Standing in a desolate cave were the two astral projections of Uchiha Itachi and Pein. It was a unparalleled sight in the current shinobi world – one of the world's last Sharingan wielders and its sole Rinnegan user. Only a Five Kage summit could equal in rarity – the last and only one was convened decades ago when the Five Great Nations were first formed.

"Pein-sama, we might have a problem", Itachi began.

"What have you discovered?"

"During my interrogation of Kakuzu's target, I discovered that he stole the jutsu used to abduct the villagers while serving in Shimogakure no Sato".

"That wouldn't normally concern us", Pein replied in an unperturbed voice.

"Yes, however his memory of that incident was troubling. Before he slipped away to steal the scroll, he attended a meeting between the Frost Daimyō and the village leaders. The brief glimpses of his memory recalled a discussion fixated on the Five-Tailed Beast Jinchūriki".

The Akatsuki leader's normally unfazed expression became tinged with faint surprise. "That Jinchūriki belongs to Iwagakure, what would Shimogakure want with him?"

"It was unclear as the target expired before I could uncover more details", Itachi said with unblinking Sharingan-activated eyes.

Pein let out an annoyed sigh, 'Yes, this could become a real problem'. The Akatsuki hadn't initiated the next stage of its plans to capture the Jinchūriki, it was still in the midst of securing contracts and accumulating funds. If the villages planned to fight over the Five-Tailed Beast Jinchūriki, it would only create unnecessary attention and make it harder for the organisation to make its move in the future.

"As you are currently without a partner, focus on your other assignments while Zetsu conducts reconnaissance. We need more information before we take action", Pein instructed decisively.

"Yes, Pein-sama".

After Itachi's projection flickered away, Pein released a heavy sigh. This potential problem with the Five-Tailed Beast Jinchūriki only added to his list of worries. He was already vexed by the organisation's alarmingly unstable ranks. Biwa Jūzō had been killed by the Fourth Mizukage months ago, leaving Itachi partnerless. Consequently, Sasori was constantly enraged by Orochimaru's insistence on partnering with Itachi.

Most disconcerting of all, Kakuzu had killed yet another partner and his lack of remorse over the matter meant that he was highly likely to do it again. He only hoped that keeping Kakuzu sequestered in Shimo no Kuni could prevent more members from dying and buy him some time to sort through the organisation's current mess.

"Do I look like I'm joking?" Kakuzu's unyielding eyes fixated on the woman resting in the bed, his glare sufficiently conveying the gravity of the situation.

'Of course not...but what else am I supposed to think?' Nao inwardly groaned.

"I know nothing about that line of work! Herbs, medication, supplies...I wouldn't know where to start", Nao rambled. If her arms weren't screaming in pain, they would have been flailing about to support her point. The last ten years of her life had been dedicated to learning the values of hospitality and serving travellers in the humble inn. The bulk of her experiences with Fuyuta's pharmacy revolved around buying herbal teas and medication, none of which held any semblance to running the shop's operations.

She continued further, "I should just stay at the inn, maybe work longer hours-", the rest of her sentence perished in her throat when Kakuzu stalked over to her bedside. He crossed the room within a few smooth strides and towered over her with his mountain-like build.

"So you are saying that you will not pay us?" He spoke in a low, ominous voice. It felt as though the room's temperature had dropped by a few degrees, reminding Nao that this man would not be easily reasoned with. Nao sucked in air, her earlier determination faltering. At some point, she was vaguely aware that she was holding in her breath for too long.

'Don't look into his eyes, don't look into his eyes...'

After finally exhaling, she cast her gaze downwards to her hands that were tightly gripping her favourite ochre blanket. "Fuyuta-san said that his shop was already failing, what good would I do there?" Nao murmured dejectedly. She continued avoiding Kakuzu's harsh expression, knowing that it would further drain her resolve.

'So that is the real reason...', Kakuzu pondered. He crossed his muscular arms with a frustrated sigh, "That imbecile was sitting on a goldmine and didn't know it. His business model relied on just this village and passing travellers. If he wanted to run it properly, he should have branched out to other villages and trade routes".

Despite her personal objections, Nao knew that Kakuzu's assessment of Fuyuta's business wasn't far-fetched. It was emblematic of their town's struggle to remain relevant. The small village and its businesses risked decay because many were still too insular and unwilling to change.

"Don't you run that damn inn?" These were actually words of encouragement, just delivered in a very Kakuzu-like manner. Oddly, this placated Nao and reminded her that she was a hard worker and fast learner.

