Chapter VI: New Recruits (Part II)
After a few days of traveling on foot, Konon, Kakazu, and Mikoto made it to the land of steam. When they got there, they saw the mutilated corpse of a traveler nailed to a tree by his hands. There was a trail of dried blood leading from the top of the tree, all the way down to the ground to a red symbol. The symbol itself was strange, it was a big circle with a triangle inside it.
"This wasn't done for money or revenge." said Kakazu. "This was out of a deep desire to kill."
"There are other ways to quench blood thirst... he had some other purpose." said Mikoto.
"You really have a way of irritating me."
Mikoto didn't respond to Kakazu's comment, she didn't really care about his petty issues with her at the moment. She continued to look at the scene before her and gather as much information from it as she could.
"And you... " Kakazu motioned his head to Konon. "Why did Pain really assign you to come with us? Are you here to make sure I don't kill Mikoto?"
"There are no other sensor types besides me. And... the others certainly aren't cut out to be decoys."
"Decoys?"
A little further down the path that Mikoto and company were taking, the man with the grey hair and leather coat with the fur was resting on a long. He was carrying a giant, three-bladed red scythe and seemed to be enjoying the quiet. Suddenly, he stood up when heard the sounds of footsteps coming his direction. "Alright then..."
Konon was making her way down the path alone, when all of the sudden a voice called out to her.
"Hey, you over there. Do you want to join the way of Jashin?"
Konon looked at the man in front of her. That grey hair, those purple eyes that promised destruction, and that giant scythe he was carrying. Konon could tell this man was dangerous, and by the way he mutilated that man nailed to the tree, he was also a bit unhinged.
"Way of Jashin?" Konon asked.
"Yea, the way of Jashin..." the man said with excitement.
"What is that?"
"You can kill people and you won't be punished. In fact, it just pleases lord Jashin even more."
"I see..." In Konon's mind this man was a manic. The way he seemed to get excited about killing repulsed her. Just another twisted soul in the endless tar pit that is the shinobi world.
"What do you say? Isn't that a wonderful teaching? Are you interested in joining?"
"So you're a homicidal maniac..."
"Homicidal maniac? That's not it at all. I'm just offering up prayers to Lord Jashin." The maniac as Konon dubbed him, pointed his scythe at her and got a sickening grin on his face. "Looks like I'll just have to offer you up to Lord Jashin."
"Oh." Konan said feigning curiosity. In about two seconds, Mikoto and Kakazu appeared next to Konan.
"He doesn't seemed to be some kind of reanimation." said Mikoto.
"Fine. I'll test him to see just how immortal he is." said Kakazu.
"Who are you guys?" asked the maniac. "Why are you all dressed the same? You in an orchestra, or band, or something?" The maniac began to point his scythe at all three Akatsuki members. "Let's see... the gloomy one in the mask plays bass. The girl does vocals and keyboards... No, maybe the girl with the creepy red eyes does vocals?"
"we're nothing like that." said Kakazu as he started to walk forwards.
"I think Lord Jashin would like you guys as an offering." the maniac said darkly as he took a combat stance.
Kakazu continued to walk towards the maniac as if he wasn't a real threat. The manic began to grin as he lifted up his scythe to slash Kakazu. In a quick motion he swung his scythe at Kakazu only for him to dodge backwards. The maniac wasted no time chasing after his prey. While this was going on, Mikoto and Konon jumped into a nearby tree to get a bird's eye view of the battle currently taking place.
The maniac began to laugh like a mad man. "What's wrong? Is running around all you can do?! Well, I won't let you get away!"
The manic charged at Kakazu and leaped high into the air. He was hell bent on splitting Kakazu in half. Kakazu wasn't worried, he extended his arm and a fist shot forwards, held together by threats. Before the manic knew what hit him, he suddenly had a fist run him through the chest. The maniac started to hack up blood before he came crashing hard to the ground. The maniac dropped his scythe and laid on the ground motionless.
"What? Done so soon?" Kakazu retracted his arm from the man's chest. Kakazu looked down at the man with disappointment in his eyes, he had expected a lot more.
"Ouch..." was the weak reply of the maniac as he began to sit up with a hole in his chest. Kakazu's eyes widened in shock and intrigue. "That HURT!"
"Oh..." was all Kakazu could say, he was still in awe at what he was seeing.
The maniac completely stood up as blood dripped from his mouth and from the hole in his chest. "I'll punish you in the name of god!" The maniac picked up his scythe and used the blood on the ground to make the strange symbol from earlier. Before the maniac could do anything else, Kakazu's extended fist punched him through the chest, again. Even though he was in intense pain, the maniac pulled Kakazu's arm out of his chest and threw it back at him as the blood from his wound kept pouring out of him. "That's not gonna help you!"
"Looks like the rumors about your immortality were true."
The maniac got a very crooked grin on his face. "Ok, let's start the ritual." The manic licked some blood off of fingers, and when he did, his body began to change. Everyone gasped as his skin turned, onyx black and he gained white skeleton markings as well. The man looked like some sort of demented witch doctor.
"Everything is ready." the maniac said as his face contorted into one of complete insanity. He pulled a black pike out of his coat and aimed it at his chest, more specifically, where his heart was. "...DIE!" To the complete shock of everyone, the maniac ran himself though the heart with the pike. If there wasn't enough blood on the ground already, there was now.
