Chapter 55: Chapter 54: Shining Bright
"You're going to handle these spies?"
Yahiko raised a brow.
Then, as if making a firm decision, Yahiko nodded and showed a thumbs up, "Byakuya, try to make it quick for them. Don't torture them too much!"
Yahiko, you've actually developed a killing sense! Byakuya was surprised. He then realized Yahiko might be misunderstanding something before he quickly explained, "I won't torture them."
"Then I'm relieved."
Yahiko gave him a knowing look.
Having sat in the leader's position for so long, he was no longer as kind as he once was. He knew Byakuya was cooking something but he let Byakuya cook. It couldn't be helped.
If they let these spies go, it would pose a greater threat to the Akatsuki.
Yahiko could already foresee what would happen next.
Byakuya would supposedly fail to keep a close watch, allowing them to escape, and during the recapture, there would be "accidents," resulting in a few corpses being brought back.
Such a small probability event was almost certain with Byakuya.
At this moment, Nagato also looked over, his eyes seemingly saying, "Please take care of it."
Byakuya glanced at Yahiko and Nagato helplessly, too tired to explain further.
In their minds, their perception of him as ruthless was solidified. Though he had killed some rogue ninjas guilty of heinous crimes, he had never killed indiscriminately.
He only executed those confirmed to have committed serious offenses.
The ninja world is in chaos, and harsh measures are necessary to deter those with malicious intent.
Besides, he never said he wanted to kill these newcomers.
He just wanted to make good use of these spies, to help them realize their potential. Many of the organization's tough and tedious tasks needed people like them to handle.
If Byakuya were to burden regular Akatsuki members with these jobs, they'd complain or even leave the organization.
Spies on critical missions are different—they are more resilient. Even if they believe they are being treated unjustly, they have no choice but to comply and continue working.
After all, ninjas capable of becoming spies already had strong endurance and stress management skills.
Without wasting much time, and with Yahiko's permission, Byakuya headed towards the newcomers' gathering spot to collect the spies.
First, he needed to take White Zetsu and the Root ninja, followed by other suspected spies.
For example, the ninja named Fujimura, though from the Land of Rain, was very likely a spy sent by the Amegakure and needed thorough investigation.
After greeting Kyūsuke, Byakuya took the group to an underground chamber within the Akatsuki's base.
Entering the chamber, the newcomers looked at Byakuya with unease and confusion. They had heard of Byakuya's reputation and knew his status in the Akatsuki. They were now worried about themselves. After all, this man was infamous for making "accidents",
Byakuya observed their expressions, noting that the spies' acting skills were quite good.
The best among them was the ninja disguised by White Zetsu, whose facial expression showed no fluctuation.
After a tense stare-down lasting several seconds, Byakuya nodded slightly.
"I am Byakuya. You've probably heard of my name, thinking of me as the dark side of the Akatsuki, eh? Well, such to be you, that aint a rumor."
Faced with Byakuya's dark humor, the newcomers did not laugh besides exchanging glances instead.
"Compared to Yahiko, who stands in the sunlight, I indeed often operate in the shadows. But I believe the light in my heart is no less than Yahiko's, perhaps even more.
Anyway, back to the you. The reason I chose you to be my subordinates is precisely because of this. I believe there is light in your hearts too. Only those with the brightest hearts can join my department..."
Hearing Byakuya's speech, the newcomers breathed a sigh of relief.
They thought Byakuya had discovered their identities and was about to act against them. It turned out to be a routine speech, one they had heard countless times before.
As for the talk of light and darkness, they were so fed up of it.
If their leaders didn't have leverage over these spies, who would choose to be a spy, living on a knife-edge and unlikely to have their names honored on a memorial stone even after death?
While giving his speech, Byakuya observed their reactions.
After finishing, he deliberately separated them, confronting each one individually. The first was the spy named Sasaki.
The Root ninja looked at Byakuya, uneasy.
"Lord Byakuya, i-is there something wrong?"
"Yup, in many ways." Byakuya glanced at the Root ninja and directly got to the point. "Sasaki, you must be a spy sent by Danzo. Why didn't you contact me earlier?"
Upon having his identity exposed, the Root spy started sweating bullets.
However, upon reflection, it made sense that someone valued by Lord Danzo would see through his disguise, so the Root spy nodded and explained.
"Lord Byakuya, I planned to notify you later, but you found me first."
Byakuya raised a brow with a chilling smile.
"That's not the case, is it? If I hadn't discovered you, you would have continued to monitor me. That's your true mission in joining the Akatsuki."
The Root spy fell silent, as this was indeed the mission Danzo had given him, but it had now failed. Byakuya didn't make things difficult for the Root spy; instead, he sighed and patted his shoulder.
"I don't object to Danzo's arrangements, but Leader Yahiko has already noticed something off about your group of ninjas. He specifically asked me to manage you all, to see if there were any spies among you."
Hearing this, the Root spy was stunned. During the interview process, he hadn't noticed any other spies. Could there really be more?
After pondering for a moment, the Root spy asked, "Lord Byakuya, what should I do now?"
Byakuya thought seriously for a moment and then, with a stern expression, he smiled.
"You have to work diligently now. Use your enthusiasm for work to dispel Leader Yahiko's suspicions. Otherwise, even I won't be able to protect you."
The Root spy quickly nodded in agreement. Though he felt something was off, his identity had already been exposed. He had no choice but to follow Byakuya's instructions. Otherwise, if Byakuya wouldn't eliminate him, Lord Danzo would go after his grave.
After warning the Root spy, Byakuya left the forest and approached the others. With the other spies, Byakuya wasted no words, directly using the Adamantine Sealing Chains to forcibly inscribe a curse mark on them. Since they chose to become spies, they had to accept the fate of being used as tools.
When Byakuya found the last spy, White Zetsu, he was a little confused about him. Would the curse mark work on White Zetsu? What if he inadvertently discovered White Zetsu's true nature?
After hesitating for a while, Byakuya still inscribed the curse mark, deciding it was necessary to treat everyone equally.
Once the curse mark was inscribed, Byakuya noticed that this White Zetsu's body seemed no different from a normal human's. Could the system have made an error?
Quickly dismissing this thought, Byakuya realized that this person was likely a real ninja, merely parasitized by White Zetsu's Spore Technique, making it difficult to detect.
However, even under his command, White Zetsu would be utilized to its full potential—there would be no waste.
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