A.N.: Just so you can get a better idea of what was going on in the Naruto world: the story starts two months after the Chūnin exams, way before Shippūden.
The rain poured down over the two cloaked figures as they walked silently through the forest. The little sunlight that managed to filter through the clouds was slowly fading, it wouldn't be long before the night arrived and the temperature dropped even more.
This is why Hidan loathed winter with a passion. He started cursing under his breath. As if, it wasn't bad enough to be trapped with the greedy little bastard beside him. If he didn't know him any better, he'd say Kakuzu would make them both sleep under the rain just to avoid "unnecessary expenses".
Just as the silver haired man was about to start complaining, the voice of his partner broke the silence. "There is an Inn at the outer of the Land of Waves. We will spend the night there."
This was a surprising relief for Hidan. His lips turned quickly into his usual mocking smirk. "Now that's unusual coming from you, Kakuzu. What made you have a change of heart?"
The emerald-eyed Akatsuki glared at his partner. Couldn't he stay quiet, at least for once? It really got into the masked man's nerves, how his partner always had any sort of comment or stupid remark… He swore to himself, that when everything was over he would kill the jashinist with his own hands.
"Our customer will be paying for everything, and he will not be expecting us until tomorrow morning."
Hidan simply stared at him, with an "I knew it" expression on his face. If the bill were on them, Kakuzu would have left him sleep in the very place they stood.
"Besides" Kakuzu added. "It would be annoying to have to deal with you tomorrow if you catch a cold in here, stupid kid."
"Shut up, you piece of shit..."
Kakuzu merely ignored the silver haired man. The more time they spent together, the more they both started acting like ten year olds.
Hidan turned away and let out an annoyed sigh, recalling why they were heading towards the Land of Waves. It had been the same since he had joined the organization about a year back: Traveling here and there, doing jobs for a bunch of rich weaklings and idiots; which were all about killing someone who had gotten in their way, being hired from time to time by some of the Hidden Villages, and listening to Kakuzu talking about how much they depend on the money and how they couldn't go to catch down the Jinchūrikis until the leader had all the preparations done. Hidan still found it bothersome, though he started getting used to it.
However, this was the first time that, not only he didn't understand the petition they received, but he also didn't get why Kakuzu accepted it. Who the hell would hire S-ranked criminals for private protection? It seemed idiotic to him. It would take away a lot of their time they could be using for anything else, even other missions. He looked at his partner again. Why was he paired with this fucker in the first place? Even if their abilities made them a perfect match, it wasn't as if they cooperated much with each other. In fact, they both refused to do so most of the time. He would have been better off alone than with this freak of nature.
The jashinist's thoughts were interrupted as they both arrived and the Inn. It was larger that he expected: A two-story building with a small restaurant on the first floor, and what seemed to be a couple of hot springs on the back. He wondered how busy the place was.
Kakuzu approached the receptionist and asked for two single rooms. The shinobis were handed their keys and led upstairs. Before entering his room, the elder Akatsuki turned to his partner.
"We will leave at six. You better not oversleep."
/
Her lips sipped delicately from the cup of wine, not taking the eyes off the companion in front of her. The man smiled as he watched her. "You still haven't told me your name."
She put the cup down and licked off any trace of wine from her lips. "Now, I don't think you wanted to know my name when you offered me a drink".
The man was somewhat taken aback by the bluntness of her reply, but regained his composure immediately. This girl obviously didn't beat around the bush, not that he minded. After all, it would simply make things easier for him.
"Well, could I ask how come a pretty little thing like you was drinking by her at a place like this? It is rare to see a girl like you around here."
"A girl, you say?" She asked with an innocent, perhaps somewhat childish voice, "It's sad to know that I cause that impression on you." With every word, her voice turned into a more seductive tone. "Perhaps, I could... convince you of how much of a woman I am in a more... private place."
Her lips curved, giving him a suggestive smile.
The somewhat-drunk man smirked. He let his eyes shamelessly trace the girl's curvy figure; her exposed cleavage slightly covered by chocolate wavy hair, and then looked up to find her hazel eyes looking at him.
"And what is this lovely lady looking for in exchange?"
"A roof for the night would be more than enough" She replied with a smile.
