Naruto: I'm really not an evil scientist!

However, unlike others, Nagato, as always, used the form of Pain to conceal his true form, preventing outsiders from seeing it.

He was like a mysterious mastermind, hiding in the shadows and controlling everything.

Compared to before, the Akatsuki organization is now much stronger.

In addition to logistical enhancements, the main combat personnel are also highly talented.

The first to join was Orochimaru, one of the legendary Sannin of Konoha. He was extremely intelligent, ruthless, and had a very high reputation in the ninja world.

The second to join was Kakuzu, a rogue ninja who had fought against the First Hokage. He was experienced, strong, and his obsession with money made him ruthless in battle.

The third one, who recently joined, is Sasori of the Red Sand. He is skilled in puppetry and can create various powerful puppets, which greatly assists in battle.

These three are all quite influential figures.

Kakuzu goes without saying; he's an ancient monster who has experienced countless battles and accumulated a wealth of experience.

Orochimaru was the Third Hokage's personal disciple. He was exceptionally talented and had in-depth knowledge of ninjutsu.

Sasori of the Red Sand is Chiyo's grandson, who inherited the family's talent for puppetry.

These three rogue ninjas varied in strength, but one thing was certain: they all hated Konoha.

Orochimaru was expelled from Konoha, losing all face, and his heart was filled with resentment towards Konoha.

Kakuzu was defeated by the First Hokage and persecuted by the village, forcing him to defect and flee. He harbored deep hatred for Konoha.

Sasori of the Red Sand, on the other hand, had a blood feud with Konoha's White Fang, who killed his own family. This hatred filled him with hostility towards Konoha.

As is well known, Kakashi, the son of White Fang, has the potential to become the Sixth Hokage, which has deepened Sasori's hatred for Konoha.

Nagato didn't just randomly pick people.

Even though it was difficult to find Kage-level experts, he still chose as many people as possible who had a grudge against Konoha.

He had his own plan in mind, wanting to use these people who hated Konoha to achieve his goals.

The Akatsuki organization is much stronger now than before, but Hiruko is cunning and wicked, with no morals whatsoever. He's like a venomous snake lurking in the shadows, ready to deliver a fatal blow at any moment.

Therefore, to be on the safe side, Nagato decided to wait and see for a while.

He has gathered everyone to deal with some internal matters within the organization.

"Kakuzu, regarding your previous suggestion to have Kazeka Nuta join Akatsuki, I agree and allow him to join as a candidate," Nagato said slowly, looking at Kakuzu.

Fuuka Naoto, the younger brother of Fuuka Hayate, the ruler of the Land of Snow.

He was originally a person who lived a life of luxury, but for some reason, he insisted on making things difficult for Konoha.

Even though Nagato and Konoha didn't get along, he thought this person was too foolish, like a madman blinded by ambition, rushing forward recklessly.

However, despite his foolishness, his reaction was relatively timely.

After paying a high price to have Kakuzu heal his injuries, he even promised to join the Akatsuki organization with a large sum of money and the method to make the chakra armor.

Nagato didn't suspect that he had any other motives. After all, he was now wanted by both the Land of Snow and Konoha, like a rat crossing the street, hated by everyone.

In this situation, it's extremely rare for an organization to accept him.

Secular forces dislike a regicide like him, and the major and minor ninja villages dare not offend Konoha because of him, since Konoha's strength is undeniable and no one wants to provoke it easily.

But after much deliberation, Nagato decided to allow him to join.

Besides the vast amount of treasure the other party had accumulated in foreign lands—this person had also left himself a way out, mainly because he valued his chakra armor technology.

This technology... is really interesting.

There is still much room for improvement.

Akatsuki is developing rapidly, and so is Konoha.

If one can acquire this technology, it would be a certain benefit.

Anyway, this guy is a scaredy-cat right now, so there's no need to worry about him causing trouble. Let him stay in a base for now and do some in-depth research on chakra armor.

After the announcement of Feng Hua Nu Tao's joining, no one reacted; they were like a group of indifferent bystanders, unconcerned about everything.

After all, they are a group of rogue ninjas; what kind of reaction can we expect from them?

Nagato then looked at Kakuzu.

"Do you have any suggestions?" Nagato looked at Kakuzu first for a reason.

Sasori of the Red Sand is a man of exceptional skill and ability.

However, he has an eccentric personality, like a solitary traveler, and it is difficult for outsiders to communicate with him.

He joined Akatsuki entirely because of Nagato's pressure, and he may still harbor many grievances.

It is foreseeable that for a considerable period of time, he will remain silent and observe, like a hunter hiding in the shadows, waiting for the right opportunity.

As for Orochimaru... I don't know what's wrong with him, but recently he opened a base in the Land of Rice Fields and started researching childcare, clearly intending to establish a sect and create a ninja village.

Although she was the first to join Akatsuki and invited Kakuzu to join as well, she is now basically completely indifferent to the affairs of the Akatsuki organization, like a traveler who has found a new direction and no longer yearns for the original path.

I don't know what she's thinking; perhaps she has bigger ambitions.

