Capítulo 43: Chapter 43: Rise of the Akatsuki Part I
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto
"Hmm…."- Black Zetsu
Chapter 43:
Rise of the Akatsuki Part I:
Trouble in the Sand
"So it has been confirmed then?"
"It does seem that way. The reports are concussive: Uzu has been destroyed."
"But how! That barrier of theirs made it impossible for anyone to infiltrate that village! Let alone to bring an entire force large enough to destroy it."
"Our spies weren't able to confirm that much. In all the chaos, they didn't want to get too close. Especially since Konoha sent an entire force of their own. It looks like they were able to learn of the attack before us but weren't able to get there fast enough. It does seem that they have taken in the remaining refugees, however."
"This could be a problem for us down the line. If Konoha has gained the Uzumaki clan, they will be able to bolster their ranks even further."
"And we don't even know how long this alliance will last…."
"What should we do?"
The Sandaime Kazekage felt a frown appear on his face. This in front of him was the reason why alliances always crumbled in the shinobi world. No one every tried to ensure that they stayed in place. Instead, they began to make preparations for its "undoubtable" end. But it was only because of that way of thinking that the alliances did crumble. He was here now, though. And he was the Kazekage. It had taken a lot of bloodshed for him to finally be able to meet the Hokage and negotiate a treaty that would cease all hostilities between Suna and Konoha. And he would be damned if he saw his work be destroyed because of some petty fears.
However, the Kazekage knew that he was the only one who felt this way. Glancing to his right, he saw Chiyo, one of the best puppeteers and poison experts that Suna had to offer. She had lost people close to her in the last war by Konoha's hand. From that day on, she had been steadfast to try and block any sort of relations with Konoha. The treaty with Konoha was almost made null by her actions. Thankfully, many others in the council were able to see that they could no longer continue the fighting lest the war be brought to their doorsteps just like how it had happened with Kumo. So the treaty had passed, albeit with a lot of opposition.
"We will think nothing of this," he said at long last, bringing the entire council's attention to him. "Konoha and Uzu have always been allies. It is no surprise that Konoha rushed to their aid. And to be worried about Uzu joining their ranks now when they have always fought with Konoha…..it's silly."
Chiyo looked at him with a frown of her own. "It is something to be wary of, however. Uzu's stance in regards to relations with Konoha had been turning for the worst. Especially when Uzu didn't take a part in the last war until the end. If they had joined from the beginning, it would have made things a lot harder for us. And now that they're in the village, I am sure that they will be fighting in every conflict from now on. It is not something to dismiss so easily, Kazekage-sama."
The Kazekage shook his head. "That way of thinking isn't what I call the best way, Lady Chiyo. If you start thinking 'when there is conflict,' then you can expect there to be conflict. And what then? We'll simply be caught in war after war, sending our shinobi to die out there in vain."
The Kazekage knew that he had struck a nerve when he saw her muscles tense. He didn't doubt that she wanted to lash out at him right now. But thanks to her experience, he saw how she calmed herself a moment later.
"It's not something that can be avoided," she replied in an icy tone. "Many thought that the formations of the villages would bring stability to the ninja world. And yet, we have seen two major wars and many other small conflicts already take place despite our predecessors trying to preserve peace. We can only predict that the same thing will happen in the future. So then, why shouldn't we prepare for when this alliance crumbles just like the others? Especially when the stability of our precious village in on the line."
"Because that's the words of a failure, not a winner," the Kazekage said in return. Looking at the entire council before him, he continued, "I know that many of you here weren't too happy when I became Kazekage. All of you knew that I wanted peace instead of trying to continue the war. But then some of you came to understand that, if we had continued the war, Konoha would have soon knocked on our doorsteps. I put the safety of our village above else. That is why I want to preserve the peace between us and Konoha. I don't want anymore deaths clouding over our heads."
The council members looked amongst one another. This wasn't the first time that their Kazekage said similar things to them. And they knew that it wouldn't be the last.
