The curse mark was placed on Konan.
It was a uniquely constructed seal. Through a specialized technique, a single drop of his own blood had been installed within Konan's heart. Should the seal ever be removed without authorization, the blood, saturated with potent poison, would end her life in an instant.
The Sand Village called this technique the Blood Poison Curse Seal, similar in concept to the Leaf Village's Root organization's Tongue Severing Seal, though the mechanisms differed considerably. The execution was relatively straightforward compared to conventional sealing techniques.
Most curse seals operated by imposing control or restriction on the bearer, working in a manner similar to standard sealing jutsu. But this Blood Poison Curse Seal worked differently. Rather than weakening and restricting its bearer, it increased the lethality of any activation.
Once triggered, there was nothing anyone could do to save her. The condition for activation was betrayal, and betrayal was defined across two distinct categories: actions and thoughts, each monitored separately.
After the seal was cast, a blood-red mark appeared across Konan's chest.
"The Crimson Seal," Yuji said quietly, watching as Konan slowly dressed again.
She said nothing. Her expression had not changed since she had agreed.
"After you return to Akatsuki, you will share intelligence with us regularly and transmit relevant information as it becomes available," Yuji reminded her.
"Agreed," Konan said. Her voice was even but carried a quiet edge beneath it. "However, the sharing of intelligence does not extend to information about our organization's internal structure. Even if circumstances require us to disclose certain things to your village, the content will be chosen by us. We retain the right to refuse."
There was no plea in her voice. It was simply the line she had drawn, and she drew it without apology.
"Acceptable," Yuji nodded.
"If you are not in a hurry, you are welcome to remain in the Sand Village for a few days. I can show you around."
"That will not be necessary. I have other matters to return to," Konan declined without hesitation.
Yuji looked at her for a moment before continuing.
"When you return to the Land of Rain, be careful. There are people lurking in the shadows who have been watching your organization's movements. The Sand Village will assist you by helping plan a series of actions based on the battlefield situation in the Land of Rain.
We will notify you in advance before any operation begins. However, to avoid detection by both Konoha and the Hidden Rain Village, all communication between us must remain entirely covert for the time being."
"Understood," Konan said.
She did not look back as she was led out.
Yuji then had Baki escort Konan away from the building.
He returned to his office shortly after.
Shimizu was already waiting for him inside.
"How did it go?" Yuji asked, settling into his chair with a calm expression.
"Well enough. I have adapted," Shimizu replied.
He understood that Yuji was asking about the Sharingan transplant.
"The chakra consumption is quite astonishing, however. Once I open it, I cannot maintain the state for long before it becomes unsustainable."
Yuji nodded. This had been within his expectations. There was no solution to it for now.
"How is Mei settling in?" Yuji asked, moving to the next matter.
"She and Ayame have grown quite close. Karura has also been helping to ease her anxiety within the village. Although Mei is still somewhat guarded around us, she is different from what I expected. She seems to have already made peace with whatever she believes her fate to be here. Saori says she has been remarkably cooperative throughout the bone cell research project."
"That is good," Yuji murmured, rubbing his temples.
Konan had already set out on her return journey to the Land of Rain. He could not afford to linger in the village for much longer himself. The next matter he needed to deal with was the problem of White Zetsu.
His eyes grew colder at the thought of it.
That entity had to be eliminated. Since Madara had temporarily retreated from active involvement, there was no longer any need to be overly cautious. Through his subtle warnings to Akatsuki, the organization had been made aware that something was watching them from the shadows.
As for Black Zetsu itself, given its particular nature, completely eliminating it was likely beyond what he could currently accomplish. Sealing was the more realistic path. This was one of the reasons he had continued studying Sealing Jutsu alongside the monk at the ninja temple throughout this period.
"Let us discuss business. How did the exchange with the other side go?" Yuji said, understanding now why Shimizu had come to find him.
The Battle of Kannabi Bridge was over, and the Great Ninja War was finally drawing to its close. The village was using this final window of time to recruit talent before the world settled back into peacetime patterns.
