i've been planning a certain scene in here practically since the start of TDOP. I just hope it goes over well. I managed to make my two day release, so hopefully things are recovering quickly unlike last time. Now that I think about it, this'll be the first time I've written about Hidan and Kakuzu so extensively. Guess this is foriegn ground for me.
Disclaimer: After that long and painful arc, thins are suddenly getting very exciting in canon, right?
The rook and the bishop
Naruto and Utakata walked quietly through a dense forest, where the morning sunlight cast calmly upon them. Neither paid much attention to the chirping flock of birds flying in the direction they had just come from, they didn't need much imagination to realise the cause. Even though it was very faint, they could hear what sounded like the aggravated yells of a man.
"It doesn't look like this is gonna be the most peaceful introduction, does it?" Utakata asked, eying Naruto with a raised brow. The blond winced as he caught sight of something up ahead; a wooden chair flew through the air and struck a tree hard, shattering into many pieces,
"Nope." he replied, grimacing. Now that they were closer, the voice became more distinguished, and was often followed with hurried replies, all of which where most definitely pleading.
"HELL IF I'M PAYING FOR THE CRAP I AIN'T GONNA EAT!" the voice yelled, as a second object soared into view; a dirty plate with what looked like steamed vegetables flying off it in every direction, "SHUT UP KAKUZU, I EARNED SOME OF THAT TOO!"
"Doesn't sound like either of them are in a rush to wrap things up." Naruto muttered, with a long drawn out sigh.
They passed the thick number of trees blocking their view and from it came to see the inn that was the unfortunate target of that loud person's wrath. A simple, wooden building, it was clear the owners didn't have the income to recover from a prolonged conflict with a person who had succeeded in causing such chaos. And standing outside this inn, there was a man instantly identifiable as the one they sought.
Above the cloak they had quickly become accustomed to seeing, there was a man leaning by the open door to the in. he had his arms folded and his eyes closed, clearly trying to ignore the commotion going on behind him. Most of his face was covered in a black masked, which was attached to a grey hood. Above his dark skin, there was a triangular piece of black material that bore the forehead protector of someone from Takigakure, with a long slash running through it. He was taller than Utakata, easily so more than Naruto. As the two boys drew nearer, he detected them and opened his eyes, which were strangely coloured as red sclera and green irises with no visible pupil. They immediately locked onto Naruto and Utakata, though more specifically the medallions they wore.
"Are you Kakuzu-san?" Naruto asked, neither he nor Utakata slowing as they closed in.
"Yeah, I take it you're Naruto and Utakata?" the person identified as Kakuzu replied.
"That's right." Utakata said, as he and Naruto's destination clearly became the inn's door. He raised his finger and pointed inside, giving a questioning look to the older Shinobi, "That the other guy?"
Kakuzu nodded as Naruto and Utakata passed him, entering inside the inn. He then waited patiently, listening to the cacophony inside. After several moments of the same noise, it sounded like the two boys had found the missing member.
"Who the hell are you tw- WHAT THE, LET GO!" came the aggressive yells that slowly drew nearer. Kakuzu straightened up, and moments later the two boys reappeared dragging another man with their arms linked under his.
The man had pale skin, and short silver hair slicked back behind him. He wore his cloak with the collar open, revealing a bare chest and a silver amulet made of a large ring with an empty triangle inside it. He whipped his enraged eyes between the two boys, both of whom wore peaceful smiles as they tried not to make contact with his purple irises. More importantly though, they tried to avoid contact with the lethal looking weapon on his back, a red scythe possessing three blades instead of the conventional single blade both boys were more commonly familiar with.
"HEY, KAKUZU! WHO THE HELL ARE THESE GUYS?!" the man demanded, his livid eyes flying to the other Akatsuki member, who didn't even offer the smallest glance.
"One of them is your temporary partner." Kakuzu replied, as he stepped past the inn door. He reached into his robes and pulled out a very small bag containing coins. He tossed the bag inside, before the four of them left without a word. Well, that was what three of four had planned.
"WHAT THE HELL'S THAT MEAN?!"
"Quiet Hidan." Kakuzu ordered, with an annoyed expression. But then Utakata touched Hidan's arm, attracting the angered man's attention.
