There's some spicy innuendo in this one. We'll see if it leads somewhere between the two characters involved later on...
I eventually intend on writing smut between the main triad. It's obviously not time yet for Itachi/Fu/Shi BUT there are adult characters in the story. I will not be writing smut between anyone but the main triad. Sexual tension and heavy insinuation that other characters are banging, or might bang, however? Absolutely.
TW - Mention of a past witnessed sexual assault and subsequent murder. In keeping with my usual, it's not a graphic mention.
Chapter Nineteen
"Clan Meeting"
Obito sagged into his usual meeting chair, across from Pain and Konan deep inside the Akatsuki headquarters. The Deva Path was looking at him, as unblinking as usual, after he'd unloaded the entirety of what had happened whilst he was in Uzushio with Fū and Sasori.
"Of course, you already knew about Akuma and Konoha's involvement in the erasure of the Uzumaki's future when you sent her there." Obito concluded, eye narrowed behind his mask.
"I did not know that the bodies remained underground, but in hindsight I should have guessed as much," Pain admitted, that unnerving stare glancing away from him for the first time in an hour. "I suppose I just didn't wish to think too long on the subject, lest I channel my rage in a nonproductive way."
Obito could understand that. Knowing what he knew from Taifū, and having seen it himself once, Nagato losing his temper and descending upon an unsuspecting Konoha would not have been ideal then, and it certainly wasn't something they wanted now.
"Fū asked me to inform you that she wishes to speak with you about clan business first thing tomorrow. You, not the Deva Path."
"I expected she would."
Konan took the brief lull in conversation to move it along to Akatsuki related business, eyeing him as indifferently as she always had. If she knew the truth about him now she hadn't hinted at it.
"You did not explain why the two-tails and the six-tails Jinchuuriki, have both defected and come to Ame with you."
"That is a fresh development." Obito said, cutting his sharingan to her and deciding to recite the story that was given to him when he cornered Sasori the night before. "Evidently, Sasori and Fū ran into some trouble between Iwa and Kumo on the road through Otogakure. The two-tails Jinchuuriki was injured and dying, and the Nibi ripped out of her in a panic. Fū rushed to her aid and the Uzumaki Kekkei Genkai, Adamantine Sealing Chains, manifested. Fū managed to quell raging bijuu, while a Kumo healer saved the girl and Sasori apprehended the Iwa shinobi, turning them over to Kumo."
"To what end were Iwa and Kumo engaging in combat inside of Sound's borders?" Konan's eyes widened a fraction.
"I am unsure, and Yugito said she didn't have the clearance to have known prior to her defection. All I know is that Kumo and Iwa are on the cusp of war. The Raikage is trying to avoid it, per Yugito's limited intel. He sent the Iwa ninja that Sasori captured back to them in good faith."
Pain interjected with his own question, now. "So what united Yugito together with Utakata, and what possessed them to seek out Taifū?"
"That I do not know," Obito admitted, feeling tense now that he had to speak his concerns out loud, "and I have not asked Fū, but from what she said to them when they settled in to speak in my presence, it seems that the bijuu are the driving force behind Yugito and Utakata's actions."
Pain and Konan looked at each other for a moment. Obito had observed many loaded looks between them over the last few years. Often, Obito envied their quiet connection – their ability to know what the other was thinking without saying a word.
Such was the way of people who had a close bond and had shared proximity and experience for years.
"I would like to speak with them."
Obito's brows raised. "Now?"
When Pain nodded, Obito shrugged and sent a clone to retrieve the two Jinchuuriki. Far be it from him to deny Nagato, not now that he'd resumed control over the organization. Obito was on thin ice as it was.
It was only a few minutes later that the door to the room opened and his clone dispersed, leaving an anxious Yugito and a bored looking Utakata standing there blinking as their eyes adjusted to the dark room they were ushered inside.
"Good evening," Pain began, gesturing to two of the several unoccupied chairs that faced their circle, "please have a seat. I am Pain, also known as Uzumaki Nagato. This is Konan my second-in-command, and you've already met Tobi our third. Welcome to Amegakure."
Third-in-command?
That was the first Obito was hearing about his change in status, and was surpised they were leaving him in a leadership role. He'd take it. It wasn't like he was in the position to complain, especially because such a declaration precedes Nagato's conversation with Fū. Judging by Konan's complete lack of reaction, she did know the truth.
"You don't have Uzumaki coloring…" Yugito tittered nervously, like she was trying to make a joke but it fell flat, her face brightened and she bowed in apology, backtracking. "Uzumaki-sama."
Nagato wasn't offended. In fact, by the barest quirk of the Deva Path's lip he seemed amused.
"I would prefer to be referred to as Pain-sama," Pain said, and Obito wasn't surprised by that at all. "Though my identity has been revealed to outsiders the people of Amegakure and the majority of the Akatsuki still know me as Pain. For now I would like to keep it as such."
"Understood, Pain-sama."
Pain nodded once, satisfied, before continuing on. "Tobi tells me you have an interest in one of our members, and the Akatsuki as a whole."
Obito decided it was best for him to sit back and watch this play out, so he crossed his legs and got comfortable, eye darting between the other occupants of the room.
He watched the young Jinchuuriki glance at each other, then Utakata spoke for the first time.
"I am interested in the Akatsuki," he said slowly, as if he was rethinking about whether or not he wanted to tell them anything at all, "the bijuu and Yugito are interested in Uzumaki Fū."
Yugito pursed her lips, glaring slightly at Utakata.
"Not that I am disinterested in the Akatsuki," she interjected, almost pleadingly. Like she thought Pain might slice her throat then and there for reasons unknown. "The first I had heard of your organization was after I'd reunited with Fū-san alongside Utakata. The Nibi and I came to a conclusion that we wished to join whatever it was she was doing. I left Kumo to seek her out. "
"Similarly, though I had interest in your organization it was the Rokubi who convinced me to seek out Yugito to aid her defection and search for Uzumaki-san. I did not know that she was affiliated with the Akatsuki until after meeting her." Utakata concluded, honey eyes never leaving Pain.
"I find it fascinating that the bijuu maintain their sentience when housed within your bodies." Pain told them after a brief pause, seeming comfortable enough with them now that he leaned back in his chair and laid his arms on the armrests, a picture of composed elegance as he continued. "That they can speak to you as separate, intelligent beings and influence your decisions with reason… This was not my understanding of the nature of the relationship between bijuu and Jinchuuriki. Thank you for enlightening me."
Utakata and Yugito looked stunned, and neither spoke. Pain didn't seem to mind as he carried on.
"On the subject of Taifū," Pain began, and now Obito's eye slid to observe his leader. "As you are aware of my true name, I'm sure you have guessed that I am an elder of the almost extinct Uzumaki clan. Taifū is, by birth, our clan head. As she is regarded as a civilian and nine years under the age of adulthood I effectively make decisions for my clansmen, her included. Whatever the bijuu needs with her, I would like to know."
The Jinchuuriki pair were silent for a moment.
Then Yugito spoke up. "The Nibi says; 'That is something you will need to speak with Taifū about, for we ourselves are unsure and weary.'"
Obito did his best to stifle his immediate concern.
So the bijuu could hear everything that was said around their Jinchuuriki? How much information had the Kyuubi gotten from his and Fū's conversations in Naruto's proximity? Obito's mind started going over everything he could remember had been said around the boy, but he couldn't pinpoint anything damning.