Ebizo looked at his sister who was scowling. He already knew why she was doing all of this. And if he were honest, Ebizo knew that he felt the same. But this wasn't just their revenge on the line here. The lives of every shinobi in the village were in their hands. Ebizo knew that it wasn't right to drag them down into this.
"You have to let go of this, sis," Ebizo whispered to her. Their seats were right next to each other, so it wasn't hard to get her attention.
Chiyo didn't respond. But Ebizo could already tell that she wasn't going to let her grudge disappear. As long as the White Fang of Konoha lived on, his sister wouldn't be in peace. But that didn't do any of them well. Even Sasori didn't express any desires for revenge. Ebizo was thankful for that. Unfortunately, his sister was more hot headed and stubborn. He could rarely ever persuade her. And right now, Ebizo knew that this wasn't one of the few lucky times where he could. Unfortunately. But it didn't matter. The council appeared to be appeased for the most part. They knew that their Kazekage was one of the strongest shinobi their village had ever produced, if not the strongest. And when push came to shove, the man would use forceful means. He had guided Suna from her depressing state into a blooming village. So many in the council, including the war hawks, weren't going to go behind the man's back so easily.
This did not sit well with Chiyo.
Looking around the room, the Kazekage nodded his head in satisfaction.
"Then this meeting is adjourned."
Outside of the council chambers stood Sasori with his eyes closed. Like the rest of the council he wore brown robes. Unlike the rest of the council, however, he had a calm expression on his face.
The redhead didn't react when he heard the chamber doors open. He could already hear the council member's chatter to know that they weren't the ones that he was here for. The people he had been waiting for came last.
Opening his eyes, Sasori could see that his grandmother wasn't in a happy mood. Ebizo's sigh also helped him deduce this.
"Good evening, grandmother," Sasori said with a small smile as he bowed ever so slightly.
Chiyo's sour expression turned to one of surprise when her eyes landed on Sasori's form. "Sasori, my dear child. I didn't expect to see you here today."
Sasori shrugged ever so slightly as Ebizo stopped to stand next to his sister. "I came to see if I could accompany you out tonight. I'm sure that the council's session must have put you in a stressed mood."
And that was the understatement of the year.
But Chiyo's expression softened. "Yes, I would like that."
Ebizo smiled next to her. Sasori was the only person who could ever lift his sister's mood up. It was a beautiful thing really. And Ebizo could understand why. Sasori was the only child Chiyo's son had ever fostered. To her, Sasori was her entire world.
The Sandaime Kazekage closed the chamber doors behind as he was the last one to walk out. His face brightened when he saw Sasori.
"Well, if it isn't our own Sasori," he said as he walked up to them with a smile. "How are you doing, son?"
Sasori looked at his leader with a calm expression. It was the same one that was plastered on his face whenever he was out on missions. "I am doing well, Kazekage-sama. I hope you are well too."
The Kazekage laughed as he patted the younger shinobi's back. "Of course. Things couldn't be better for us right now. Especially having you with us. I'm sure that your grandmother is proud of you."
For once, Chiyo could agree with the man. But she wasn't about to interrupt their conversation. The Kazekage had a soft spot for Sasori. It mainly had to due with the fact that their leader acknowledged Sasori's skills and saw her grandson as someone who would guide the next generation of Suna shinobi. Maybe even more than that. But that was something to think for the future, not now. For the moment, Sasori was simply one of their best jonin and puppeteers.
Sasori didn't respond. Instead, he simply nodded. The light didn't quite reach his eyes, however. It was something that only Ebizo picked up on. The man had seen the teen's eyes reflect sadness and misery from time to time. And it was always there whenever the Kazekage was present. He didn't quite understand why this was, or if he was just imagining it. It was why he hadn't mentioned this to his sister before. But now, Ebizo knew that he wasn't mistaken. Even so, the question remained: just why did Sasori's eyes reflect such a thing? And in front of the Kazekage of all people?
