a/n: So, this fic is more than a bit dated. I started when I was 15, so the first 10 chapters are a bit comma-crazy. Also keep in mind it was started before a lot of these characters were revealed more in-depth. So don't waste your reviews telling me about a misplaced comma or how some characters seem a tad ooc - or even how I had to give Pain a name before Kishi gave us his name. Note that I stick as close to the manga as possible, so until I get the time to clean things up, till about chapter 10 it's amateur.
Thank you!
"Stare at the frailty…of the apple eater."
Every war has a world, and every world has a silent war hidden beneath the thin surface of it's decaying flesh. Though the ninja villages showed immense progress, the truth of it was, a miracle could only bring back the trust and forever thin loyalty.
At that distant island, on a vacant body of water, in the midst of a dreary cave, the virus knitted between the brittle faith of the shinobi world, brought themselves together for an urgent meeting, the subject: severing the seams that held up the grand five countries.
"It has been quite some time since we had such a meeting," began a raspy voice, looping in the static sound of projectors. "As I'm sure you're all aware, Sasori-san is no longer with us."
"No one doubts that. There is now enough sake for me to get drop-dead-drunk every night, hmm," a chortle of laughter caused the cavern walls to echo. Deidara had lost his partner, and he had imagined a bit more grieving from within himself. But bottles of sake just seemed to drown any silly sentiment away.
"Do not sorrow too much Deidara-san, or you might be mistaken for a grieving widow," cooed a third voice. That eerie tone, belonged to no other than the strangest appearing of all the Akatsuki, Zetsu. Whose head was clasped between a large Venus flytrap's green jaws, as if someone had decapitated a domino colored beast and stuck it's head right on a pike between it.
More laughter shook the cave. "Ah, very amusing Zetsu-san, hmm. As if being mistaken for a overgrown weed is any better, hmm?" Deidara wouldn't usually shoot back such a smug, smartass remark to someone as high ranking as Zetsu. Who by far didn't know the meaning of mercy. But since Zetsu and the other Akatsuki members were merely visiting though wires and bytes, the clay master felt nestled in safety.
The laughter soon died down to cackling, as the eerie glow of technological projectile devices flickered from the cave's dampness. To meet out in the open, even a rural teahouse was out of the equation entirely. Though they had meant to keep incognito beneath their sugegasa and only observe from over the brim of their high collars, Akatsuki through word of mouth had spread like wildfire across the shinobi world. So, not one of them could so easily take a seat in a restaurant and discuss important matters as such, so willy nilly. Also, the fact the members were spread thin across the map, meant a physical meeting wouldn't be possible.
"It seems common sense of the situation has evaded you all," the leader of Akatsuki sighed, his projection had slumped in irritated disappointment, but he regained his strict composure with purpose. "With Sasori deceased, it has come to my attention that without him, our chances of accomplishing our goals has significantly slimmed. His intelligence was much use to us, but more so his incredible use of the puppet jutsu and ensnaring agents-" another light flickered within the cave.
"I, question if this is an Akatsuki meeting, or a eulogy for someone who merely hid behind dolls and other loathsome trickery?" inquired Uchiha Itachi, who had enough standing to question the subject matter their leader was proceeding.
"Itachi-san, have you no respect for the dead?" inquired Kisame, whom merely looked to his partner, standing directly to his left in the same haze of shadow. Itachi's impassiveness to grief and any other hindrance of emotion was well known to the rest of the organization.
Deidara snorted, "Itachi-san only has respect for himself and the occasional glimpse he gets when taking to a mirror, hmm?"
Itachi ignored the little remark and merely waited for their leader's response. He greatly doubted that without Sasori, their cause wouldn't meet it's peak. Their numbers were steady, even if Akatsuki was still in a phase of infancy. With that in mind, Itachi's sharingan narrowed to ripe incisions, somewhat impatient at the moment.