He didn't need any more motivation after listening to that. He paid the bill and took her hand, leading her into the night.
/
Kakuzu and Hidan walked through the Great Naruto Bridge. The path to the Land of Waves seemed strangely quiet, but the masked shinobi didn't expect to see much activity after the latest attacks it had received.
"The name of our customer is Tenzen Daikoku. He is a politician, one of the Damiyō's aids. It seems that some of his associates have disappeared, and some others were found dead at their homes." Kakuzu explained. "Luckily for us, he is a complete paranoid, and since he is willing to pay a considerate quantity for our services we will stay with him for a couple of days. We'll get the details when we arrive."
"Wait." Hidan interrupted. "If he's a politician, why are we being hired by him privately instead of being hired by the Land of Waves? Is there any reason for that?"
"Daikoku is also a crime boss. The associates we're talking about aren't precisely from the government. He wants to be as discrete as possible."
The silver haired man could already imagine how that "crime boss" looked like. He was definitely one of those pathetic shits that had a lot of money, but could not survive a day on his own. Hidan smirked at the thought.
Kakuzu looked at their destination quietly. The Land of Waves was a neutral zone; there weren't any Hidden Villages in it. Even if it had always been known for its strong shipping industry, there wasn't really a reason for anyone to be very interested on taking control of it.
Kakuzu's emerald eyes stared into space.
Some of Daikoku's missing comrades were listed in his bingo book, but nobody retrieved the money of their bounties. "Such a waste..." muttered the shinobi under his breath. Millions and millions of ryō lost. What bothered him the most was the speed with which they were gone: they were all seen just the day before, and did not seem disturbed in the slightest. Whoever it was behind it all, they worked fast, and probably didn't give any warnings before attacking. They could become a problem for Akatsuki in the future if they kept interfering between him and his preys.
The shinobis arrived at last to Daikoku's castle. At the entrance, a guard was already waiting for them. He greeted them, observably intimidated by the Akatsuki members. Then they were led inside, where they met their contractor. For Hidan's amusement, the man was just as he had imagined him.
One of Daikoku's bodyguards started repeating every single piece of information Kakuzu already knew about the situation. He stopped listening and started to scan the room with his eyes. Another bodyguard was standing behind the couch Daikoku was placed. What caught his attention was the fact that, even if he was clearly not a ninja, he was firmly holding a gigantic blade, which Kakuzu recognized as Zabuza Momochi's sword: Kubikiribōchō.
So it was true that this Daikoku idiot conceited himself with Zabuza's death... Kakuzu gave a half smirk under his mask. "Like a boy who claims to be a hunter, just for finding a dead lion's fangs." he thought. No wonder why he was a politician.
"Since we contacted you, we found more information about the victims" said the guard.
Kakuzu turned his eyes to him.
"The bodies that were found have gone through autopsy. No unusual substances were found, so poisoning has been discarded. It was confirmed that not only the victims didn't struggle against their attacker, but they did not have a single scratch on their bodies." Said the guard, with a serious expression. "It's like the chakra in their bodies stopped flowing all of a sudden."
The masked shinobi frowned. Even if a chakra absorption technique were used, the victims would feel it, and, therefore, defend themselves.
"I already have a hundred men at my disposition to guard the castle" spoke Daikoku. "What I want you to do first is to search for as many information as possible for the improvement of your work. When all information possible has been collected, I will have one of you as my personal bodyguard, while the other will get rid of the responsible for all of this. When I am no longer threatened, you will receive your full pay."
Hidan suppressed a snort. If this idiot kept up with his bossy attitude, he would definitely be threatened. Kakuzu seemed to notice the jashinist's annoyance and shot him a warning glare. He perfectly knew how easily the kid fucked things up with his impulsiveness.
"Two rooms have been prepared for you. While you do your research you are free to either use them or stay anywhere in the island, as long as you send a daily report of your situation. We will reply to confirm my well-being.," added Daikoku.
Both shinobis nodded.
"Understood. If there isn't anything else, we'd like to begin our search right away." Said the elder Akatsuki. His emerald eyes pierced right into the bearded man in front of him.
A slightly disturbed Daikoku stared back. "Yes, that is all. You may go, just don't forget about the report."
The Zombie Duo walked out if the castle and headed towards the town.