Fū took keeping Naruto's innocence intact for as long as possible very seriously.
"The Rokubi echo's the Nibi's words," Utakata informed them, brow furrowed as if concentrating hard on something. Perhaps his connection to the six-tails wasn't as developed as Yugito's was to the two-tails? Obito couldn't possibly know. "He adds; 'We are weary, but curious, to observe the human that knew our names without ever having met any of us. Not even the one who is sealed within her… her brother.'"
It was clear that Fū's brother being a Jinchuuriki was news to the young shinobi before them, as both of their eyes widened. Another hint that the bijuu seemed to have the ability to either communicate with each other across distances. Otherwise they'd have no idea who was sealed within who.
So, Fū had let slip to the Nibi that she knew its name and that's what caused this butterfly effect?
Obito wasn't sure if he needed to sit her down and have a conversation about how stupidly honest and unafraid of consequences she was, or laugh at the absurdity of the direction his life was taking. Both. Probably both.
"I see. I will speak with her." Nagato's eyes closed momentarily as he processed this information. When they reopened, he locked that unnerving ringed gaze onto Utakata. "What is your interest in the Akatsuki?"
He found it telling that Nagato's first instinct was to question their intentions with Fū, and then ask about the Akatsuki afterwards.
"If your goal is to establish stability and peace, as Fū-san tells me, and you have a viable plan on how to accomplish this, then I would like to join you." Utakata told them, and Obito sensed the 'but' coming just before it came; "But I do not want to take part in sparking another Great War. If it seems like that's where the Akatsuki is heading, then I will not be a part of it."
"And you, Yugito-san?" Nagato asked, directing his attention to the blonde girl, who's determination was clear in the hard set of her face.
"I am of the same conviction as Utakata," she told him, her hands becoming fists where they rested atop her thighs. "I am a fighter. I don't mind throwing myself into conflict to help those in need. But senseless conflict helps no one and it seems that all shinobi tend to engage in is senseless conflict. The prosperity of one village should not be prioritized over the suffering of the rest. I'm sick of it. If the Akatsuki's goal is peace, and as Fū-san stated you plan to accomplish this through diplomacy and providing aid to the helpless as well as your allies, then that is an organization that I would feel confident in joining."
Finding himself suitably impressed by Yugito-san's words, after she'd been visibly anxious and demure in the days he'd known her, Obito glanced back at Pain.
If it were up to him he'd extend an invitation to both of these young shinobi to join. Their mentalities both aligned with the Akatsuki's new goals. Utakata was on his way to becoming jonin when he defected from Mist a year ago. Yugito had already stated she was a chunin.
These two would need training, but given that they were both skilled and Jinchuuriki Obito considered the time it would take to get them up to par with the other members a good investment for the future of the organization.
Pain looked to Konan, who gave the barest of nods. Then he looked at Obito, and he nodded as well.
"Very well. Welcome to the Akatsuki."
Taifū rubbed at her eyes with her fist, blinking away sleep. Obito had come and dragged her out of bed, disrupting her cuddle session with Naruto. The two year old had insisted he slept with her that night, after having clung to her for the whole day when she'd returned. She'd wanted to speak with Nagato a few hours after her arrival, but she'd decided to postpone the meeting until the next morning for fear of what Naruto would do if he was separated again so soon.
Her little sunshine had traumatized the Akatsuki, it seemed.
If she'd given him a few extra noodles in his ramen after she'd heard that, Naruto obviously wasn't going to say anything.
"Ane?" Naruto's yellow head popped up from her pillow, blinking away sleep to eye her as she stepped through the bedroom door that Obito was holding open for her. "Tobi-nii?"
"Morning, Naru-chan~" Obito waved with a soft smile, his mask discarded on the sofa in the living room. He was back to his genuine personality in the comfort of the Uzumaki suite. He looked like he was still pretty tired himself. Using Kamui to transport people in addition to himself must've taken a lot out of him. "I have to borrow Fū in a little bit, and you're going to be spending time with Ajisai-san."
"No!" Naruto abruptly shoved the blanket off of him with a petulant frown. "I stay with Ane!"
'He's doing well with his verbal development,' Fū thought as Naruto shot out of bed in a tiny yellow blur and latched himself to her legs, damn near knocking her down with the sheer force of impact.
"Ajisai?" Fū turned her head quizzically to Obito, leaning down to grasp Naruto under his arms. She heaved him up to set him on her hip, not with great difficulty but there was a lot more weight to him than the last time she'd done this and she made a good show of that. "Woah, Naru-chan, you're getting so big!"
"Training with Ajisai-neesan!" He flexed his arm and Fū was amused to see a little musculature there. She squeezed it, proclaiming he was oh so strong, and he squirmed away with a megawatt, Naruto-style grin, laughing and burying his face in her neck.
"The Animal Path." Obito filled in for her as they stepped through the living room and into the kitchen, where she dumped the wiggling two year old on the counter. "Nobody else could keep him under control, so Nagato dedicated a Path to his care."
Endlessly amused by this, Fū turned to face the fridge so Obito wouldn't see her laughing.
Her shaking shoulders gave her away anyway.
"I'm glad that's funny to you," Obito grumbled as Fū pulled eggs and veggies out of the fridge.
All the ingredients were fresh, the fridge stocked. She thought about how funny it was that Nagato's intimidating and deadly Animal Path had been in her home preparing meals and dealing with Naruto's wild antics for weeks like a long suffering and exhausted single parent.
"Glad you're glad," Fū mocked, sticking her tongue out at him over her shoulder childishly.
"Ramen?!" Naruto asked from his perch, wide eyed and hopeful–shoving his little hand into Obito's face just as the teenager was getting ready to say something in response to Fū's childishness.
The teen sputtered an aghast "H-hey, Naru-chan! That's rude!" but was ignored by both Uzumaki siblings.
"No baby, it's gonna be eggs for breakfast." Fū said, grabbing a mixing bowl and cracking the first egg into it.
"Ramen!" Naruto demanded, jutting out his lower lip and giving her pouty puppy eyes.
Ha! Nope, not happening. She was immune to that when it came to his health.
Fū's hands went to her hips and she gave her brother a stern look. "Eggs!"
Naruto went silent, lower lip still jutting out and he turned away from her in a huff realizing he wasn't getting his way.
She'd won that round. But the war would be lost.
She'd like to think she was going to win, but she knew Naruto better than that.
"Who the hell is the idiot that introduced him to R-A-M-E-N?" Fū demanded, whirling on Obito who's hands shot up in innocence, adopting a blameless expression she eyed suspiciously as a knock sounded on the door.
Naruto, annoyance at being denied his favorite meal temporarily forgotten, jumped off the counter and zoomed over to the door. He jumped up, fingers grazing the bronze knob until he finally got a good enough jump and he wrapped his little hand around it, managing to turn it when the weight of his body and gravity pulled him back down.
"We need to child proof the door," Fū said to Obito as Naruto greeted whoever was beyond.
"Hi, who are you?!"
Fū snorted from her spot in the kitchen, watching the exchange. Trust Naruto to be very friendly and open but suspicious and blunt at the same time. She couldn't see who was at the door because of the angle, but Obito hadn't moved so it wasn't anyone threatening like Orochimaru. That set her at ease.
