After handing the reef defense map back to Kakuzu, Hinata shifted her gaze to Hidan. "So, as you wished, the next task is going to need you."
"Oh? Is it killing people? Because other than that, I get bored so easily~"
Scooting forward a bit, Hidan looked at Hinata with curiosity. "That's what I said, right? If you wanted to take out one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, you should've just said so."
"Mmm, Zabuza Momochi, huh? A rare guy from my generation~"
Kisame, off to the side, added with a touch of sentiment, "Well then, if needed, I'd be happy to pay a visit to that old colleague of mine. After all, my job used to be sending off my coworkers."
"No~ I already said, I'll deal with him myself. What I need you to do is something else. Don't you always want to preach about your Jashin-sama? Well, here's your chance."
Hinata shook her head slightly, her tone calm and collected. "All we need is to keep the citizens who won't cause trouble and put them to work. As for those troublesome samurai and ronin, I'd like to find a more productive way for them to spend their energy. So, Hidan, this is up to you. I don't know your full abilities, but if you really have Jashin-sama's power, then subduing those combative guys shouldn't be impossible, right?"
Due to Gato's long-term recruiting and the geographical features of the Land of Waves, there was indeed a large number of ronin and samurai gathered here. These people were used to living by violence and were absolutely unwilling to quietly work in a factory. Leaving them unchecked would only endanger civilians and disrupt public order. But slaughtering or driving them all away would be too troublesome. So why not consolidate them?
"Eh? But are those guys really useful? Jashin-sama's power is real, of course. Anyone with an interest in killing would naturally worship him."
With a devout look, Hidan kissed the Jashin pendant hanging from his neck, sounding quite pleased. After all, as the only true immortal in the Naruto world, he had reason to be proud.
"Of course, there's no rank among believers, right? So this time, go ahead and test them out. After all, if used properly, religion can be a great aid in governance."
A faint smirk curled on Hinata's lips. For her, maximizing manpower was instinctive.
"After all, humans are never truly useless."
---
Author Notes:
(PS1: Mmm~~ As expected, Hinata really is more suited for schemes and calculations than for so-called bonds or hot-blooded ideals~~)
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Bonus Scene
"In any case, everything's arranged. Now, we just need to make sure every gear moves along the preset path. And of course, if anything gets in the way, you all know what to do."
Glancing at the whitening sky, Hinata stood up. After meticulous planning, her setup for the Land of Waves was complete. All that was left was to wait for the main plot to wrap up. Once Kakashi and his group left, the operation would begin.
"Don't worry. We're not freeloaders."
With arms crossed, Kakuzu nodded. A plan needed both brains and brawn to work. Hinata had provided the brains, and with two squads from Akatsuki here, no one in the Land of Waves could possibly stop them.
"Mm. Also... Kisame, do me a favor."
Looking over at Kisame, Hinata's white eyes narrowed slightly. "I need to bring back some seafood—can't return without a proper excuse."
"Oh~~ no problem. Just give me a few minutes."
Understanding immediately, Kisame nodded confidently, then moved swiftly to the seaside and dove into the water. In under six minutes, with a splash, he emerged onshore. The tall, shark-faced rogue ninja held a net woven with steel wire, packed full of sea cucumbers, scallops, and other ocean delicacies—only someone like Kisame, a water specialist, could collect so much so quickly.
"Perfect. Now I've got a solid excuse... though honestly, using this as an excuse feels kinda gross..."
Taking the net from Kisame, Hinata muttered in discomfort. This was her chosen excuse for staying out overnight. After all, if Kakashi got suspicious… she couldn't exactly kill off the Sixth Hokage here from the original story.
"You still has a few allies by her side. I'm not really one to talk, but maybe treasure them a little. After all, you might never get another chance to see them again. Hold still."
Kisame gave a nonchalant smile, then brought his index and middle fingers together. As he channeled chakra, a handful of seawater lifted from the ocean and rained down evenly over Hinata's head, soaking her completely.
"Hey? What the hell is this?"
Hinata squirmed in her damp clothes, clearly unimpressed. Kisame lowered his hand and nodded slightly. "Well, if you're using seafood gathering as your excuse, your body needs to smell like the sea. Take a hot bath when you get back or you'll catch a cold."
"Ugh~! Didn't think you'd be so meticulous!"
