AN: This chapter will be far calmer than the last so those sensitive to violence can breathe easily for now as it's just a lot of dialogue. The violence and gore, however, will be back strong next chapter.

Enjoy

Warning(s): Language (Mid), Genderbend (Low), OoC (Konan)

…

Wasteland

Act 1

Chapter 12

It took three days through abysmal weather to return to the Land of Rivers and Kakuzu had never been so pleased to see the waterlogged country again. He was wet, hungry, sore and irked. He desired nothing more than a hot shower and food and to collapse onto his back-breaking mattress for a day of rest. Thankfully, the girl remained blissfully unconscious the entire travel and if Kakuzu suspected her of rousing, a quick pinch to the neck rendered her out of it again. He didn't need her escaping with her little trick after he went through Hell and back, twice.

On the third day, the storm had dispersed and the clouds had thinned enough for the moon to peek out from between them, illuminating the land and making navigation easier for Kakuzu as he trudged through ankle deep mud and circled flooded river banks. By it clocked midnight, his dinky little cabin was in sight with its windows glimmering, a mile trek more. If it hadn't been for the mud, he would have broken out into a run for the sweet sanctuary. It took a half-an-hour more but he was finally home as he kicked in the rotting front door and dragged himself in the warm home which was faintly lit with oil-based lanterns and the flames dancing in the lit fireplace. He dumped the girl on the hardwood floor as he shouldered off his coat and hung it up to dry on the coat rack, tucking his sunglasses and bandana in the pocket before grasping her by the back of the neck like a kitten and carrying her through the hallway towards the door to the basement. His only prayer now was that his unnamed Leader was present.

He shoved open the door and from the stairwell below, he saw a light dancing on the floor and walls, signaling someone's presence. Leader was in the basement, seated at the old desk which had been left there to rot and doing miscellaneous paperwork when Kakuzu climbed down the stairs, the man looking rough for wear with his long, brown hair wet and fizzed and a scowl on his stitched lips. Before the ginger could greet his comrade and question that smell, the miser tossed two items at the foot of his desk that landed with a heavy thud and plopped in the sitting chair with his arms crossed. Leader leant over his desk to observe what the brunette had dumped, discovering a heavyset bag and a child crumpled on the ground before slowly sitting back down and casting Kakuzu a flat look that was amplified by his ringed orbs. "Do you care to explain yourself?"

"Where the fuck do I begin?" Kakuzu exclaimed with his stitched lips cocked back in a scowl as he swiped back his damp bangs from his face.

"Perhaps with the mission Iwagakure contacted us about? Or who this child is?"

Kakuzu's mind was so exhausted that the thought of the sheer size of the explanation required made it spin. He decided to make it as short and sweet as possible so he could retire to his chambers as soon as possible. "Are you aware of the Mayfly?"

"The Mayfly? Yes, I am quite aware of it. A bloodline so infamous, it is rare to encounter someone whom has not heard of it. Especially with the Second World War being such a recent and raw wound." Leader spoke, the mention of the extinct Kekkei Genkai surprising him and peeking his curiosity as he leant forward in his seat with his hand prompted beneath his chin, awaiting an explanation as he toyed with the silver ring on his finger.

"That was the answer to your first question. To answer your second question," Kakuzu leant over in his chair to snag the filthy girl by the nape again and held her up for Leader to see. "This child possesses the Mayfly." He dropped her again carelessly and heaved himself from the tiny chair, purposely ignoring the other man's bewildered looks and hoping he could save his questions for the following morning after he had a full night's sleep and satisfied stomach and could tolerate being bombarded. Unfortunately, he could only dream.

"Wait, wait." Leader interjected, standing from his chair and prepared to prevent Kakuzu from leaving his "office" as the brunette was already crouched beneath the short doorframe. "You did not answer my questions, you created more. Sit down and give me a proper detailing of the mission from Iwagakure." With an irritated sigh, Kakuzu slumped back in the minuscule seat like a pouting toddler and Leader calmly sat back down also, patiently awaiting the for the man to simmer down so he did not suffer the sharp end of the tanned male's infamous rage.

