[ Tyvm, he appreciates it. Even if he has no idea yet.

But there's a slow smirk when he listens to the part about no one in Konoha strong enough to challenge him. His hands were still warm and tingly with the memory of the Saindaime's blood on them. ]

You could have challenged the Hokage.

[ But that smirk fades as soon as he hears about Akatsuki's goal. ]

...How droll. [ Sasori could not, for the life of him, picture himself joining a band of S-rank rouge nin for the sake of world dominance. Perhaps it was not world dominance per say; perhaps they'd had a plan. ]

But you joined because you were starved for a challenge. [ Odd. ]

[ He glances at whatever he sees behind Itachi, though it isn't much. He can't tell if it's familiar or not. Deciding to change the subject to current matters, he adds: ]

Are your Pokemon cooperative? [ Because he had problems with one pesky little fellow in his care. ]