"Very sorry we're troubling you." Utakata said, raising his free hand in what looked like half a prayer. It was a sign usually used by monks, but it was clear what it meant, "I'll repay you at the next bar we cross, is that ok?"
Hidan cocked a brow to Utakata, regarding the boy curiously. Then, with a surprisingly smooth movement, he freed his arm from Naruto's grip and spun around to Utakata's left, using his still gripped arm as a means to pull the boy into a one armed hug.
"Hey, Kakuzu." Hidan said, looking back at his usual partner, "I'm taking this guy, got it?"
"Fine." Kakuzu replied, without the slightest sign of interest. Hidan grinned, before removing his arm from Utakata and patting the brown haired boy on the back. Kakuzu then glanced at Naruto, who was giving Hidan a look of quiet bewilderment, "Then I guess that leaves you with me."
"Yeah, that's fine." Naruto replied, looking back with an exasperated grin. Kakuzu nodded, before looking on ahead again, leaving the group to fall silent with only Hidan showing much enthusiasm. Utakata was already regretting his offer.
"So what's the mission?" he asked, looking over to his shoulder to Kakuzu.
"That's nothing to do with me." Kakuzu replied, without making eye contact, "You and Hidan will be doing as you like while we take care of our own mission."
"That's right little boy!" Hidan smirked, pulling Utakata into a headlock, "From now on I'm the boss!"
Naruto suppressed a grin as he sensed Utakata's growing desperation. Though he felt pity for the older boy, he wasn't sympathetic enough to do anything about it. So instead he pretended not to notice the sideward glances, and just moved back to walk alongside Kakuzu. The elder nin could already predict his question, and so he answered before it could be asked.
"We're heading to Kage no Kuni." he said, choosing to get this out of the way as soon as possible, "We meet our client there."
"Kage no Kuni?" Naruto repeated, with a raised brow. Kisame had led them through there once on their training, it seemed like a fairly dull place to him, "What's going on down there?"
"We're meeting with a man called Tomoshibi Taro." Kakuzu continued, while Hidan started chattering nonsensically to Utakata, "He has promised a good sum for his mission, and will give the details upon our arrival."
"Actually, I'm more of a hunter-nin, so I'm afraid you'll have to deal with combat while I watch your back." Utakata said, looking rather sheepishly at Hidan. The silver haired nin looked at Utakata in surprise, before suddenly crying out with excitement.
"I FREAKING LOVE THIS GUY!" he yelled, pulling Utakata into another one armed hug. The former Kiri ANBU called out in shock as he nearly tripped over, but managed to keep his footing.
"He's good." Naruto thought, giving Utakata a look that told no envy, "If he hadn't already learned about this guy, I'd have serious doubts about him."
The four of them broke over a hill, and the trees divided to reveal a vast land below. A lot of dry, sandy earth took up the ground below, marked with only scattered clumps of trees here and there. Close to those trees were small clusters of buildings, houses, stores and the likes. In the middle of all this was a square moat with thicker trees and more gathered buildings. And so they approached the largest village in Tori no Kuni.
"Hidan." Kakuzu said, coming to a stop while his partner continued on. Hidan paused however, squinting back as he impatiently awaited Kakuzu's words, "We'll split up here. Try to gather some money while I'm gone, and don't screw things up."
"Ah bite me!" Hidan grumbled, as he steered Utakata down the hill. The dark haired boy gave a bewildered wave back to Naruto, who returned it with an unsettled look. He really didn't envy that guy.
"Let's go." Kakuzu said, turning to his left and walking down the receding road in that direction. Naruto nodded, before hastily following.
* * * * *
The carriage jolted across the bumpy road as the horses pulled it towards the setting sun. Four chestnut steeds led the large, wheeled structure, the canvas sheltering the contents in the cool shade. The carriage owner sat at the reins, lashing where he believed necessary.
Inside the carriage, amidst small boxes of provisions, Gaara, Yagura, Kisame and Itachi each sat silently as the wooden wheels ground against the earth. Gaara and Itachi both appeared to be resting, while Yagura and Kisame both gazed out the back of the carriage to the road they had travelled.
"This'll be your first time out of the five nations, won't it?" Kisame asked, keeping his eyes on the dry road behind them. Yagura let out a long yawn, resting his jaw on his palm.