Saying his goodbyes, the Kazekage made his way to his office, already knowing that he had stack of paperwork on his desk as his companion for the night. The wonders of being a Kage he supposed.
Sasori simply watched him go in silence before his hand was grabbed by Chiyo who began to lead him out of the building.
"You're going to spoil me tonight. I shall to see that! Hahaha!"
Sasori shook his head in amusement. His grandmother was always like this. It didn't surprise him anymore really. At least it made him forget about his troubles.
Ebizo watched them go in silence. He didn't know why, but he felt that something bad was going to strike Suna soon.
And that was never a good feeling to have.
"You sure did pick his name out fast," Kazuki commented as he and his companion walked through the still busy streets of Suna. It was already nighttime, and the streets were still buzzing with activity. But the Uchiha didn't pay them any attention as he waited for his companion's response.
Tobi was silent for a few moments as his eye continued to scan through the many faces walking around them. It hadn't been hard to fool the guards at the main gates. His genjutsu had made sure of that. Before anyone could take notice of that, he was confident that their objective in the village would already be completed.
"I've already told you that I'm from the future," Tobi began in a low tone that only Kazuki could hear. "He was a part of the core members of the Akatsuki. With Zetsu's help, it's already clear to me that his skills are already as good as when he joined Akatsuki." He only lacked some of the better tools that he had in the future. But Tobi was confident that he would get them again this time around. "He's also the only one that is in one place, making it easier for us to recruit him."
Kazuki didn't respond to that. Instead, he brought the hood of his cloak closer to his face so that it would hide his eyes form the view of others.
Tobi stopped when he spotted a familiar face entering one of the smaller restaurants in the village.
"It seems that we have found him."
Seeing the person that his companion was talking about, Kazuki could already tell that he wasn't the average shinobi. He didn't know how he could know that without even knowing anything specific about him, but the redhead had that kind of air about him. And if his fellow Uchiha knew what he was talking about, then he would be a fine addition to their ranks. The only problem was…..
"And how exactly are we supposed to recruit him?"
"You let me take care of that," was Tobi's response before he turned to look at the younger Uchiha. "Wait by the exit of the village. I will meet you there by sunrise."
Kazuki didn't respond as the older Uchiha walked away, no doubt to carry out whatever plan he had.
Already knowing that there wasn't much he could do here, Kazuki decided to do what he was told. For now.
Sasori let out a sigh as he closed the door to his apartment. He had moved out of his grandmother's place a couple of years back after he had finally saved enough money to get an apartment of his own. It wasn't much really. It wasn't big nor was it fancy. But it suited Sasori's tastes just fine. He wasn't one for material gain to begin with. Not only that, but thanks to the surplus of income he had in his disposal due to the many high level missions he took, the redhead knew that he was going to be fine financial wise for a while.
Dinner with his grandmother had been fun. It made him forget about all the things that troubled him on a normal basis.
But that line of thinking made the redhead pause as he stopped by one of the windows in his apartment. Looking up at the night sky to the moon, Sasori reflected on his life. He had been doing it quite often recently. But he couldn't help it. Sasori was not content with his current status. And he didn't mean luxury wise. In fact, it was the opposite. Sasori thought he had too much. Not only that, but he was too well known. This wasn't the life that he had been envisioning for himself. Then again, being a shinobi wasn't exactly something he enjoyed. It was all a waste of time as far as he was concerned. He had seen many of his comrades die on countless missions. And for what? For the village? What kind of purpose was that? As far as he was concerned, it wasn't anything meaningful.
Looking down at his hand, Sasori knew that he only wanted a quiet life for himself. Away from all this senseless violence and hatred. He only wanted to devote himself and his time to his ultimate art: his puppets. The true beauty of this world was found through puppets. They lasted forever, never decaying or rotting. Unlike the human body. Puppets were a lot better, even being able to surpass humans as shinobi with the proper dedication and preparations. It was the ultimate art in this world. And that was exactly what he wanted to expand on. Not on this shinobi business. It got him nowhere. It only made his heart ache. Sasori knew that the only reason he had made it this far was because of his grandmother. The redhead could see the joy she felt through her eyes every time he saw her. But nowadays, Sasori knew that it wasn't enough anymore. He was getting more and more fed up with this. He wanted out of here.
