Chapter 3: Day Trip

Leader awoke sometime the next morning, feeling remarkably refreshed. Itachi, Zetsu and Tobi were back from their respective missions, but Hidan and Kakuzu were going to be gone for another day at least. Sasori was also back, stating that the paintings would be finished at the earliest by the end of the week – at most by the end of the month.

The Leader sighed, massaging his temples. The hallways of the Akatsuki headquarters seemed so confining today. They felt like they were closing in on him, crushing them in their concrete embrace. A mild wave of claustrophobia swept over him, causing him to shake his head in distaste.

"I'm going out…" he muttered to Boushi as he passed her on his way to the cave mouth. "I… think I'll go get some stuff from the market…"

He quickly placed a disguise jutsu on himself, rendering him inconspicuous. He quickly glanced in the hall mirror as he left, making sure he was not going to be caught. His sandy blonde hair was unkempt, sticking in all directions, and his brown eyes twinkled with friendliness. A scar traced its way down his cheek, disappearing into his collar. He was dressed simply – a white kimono with a blue obi. He smiled at himself in the mirror. Perfect…

He left, walking in the general direction of Konohagakure. He arrived at the gates by noon, having encountered nothing save for a few birds and a deer between the cave and the village.

"Halt!" yelled someone on the gate. He looked up, smiling at the guard standing on the wall. "Hello!" he called back, putting his training for espionage to the test. "Can I come in and browse your market? Please?"

The guard shook his head, "What reason? Are you a missing nin?"

The Leader placed his hand across his chest in shock, "Me? A missing nin? I am not! Whatever gave you that idea? I'm a merchant from Iwagakure!" he lied smoothly, tossing an Iwagakure headband up to the guard.

"Oh, my apologies," said the guard handing the headband back to him. "I'll need a name, though, for security purposes."

"Sakuto Uzaru," he said, using the old codename he'd devised long ago but never had the chance to use. The guard quickly jotted it into a logbook before opening the gates and waving him through, telling him to have a nice day.

Fools… if I were planning to attack Konohagakure it wouldn't be that difficult…

Everyone seemed to be busy, noticed 'Uzaru' as he walked through the streets. It was almost like some celebration was going to be held. He stopped a green-clad boy with a salad-bowl haircut. "What's going on?"

The boy looked up, his eyes burning with inner passion. "My teammates are getting married, yosh!" he exclaimed happily! 'Uzaru' smiled down at him, nodding in understanding. "Who are they? I'm a newcomer here and just noticed things were slightly hectic."

"Hyuuga Neji and the Weapon's Mistress, Tenten!" exclaimed the boy, punching the air in excitement. "I can hardly wait! I get to be the best man! Oh… they are in the springtime of youth truly…"

The boy continued to ramble, and 'Uzaru' quickly lost interest in the conversation. "Have a nice day, can you point me to the market?" he said after the boy paused his speech about springtime and youth to catch his breath.

"It is that way," he said, gesturing toward a side street, "Go through there and you'll come out in the market!"

'Uzaru' nodded and walked off quickly before the odd citizen could continue his ramblings. He pushed through and, sure enough, ended up in a bustling market area.

So the Hyuuga prodigy is finally getting married?

He quickly purchased several bottles of sake, along with a few other things Boushi needed around the hideout. He left after about an hour, his wallet considerably lighter.

Four-hundred yen for a roll of medicinal tape… that's highway robbery… heh, I'm one to talk…

He left with his purchases, waving to the guard as he left and throwing him a cheerful smile. As he left, he was almost bowled over by a blond-haired boy who was charging full-tilt into Konohagakure.

A flash of recognition shot through him. Blond hair… whisker-like markings on the cheeks… cerulean blue eyes…

He looked at the retreating form of the boy as he ran into Konohagakure with reckless abandon.

"…son…?"

He quickly pushed the thought from his mind and began walking back toward the hideout. For some reason, his step seemed lighter than when he had come. The sunshine was bright, and as soon as he was out of sight of Konohagakure, he dispelled the disguise jutsu. It was beginning to drain him anyway, and replaced it with his Shadow-Cloaking Jutsu.

He walked into the hideout, depositing his purchases in the kitchen. Boushi looked at what he had purchased with a smile, sifting through the items on the counter.

"Next time," said the Leader calmly, "Try to pick things that aren't so expensive…" he handed her the handwritten receipt, trying to stifle a smile at her reaction.

She muttered something about "Konoha bastards" and began to put the purchases away. In the meantime, Leader decided to ask Zetsu something.

He strode down the hallways and knocked on the door labeled "Zetsu". There was a grunt from within, which he took to be an affirmative, and walked inside.

"Zetsu?" he asked as he poked his head in, "Just one question."

Zetsu was sitting amongst his various plants, watering a particularly vicious-looking Venus flytrap. He looked up, nodding at his Leader. "What is it, sir?"

"I just want to make sure that your… ah… 'relationship' with the flower shop girl isn't going to jeopardize any missions that involve you and Konohagakure in the same breath."

Both halves of Zetsu answered in the same manner. "Our relationship will not interfere with any Akatsuki related missions, Leader-sama!"

Satisfied, Leader closed the door and went back into his office. Much to his surprise, there was a small package on his desk. He cautiously picked it up and shook it. When it didn't explode, he carefully removed the wrapping paper and leaned back while lifting the lid from the box. Again, there was no Leader-killing explosion. He peered into the box, and was quite delighted with what he saw.

Sitting inside the box was a pendant. It was a ruby carved in the shape of the Akatsuki Red Cloud, set into an onyx disk and trimmed with sterling silver. Whoever had made this really knew what they were doing. A note rested in the box, and Leader felt his cheeks heat up as he read it.

…for my Leader-kun…