"Last week was the first time I left Mizu no Kuni." he replied, with a bored expression. Kisame smirked at this, lightly levering Samehada on its position in front of him, "I quit being surprised by the time we hit Ame."
Kisame let out a quiet inward laugh, his smirk broadening into a grin. Though it had been a long time since he had felt that, he could still identify with it even if only a little. He leant forward, resting his free arm on his knee as he let out a deep exhale.
"You know, for someone who doesn't have any memories being Mizukage, you certainly didn't take long to recognise me." he said, looking at Yagura from the corner of his eyes. He received no reaction like he expected however, not even a fleeting glance, "Especially considering you and I only occasionally met."
"It takes a lot to forget a face like yours." Yagura replied, without the slightest touch of sensitivity. Kisame wasn't offended however, and in fact preferred Yagura's openness, "But I heard about the seven swordsmen when I was younger."
Gaara opened an eye, watching the two while neither was aware of him. He was tempted to tell them to shut up, since rest was a rare commodity for him in any case. But he knew aggressive emotions would only stir a certain someone, and so he did his best to ignore those two.
"We'll be crossing the border soon." called the carriage owner. Kisame raised a hand to acknowledge the old man's words, but didn't pay much more attention. It was then that Itachi decided against further rest, and opened his eyes.
"Neither of you two have crossed the border before, have you?" he asked, directly.
"No." Gaara replied, abandoning rest and leaning forward. Itachi nodded, he would have been surprised if they had.
"Then you won't have the proper passes then." he said, reaching into his cloak. He procured twin pairs of forms, both stamped and very official looking, "These will then have to serve in place of those. To anyone who asks, Kisame-san and I are detectives from Kage no Kuni. You two have been specially authorized to assist us on our investigation."
"That means no party tricks." Kisame added, taking the forms and looking them over, "People over there aren't too familiar with ninja, there are only a few scattered clans at best. Anything overambitious will throw up red lights, so just do what you've been trained to and stay out of trouble."
Gaara nodded, accepting the form that was handed to him. He studied it well, as Yagura did when he received his. When both were content, they slipped the forms away someplace secure. But then Gaara returned his gaze to Itachi, who met it patiently, "If they do not use Shinobi, what is their main militia?"
"The country past this point is divided, hence there is no main militia." Itachi replied, resting his head against the taut canvas.
"Wandering samurai, monks, mercenaries, and ninja lacking in chakra." Kisame said, counting off on his fingers as he listed what he knew of.
"Soldiers from the west have taken station there too." Itachi continued, putting more into the list, "There are many different forces over there, meaning that just about anything is possible. The only thing you are really unlikely to see are those skilled in the ninja arts."
Yagura, who had been listening intently, turned his gaze away. Like Gaara, he hadn't appeared impressed by this revelation in the slightest, and seemed to be even disinterested by it, "…Sounds pretty chaotic."
"It is."
* * * * *
Within the grounds of Tori no Kuni, Utakata walked towards the place he and Hidan had agreed to meet. The sun had finally set, but there was still light breaking over the horizon. All around town paper lanterns were lit, and the mood was about as relaxed as the air. People had long since been home and left again, eager to unwind from the day's demands in the only appropriate way; drinking and gambling.
"Hey, Utakata!" Hidan called, with an annoyed look. He stood next to the open door to a bar, where there was plenty of noise coming in jovial waves. Utakata, still slightly concerned about the weight of his wallet by sunrise, made no effort to hurry up. Though Hidan initially noticed this his expression changed from annoyance to a slow grin, spreading dangerously across his cheeks, "'Fore we go in, there's something I wanna ask ya."
Utakata raised a brow, not liking the eccentric Shinobi's tone one bit. Once again he was pulled into a headlock, though this time not as fiercely as before. Hidan moved his face uncomfortably close to Utakata's with a cunning look in his eyes and smile, "You haven't been broken into by any chance, have ya?"
Following the younger boy's frown, Hidan released him and stepped aside, looking oddly satisfied with himself. Utakata wasn't sure of what that question had meant, but the foreboding sense that he received from it gave him a chill not belonging to the warm air.
"Doesn't really matter." Hidan said, placing a firm grip on Utakata's shoulder as he steered the boy inside, "I wanna propose a little bet."