"Uhm, hello. I'm looking for Fū-sama, the purple haired lady told me this is where she'd be…"
Fū knew that voice.
"Come inside Kyo," she called out and Naruto moved to the side to allow the preteen in. "Naruto, this is our cousin Kyo. He's family. Kyo, meet my little brother Naruto."
Kyo's face went red at being called family, and suddenly Naruto was tugging on the boy's checkered scarf, unintentionally wrenching him down and knocking Kyo off balance so that they were face to face.
"Family?" Naruto asked, eyes blown wide. At Kyo's unsure nod, Naruto's face split with his endearing smile and he threw his arms around Kyo's neck. "Kyo-nii?"
"S-sure," Kyo agreed with a hesitant nod, looking over to Fū as if asking permission. She just smiled at him. That seemed to set him at ease so he straightened to stand with Naruto attached to him still, legs dangling as he babbled about wanting ramen for breakfast but mean Ane wouldn't let him.
Kyo stepped further into the room, bringing his arms up to steady and support the boy draping from his neck, eying Obito hesitantly. The teenager had made no move to retrieve his mask from the couch as the boy stepped inside.
As he shouldn't, because Fū and Naruto's home was a safe space for him. His home, really. If he wanted to move in she'd have no qualms getting Nagato to let her knock down a wall and expand her square footage to make room for him.
In fact, she might go ahead and ask him to do that anyway. The apartment beside hers had two extra rooms, and if she had the kitchen removed that could be another bedroom and a bathroom…
She brought herself back from that tangent, watching Kyo's face.
As someone who wasn't raised among shinobi, Fū guessed that Kyo was shocked seeing Obito's face for the first time and that was understandable.
Many shinobi would have to taper down a reaction to scarring like Obito's.
"This is my face," Obito sneered to cover his insecurity about his scarring, "get over it."
Kyo flinched, looking chastised. "Sorry. I've never seen severe scarring before. I forget how dangerous shinobi lives are."
"It's a harsh reality, especially for war veterans," Fū added, cracking a few extra eggs into the bowl now that Kyo was with them and tried to bring some levity into the situation to calm the boys before someone accidentally said something they didn't mean and upset the other. "Aniki's a total badass. Have a seat, I'm making eggs."
That got a wry smile out of her Aniki, who rolled his eye and looked away from Kyo to observe what she was doing with their breakfast.
"I have a feeling there are a lot of bad asses in this tower," Kyo mumbled, pulling a chair back from the kitchen island and settling himself in it. Naruto in his lap like he'd known Kyo his whole life.
Funny that just her endorsement was enough to get Naruto to trust the newcomer.
She made a mental note to start mentioning Itachi now and then, to him know that if he ever happened to run across 'Uchiha Itachi' out in the world that he could trust him as he did her.
Thinking of Itachi had her activating the communication seal as Naruto pulled both Obito and Kyo into a conversation that they could barely understand about his recent training with 'Ajisai-neesan!'
Which was morbid, now that she thought about it. Because Ajisai was very much dead and her body inhabited by Nagato's chakra. But she wouldn't think too hard about that.
'Have you guys made it home yet?'
'We will be at the gates in a few hours,' she heard Shisui's friendly voice whisper in the back of her mind. 'Itachi is busy.'
'Ah, okay,' she said, deactivating the moon portion of the seal so she wouldn't distract him from whatever it was he was doing. 'I made it back to Ame last night.'
'How did you manage that?' Shisui sounded surprised and she suppressed the giggle.
'Obito's mangekyō has it's uses,' she answered, thinking about his haggard appearance this morning, 'though it's not without difficulty to extend use to more than just himself.'
'The mangekyō takes more chakra than the mainline sharingan, which is still considerably draining the longer it's used and the less the user holds mastery over it. Don't be surprised if he's tired and sluggish for a couple of days.'
'Noted,' she thought, recalling that Shisui had the advanced version of his sharingan already. Unsure of whether or not she should try to keep the conversation between them going, she trailed off.
Fū wasn't close with Shisui and didn't know him like she knew Itachi. Her knowledge of him was pretty limited, really, because he died so young. To have a dangerous power player attached to her through Itachi whilst having the knowledge of who she was and her real purpose all the while never having had a private conversation with him…
Though by her own admission Shisui was a good person it was a lot of trust to put into Itachi that Shisui wouldn't betray them.
She consoled herself with the reminder that Itachi probably felt the same way about her involving Obito.
But Obito wasn't attached to Itachi's head with a communication seal.
'Was everything well when you made it home?' Shisui asked and Fū startled out of her own thoughts while she started thinly slicing mushrooms. She hadn't expected him to actually carry on the conversation with her.
'My home was still standing, though I'm told Hurricane Naruto tried to knock it down in search of his missing Ane. The Akatsuki has been sufficiently terrorized by a rambunctious two year old.'
'I shudder to think what kind of inhuman force he'll be at four, let alone fourteen,' Shiusi returned with equal humor and she found herself smiling as she moved on to chopping green onions. 'As an only child who has always wanted a younger sibling, you'll have to tell me all about it so I can live vicariously through you and Itachi with yours.'
'Maybe someday I'll let you borrow him so you can see what it's like for yourself. I guarantee it'll be an experience you won't soon forget.' So true, too. Because as they spoke Kyo and Obito were being turned into a human jungle gym while Naruto jumped between the two. Why they were humoring him, she didn't know. But she idly thought about how Shisui probably had a lot of exposure to Itachi's brother and added; 'He's nothing like Sasuke.'
'I'll look forward to that day then,' she was certain he was laughing at her, 'not to run off, but I'm needed now, so I have to focus.'
'Alright, it was nice talking with you Shisui-san. Stay safe out there.'
'You as well, Taifū-san. Let's speak again soon.'
'It's like hanging up a phone call,' Fū thought with mild humor as she dumped all of her fresh ingredients into her hot pan and started stirring with a wooden spoon right away so the eggs wouldn't burn. 'I wonder if I shouldn't create a separate seal for Obito… just in case. Naruto too, when he gets a little older.'
Perhaps she needed to consult with Kyo and Akuma about whatever it was she was struggling to rationalize with Hiraishin. She really wanted the ability to travel instantly to the side of those she cared about. Integrating Hiraishin into the communications seal would be ideal for this, that way the second they called for her she could be there...
But first, she needed to speak with Nagato and get all that taken care of. The longer she waited, the more she prolonged how long she'd be frail and incapacitated in recovery.
Fū startled out of her own thoughts when Obito suddenly surged up, Naruto in tow.
"That's it. I've had enough of you, brat!" Obito proclaimed, and then in a movement so swift Fū barely registered it, Obito had lifted Naruto over his head, spun, and then body slammed him into the couch cushions with one hand holding the back of the boy's yellow head securely. "You think you can just get away with whatever you want, huh? Is that what you think?!"
Peels of laughter erupted from the toddler while Obito's fingers started tickling him mercilessly.
It was good to be home.
"This all sounds absurd," The Hokage sighed, his fingers massaging his temples, "but at least you managed to wrangle some information out of Uzumaki Taifū. You say you believe that she was not lying to you about the potential threat to the world?"
Itachi was too busy strategizing with Shisui how he should interject to care about the Hokage's frustration. Kakashi was handling that, the rest of them were simply there in case there was a question directed at them. Genma, especially, was silent. He was still unhappy that he'd been rendered useless soon after Tai had been kidnapped.
