Naruto: Starting with Tsunade

Chapter 170 The Creation of the "Akatsuki" Organization

Kakuzu is very interested in anything involving money, but as an old man over fifty, he must maintain his composure and give a cold snort to show his arrogance.

Aokiji patiently explained, "By learning this, you can better manage your funds and avoid being scammed."

After saying that, Aokiji casually gave an example of a company's accountant deceiving the boss by embezzling public funds to go to prostitutes, which led to a cash flow problem and bankruptcy.

Upon hearing this, Kakuzu immediately abandoned any pretense of modesty, revealing himself as a man who valued money more than life itself.

What he absolutely could not tolerate was that while he was working hard on the front lines to earn money, the accountant behind him would embezzle public funds, and he himself would be completely oblivious to it.

To make it easier for Kakuzu to accept, Aokiji offered to pay the tuition with money, which finally convinced Kakuzu to accept.

"That sounds like it might be of some use." Kakuzu reluctantly accepted.

As for how Aokiji knew this thing, he had no interest in knowing.

Aokiji smiled.

If you ask him why he's so familiar with the accounting profession, and even able to prepare financial statements, it's simply because that's what he did before he transmigrated...

His cause of death was revising reports at the beginning of the month; he died suddenly...

Aokiji deeply regrets choosing the wrong industry in the first place.

Putting everything else aside, the salary increase alone is enough to shut you down.

Here are a few examples:

This is what it looks like when the sales department asks their boss for a raise.

Boss, because of my joining this year, our sales have increased by a few percentage points compared to the same period last year. Whether or not to raise wages is up to you.

The boss thought it made sense, slapped his thigh, and decided to raise wages.

When the R&D department talks about raising salaries, the tone is like this: "Boss, thanks to my joining this year, our product has become more competitive than other similar products and sold at a better price. Boss, how about a raise?"

The boss thought it made sense.

A raise is a must.

However, this is what happened when it came to the accountant.

Boss, since I joined, the company's reports have been several days earlier and the data is more accurate. Do you think I can get a raise?

The boss looked at his accountant with an idiotic expression, thinking to himself, "Isn't it expected that you can do all this?"

Since the accounting department does not directly generate economic income, that is, it does not directly generate profits, in the eyes of the boss, you belong to the pure "expense" category.

We're already being lenient by not deducting your salary; you want a raise?

wishful thinking!

Damn it, not only is the pay low and the work exhausting, but I also have to worry about this and that all the time.

Colleagues often joke with each other that being an accountant is like having the mindset of selling heroin, but earning the money of carrying bricks on a construction site.

Oh ~

It might be better to work on a construction site carrying bricks, since the wages aren't as high...

Aokiji thought his lousy profession was completely useless in this time travel, but he never expected that he could actually fool Kakuzu and even trick him into paying tuition.

I suddenly realized how important it is to have a skill; you never know when you might need it.

Aokiji, trying to sound clever, said, "Since I'm teaching you accounting, shouldn't you call me 'teacher'?"

Upon hearing this, Kakuzu's face immediately darkened.

"Just kidding, don't be angry." Aokiji coughed twice, changing the subject: "Since we have the same goal, let's talk about the specifics of how to kidnap the daimyo's son and extort a ransom."

Kakuzu nodded, thinking that extorting the daimyo's son would surely bring in a hefty ransom.

How much will he extort?

"Since you initiated this kidnapping, then you can plan it."

After several encounters, Kakuzu came to trust Aokiji's intelligence, especially his ability to make money.

As the project leader, Aokiji suggested, "Since we're going to be operating as a group—or rather, starting a business as a group—we need to come up with a catchy name so that we can get started."

"I don't care, you decide for yourself." Kakuzu's role is very clear: he's a henchman, doing similar work to the bounty hunters he used to be. After the job is done, he'll get his share of the profits.

"Well, in that case, I'm going to name it Xiao, which means to use money to enlighten the world."

At this time, the Akatsuki organization had not yet been established, and Aokiji decisively took action to seize the trademark.

"Hmph, you're acting all high and mighty," Kakuzu teased. "You didn't actually come up with this name while you were in prison, did you?"

"Of course, I even came up with the organization's slogan." When Aokiji was in prison, his motivation at that time was to think about how to get out and take revenge.

"Wow, they even have slogans! That's really interesting."

Kakuzu found it amusing; the kidnapping of the daimyo's son was being done like a childish game, making him act like a little devil.

But then I thought about it again, and realized that Aokiji really was still a kid.

Kakuzu gave Aokiji a meaningful look. At such a young age, he had such ambition and the talent to match it. It was hard to imagine what he would become when he grew up.

However... if one doesn't even have this much ambition, talent, and courage, then one is not worthy of conspiring with Kakuzu to make money.

"What slogan?"

Kakuzu curled the corners of his mouth slightly beneath his mask.