After gathering himself for a moment, Kakuzu inhaled deeply and proceeded with the lengthy and clusterfuck of a tale of his entanglement with Iwagakure, Kusagakure and the Mayfly. His company quietly listened to the older man's account which swiftly transformed from coherent storytelling for the first portion into aimless ranting then into sleep-deprived rambling which lasted the majority of it.

After approximately ten minutes, Kakuzu concluded his jumbled report and it took Leader a moment to piece it together to the best of his ability into a rational narrative. "So, if I understand correctly. Iwagakure contacted us, due to evidence they had gather connecting Kusagakure with the Mayfly. When you arrived, you were ambushed at the stronghold by a being possessing the Mayfly which slaughtered the army stationed there before it was killed by their leader in a suicide attack. Afterward, you infiltrated a laboratory the Mayfly originated from and recovered this girl who possesses the Mayfly?"

"Yes." Kakuzu confirmed, stroking his temples to dull the warning signs of an approaching migraine. It sounded more insane when he heard it spoken back to him.

It was such a magical tale to digest, but Leader had little to no zero reason to be skeptical of the other man. Not only because the Kakuzu had been fiercely loyal to him and the Akatsuki during their short contract together, but also he seriously doubted he would bother to fabricate such a story to justify the kidnapping of a single child and some papers that would otherwise be useless to them unless they were worth an easy buck.

"Very well." Leader said, now just as eager to conclude this conversation as Kakuzu so the exhausted man could rest after such a draining adventure. Also, he could feel a distinct throbbing forming behind his eyes. "May I review the documents you retrieved?"

"Be my guest." Kakuzu granted, kicking the duffle bag closer to Leader and it slumped alongside his desk.

"Thank you. I suggest you restrain the girl tonight. If this girl does indeed possess the Mayfly, we cannot have her escaping. Otherwise, she might be gone forever and we will have lost a very valuable asset to the Akatsuki."

"Don't need to tell me twice." Kakuzu grumbled as he stood again and grasped the girl by the back of her dingy gown. The thought of losing the girl after the hell he had endured made his blood simultaneously boil and run cold.

With a wave of the hand, Leader dismissed Kakuzu as he unzipped the bag to begin reading the mountains of typed paperwork within and Kakuzu departed from his makeshift office, heaving the girl along the stairs like a corpse as he climbed them to the main floor. He settled for skipping a much needed shower and hot meal, being too fatigued to do either as crossed the hallway to his room. He shouldered the door open and the tossed the unconscious girl inside, his sleepy brain amused by how her malnourished body tumbled into the wall and slumped limp onto the ground. Once his brief entertainment was brought to an end, his mind diverted to a method of tethering the girl to prevent any and all attempts of escape, especially that with the Mayfly.

Due to his imprisonment, Kakuzu had no involvement during the Second World War and therefore no direct contact with the Mayfly so his experience with it was limited, mostly being secondhand or hearsay. A popular myth had been that the Mayfly could not phase through metal and there had been rumours of soldiers equipping themselves with metal armour so they could not be dragged away into the night or made into flesh hand puppets. He never knew if it had been true, but he had nothing better to go on at the moment as he left his room to search the house for something metallic to bind his unwelcomed guest. After a few minutes of searching in the dark, he scrounged up an old iron chain that had been used to lock the front door when he 'acquired' the cabin and had been tossed aside. He returned to his room and after a second of thinking, enveloped the chain around the girl's concave waist then around the space heater beneath the window. This way it hopefully prevented the girl's use of the Mayfly and after that, the only means of liberation would be by means of yanking the heater from the wall or bisecting herself. Certainly not a quiet escape.

With the girl firmly secured, Kakuzu stripped down and collapsed into bed, passing out within moments of his face colliding with his stale pillow.