But he wasn't stupid. Sasori knew that they would never let him resign. He was far too important of an "asset" to let go. Just thinking of that made his blood boil. And there wasn't much that could annoy him to begin with. The only other option he had was to leave the village regardless. But that was just suicide. He would be marked for death. And that life wasn't any better than this one. In the end, he would have to fight. What kind of freedom was that?
"It seems that you're having troubles, Sasori."
The redhead was quickly on alert as a kunai appeared in his hands from within the brown robes that he was wearing.
Sasori narrowed his eyes when he saw a cloaked individual appearing inside his apartment from within some sort of vortex. 'What kind of jutsu is that?'
Upon closer inspection, Sasori noticed how this unknown person was also wearing a mask that shielded his entire face from view.
"Who are you? What are you doing here? What do you want?"
Sasori knew that it was pointless to ask. Nine times out of ten, trespassers simply rushed in for an attack without answering any questions. Still, even if the possibility was low, it wasn't zero. Not only that, but he also had his scrolls that contained his puppets ready on his command in case things turned ugly here.
"I mean you no harm Sasori," Tobi added, already seeing that Sasori was treating him like an enemy. Under the circumstances, it couldn't be helped he supposed. "I am only here to offer you a deal."
There was still a hint of suspicion in the redhead's eyes. There were too many unknown variables here, after all. "A deal, you say. Is that why you sneaked into my home?" And possibly the village too.
"Indeed," Tobi replied with a chuckle. "This deal will be of great importance to you, after all. I can assure you of that."
Sasori scoffed. "Really now? I highly doubt that." As far as Sasori could see, it was probably some sort of spy from another nation that wanted to hire him and take him away from Suna. But the redhead would never take that deal. He would only be trading masters. And what he wanted was to be freed from his leash.
Tobi titled his head to the side. "You don't seem very convinced. But considering the hell this reality is, I don't blame you. You will listen to what I have to say, though. You will understand by the end why this is better than staying here."
Sasori didn't reply as he lowered his hand. "All right. You've caught my attention. So? What do you want?"
"To bring peace," was his immediate answer. Seeing the blank look on Sasori's face, he elaborated. "I'm sure you know as well as I do the mess the world we live in is. Conflict after conflict. And for what? Even you, who has no interest in those affairs, are dragged into this mess because of the greed of others. I'm sure you've come to realize that it doesn't matter what you do. In this world, only despair reigns supreme. Isn't that what you're feeling right now? You don't wish to be a shinobi any longer. And yet, you have no other choice but to continue down this senseless path."
Sasori frowned. "How could you possibly know any of that?"
"Because I've also been in your shoes," Tobi answered. "I've experience despair. That's why I want to build a world that overcomes that. And for that, I need your help."
"And how exactly would you bring this world about?" Sasori questioned.
"The bijuu. I plan to make the ultimate weapon through them, one that will make the nations submit."
"So you're going to use fear then," Sasori stated with a calm look. "Fear can only get you so far."
Tobi shook his head in slight amusement. "I disagree. The fact that you're still in your prison proves my point. Fear is the most basic of human emotions. In order to survive, humans will do anything. That's why fear has stayed with us this whole time. Fear is the greatest motivator. And it is through that fear that we shall achieve peace at long last."
Sasori frowned. He could tell that he wasn't being told everything. Even so. Some part of him did like the implications of such a plan succeeding.
"So? Why do you need me?"
"I need your skills," Tobi answered. "And you're not the only one. I will assemble a group of talented shinobi in order to bring this plan into fruition. It will take time. And it will take for you to fight. But once it's been accomplished, you can spend the rest of your days in peace or however else you want. You will finally be free from the confines that have held you back this whole time."
