((This chapter starts out eight years ago, just as the last one ended.))
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"Gansaku."
A voice called his name. Was it the Kazekage? Another Jounin? With his eyes still closed, one hand reached up to rub his scar. And then a horrible feeling arose in his stomach as he realized that he could not move. He refused to open his eyes now.
"If you don't open your eyes I will rip your eyelids off so you can do so. You were only supposed to sleep for six hours."
That voice. It was the voice he ran into. With the black and red cloak and mysterious red eyes that made him drowsy when he looked into them. Slowly but surely he cracked one lid open, a small shard of amber visible. His other eye followed suit, and he looked up at the the cloaked figure. "Who..."
"Silence," the figure said smoothly, and Gansaku obeyed. A smirk formed on the former's face. "You probably have many questions, however, I am not here to answer them and I would not want to do so anyhow. But my leader would have a word with you. So get up."
Gansaku found that he could move again. He took the time to take in his surroundings. Cold floor. Candlelit room. Barred door. This was some kind of prison. Pushing himself into a standing position, he dusted his shirt off lightly and took in the tall young man who had brought him here. He had raven black hair that was so dark, it only partially reflected the candlelight. His eyes were red, red with pinwheels of black. The cloak had a red trim and red clouds on the lower portion, and fell to the man's knee. Leggings partially covered the traditional sandals that were the colour of the village headband he wore around his forehead, the deep scratch almost a shout against the leaf-shaped village emblem.
"Come on," the figure now said, startling Gansaku out of his observation. "We haven't got all day." His voice was emotionless, as if he had no soul. As if...he had never felt anything in a day of his life. Gansaku shuddered as he walked out the barricaded door that the mysterious man had opened, walking down a hallway to a wood door at the end. It was made of wood and was flanked by torches and yet another cloaked being, who was leaning on the wall, his arms crossed. This figure was much taller than the first, with a demonic look to him. He had pale blue skin and small gills close to his darting eyes. Gansaku recognized his headband, also with a scratch through the village's emblem, as to be from the Mist village.
"He's been waiting for you, Itachi," this new character spoke in a menancing growl, very unlike his contemporary, who almost was meticulous in making sure that he let no emotion out whatsoever, as if the very utterance of a worry would weaken him greatly.
"I know," the newly-named Itachi said, not even looking at the other. "Had Gansaku hurried instead of analyzing his surroundings so slowly, we would have been on time." The Mist ninja, at hearing this, snickered drily. Gansaku felt the blood rise to his cheeks in a blush. So, he had noticed.
Itachi went to open the door, wrapping one pale hand around the handle and pulling. Gansaku noticed the purple manicure before there was a large noise of resistance, and then the door opened. Itachi held the door open, but did not move to enter. He instead turned to the young Sand ninja. "This is where we part ways," he stated simply, and gestured for him to enter. With trembling hands, Gansaku walked in shakily, and he was not two feet into the room before the door slammed behind him, causing him to jump violently.
Pausing before he walked again, Gansaku also took the time to take in his surroundings once more. The room was dark, and he couldn't see five feet in front of him, except for one candle that was lit at the far end of the room.
"Gansaku Shimei," said a voice etched with craftiness and power. It came from where the candle was. "Come."
The shinobi did as he was bade, walking slowly to the other side of the room. As he did, the light got brighter and he could see another cloaked figure perched in a chair. The candle was positioned so that the details of this mysterious man's face could not be seen at all. Only his eyes were visible, shining out across the darkness into Gansaku's amber ones. A laugh began slowly from the figure as he blinked once, twice, again.
"You might wonder why you are here."
Gansaku merely nodded.
"Well, first, let me introduce myself. I am the master of this facility that you find yourself in. And these cloaks?" The man tugged at his own in example. "Well, they are a symbol of the most feared organization that everyone calls Akatsuki."
As soon as he said those last words, the breath in Gansaku's chest hitched. Akatsuki. Everyone spoke their name with the utmost fear. They were a murderous organization with various powerful missing-nin, whose intentions were unclear.
Finding the courage to speak, he looked hard at the man, attempting to appear indifferent and unfazed by this new information.
"So, you would be their leader, I perhaps?"
The man laughed again. "They did not lie when they said you were clever. However, I have also heard that your comments are even more so."
"What shall I address you as?"
The man stopped laughing. "That leads us to our next order of buisiness. You see, we hear that you are quite strong in body and mind. Actually, we know that you are."
"I don't understand what this has to do with me and Akatsuki."
The man began to laugh again. "Well, it just so happens that we have a great gift to dispose upon you, providing that you are up to the task...Actually, you don't have a choice. You can accept this offer, or die."
Gansaku didn't speak. He was lost in thought. What could this man possibly want with him? Was it just that he was in the wrong place at the wrong time? And what was this gift he wanted to give to him? He spoke again.
"What does this have to do with how I should address you?"
The figure stood up, walking over to where Gansaku was standing. "Because this offer I am extending to you would have you call me 'Sir Leader'."
A pain of realization crossed Gansaku. "You would have me join Akatsuki!"
The man shook his head. "Yes and no. But, do you accept?"
