A/N: My entry for Naruto100's 'Animals' challenge.
Place Your Bets:
The Akatsuki didn't like to admit that they sometimes ran out of money. It was embarrassing. After all, they were an S-ranked criminal organization. They should all be millionaires, should all be rolling in cash! Didn't they have backers? No, because backers expect things from you and the Akatsuki was not in the business of catering to anyone.
Itachi had previously been a rich man. But killing off your family does something to the inheritance. Kisame had left his village with only his sword. Zetsu and Sasori did not eat. Deidara had a habit of compulsively spending whatever money he procured. Hidan just begged off of religious organizations. Kakuzu stole. The Leader was penniless, after spending all his money on equipment. They were all in a perpetual state of dead-brokedness.
This did not stop the infamous Akatsuki however. They were strong! They persevered! (Okay, they robbed a few banks…) But after the first bank robbing people started to get a little suspicious, and the last thing they needed was unwanted attention whilst they were moving covertly about countries. (Sasori had to remind Deidara constantly that covertly meant no explosions.)
In order to raise money for food and the like, some pairs got… creative.
"Step right up, step right up!" The blonde, dressed in plainclothes, beckoned to the onlookers in the trade town streets. "We have two marvelous contenders today, and even more if we have a challenger! Two prime, powerful stag beetles, ready to fight!"
Sasori stood on one side of the clay ring, looking rather displeased. He did not make puppets to raise money. He made them for… well… he couldn't divulge that information. But the man they'd uncovered at the bar last night looked awful excited. Sasori couldn't tell you why he looked excited over fighting stag beetles of all things.
"Place your bets! In this corner, we have Gogi's Hideki!" The man from the bar shook his hands over his head. "And in this corner we have Sachiro's Sasori!" Sasori responded to the fake name, giving the barest wave. The gathered crowd was placing bets, money changing through Deidara's hands fast enough that no one noticed the small mouths subtly swallowing some of the larger bills.
When the fight began Sasori twitched his fingers slightly to control the beetle, heading straight for the barman's unsuspecting flash and blood beetle. The horns locked, and Sasori's beetle (Deidara thought it would be cute to name it Sasori…) was easily winning.
"Make it look real, un" Deidara whispered in Sasori's ear as he paraded around the small ring, working the crowd, mostly drunken men, into a frenzy. Sasori sighed, letting his puppet back off, the battle drawn out. But in the end, wood won over carapace. Deidara collected his winnings and they made off into the sunset.
By the time the drunken men finally came to the conclusion that the stag beetle than won had been made of wood, and therefore was a cheater, Sasori and Deidara were long gone.