Sasori looked down, his head running through a million thoughts at the moment. Was he really going to leave his village behind? His grandmother? His remaining family?
'No, I'm fixating on the wrong things here,' he thought to himself. 'It's exactly what I've been thinking this whole time. I'm not cut to be a shinobi. Nor do I want to be one. But as long as I remain here, I don't have a choice. But to create a better world…..'
Sasori didn't care for a "better" world honestly. He never had. Other people could kill themselves all they wanted for all he cared. It wasn't his problem. The only thing that did annoy him was that he was dragged into such affairs all the time. He had no qualms with killing either. But he didn't want to kill for a cause that didn't appeal to him in the slightest. No. His vision was more perfect than this village.
Turning his attention back to the cloaked man in front of him, the redhead said, "If you're looking for the Ichibi, he's not here. He's out of the village on a mission right now."
Tobi smiled behind his mask. He had his answer. "Don't worry. I'm not looking to capture any of the bijuu without at least another member. Otherwise, it would take us too long."
Motioning Sasori over, he continued, "We'll talk about that later. For now, we should get out of-"
"Not yet," Sasori cut in with a shake of his head.
"What?"
Smiling ever so slightly, the redhead said, "There's a piece that you must help me collect. Once that's done, I will accompany you. But not before."
Tobi merely raised an eyebrow behind his mask.
Kazuki was surprised when he found Zetsu waiting for him by the outskirts of the village. Both halves.
"I thought you had your orders already," the young Uchiha said with a calm tone as he stopped in front of the two beings.
"Oh, we do," White Zetsu replied with a grin. Like Kazuki, they were wearing the same dark cloak. "That's why we are here."
"We are under orders from Madara."
Kazuki raised an eyebrow at this. "What? What about?"
"Tobi…..he can't be trusted."
Kazuki was silent at hearing this. He simply closed his eyes as he faced away from them. He had already suspected that Madara hadn't fully bought into his fellow Uchiha's story. Of course, he didn't particularly care. He only wanted to see the Infinite Tsukuyomi brought to life with his own eyes. However, if Tobi somehow interfered with this…..
"So? What exactly does Madara intend for me to do?" Kazuki asked. "He has the Rinnegan. He can control the Gedo Mazo."
"For now," Black Zetsu replied. "There will be many openings in the future. You just have to strike at the right moment. But for right now, it'd be best to let him think he's in complete control. At least until he's outlived his purpose."
"There's also the original eyes of Madara," White Zetsu added. "They're still with the brat that Madara gave them to a few years ago when we were going to follow the original plan."
"And where is he now?"
"He's in Ame. But it seems that he's not Tobi's top priority right now. Considering who we're up against, though, I consider that to be a major flaw."
'Sasuke,' Kazuki thought to himself. Looking towards Zetsu, the Uchiha said, "No. For now, it'd be best to bolster our numbers, just like he wants. Once that's happened, we can get Madara's original eyes back with much more ease. Then, there won't be any loose ends."
"We thought you might say that," White Zetsu said with a chuckle. "My clones were already able to find the next one on Tobi's list. But it seems that he's attempting another kidnapping, one that won't end so well either."
"Where is he?" Kazuki asked.
"Iwa. There's another potential member in the area too. I'm sure that that is where you two will be heading after you are done here."
Kazuki didn't reply as he turned to look at the village before him.
The future was uncertain, after all.
The Kazekage wasn't enjoying his night all that much. Even after being stuck in his office for the past couple of hours, the stack of paperwork on his desk had only decreased about a quarter of its original size. It was certainly haunting. Part of him just wanted to go home already so that he could retire after a long day. But he at least wanted to diminish his work to about half. Perhaps that was only wishful thinking, though.
'Being a Kage is such a pain in the ass sometimes,' he thought to himself as he read through another paper. Apparently there was another request to increase the budget for a new jutsu that some of his high class shinobi had gathered to develop. There still wasn't any specifics, though. But if he remembered correctly, Lady Chiyo was leading that project. The Kazekage knew that the woman didn't get interested in anything that wasn't worth taking notice of.
