Chapter 872: Chapter 35: Arrangements (Part 4)
The ninjas who were once on good terms with him have also distanced themselves one by one, preparing to completely isolate him.
Everything is proceeding as Yagura anticipated.
"This matter is indeed very important. I repeat, after entering Akatsuki, don’t think of obtaining any intelligence from Kisame in the early stages; knowing too much could actually put Kisame in danger."
"I’ve discussed this with Kisame. Before Akatsuki officially implements the tailed beast capture plan, he doesn’t need to provide any intelligence about Akatsuki to the village. He should act as a member of Akatsuki and just work for them."
Indeed, Akatsuki is a gathering place for a bunch of S-Class Renegade Ninja, something Hakushi doesn’t fully understand.
Sending Kisame in alone to mingle among those S-Class Renegade Ninja is an extremely difficult and dangerous task.
If his identity as a spy is discovered, it’s basically a dead end.
Therefore, gaining trust during the early stage is a very important matter.
Gradually gaining the trust of Akatsuki’s members and leaders and acquiring enough qualifications will allow him to start relaying information about Akatsuki to the village.
If Akatsuki wasn’t so dangerous, Yagura wouldn’t want to send such a capable ninja as Kisame into Akatsuki to work for them.
"Currently, Akatsuki’s whereabouts are somewhat unpredictable. After Kisame defects, he might have to wander the Ninja Realm for some time before Akatsuki takes notice. As I suspect, before they recruit core members, they will definitely test new members’ abilities to determine who are core members and who are auxiliary members."
Hakushi shared his hypothesis.
Akatsuki roughly has three levels.
The first level is naturally Nagato, the leader.
The second level consists of dangerous S-Class Renegade Ninja like Orochimaru and Sasori of the Red Sand, who are the core members of Akatsuki, each with a code name and ring, wearing cloaks with black and Koun clouds.
The third level consists of auxiliary members who gather intelligence, operate in various locations, and provide logistical support, such as ninja tools, food, money, and other supplies for the activities of Akatsuki’s core members.
Given Kisame’s skills, once noticed by Akatsuki, it’s impossible for him to become an auxiliary member.
Auxiliary members are composed of low-skilled ninjas forming the lowest level mechanism.
Hakushi had tested Kisame’s various abilities over a year ago; his powerful strength allows him to wield the Great Sword Shark Skin single-handedly, with naturally massive chakra, and he will continue to grow possibly reaching the level of a Tailed Beast.
His adaptability to the Great Sword Shark Skin is the highest on record, possessing a special jutsu that merges with the Great Sword Shark Skin.
His ninja techniques primarily consist of large-scale Water Style Ninjutsu.
He’s a ninja suitable for close, mid, and long-range combat.
Although not very proficient in illusion techniques, Kisame has the Great Sword Shark Skin, so even if he’s not skilled in illusion techniques, when facing a Genjutsu Ninja, he can use Shark Skin to dispel the illusions.
Coupled with his expertise in Taijutsu, Swordsmanship, and Water Style Ninjutsu, Kisame can easily handle most ninjas.
Even when facing formidable enemies, he can use his advantages for prolonged engagements.
"It’s okay. After Kisame defects, I’ll arrange for him to work as a bounty hunter at the Underground Black Market for a period of time, increasing the likelihood of being noticed by Akatsuki."
Renegade Ninja are a group of ninjas who abandon their villages.
Without the village’s protection, surviving in the Ninja Realm isn’t an easy task.
Thus, after leaving their village, most Renegade Ninja choose to work at the Underground Black Market, becoming bounty hunters who work for money.
Furthermore, the secret unit of the Land of Demons, the Nokizaru Group, works as bounty hunters in the Underground Black Market. When the time comes, they can support Kisame, allowing him to quickly gain fame and get noticed by Akatsuki.
"Then it’s settled. So, what crime do you want Kisame to defect from the Hidden Mist Village under? If the crime is too minor, it may not be convincing enough."
The gravity of the crime can vary; the level of a Renegade Ninja is generally assessed based on a combination of strength and crime.
If assessed on strength alone, when he defected from Konoha, he was only classified as A-Class at most.
He was deemed an S-Class Renegade Ninja due to the severity of his defection.
Having taken away some of the Uchiha and Hyuga clansmen during the defection, as one of the principal offenders, the senior figures in Konoha resent him deeply. His actions also severely impacted Konoha Village’s reputation.
Therefore, for Kisame to become an S-Class Renegade Ninja, he must leave the Hidden Mist Village under a severe criminal charge.
Otherwise, with the reputation of the Seven-swords Ninja, becoming a Renegade Ninja would at most be classified as A-Class, unable to reach the S-Class Renegade Ninja level.
Yagura’s lips curved into a smile as he spoke to Hakushi:
"Assassinating the Daimyo of the Land of Water, that charge is substantial enough, isn’t it?"