'Perhaps, this isn't such a horrible idea?'

While holding severe reservations, she wasn't going to vehemently oppose him any longer. Some part of her also surmised that Kakuzu's patience could only stretch so far before it snapped. Holding his gaze, she asked, "What would be your cut?"

'Clever girl', he thought without any inclination to share.

"Supplies shall be free for myself and my colleagues", he said the last word with some mild distaste. "Otherwise, I shall take seventy percent of the profits", he continued.

"No", Nao refuted him.

"No?" Incredulity seeped into Kakuzu's voice, he could not recall a time when a civilian had refused his wishes. Before he could say anything further, Nao raised a hand to halt his objections.

"I agree to the free supplies, but seventy is far too much. How about forty instead?" She counter-proposed, displaying that this wasn't her first time in wage bargaining. Forty percent was still a large cut for a silent investor like him, but she couldn't stray too far away from his seventy without incurring outright refusal and possible wrath.

Beneath the scowl that was beginning to form on his face, Kakuzu was fortunately bemused by the innkeeper's more assertive attitude. He decided to entertain her proposal, "Sixty-five".

Nao resisted the urge to grin, at least he was playing along which was exactly what she had hoped for. "Forty-five", she answered plainly.

"Sixty, and not a penny less", he barked through gritted teeth. Amused or not, his patience was becoming wafer-thin.

"Fifty-five and I plan to turn a profit within the first year", Nao wagered.

"Just moments ago, you were certain of disaster", Kakuzu acridly retorted.

"I was...but since running this shop is non-negotiable, a thirty-five percent cut just doesn't cut it", Nao asserted. Utilities, food, village taxes, and so on weren't suddenly free.

"Six months and if you fail, I will take the original seventy", he replied in a more even tone.

She pursed her lips in hesitation, this was an enormous gamble. Her more rational side warned her that six months was hardly enough time to both learn a new business and make it profitable. But...the more emotional and competitive side of her personality really, really wanted to win this bet.

A cautious smile settled upon her lips, "Then we are in agreement Kakuzu-san". Despite the pain from her wound, she weakly lifted her right arm and reached out her hand with the intent of "shaking on it". To her dismay, the arm began to tremble from the strain of holding it up.

He observed her with nonplussed eyes before abruptly turning away. "Get some rest, your clock starts now", he replied curtly without turning to look at her.

"Wait Kakuzu-san", Nao called out to him before he left. "About the missing people, how should we tell the families?"

He paused minutely but didn't turn to face her. "I already took care of it. Your village headman is in the process of breaking the news". He couldn't remember the man's name, just that he was extraordinarily pleased with being provided the names of the missing at no extra cost. The fewer people who knew about Kakuzu's deal with Nao, the better.

Nao groaned loudly, prompting him to raise a curious eyebrow. But he wasn't going to ask upon it and swiftly left the room. Conversely, Nao was beside herself. She couldn't stand Ogawa, the man was cunning, uncaring, and insufferable – a political animal in every worst sense of the term. She was aggrieved that this man of all people would be the one delivering the good news and taking credit for it!

'Anyone but him would have been better Kakuzu-san!'

Speaking of Kakuzu...She finally had a moment to herself to fully take stock of her wounds. Her back of her head and right side of her face were still very tender, it seemed that she would sleep exclusively on her left side for the next few days. Knowing how unwise it would be to unwrap shoulder bandages, she opted to carefully trace the stitches from above. Girishi left a nasty stab wound, she counted a total of sixteen stitches, two for every centimetre. She trembled at the realisation of how close she came to death last night.

'How did he manage to stitch and bandage me with my shirt on?' She wondered. Her shirt's sleeve was slightly tattered from the lightning attack but it wasn't nearly damaged enough for easy access to her shoulder wound. Her cheeks flushed upon comprehending that it was indeed impossible. 'He must have taken off my shirt, treated me, and put it back on...'.That was an oddly kind gesture. She begrudgingly appreciated being spared from the mortification of waking up without a shirt on her person.

'I guess he isn't all bad...maybe ninety percent terrible, ten percent decent?'

Although Kakuzu had asked – no, ordered her to rest, Nao couldn't sleep a wink. She was due back at work tonight and was still unsure of how to approach the matter of her resignation.

'Tell the truth? No, the village would be in uproar and Kakuzu would kill me if he found out...'