"No problems. The leader of the Fuma clan is very willing to join our Sand Village," Shimizu said. "Until now, they have always wanted to revitalize their ninja clan, but the internal situation and circumstances of the Land of Rice Fields have consistently prevented them from realizing that ambition."
"They built the dream of the Sound Village in their hearts long before Orochimaru gave it a name. And because of that dream, over the years a large number of their Fuma clan members have scattered throughout the ninja world, infiltrating various battlefields and organizations in search of purpose and strength."
"Now that we, the Sand Village, have extended an invitation to them, they will accept it with great willingness. They have been waiting for exactly this kind of opportunity."
"Good," Yuji said.
The more he considered it, the clearer the picture became. The Fuma clan possessed ancestral secret techniques that could become genuine resources for the Sand Village.
Furthermore, the clan also carried a lineage in the crafting and technology of ninja tools that was difficult to find elsewhere. However, unlike the individual talents the village had recruited earlier, including the Uchiha and Hyuga bloodline members, the Fuma clan represented the first truly foreign clan to be brought into the Sand Village as a collective.
Considering the value of their secret techniques and inherited skills, he had no intention of placing them under the same level of control as the others. His plan was to give them room to breathe first. If they proved difficult later, there would still be time to correct that.
"What are your thoughts?" he asked, looking at Shimizu.
"The Fuma clan." Shimizu's expression was measured and thoughtful. "This clan once carried considerable weight in the ninja world. They were regarded as a genuinely formidable ninja clan in their prime. Even now, despite how far their fortunes have fallen, they still carry a trace of that old pride. In some ways they resemble the Uchiha clan in their temperament, though not nearly as extreme."
He continued.
"However, judging from the content of our negotiations with them, it seems the Fuma clan believes that our Sand Village needs their assistance more than they need ours. They have not clearly defined their own position or their obligations at all."
"Furthermore, the Fuma clan members in the Land of Rice Fields are only a branch of the larger clan, not its entirety. Other clan members are still scattered throughout the ninja world, though in relatively small and dispersed numbers."
"If we allow this branch to join the Sand Village, I cannot predict how those scattered members elsewhere might respond, or whether they might eventually cause complications for the village," Shimizu said, his brow furrowed.
"And there is one thing I am most concerned about."
"Whether these people will genuinely submit to authority. Their clan has lived like wanderers for too long. They function more like a mercenary company that accepts outside commissions than a proper ninja clan. Their ranks are scattered and lack the discipline and adherence to structure that village life demands. Whether their clan's leadership actually has the will to integrate their people into our system is genuinely uncertain."
He paused.
"To put it plainly, they are a group of untamed and headstrong people who are going to be a real headache. Even after joining the village, training them into something reliable will take considerable time."
Yuji smiled upon hearing this.
"First we make the offer generous enough to bring them through the gate. Once they are inside, whether they stay or leave is no longer entirely their decision."
He said it with a calm and unhurried confidence.
"If they prove cooperative and sensible, they can enjoy a relatively high standing and meaningful authority within their own community inside the village. But if they dare to cause trouble..."
He let the implication hang in the air without finishing the sentence.
It was worth noting that ordinary ninja clans found it extraordinarily difficult to uproot themselves from their ancestral lands. But the Fuma clan was an exception born of necessity.
They had lived as wanderers for so long that the bonds tying them to the Land of Rice Fields had weakened considerably. Many of their members had already been forced to leave that land simply to survive.
They understood clearly that the Land of Rice Fields could no longer satisfy their ambitions. And the village now extending an invitation to them was the most prominent and powerful ninja village in the current ninja world.
Beyond that, every decision of this kind ultimately came down to self-interest. When the benefits were substantial enough, very few people remained unmoved.
Shimizu read the expression on Yuji's face and understood without needing it spelled out further.
"Have you already chosen where they will be settled within the village?"
"Yes. The Fuma clan will be given territory in a relatively central position within the village."
"Understood."
After the exchange concluded, Yuji stretched his tired back and rolled his shoulders.
"The rest I leave to you. I have to return to the Land of Rain. You, Sasori, and the others should also begin preparing yourselves. The time to move against the Land of Rain is approaching."
"Understood," Shimizu replied, his expression turning serious.