Warning: This chapter contains strong, and maybe somewhat offensive language. You've been warned.


Shuukyoo

"Now! Let's savor the utmost of suffering together!" - Hidan

The toilet was never a fun place to be for Kisame. And not in the typical way it's used. That's fine. Just, when stuff comes out the other end... A touchy subject. But, needless to say, it's what happens when you have a few too many drinks in one night, or, in Kisame's case, one hour. His head spun like a Merry-go-Round, and his stomach did not agree with anything at the moment. But there is a point in time that there is nothing else to do but drink, in Kisame's case. Nothing ever seemed to go his way, even when he tried hardest for it. There were always people that were going to stare at him, always people that would talk about him, and there were always going to be people that hated him. It was inevitable. And Kisame sure did hate the inevitable.

After another go around, Kisame dizzily stood up from off of the floor. Once he was up and somewhat steady, he flushed the toliet. He spat in the sink a few times, rinsing out his mouth several more. After a good tooth-brushing, Kisame was finally starting to feel a little less gross. He didn't look or smell pretty at the moment either, for sure.

Drinking spells were rare for Kisame. They were becoming more common however. There wasn't much he could do about stopping it, either. People were a lot nicer to you when they were drunk. It's a very well-known fact indeed.

Kisame slowly scooted out of the bathroom, gazing around in a daze. Another crappy motel room. One bed. One television. One light. One sword. One person. Always the same deal. Except, this room actually had two windows. Whoopdee-flippin'-doo.

Kisame sat himself down on the bed in the center of the room and fished through his bag. He didn't exactly know what he was looking for, but he just needed a distraction. The only things in his bag was clothes, bathroom items, maps, pens, and a photo tucked into a book. The book was old, and Kisame had had it ever since he could remember, just like the photograph. He pulled the photo out of the book carefully, gazing at it in the light of the lamp by his bed. Three of the four people in the photo were like ghosts, there once but never again. Well, they really were ghosts. The last person is someone Kisame had known well at one time, but not anymore. Himself.

A knock on the door interrupted Kisame's thoughts. He slipped the photo into the book, and the book back into his bag. He grabbed Samehada by the hilt and pulled himself up off the bed. He walked carefully over to the door, Samehada in hand, when he noticed they unknown visitor had slipped something under his door. A piece of paper, to be fair. Kisame didn't look happy with this, and bent down quickly to snatch up the paper. Before reading it, Kisame sat himself back on his bed. Then, he took the slightly crumpled paper and stared at it. It was a handwritten note, that was extremely hard for Kisame to read. The hand writing was weird and difficult to read if you were getting over a hangover. When Kisame had finally gotten his head together, he read it aloud:

"'Gather today in the center of town at 3pm for an important message.'"

Kisame's eyes narrowed as he burped a little. What could be so interesting as to pull a whole frigging' town together by means of a handwritten note? Probably nothing. But, Kisame was curious, no doubt. Why not go and crash the party? And raise hell if it wasn't important.


Later in the day Kisame was feeling better. Not happier, for sure, but at least he wasn't upchucking anymore. He took Samehada with him as he left his room. He made sure to lock his door with the old, crappy room key. Other people were also leaving their rooms, obviously for the same purpose, because they were holding the same letter in their hands. Kisame made his way out of the motel into the heat of a Konohagakure day. He hated this area for that reason alone. The sweltering heat always made him feel extremely uncomfortable. It would be better if it was cold. For sure.

Kisame followed a group of younger looking people to where they were going, because they were talking about the note. Kisame's curiosity itched, and so did his need to pop off some heads or something. Public gatherings always excited him that way. So many unsuspecting, dumb people.

The center of town wasn't that crowded to Kisame. He could see over most of them, even if he stood in the back. There was a large stage set up in the middle of the town. This town was known for it's spectacular plays and playwrites, so it was no wonder all their money was poured into this stage area. Samehada was nearly going crazy. There were definitely some good chakras nearby.

After a while of standing around, everybody started hushing each other, and a stage light on the stage flickered to life.

'Here we go...' Kisame thought eagerly, gripping Samehada's hilt tightly, grinning devilishly.