Their leader took notice, "since Itachi-san is obviously eager for the next assignment, I will pursue the point more thoroughly," he drew in a breath. "We're lacking in man power, this is nothing new. So, a select few of you will be deployed on recruitment missions."
A sudden silence wiped all expression from the current members. Obvious the last time they recruited, had been some time ago, in times of desperation. "Recruit?" bitterly repeated Deidara, remembering when he was actually brought into the cold embrace of Akatsuki by a lost bet against Uchiha Itachi.
"Remember Deidara-san," began Kisame, as if Deidara was incapable of doing so himself, "your humorous arrangement with Itachi-san about whose art was exceptionally efficient; yours or his own?"
Deidara's hazed form stiffened, those large eyes like festival lamplight had narrowed into kunai slits, "tch!" he spat. "What bullshit that had been, just the mere recollection makes me long for the sense back then, to take Itachi and his parlor magic tricks seriously, hmm!"
"…?" Kisame glanced to Itachi, who was still unobstructed by Deidara's comments.
Well the shark-hybrid himself found some real amusement about that event back then and now, so he gave a hard chuckle, causing his and Itachi's forms to flicker in the cave like a wafting flame. However, a third also recalled that day and wasn't too keen on having to deal with arrogant amateur again.
"Wander aimlessly," Itachi's careless tone sliced the musty air, "through country after country in pursuit of what little talent there is left in this world anymore…tedious and irrelevant." Sharingan ablaze as if he were in the flesh, Itachi was not about to be sent on another recruitment mission where all he knew he was going to find, were children with big talk.
Keen to Itachi's unwillingness to pursue candidates for more akatsuki, their leader regained control of the meeting by raising a forestalling hand, "I do understand your point Itachi-san," the other's weren't surprised, their leader always favored the influence of Itachi and it was definitely the other way around. "However," continued the man, gray, concentric circled eyes locked on sharingan, with no sense of fear, "do not make the ill-conceited mistake of believing talent in the shinobi world went clear out the window when we recruited you, Itachi-san…There are other apples out there, ripe, and just as unruly as the rest of you."
In a way, the leader insulted Itachi's significance, comparing him to whatever low level, run of the mill missing-nin were out there. "We have more pressing matters to attend to. Another amateur," Itachi coldly glanced to Deidara, "we do not need at this moment."
Usually Itachi was the most silent at a meeting, so much the leader himself would have to command the kid to speak, or enlighten more on what vague sentences issued from his tight lips. Now however, he was candidly discouraging orders.
"What you think at this point is irrelevant to me, Itachi-san," replied the leader, coolly.
Itachi scowled in that instant, grasping that this pursuit was a waste of his breath. So, with little more than a regretful blink - "Any further detail?"
When order settled and all the other members let go collective sighs, the leader continued. "Indeed," he addressed his fellow Akatsuki in a whole, "We have three rings remaining, counting the one Sasori left behind. Three rings, three candidate clans-"
Deidara coughed in, "Excuse me, but what do the last three rings correspond to, hmm?"
It was true, not even Itachi knew what those last three rings stood for. Of course, the Uchiha was aware of what his ring meant. The gold band, red jewel, with the Kanji referring to his shijin god, Suzaku, was what he wore. Deidara, Zetsu, and Konan wore the other three shijin god bands, while Kisame governed over the southern star ring, and Their leader: zero band.
The leader of Akatsuki decided to point out the files he had sent to three of the Akatsuki. "Information on the rings can wait. The records sent to you are the instructions and statistics we've profited from intelligence, on the clans you will be obtaining from," the noise of sifting papers and grunts of agreement struck the cave with life.
"Wait a second -" Deidara started, but was cut off by the leader.
"Three candidate clans are in three different countries. Kisame-san, you will be traveling to the village hidden in the waterfall," Kisame nodded his head while Itachi's eyes narrowed at his own paper. "Deidara-san, you will be off to the village hidden in the clouds," the blonde clay master grinned broadly, remembering the last time he instigated a little mayhem in the clouds.
