The climate in the Hidden Rain Village was perpetually damp. Decades of near-constant rainfall had shaped its architecture into a sprawl of thick steel pipes and drainage channels, and even on the rare days it wasn't raining, the air never truly dried out.
Not exactly ideal conditions for preserving books.
The black-robed woman with the paper flower in her hair carefully withdrew a volume from a small bookcase, its covers wrapped in oilcloth. Only after confirming that the pages hadn't been damaged by moisture did she let out a small breath of relief, then opened the book in her hands. On its cover, four bold characters spelled out the title: Fox Tales.
"Konan."
A flat, detached voice came from the doorway, and the woman reading the book looked up at once. "What is it? Pain?"
The man in the doorway was orange-haired and stone-faced, his hard jawline and unyielding expression marking him as someone of absolute conviction. His eyes were strange—concentric ripples radiating outward from the pupil.
There was no mistaking him. This was the public-facing leader of Akatsuki, the one called Pain. And the woman he was addressing was his partner, the member codenamed White Tiger—Konan.
Pain had clearly noticed the book in her hands. One eyebrow twitched upward before he spoke. "Deidara and Sasori have reported something rather unusual. I'm calling a meeting so everyone can hear what they have to say. Join us."
"Yes, Pain."
Konan obeyed without hesitation. She wrapped the book carefully back in its oilcloth and set it aside before following Pain out.
As the projection technique activated, Akatsuki's members appeared one by one around the meeting site—hazy silhouettes rendered indistinct by the Magic Lantern Body Technique. The location was a secret outpost used exclusively for communications, and this time it was clearly Deidara and Sasori who had initiated the assembly.
"I've gathered you all because Deidara and Sasori have a special matter to discuss. I'd like everyone to weigh in. Deidara, Sasori—go ahead."
Pain swept his gaze around the circle and spoke first. As leader, even he was curious.
"Ho-oh? This is rare. The art duo calling a meeting on their own initiative?"
Kisame tilted his head with interest, arms folded. "Don't tell me it's some ultra-artsy thesis topic."
"Ha~ Is it more of your playing-with-mud art?"
Hidan snorted with laughter. "What, did you come up with some new trick?"
"You piece of—want me to kill you? Huh?!"
"You think you can~~?"
Seeing Deidara and Hidan devolving into their usual bickering, the calm-tempered Sasori cut in with a low growl. "Enough! Deidara, we didn't call this meeting to pick fights!"
"Hmph~ Anyway, here's the deal. Hmm."
Reminded of his art's stakes, Deidara swallowed Hidan's provocation and joined Sasori in laying out the full story. As members of Akatsuki, they were obligated to report something this significant.
"So that's how it is~ We've decided to partner with this adorable little sweetheart who appreciates our art. We'll sell our art to the entire shinobi world in the form of figures, so everyone can understand the true path of art. Hmm~!"
He proudly held up a finely crafted clay figure, his voice brimming with excitement. "But she said we should bring along someone good with numbers on the day, so they can see just how popular our figures are. Hmm~"
A rare silence fell over the assembled members. Even Hidan—usually the loudest mouth in any room—wisely kept his shut.
The reason was simple: none of them understood what Hinata meant by "merchandise industry." And when you didn't understand something, you kept your mouth closed. That was a shinobi's instinct.
"Uhh~ Deidara-san seems happy?" "But this sounds pretty absurd."
After a long pause with nobody speaking, Zetsu—never one to let his split personality go to waste—broke the silence to lighten the mood. His comment cracked the dam of awkwardness.
"I mean, you two make it sound very convincing, but it still doesn't exactly inspire confidence~"
Kisame spread his hands, his tone tinged with resignation. "There's never been any such thing as 'figures' or a 'merchandise industry' before. Besides, we're all missing-nin. None of us can really speak to this merchant stuff."
A fair assessment, all things considered. Every member of Akatsuki could level a city with a casual swipe, but expertise didn't transfer. They could flatten a town and still know nothing about commerce. Even Kakuzu—the closest thing they had to an accountant—was limited to managing information flow and counting money.
"That's why we've accepted her commission to attend the launch event tomorrow and see it firsthand. If you want to know how it goes, Leader, this is the best opportunity."
Sasori produced a handmade wooden puppet figure as he spoke, his tone entirely forthcoming. Pain frowned slightly.
As leader, his job was essentially personnel management—coordinating the organization's manpower and keeping morale steady. Judging from Deidara and Sasori's demeanor and personalities, these two had clearly made up their minds to attend the so-called figure launch event. Outright forbidding it would only backfire.
