Chapter 2!
New Members!
It took Naruto several days to Taki-gakure. Unlike before he was not in a hurry right now, his new recruit probably didn´t even start his mission yet and it would take several days until he returned.
Therefore Naruto took a small break to take part in an all-you-can-eat Ramen contest which took place in a small village on the way.
While there Naruto listened to some of the rumors floating around town. The death of Madara had already made rounds. There was also rumors of countless villages preparing for war against Konoha now that Hashirama was heavily injured.
That didn´t surprise Naruto. He already knew that Hashirama would die soon in a battle against three of the Shodaime Kage. The fourth would fight against Tobirama and the future second Kages and third Mizukage would wreak havoc among the Senju-clan killing countless of them and reducing the once mighty clan to merely fifty members. Those would eventually whittle down over the first and second Shinobi war.
But that didn´t concern him. He was more interested in news regarding his first three recruits.
He called back into his mind what he knew about them:
The first was easy, he had personally met and fought against Kakuzu. The Assasin would be grateful to him for freeing him from his jail before the Taki-council would execute him to appease Konoha.
The second was a person he had read in his history books about. Toka Senju, a cousin of the Senju-brothers who had been killed by the Shodaime Raikage shortly after the beginning of the first Shinobi war. It would not be difficult to convince her to join him, she had idolised Hashirama and had been almost suicidal in her actions which resulted in her death.
The third member was still quite a few years off. Naori Uchiha the creator of the Izanami-jutsu would eventually be betrayed by her teammates and left for death. He would swoop in and save her and then convince her to join him.
Naruto didn´t have any idea about what to do then aside from laying low during the war. Though he would need to start cultivate the Shirozetsu spores he brought with him. He had even developed a special clone-jutsu to emulate Kurozetsus looks and abilitys to have the Akatsuki-spy ready in action when the time came.
„Don´t forget that we also need to collect the samples for Edo-Tensei. We will need the fire-power when the fourth war begins."
Naruto flinched a bit at this. While he would stand to his plans, he absolutely despised the fact that he couldn´t go off and kill Tobirama before he created that damn summoning-scroll. The bastard had created it by using chakra-samples from the Shinigami-mask inside the Uzumaki-shrine. What was worse, he didn´t even ask Mito or the Uzumaki-clan for permission to create something like that.
It took Naruto five more days until Taki. On the way he killed off several dozen bandits and non-village ninja.
After the creation of the hidden villages there were many clans and ninja who refused to join the system but with the Daimyou and clients going to the villages they had no choice but to join up or become bandits and killers. Most of those ninjas would be hunted down over time. But Naruto knew some survived like that one Fuuma-ninja which Jiraiya defeated and eventually would become the first Animal-path of Pain.
„Well, it seems i still have a bit time on my hands."
Naruto looked over Taki from his vantage point in the crown of the tree of life. His chakra-sensing ability allowed him sense everything around him.
Interestingly, contrary to the Taki-gakure of his timeline here the ninjas still had power. He could feel that most of the Jonin were around Asumas level of power. Hell, even the new Jinchuriki of Chomei was already strong enough to compare to Kakashi and the boy was only nine at the moment. (After Bunpuku he was the second oldest Jinchuriki given that Hashirama caught Chomei first)
A commotion at the villages entrance drew his attention. Activating his Sharingan he smiled as he saw his target arrive.
Kakuzu looked quite different to his future self. He didn´t have any stitches yet and his hair was similiar to Sais brother Shin in style though a different color of course.
He watched a bit angry how Kakuzu was beaten by his so called comrades before the village leader spoke to him. Kakuzu angrily retorted something before being dragged off.
„Well, i suppose its almost time."
Kakuzu sat in his cell stewing in his anger and depression. He could still hear his former comrades laugh at his expenses and it only fueled his anger more. He had laid his life on the line on this assasination mission too eliminate Hashirama. Hell, his entire team comprised of his best friends had been slaughtered at the hands of Tobirama and Hashirama. They sacrificed everything and as thanks he was thrown into a dirty jail and he would soon be executed.
„Tell me, what would you do to escape from this place?"
Kakuzu looked in astonishment at the masked man who just appeared inside his cell. Before he actually thought about the question. He was not stupid, he knew an offer like this was to good to pass up.
„If you release me i guarantee you my absolute loyalty, stranger."
„Good answer!"
Kakuzu watched as the man removed his chains and his shoulder. The air swirled around them before they appeared at a place he knew.
„Why are we in the Village-leaders office?"
The masked man looked at him and Kakuzu was sure he was smirking.
„We are here to get a very special Jutsu for you, my friend!"
Kakuzu watched as the man removed the covering of the safe hidden in the office and even destroyed the fuin-jutsu placed on it.
A quick lock-picking later the man held a scroll Kakuzu heard only once about.
„This is the scroll for the Jiongu,correct?"
The man nodded before throwing the scroll to him. Kakuzu knew what to do, he opened the scroll and went through the handseals for the Kin-jutsu.
He almost screamed in pain as his back burst open and black threads shot out. Gritting his teeth Kakuzu managed to slowly gain control over his new ability and fused the threads back into his body.
„Lets go. We still have to pay the village higher ups a visit."
Kakuzu gave a bloodthirsty smirk at this declaration. Though before he left he noticed a big chest inside the safe which he knew contained a huge amount of the villages income. Grabbing the treasure he swiftly sealed it away before following his new leader.
Naruto smiled as he and Kakuzu ripped those stupid councilors apart. The fools were so much like those Konoha villagers who tormented him in his childhood that he couldn´t help it but to find pleasure in it.
He watched as his new associate ripped another heart out with his tentacles.
Sending a quick fireball-jutsu at a bald old councilor he looked around the room only to see that the entire Taki-council and the village leader were dead at his feet.
Kakuzu already moved towards him.
„What is the plan now?"
„Now, we get out of here and start preparing for the recruitment of the next members.
By the way, welcome to the Akatsuki!"
Both Kakuzu and Naruto disappeared via Kamui and would not be seen for several years.