"One stab into the heart..." said the maniac.
Kakazu felt a sharp pain in his chest. He began to grip his heart with his hand as he fell to his knees. "Damn you!"
"It feels so good..." said the maniac. He seemed to be in pure bliss even though there was a pike sticking him in the heart. The man was a true looney through and through. "Glory be to Lord Jashin."
Kakazu began convulsing on the ground. His grip on his chest tightened and you could hear him gasping. Then all of the sudden it seemed like something on his back was trying to break through his Akatsuki cloak. A big black goopy looking monster in a mask tore through the back of his cloak. The very second it touched down on the ground, it died and disappeared into nothingness, leaving only the mask behind. Kakazu stopped gripping his chest and stood back up as if nothing happened, much to the shock of the maniac.
"You bastard... you've got some nerve..." said Kakazu.
"Hey, hey... why didn't you die?"
"I'll beat you to death!" yelled Kakazu.
"No you can't!" the maniac said with excitement.
Meanwhile up in the tree, Konon and Mikoto where discussing the battle. "Did you notice anything?"
"He licked Kakazu's blood and mentioned a ritual. That's probably some Jutsu too." Mikoto answered. "He passes on any damage he sustains to the one whose blood he licks. However, that doesn't explain his immortality."
"Can you separate them?"
Mikoto didn't say a word. The whole area was suddenly filled with ravens flocking in all directions. The ravens got in between the maniac and Kakazu, putting a halt to their battle.
"Where the hell did all these birds come from?" yelled the maniac as they obscured his vision. When the ravens finally faded, Mikoto was standing in between Kakazu and the maniac.
"What's the big idea Mikoto?" asked Kakazu annoyed at the interference.
"This fights over, don't forget we're still here on business." answered Mikoto.
"Hmph." Kakazu grunted.
Mikoto turned her head towards the maniac. "What's your name?"
"Hidan."
After taking a few minutes to calm down, the three Akatsuki members went to extend their offer to Hidan. "Are you kidding me? I refuse! Whatever the Akatsuki is... I have a mission to spread the way of Jashin."
"Then you should join the Akatsuki for the sake of your mission too." said Konon.
"What?"
"Assassination, war, you name it, the Akatsuki will do anything... since we are a band of killers."
Hidan was intrigued by what Konon was saying... war, assassination, it all sounded good to him.
[...]
Over at Akatsuki headquarters, Hidan was scratching a line through his headband. He tied it around his neck and put on the Akatsuki cloak. "I plan to continue propagating the way of Jashin."
"Do as you please" said Pain as he handed Hidan an orange ring with the word 'San' engraved in it. "Our two-man teams are in place. Go and execute your missions."
[...]
"I never thought I would be partnered with you." said Kakazu.
"You took the words right out of my mouth." said Hidan.
"Don't irritate me, or I'll kill you."
"I'd like to see you try."
Both men continued to argue with each other as they began to walk through the forest.
[...]
Kisame and Mikoto were walking through the land of snow, it was cold and unforgiving. They didn't exchange any words with each other, mostly because they didn't really have anything to talk about. Mikoto stopped walking for a moment and began to look up at the cloud covered skies.
'I never did like the snow.' Mikoto continued to walk in silence.
[...]
Art... is an explosion!" Deidara cheered as he just blew an entire mansion off the mountainside. Deidara continued to admire his handy work, he began to blush and hug himself. "It's art!"
"I still don't get what your art is about." Sasori said flatly.
"Soon, you'll understand the aesthetics of something that's fleeting, hmm."
Suddenly both Sasori and Deidara felt a jolt run through their heads.
"Hm? It's the leader." said Sasori.
[...]
In the Land of Rain, Pain was sitting atop the roof of a building, communicating with the other Akatsuki telepathically. "A shinobi village named the Hidden Sound recently came into existence. It's possible that Orochimaru is involved.
[...]
"That guy!" said Deidara.
"I want you two to covertly check them out." Pain's voice finished.
"Since you guys specialize in sneaking around behind the scenes." Sasori said out loud.
"I'll find him! And make him go boom!"
"The orders were to do it covertly." Sasori couldn't understand his partners excitement.
[...]
Meanwhile in an unknown land, Mikoto was meditating while Kisame was practicing his sword swings. It was almost strange to her that two years had passed just like that. As Mikoto sat on top of a boulder meditating, Pains voice began to speak.
There's been an incident in the Hidden Leaf Village. Orochimaru's behind it. Orochimaru used shinobi form the Hidden Sound and the Hidden Sand to wage war against the Leaf, but he failed to completely destroy the Leaf. The third Hokage was killed in battle. Orochimaru withdrew, but his whereabouts are unknown. I'll send someone out to investigate, but..."
"I'll go." said Mikoto as she stood up.
"Very well..." said Pain. "Then I'll leave this to you, as well as the status of the Leaf's Jinchuriki.
Pain's voice faded and Mikoto jumped down from the boulder. She was going to go back to the Hidden Leaf Village for the first time in two years, and to be honest, she was looking forward to it.
"So we're headed out?" asked Kisame as he held his sword over his shoulder.
"Yes."
Kisame was now grinning from ear to ear. "This will be interesting."
"Let's go."
...
Author's Note: Chapter 6 is finished and even more is coming soon.
Enjoy your Sunday everybody!