With that in mind, the Kazekage wholeheartedly approved the request. He was about to continue with his work until he heard a knock at his office door.
Wondering who it could be at this time, the Kazekage quickly said, "Enter."
He had to raise an eyebrow in slight surprise when he saw that it was none other than Sasori himself. This was certainly odd. Just why was here tonight at this hour? The redhead shinobi had never bothered to come to his office other than when it had to do with missions. The Kazekage knew that Sasori, in some sense, loathed being in his office. He certainly didn't understand just why that could be. But he let those thoughts drift away as he settled his attention on his most talented puppeteer in front of him.
"Sasori, I didn't expect to see you here this late."
The redhead simply nodded as he stopped in front of the man's desk. "There is something that I must discuss with you."
The Kazekage raised an eyebrow at the serious tone. Sasori only ever looked this serious when he was out on missions. He always had a blank demeanor to him. Unless he was with Chiyo. Then he did crack a smile ever so often.
But returning to the situation at hand. "What is it?"
"I'm here to resign my position as a jonin. I don't wish to be a shinobi any longer."
Now this shocked the Kazekage to his core. "But you can't!" he exclaimed as he stood up from his seat. Walking around his desk so that he could stand in front of him, the Kazekage placed both hands on the redhead's shoulders. "You're one of our most talented shinobi. You are fit to be one. Why would you want to turn your back on all of that?"
"Because I no longer wish to be a part of these childish games," Sasori replied with a frown. "My passions lie somewhere else. I wish to pursue them. But as long as I continue to be a shinobi, that cannot happen. That is why I'm here right now, resigning my position."
But the Kazekage couldn't accept such a reason. Retracting his hands, he shook his head. "I can't allow you to leave for such a reason. You are a very important part of this village. If we lose you, it will a great loss to our ranks. I cannot allow that to pass."
Sasori sighed as he closed his eyes. "You just couldn't let me leave, huh….." he muttered to himself.
The Kazekage looked at him in slight confusion until he felt a needle being pushed through his chest. Looking down, he saw that it was being pushed by none other than Sasori himself. With wide eyes, he met Sasori's cold ones.
This had all been a test on Sasori's part to see if he could leave this place in peace. In the end, that was what he had been hoping for, even though logic told him otherwise. He still wanted to make sure so that he didn't have any regrets after he did what was necessary to unsure his freedom from this cage. And now, he didn't.
Coming out of his shock, the Kazekage made to punch Sasori only to be blinded partially by a puff of smoke. The Kazekage instantly jumped back and out of his office through one of the windows. But he felt as his body was heavier than usual. He also felt extremely exhausted.
'What did he inject me with!?' he thought to himself as he landed on a nearby rooftop.
Looking up to the window he had just jumped through, he saw Sasori standing there with one of his puppets, Karasu.
"You sure are a tough one, Kazekage."
Said man's eyes widened when he felt a new presence behind appearing out of nowhere.
"Even after having been infected with that new poison of his, you can still move. Your blood really is special. I guess that's to be expected from the man that wields the Satetsu."
The Kazekage scowled as he tried to summon his Iron Sand, only to stumble back down on the ground as blood spurted out from his mouth. 'What's happening here!?'
"My poison is already in your bloodstream," Sasori stated as he landed in front of him. "It's one that is meant to shut your bloodstream down. Of course, it seems that it still needs some improvement. Then again, your blood is specifically tough. You're always enhancing it with the iron in your blood. But now, that won't help you anymore."
"Sasori….." the Kazekage said as he looked up at him. "Why? Why are you doing this?"
"I already gave you my reasons," Sasori stated with a shake of his head. "Unfortunately, it's not something you can hope to understand. Your only concern is this village. Well, to me, this village is nothing but a cage that I've been imprisoned in this whole time. But now, it seems that I can find a solution out of this. One that I have taken. Of course, this could have been avoided. But you didn't listen. That is why you will die here today, Kazekage. But don't worry. I will turn you into the ultimate form of art. That, I can assure you."
