"So this is where I'm going to live?" Naruto asked as he double-checked the address written down for him by the Mizukage.
The building before them was only two stories high but was long enough for eight apartment's total. It was red with a white roof and had some ivy growing on the side. The rooms on the second floor apparently came with balconies. Two staircases could be seen near either end of the building showing the way into four adjacent apartments, two on top and two below.
The building was located in a pretty decent part of the village, not the richest, not the poorest, a good middle class setting, not that far from where Kasumi lived and about fifteen minutes from Shiori's home.
"Hmm it looks okay." Shiori unenthusiastically said, not sure what to say but feeling she had to say something.
"Let's go inside. See what's included and what we need to buy to make it livable." Kasumi said, sounding extra happy at the fact that Mizukage was being so generous, to provide Naruto with all of that money and even a home.
They entered the building together to get a good look around.
A look inside the apartment, which was on the second floor and at the right edge of the complex, revealed it came with a fridge, oven and stove, washer-dryer combo in a small room with little room for anything else, and a shower in the bathroom as far as utilities go. The layout of the apartment was simple. The door to enter led to a small area for people to place their shoes and a connected small closet before the main room. To the upper-right of the main room was the kitchen with the dining area connecting the two. To the lower-right was a hallway that connected the laundry room, another closet, and the bedroom together.
Naruto and Shiori had no comments on the place, but Kasumi looked it over and voiced her plans sounding more like an interior decorator then a Ninja Sensei. "Okay, you need a bed of some kind. A futon should be fine since we'd have to drag it up the stairs. You'll need groceries and dining supplies such as plates, bowls, and silverware. A microwave may be a good idea and something you can put dishes to dry on since you don't have a dishwasher here. Ooh, you'll need a couch and a TV since I'm sure a boy like you will want something like that. Then maybe a few decorations to make the whole thing look nice; or maybe we could paint the place a really nice color, maybe a dark green or a sea mist; of course if there's some spare money after the essentials."
Naruto leaned by Shiori to whisper to her. "Is she always like this?"
"She tends to get a little... eager when it comes to this kind of thing from what I've heard. It's part of why I never invited her to my home." The redhead answered, a trace of sadness heard at the end of her statement.
"Something wrong?" Naruto asked when he detected the sorrow in his teammate tone.
Shiori closed her eyes and shook her head, never actually looking at him. "Never mind." Whatever was wrong, she was clearly waving it away as if it did not really matter and Naruto knew it.
"Okay guys, there's still plenty of time left today so let's get the necessities first and over with." Kasumi told them, unaware of their brief conversation. Shiori-san, you can go home if you'd prefer. I won't force you to help us out here."
Shiori shook her head. "That's fine. I don't have to be home just yet so I've got time. Besides, you do want me and him to get along right? This could help us."
Kasumi was silent for a few seconds. "Okay, if you don't mind. Let's go I know this really good store."
In her office, a relieved Mei was looking thru some recent financial reports when there was a timid knock at her door. "Enter." She said as she flipped to the next page of the report, not bothering to look up.
Ao entered the room, more than a bit hesitantly. "Ummm is this a good time my lady? Or should I come back later?"
Mei closed the report file and looked up at Ao with a kind sweet smile. "Of course it is a fine time my faithful Ao. Come in." The cycloptic ninja seemed a bit surprised, but none the less did as he was told and shut the door behind him and took a seat before her desk. "I trust you delivered the check and key to Naruto?" She asked as she stared intently at Ao, her eyes never wavering.
Ao nodded. "Yes madam, I also stuck around to judge their reaction. They were… greatly surprised."
Mei nodded happily. "Good, very good. I want Naruto to feel that I am a generous leader and am always seeking to help my loyal ninjas." All while she said this her eyes never left Ao's face.
Ao suddenly felt a little more scared than before. "Uhhh my lady, I think I should be going." He said as he started to get up only to be pushed back down by Mei, her trademark smile still pasted on her face.
"We are not done talking Ao." Her voice was as cold as ice but it was laced with eerie calmness. "You saw me doing something you were not supposed to see."
"Mizukage-sama, I saw nothing, nothing at all." Ao stammered, his one good eye wide.
"That's right Ao, you saw nothing. Because if you had seen something and had ever repeated what you saw to anyone… or anything, I might just have to do something that might result in me having to look for a new Military Advisor." Mei said as she patted him on the cheek. "Ok, now get going."
The cycloptic ninja did not waste a single moment, he quickly moved out of the room and as the door shut Mei chuckled a little. "Ah its just so fun to scare people. I wonder if this has something to do with why single guys run from me."