'Then I'll lie...but what should I say? Need a career change? Helping Fuyuta out while he's on vacation? He mysteriously disappeared and I'm taking care of the shop out of the kindness of my heart? Fuck off, no one will believe that.'

This went on for hours. She was no nearer to a solution by the time she had to get ready.

Staring into the bathroom mirror, she couldn't take her eyes off the large purplish bruise stretching across her right check and jaw. She rifled through the cabinet and grabbed face powder, quickly dabbing it over the angry-looking bruises. The area was still so sensitive that she winced every time she applied it. Face powder wasn't concealer, so anyone looking closely enough would still notice hints of purple and discolouration. She decided to undo her braid, parting her black curly hair so that some of it would cover the right side of her face.

In the meantime, Kakuzu had disappeared and she couldn't find him anywhere in the house. Rather than waiting on him and risk being late, Nao hastily scribbled a note about her whereabouts and left it on the counter. The walk to work was stressful – her state of mind was akin to a tight bundle of nerves.

First of all, she needed to speak with Yoshida Misaki, the co-owner of the inn. Misaki...was a complex person. While she cared deeply about the business, her stubbornness and harshness rubbed Nao the wrong way since their apprenticeship days. They regularly locked horns in the past, particularly after their mentor passed away and split the inn's ownership between her and Misaki.

Coming up to Misaki's office door, she hesitated before knocking. The gravity of her deal with Kakuzu was weighing heavily on her mind, she was about to throw away ten years of her life...What was she doing?

'Stop it. No time for regrets now...You made your bed, now go lay in it', she scolded herself.

After a few quick raps on the door frame, Misaki called on her to enter. Steeping into the room, the first thing that Nao noticed was Misaki hunched over a colossal stack of papers on the desk. A few stray, silver strands had escaped Misaki's bun and hung over her blue-rimmed spectacles. That was highly unusual for a perfectionist like her.

Misaki's irritable expression didn't make Nao's task any easier. "Nao-san, why are you here? Aren't you supposed to be on your shift?" Misaki asked, her eyes mostly glued to the assortment of papers on her desk.

Biting her lip, Nao replied, "Yes, but I have a very important matter to discuss with you". She paused minutely.

"Please spit it out, I'm busy with sorting through our supply orders and taxes today", Misaki grumbled, her eyes still fixated on the mess of papers on her desk.

"I'm sorry to do this but I intend to resign and also sell my share of our inn to you", Nao finally said. Now, that finally caught Misaki's attention. She finally looked up and stared hard at Nao, her features were marred in disbelief and her jaw had slackened as well. The uncomfortable silence stretched for moment. Snapping it shut with an audible soundd, Misaki demanded an answer, "What do you mean?"

"I can't continue in my current capacity due to personal reasons. It will be unfair if I continue to own a share of the inn without helping out", Nao mumbled out, trying to hide part of her face behind her untied curly locks. The conversation was difficult enough without having to face Misaki's thoroughly displeased expression.

'Hours of thinking and the best excuse that you can come up with is personal reasons? Ugh.'

Misaki was likewise unconvinced, "Explain. Now".

'Shit...I have nothing'. The silence dragged on as Nao wrecked her brain for a plausible excuse for her resignation. After nervously tucking her hair behind her ear, Nao heard an audible gasp leaving Misaki's lips.

"What happened to your face!" Misaki nearly shouted in distress.

'Oh damn, the bruises...Wait...The bruises!'

"This is a bit embarrassing Misaki-san", Nao began uncertainly, not entirely sure where this sentence was going. "I, um had an accident while hiking yesterday, tumbled down a hill actually", she chuckled nervously. "When I went to see Fuyuta-san, he said that I could not continue working in our inn anytime soon", she lied with surprising ease.

"I'm sorry to hear...but just take some time off and come back later. Do you really want to sell your share? It was Risato-senpai's wish for you to run this place too...", Misaki's voice trailed off, the mention of their mentor's name brought a wave of melancholy.

Tears sprung to Nao's eyes, a large knot began forming in her throat. The mention of her mentor's name was painful and didn't make this any easier. She owed everything and more to Risato-senpai for taking her in and teaching her so much. At seventeen, Nao had ran away from home and after a long journey she turned up at this very inn on a stormy winter night. Risato-senpai only needed to take one look to know how lost she was in that moment, yet she welcomed this young stranger as a disciple.

'Enough, thinking about these memories aren't helping you right now', Nao scolded herself. The tears in her eyes would spill over if she continued dwelling on these upsetting memories.

