Kakuzu sighs, putting aside the files in which his secretary had brought in. He really disliked having to read everything about the clients of his company, but it was necessary in the record business. He couldn't have idiots who'd ruin their image—and therefore his entire company—recording here. Though Kakuzu generally didn't really pay attention to anything but whether these people were good or not.

He just wanted the money they'd rake in.

Of course, Kakuzu's real intentions in life were the bounties he'd be able to collect working for… that man. He never really thought about the organization while at his—or what he considered to be—secondary job of running a recording company. It wasn't too hard, his secretary whose name he never remembered was the one who ran it all really. He just paid her to pretend it was all his doing and she was representing him.

Or at least she claimed that's what her job was.

No, Kakuzu's focus remained on the Akatsuki and its underground workings. Kakuzu was typically sent with his partner to collect bounties that Pein found suitable to kill because they were open on the ninja deal.

People these days were so stupid. The only way to be a real ninja in their eyes was someone sneaking around and dressed all in black. That was from all the old plays held, where the people who'd create the effects in the background would wear the uniform to blend with the black backdrop. There had been one play that involved a ninja, and one of those black-dressed effect creators was the one going around killing everyone. That was what had caused people to believe ninjas were those who dressed like such and were in the shadows.

What they didn't realize was that ninjas were hired to blend with everything, and therefore were dressed just as any normal person would. They were stealthy, but dressing from head to toe in black didn't make you unnoticeable. It just made everyone look right at you.

Ridiculous, every single one of these civilians; they always seemed to think that the ninjas performing their ninjutsu on the street were doing magic and some other stupid things. Honestly, they were complete morons. Stupid civilians, watching something that could potentially injure them like it was a street performer…

Kakuzu was a bit grateful that Pein had found him. He just wished that the leader of this organization would stop pushing idiots on him to be his partner. Pein could do better than everyone one of those pansies.

Thinking on it and completely neglecting his work—as usual, but it still didn't really matter—Kakuzu wasn't prepared for the voice of his secretary to suddenly burst from the intercom sitting atop his desk, startling him from the thoughts of his double life.

"Mr. Kinsen, there is a… uh… young man here to see you…" She says a bit uncertainly, her voice wavering from disgust, confusion and complete amusement all at once.

Kakuzu raises a brow to her words, glancing over to the calendar beside the intercom. "I don't have an appointment with anyone…"

The secretary—what was her name?—clears her throat to attempt at making her voice clearer. It still sounded uncertain. "He ah… says a—er—a 'pain in the ass' leader of his told him he'd need to meet with you…?"

How convenient that Kakuzu was just thinking of a man named Pein; it didn't take long for him to realize just what this young man was saying that she didn't get. "Send him in…" It was also fairly bad that said "pain in the ass" couldn't relay to this man that they were not to meet unless both of them knew of this meeting.

It was uncalled for to have a meeting with someone outside the organization's business. Coming here so unannounced meant that Pein had found another idiot.

That was the moment his door slammed open, banging against the door and probably leaving a whole bedded into the drywall. Great, he'd have to pay for that…

However, all thoughts of lost money went down the drain once Kakuzu laid eyes on the idiot who would be his partner until he scared him off… or killed him, whichever came first.

"What the fuck are you staring at, old man?" The teenager—freaking teenager—scoffs at him, moving to push the door closed so they'd have a little more privacy.

Kakuzu just continued to stare.

This boy—he had to be only twelve! Pein could not be serious about this. The silver hair on his head was slicked back, giving a clear view to the blatantly pale face, straight jawline and the bright amethyst eyes that bore into Kakuzu's own. Confidence leaked from this young male's entire being it seemed, the same pale skin tracing down his body, giving Kakuzu reason to look over his torso as the red jacket on his back was left open. A charm hung low down and around his neck, resting just above the finely muscled abs for someone so young, his pants hanging loosely on his thin hip bones. Despite being well toned in muscle, the boy was lacking in fat—he seemed extremely skinny with his pants hanging like that. His boxers were showing—what was wrong with this generation of children? It didn't look cool, it was stupid—and a chain hung from the belt that should have held the baggy jeans up. The final icing on the cake of this teenage boy—overly larger, sleek black combat boots.

Pein had not only sent a teenager to work with Kakuzu, he'd sent a rebellious one.

"I said, what the fuck are you staring at, old man?" He says again, the sound already grating on Kakuzu's nerves. His voice was booming with arrogance and had a bit of a scratching tone to it all.

