Chapter Three – The Morning of the Party

Pain sighed peacefully as he gently grasped the handle of his coffee mug. It was a tranquil Saturday morning. Soft sunlight filtered through the hand-made windows in his office, courtesy of Deidara's bombs. It was the only room with windows in the underground hideout; he was the leader after all.
A stack of paperwork in his left hand, mug in his right, he carefully raised his legs to rest them on the surface of his neat desk. The mug was a centimetre away from his lips when the office door burst open and flew off of its hinges at an ungodly speed.

Pain jumped, his legs flaying outwards and he fell backwards in his chair and his mug emptied itself all over the floor. His stack of paperwork sailed into the air and rained down upon him like confetti. The orange-haired leader pulled himself up, teeth grinding in fury. He glared at the intruder who stood before him; it was Zetsu. The plant-man looked incredibly flustered.
"Pain-sama," he spluttered before the leader could shinra-tensei him into next week. "Something's happened!" he cried. Pain narrowed his eyes.
"What is it? Is it worse than what I am about to do to you?" he grumbled. Zetsu nodded anxiously.
"We have discovered a spy in the hideout."

Pain stared at him. A spy? In their hideout?
He immediately overlooked his coffee-lacking rage and grabbed his cloak from the coat hanger on the wall.
"Lead the way, Zetsu," he commanded as he threw the garment over his pyjamas. Zetsu led him out of the office and to the kitchen, where Hidan, Kakuzu, and Deidara were gathered. When Pain entered the room they turned their attention to him.
"What happened?" he commanded. The three exchanged nervous glances. Pain sighed impatiently. "Well, spit it out!"
Hidan thumped Deidara on his back.
"There was a spy in my room," the blonde spluttered.
"And? How did he get there? Tell me the full story," the leader demanded.
"Well, it was early this morning when I had completed my new sculpture, and when I entered my bedroom I noticed that the window was slightly open," he said. "I didn't remember opening it, but I thought that it must have been Tobi; he does weird things like that. Then I went to sleep, hm." He took a long, dramatic pause, and his expression turned dark.
"This morning, I woke up to find myself cold and not alone," he said menacingly. Pain listened intently. "I turned over in my bed and came eye-to-eye with an imposter, hm!"
"What?" Pain said in disbelief with a raised eyebrow. "The imposter was in your bed?" he asked slowly. Deidara nodded vigorously, as if it were normal for an enemy spy to suddenly appear in your bed. Pain stared at him in confusion.
"Uh, er," he said awkwardly. "And you weren't alarmed?" Deidara was the one to don a look of confusion.
"Why would I be alarmed, hm? He was small for a snake," he said casually. Pain nearly fell over at the statement. The Akatsuki members stared at their leader in bewilderment as his face turned ghostly white.

"A snake?" he murmured in disbelief. "That can only mean one thing." He looked up to meet the worried gawks of his underlings.
"Orochimaru is trying to foil our plans," he said gravely. "Quick! To the secret meeting room!" he declared hysterically, causing the four to jump. "Summon the other members! This is a serious matter that cannot be ignored!" he shouted as he stalked off and out of the kitchen.
His fists clenched tensely as he walked down the hallway and entered the designated meeting room. He took his seat at the head of the table, resting his elbows on the table and crossing his hands in front of his face. After a few seconds, the double doors burst open and the Akatsuki members filed into the room. Pain surveyed their looks of confusion and took a deep breath once they were all seated.

"People, there is a dire matter that I need to discuss-er, where the hell are Itachi and Konan?" he yelled irritably, his tolerance wearing thin. The members exchanged glances.
"Uh," Kisame said unsurely. "I think Itachi is still busy with the guest list, he's already sent out half of the invites," he muttered. He flinched when Pain's rippled eyes turned to glare at him. The shark-man gulped nervously before continuing.
"Konan said something about, uh, I can't remember her exact words, but-"
"Spit it out!" Pain snapped.
"She said that she was busy at the salon," he blurted out in one breath. Pain paused for a moment, and then recollected his composure.
"Oh, that is to be expected," he said calmly. "Now, I have deduced that Orochimaru has been spying on us since yesterday," he explained, receiving a collective bout of gasps from the gathered members. "I am ordering all of you to search the hideout for his serpent spies, but don't delay preparations for the party either," he said as he stood up. "Now get out and do your jobs. Meeting adjourned!"
The associates quickly scrambled from their seats, eager to be rid of Pain's tense aura. The orange-haired leader marched back to his office to brood, slamming the door behind him.


Meanwhile, in Orochimaru's hideout…

"Hm, it looks like they've discovered my spies," Orochimaru murmured from his sofa-throne while Kabuto gave him a foot massage. He twirled the snake between his fingers before losing interest and placing it on Kabuto's head. He grinned evilly.
"Kabuto!" the Sannin shouted, causing the assistant to jump. "Start preparing our disguises for tonight. I can't wait to crash this little ritual of theirs," he cackled.