Gansaku was afraid. For the very first time in his life, he was trembling from head to toe in fear of being killed. "I...I...I accept."
The man looked into Gansaku's eyes and smiled, an action that was not visible in the present situation. "Wise choice." He then took grip of Gansaku's either shoulder, and spun him around, to where the Sand shinobi was met once again with red eyes.
"You will sleep...for 12 hours."
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Eight figures, eight cloaked members of Akatsuki stood around a young boy, who was unconcious. A statue blindfolded individual towered over all of them. The one cloaked figure at the head of the circle spoke.
"It will take three days and three nights to complete this reverse extraction..."
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Three days later
Burning. A burning sensation in his arms. And a constant pinging in his ears. His head ached. His eyed stung. He licked his lips and tasted blood. What was happening to him?
"You're lucky you're alive, Gansaku-kun."
A voice rang out over him. It was one he had never heard before. He opened his eyes, but only saw white. Silly, he thought. Your eyes are bandaged so you can't see whoever is speaking. He made to speak, but a hand covered his mouth, wiping the blood off his lips and sighing.
"Coughing up blood again? You are very strong to take that kind of jutsu, Gansaku-kun."
What kind of jutsu? Gansaku thought. The bandages over his eyes were lifted away and the light shone through. Gansaku immediately squeezed his eyes shut at the brightness of the light overhead.
The voice chuckled. "Come on now, it isn't that bright. Your eyes are just...more enhanced. Here, let me turn it off." Footsteps moved away from him, a clicking noise, and then the footsteps came back to him. Gansaku opened his eyes.
A man was standing over him, with a smile on his face. He had reddish brown hair and heavy-lidded eyes that had an unusual colour to them. When he saw that Gansaku was looking at him, his smile widened slightly. "You had quite a time."
Gansaku looked down at himself. He was on a large bed in a well-furnished room, with bookshelves and a desk. He soon realized that he was not wearing a shirt, and that his arms were bandaged with seals holding the bandages in place. Rubbing his scar, he looked back up at the other shinobi, who was looking at his neck.
"So you're from Sand, too...I'm from Sand." He gestured to himself. When he did so, his sleeves hitched slightly so that his wrists were visible. A line ran all the way around it, almost as if the hand was one of a...puppet. Gansaku thought of Kankuro and something he had said about who had made his puppets...
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"Who crafted these?" Gansaku inquired, as he ran one hand over the frame of Crow, one of Kankuro's favorite puppets. At the mention of his weapon's maker, Kankuro's face darkened. "They say he was a highly skilled puppeteer. He made his own puppets, hundreds of them. But he started making human puppets. He made living people into his own weapons. And then he left."
"How long ago was this?" the younger shinobi inquired, still absorbed in marveling at the fine craftsmanship of Crow. Kankuro thought for a moment, and then replied with a quiet, "20 years. His name was Sasori."
"Sasori of the Red Sands."
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Gansaku looked again at the smiling man standing over him. He wasn't...he couldn't be...
"Are you...Sasori? The Sasori of the Red Sands?"
The man looked down at him, suprised, then laughed.
"I am flattered that Hidden-In-Sand would even let their children know about me. Yes, I am, to answer your question." Cocking his head, his tone got more devious. "Did they tell you what I used to do to people?"
Gansaku nodded quickly, a chill of fear running down his back.
Suddenly, the door at the other end of the room burst open, and a kunai flew in, aimed at Gansaku. He tried to block it, but his arms were weak and throbbing with pain. Closing his eyes, he turned away, bracing for the death blow.
But nothing happened. Cracking one eye open, he looked in front of him and was amazed. An water shield had formed in front of him, in which the kunai was suspended. It slowly faded away, and the kunai dropped harmlessly inbetween Gansaku's legs on the bed.
Looking up at the doorway, Gansaku saw Itachi there, his arm still outstretched from throwing the projectile. For a moment, he thought he saw a look of suprise on Itachi's face, but it was gone a split second later. "So the reverse extraction worked," he said simply. The blue-skinned man was behind him, only this time a massive wrapped sword was on his back.
"Kisame and I are running an errand," Itachi stated simply, gesturing to the shinobi behind him. "Sasori, make sure he gets food and water. Especiall the latter. After all, he is now considered a jinchuuriki." With a small cough that sounded more like a laugh, he closed the door, and the pair of footsteps echoed dimly down the hall.
Gansaku looked up at Sasori, who had just got done nodding at Itachi's instruction. "What...what does he mean that I am 'now considered a jinchuuriki'?" Sasori looked down at him, cocking his head and closing one eye.
"It means that you now have a tailed demon inside of you. Setsuna of the Four Waters, to be exact, who is a dragon." The red-haired Akatsuki member fell into mumbling to himself as it finally hit Gansaku. He had a demon. But how? Don't people die from that sort of thing, sealing demons in people? He wondered if the Leader--Sir Leader was still alive.
Before he could ask, a sudden lightheadness washed over him. His brain seemed to be telling him to sleep, but as his eyes closed, he knew it was the voice of another dwelling much deeper inside of him.