"I thought for certain she was lying, until we met Ōtsutsuki Akuma. The alien clan is real, and they are a threat. This one was already in a severely weakened state during our confrontation. I'd hate to go up against a healthy, living Ōtsutsuki in their prime. It took the three of us and one of the Akatsuki to take him down," Kakashi told the Sandaime.
'When he dismisses us, that's when you ask,' Itachi said, still surprised that Shisui agreed with his idea. They'd strategized most of the run back to the village for the last week, going back and forth on how to approach the Hokage in the best way that doesn't make it seem like Shisui was a traitor in the making.
'Agreed.'
Itachi hoped it worked. The way they'd discussed how to phrase things, he foresaw a brief struggle, but eventual acquiescence. Still, that didn't mean he was predicting the Hokage's reaction correctly.
Nervous jitters tightened Itachi's stomach. He felt sick. What if he was wrong?
'Itachi, relax. You're giving me anxiety through proximity,' Shisui joked through the seal and Itachi just barely kept the annoyance off his face. Between Shisui's easy going flippancy and Tai's casual disregard for her training and personal safety Itachi was going to go gray before thirty.
Add in everything he just knew he was going to go through when Sasuke was older he predicted he'd be going gray by twenty.
"I've been given much to consider, Kakashi. You and your team are dismissed for now. Welco–"
"Pardon the interruption, Hokage-sama, but I have a mission relevant suggestion. Or a request, I suppose." Shisui interrupted, drawing the Sandaime's sharp gaze over to where Shisui stood beside Itachi.
"What is it, Shisui?"
"It's about the Akatsuki," he began, allowing for a pause so that everyone in the room could recall what Kakashi had debriefed the Hokage on the organization before he'd delved into the story they'd decided on regarding Akuma. "On the run back to the village I was mulling over what we've learned of their goals. Rather, what we've learned of what Taifū-san is attempting to do within the organization."
The Hokage leaned back in his chair, taking a long drag on his pipe. "Continue."
Good, Shisui had managed to generate the Hokage's interest.
But judging by the way Kakashi was looking at them now, with cold and calculating indifference, he'd also managed to upset the Copy-nin.
They had not included him in their plan.
Itachi would deal with apologies later.
"I was not convinced that the Akatsuki will not become a problem for the Leaf down the line," Shisui said, undaunted by Kakashi's stare. "Taifū-san never gave any details for how they intended to establish peace before, nor after, her interference. That, combined with the concerning strength of their leader, makes me hesitant to trust. I don't see a way forward for the Akatsuki that wouldn't cause harm to one or more of the Great Nations while they execute their plans. Ours included."
"What are you suggesting?" The Hokage edged. By the fine lines that became more defined around his eyes when he squinted, Itachi figured he was in agreement with Shiusi's observations and had already considered them himself. "Infiltration?"
"In a sense," Shisui nodded. It was now or never. Itachi kept his mind to himself and wished his friend good luck. "I think it would be prudent to allow me to join the Akatsuki as a spy."
"They will kill you as soon as you step foot in Amegakure, long before Taifū learns you're there and has a chance to try and bring you under her protection." Kakashi contested the second the words fell from Shisui's mouth. "And on the off chance they didn't realize your goal and allowed you to join your life would be forfeit the moment they realized you were a spy."
"Their leader did not attack Jiraiya, that means that he's amenable and can be reasoned with. To that end, that's why I would like to tell him out of the gate that I was there as a representative of Konoha."
'Say; Or, perhaps, as a liaison of Konoha. A good faith addition to their ranks to promote a healthy relationship moving forward.' Itachi interjected quickly, and Shisui tacked it on at the end of his comment.
"You want to act as a spy for Konoha while under the guise of a representative whose purpose is to create a bridge for us to ally ourselves with the Akatsuki?" The Third summarized, an intrigued glint in his eye.
That was the plan, yes.
Genuinely, even.
Itachi and Shisui had discussed this at length between themselves on the run back to the village. There was much about the Akatsuki that they didn't know and while Itachi trusted Tai to have the world's best interests in mind, she was only one person in the Akatsuki.
She may hold influence over certain members, but that was no guarantee that she could sway them every time they wanted to do something that didn't align with her values.
So yes, what Shisui was suggesting was real.
Under the surface, however, Itachi wanted Shisui to be among the Akatsuki so that someone he wholly trusted would be by Tai's side to assist her and protect Naruto.
Especially during her recovery after Akuma restored Nagato. That was, to Itachi, imperative.
He wished he could be there himself, but there were many reasons he couldn't. Mostly, it boiled down to his need to be there for Sasuke. He couldn't leave Konoha. Shisui could and he was high ranking enough to be taken seriously by the Hokage where, as a mere genin, Itachi would be disregarded immediately if he were suggesting the same things Shisui was.
"Should their methods and motives prove to be what they say they are, it could be a good way to endear our village to the organization early on so they are less likely to turn on us later," Shisui nodded, keeping his eyes on the Hokage. "Or it could provide us with the intel needed for early intervention should they not be what they say they are. In essence, the Akatsuki is of the same mind as Konoha. Both strive toward a future of peace and stability. I want to see how well our philosophies truly align."
It took a lot of negotiating after that. But it was agreed that the Hokage would consider Shisui's suggestion and get back to him in the coming days.
It wasn't the resolution that Itachi had hoped for, but such things did take careful planning and consideration. When they got the okay from the Hokage, they'd use the seal to inform Tai of the plan. For now, there was nothing more to be done. Thus, Itachi wasn't going to dwell on it for a few hours. After the week he'd had, he needed to rest.
He was bone tired when he stepped into his house, calling out his greeting. He earned a nod of acknowledgment from his father as he passed through the kitchen, and his mother welcomed him home with a bright smile.
But it was Sauske's immediate smile and subsequent glomp that chased a lot of his weariness away.
"Aniki! Play with me!"
Itachi gave him a soft smile, hugging him back just as tightly because he needed the comfort after the revelations of his mission.
"For a few minutes, Sasuke, Aniki is tired."
'I'll always protect you, Sasuke. Things will be different this time around, I promise.'
"While you have been away the Akatsuki, namely Konan, has been striving to create political allies out of our bordering nations with great success. Save for Birds, who have been curiously silent. For now we've passed over them to forge new trade agreements with the land of Vegetables, not just for Ame. With the permission of their Daimyo's, we were able to facilitate negotiations for new trade agreements between Vegetables, Grass, and Rivers."
Prior to holding an informal clan meeting, Taifū had come down to his rooms to discuss what she'd missed since she'd left Amegakure. Nagato found himself elated when she'd stepped into his room, that bright smile he'd gotten so accustomed to brightening the darkness that he lived inside. She'd stepped right in, without hesitation, walked right up to his mechanized set up and plopped down cross legged on the floor, beaming up at him like she'd never been happier to see someone in her life.
The last people who'd treated him like that had been Yahiko and Konan.
"That's amazing!" Taifū praised, and Nagato allowed himself to smile softly down at her. "In such a short time, too."
"We have come far, but there is farther still to go. Konan has been back and forth from Waterfall most recently, they are skeptical and weary of us. We have placed the majority of our efforts on this, and while negotiating with the affluent, we have failed to render aid to those in need," Nagato admitted. "The Akatsuki must refocus."