The two of them ducked under the paper strips marking the entrance to the bar, and Utakata's worries suddenly held some grounds. It seemed Hidan had succeeded in finding the biggest, and possibly sleaziest bar in town. Many men sat around wooden tables, in booths and at the bar. Not one of them was without a drink in their hand and very few of them looked clean shaven. All of them were worn and tired, their spirits raised only by conversation and the ladies that kept them company. Utakata gave a slight look of distaste, which vanished once he was placed under Hidan's scrutiny.
"Why do I get the feeling you didn't spend very long looking for work?" Utakata asked, noticing his voice was suddenly dimmed by the noise created from the eager men that filled the place. Hidan waved his question away, leading him towards the few empty seats at the bar up ahead.
"You can hear a lot of interesting things in a bar, we might be able to pick something up!" he explained, though from the glances he was giving to the women around there was another meaning to those words, "Besides, Kakuzu makes enough money for the two of us. I wanna talk to you about that bet."
He and Utakata both took a seat on the tall stools, the former still grinning while the latter appeared quite uncomfortable. Hidan gestured to the barkeep, a stout man with fading black hair and a pencil thin moustache. The barkeep waved to him in acknowledgement, before returning to his work. Hidan turned to Utakata and pulled him in close, both of their head low so they couldn't be overheard.
"You see, Kakuzu only gave me enough money to cover a room for one of us, and only for the night." he said, still wearing his grin, "And problem is, the inn's a very busy place this time round, I had to "convince" them to open up a room. You see where I'm going with this?"
"Whoever loses has to sleep outside." Utakata plainly replied. He may still be young, but he wasn't stupid. He could see through Hidan quite easily. And so he raised his hand to his chin and propped his arm on the table, a cool smirk appearing on his face, "So what are the terms?"
* * * * *
Naruto's brow was creased in deep concentration, his finger raised to his chin as his eyes scanned the object in his hand. He walked along as he read the book Kakuzu had given him, memorising each detail carefully. He turned to the final page, and gave the face on it a hard stare. He didn't recognise the man whose photo was marked here, but he committed it to his recall regardless.
"Shinpei Takahara…" he read, before scanning the details. That person seemed to be the leader of a group of bandits, and had one of the smaller bounties the book contained. He looked over the details once more, before closing the book and looking to Kakuzu, "All right, I think I got em all."
"There's no guarantee you'll encounter any of them, but Kage no Kuni is the sort of place that attracts those kind of people." Kakuzu said, as he took back his bingo book, "It lies on the border between the five nations and the land outside it, so it's a sneaky place. The law is decided by the rich, and there are a few people there that definitely fit that bill."
Naruto gave a nod to show he understood. He knew the sort of place, he had visited a port in Cha no Kuni once that was run by a couple of local gangs. Though from what Kakuzu said, the place they were going was a cut above what Naruto had experienced.
"So you're hoping maybe we'll run into a couple of these guys?" he asked, ducking to avoid a low hanging branch. The road had thinned out long ago and now they walked through the thinning woods. The ground beneath them was dry, the plant life wasn't doing so well. It didn't exactly paint a pretty picture of what was to come.
"Just be ready." Kakuzu replied, before coming to a stop, "We'll rest in there."
Naruto glanced in the direction Kakuzu was looking, raising his brow in surprise. What he saw was an abandoned shack, lying not too far from where they were. Old and decrepit, it looked like the only thing holding that worn shelter together was lack of a stiff breeze. Kakuzu however seemed to see no such problem as he began to make his way towards it. In the end Naruto decided against arguing, what choice did they have anyway? He wasn't opposed to sleeping outside, but in these dry conditions that hardly seemed like the best idea.
They didn't take long to reach the building, which turned out to be lacking a door. They stepped inside, and to Naruto's distaste it was as bad on the inside as it was the outside. It looked like a pack of wolves had torn through here, stacks of wood were scattered across the ground and the pan that had once been placed above the hearth was dented and beaten. Cobwebs and dust were the only things at home here, everything else was dead or gone.
Kakuzu found a spot in the corner and took position in it, sitting down on the ground. He then folded his arms over his knees and closed his eyes, apparently taking rest there. Naruto watched him with a weary expression, resisting a sigh.