Kisame was surprised, however, to see a woman walk up onto the stage from the back. Her appearance stunned many people in the crowd. She was very beautiful, with her long silver hair in an elaborate work. Jewelry adorned her hair, neck, wrists, and even ankles if you looked closely. Her shoulders were bare, and she wore a tight, elaborate-looking corset, which was a stunning shade of purple. Her skirt was very long, a matching purple, and definitely 'poofy' in Kisame's opinion. Although she was indeed beautiful, she had weapons tucked into her outfit anywhere you could think. Her last feature was a necklace she wore, which was her least expensive looking item. It was a silver circle, with an upside-down triangle in the middle.

In one hand, the beauty had a wooden stake In the other, a shiny, new book. A bible.

"Shit..." Kisame mumbled. He had a bad feeling about this, but didn't feel like moving. He was big, and the people around him were small. To get out, he'd have to shove past them. He didn't want a scene right now, or yet.

"Hello." the woman called to the crowd, a small smile crossing her face. She had a naturally powerful voice. "We are here to talk to you about something very important in these times of blessed war - religion. No, not religion - we have come here to teach you the law of Lord Jashin himself!"

People in the crowd listened in astonishment. Kisame was already fed up with this. Religion? Never did anything for him. And he definitely didn't want to stand here all day and listen to it. Kisame turned heel and began asking people to move. Once he reached the back of the crowd, he was home free. Or, at least he thought he was.

"Hey fucker, where the hell do you think you're going?!"

A somewhat tall man now stood in Kisame's path. He was tall, but somewhat skinny looking. He resembled the woman on stage in a way. They had the same pinkish-red eyes, and the same silver hair. But this man had his short, and slicked back. He wore no shirt, only a pair of pants and shoes. His necklace was exactly the same as hers.

"Hey fucker, I'm talking to you! Where the hell do you think you're going?!" the man repeated, his voice harsh, and almost senile sounding.

"I'm going back to my hotel. This crap doesn't interest me." Kisame didn't smile, but he was trying to be polite. His hands twitched uncontrolably. "You dare stand in my way?"

"Of course I fucking do! You aren't going anywhere, bitch." the man snarled in retort, "You're gonna sit your fucking ass down and listen to the glory of Lord Jashin! You'll regret it if you don't."

"Get out of my face. This is my last warning." Kisame suddenly growled back. He didn't care for being civil anymore. If this idiot didn't move, Kisame'd have his head.

"Your last warning huh?" the man scoffed, and opened his mouth to say something more, but Kisame just couldn't take it. He grabbed hold of Samehada's hilt quickly, ripping it off of his back. Apparently the man was very slow and had nearly no reflexes. By the time he realized what was happening, Samehada had shaved across his neck, with a loud shredding noise. Kisame delighted in the sound of Samehada grinding against bone, and he knew he had broken the guy's neck. His head tumbled off his shoulders and onto the rough concrete with a loud thunk. Kisame was surprised, however, that the body took longer to fall. In fact, it took a few steps to the side before tripping and falling to the ground.

Kisame could hear the screams behind him already. The woman speaker had silenced now, only because people were not listening, for sure. They were running, as fast as they could. Kisame chuckled with joy at the screams. He had longed for the noises of pain and fear for a few days now, ever since he had been fooled by Uchiha Madara. His bloodthirst need was spiking. He was well aware that he was a lunatic. But, by now, he'd accepted himself.

Blood dribbled onto the concrete out both ends of the guy's neck. Kisame eyed it with delight. Until, a voice echoed behind him.

"Hidan!" a somewhat deep voice called, and it was not the woman's. Somebody quickly ran by Kisame, without even looking at him. Kisame was shocked by how enormous this other man was. He towered another two feet above Kisame's head, which was almost frightening. His skin was the distinct color of chocolate, and his hair was a bright red, stretching a little past his shoulders, in a ponytail. He was not as muscular as you would think, but he was muscular indeed. He wore only a pair of white pants and shoes, like the other man, but this one's necklace was gold. His eyes were piercing as they stared down at the disembodied head. Kisame also noticed that the man was covered from head to toe in swirling back tattoos.

No matter how tall this man was though, Kisame really didn't feel threatened. This man's chakra smelled somewhat peaceful.

The tall man sighed and shook his head. "Hidan, Maidan isn't going to be happy..."

