Chapter 396: Conspiracy
While the Chunin Exams in Konoha was in full swing, Akatsuki did not just sit idly.
Konoha, Iwagakure, Sunagakure, and Kumogakure, the Four Great Shinobi Countries were focused on the Chunin Exams, with even the village Kage present in Konoha.
Nagato saw it as an excellent opportunity.
He picked up the pace, sending even Pain and Konan to entice small villages to rely on Akatsuki.
This was the best opportunity to capture the Tailed Beasts, but Nagato believed it was too hasty as Akatsuki had just begun their operations and it was too early to take on the Five Great Shinobi Countries.
With the absence of the Kage and some of their Shinobi, this was the best chance they got.
For countries like the Land of Rice Field, which didn't have a shinobi village and suffered from political corruption, it was easy Zetsu to gather evidence of the higher brass' crimes, threaten them, and then manipulate them.
Against countries with shinobi villages, they could use Zetsu's abilities to gather information to instigate conflicts between the countries. In the end, the Akatsuki would step in with a tempting offer and monopolize all the shinobi missions.
With Akatsuki operating at full scale, the small nations would be quickly brought under their control.
On top of monopolizing the shinobi missions, they would take on any mission with a high pay, including but not limited to assassination, killing powerful Shinobi, and stealing confidential documents.
As long as the price was right and the mission did not involve suicidal mission like attacking the five Great Shinobi Countries, the Akatsuki were willing to take on any mission.