"The Akatsuki must expand," Taifū contradicted from where she sat on the floor, resting her head on her hand with her elbow steady on her thigh. "We are too few in number to properly do what needs to be done. We need political negotiators, yes. We need our fighting force to render the aid needed and accept missions that further our goals, too. If wer're not helping those in need then we're only doing half the work that needs to be done. But also–"
Nagato's brows raised as he waited for Taifū to continue. At this point, having known her for two years and dissected how her brain worked, he was sure whatever her clever mind had concocted would be nothing short of incredible.
"Also, we should bring some trustworthy civilians into the organization. Over time, not immediately."
"You think that is wise?" Nagato failed to hide his surprise.
Civilians didn't have the same fortitude as shinobi – it would be far easier for an enemy to grasp a hold of them and interrogate them for information - and they would give it. They weren't trained to withstand T&I. Not to mention if the Akatsuki were to come under attack, civilian members would be frail lives that could be easily lost, or taken as bargaining chips, and their shinobi force would have to dedicate themselves to protecting them.
"I think we can't have an organization that claims to want peace and stability for all without equal representation. Otherwise, we just seem like any other group of shinobi that would impress their strength upon the laymen; the newest group of oppressors there to use them as a means to an end."
"Point well made. I will take this suggestion into consideration," Nagato conceded, mind turning over Taifū's newest suggestion. This was a concept he would have to ponder before he could come to a consensus.
He wouldn't admit it out loud, but he had missed these talks with her. Her world view was so different, he felt as though when she left, he always came out of their conversations with a fresh perspective.
"Tobi-nii tells me you've taken public responsibility as clan elder in my absence? What brought that about?" Fū asked, she was getting right down to business. He respected that. There was no point in promoting fruitless small talk when there was much to get through.
"In as much as Konoha is aware, yes." Nagato told her, somewhat amused as she blinked up at him. "I decided to do so when Jiraiya came to Ame demanding your return to Konoha. His insistence bothered me."
"Thank you," Fū said with sincerity, meeting his eyes. "Outing yourself was a risk that you didn't have to take for us. That's not something I will soon forget."
"It suits the Akatsuki's goals to have you and your brother among us and Konoha's hands tied," Nagato waved her off with words and he watched her fight the way her lip tugged, like she knew he was deflecting.
That certainly wasn't the only reason Nagato had done it, but he wasn't going to go farther into dismantling his own feelings and emotions when it came to the Uzumaki children at the moment.
"Jiraiya left you a letter when he took his leave from Amegakure. I apologize for invading your privacy but I did read it, as I do not trust my former sensei. His loyalty is to Konoha." Nagato told her, and she nodded along, seeming to understand his reasoning. "If you like, I can have a Path fetch it for you."
"Just summarize it for me, if you don't mind. I– my feelings towards my father's sensei are complicated. I don't trust him so much either. Not that I think he's a bad person with ill intentions. It's more of a personal issue."
He wondered why, but didn't ask for elaboration. She had to have her reasons, and he thought it may have to do with his former sensei's nomadic nature, coupling with his penchant for inappropriate behavior.
"I see," Nagato said, his eyes softening minutely. "The essence of his letter is that he wants to be involved in yours and Naruto's lives. To visit. Even if you're content in Amegakure. He's asking for your permission to come around when he can find the time; as Jiraiya. Not as one of the Sannin of the Hidden Leaf."
Fū's lips pressed into a thin line, brows snapping together. "I don't think he knows how to separate the two."
"I would agree."
"But– there are things Naruto could learn from him. If anything, he is a good teacher and he has knowledge to share. So, perhaps, so long as he keeps his word to come as just Jiraiya. If he oversteps–"
"I will handle it," Nagato told her, a seriousness in his tone. He would take care of it, if it came down to protecting the kids or killing his sensei he knew what his choice would be. "You may write to him yourself. I will ensure your message finds him."
"Okay…" she sighed heavily, rubbing her forehead.
"Let us move onto the subject of Uchiha Obito…"
He'd already rearranged the Akatsuki to place Obito as his third-in-command, but it wasn't fully in effect until he received answers to his questions from Taifū.
"He is who he says he is this time," Taifū told him, looking into his eyes. "He was manipulated by an old and dying Uchiha Madara after being crushed under a collapsed cave during the Third War. He only managed to survive because of Madara and Zetsu's interference. He was my father's student, that's why he's so connected to me."
"Obito told you these things?" Nagato believed that Obito was Namikaze Minato's student, and he believed that a strong bond would've formed between him and Taifū because of this… but the rest seemed more like a fantasy that might've been implanted with sharingan genjutsu.
Obito was controlling the Mizukage, after all. It wasn't a stretch to assume he could control a seven year old girl just as easily. Obito's life was forfeit if his manipulation of Taifū ran so deep.
"No, I already knew," Nagato watched the way Taifū's eyes lit with determination, like she'd reached some kind of decision before saying; "I know a lot of things I shouldn't."
He waited, sure she'd continue without his prompting and he was correct. But the story that she weaved for him about reincarnating from another life in a completely different world was… unfathomable. Again, he considered whether or not she was under genjutsu.
"... I'm going to need to summon Akuma to help me explain the Ōtsutsuki to you so you understand everything." Taifū said, and Nagato's interest was piqued. "I assume you don't mind, it's clear you already knew about him and that was the real reason you sent me to Uzushio."
Her tone was not accusing and she didn't seem angered by this, merely curious.
"Though I meant it when I said I wanted you to discover what you could of fūinjutsu and train with Sasori, I did send you hoping you would meet with the Demon Spirit of Uzushio and sign his summoning contract. I thought it would suit your purpose to do so, and Akuma had previously impressed upon me that it was the 'clan head' that should be the one to sign. Though he offered the contract to me when we met."
To his surprise, Taifū laughed outright, rolling her eyes. "Demon Spirit? Is that what he was calling himself when you met?" Shaking her head, she brought her thumb to her mouth and bit down to draw blood, then in a swift movement she pulled a scroll from her hip pouch and unraveled it. "He's so dramatic."
A few moments later, in a plum of clouds, a very different looking man than the one he remembered from his own visit to his homeland was standing in the room with them, looking around with critical eyes.
"This is very… doom and gloom of you, Nagato. Seriously, open a window. Put up a few paintings and a vase with some flowers or something. This is fucking depressing."
Well, he sounded like the Akuma that Nagato remembered. Even if he didn't look like the demon he'd met.
"Your physicality has changed," Nagato acknowledged as Akuma stepped around the room, rifling through Nagato's things without permission.
"Noticing my body, Nagato?" Akuma's brow raised and he looked over at him with half-lidded eyes that raked slowly down Nagato's exposed torso. "Stop, you're going to make me blush."
Nagato felt a rush of heat to his cheeks and all the way to his ears and he bit out an irritated; "Stop that."
This was definitely the Akuma he remembered. Different body; same spirit.
"Make me," Akuma taunted, discarding a book over his shoulder casually. Nagato watched it soar across the room and considered what the ramifications of using Shinra Tensei inside his room would be, before idly deciding it wasn't worth it. Konan would be furious if he broke the tower. "So, Fū, are we doing this right now or what? Because if not I want two percent for the house call. Side question: Nagato, do you have any wine?"