"I don't give a fucking rat's ass!! Help me out here, fucker!!"

Oh. Well. A talking head wasn't too surprising at this point. He wasn't really expecting it, and he sure was curious, but Kisame was not thrown from his rocking chair just yet. He gripped Samehada tightly as the tall man turned to face him.

"Yeah, fuckin' get 'im Hunce!! Rip that fucker's ass in half!!" Hidan cried crazily, his head rolling slightly to the left.

"Heh. I wouldn't think of doing such a thing Hidan." Hunce's voice was very kind, eerily kind, and Kisame was bothered by it. Even more than Tobi's. Well, Madara's. "This man seems like he could be very helpful to us. And he seems very nice as well."

"Fuck you, you pussy!" Hidan growled, wiggling slightly. "Just help me up, man! The ground's fucking nasty!"

"Hmph. You sure are a weird group of people aren't you?" Kisame sneered across to them, tapping his short fingernails on Samehada's hilt. "I tire of this however. Are you going to do anything to stop me too? You wouldn't want to end up like him, would you?"

"Oh, surely no, my good sir." Hunce's smile was nothing short of kind, but Kisame wasn't calming down. "I definitely wouldn't want to be like that damned idiot. He doesn't have a brain you see. I am not like him."

"Damn! That's a lot of love right there! I just fucking love you too, you fu-" Hidan proceeded to roll over so far he lay on his face in the concrete. The rest of his speech consisted of muffled screaming and cursing. Go figure.

Kisame thought this over for a while. What would these religious nuts want from him? He sure as hell wasn't going to join their cult. He didn't want to end up like the beheaded, foul-mouthed idiot laying face-down in the ground.

"What do you want from me?" Kisame sighed, narrowing his eyes at the kind man in front of him. "I don't really have much patience, you see..."

"Patience is not required, you see." Hunce smiled, and Kisame twitched. Was that a smart remark? "Our priestess would like to speak with you."

So, they had priestesses, eh? Didn't sound too bad.

"Our priest-in-training is a little unnerved right now, so talking to him would only result in absolute failure." Hunce chuckled, pointing a finger down at Hidan's severed head. He was talking to himself into the dirt. "Would you mind greeting our priestess, since everybody has already left, and there is nothing more to really do here in this pitiful square?"

Kisame found it odd how this guy could talk to you so polite, but sometimes slip and say some weird things... But he truly did think hard on this for a little while. He imagined the priestess was probably the woman on stage. Did he really want to meet a devil face to face today? He reckoned so.

"Alright. I'll come along for a little chat." Kisame grinned, lifting Samehada onto his shoulder with not even a grunt. "But only for a little bit. I'm a very busy man."

"I'm sure." Hunce nodded, bending down to pick up Hidan's limp body. He grabbed his head next, by the hair.

"It's about fucking time!" he howled with a twinge of thankfulness.

"Shush now." Hunce smiled down at Hidan. Hidan didn't look very happy, but didn't argue this time. Hunce was carrying him. Mess with him, he'd drop you in a river, most likely.

The crowd had long since disappeared, except for a few people, and Kisame could tell they were members of the cult. He followed behind Hunce at a steady pace, staring around with a grin. His eyes focused back down on Hidan's head.

"How's he still alive, anyways? I'm very curious." Kisame reached up with his foot to poke at Hidan's head with one of his toes. Hidan growled slightly, but remembered to stay quiet.

"All will be explained in due time, I promise you."

Kisame ground his teeth together. He felt greatly unsatisfied with the amount of action he had seen. He hoped more would come soon, though. He was getting restless.


This Hunce guy appeared to be the only okay one out of this bunch. Kisame thought that this was all peculiar. And kind of stupid. These two, Hidan and Maidan, both looked like they were albino. It looked like they needed frigging sunblock to stay alive. And hair gel. Lots of that. All the others looked stupid and talked in a different, stupid language. This irritated the holy hell out of Kisame. Not to mention, Kisame had sat here for a whole frigging five minutes and the holy priestess woman hadn't even said a word to him. Even the Hunce guy looked nervous, but it looked like it was for a different reason. Maidan sat there, busily sewing Hidan's head back on with a special medical needle, and thick, medical thread stitch stuff. The irritation was plain as day on her face, and Kisame's too.