...Fortunately, these two guys have a deep hatred for Konoha, so they shouldn't betray us, Nagato thought to himself.

And Kakuzu… “Investing in new energy vehicles now—yes, those three-wheeled vehicles—is a fantastic opportunity!” “We should put our money in; we’re sure to make a fortune!”

“Let me tell you, a three-wheeled vehicle that only costs 20,000 taels to produce is being sold for 50,000 taels! And if you don’t have connections, you absolutely can’t buy it! If it were us…”

Kakuzu spoke excitedly, his eyes gleaming with greed, as if he could already see a huge pile of money beckoning to him.

With the five great nations and five great ninja villages now relatively peaceful, it is indeed quite difficult for the Akatsuki organization, which acts as a hunting dog in war, to make money.

But when it comes to investing... we're terrorists, bro.

Do you really know what you're saying? Nagato thought helplessly to himself. However, even before Kakuzu joined the Akatsuki, Nagato already knew that he was such a miserly person who loved money more than anything.

Among rogue ninjas, his greedy nature could even be considered precious, since in this world full of hatred and killing, there are few people like him who only pursue money.

"Invest if you like, just don't invest with Hiruko," Nagato secretly decided.

“Funds are indeed important… but are there any other things?” Nagato looked at Kakuzu and asked slowly.

"Yes, there's a huge deal here worth 55 billion!"

"...Oh? Kill whom?"

"Kill Berlugh! It seems like a group of internal combustion engine merchants came together!"

"Kill Beiliu Hu...Are they insane?"

"That's right, but it seems they have no other way to go besides doing this."

"Is that so... wait, who did you say you were going to invest in?"

Chapter 303

"New energy sources."

"Konoha is developing a new energy source?"

"Yeah, what's wrong?" Nagato clutched his liver, feeling a dull ache there.

What kind of weirdos are these?

It certainly seemed like something Kakuzu would do; he always managed to do things that surprised people… But since he said it so directly, it didn’t seem like a betrayal, Nagato thought to himself.

In short, Nagato decided to send Human Path Pain over to check on the situation.

After all, the enemy of my enemy is also my friend.

After the New Year, the spring breeze swept across the land, and the snow that had accumulated for so long finally began to disperse.

The earth has come back to life, trees have sprouted new buds, and flowers are blooming in profusion.

Unfortunately, Hiruko could no longer hibernate and had to take action.

He was like a wild beast awakened by spring, beginning to stir with restlessness.

"Something terrible has happened."

"This is really a big deal." Hiruko sat on one side of the three-wheeled vehicle, sipping bottled green tea, and sighed softly, his tone tinged with tension and excitement.

"What happened, Lord Hiruko?" The girl sitting on the other side of the three-wheeled vehicle turned around and looked at Hiruko curiously.

The girl was quite young, in the prime of her youth and adorable years.

She had a very gentle princess cut hairstyle, and her big eyes were filled with the curiosity of a fawn, like an innocent little elf.

She is Feng Hua Xiaoxue.

The only heir of the Snow Country's ruler, Kazeka Saya.

As for why she was traveling with Hiruko... it was obviously to avoid the swarm of suitors who had designs on her.

For basic safety reasons, the Fuuka father and daughter will not leave the Land of Fire until Konoha has completely dealt with those Snow Ninja. However, it is still somewhat inappropriate for them to refuse to pay their respects to the host while on someone else's territory.

So after entrusting Kazahana Koyuki to Konoha, Kazahana Hayate, under the protection of several elite Konoha ninjas, went to meet the Daimyo of the Land of Fire.

After all, she is a future household name superstar. Even if Feng Hua Xiaoxue is only in the loli stage, she can still attract the hearts of many people, just like a bright star, attracting everyone's attention... Beiruhu was too lazy to expose them.

He just wants to be the son-in-law of the Snow Country.

After the disappearance of Fuuka and Nata, the Snow Country was left with only the Hayayuki faction, which gave those with ambitions an opportunity.

Whether Xiaoxue was willing or not, the wheel of fate had ruthlessly pushed her to the throne of the Snow Kingdom Queen.

However, Zao Xue doted on his daughter to an extreme degree, and he simply couldn't bear to let his beloved daughter shoulder that heavy and demanding responsibility.

...In fact, Hiruko knew in her heart that the mysterious Shadow Mirror Body Transformation Technique of the Land of Demons might be able to permanently solve this problem—this technique can permanently change a person's gender.

But he dared not mention it easily, knowing that if he did, Hayasu would fight him to the death.

Thus, the idea of ​​having a son-in-law raise a son quietly came to mind.

Many talented young people keenly realized that this might be their only chance to change their destiny.

After all, given Zao Xue's personality, he would never easily let his daughter appear in public unless it was this time when she was far away from her hometown and there was no way to avoid it.

Therefore, during the time that Xiaoxue stayed in Konoha, countless young talents came from all directions, hoping to win the heart of the beauty and marry her.

If she were a princess from another country, even if she agreed, she would still have to obey her family's arrangements.