"No, I haven't told Obito what I'm doing and he's going to need to know beforehand so we can avoid an apoplectic fit," Taifū said, and Akuma snorted, giving her a pointed look over his shoulder. As if saying such a fit from Obito was unavoidable. Nagato agreed, the Uchiha's protective attachment to her was strong. Whatever they were alluding too... if it caused harm to Taifū then it was likely to cause a severe reaction in Obito. "I've called you to help me explain your family history and Zetsu to Nagato. Is seven days long enough to recover the two percent you'll take now?"
Nagato was thoroughly confused by the conversation that was happening without him.
What did Zetsu have to do with Akuma's family history, and how did a spirit have a family history? He supposed it stood to reason that Akuma was once a living being but… Nagato was growing more curious by the minute. Something was strange, here, and Akuma… did he seem more solid, now?
"More than likely. If not, I won't hold it against you if in a week you summon me and you're not back to full yet. I'll be gracious because we have a prior agreement." Akuma strode over to Nagato's bed and flopped down on the thin sheet like he owned it. "Nagato– I'd tell you to settle in and get comfortable for one hell of a story but, well, you can't really move so it's a moot point. Also, is the silence a 'no' on the wine?"
"I do not imbibe," Nagato found himself answering, still confused and a little irritated that Akuma had made his handicap the butt of his joke.
"Lame," Akuma sighed heavily, eyeing him from the bed with a deceptive smirk, "how are you so hot but so lame?"
Nagato's face flamed, just as he'd finally gotten the heat under control.
"Akuma, stop bullying him please." Taifū's index fingers rubbed against her temples.
"Can't stop won't stop," his answer came swiftly with a twisted grin. "Where's Kyo?"
"Upstairs with Naruto. We were having an Akatsuki-only meeting."
"Well go get him, this is now a clan meeting," Akuma directed, fiddling with the water glass on Nagato's beside table. Taifū popped up with a nod and headed out of the room without argument.
Nagato's experience with the Demon Spirit hadn't been much different this time than it had been the last time they met. It was just as inappropriate and riddled with innuendo as this meeting had thus far been. Enough to make him extremely uncomfortable. He seemed more subdued and grounded, though still his behavior left much to be desired. What caused the change, he couldn't be sure.
Between Akuma's personality being more subdued than when he'd last encountered the spirit, and his jarring physical changes, Nagato suspected that it had something to do with Taifū and the summoning contract.
"You really should brighten your space a little bit. This can't be healthy," Akuma told him, kicking his shoes up onto Nagato's bed and stretched his body out, angling toward Nagato almost suggestively. Nagato tried not to let his eyes linger on that new, lithe frame. "We're a pale people, direct sunlight disagrees with us, but you do need some Vitamin D, y'know. From the sun. Not the other kind. But if you need that kind, I'd be happy to help you find someone and schedule you some dic–"
"Get your feet off my bed, Akuma." Nagato interrupted him hastily, feeling almost light headed as Akuma's hand fell to his chest and slid down, down... Nagato turned his eyes to the front of the room as soon as Akuma's had reached too low for comfort. But Nagato could feel Akuma's red eyes focusing in on him from the corner, he knew the spirit's lips were raised at his obvious discomfort.
This was the Akuma he remembered from his visit to Uzushio.
"You're so repressed," Akuma sighed. "Not being able to walk isn't helping you, either. Can't exactly find some relief if you can't leave the room. All you've got is your hand and usually that's tied up in this machine. Does Konan help with those needs, or–?"
"Shut. Up. Akuma." Nagato's teeth ground together and his head cut over to the spirit who was grinning salaciously at him from where he lay, feet still on his bed without a care. "You will leave Konan out of your vile insinuations."
Konan was a great help to him and a very important, precious friend that he valued above all else. But no, they'd never delved past that boundary and they never would. She'd been in love with Yahiko through their youth, and his death had wrought agony upon her heart. She cared for him because they were friends and partners in the Akatsuki who'd been through too much together to not end up relying on each other. That's all it was.
He would not allow Akuma to disrespect that bond.
"Vile?" Akuma chuckled low, a thrill shooting through Nagato inexplicably. The spirit reached over and plucked up a spare shuriken that had been on the bedside and twirled it on a finger. Inadvertently their eyes met and Akuma was watching him with a look on his face Nagato couldn't begin to decipher and patently ignored the way his stomach swooped. His voice dropped low, blinking lazily at him from where he laid. "Are you sure you don't mean desirable, Nagato?"
Nagato felt his heart stutter, but he was saved from responding when three soft knocks sounded from the door.
Thank Kami that Taifū had been swift, he had no idea how much longer he could deal with Akuma alone.
Fū led Kyo into Nagato's room after a swift knock and a quiet 'come in' sounded from inside. Kyo had been nervous leading up to this meeting, and Fū had done her best to settle his worries. Still, the boy was wringing his hands together and standing just behind her, like she'd shield him from the big scary Nagato.
To be fair, she'd been more than a little intimidated when she first met him herself. Up until she'd gotten through that last conversation with him before leaving on her first mission she'd been reluctant to trust him, too.
Now, however, things had changed. She couldn't imagine not trusting Nagato.
"Nagato-sama!" Fū called brightly, walking through the room like she'd done it a hundred times, not once. Feeling bold, she strode right up to his mechanized set up and stopped just short of being in his personal space. Something was off in the room, a tension that hadn't been there before and she eyed the far too innocent looking Akuma. "This is Kyo!" Fū turned and gripped the apprehensive preteen by his bicep, wrenching him forward. She managed to steady him when he stumbled and they both looked up at Nagato sheepishly. The elder Uzumaki blinked down at them.
"Welcome, Kyo-san."
"T-thank you, Nagato-sama. Good to see you, Akuma-sama."
"Hey kid, welcome to the meeting of the minds…" Akuma grinned over at him, looking pleased to see Kyo.
"Now down to clan business, then?" Fū asked, plopping back down on the floor and dragging Kyo with her. "Danzō must be dealt with." Fū began without bothering to ease into it. She was getting tired – it had been a long couple of days and she really just wanted to cuddle up with Naruto and sleep for a few days. "For now, my friends in the Leaf will work on gathering evidence of his treachery and other various crimes so that he can be exposed to the world."
"It would be far simpler to execute him outright," Nagato said slowly, as if he were treading carefully. "You do not know if your 'friends' in the Leaf will betray you in the end."
"True," Fū nodded, understanding his point. "I trust my friends in the Leaf, but you have no reason to and I understand your hesitation. It would be simpler to execute him. You're right. And his death would provide catharsis for us because justice would be served for our fallen brethren. Especially if we come to find that he had something to do with the temporary alliance between Kumo, Kiri, and Iwa that destroyed us, as I suspect he did. However, that does not suit the Akatsuki's goals."
Akuma laughed, the sound sharp but he said nothing to confirm or deny the level of Danzō's involvement.
Fū watched Nagato's brow rise, and out of her peripheral vision she saw Kyo's eyes narrow in confusion and distrust.
He was under the impression her idea for how to destroy Danzō was purely for the benefit of the clan. It wasn't. So she took a deep breath and explained.
"To establish a world of peace and stability, the shinobi version of justice needs to be reformed - a new justice system must be created to punish wrongdoing."
Establishing a criminal court system into this world of violence was a tall order. But she believed over time and with enough like-minded supporters it could be done.
