Chapter 55: Limits of the Akatsuki Anbu (BONUS)

After meeting all the new recruits and issuing the command to assemble early tomorrow morning, Byakuya returned to his room, satisfied. He slept peacefully on his 1.8-meter bed.

In his mind, he named the new division the Akatsuki Anbu.

Meanwhile, a stark contrast unfolded among the ranks of the newly christened Akatsuki Anbu. Sleep was a foreign concept for them the night before.

They didn't know what tomorrow would bring or if there would even be a tomorrow. Unlike the battlefield where death was a familiar prospect, here, with their identities exposed and the stigma of being spies clinging to them, the specter of death felt cold and unforgiving.

After a night of worry, they arrived at yesterday's training ground. Each of them had dark circles under their eyes and looked uneasily at Byakuya standing in the center.

Next to Byakuya stood a figure with red hair, likely a medical ninja judging by her attire.

This made them more convinced that Byakuya was there to torture them. After all, torture inevitably led to injuries, and the presence of a medical ninja could prolong interrogation.

Strangely, Byakuya did not reveal their identities nor did he kill them immediately.

He simply pointed behind him to the rainforest before issuing the order.

"Do you see the mountain back there? Your task today is to clear the trees on that mountain."

Upon hearing this, members of the Akatsuki Anbu furrowed their brows, not understanding Byakuya's intentions. However, since last night they had been cursed and had no way to resist. They could only obey Byakuya's orders and clear the rainforest.

Clearing the rainforest was no easy task, even for ninjas trying to deal with bushes and vines.

After all, a ninja's chakra is limited. Once deprived of chakra, they are not much different from ordinary people, and doing the same work as ordinary people is humiliating for ninjas.

Still, under Byakuya's watchful gaze, they gritted their teeth and attacked the undergrowth.

They tirelessly cleared a path in the mountains and used ninjutsu to gather the wood, transporting it back to the Akatsuki base

After working the entire morning, the members of the Akatsuki Anbu finally heard the command to rest.

Returning to the makeshift camp, they saw lunch laid out on the table—vegetables and meat, truly a generous spread.

The nearby Akatsuki members eagerly served them, showing no hint of looking down on them. Moreover, injured members among them received medical attention from Akane.

These actions left them puzzled, their eyes showing disbelief.

"What does Byakuya really want to do? Hasn't he revealed our identities as spies? Or does he intend to use this kindness to extract information from us?" They wondered.

This confusion wasn't just among the Akatsuki Anbu; it extended to Yahiko and Nagato.

After Byakuya revealed the new members' identities yesterday, although they said they would leave it to Byakuya to handle, they were still concerned about what would happen next.

But after observing the morning's events, they were perplexed.

Didn't Byakuya say most of these people were spies? Why hasn't he interrogated any of them and instead brought them to clear land behind the Akatsuki base?

Could this be some new form of torture? It didn't seem like it.

After pondering for a moment, Yahiko turned to Nagato and asked.

"Nagato, Byakuya is your clansman. Do you know what he's trying to achieve?"

Nagato shook his head at first, then replied confidently.

"He might be planning to work them to death. With the intensity of this labor and without adequate food or water, they won't last long."

Yahiko was about to nod when he noticed the provisions at the camp.

"Do you think this food is lacking? It seems better than what we had a few months ago."

Nagato fell silent. He didn't have much education and wasn't sure what was really going on.

At that moment, Byakuya, who had long noticed Yahiko and Nagato's presence, walked over and patted Yahiko on the shoulder, saying:

"Leader Yahiko, didn't you leave them to the dear ol' me? Why have you come over?"

"I was a bit concerned, so I came. Your handling of this situation has surprised me a bit. I thought you might just..."

Yahiko hesitated, but his meaning was clear.

Byakuya glanced at Yahiko and coldly huffed.

"Leader Yahiko, as our senior, you should stop believing in those rumours. I am not someone who casually kills, even if they are foreign spies. As the leader, you should still remember the ideals of the Akatsuki.

Our Akatsuki Organization strives for mutual understanding among people. Our ideal is to create a world without conflict and unite them together.

So even though they are spies, I am willing to give them a chance to communicate. After all, hatred will only continue if we don't cooperate. I have convinced them, and they are willing to work for our organization without needing any reward.

Leader Yahiko, when did you forget all this?"

(AN: Man, his as*hole must be really jealous of his mouth from the amount of BS he can spew from that hole.)

Byakuya's words sounded logical and were indeed things he had previously said.

However, Yahiko couldn't shake the feeling that something was amiss. While he advocated for peaceful communication, these were spies sent by major powers. Could they be persuaded so easily?

There must be something wrong with the process.

Yahiko contemplated deeply, focusing on the communication aspect. He persuaded others by emphasizing the benefits of cooperation and the consequences of non-cooperation.

Byakuya might resort to force, forcing compliance.

Thinking of this, Yahiko's gaze at Byakuya became strange, unsure of what to say.

He thought Byakuya would have killed them all, but he didn't. Instead, he used the Akatsuki's ideals to 'convert' these people, completely exceeding Yahiko's psychological expectations.

But if left unchecked, would Byakuya continue using reason to persuade others in the future?

Yahiko was about to say something when he realized Byakuya had already left, giving him no chance to speak.

Sighing inwardly, Yahiko turned to Nagato beside him.

"Nagato, what do you think of Byakuya's approach?"

Nagato pondered for a moment before nodding.

"I think Byakuya is doing well. He's implementing the ideals you've talked about, Yahiko, and this time, he really didn't kill anyone."

Hearing this, Yahiko felt a chill in his heart. Even Nagato was being influenced by Byakuya.

However, seeing Byakuya getting along with the new members, Yahiko decided to keep his thoughts to himself for now.

Using such methods against spies was one thing, but it couldn't be applied to regular members.

If the Akatsuki uses Byakuya's methods to control its members, it would be inferior even to the Five Great Shinobi Villages. It seemed he needed to find an opportunity to talk to Byakuya.