Aokiji raised his arms and declared, "We don't generate money; we're just porters of the treasury."

Kakuzu: ...

Although it makes me want to complain, it actually sounds like there's some truth to it.

After all, in some ways, robbery and extortion are no different for porters...

The only difference is that the object being moved is money.

Given the experience of the original "Akatsuki" organization failing, Aokiji did not intend to act as a duo when creating this organization. Instead, he planned to adopt a strategy of mutual support, similar to the Phantom Troupe, where all members would be present during missions.

Although the efficiency was slightly lower than when they were separated, the advantage was that they never made a mistake. Moreover, Aokiji needed Kakuzu, a Kage-level figure, to keep his subordinates in check and prevent them from having any wicked thoughts.

When creating an organization, it is crucial to first ensure that you identify those who can be truly absorbed and those who are merely tools to be used and discarded.

"Brother Kakuzu, do you have a suitable candidate to inhale into the Akatsuki?" Aokiji asked.

Kakuzu has been a bounty hunter for so many years, he should have suitable candidates to recruit.

Kakuzu said in a deep voice, "Whether it's suitable or not, we'll only know after we get to know each other."

He usually keeps to himself and doesn't interact with his peers.

"That's true."

Aokiji nodded in agreement. In short, let's take it slow; he wasn't in a hurry.

Even if you gather manpower, kidnapping the daimyo's son is not something you can do right away. You need a plan, you need to practice, and you even need to think about whether there is an escape plan in case the operation fails. All of this takes time.

Aokiji reminded him, "Oh, by the way, it's best if the two of us do the searching for our companions ourselves. Don't just dump it on your subordinates and become a hands-off manager. This kind of thing can't be taken lightly. If the news leaks out, we're both finished."

"You're really cautious..."

"Given our past offenses, it's been a while since we've done anything righteous. Shall we find an easy target and practice?"

"Acting on behalf of Heaven?" Kakuzu chuckled. "That sounds really nice."

Aokiji disagreed: "I am a man of principle. I only rob those who are truly wicked and evil. In this way, I am naturally acting on behalf of Heaven."

Kakuzu thought about it carefully and realized it was true.

"This is such a hassle..."

Aokiji shrugged: "Anyway, the world has no shortage of wealthy people with questionable character. You can get money and peace of mind on a moral level, so why not?"

Kakuzu nodded in agreement, without denying it.

"Then it's settled. Let's investigate our targets together, and meet at a teahouse nearby in two weeks."

"Two weeks? Does it really take that long?"

Kakuzu felt that this kind of thing would only take two or three days.

"Comparing multiple options and being cautious is never a bad idea. Plus, you can take the opportunity to recruit like-minded people into the organization."

Kakuzu listened and thought it made a lot of sense, so he simply agreed.

"In that case, I'll be going now to investigate suitable targets."

Aokiji stood up, preparing to leave. In fact, he had lied and was not as cautious as he claimed.

Instead, he promised to go on a date with Tsunade in a while, so he could only work hard as a laborer to make money while he went on his date.

Watching the boy leave, Kakuzu, completely unaware of the situation, was quite pleased with Aokiji's money-making scheme.

Since even a little brat is working so hard to make money, Kakuzu can't be left behind. He has to get moving and work hard to make money too.

Thinking of this, Kakuzu decided not to linger any longer and walked out of the room. His subordinates gave him a fawning smile: "Brother Kakuzu, you've only rested for a few days, and you're already throwing yourself into work?"

"Um."

Kakuzu gave a casual reply and closed the door behind him as he left.

After Kakuzu left, his two underlings looked on with admiration and started chatting: "Brother Kakuzu, you really work hard. You've already earned more money than you could spend in several lifetimes, yet you're still working so hard."

"Yes, yes, I really admire Kakuzu-san. Even someone as rich as him works so hard to earn money, so we have no reason not to work hard, right?"

That's exactly what I meant.

…………

A week later, as agreed, Aokiji arrived at the designated location ahead of schedule.

Since he didn't know exactly when Tsunade would complete her mission, and there were no mobile phones or other communication tools available in this era, he could only wait for Tsunade using this method.

Aokiji sat in the teahouse for a long time, when suddenly his vision darkened and a clear, bell-like voice came from behind him: "Guess who I am."

A warm sensation spread across her eyes; it was a pair of hands, leaving her stunned.

The voice was so familiar that even a fool could guess who it was.

"I'm not deaf."

As soon as he finished speaking, his vision suddenly brightened, and the hands covering his eyes were removed.

"This is pointless. Can't you just pretend you don't know?"

A mournful voice came from behind him, and Aokiji turned around to see Tsunade pouting and muttering to herself.

P.S.: I had some coffee, so I'm feeling more energetic. I'll probably write another chapter in the middle of the night. By the way, yesterday's chapter was a 6000+ word combined chapter, but last night I was too sleepy and forgot to split it into separate chapters.

(End of this chapter)