"Some criminals must die harshly, Taifū, you cannot deny this. Otherwise there would be little deterrent for the average person to go about their lives with honor," Nagato argued.
They were getting off topic already, as was custom between herself and Nagato, but while they were on the subject…
"I partially disagree, Nagato-sama." At his questioning look, she continued. Kyo looked unsettled beside her, but he was paying very close attention to this exchange. "I don't think death is the only deterrent that will keep people–shinobi especially–from committing atrocities. Death is the current punishment and yet such acts are still rampant. If we want to create a more stable and peaceful world, there must be a better system in place to hold criminals accountable. Sometimes, a harsh death is not enough. Sometimes, utter humiliation and prolonged suffering is the answer."
Silence followed this proclamation. Then; "As someone who has lived in the shadow of the island and was raised in the aftermath of the Fall, what do you think about Taifū's suggestions, Kyo-san?" Nagato asked, suddenly drawing Kyo into the conversation.
Fū had forgotten to warn the preteen that Nagato would likely test him by dissecting his personal philosophies.
Whoops.
The pink haired boy's head snapped up to look at Nagato in shock at being addressed. Then Kyo's brow knit together, a deep crease forming between his eyes. Until now, Kyo had been avoiding looking at the elder Uzumaki. She'd warned him what Nagato would look like but, like with Obito's scarring, it wasn't a sight that was easy to see, especially as a civilian.
"At first, Fū-sama's suggestion angered me. It still grates, honestly." Kyo began tentatively, as if worried he was going to say the wrong thing and upset one of them. "I was mid tirade, angry and vengeful. She pointed it out, saying that I was confusing justice and vengeance. It pissed me off–"
Kyo trailed off for a minute, and Nagato showcased his seemingly endless patience by waiting quietly for him to be ready to continue.
"I think I have a different world view from the two of you because I have no shinobi family or training. Still, my life hasn't been without trials, Fū-sama can attest to that. My family… we're simple farmers." Kyo shrugged, lifting to scratch the back of his head. "We're weak and can't defend ourselves like ninjas can. It's easy for the strong to come and take whatever they want from us… do whatever they want to us. And they have, over the years."
Fū wanted to lay a hand on his shoulder, watching as his face twisted with rage and old hurt. Eyes distant, remembering an awful past.
She knew that feeling all too well.
"I was six the first time Uzuchiisai was raided by bandits. In my lifetime, anyway. We were weak, and helpless. Akuma-sama bound by the Seal Master's dead and unable to intervene. They had some rogue ninja in their ranks. Kaasan stored my sister and I under the town hall with the other children, hidden beside sacks of grain from that year's harvest… but that was what the bandits had come for because the winter promised to be long and unforgiving. To make a long, terrible story short; us kids were discovered down there. The bandits were not kind. I –"
Fū didn't know Kyo had a sister. She hadn't met her...
Her stomach sunk. Realization rocking her to her core.
"You don't have to keep going if you don't want to, Kyo." Akuma interrupted softly from the bed and it was Fū's first real hint that, no matter whatever else Akuma was, the thousand year old Ōtsutsuki did genuinely care about his descendants.
Kyo's voice changed. Wobbly, and filled with a sorrow that Fū felt down to her soul as tears began to slip from Kyo's eyes. He looked down at his hands and this time, Fū did lay a comforting hand on his back.
"I–I want to tell the story, Akuma-sama," he looked over at Akuma with a nod and then back to the floor in front of him. As if looking at anything else would be too overwhelming for him. "I saw a lot of death that day. My older sister was… she was assaulted right in front of me and I could do nothing to help, no matter how hard I struggled and fought and pushed back… they were too strong. They hurt her, then they killed her. Just like that. Her life was so insignificant to them. They stole our grain, our death toll was in the double digits that day – all women and young girls. Then a good chunk of us died from starvation over the winter."
Fū was horrified. Pain seared her heart and her throat went sore as tears welled in her own eyes.
She knew, intellectually, that things like Kyo's story had to happen in this world. It was so different and yet so similar to the old days in the other world that of course raiders would pillage villages, assault women, and steal food. She just hadn't been confronted with it yet.
"In a world like ours, the weak are at the mercy of the strong and we know it." Kyo said, seeming to speak mostly to himself at this point. Like he was trying to verbalize the puzzle of his inner thoughts. "We're scared, hurt, and angry. Vengeance? Of course we'd want that. Justice just… it doesn't seem possible for people like me to hold people like you accountable for your violence. But–" his head snapped up and he looked directly at Fū, eyes widening when he saw she was crying, too, before a steely expression dominated his face and gave him that severe look she was used to seeing from him. "I'd like to believe a better world could be created. A world where the weak aren't just cannon fodder for the strong to oppress and terrorize to their own end."
Silence followed Kyo's story and proclamation while Fū and Nagato wrapped their heads around everything he said.
No wonder Kyo distrusted and seemed to hate shinobi on sight – he had a good reason to.
Fū's stomach twisted and her hand fell away from him. Shame flooded her like a tsunami in her heart.
This was another glaring example that she hadn't thought about things and had treated Kyo like he was an annoying, angry child without purpose for his ire and short fuse.
Kyo was a boy with hidden pain and emotional depths with an enormous capacity for forgiveness, understanding, and bravery. He was afraid of shinobi. Traumatized by them. Despite this he'd stood his ground against them in Uzushio. Even now, he sat beside her comfortably in a room with Nagato after she'd told him that he was probably the strongest shinobi in the world at the moment.
Even if that had something to do with his trust in Akuma, Kyo had to be the most courageous person she'd ever met… in this world or any other.
"Thank you for sharing your story, Kyo-san." Nagato's soft voice interrupted the silence. "My words are a paltry balm to the pain you have suffered, I know. But I am genuinely sorry. This shinobi world of ours spreads its taint like a plague and all are mired inside of it for the simple crime of being born in this world. The Akatsuki seeks to cure it, but we know that this is an arduous task. While we pander to the powerful, we lose sight of the fact that people like you and your family are still suffering. It wasn't your intent, but your story has helped me in my capacity as the Akatsuki's leader. I needed that reminder."
Fū loved Nagato, she decided right then and there. Because Kyo's mournful eyes lightened and she saw the fresh spark of something that hadn't been there before. Something powerful and reverent.
Hope.
"I told you you didn't have anything to worry about, kid. Nagato's a good one," Akuma told Kyo softly from his spot on Nagato's bed, interrupting the somber silence that had fallen over them.
"It's not like I didn't believe you…" Kyo mumbled and trailed off.
"I know, kid." Akuma's gaze softened briefly, then disappeared under a predatory sharpness and his gaze cut to Nagato. "So, Nagato, ready to hear all about how if it wasn't for my interference by ensuring Taifū reincarnated as Naruto's older sibling, Zetsu would've manipulated global events and sparked a near world ending calamity using you, Obito, and the Akatsuki as the catalysts?"
Even Fū was startled at the abrupt change in topic, but guessed that it was to take the pressure off Kyo so she didn't mention it. Instead, she glanced between Nagato and Akuma.
Noting how Nagato's eye twitched, a righteous anger seemed to ripple through his bare torso before it was gone. Likely slammed down with every bit of his self control.
"Tell me everything."
He'd asked them to tell him everything, and he hadn't been disappointed.