Deidara and Kisame exchanged words on the subject of their newly issued assignments, Itachi was excluded from the jabbering.
"Do you think this is humorous, fair punishment for me questioning?" suddenly inquired Itachi, tone inflected by suspicion.
Their leader flickered his attention towards the Uchiha. "Find the mission beneath you, Itachi-san?"
Kisame, with some caution, peered over Itachi's shoulder then, attempting to get a quick hint on exactly what his assignment was. Upon noticing, Itachi became a bit uncomfortable with the over-the-shoulder read, so shrugged Kisame away as calmly as possible.
"Haru: criminal clan, infamous for their underhanded body snatching and abduction of foreign shinobi…" this was ridiculous, and Itachi's dismay progressed, "then completely wiped out under unanimous decision of the kage."
"Itachi-san," the leader took in the Uchiha's scowl, "our informants had else to say."
Lips together, Deidara bit them between his teeth, trying hard not to laugh at Itachi's sad excuse for a mission. To those who knew this clan name, like Deidara, who knew his former kage was in charge of the extermination, was like sending Itachi on a wild goose hunt.
"Come now, the Haru clan met extinction right after Kusagakure handed them over to the Tsuchikage," interrupted Kisame. "There are no more left." Honestly, the leader wasn't the one who would have to deal with Itachi's mind-numbing, unsettling version of the silent treatment once this meeting was adjourned. And to give him a joke mission like this was ridiculous.
The projection that showed their leader flashed a few times, "our informants have yet to be mislead. Itachi-san, you will retrieve the last two remaining members of the Haru clan, as soon as possible. Understood?"
Silence, the disdain had to stew a bit.
"Hai," Itachi understood.
"Two hmm?" Well I'll have to bear witness to this myself once I return from Kumogakure, hmm." Deidara gave a wave to the projected forms of his fellow Akatsuki members, before he disappeared in a static mess.
Zetsu somewhat grumbled in dismay, not being assigned a clan, and being cooped up for so long had left him restless. "Why three clans?" he then questioned the leader of Akatsuki, while in that nearly closed Venus flytrap's mouth, Zetsu's monstrous featured head turned with a tense pop.
"Isn't it obvious Zetsu-san?" spoke the leader of the red dawn calmly, "The clans I assigned Deidara, Kisame, and Itachi are known for their kekkei genkai." He watched Zetsu's strange eyes gaze through him, "The Akatsuki has always been about quality, not quantity."
The words of the head terrorist, intrigued Itachi. Quality, over quantity? Yes, that did make absolute perfect sense. The Uchiha himself, had to go through rigorous tests to join the terrorist organization. Strange, since when did a written test say you were a criminal?
Pondering that for a while as the leader of the red dawn went on, Itachi remembered he joined the Akatsuki at merely the Jounin level. After spending a few years in the Akatsuki, he had obtained the highest rank known for a missing-nin, S-class, Kage standards really.
Kisame looked to his partner, and saw the Uchiha's eyes were staring to his papers resentfully. "Itachi-san," Kisame cautiously began.
"What is it?" Itachi put his fierce, scrutinizing stare on the shark-hybrid.
"Shall I ask if it could be possible for us to switch assignments? Since it seems, you would rather not waste your valuable time on such a wild goose chase," Kisame hoped for a simple nod of Itachi's head, agreeing to the switch. But all he got was a dirty scowl.
"Kisame-san, do not insult my abilities," he sighed. After another taut second, the Uchiha veered his dangerous stare back to the papers, as if debating the authenticity of his orders. Were there still members of that clan left alive in Kusagakure? The circumstance of their supposed extinction more than hinted the bloodline's entire demise…but intelligence said different."…ridiculous," he muttered. Before wheeling around in a show of black and red, leaving Kisame's hazy form in the electrical pulsing presence of the leader and Zetsu.
And like Deidara and Itachi, Kisame's projection dispersed in a static, no trace was left but the low murmur of voices outside this cave in the Rain Village.