Chapter 344: The Dawn of the Akatsuki Organization
"We'll worry about the future later. Right now, our problem is, what do we do first?"
After a long silence, Yahiko finally spoke. The preliminary operations written in Kawakaze's scroll were too vague to count as an actionable strategy.
"Sensei's general direction is correct," Nagato said thoughtfully. "Even if we use force to conquer the Land of Rain, we'll still need people to manage it. So recruiting soldiers is the first step."
Nagato's reasoning was sound. With only five people in their group, managing an entire country was out of the question.
"Nagato is right," Nonō agreed, her tone supportive.
"So, where do we go to recruit people?" Konan asked, as usual turning to others for answers. Aside from money matters, she rarely took the lead in thinking through problems.
"Stupid," Kakuzu scoffed dismissively. "The big fish eat the little fish, and the little fish eat the shrimp. Do you really need to ask something so obvious?"
"You're stupid, and your whole family is stupid!" Konan shot back without missing a beat.
"Sorry, I'm the only one in my family," Kakuzu retorted. "And unfortunately, I'm still smarter than you."
Kakuzu had long since figured out Konan's temperament. The more carefree she acted, the more he got under her skin.
"Stop. We're talking business," Yahiko interjected, making a halting gesture. He couldn't remember how many times he'd had to be the peacemaker between these two.