldn't move to destroy it. That person was Itachi.
When Itachi joined the Akatsuki, he had made an agreement with Nagato. He agreed to work for the Akatsuki, and in return, Nagato couldn't attack Konoha or capture the Nine-Tails.
Given Itachi's current physical condition, he could hold on for a few more years. But soon, he would choose death for the sake of his younger brother, dying before his eyes went completely blind.
By now, Itachi's combat power had significantly decreased. The Mangekyō Sharingan was powerful, but its use constantly eroded his vision and body.
At this point, Itachi's vision was blurry beyond a dozen meters, and he couldn't see anything farther away clearly.
Between his clan and the village, Itachi chose the village. Between his brother and the village, Itachi chose his brother.
So, as long as Itachi was alive, Nagato wouldn't attack Konoha. Even Nagato was wary of an enraged Itachi.
Su Xiao didn't need to worry about these things for now. Nagato would definitely attack Konoha within two months; otherwise, the mission's difficulty would increase.
Before the attack on Konoha, Su Xiao needed to eliminate the Violators and capture the Jinchuriki.
Of these two tasks, he chose to capture the Jinchuriki first. That would greatly increase his strength, making it easier to deal with the Violators.
Before capturing the Jinchuriki, Su Xiao had one more thing to do: gain the Akatsuki's trust.
He outlined the sequence of events in his mind: Gain the Akatsuki's trust → Capture the Tailed Beasts → Kill the Violators → Assist Nagato in destroying Konoha.
Outside this sequence, there was also the free-for-all among Contractors and the Hunter Demon Set.
Weighing his options, Su Xiao decided not to actively participate in this. If he happened to encounter it, he could try to snatch it, but only on the condition that he wasn't surrounded by those three large adventure groups.
Let alone being surrounded by all three, being surrounded by just one could kill him. If it weren't for the three groups fighting each other earlier, he wouldn't have even considered getting involved. His initial plan was to fish in troubled waters, but as soon as he had that thought, Gulu had already succeeded, so he decisively gave up.