Between Taifū and Akuma, they weaved a story that was perhaps even more of a grandiose fiction than Taifū's story about being reincarnated from a different world, and Nagato felt his head spinning with all the information he'd absorbed within the span of a few measly hours.
Kyo, too, seemed surprised by the majority of it, and when speaking of Kaguya and Zetsu the boy had paled considerably.
Nagato might've lost all color too, if he wasn't already naturally as pale as paper. The truth about Zetsu made his blood boil - to think he'd and Obito had both been manipulated by a malignant manifestation of an alien woman's willpower. That they'd both fallen for it, too.
He needed to speak with Obito about what, exactly, they were going do to repay Zetsu for his interference.
"So… have you told him what you're planning yet?" Akuma shifted the conversation abruptly, eyes trained on Taifū.
"I'm getting to it…"
"Get to it faster."
"You're so pushy," Taifū grumbled at the spirit and he snapped his teeth back at her with a playful smile. She ignored him and turned to Nagato. "It's been a lot today. There's just one more thing I'd like to discuss if you don't mind."
"What's one more topic after everything else?" Nagato deadpanned in a soft tone, and Fu's lips quirked up, realizing that was his way of bringing levity to the heaviness in the air around them.
"Akuma can restore the damage done to you by the Gedō Mazō so that you can have your mobility and health returned."
There was no way to properly describe the way he felt at Taifū's proclamation. It was like a mix of elation, apprehension, and fear all at once. He knew he'd gone silent, but he was busy working through the way his heart had surged into his throat.
To have his mobility and his health back… what he would give for it… he turned his attention to Akuma.
"What do you want in exchange?" Because he'd been told, years ago upon meeting the spirit, that things with him were always transactional.
"Nothing from you," Akuma shrugged, fiddling with Nagato's bedside lamp. He pulled the metal chain, turning it on and then back off again with a bored expression. "The payment has already been promised."
It wasn't a stretch for Nagato to assume that Akuma had made a deal with Taifū over his mobility, and Nagato trained his eyes on the girl in question. She was nervously fiddling with the end of her shirt and looking down. Avoiding eye contact.
"Taifū…" he prompted, and she stilled.
"Nagato-sama," she said back and he just stared at her until she took a great big breath and looked up at him imploringly. "I'm going to pay the price."
His first inclination was to vehemently shut her down. But, his curiosity won out and he asked; "What is the price?"
"Only 99% life force," Akuma proclaimed, still fiddling with the metal chain. "She'll rejuvenate, but she'll go down for a minimum of a year. Maybe two. Comatose for a few months, then she'll regain some basic motor functions, though any movement will be taxing and she'll be weak. Physically she won't be able to care for herself for at least six months, and then it'll take longer still before she'll be able to function back at full capacity."
"I see," Nagato said, quietly, then sharpened his glare. "Absolutely not, Taifū."
He couldn't let her do something like that. Not for him, not for anyone.
"Respectfully, I'm not asking," he watched her suck in a sharp breath, fists clenching and eyes hard. "The Akatsuki needs you. I need you. Naruto needs you. Kyo and the Uzumoto need you. I know you've been able to work around being immobile by using the paths but we need you, especially going forward."
"Taifū–" he began, thinking he'd try to reason with her, but she cut him off swiftly. The most disrespectful she'd ever been.
"No," and her tone brokered no arguments. For the first time in Taifū's presence, Nagato felt like he was speaking to his elder. He supposed, given new information about reincarnation, she was his elder. "On top of the Akatsuki's goals, it is my intention to rebuild what we've lost. We have scattered clansmen who are in danger. Enemies all around. A conniving, evil, old man that would see the world destroyed if it meant his village were to reign supreme. Potential threat of alien invasion, too. You're our clan's strongest member – you are needed. And even if none of that were true, you're family. I would do this simply for that reason alone."
Nagato had never been so vehemently uplifted before in his life and he felt… humbled by it.
Emotion stung his eyes and he blinked furiously to dispel it before he was overcome. Nobody had claimed him as family since his parent's deaths. He never thought he'd be a part of a family again when they died. The closest he'd came was with Yahiko and Konan… the Akatsuki had become something akin to a family to him but it was no replacement for the real thing.
'I want that…' he thought before he could stop himself. 'I want this family.'
Why else would he be dangerously throwing his anonymity aside to protect Taifū and Naruto, if not to protect this little slice of family he had found after years of loneliness and longing? Why else had he questioned the Jinchuuriki about their intentions with Fū, before he concerned himself with their interest in the Akatsuki – his primary responsibility?
Following this line of thought, Nagato could easily be overcome. So he did his best to stomp the thoughts down, but it was not without difficulty. He'd always been an emotional person. Yahiko had often admonished him for it. Surprisingly, it was Master Jiraiya who'd told him his emotional capacity was a strength. Taifū, also, had said something similar to him once.
"Uhm–" Kyo started, drawing attention to himself carefully, "if I can add something."
"Of course," Taifū turned to him with a smile, though her chest was heaving from the exertion of her last statement and the passion with which it was delivered.
"I know I don't really know you and I'm definitely way out of my depth but–" Kyo started, and Nagato watched the boy's throat bob before he continued on, making direct eye contact with him. Something most shinobi wouldn't do because of the rinnegan. "You know now that I have issues with shinobi. That being said, I think you're one of the few good ones. One who actually wants to do something good and change the world for the better. You shouldn't fight her on this – she's right. You're needed."
"I third that statement." Akuma interjected as soon as Kyo was done, sitting up on Nagato's bed and crossing his legs primly, leaning his elbow on his leg and dropping his head into his hand. He watched Nagato with unreadable eyes. "If it's getting done, it needs to happen now. In a few more years there won't be time for Taifū to be able to go down like she's going to for you. The more moves the Akatsuki makes, the more tension there will be and the higher the likelihood for conflict. The stronger we rebuild Uzushio, the more likely that enemies will clamor over themselves to tear us back down before we regain our strength. And I'm telling you right now, the Uzu will come back stronger than we were before. By far." The conviction in Akuma's voice startled Nagato but the spirit continued without concern over Nagato's wide eyed stare. "We'll need the Seal Master at full capacity for that – and we'll need the Rinnegan user healthy, too."
"How do you expect me to aid the Uzu?" This question stuck out to him, among the myriad things that were rushing through his head during this discussion. "I am the Kage of Amegakure and the leader of the Akatsuki. My responsibilities are here, in Rain. Not in Whirlpool."
Akuma grinned wide, like he'd been waiting on this question since he was summoned.
"You haven't realized yet? I'm surprised. It's obvious, isn't it?" The spirit laughed, cracking his neck with a congenial smile. Then he proceeded to drop a proverbial hyper charged explosive tag right atop Nagato's head. "In time, you'll pass the leadership of Amegakure to Konan, pass the Akatsuki to Taifū, and take up the mantle of 'Uzukage of Uzushiogakure' until Uzumaki Naruto is mature enough to assume the responsibility himself."
Nagato was stunned into silence. Kyo sat with his mouth agape and eyes wide.
Taifū was none of these things, however.
"Excuse me… WHAT?!"
For clarity:
Characters who know the full truth about Fū: Obito, Nagato, Itachi, and Akuma.
Characters who've got enough info to get the gist: Kakashi, Shisui, and Kyo.