Hidden away in an underground cave, standing beneath a giant statue, the leading members of the Akatsuki met, to discuss news that was seemed to be spreading rapidly.
"Are you positive this information is correct?" A man's voice asked another. The one asking was impossible to truly identify since it was actually a chakra hologram, not a flesh-and-blood person present, and it wasn't the only one there. The only distinguishing features of the one that just spoke were the ringed eyes he had.
There were two people that were flesh-and-blood standing in the area. One was a young lean man with a serious battle-weary face, and the other was an older man with blue skin and a shark-like face. They were Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki, speaking to their fellow Akatsuki members.
"No I'm not, Leader-sama." Itachi answered. "I'm just saying what I've heard amongst the commotion in Konoha. Like I said, the rumors claim that the Kyuubi's host was killed in action not too long ago."
"Can this be proven?" A feminine-looking hologram asked for the rest.
Itachi shook his head. "No. For the time being, word-of-mouth amongst the inhabitants is the only source of information on this claim. And with the overall attitude towards the jinchuuriki most of the citizens had, the rumors have by now already become twisted and distorted to the point of being impossible to tell fact from fiction. But the general agreement is that the boy is pronounced dead. And the masses within Konoha are celebrating this while a smaller portion is mourning himself."
Itachi personally found himself sickened by the thought of how his village was acting. Granted, he had little reason to say he was any better than they were, so he couldn't fairly pass judgment. But that didn't mean he wouldn't; if Konoha didn't judge it's own citizens fairly why should he?
"Has the village sent any search parties out?" A hologram of a middle-aged man with a ponytail asked.
"That I cannot confirm or deny." Itachi replied.
"Judging from the village's reactions, I doubt they would bother." Kisame commented. "If they're celebrating then they must have his body which proves he's dead, right? Why else would they be so happy?"
"Kisame-san is right. The evidence points to Uzumaki Naruto's untimely demise." A hologram that looked like a venus flytrap stated.
"So what does that mean for us Leader-sama?" A hologram with one visible eye asked.
"If he's truly dead then it appears ultimately all our plans are for naught." A hologram of a man with longer-than-normal sleek hair claimed irritably.
"Maybe, or maybe not." The ringed-eyed one stated, gaining all member's attentions. "Kisame, don't your reports verify that the Sanbi is free somewhere within your home country?"
The sharkman nodded. "Yeah, I'm not sure where it is. I've heard it has moved at least twice during it's free time but has ultimately stayed away from settled areas. I'm guessing the big turtle fears being sealed up again."
"But it remains in the world despite the passing of it's host." The leader said, more stating a fact but asking for verification at the same time in a way.
"Yes." Kisame answered.
"You suspect the same is true of the Kyuubi?" Itachi asked.
"We must consider the possibility. With that, we can still move forward with our preparations."
"And what if it turns out to be a waste of time?" The long-haired man asked.
"And what if it doesn't?" The leader asked.
"In that case, we could be in serious trouble." The lone woman claimed. "If the Kyuubi is uncontained, then it will be nearly impossible for us to capture it."
The Venus Fly trap image chuckled "The Kyuubi was captured before, it can be captured again."
"Tobi can help. Tobi's a good boy." The one-eyed man proclaimed, sounding rather immature in the process.
The blonde haired male sighed, why did he have such an immature partner? Why couldn't he have been with Itachi? Now there was a guy who took his duties seriously. Not that anyone EVER took Tobi seriously.
The acknowledged leader continued speaking. "We still have less than three years until we can do anything with a captured tailed beast in the first place. That should give us plenty of time to track down the fox and find a way to capture it ourselves. If we're lucky someone else will try to reseal it in another person and we'll be able to take them instead."
"With all due respect Leader-sama, I'm doubting this will be worth it." The long-haired man commented.
"Oh ye of little faith, we have time to find out." The leader said before fading away. With that, the rest of the chakra holograms faded out too.
At a run-down bar, The Red Dragon, a number of bandits, criminals, and missing ninjas met. They drank, gambled, and brawled. This was their regular routine.
In the far back of the room, sipping sake from a cup and counting a pile of money and gold coins, was the leader of the bar's current occupants. His name was Seto, a simple business man, in his late thirties, his short hair was light brown with some slight grey and he was dressed in a black suit and tie. The look made him resemble a young tall Gato. He was not a member of any village, hidden or otherwise, and he had no loyalties to anyone besides himself and money. And in order to increase his own finances he sought the aid of the people in this bar, lowlifes, murderers, and mercenary ninjas who worked for the same thing he did, money, money, and more money. People came to him seeking the aid of his hired thugs, usually to pull off some heist or kill some politician that was causing a bit of problems for the criminal underworld.