That little detail from Kisame made Hinata raise a brow slightly—clearly, she'd underestimated this most low-profile member of Akatsuki. Though his face was monstrous, Kisame's intelligence and power clearly made him one of the top-tier members. Now it seemed his emotional intelligence wasn't bad either.
"I'm just good at lying. Sooner or later, you will learn too."
Kisame slung Samehada over his shoulder and walked off toward the other Akatsuki members heading to their own tasks. "Farewell then, Lady."
"Ah, I'll use Jashin-sama's divine power to win over those samurai. No matter what, expanding the faith will surely please our god."
Hidan, hoisting his scythe, waved casually. Kakuzu nodded as well. "The blockade operation will be completed on schedule. I look forward to seeing how you govern this country."
Hinata weighed the net in her hand, then gave a mischievous smirk as she looked at Itachi, who stood with his arms crossed. "What's the matter? Don't you have a parting line for me, Itachi?"
"If my foolish little brother happens to catch your eye, he might make a decent plaything. After all, he's the only remaining Uchiha besides me. I suppose he's worth collecting."
Without a doubt, Itachi's words were cold and indifferent—like someone giving away an unwanted puppy. But in this group of elite shinobi, everyone knew better than to take his words at face value.
"Jeez, looks like the stoic Itachi actually cares a lot about his brother. Makes sense. If he can link up with you, the Uchiha clan's revival might really have a chance."
"Not surprising, coming from the famed perceptive Uchiha. It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If it works, your brother could end up inheriting quite a chunk of her assets."
As their voices faded into the distance, Hidan and Kakuzu's mocking tones still echoed faintly. Hinata let out a cold chuckle.
Looks like Itachi was the same as in the original—cold on the outside, warm on the inside. Clearly, he'd realized the Third Hokage's promises weren't enough to guarantee Sasuke's safety. With Hinata fully aligned with Akatsuki and right next to Sasuke, if Itachi reported this to the Third, the most likely outcome would be Hinata targeting Sasuke. And from what he'd seen, Sasuke would never suspect Hinata.
So in essence, Itachi's words were telling Hinata to recruit Sasuke, not eliminate him.
Of course, this was also because neither Hinata nor Akatsuki had done anything to directly harm Konoha's interests—yet. Otherwise, who knew what this "living cheat code" known as "Itachi the God" might do?
In the end, they were all just poor souls bound by emotion, unable to break free.
Emotional bonds are like thorned collars. Once worn, you can only maintain a proper distance—too far or too close, and the thorns will draw blood.
Sasuke and Itachi were like two field mice, tied to opposite ends of the same thorny collar, running in opposite directions. All their struggle and effort only served to worsen the damage they inflicted on each other.
Soaked to the skin, Hinata soon returned to Tazuna's little house. As she opened the door, Tazuna's daughter happened to be cleaning. Seeing Hinata's drenched state, she was shocked and immediately put down her broom to rush over. "What happened, Miss Hyūga?"
"Can it~! Take this stuff down and get it cleaned up. Use it to nourish that idiot upstairs who fainted!"
Irritably tossing the net full of seafood to Tazuna's daughter-in-law, Hinata headed straight for the bathroom. No matter what, that fishy smell from the seawater wouldn't go away quickly, but it served as a perfect cover.
"Ah~ Miss Hyūga, please wait a moment..."
Hurriedly picking up the seafood, Tazuna's daughter seemed to recall something and tried to stop her, but Hinata had already slid open the bathroom door—and, unsurprisingly, even she paused with a frown.
Kakashi was sitting awkwardly in the bathtub, cold sweat on his face, clearly caught off guard. The white-haired jōnin was, after all, a neat adult man, so taking a morning bath wasn't unusual.
"Um..."
Still wearing his mask, Kakashi was reaching for the shampoo, completely unprepared for Hinata's sudden entrance.
Hmm... Isn't this one of those "fanservice" moments that always show up in anime?
Rubbing her chin in thought, Hinata promptly scanned Kakashi in the tub, top to bottom. Since she triggered this fanservice event herself, she might as well collect all the CG she could.
"I'm sorry, I couldn't stop Miss Hyūga in time..."
Tazuna's daughter peeked her head nervously into the bathroom, and upon seeing Kakashi in the tub, she froze. As a woman herself, her eyes involuntarily drifted to the well-toned pecs and abs of the white-haired jōnin, her expression practically mirroring a lecherous man ogling a naked beauty.