"Ow! Gentle, you dumb bitch!!" Hidan winced and twitched, but Maidan held Hidan still by the hair practically. She didn't say a word as she sealed of the last stitch. Hidan moved his hands a little, then rubbed his neck. He looked dizzy. Probably because he had no blood left in his body after letting it all drain out onto the concrete of the street.

"Now, then..." dumb Princess Maidan finally turned to face Kisame, who looked far less than amused. "Now we can talk."

Hunce helped Hidan up to sit him properly in a chair next to Maidan.

"We're a special bunch from the Land of Hotsprings." Maidan began, staring right into Kisame's face. It was almost like she was trying to make him afraid, or nervous. Maybe she didn't even notice she was doing it. "We've been recruiting under the name of our Lord Jashin. With the current wars going on, we've had many bigger countries invade us for our land. They have failed, but only barely. More attacks are on the way. It's crucial now more than ever to recruit Jashin's believers in a time of war to defend our Lord's land."

"That's nice and all, but I'm not looking to join your stupid cult of maniacs." Kisame scoffed, then added, "No offense."

Maidan stared at Kisame for a few seconds. Then, sighed. "I know you aren't. But at this point, we need all the help we can get to defend our nation. If you converted, that would be one thing. Since I know you won't-"

Hunce had left the room while the two were talking. He now returned with a tightly wrapped scroll, and a large bag. The large bag jingled. There were coins of some kind inside.

"-we must hire you instead. Maybe being in our land for a while will convert you anyways."

Kisame chuckled, scratching his chin. Hunce handed Kisame the scroll, but not the bag. Kisame unwound the scroll, which happened to be a map. This map was different though. Some of the regions on the map were colorfully glowing, some the same, some different. A jutsu or some kind, of course. One area on the map was circled, which happened to be the Land of Hotsprings. Another was circled in a different color, which happened to be the town they were located now.

"Our nation's size has decreased in the last two years, because of other nations pushing our borders back. We have no choice but to comply in certain circumstances, but now we're at the point where we can no long give up land. We've been recruiting under Jashin, but we've also been recruiting skilled assassins and powerful shinobi to support our small nation, since we have plenty to give."

Kisame surveyed the map. There was a small key on the bottom, which labeled the different colors for lands that had 'Already Attacked', labeled in green, were 'Planning an Attack', labeled blue, or who were 'Allies', labeled in orange. There was also red, but it was not on the map currently. Red was for 'Attacking Currently'.

"If you agree to work for us, you will keep that map on you. You must travel to our nation and meet up with our military corps. for instructions. We can not go with you. We have yet more recruiting to do. We will send Hidan to you as soon as he is better, of course." Maidan twitled her fingers with impatience. "Will you do this? You will be paid generously."

Kisame couldn't believe his luck. What a fun excuse to tear some heads off, fighting for a nations that killed more than any other. Plus, he needed that cash.

"Sure, why not? Sounds like fun to me." Kisame extended an arm to shake Maidan's hand as she held it out. Hunce transformed the bag into another scroll, and handed it to Kisame. Kisame tucked it under Samehada's wraps.

"Head there as soon as possible. Also on your map will be marked others that have been hired that will be heading to the nation. You may want to join up with any you find." Maidan stood from her lumpy chair. They had been talking behind stage the whole time. "Remember, await Hidan's arrival if you get to the city's gate before him. You will not be able to get in without him. Now, Hunce, please help my brother along. We must get him fixed."

"Of course!" Hunce picked up Hidan, who looked as if he was on drugs. Like, a lot of them.

Kisame also stood, and watched Maidan and the Jashinists leave. He eyed the map carefully, and after a while, a few yellow dots appeared, and the key at the bottom changed to accommodate the 'Rouge Allies' section.

After grabbing his things from his motel room and pointlessly scaring a few more of the villagers, Kisame set off along the road. He liked to watch the map, and watch how colors would shift back and forth. Kisame grinned in excitement as the nation of Konohagakure lit up as a stunning sky blue color.


Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Things are heating up. Reviews will be cuddled. (Everything except Maidan and Hunce (c) Masashi Kishimoto )