Tightly gripping the fabric of work pants and hastily blinking away the unwelcome tears, Nao continued spinning her impromptu lie, "I need...a change. Fuyuta-san also kindly asked me to take care of his shop while he is...gone". To this, Misaki's face turned inscrutable and she became awfully quiet. To a stranger, it would appear that Misaki was deep in thought but after working with her for a decade, Nao knew that this was a look of deep disappointment. It caused something to uncomfortably tighten in her chest.

Misaki breathed out a weary exhale, "If this is your decision then so be it. But at least stay a couple more days to sort through this damn paperwork". She gestured exasperatedly at the heaping mound of documents on her table. Grateful that the conversation had come to an end, Nao's fingers unwound themselves from her pant leg and she swallowed loudly.

"Of course".

Today's dusk heralded the first peaceful night in far too long for the small village's inhabitants. Earlier today, the village headman broke the joyous news that the rogue ninja had been stopped and even gave families of the disappeared hope of reuniting with their loved ones. While most assumed that their home was now shinobi-free, there was a powerful, cloaked ninja still lurking around. At this very moment, he was hiding behind the thick trunk of a looming evergreen tree. The large tree stood directly opposite of a first-floor office in the town's sole inn.

There were two women in Kakuzu's direct eyeline, allowing him to hear or read every exchanged word. One of them was Nao who looked very anxious since entering the room. That was a troubling sign. He keenly observed the exchange, coiled to make a move if Nao betrayed any details of their arrangement. To his mild surprise, she didn't disclose anything too damning.

'Good'.

"Why are you spying on two civilian women?" Black Zetsu's gravelly voice rang out as his body seamlessly emerged from the snow-laden ground next to Kakuzu.

"That's very naughty, Kakuzu-san", the white half chided.

'Fantastic, the plant-freak is here', Kakuzu cursed with dread. This was the second time that he encountered Zetsu in the last twenty-four hours. The first was when Kakuzu handed over the near-dead target for the Uchiha's interrogation session. Despite his split personality and cannibalistic tendencies, Zetsu could move people and objects at unmatched speed. This saved a tremendous sum of money in the long-run, Kakuzu tried to remember this detail when he felt moved to violence around him.

"Did you get the seal from Sasori?" He ignored said plant-freak's lecture.

"He was irritated that you needed one on such short notice", the more serious half confirmed indirectly.

"Yes, he complained repeatedly that you delayed his other projects", White Zetsu unhelpfully chimed in.

"He'll live", Kakuzu flatly replied. The puppet master frequently demanded exorbitant amounts of money for his art projects, it constantly messed with the budget and that irked Kakuzu to no end. Yet, no one could dispute Sasori's skills at seal making. This specific seal held the key to solving Kakuzu's current problem.

After passing Kakuzu a scroll with the seal in question, the black half inquired, "Have you started work on our new base in this wasteland?"

"It's not a wasteland!" White Zetsu heartily protested. "I happen to love the snow and mountains here..."

"There is hardly anything to eat here, fool!" Black Zetsu started to rain down on his cheerier side's parade. As the two halves argued with one another, Kakuzu tuned them out and focused on the two women again. The innkeeper finally delivered the news and spun a reasonable lie to boot, but she appeared more crestfallen than before. Something about an old mentor? Whatever it was, it didn't concern him.

"Are you two done?" He impatiently snapped at Zetsu, their pointless argument was beginning to grind on his nerves.

"You still haven't answered the question", Black Zetsu pressed.

Kakuzu could feel his rage prickling and rising slowly within him. "Already visited it today. It's massive and needs a longer, more thorough inspection", he heatedly responded.

"Fine. Make sure you get to it before you hunt for bounties".

"Yes Kakuzu-san, our members depend on these secret bases", White Zetsu harped on while his body was already disappearing into the ground.

Kakuzu nodded tersely, eager for both halves of Zetsu to go away before he continued his surveillance for the rest of Nao's shift.

After a twelve-hour shift of being fully engrossed in just paperwork, Nao was tired from the mental overload. Luckily, her administrative work passed without much incident, save for an errant paper every now and then. Before she left at dawn, they agreed to speak to the staff members tomorrow and inform them about her abrupt departure. When Nao arrived home, Kakuzu was standing outside her door with his cloak on.

'There he is...'

"I was at work, I left you a note", she quickly declared. It was her pre-emptive strike against any accusations or death threats. He nodded which temporarily caused relief to flood through her system...till she heard his next sentence.

