In front of the Central Tower of the Land of Rain, inside a massive conference hall that had just been completed, representatives from every nation gathered for a summit.
Attendees included daimyō, governnt officials, and their guards, nearly a hundred people in total. The atmosphere was outwardly cordial: smiles all around, polite greetings, diplomatic pleasantries.
That said, most of them quietly hoped Akio would have a very bad day.
Akio felt deeply wronged by this.
From the mont he entered, he had barely spoken, just returning greetings when addressed. Other than that, he had remained perfectly silent, embodying the ideal of the quiet, composed elder.
But reality proved one thing very clearly:
If you're handso enough, people will find a reason to target you anyway.
Also… he wasn't quite that quiet.
Ever since acquiring the Truth-Seeking ball, now affectionately dubbed the "soccer ball"—Akio had discovered that it was endlessly entertaining.
Earlier, an official from the Land of Earth had been droning on and on. Akio, half asleep, had a sudden idea. With a bit of effort, he reshaped the surface of the ball into that official's face, then animated the mouth so it kept "blah blah blah"-ing on its own.
The official abruptly lost his train of thought mid-speech and sat down with a blank expression.
That was when Akio truly found his enjoynt.
Whenever soone talked too much, the ball gained their face.
If they were thick-skinned, Akio simply pinched their cheeks.
If they were really thick-skinned, he gave them a few symbolic slaps.
Instantly, the eting beca far more harmonious. No one jumped up to argue about power or influence anymore. Everyone suddenly beca very focused on discussing how to deal with "Dark Dawn."
The Land of Lightning had it the worst.
Mabui, the Fourth Raikage's secretary, was a strategist-type ninja, very much like Nara Shikaku. She had planned to secure more benefits for her village. Unfortunately, at only eighteen years old, her composure wasn't quite there yet. Her dark face flushed red several tis, and she hadn't dared to speak once.
At this mont, it was the young heir of that destroyed nation's turn to speak.
The boy, delicate-looking, almost girlish had changed greatly over the past six months since witnessing his country's annihilation. Training in swordsmanship had sharpened his presence, giving him a more resolute air. Standing before the crowd, his voice was still youthful, but his words were clear and well-structured as he personally condemned the cris of Dark Dawn.
Given what the kid had been through, Akio didn't have the heart to ss with him.
As the speech continued, Akio grew bored and casually glanced back at Kimimaro and the others.
Kimimaro looked genuinely interested.
Haku shrank back slightly, doing everything possible to avoid attention.
Karin clasped her hands together, eyes full of pleading, as if begging for rcy.
Akio chuckled. So dramatic. Deciding to spare her for now, he shifted his attention elsewhere.
After all, there were plenty of other ways to entertain himself.
His gaze moved to Obito's group nearby.
Rin sat upright, pen flying across the page as she ticulously recorded every word, gesture, and reaction from the eting. Thanks to Akio's antics, her hand was nearly cramping. Kakashi and Obito stood behind her on either side.
The three of them hadn't spoken once. Neither the Land of Fire nor Konoha had taken a clear stance yet, they were here purely to observe and docunt.
Sensing Akio's gaze, Obito's face fell. He turned toward Kakashi for help, only to find Kakashi returning the look with a perfectly synchronized dead-eyed stare.
They locked eyes, snorted dismissively, and turned away from each other.
Akio smiled, reshaped the ball into both their faces at once, and recreated a perfect "left scoff, right scoff" routine.
Rin's pen paused. She turned toward Akio and gave him a sweet smile, clearly having figured out his identity. Obito looked utterly shaken. Akio smiled back and casually clenched his fist, silently promising a post-eting "lesson."
As the young lord continued his emotional testimony, the hall grew noisier.
Hearing rumors was one thing. Hearing it directly from the sole survivor was another.
A nation of nearly a thousand people reduced to a single child overnight, it terrified many of the smaller countries.
Mifune of the Land of Iron rose next. He bowed deeply to Akio before speaking.
He called for unity among all nations to eradicate the unforgivable threat of Dark Dawn.
Akio stared at him for a mont before realizing
Ah. He's asking not to ss with his face.
After Mifune finished, only a handful of attendees remained silent. Most expressed support for jointly opposing Dark Dawn and sharing intelligence, but no one dared propose anything further.
Finally, Yahiko could no longer remain quiet.
"I never intended Akatsuki to exist solely to fight Dark Dawn," he said firmly. "I want a world without endless wars. Without children growing up as orphans. When conflicts arise between nations, I hope you won't resort to violence but instead use Akatsuki as a platform for dialogue."
Silence fell once more.
Gradually, all eyes turned toward Akio, who was calmly bouncing the ball.
Akio smiled and stopped playing around.
Since he had co personally, it was impossible for everyone to ignore him. It was ti to make his position clear.
With a light tap, the ball reshaped itself into the image of a young man with twin topknots.
"This is what Dark Dawn's leader looks like," Akio said evenly. "morize it. After the eting, Yahiko, have dozens of sketches made and distributed."
Yahiko nodded.
"Once you return ho, search actively. If you find him, notify . I'll handle it personally."
He paused, then shook his head slightly at Yahiko's hopeful look.
"I won't force peace. But I want at least one representative from each nation stationed in the Land of Rain to facilitate intelligence sharing. Major nations should also contribute one or two high-level shinobi to Akatsuki to verify reports. Don't feed false leads."
The demands were reasonable. Many visibly relaxed.
The smaller nations agreed almost instantly, they were the ones most desperate to eliminate Dark Dawn.
"We agree," Chiyo stated. Sasori remained silent.
"Takigakure will also join," Kakuzu added.
Akio smiled wryly. Old acquaintances do have a sense of loyalty.
Mist, Cloud, and Stone followed suit, unwilling to oppose him openly.
Rin turned slightly and gave Akio an apologetic look; she didn't have the authority to decide.
Akio nodded. No issue.
With the exception of the Land of Fire, every nation formally joined Akatsuki.
As the eting drew to a close, Akio stretched his wrists, fully intending to escort Obito outside for a "loving" knuckle-based discussion—when suddenly, a line of text flashed before his eyes:
"Witnessed and fundantally altered a main storyline event: The founding of Akatsuki.
Witness Points gained: 20 (×10)."
Akio frowned.
"Why now?" he muttered. "Because Sasori and Kakuzu joined, the system recognizes this Akatsuki?"
He imdiately turned to Kimimaro and the others.
"From today on, your team na is Hawk."
"Hawk?"
Three confused faces stared back at him.
Akio sat quietly for a while, but no further system prompts appeared.
"…Why?" he murmured. "Karin is clearly part of this too. What kind of rule is this supposed to be?"
---
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