…

The next morning, Kakuzu did not awaken until several hours after noon and it took an extra hour to conjure the strength to heave himself from his firm mattress which was abnormally comfortable in his groggy state. His first course of action once he roused himself enough was to check on the girl and discovered she hadn't moved a single inch the entire night from her slouched position and he had to check her pulse to ensure she hadn't suddenly died while he had been asleep. Confirming she was indeed alive and well, he got up and left his room to proceed with his morning routine which begun with a necessary shower. The wash-down lasted a half-an-hour and water ice cold until Kakuzu was confident enough that he had scrubbed off the disgusting layers of dirt and sweat leftover from Kusagakure from his skin and hair. For breakfast he cooked up an entire carton of a dozen eggs and pound of bacon then topped it off with another pound of sausage and covered them in a fine coat of salt which he washed down with a pot of pure black coffee to satisfy his complaining stomach that was so starved it had been feasting on its own internal lining. Clean and fed, he dressed (checking on the girl again) and descended into back the basement to speak with Leader and finally discuss the girl's fate now that he was refreshed.

Leader was reviewing the notes he had jotted down from the paperwork he had spent the night combing through when Kakuzu stepped into his office. The two men greeted each other and Kakuzu noticed the ginger man's partner was still missing in action. He had only seen her a handful of times but never spoken with her since he had been affiliated with the organization and presumed Leader had her running on errands for him like Kakuzu did.

"Did you read the paperwork?" Kakuzu asked as sat down in front of Leader's desk, the chair creaking beneath his gorged weight.

"I did. All of it." Leader answered, gesturing towards the towers of paperwork that had been neatly stacked alongside the futon behind him and Kakuzu lifted his eyebrows in amazement. There was at least a few thousand pages. Impressive.

"What did you learn about the girl?"

"A lot of things. Many quite horrible for such a young child. It was fortunate we acquired her when we did." His superior remarked, shaking his head.

"Anything about the Mayfly?" Kakuzu pressed, short patience already thinning. He couldn't less about the girl's past, he just needed to know if she possessed the Mayfly.

Leader sighed, stroking the piercing jutting from his bottom lip. Kakuzu's intentions were crystal clear and he was not ashamed of that. "Yes. From her records, I can confirm she is a full-blooded wielder of the Mayfly," If Kakuzu had a happy dance- he wouldn't be doing it because he was too prideful to engage in such idiotic gestures- but he certainly didn't prevent the grin that split across his stitched cheeks. He felt as though he had just won the lottery and he basically had. If he had completed the initial mission addressed him, just obtaining evidence of the Mayfly for Iwagakure, the payout would have been chump change compared to the unimaginable fortune this girl was worth. He would ignite the largest bidding war the world had ever witnessed and secure his financial future (and the Akatsuki's) for the foreseeable future. Probably even the length of his immortal life if he budgeted it wisely. "However, we cannot sell her." That statement killed Kakuzu's mood quickly. Nothing lit his fuse faster than having his one admiration denied or questioned: money.

"Why not!?" The burette barked, lurching from his chair with his fists clenched, threads sprouting from his tattooed wrists and whipping about like agitated snakes.

Leader's purple, ringed orbs flashed dangerously and silently warning Kakuzu the dire consequences if he attempted to assault him as he leant back in his chair. "Because two reasons. One being, that while I did confirm the girl does possess the Mayfly, there was no evidence recorded of her ability to use it."

"She doesn't need to be able use it. People would buy her for her blood and body alone." Kakuzu argued, the threads retracting for the time being and Leader finally blinked to remoisten his burning eyes.

"That is true, yes."

"So what is your second reason?"

"Because she is too valuable to the Akatsuki to sell off."

"Bullshit. You yourself just said she was incapable of the Mayfly. So what possible use to the Akatsuki would she be except a blank check?" Kakuzu snarled, jabbing his finger at the other man's chest and Leader eyed it distastefully, his Rinnegan dilating.

"The Mayfly is the pinnacle of shinobi evolution. Wielders are capable of erasing their chakra signature to be invisible and have acute senses sharp enough to detect someone miles away. It would benefit the Akatsuki greatly in countless ways. She is priceless to us."

"Don't give me a fucking history lesson." Kakuzu retracted his finger and Leader smoothed out the wrinkled spot it had been on his old Akatsuki uniform. "This brat is worth more than any person in this hell, yours and mine included, and you want to piss away this opportunity of a lifetime on a gamble?"

"Yes I do."

