Naruto: Echoes of a Distant Home

For every 30 POWER STONES there will be an extra chapter!

4 Power Stones Left to gooo!

....

This was an empty room, dominated by black—the walls, the floor, and the ceiling were all black.

In the room, the only source of light was a lamp stand placed in the center, adding a faint glow to the black surroundings.

With the Illusionary Projection Technique, everyone had turned into black shadows, blending perfectly into the room. Only their distinct eyes allowed them to recognize each other.

Nagato's Rinnegan was particularly striking in this environment.

Sasori, who had been left behind by Ye Zi for a while, shot a cold glance at him. Ye Zi slightly raised his chin, glanced at Sasori, and then calmly withdrew his gaze.

"..." If it weren't for knowing that it was inappropriate to speak in the current situation, Sasori would have already questioned Ye Zi. Not only had he been left behind in the forest without a word, but days had passed, and Ye Zi still hadn't come to find him, leaving him to handle the mission all by himself.

Everyone's eyes focused on the Rinnegan floating among the shadows, and they could all clearly feel the coldness emanating from those eyes.

This was the leader of the Akatsuki, and also their leader.

Just the presence of these Rinnegan eyes was enough to justify Nagato's recognition in terms of strength.

This was the first time he had summoned everyone here. Unlike previous mental communications, even though this was an illusionary projection, it carried a sense of formality.

Nagato scanned everyone present. Standing beside Konan, they were positioned directly in front of the lamp. Moving clockwise, the order was: White Zetsu, Sasori, Ye Zi, Juzo Biwa, Kakuzu, and Kyuuroku. In total, there were eight people present.

His gaze swept over each figure, finally settling on Ye Zi. Nagato said, "I've received news that Orochimaru has defected and is currently missing. Ku (Ye Zi)... I assume you know Orochimaru's whereabouts."

Ye Zi's expression remained unchanged. Even if it had shifted, the blurry outline wouldn't make it obvious. He met Nagato's gaze without hesitation and calmly replied, "I don't know Orochimaru's whereabouts."

As soon as Nagato spoke, Ye Zi understood that Nagato had already found out that Orochimaru had escaped thanks to him. Now that Nagato had raised the matter, it was likely because he wanted to recruit the S-rank rogue ninja, Orochimaru.

Everyone here essentially shared one identity: S-rank rogue ninjas from various villages.

To become a core member of Akatsuki, one couldn't be weak. The S-rank rogue ninja status was only a basic requirement, and Orochimaru, who had defected from Konoha, perfectly qualified to become a core member of Akatsuki.

However, Ye Zi would not allow Orochimaru to join Akatsuki. Even though they were still one person short to perform the Phantom Dragon Nine Seals, he wouldn't let Orochimaru join because Orochimaru's value did not lie here.

If it weren't for encountering Nanako, he might have been happy to let Orochimaru join Akatsuki, but now, he absolutely wouldn't.

Hearing Ye Zi's response, Nagato's gaze turned colder, but he didn't press further on the matter of Ye Zi. Instead, he turned to White Zetsu and ordered, "Gai (White Zetsu), you're tasked with searching for Orochimaru's whereabouts."

"Alright." White Zetsu agreed immediately. Unfortunately for Nagato, he would never be able to find Orochimaru's whereabouts, since White Zetsu was on Ye Zi's side.

Recruiting Orochimaru was only one of the reasons for gathering the members today. The other was to discuss the teams.

"From today onward, you'll be paired into teams of two. I will assign the teams," Nagato's calm voice echoed in the ears of everyone present. The team system hadn't been fully implemented yet, with Ye Zi and Sasori being the only relatively stable team. Hence, the teams needed to be restructured, and after new members joined, they would be reorganized again.

As soon as Nagato finished speaking, Kakuzu immediately opposed the idea, "There's no need for teams. For any mission, I'm more than enough on my own."

Everyone else remained silent, leaving Kakuzu feeling somewhat awkward.

Even Ye Zi, who usually preferred to work alone, no longer saw any issue with teams. Having a capable teammate could significantly enhance battle strength, and at times, make combat easier.

Nagato slowly turned his gaze toward Kakuzu, his Rinnegan calm and unruffled.

Under Nagato's steady gaze, and with no one else objecting to the decision, Kakuzu was forced to reluctantly concede.

After seeing Kakuzu yield, Nagato said indifferently, "Here are the team assignments: I will pair with Byaku (Konan), Hoku (Kakuzu) will pair with Tō (Kyuuroku), Gyoku (Sasori) will pair with Nan (Juzo Biwa), and Gai (White Zetsu) will pair with Kū (Ye Zi). This arrangement is temporary until new members join."

Upon hearing the team assignments, Sasori was the first to object, saying, "From the start, I've always been paired with 'Kū'. Other than him, I don't want to waste time adapting to a new partner."

Even though Ye Zi had abandoned Sasori for a while, Sasori still insisted on teaming with him, as he trusted Ye Zi's strength.

Right after Sasori voiced his objection, Juzo Biwa spoke up as well, "If we're teaming up, it's best for me to pair with 'Tō'. Since we both come from Kirigakure, we already have a degree of understanding."

Having Juzo voice his thoughts, Kyuuroku fell silent.

Kakuzu, on the other hand, did not bother to join the commotion, as he didn't care who his teammate was, he didn't want to team up with anyone in the first place.

Ye Zi and White Zetsu exchanged a glance but remained silent. Both were easygoing about who they were paired with.

"The team assignments are based on the compatibility of your abilities. Until we recruit a genjutsu ninja who can properly partner with 'Kū', the team assignments will remain as they are." Nagato's tone was cold and indifferent. He had no interest in over-explaining the team composition. From his perspective, the others just needed to follow orders. His cold eyes swept over Sasori and Juzo, and with the added intimidation of his Rinnegan, the dissent soon quieted down.

With the core members being few in number, the team composition wasn't ideal.

White Zetsu was versatile and could work with anyone, provided the other person's strength wasn't weak. Since White Zetsu's abilities leaned more toward scouting rather than combat, he was best suited to working alone if enough members were available.

Ye Zi had the fastest and most aggressive attack style among them. If paired with a genjutsu user, his combat ability would rise to another level. However, since there wasn't a genjutsu user available yet, he was temporarily teamed with White Zetsu.

Juzo and Kyuuroku were both similar types of ninjas, so it was unsuitable for them to be paired together, regardless of their mutual understanding. That's why they were split and assigned different teammates.

With only six members, there weren't many options for team pairings. The current setup was just temporary.

Ultimately, the composition of core members was still far from Nagato's satisfaction.

Having the capability to perform the Phantom Dragon Nine Seals was just a basic requirement, but beyond that, strength could not be lacking, especially in the case of someone like Kyuuroku.

Nagato's standard for strength ranged from Ye Zi at the highest to Sasori at the lowest.

"I will use the Illusionary Projection Technique as a means of communication, allowing for quicker assembly. If there's nothing else, you're dismissed."

With that, Nagato deactivated the Illusionary Projection Technique, and the illusions in the room vanished, leaving only the solitary lamp stand.

Far away in the Land of Earth, Ye Zi slowly opened his eyes.

"Still one person short..."

A/N: To clarify I've had to add some ring names that weren't in canon since some people haven't died so far like they would of done by the time the canon showed the Akatsuki and their 'replacements' already have been recruited.

Nagato: Rei

Konan: Byaku

Ye Zi: Ku

White Zetsu: Gai

Sasori: Gyoku

Kyuuroku: Tō

Juzo Biwa: Nan

Kakuzu: Hoku

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Currently on Chapter 293 - Changed Dynamics Within the Akatsuki