A/N: I've replaced most of the Japanese words with what English words I found appropriate. Of course, proper nouns and honorifics that didn't have a great English counterpart were left in. Story begins slightly before manga Ch. 353 (capture of four-tails) and creates a slight AU. Some canon timeline events have been altered.

Disclaimer: All characters, setting, and conception are property of Masashi Kishimoto. I own nothing.

Edit; 11/16: For anyone who's into the whole FST thing, I've created a Spotify playlist under the name 'Dark Arm of the Nakano'. It can also be found on my tumblr (same username as FF) in the sidebar. Let me know if you like it! Also, this chapter has been edited to re-work a few sentences and replace all 'jinchuriki' with 'host'. Thank you.

Itachi looked in the river and saw blood. They were like silk threads passing beneath the surface. Then they looked more like torn cloth, waving back and forth above the smooth pebbles beneath. Long crimson drapes were floating down, trickling over the rapids further downstream. Then blankets. He threaded his fingers through three kunai beneath his cloak and glanced at his partner behind him, who was already looking upstream.

Kisame turned back to meet his partner, eyes glowing with fervor beneath his woven rice hat. Bells chimed as he looked back. "Looks like Hidan and Kakuzu are already here." He said, baring his teeth. "I don't like when they meddle with our targets."

Itachi loosened his grip on the kunai, but kept his fingers rested inside their loops. He stared back at his partner with his Sharingan eyes. The wind whistled through their bells, cloaks flapping at the gust. He turned from the river and began back towards the road. "Yonbi is not easily thwarted. They might be mistaken."

"You think we've been chasing false leads?" Kisame asked. His blood simmered. They spent months tracking the host. On several occasions, they came close but the four-tails always managed to slip from their fingers. They were running out of resources. Kisame's great sentient sword, Samehada was getting hungry from lack of prey.

Itachi knew his partner would not be satisfied with his answer. "No."

Kisame grunted. They walked together towards the scent of death; a wooden bridge across the river. It was not large nor particularly memorable; large enough for a wagon to go across but not two abreast. Building bridges was not an easy task for such a poor country so it was blessed with white purification tags and banners along the outer steps, two dragons carved into the poles. Everything was wet with blood. The sides of the bridge were blown out. A wagon was cast into the shallow river below, horses still attached and decapitated. Men trying to escape the wagon were sliced to pieces. Women were naked, clothes torn and bodies split in two symmetrical pieces. Kisame could barely contain his bloodlust. Itachi wanted to vomit. Hidan lay spread in the middle of a circle with a spear through his chest. The circle was spelled with blood-glyphs and the heads of his sacrifices. Women's legs made up the outer rim. Flies were beginning to breed on the flesh.

"Did you manage to capture our target?" Itachi flatly asked, noticing that the host was not in sight. Hidan did not care to reply, listlessly staring into the blueness above him, inhaling glory.

Kisame sighed, "It doesn't look like anyone's been left alive, so I guess not." He paused, looking down at Hidan. "Where's Kakuzu?"

Hidan's shadowy partner was seated on the far end of the bridge, dropping coins and picking up coins from one pile to the next, assorting bits of jewelry and gold rings into a series of bags and purses. He did not care for the copper stains of blood on a pearl necklace but he sighed and counted them anyways, making scratch marks and tallies in a bound, parchment book. He noticed the other two from downstream. He was not worried about them. He needed money. Money was the only god.

Itachi did not bother with Hidan, who was lost in ritual. He sighted Kakuzu and walked over, careful not to disturb the human fragments. The bells on his shroud clinked gently. His face was hidden by high pleats and he relished for a moment that at least his cloak wasn't caked in blood.

"You've ruined our ambush." He uttered.

Kakuzu did not look up. "Quiet, child."

Itachi was determined to make the best out of this situation. "Our resources grow thin as well."

Kakuzu did not hesitate. He grabbed a few coins and those ugly, stained pearls and held them out as an offering. "Take them." He grumbled.

Kisame snatched the boon from Kakuzu's gloved hands. "A few coins and some jewelry? We've been planning this ambush for a month. Didn't happen to leave anyone alive for me, did you? I need entertainment too."

"So buy a whore. I don't care. We've sealed our host. Why would I waste my time with you when our Leader needs resources for the war?" Kakuzu dropped another coin into a bag, rustling them together. He put his purse back inside his cloak and looked at Kisame with his dead, pupil-less, green eyes. Animosity rose between them. Kisame could feel his fingers itching for Samehada and the sword growled, hungry for Kakuzu's ancient chakra.

Itachi turned from Kakuzu. "Let's go, Kisame."

Kisame snarled and spat near Kakuzu's feet. Kakuzu did not take notice.