Kakuzu smashed his fist on Leader's desk and the poor furniture lurched backward with a large crack shooting through the middle on the surface while the paperwork arranged on it was thrown about from the force. Leader's eye twitched, unfazed by the man's angry outburst though peeved his cherished, organized paperwork was now everywhere. "You're out of your fucking mind."

"No, I am perfectly within my mindset." Leader rebutted as he coolly stood from his seat and leant over to pick up the pages scattered around his sandals, sighing internally at the thought of the amount of time it would take to reassemble them. "This girl, Zetsu, is a blissing in disguise. If Iwagakure had not contacted us, we would have never known about the existence of the Mayfly until it was used against us. With her in our possession, she shall be a perfect weapon for the Akatsuki."

"A kunai is worthless with a dull blade. This girl is of no importance to the Akatsuki without her mastery of the Mayfly." Kakuzu reiterated, flexing his hand as the stitches from his bite wound from the girl were loosened from his outburst and droplets of blood bloomed through.

"With simple chakra control and training, she can unlock the Mayfly and master it. All we need is patience."

Kakuzu barked aloud with laughter at the absurd suggestion. "'Patience?' The proficiency of Kekkei Genkai can take years, or even the user's entire lifetime to perfect. It is a last cause, and who do you intend to teach her this 'simple chakra control and training' when there is no one else left with the Mayfly to mentor her? Are you going to teach her about a Kekkei Genkai you do not own yourself?"

"No. I intend for you to do that, Kakuzu." Leader stood back up and arranged his recovered paperwork in a neat stack before resting it on the corner of his crippled desk, only for it to slip down the concaved surface and topple to the floor again much to his frustration.

Suddenly, Kakuzu's amused cackling halted abruptly and a tense silence blanketed the two men as he went deathly silent, the calm before the impending storm. "…excuse me?"

Thankfully, the storm was temporarily postponed when Leader diverted his gaze up to meet Kakuzu's scalding glare only to catch a glimpse of his savior standing quietly behind the brunette's massive frame. "Ah, Konan."

Kakuzu glanced over his shoulder to see the blue-haired woman standing stoic behind him, having not even heard a single footstep of her approaching down the stairwell. The woman's copper orbs briefly met Kakuzu's bloodshot ones before they stared passed him to settle on her partner. "I've returned with an update about the project." She spoke vaguely in Kakuzu's presence before noticing the disarray the basement had been thrown in and quirking an eyebrow.

Leader nodded, polishing one of his black nose piercings with his thumb. "Perfect. You arrived at an ideal time, Konan. We have a new member."

Konan frowned deeply, her lip piercing protruding. "A new member?" She glanced at Kakuzu who was clearly fuming, his fists clenched as his knuckles bleached white as he glared razor sharp daggers at Leader. She speculated the source of his displeasure. "I thought we agreed we would not recruit anymore new members until the Akatsuki was adequately funded and relocated." Kakuzu snorted loudly.

"We have obtained the only living person with the Mayfly."

Konan's eyes widened. "The Mayfly?" She questioned quietly, tone weighed with disbelief. She had not heard that bloodline spoken of since the baffling headlines proclaiming the bizarre demise of the bloodline from 'unknown conditions' after the Second World War. "How?"

"Iwagakure contacted us and Kakuzu retrieved it." Leader replied simply, too simply to curb her bewilderment, and focused back on Kakuzu who was sneering with his arms crossed so tightly the stitches on his biceps were stretching and the thread padding inside was visible. "Kakuzu. We can resume our discussion later. Right now, would you kindly introduce Konan to our newest recruit?" Without a word, Kakuzu snarled at the request and stomped from the office with Konan safely stepped aside from his warpath, his fury resonating from him and washing over her like a heatwave.

She spared her partner a curious look and the ginger shook his head as he gestured her to leave, preferring to explain it later before crouching to pick up his discarded paperwork yet again. Konan shook her head, undecided about the sudden decision that had been made without her consent but did not voice her concerns about it at that moment. She would save her mounting questions for later as she departed up the stairwell after Kakuzu to meet this new, unknown member of the organization with the Mayfly before Kakuzu got his hands on them in one of his fits of blind rage she had been advised about.

