Chapter 526

"Changmen, how are you feeling today?"

Xiao Nan looked at Changmen with concern; his health was worsening day by day.

I'm fine. A new member has arrived—go and meet him with Minyan. He'll help with our future plans, but his origins are unknown, so we must observe him for a while.

The Minyan mentioned by Changmen was in fact a corpse, controlled by Changmen's ability.

Changmen could control six corpses, each endowed with unique abilities; collectively, they were known as Pain.

The six corpses were: Deva Path (Pain's core), Asura Path, Human Path, Animal Path, Preta Path, and Naraka Path.

The Deva Path was crafted from Minyan's corpse, and Minyan had once been Changmen and Xiao Nan's companion.

"So, which ninja village did this defector come from?"

"He's not a defector—he's an assassin. He once attempted to kill the Fourth Mizukage. Be cautious when dealing with him; don't get too close."

"Why?"

"The dossier says he rarely uses ninjutsu; he specializes in ninja blades, and his swordsmanship rivals that of the legendary Leaf White Fang. His name is Bai Ye—perhaps he has some connection to the Leaf White Fang. Keep observing him."

Xiao Nan's heart jolted, then she nodded. She had certainly heard of the Leaf White Fang—the man who terrified countless ninja with a single ninja blade.

Xiao Nan left the room and descended the stairs with the Deva Path.

The Deva Path was controlled by Changmen; every word and movement was, in a sense, Changmen himself.

"We're going together?"

Xiao Nan asked.

"I won't show myself. You and Kisame will speak with him."

Though the voice had changed, it was still Changmen speaking.

"Understood."

Xiao Nan understood Changmen's intent: his personal appearance was a deterrent, meant to prevent Su Xiao from fleeing after refusing recruitment.

In a basement room at the back alley of the Rain Village.

"You guys usually stay here?"

Sitting in the damp room, Su Xiao muttered in amazement. The Akatsuki members' living conditions were terrible—didn't these defectors mind?

Kisame leaned against the wall, seemingly unconcerned by the dampness.

"I'm a defector—I can't show myself publicly. Most of the time we don't stay in the Rain Village. The Akatsuki doesn't restrict members' movements; just complete your missions when they come."

The door opened, and a blue-haired woman entered the room. Though Su Xiao knew this was Xiao Nan, he showed no sign—he'd be dead if he did. A little feigned ignorance helped conceal himself.

Su Xiao wouldn't be foolish enough to tell Changmen: "I know what happens next—you'll solo the Leaf Village, get your IQ forcibly lowered by some rich kid's protagonist aura, and get talked to death."

Su Xiao studied Xiao Nan up and down. He had to admit—the real-life Xiao Nan was a stunning beauty, with a superb figure and unique aura.

"So this is the Akatsuki's leader?"

Xiao Nan showed no expression. Su Xiao's current arrogant demeanor was normal—if he weren't arrogant, he wouldn't have attempted to assassinate the Fourth Mizukage, and nearly succeeded.

"I'm not the Akatsuki's leader, but I can represent him."

Xiao Nan sat down, studying Su Xiao in return.

"Do you agree to join us?"

"Yes."

Su Xiao's straightforward answer surprised Xiao Nan.

"If I said no, could I leave alive?"

"No."

"No."

Xiao Nan and Kisame spoke in unison.

So, to keep my life, I'll join you—but I have demands about my treatment. Don't expect me to die for you without proper compensation.

Su Xiao had revealed no weakness. His assassination of the Fourth Mizukage was commissioned; now, joining the Akatsuki, he appeared motivated purely by gain.

"Of course. What do you want? Ninjutsu? Secret techniques? Money? Women? We can provide all of it—but first, you must prove your worth."

Su Xiao sat upright in his chair. Joining the Akatsuki couldn't rely on words or past deeds alone—he had to demonstrate his value to earn the Akatsuki's trust and eventually participate in the tailed beast capture missions.

"Worth… means what I can do, what I'm good at?"

"Yes."

"Like this…"

Su Xiao assumed a thoughtful expression.

"I specialize in rear-area assassinations, explosives, intelligence gathering, eliminating enemy leaders, setting complex traps, disguise, frontal assaults, and long-range sniping—up to 1.2 to 1.4 kilometers…"

Su Xiao listed his skills. Xiao Nan's brow furrowed deeper with each word—she thought he was boasting.

"You're skilled in explosives? Then what should you pay attention to in explosives?"

Xiao Nan sounded like she was chatting casually, but she was actually probing for information.

"Explosives are complicated—it's mainly about predicting terrain, the target's size, density, shape, and environmental factors, including…"

Su Xiao began explaining the specifics of explosives. Xiao Nan used explosive tags, but she wasn't an explosives expert—her methods were crude and direct.

Su Xiao's initial explanations were understandable, but halfway through, she started losing him; by the end, when he discussed bomb formulations and countless chemical formulas, she was utterly baffled—but she still pretended to understand.

"These are just the basics of explosives—I haven't even covered four-fifths of it yet."

Su Xiao cleared his throat, preparing to continue. Kisame, beside him, twitched his eyelid—he was nearly asleep.

Cough—let's talk about treatment later.

Through Su Xiao's knowledge of explosives, Xiao Nan realized he hadn't been boasting.

"I won't make unreasonable demands. I'm currently being hunted by the Mist Village's ANBU. They can't kill me, but they're a constant nuisance. As for other benefits—we'll discuss them later. I haven't contributed anything yet."

Su Xiao wouldn't overreach. His main quest's remaining time was short—he needed to join a faction quickly.

"We'll handle the Mist Village's pursuit. If you wish, you may retaliate later—but under your own name."

"Agreed."

Su Xiao answered sharply. Outside, the Deva Path walked away.

"Welcome to the Akatsuki. You won't regret today's choice."

Xiao Nan extended her hand. Su Xiao extended his.

"Let's hope not."

【Prompt: Main Quest: Choice (Completed). Submit? Yes/No.】

Su Xiao chose to submit. 3,000 Arena Coins received. Prompts appeared in succession.

【Warning: Hunter has joined the Akatsuki. World difficulty has significantly increased, now raised to Lv. 34. Hunter, proceed with caution.】

【World difficulty increased. Main quest has been correspondingly altered.】

【Main Quest: Withered Tree.】

Difficulty Level: Lv. 23

Quest Summary: Assist Changmen in destroying the Leaf Village.

Quest Information: This is the final stage of the main quest.

Quest Duration: 60 natural days.

Quest Reward: 50,000 Arena Coins, 10 Medium Soul Crystals, 12 Attribute Points.

Quest Penalty: All attributes -8.

…

Seeing the main quest, Su Xiao felt sick. He finally understood why so few Contract Hunters joined the Akatsuki—the world difficulty skyrocketed.

What did Lv. 34 mean? It meant Su Xiao might face enemies he couldn't possibly defeat—with a very high chance of death.

This was the terrifying nature of open worlds: a single action could drastically raise world difficulty.

Lv. 34 was dangerous, but not necessarily fatal—if he was careful. This was world difficulty, not quest difficulty.

Su Xiao exhaled slowly. From today on, he was a member of the Akatsuki—wearing a flashy uniform and slashing enemies.