And while commerce wasn't his forte, Pain had sharp enough instincts to grasp what Sasori was saying: the girl partnering with them had promised this figure industry could generate unprecedented profits.
Akatsuki needed funding to grow. If it could actually make money, Pain didn't particularly care what his members did to earn it.
"Those figures you're holding—they're characters from Fox Tales, aren't they?"
Just then, Itachi—standing silently beside Kisame—spoke up, his face expressionless. "That one looks like Lady Higan, doesn't it?"
"Hm? You mean the author of that book commissioned you two?"
Konan blurted the question from beside Pain, and all eyes snapped back to the figures.
"Hey, wait—seriously?! Deidara, I just noticed—the one in your hand is a character from the latest installment!"
Prompted by Itachi's observation, Kisame took a closer look at the figure in Deidara's hand and recognized the design with a jolt of surprise.
"Ho-oh? That book? According to the business weekly, it's the hottest-selling title in the entire Land of Fire right now."
Even Kakuzu—who hadn't said a word until now—perked up with sudden interest. Clearly, Sasori and Deidara had buried the real selling point.
"That's right~ Fox Tales character figures! Our adorable partner said it herself~! This will spread the art of figures across the entire world!! Hmm~!"
Seeing the other members finally recognize what he was holding, Deidara proudly thrust his clay figure high into the air. This time, the looks directed at it were unmistakably different.
"Hmm~ Even if they are Fox Tales figures, can these little mud dolls actually sell?"
Hidan stroked his chin, his tone as punchable as ever. "If you ask me, the only people who'd want clay dolls are little kids. What, are you planning to fleece brats out of their candy money?"
"You piece of—! Do you actually want to die?! Huh?!"
"So come and try it~~"
Watching Deidara and Hidan flare up again, Pain narrowed his eyes. His instincts told him this wasn't a bad thing.
Akatsuki was in a growth phase that demanded both capital and influence. A stable commercial revenue stream would be invaluable. And even if it failed, it was worth a try.
"Kakuzu, you're the best accountant we have. Tomorrow, you and Hidan will go along as well. Assess whether this so-called figure industry has any real future."
After a moment's consideration, Pain turned to Kakuzu and issued the order. Akatsuki's missions weren't so urgent that they couldn't spare a day. Better to seize the opportunity while it was here.
"Heh~ Understood. If it's the bestselling book, it should be able to turn some profit."
Kakuzu folded his arms and nodded with obvious skepticism. It was Pain's order, so he'd comply—no skin off his back. Besides, the Land of Fire had always been prime hunting ground for high-bounty targets. He could treat it as a hunting trip on the side.
"Then this meeting is adjourned for now. Everyone, please continue working toward Akatsuki's grand ambition in your own time."
With everything arranged, Pain nodded and was the first to cancel the Magic Lantern Body Technique. He didn't have the luxury of sitting around waiting for news about a figure launch.
"Well~ Good luck to you two. It's a fine book at any rate—I hope your work doesn't embarrass the author."
Kisame offered this parting remark with a grin, then terminated the projection alongside Itachi. Zetsu vanished on his own a moment later. That left only the art duo and the immortal duo on site.
"Well then, tomorrow we'll see how your little mud men and little wood men fetch those premium prices, ahahahaha~~!"
Hidan disappeared amid a grating peal of laughter. Kakuzu, arms folded, spoke flatly: "Since it's the Leader's orders, we'll meet at the Land of Fire border tomorrow morning. I hope you won't waste our time."
"Hmph~ You don't need to tell us~!"
Stung by the repeated dismissals, Sasori's temper flared. Kakuzu gave a cold snort and vanished, leaving only Sasori and Deidara fuming in the empty room.
"Damn it! What's with every single one of them?! These tasteless philistines who don't understand art! Hmm!"
Deidara threw open a wooden crate beside him, examining the clay figures packed neatly inside with satisfaction. These were the pieces he'd painstakingly prepared over the past few days—ready to make a splash tomorrow.
"Then we'll prove it to them with results. Art is eternal and priceless!"
Sasori thought for a moment, then opened the Hiruko puppet he used for travel, revealing his true body from within. The red-haired young man opened a second crate nearby and surveyed its contents with a critical eye—wooden puppet figures, every one of them the product of days of meticulous work.
One way or another, tomorrow's launch event was clearly being anticipated by a great many people.