Kakuzu stampeded to his room and slammed the door behind him with enough strength that the poor slab of wood shuddered violently in its frame and dust cascaded from the planks of the surrounding foundation. The closet door did not spare any better, as a second later, his fist was embedded in it and the rotten sliding door exploded in half, collapsing onto the floor in a plume of soot and splinters. He recoiled his throbbing hand, the stitching had finally torn and blood spilled from the bite wound along with impact sites of slivers of wood which had become embedded in his skin also. His distraction with the injury was short-lived when a muffled sobbing from the opposite side of the room invaded his ears. It appeared his guest was finally awake.

The girl was whimpering and sniveling, oblivious to her captor as her bony hands clawed at the chains shackled around her trembling waist. Kakuzu reared over her, cloaking her teeny body in his sizable shadow and her glistening, golden orbs snapped up at him instantly, widening into dinner plates as the tears flooded down her face like a breached dam. Kakuzu sneered when her whimpering dissolved into a low keening noise and she released a short scream as his hand lashed out and her clamped a handful of her slimy hair, wrenching her head up so her ugly mug fully faced him.

"You useless, little shit! The only worth you are is dead! I should tear off your disgusting head and sell your body parts! That is the only benefit you ever will be to the Akatsuki! To think you are all that it left of such a glorified bloodline is disgraceful! What a fucking joke!" The girl sobbed and dug her overgrown nails in Kakuzu's hand as he yanked on her hair, the old stitches on the side of her head opening and blood straining her scalp. Her resistance only made him pull harder and she cried out. "Shut your fucking mouth!"

"What are you doing!?" Came a horrified shout behind him.

Konan had just entered the room, after unsuccessfully knocking on the door for the last minute, only to walk onto Kakuzu screaming at a child she had never seen before. She had no time to ask one of the million questions bombarding her mind, or rather chose not to, as her maternal instinct kicked in full swing and she was wrenching Kakuzu away from the quaking child. An impressive feat considering Kakuzu had a substantial advantage over her in both height and weight. Once Kakuzu was safely away, she crouched next to the crying girl and her horror was amplified upon closer inspection of the young child. The sickly girl was in the most atrocious condition Konan had ever witnessed and she was baffled how the poor thing was alive. She was breathing skeleton, not an ounce of muscle or fat on her with her dirty skin draped over her bones like a sheet and her large, yellow eyes sunken inside her outlined skull and nearly invisible past the snarled, green bird's nest on her head. It looked if she moved her skin would rip like the tissue paper of the stained gown she wore. With this came anger, when Konan saw the thick chaining constricting her to the wall heater and the blood dripping from her tear-streaked face. The woman turned toward the disgruntle Kakuzu who had been silently watching from a distance. If Konan possessed the Sharingan, Kakuzu would dead where he stood from the pure intensity of the glare that penetrated through his skull.

"What did you do?" Konan spat, orange orbs flickering like untamed balls of fire.

Kakuzu shrugged and crossed his arms, using his shirt to soak up the bleeding from his hand. "I was merely punishing the little monstrosity."

"Monstrosity? She's just a child!"

Kakuzu snorted at the amusing suggestion. "A child? That thing is not a child. It's an abomination of nature."

The girl's choked sobs increased in intensity from the insult and Konan removed her spiteful looks from Kakuzu as she concentrated on freeing the girl from her cruel restrains while whispering comforts to quell her tears. After a minute of fiddling, she loosening the chain and tossed it aside before attempting to help the girl to her feet only for her to immediately collapse into Konan's arms as her bone-thin legs gave out. Konan supported the girl against her hip as she escorted her out of the room and Kakuzu stepped aside to allow her past, averting his eyes to avoid Konan's sullen glowering though could feel his face grow warm from the ferocity of it. Once Konan had left his room with the girl, he slammed the door closed behind them. This time two of the hinges shattering from the force and leaving the door tittering on the last swivel.

