Power alone wasn't the problem.
The Akatsuki base thrived—servers humming, laboratories running day and night, White Zetsu multiplying quietly in Orochimaru's tanks. My Paths of Pain stood ready, Kakuzu sharpened his threads like a butcher preparing for work, and Zetsu's network of clones spread like roots beneath the world.
But there was one glaring flaw in my grand design.
Money.
I stared at the financial data Orochimaru had pulled from global networks. Governments moved trillions. Corporations commanded armies of lawyers and soldiers. Even Gotham's criminals were swimming in illegal cash.
Meanwhile, the Akatsuki had… nothing.
No funding.No financial infrastructure.No legal identity.
Just power.
"That's… inconvenient," I muttered.
Orochimaru glanced over his shoulder from a glowing computer screen. "You've built an organization capable of toppling nations, and you forgot about currency?"
"Currency is irrelevant when you can crush mountains."
He smirked faintly. "Not in this world."
He wasn't wrong.
Technology, weapons, research materials, equipment, safehouses—everything required money. Even Orochimaru's experiments needed supplies.
Which meant I had to solve the problem.
Fortunately, the answer came easily.
I turned toward Zetsu.
"Black Zetsu," I said calmly. "We're reopening the Akatsuki for business."
His dark half tilted slightly.
"Mercenary work?"
"Yes."
Back in the ninja world, the Akatsuki had been exactly that—a shadow organization hired to do what governments couldn't admit they needed.
Assassinations.Eliminations.War manipulation.
In this world, the concept was even more common. Private military companies, assassins, contract killers—entire industries built around violence.
The Akatsuki would simply be the best one.
Within days, Black Zetsu began constructing the system.
Using hacked government databases and false identities, he created a discreet contact network hidden deep within the internet. Only those with enough influence or desperation could find it.
A simple message greeted anyone who broke through the layers of encryption:
AKATSUKI – CONTRACT SERVICES AVAILABLE
Below it were three simple rules:
Payment must be made in advance.
Targets must be verified.
Once accepted, the contract will be fulfilled.
No bargaining.No negotiations.
Just results.
The physical contact point was even simpler.
A small, anonymous building in Gotham's underworld district. Nothing flashy—just a quiet office with no markings.
Inside sat two "employees."
White Zetsu clones.
They looked human enough for the job, dressed in simple suits behind a receptionist desk.
If someone attacked them?
It didn't matter.
White Zetsu could produce dozens more.
The location itself was merely a funnel, directing clients into our encrypted network.
Disposable.
Efficient.
Perfect.
From my seat in the base's command room, I watched the system activate.
Requests began trickling in almost immediately.
Criminal bosses wanting rivals eliminated.Corporations wanting sabotage performed.Politicians wanting inconvenient enemies removed.
The DC world was full of people willing to pay for violence.
Kakuzu practically laughed when he saw the payment numbers.
"Finally," he muttered, greed gleaming in his eyes. "Something worth killing for."
But while the others focused on money, my thoughts drifted elsewhere.
I leaned back in my chair, Rinnegan glowing faintly in the dim light of the control room.
The DC universe was dangerous.
Far more dangerous than the ninja world.
Heroes like Superman.Geniuses like Batman.Ancient monsters, gods, and cosmic entities lurking behind reality itself.
Trying to conquer the world right now would be suicide.
Not that conquest was truly my goal.
My gaze drifted to the screens showing cities across the globe.
War.Crime.Corruption.
The same chaos I had seen in my first life.
I exhaled slowly.
"My dream hasn't changed," I murmured quietly.
Peace.
The same dream Nagato once carried.
But this world would never accept peace willingly.
Which meant it would have to be forced.
Until I grew strong enough to reshape the world, the Akatsuki would operate in the shadows—growing, learning, earning power.
Money.
Influence.
Fear.
All of it was just preparation.
Because one day…
When I finally reached the power of the Sage of Six Paths…
This world would understand Pain.
And through Pain—
Peace.