"I know, I followed you", he said unaffectedly as though it was a perfectly normal occurrence.

Nao deflated, "Why would you follow me?"

He cocked an eyebrow as if the answer was clearly obvious and Nao was the obtuse one. "To see what you would say. You passed".

She blinked once. Twice. And then a third time. "You thought I would talk about our arrangement?"

His eyes narrowed which Nao interpreted as a silent confirmation of her question. A chuckle escaped her which was a completely inappropriate reaction to the situation and undoubtedly disturbed Kakuzu. "I actually have some sense of self-preservation", she joked. The exact thought of him threatening her for sharing their deal did (correctly) cross her mind earlier.

"Where did you go earlier?" The question slipped from her lips without much thought.

"Out". His plain response caused her lip to twitch. It didn't go unnoticed.

"It is untenable for me to follow you every time, so an associate passed me a seal that will ensure your discretion about our dealings", he blurred the lines between truth and fiction. He was interested to see what Nao would do if she thought that he was gone. It was another part of his test.

Now this. She didn't like the sound of a seal, not at all. "What kind of seal? What will it do to me?"

Kakuzu's forehead creased in irritation, questions generally annoyed him because he didn't like talking at length with most people. This woman already squeezed more words out of him in the past couple of days than all he had uttered in the past few months.

"If you share information about me or the organisation that I belong to, verbally or in writing, the seal will both alert me and trigger a curse. It will render you unable to talk or write", Kakuzu explained.

"How long would I stay that way?!" Nao gasped, horrified by such devastating effects.

"Until I perform the release sign", Kakuzu dispassionately replied.

'How can you be so casual about this!' Nao fumed to herself.

As if picking up on her incensed internal dialogue, Kakuzu elaborated further, "There will be warning signals before the curse fully activates. If you start to feel numbness in your jaw or limbs, then stop what you are doing". There he went again, talking more than he normally would have liked. He rationalised his actions as smoothing things over so that he wouldn't have to force the seal on her. He was in a sour mood after Zetsu's visit and would have probably crushed or maimed her in the process. Killing her at this point would counteract everything he had done to keep her alive.

Make no mistake, Nao was ardently against this plan. But she found it very difficult to argue at length with Kakuzu. This was someone who could snap necks on a whim, take a sword to his chest as if it was a paper-cut to the finger, and crush powerful mercenaries with ease. All of this limited her options to a single answer. It was a no-brainer that she had to agree to this sealing.

Her shoulders sagged in defeat. "Fine, what should I do?"

"This ritual needs bare skin, strip down until your waist", he ordered.

They were in her living room now. She pursed her lips at the order but complied nevertheless. Her thick sweater and undershirt came off without trouble. Standing in the middle of the room in her thin, black bralette, an unwanted blush was creeping up her neck and spreading over her cheeks. She crossed her arms around her waist, feeling very exposed and vulnerable.

'You don't even know him, what if something bad happens?' She shuddered at the thought.

"Is this enough?" She blurted out. If standing in a bralette was this nerve-wrecking, she didn't want to entertain the possibility of being naked. From the corner of her eye, she saw him give a curt nod.

'Phew...'

As per his instruction, Nao laid flat on her back in the living room with only the thin undershirt covering her upper body. In no time at all, goosebumps broke out on her arms and chest. She blamed it on having to lay down on the ice-cold wooden floor. Despite lighting a fire beforehand, the warm air was taking its sweet time to reach her.

She had stripped away her thicker layers because the seal apparently needed bare skin, this included removing the bandages on her arm for the ritual.

Kakuzu, in contrast, was wearing a cosy long-sleeved shirt and looked enviously warm. He crouched over her, placing the seal on her forehead. With her peripheral vision, she saw him dip a brush into a portable inkwell.

Starting with her left arm, he inscribed symbols quickly and furiously from the palm of her hand, up her arm, and stopped at the base of her throat. He was about to replicate the markings on her right arm when he abruptly stopped.

"I told you that your skin needed to be bare", he spoke in a low, displeased tone.

Nao's eyebrows scrunched together until she spotted the source of his irritation. The bandages were still wrapped around her still-healing wound. She was about reach over and remove it herself but halted when Kakuzu let out a vexed sigh.

'Right, my palm already has ink on it...' She wanted to slap herself in that moment.

Kakuzu refused to redo the brush strokes, choosing to undo her bandages with his threads. As the threads slowly and meticulously unwrapped the innkeeper's bandages, he glanced at her face against his instinct. He expected to see the usual disgust or terror towards the threads from his wrist. Instead, her face bore an expression of curiousity. Was that possibly fascination?