The Kazekage wasn't able to say anything else in return as his blood system finally shut down completely. And without blood, his heart couldn't function. It had put up a good fight. But Sasori had learned from his grandmother, after all. The only one who could have helped the man would have to have medical skills on par to that shinobi from Konoha, Tsunade. But it was already too late. The Sandaime Kazekage was dead.
Sealing Karasu into one of his scrolls, Sasori brought out another one from within his robes for his latest piece.
Tobi didn't say anything as he observed Sasori sealing the man's corpse into a scroll. "You seem excited, Sasori."
Sasori smiled. His eyes were also dancing with excitement. "Ah. It seems that I can never hide my excitement when presented with a new fine specimen. But it is my art. So I guess it can't be helped."
Tobi h'mphed, pushing that aside. "At any rate, we should go before any additional shinobi arrive. I managed to take out the guards, but you can never be too careful."
"Where exactly are we going now?" Sasori asked as he stood in front of his new ally.
But Tobi didn't reply as he placed a hand on his shoulder, activating his jutsu and teleporting them out of the area in a vortex.
The last thing Sasori saw was the Kazekage tower. But he had no regrets. This was all to follow his own dream. Of course, he knew that his grandmother would never understand it. But he would probably never see her again after this. It was time to put his past behind him and to set out for his own future.
And with that, the two left the area, leaving no trace that they had ever been there.
Fuka knew that her situation was really troublesome right now. Especially given how things had turned out after she and Kakuzu had set out in their new assignment.
Said man was looking at a White Zetsu clone who was grinning at them both. "So you want me to join this organization of yours?"
The clone nodded. "Yes. But don't worry. I'm sure that you'll be able to keep making as much money as you want. But it'll be easier since you will have an entire organization backing you up."
"Oi!" Fuka called out with an exasperated sigh. "Are you forgetting about me?"
The clone looked at her in amusement. "Well. Tobi didn't say anything about you to be honest. So I'm not exactly sure what to say to you. Or maybe I should just kill you right now…"
Fuka narrowed her eyes, making the clone burst out in laughter. "Hahaha! Don't worry. I was only joking…..maybe."
Kakuzu looked at his companion with a curious gaze. Neither of their attire had really changed in the last four years. Kakuzu wasn't one to care about fashion to begin with. Fuka on the other hand did. But she had said that she made anything look good, so it didn't really matter either way. That was a different topic for another day, however.
"Are you sure that you want to come along? To be frank, I thought that we would part ways here. Especially with this new job."
Fuka blew him a kiss. "You can't get rid of me that easy, darling. Besides, I don't exactly have anything else to do right now. You're the best partner I've had. So unless something else comes along that's better, you're stuck with me."
Turning his attention back to the White Zetsu clone, Kakuzu said, "There you have it. You have two candidates."
The clone shot him a look of confusion. "Candidates?"
Kakuzu smirked. "Yeah, that's right. We're currently in the middle of a big bounty. So if you help us capture him, we'll join without a fuss. Otherwise, you'll have a big fight on your hands."
Above all else, Kakuzu cared about the money. And the latest bounty that had caught his eyes was a big one. Of course, he also knew just how hard it was going to be given his position in Iwa. But if rumors served true, then his bounty was in the middle of trying to leave his village indefinitely. That would make his job a lot simpler.
Fuka didn't add anything else as she waited for the clone's response.
"I'll have to consult Tobi about this," the clone began with another smile, "but I'm sure that he can agree to those terms."
Kakuzu grunted but didn't add anything else. He simply walked around the clone.
"Then I guess we'll meet your boss in Iwa," Fuka said with a wave as she followed Kakuzu's example. "We'll be waiting!"
The clone simply continued to grin as he sunk back into the ground.
The sun was already on its way to begin its trip across the sky, bringing an end to this long night.
It was the start of another day.
Status de energia semanal
-- Ranking de
Poder 
-- Pedra de
Poder