Suddenly the doors to the Red Dragon opened and in stepped both Tobi and Deidara. Just then the entire bar fell silent, everyone in there knew that when someone wearing the colors of the Akatsuki came here it meant something important. And that usually meant something bad, even by their standards.
Deidara walked silently across the room, passing the crowded chairs with a type of dower demeanor that made everyone look down so to not stare at him directly in the face. Tobi however nodded to everyone, saying 'hi' or 'good to see you', which made Deidra groan inwardly.
They finally made it to Seto's table, who stood there with his money on either side of him, his sake in front of him, and his hands folded neatly on the table. Like Akatsuki, he felt no need to hide who he was or what he did, at least not when authority figures were around.
"Gentlemen, good to see members of the Akatsuki in my establishment again. Can I offer you a drink?" He offered, despite the fact that he didn't actually own the bar. That never stopped him though.
Tobi seemed about to say something but Deidara spoke first. "No, we are not here on a social visit. We need the assistance of your organization and for you to get a message out to the Yakuza. You have contacts there correct?"
Seto nodded. "I know several associates there. Now how many of my men do you need?"
"All of them." Deidara said as he looked around and surveyed the scum.
"All of my men? What do you need them for?"
"We need them to find two large creatures, one in the form of a turtle and a fox."
"Hmmm, well for the use of all my men, plus contacting the Yakuza, this is going to be rather expensive. I have to ask what's in it for me?" Seto requested in his business state-of-mind. He was intrigued but not thrilled by the claim, so he wanted to see if it was profitable enough for his tastes.
Deidara, who had been frowning ever since they had walked in, suddenly smirked. "Well that's a fair question." He then opened up his coat revealing dozens upon dozens of clays bombs that were attached to his body. Suddenly the bombs jumped off him, looking like doves, and zoomed across the room past the people and latching onto tables, windows and walls. "Lets discuss it." He said as he snapped his fingers, and suddenly the bombs began to glow.
Everyone in the bar knew what that meant, and they all started running towards the door, overturning tables and pushing each other aside trying to get there first. But, moving faster then they could see, Tobi got there first and stood in front of the door, his arms crossed and shaking his head. "Haven't you ever read the evacuation rules? You're supposed to move in a calm orderly fashion."
No one tried moving forward anymore, their fear for the masked man from Akatsuki outweighed their fear for the impending explosion.
Meanwhile back at the end of the bar, Seto was sweating franticly, as he sat in his chair with his eyes wide. "You can't kill me. Who'd do what you're asking if you did?"
"Now I certainly see your point, but who said you're the only resource we have access to? So what could we possibly do for you to buy your cooperation?" Deidara said as he cocked his head to the side as if truly wondering.
The clay bombs began glowing more brightly and rapidly.
"Stop the bombs! Stop the bombs!" Seto said, his voice shaky and afraid.
"Oh, well that's one thing, but is it enough? We don't want to feel like we're cheating you." The ex-Iwa nin added.
The bombs were now start to shake, and everyone started yelling, some started looking ready to try and rush Tobi despite the risk.
"We'll do it, just please shut the bombs off." Seto said, looking like he was about to piss himself.
Deidara smirked and snapped his fingers, the bombs glowed brightly and then feel to the floor, harmless. "Alright, you have twisted my arm, deal."
Everyone let out a sigh of relief. And Seto leaned back in his chair, taking in small shallow breaths.
"Now then, are there any more questions?" Deidra asked.
"Yea, how are we supposed a single fox and turtle?" Seto asked.
"Simple, they're both as big as a mountain, the turtle has three tails and the fox has nine. Find out where both of them are contact us and we shall do the rest."
Seto looked unsettled but for a different reason now. "Umm... with all due respect sir, if they're that big, why couldn't someone of your skills easily find them yourself?"
"My skills are needed elsewhere, so I need someone else to do the search instead. Someone more subtle than I. Oh, and all you need to do is locate and then inform us. Better if you don't actually draw their attention, lest you want to die by then."
"I'll get on it. But... the Yakuza are going to be harder to motivate then me." Seto stated.
Deidara just smirked. "I'll be back in four days to see just how much motivating they need then. Now go back to your games. See ya." He turned to leave.
"You sure showed him." Tobi told his partner.
"Shut up."