'What a strange woman...'

It wasn't the first time that she witnessed his threads and they weren't as intimidating as before. By now, she had a litany of questions forming at the back of her mind.

'What are those?'

'Where do they come from?

'Did you use those to stitch up my wound? Is that actually clean?!'

But alas, these questions would remain unanswered for now. She wasn't sure if he was in the mood to entertain such personal questions. After the bandages came off, he repeated the same action on the right arm, carefully avoiding the tender wound.

The final step was to connect the inscriptions at the base of throat to the seal on her forehead. This meant writing over her throat, lips, and nose. Incidentally, these spots were extraordinarily sensitive and she was very ticklish. As soon as the brush touched her philtrum, she knew that she was in hell.

"Don't you dare to sneeze", he barked out, instantly noticing the tell-tale signs of a sneeze. Any jarring movement would ruin his handiwork.

And so Nao tried her hardest to keep it in. She squeezed her eyes shut, scrunched her nose, and clamped her lips shut. From Kakuzu's perspective, it looked like she had swallowed the world's most sour plum. His upper lip quirked beneath his mask, it was slightly entertaining. Just a little.

Once the urge to sneeze had disappeared, Nao's muscles relaxed and her face untwisted itself. When she opened her eyes in relief, Kakuzu resumed his ministrations for the last time. With the preparation complete, he changed position and crouched above her head.

Looking up at Kakuzu, Nao became aware that she forgot to ask the most important question.

"Will this hurt? Like a lot?" She asked apprehensively.

He stared down at her, mulling over his answer. A hardened shinobi would find it unpleasant but bearable. But what about about a civilian? He frankly wasn't sure.

"Only for a few moments", his tone softened briefly. "Try to stay still or we will have to do it all over again", he added more firmly.

"Okay, let's get it over with", she breathed out. 'You can handle a couple of moments, right?'

Seeing the quiet determination in Nao's eyes, Kakuzu proceeded to weave a rapid series of intricate signs. His movements were much too fast for her eyes to follow. Grabbing her forehead with his large palm, he released the technique. All of the black ink ignited, the now-red lines on her palms started climbing up her arms.

"Fuck!" The expletive immediately slipped out of her lips. It burned. As if someone had stuck a red-hot knife into the back of her eyes, down her throat, and into her chest.

'How long more?!'

She instinctively wanted to clutch the sides of her face but found that she couldn't move her hands an inch. In anticipation of her convulsions, Kakuzu's threads had stealthily wrapped around her fingers right before he started the sealing.

A strangled scream escaped her mouth when the two lines of inscriptions met at the base of her throat and travelled up towards her forehead. Once they reached the seal on her forehead, the paper burned away, leaving only the kanji symbol of silence on her forehead. The mark extinguished itself and disappeared from plain sight.

When the excruciating pain subsided, Nao's breathing had transformed from ragged waves to shaky breaths while her body was slick with sweat. Her head throbbed painfully. She couldn't tell if her eyes were open or not as her vision was clouded in a field of red.

With very little strength left in her body, she couldn't keep the day's events and emotions at bay anymore. They now invaded and dominated her thoughts – the anxiety before work, Misaki's disappointment, the regret of leaving her old life, resentment against Kakuzu, and now her unyielding self-hatred.

She barely registered Kakuzu picking her crumpled body up from the floor. The single tear that fell from her eye opened the floodgates. Against her wishes, she started sobbing softly into his shirt. Fortunately, she couldn't see his reaction, only the image of his bi-coloured eyes lingered hypnotically in her mind whilst he carried her to the bedroom.

A/N:

Hi, I am shocked that I updated within a month! It was a busy month, filled with work and responsibilities. But writing this chapter helped me to escape from the mayhem, so I hope that it turned out well and you enjoyed it. The next chapter should be a longer one, so I may take more time (but hopefully not three months).

The story is finally progressing! The deal between Kakuzu and Nao has been cemented, but more is afoot. What happened to Nao before she ended up in this village? And who threatens the Akatsuki's goals? These will be answered...eventually. Your patience and support till then are deeply appreciated :3

Shimogakure no Sato - Village Hidden in Frost

Iwagakure - Village Hidden by Rocks

Jinchūriki - Power of Human Sacrifice

The Kanji symbol that represents silence is 黙 - it is pronounced as 'dama'.