"Man, this guy doesn't even waste any time!" he thought, as he shook his head lightly. He then removed Eko and laid him across the ground. He doubted there was any wildlife to make a meal out of, and without Gaara around he wasn't really sure he wanted to try his luck with the plant life. And so he lay down next to the blade, slipping his hands behind his head as he stared up at the ceiling. Right above him there was a hole in the roof, revealing the stars in the otherwise empty sky, "Doesn't look like it's gonna rain anytime soon. Ah well, more joy for the journey I guess."
"You're thinking about the weather?"
Naruto smirked, he had a tough time discerning his private thoughts to the ones that were broadcast to Eko. Blade-wielder telepathy was tricky business.
"So what's your read on this guy?" he thought, casting an eye towards Kakuzu. Eko remained silent for several moments, considering what he had managed to learn so far.
"Don't rely on him too much."
Naruto let out an inward chuckle, one that Kakuzu thankfully ignored. Between the two of them, Eko was a better judge of character. And so he often relied on the blade when he couldn't get his own read on a person. However, in this situation he had succeeded in getting the same idea as Eko. Professional though Kakuzu seemed, Naruto would definitely be treading carefully.
* * * * *
Hidan sat alone in the bar, lightly swirling his drink as he watched his contorting reflection. He wore a sour look, one that would cause any person to want to back off slowly should their eyes meet his. Although the immediate area around him was quiet, there was plenty of noise coming from one of the booths behind him, where a group of young ladies were giggling loudly at something their entertainer said.
"Hey, senpai!" Utakata called, over the conversation of the women around him, "You can use the inn, I'm covered over here!"
Hidan cursed to himself, taking his drink and downing it in one long draught. He then slammed the glass onto the bar and bowed his head forward, clutching his gut. The barkeep came over to check on him, a nervous expression on his face.
"You'll kill yourself with this stuff." he warned, as Hidan signalled for another one. But when the silver haired man flashed a pained glair, the barkeep hastily complied. He bent down and pulled out a large bottle of liquid as clear as water. But from the indecipherable lettering, and more notably the strong odour created when the lid was removed, it seemed likely that this stuff was nothing like water. And yet once more he refilled the glass, and laid it before the wincing Hidan, "Your funeral."
"If only." Hidan muttered, taking the drink and looking into it again. He took a few deep breaths, recovering from his last drink, before he began raising his glass again.
"Hey, Hidan-senpai." Utakata said, appearing by the older-nin's side. Hidan looked up from his glass, scowling at Utakata.
"What?!" he demanded, his alcohol consumption making him a little moodier than usual. Utakata didn't take it personally, and kept the weak smile he wore when he arrived.
"I know you're not exactly in the best of moods right now, so I thought I'd cheer you up." he said, taking a seat next to his temporary partner. Hidan. Whose interests were raised by this, leant in closer to hear the younger boy's whispers, "Apparently a few of these ladies entertain certain groups that the local authorities would rather not have troubling them anymore."
Hidan raised a brow as his interests piqued. He turned to face Utakata, giving his full attention, "Yeah?"
"Apparently the authorities would be willing to part with an interesting sum of money to the person who can make this happen."
"Screw that!" Hidan muttered, waving his hand to the statement. He then ushered Utakata closer, a serious look on his face, "How many people are we talking?"
"Oh, a few gangs." Utakata replied, with a disinterested shrug, "Judging from what the ladies let slip, it's not so much a few punks as it is an infestation, you know?"
Utakata sat back, waiting to see Hidan's reaction. It didn't take very long, a smile spread across the silver haired man's face that soon became a broad grin. He pounded his fist on the bar and drained his glass again, before getting to his feet too fast and staggering. Utakata stood as well, watching with concern as his partner grabbed his sides. But after a few moments of grunts, Hidan straightened up with a look of agony on his face. Despite his apparent pain however, he grinned like a man celebrating the greatest moments of his life.
"See ya later Utakata-chan, daddy's going hunting!" he announced, before whirling on the spot and stumbling through towards the door. Utakata wore a worried look as Hidan struck the doorframe and cursed loudly, before disappearing into the night. Reluctantly, he looked to the group of women at the booth, all of whom were watching the empty doorway with condescending smiles.
"Sorry ladies, I've got to help a friend out!" he called, before running out after Hidan. He did his best to ignore the complaints of the women, he hadn't the desire nor the ability to attempt to entertain so many anyway. He just hoped for their sake the solution he used would wear off soon, "Hey, senpai!"
