Orochimaru hissed as he paced back and forth, his eyes narrowed as he focused his anger glaring at the ground in front of him. "Why isn't Kasai in my hands?!" Akuto flinched as he watched warily, averting his eyes every time Orochimaru's gaze settled on him. "Both groups of mercenaries were taken out." "Kasai was alone! She was weak just as she was this morning when you had her in your grasp and you let her slide!" His voice grew steadily louder as he slammed a book lying open on his desk closed. "She… has her strength back." Akuto spoke lowly, afraid of angering the man in front of him any further. "It wasn't the Uchiha who took out the second squad. It was her." There was a long moment of dead silence as Orochimaru thumbed the edge of the binding on the book. "Somehow, in six hours… She broke free of the chakra seal?" He faced Akuto again, the anger no longer present in his eyes. "If what you told me this morning is true about her lack of chakra then…" He pursued his lips as he walked closer. "The bitch is capable of carrying a jinchuuriki herself."

"Sasori's too focused on getting the jinchuuriki to see her true capability." An eerie echo sounded in the room as he lifted a plain wooden scroll case from inside a messy drawer. "Use your connections in Konoha. Do what it takes to get Suna and Konoha after her. She'll be easier to take from them than the damned Akatsuki." Akuto took the case and backed away quickly. "And the payment?" "It only comes when Kasai is in my hands." He grimaced but nodded curtly and stepped out of the room. Outside the room, Akuto opened the case and peered inside, only to have his eyes fly open and the case fall from his hands as he withdrew the scroll. The markings on the ribbon holding the scroll closed were unmistakable. "A Forbidden Scroll…" His voiced was hushed as he rapidly scooped up the case and slid the scroll inside once again.

The door to Sasori's workroom swung open slowly and the puppeteer turned his head to acknowledge the silently seething Itachi standing in the doorway. "Yes?" Itachi grunted as he shut the door behind himself but made no move to come any closer. "What do you want with her?" Sasori shrugged. "Nothing. What is your interest in her?" Itachi shook his head slightly, his eyes closing in a pained expression. "It was in our best interest to keep her weak and controllable. We won't be able to stop her without killing her if she walks away." It was at this point that Sasori set down the miniscule blade he was attaching to a puppet's finger and chuckled. "You were a sophisticated brat. How do you win political elections?" Itachi didn't answer but he opened his eyes slightly to watch Sasori. "You play your opponent against your opponent. That means you get to pick your ally." He sighed and stood up to gather a lifeless tangle of arms and legs from another workbench. "Orochimaru wants her, she wants Orochimaru dead. The Akatsuki can solve both of those problems, we just have to pick a side…" He glanced at Itachi. "Or play them against each other and reap the rewards." Itachi's frown darkened as Sasori's words echoed with Pein's voice. "Rewards?" "Jinchuuriki. Clearly Orochimaru has a finger on where they are, and we have a finger on the girl capable of bringing them to us." There was a stiff silence and then a smirk teased Itachi's lips. "Hn."

I flew out of bed, stumbling as the blankets tangled around my legs which caused me to curse violently as I pulled them off of me and yelled at whoever was pounding on my door. "Wake the fuck up, yeah!" Deidara stared at me in surprise when I threw the door open, catching him in the act of slamming his fist against the door. "You're going with Hidan. Money-making, yeah." He snickered and walked back out casually as I kicked the door shut in frustration. I had just gone to sleep! "Get a fucking cloak on and get your ass the fuck out here!" Hidan's obnoxiously loud voice broke through my thoughts as he burst in. "You got a big sword?" He asked bluntly as he rested his scythe on his shoulder. "No. Why would I?" I asked defiantly as he looked around my room. "We're not going out to be fucking secretive and do that ninja shit." His eyes shone with bloodlust as he grinned widely. "We're going out to fuck some shit up and make sure them fuckers remember Jashin's name." I groaned as I fastened the Akatsuki cloak over my shoulders, "Still no sword." "It'll fucking do." A long katana was offered to me, bloodstains covering the leather hilt and the once intricate engravings. "Let's go."

When we arrived in a small village on the outskirts of the Great Forest there was a huge commotion in the middle of the market. "That's our fucking cue." Hidan licked his lips as he shifted his scythe and strolled confidently into the middle of the commotion. "This is our territory! Get your fucking thieving men out of my village!" A tall elderly man was yelling at a large group of younger men led by a few middle aged men who were dressed as though they were elders. "Not anymore, this is ours now. Pay up or we'll take everything you have." "Or what?" Hidan replied before the elder could say anything. "This village is fucking protected by the Akatsuki and the wrath of Jashin. Or did you fucking forget?" He stood beside the elder, his legs spread in a wide cocky stance as he smirked at the other men. "You lost your damn chance at that." The other men chuckled as they all drew their swords, obviously none of them skilled enough nin to be able to use jutsu or chakra reliably in battle.

"Come and fucking get it!" Hidan spread his arms wide, the staff of his scythe resting along his arm and the blade hanging behind his head. "You asked for it." One of the men mumbled as he jumped at the chance to attack, only to be stopped a few feet from Hidan by a sickening thud as Hidan's scythe blades sunk to the hilt in his chest. Complete pandemonium broke loose after that, the men swarming forward with blades drawn. A chorus of hoarse yells echoed across the yard as Hidan charged into the middle of the chaos, cackling like the maniac he was. Kasai hung back for a moment, watching the blood begin to stain the dusty earth beneath the fray. For a brief second, she ran her fingers lightly over the leather on the katana then without warning, her sword was drawn and she was lunging into the fight with a grim look. With every body that hit the ground, Hidan's look grew darker and more crazed, his eyes drinking in the sight of the mist of blood flying into the air with each throat he and Kasai slit mercilessly. He and Kasai were facing away from each other, each having just dispatched a screaming victim when they both caught the glimpse of movement in the corner of their eyes and whirled towards each other, blades glinting red in the evening sun.

A quiet gasp came from the crowd watching the gory spectacle as Hidan's scythe and Kasai's katana both sank into the final man and blood spurted freely from his wounds. Grunting in disgust as the blood drenched her hand, Kasai pulled away and removed her sword from the lifeless, twitching body. As she wiped the blood off of her blade and her hands the elder approached cautiously with a grey knapsack in his hands. He was careful to avoid Hidan's gaze as he offered the bag to Kasai. "Your payment… T…thank you for your protection." His calm demeanor was broken by the slight stammer but apart from that, the terror he felt could hardly be noticed from the way he acted. "And don't fucking forget it!" Hidan yelled as he kicked the man still stuck to his scythe, forcefully freeing the blades from the body.

"That's all." Hidan muttered to me as we walked out of the village, leaving behind a scene of complete carnage. "So that's how you get your reputation." I snickered as we left the village, people hardly daring to look up at us directly. "Well no shit. We wouldn't have a fucking reputation if we stayed in the shadows all the fucking time."

~My apologies for the delay between these chapters, work has gotten out of control and I had to tame the beast before I could relax and spend some time dreaming up another bloody predicament for these lovely characters. Thank you for reading, I appreciate the support! ^-^ ~