This kid would live in Kakuzu's presence for all of an hour if this continued on. "How old are you? Twelve?" Kakuzu bit back, his eyes narrowing.

He clicks his tongue in an angry fashion, moving to sit in the chair across from Kakuzu's desk, his boots and chains clinking with every step. Without a word, the boy flings his heavy boots onto the desk as he throws himself into the chair, a cocky smirk on his face when the papers Kakuzu'd been reading are thrown to the floor. A vein begins to throb in the miser's temple then.

Five minutes, tops.

"I'm fucking sixteen, moron." He spits out, clicking his jaw as though he were chewing on something. The age didn't affect Kakuzu too much anyway—he was still young. "And that Pein-in-the-ass said I needed to meet you, so I said "shit, I'll find this damn cock-zoo"." He barks a laugh then, finding the play on both Kakuzu's and sir leader's names to be funny. The temple was pulsating now. "I'm Hidan Sendo."

"I don't care." Kakuzu simply states, turning slowly to pick up the papers the kid scattered.

Hidan only grounds out another scoff. "Like I give a damn if you care, cock." He takes to scanning the room a bit with his eyes, the bright orbs going dull to his sudden wall of boredom. "Whelp, if you don't want to fucking know me—"

"You'll be dead in the next few minutes if you don't leave." Kakuzu scowls, tapping the edges of his work on the desk to straighten out the stack.

"Oh please, like anything could kill me." He was too confident—just like anyone who believed they were invincible.

As much as Kakuzu would love to tear the annoyance limb from limb, he couldn't afford to smear his office in blood. The janitors would question why it was there and then he'd have the police…

No, he'd have to settle on a murder with a smaller cleanup. Allowing the stitching in his right arm to come undone, Kakuzu merely lifts the appendage and lets the wires of his inner workings release his forearm, his hand shooting forward and the fingers immediately wrapping around the albino's neck.

Hidan lets out a gurgled laugh when Kakuzu tightens the hold, making the elder male scowl. What made him think this was funny? The teen attempts to say something, only to have his voice scratch on the lack of breath he could just barely gain around the clamp on his throat. Loosening his fingers just a bit, Kakuzu growls out a simple inquiry to what Hidan was trying to say before.

"I… can't… die, cock-zoo." He was smirking around the ragged breaths that he was suddenly allowed, the gleaming white of his teeth shining in the dim mid-afternoon light.

Kakuzu only scoffs. "Impossible, everyone can die…"

Hidan shakes his head, bringing up a pale hand to try and pull Kakuzu's own from his throat. "I can't, dumbass… just stop choking me—it won't get you anywhere."

Glaring directly into the violet orbs of this teenager, Kakuzu takes a moment to consider his words. Killing Hidan would be bad for now; he'll have to wait for another chance. Perhaps their first mission would be the best start.

"Leave; sir leader will contact you when we need to meet again and give you details. Never approach me outside of the Akatsuki's work."

Groaning in annoyance—and obviously only acting out—Hidan hefts himself to his feet, the combat boots rattling the floor with their heaviness. "I got to take a fucking bus; think you can loan me a buck?"

Christmas coloured eyes narrowed in response to the question. "Get out."

Hidan clicks his tongue, just as he had when he'd first walked in. "Fine, screw you tight wad… see you around, cock." With a satisfied grin on his thin lips, the albino swiftly crosses the room, his chain clinking and boots crashing all the same until the door was thrown shut behind him.

As soon as the door was shut and the clinking of his annoying movement died down the hall, Kakuzu grabs for the receiver of his phone, punching in a number he knew all too well. The sound of the line connecting buzzed in his ear, aggravating him to the point that the vein would burst at any moment.

Finally, the other end of the call answered. "Hello, this is Konan Ronbun, tattoo artist of—"

"It's Kakuzu, I need to speak to leader." He scowls, keeping his glare trained on the door Hidan had attempted to destroy—or he assumed he attempted to destroy it, considering how he threw the thing around like it couldn't break.

The woman on the other end gave a light sigh. "Pein is busy piercing an employee; what do you need?"

His frown only deepened to her words. "Damn it Konan, he got another idiot as my partner."

Konan was silent for a moment before her tittering laughter came through the phone. "Hidan is a handful, but Pein found him and realized he was perfect for you."

"So sticking me with an idiot is a good thing?"

"Look at it this way; you can't expect your partner to be replaced because he died this time." Without so much as clarifying what she meant, Konan hung up on the confused miser.