Chapter 147 (Patreon)

Kisame Hoshigaki had already begun silently circulating the chakra within his body.

If Yujiro tried to interrogate him for information about the Akatsuki, Kisame would do everything in his power to escape.

And if escape proved impossible, he would take his own life.

Yujiro laughed softly. “Kisame, you don’t honestly believe that man is Uchiha Madara, do you?”

“What?!”

Kisame’s expression changed instantly.

Those words revealed far more than they appeared to.

There was no need to ask who Yujiro meant. He was obviously referring to the masked man.

Kisame was the only member of the Akatsuki who had seen the face beneath Uchiha Obito’s mask. Even so, he had always believed that the masked man was truly Uchiha Madara.

Yujiro chuckled. “Do you really think Uchiha Madara would be that weak?”

“Think carefully about what that man has done over the years.”

“Then think about who Uchiha Madara really was.”

“I’ll give you ten minutes. If you want to learn the truth, follow me.”

With that, Yujiro turned and walked away.

Kisame remained where he was, silently contemplating Yujiro’s words.

Yujiro leisurely made his way over to Deidara and Sasori.

Hidan and Kakuzu had already been persuaded to defect from the Akatsuki.

Konan’s situation was mostly settled as well, and Yujiro had his own way of dealing with her.

That left only the Akatsuki’s artistic duo.

“Itachi! Where are you?” Yujiro called out.

The moment Uchiha Itachi heard him, he appeared beside Yujiro with the Body Flicker Technique.

“Yujiro-san, I’m here.”

“I’ll leave Deidara to you.” Yujiro grinned. “Make sure you teach him a proper lesson.”

“Yes, Yujiro-san!”

Itachi immediately accepted the order.

Deidara stared at the two of them in bewilderment.

What did he mean by leaving him to Itachi?

And what was that about teaching him a lesson?!

Yujiro ignored both Deidara and Itachi, leaving them to settle matters themselves.

He then turned his attention to Sasori of the Red Sand.

With a snap of his fingers, Yujiro manipulated gravity and instantly shattered the puppet shell surrounding Sasori’s true body.

“Sasori, aren’t you embarrassed? What’s the point of hiding inside such an ugly puppet every day?”

Sasori stared at Yujiro in horror.

His puppet had been completely helpless against him!

And he had just called it ugly?!

“Join me, or I’ll destroy the puppet body you’re using right now. You have three seconds to decide.”

Yujiro looked at Sasori with a faint smile.

Sasori was shaken once again.

Had Yujiro seen through the secret of his puppet body with a single glance?!

Considering the methods Yujiro had displayed earlier, Sasori had no doubt that one snap of his fingers might be enough to erase his body completely.

If his body was destroyed, how could he continue creating art?

“I’ll join you!”

After weighing the advantages and disadvantages in an instant, Sasori hurriedly gave his answer.

“Very good.”

Yujiro smiled. Sasori had made up his mind before he could even begin counting.

Finally, Yujiro walked over to Konan.

“That leaves you.”

“I…” Konan lowered her head and whispered, “I want to see true peace.”

“I see.”

Yujiro nodded before stretching his arms.

Recruiting every member of the Akatsuki and bringing them under his command seemed far more interesting than simply eliminating them.

Given the ambitions of Obito, Orochimaru, and Black Zetsu, they would undoubtedly make a comeback sooner or later.

Increasing Konoha’s fighting strength in preparation for that moment seemed like a wise choice.

Just then, Kisame approached Yujiro with a grave expression.

“I want…to know the truth.”

“You’ll have your chance,” Yujiro replied with a faint smile.

Meanwhile, Deidara had also been defeated by Uchiha Itachi’s Sharingan.

After all, Deidara currently had no means of countering the Sharingan.

Yujiro exchanged points with the system for several contracts.

Thanks to his extraordinarily precise perception, Yujiro knew that none of them were likely to cause any trouble.

Even so, it was always better to have an additional safeguard.

Once the contracts were signed, they were truly placed under Yujiro’s control.

Through the contracts, Yujiro could order them to do anything, much like the maid contract.

After everything was settled, Yujiro turned and walked over to Minato.

“Minato-san, I’ll leave the arrangements for them to you.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll take care of everything,” Minato replied. “I’ll let them rest for a few days, then personally arrange their positions in Konoha.”

“All right.”

Yujiro nodded.

Aside from shock, the only emotion remaining in Minato’s eyes was deep admiration.

Yujiro’s strength, reputation, and methods had already surpassed everything they could have imagined.

The mysterious Akatsuki organization had been dealt with almost effortlessly.

Not only that, but Yujiro had even persuaded most of its members to defect with astonishing ease.

From this day forward, Konoha’s strength would rise to an entirely new level.

Crushing the rest of the shinobi world would no longer be a problem.

With everything settled, the group returned to Konoha.

Minato did not conceal how the incident had unfolded. He had the complete battle report publicly posted on the notice board outside the Hokage Building.

When Konoha’s shinobi and civilians read the report, the entire village erupted in celebration.

Once they learned that Yujiro had subdued most of the Akatsuki’s members, their cheers grew even louder.

The villagers’ admiration for Yujiro had already reached the point of worship.

Meanwhile, the man responsible for this remarkable feat was reclining leisurely in a rocking chair in his courtyard.

Minato had temporarily placed the other Akatsuki members in a secure ANBU facility within Konoha.

Konan, however, had made a request of Yujiro.

She wanted to live with him.

Yujiro did not refuse.

Konan had made the decision of her own free will, and she had already become utterly disappointed in Nagato.

Nagato had even tried to kill her that day. That betrayal had plunged Konan into complete despair.

Yujiro was the one who gave her hope again.

Because of that, Konan willingly chose to follow him. As long as she could remain by his side, she was satisfied.

Kurenai Yūhi and the others did not object to Konan joining them.

Moreover, Tsunade and Konan were already acquainted.

After learning about everything Konan had endured, they all felt sympathy for her.

Overall, the members of this large household got along extremely well.

Konan also decided to remain there as Yujiro’s maid.

As long as…Yujiro did not dislike having her around, that was enough for her.

Yujiro spent an entire month resting.

During that month, Konan gradually became part of the household.

The lingering darkness within her heart also disappeared without a trace.

In Konoha, she finally found the peace Yujiro had spoken of.

The people living in the village wore genuine smiles on their faces.

As for the other former members of the Akatsuki, they were not treated as outsiders. Before long, they also began to accept Konoha from the bottom of their hearts.

Yujiro watched all of this unfold with a relaxed smile.

As expected, achieving peace required people to form bonds with one another and gradually develop a sense of belonging.

Having confirmed his thoughts, Yujiro immediately contacted Minato.

It was time to arrange positions for every former member of the Akatsuki.