He charged to his desk and sat down, burying his hands in his hair as he yanked some of the strands out by the roots in his over-boiling frustration. His ventilation was short-lived however, as a minute later, there was an unwelcomed knocking on his door. With a roar, Kakuzu stomped over to the door and threw it open, successful ripping it from the last hinge as it flew across his room and struck the wall with a frightening crash that dislodged a few planks of the termite eaten wood. In the hallway stood Leader, who calmly stared at Kakuzu, completely indifferent to the outburst he had just witnessed.

"What, the fuck, do you want?" Kakuzu asked him, voice low and jaw trembling as he resisted the overwhelming urge to scream at the other man and grab ahold of his throat. Unless he had come to apologize for the audacities committed against him before, Kakuzu did not promise himself he would restrain himself for long from acting upon his homicidal tendencies.

"I came to give you the notes I wrote down from the girl's paperwork." Leader handed over his notebook, tapping the hardcover which had "Notebook #14 Zetsu/Mayfly Notes" scrawled on it in marker. "I recorded everything I thought was important. In my attempt to reduce the amount of reading, I filled the entire book with notes. But it an easier and shorter read then thousands of papers of medical reports and entries I assure you." The offering was not an apology and Kakuzu did not accept it as he glared at Leader, his fingers twitching as they were seconds away from planting themselves in his superior's neck.

Noting the sour looks pointed at him, the ginger man sighed. "I realize you are unhappy with me, Kakuzu, but I ask that you save your objections for when we can properly discuss this. Right now, I would like you to study up on this girl and the Mayfly. The information is as interesting as it is beneficial. Would you kindly?" After a staring contest for a wearisome minute, Kakuzu finally reached forward and snatched the spiral book from Leader's hand, clenching it so hard that the reinforced cover actually began to bend in his palm. "Thank you. I leave tomorrow morning and Konan will stand in my place until I return so if you wish to discuss the matter of the Mayfly again, I suggest you read that notebook and report to me tonight." Kakuzu huffed and reached out to slam his bedroom door in the man's face, his hand groping empty air for a second before remembering his door was now busted on the floor. Instead, he settled for marching back into his room, not noticing Leader's mouth twist in an entertained smirk before the other man departed back to the dark confines of his office.

Kakuzu sat at his desk and threw down the crumbled notebook, glaring at it for several minutes in hopes it would catch a light and burn into cinders. When it sadly did not, he picked it up and flipped open the arched cover, glancing over the notes that had been written inside with neat cursive. After thumbing through a few pages, he returned to the first page and switched on the lantern on his desk to begin reluctantly reading.

...

Two hours later of speed reading through the secondhand report, Kakuzu closed the battered notebook and proceeded to throw it so hard at his broken closet door the book embedded itself into the cardboard-like wood. If Leader had thought that having Kakuzu read through the book would change his position on the girl, he was sadly mistaken because they had only achieved in making Kakuzu more determined in selling the girl off and not allowing her to have anything to do with the Akatsuki except for a fat paycheck. The Mayfly Man in Kusagakure had just been the tip of the iceberg and Kakuzu hadn't witnessed half of the atrocities the Mayfly was capable of. He understood now why the Five Nations had been so terrified of the Mayfly and according to conspiracy theorists, had secretly organized the bloodline's total annihilation.

However, it was impossible to blame the girl for her bloodline, she certainly hadn't chosen to be born with it and probably would not have, and he even felt slightly a tiny bit bad for her after reading a dozen pages of every procedure and surgery that had been performed on her. From countless blood tests for gallons of blood to bone marrow biopsies of nearly every bone in her body and spinal taps on every vertebrae and even several brain biopsies. There wasn't an inch on the girl which hadn't been poked and prodded and while Kakuzu was not fond of children, even he believed a child should never have to experience such trauma. That did not change his view on the Mayfly though and he wasn't about to pity her because of it and allow her to remain like a stray from the rain. She was a ticking time bomb and needed to be removed now before the Akatsuki regretted it.

Now that he was properly caught up on the Mayfly it was time for a chat with Leader as Kakuzu got up from his desk and walked over to his collapsed closet door, jerking the book from it before departing for his gaping doorway. He would have to repair his door later, or just tape up a blanket for privacy. Probably the latter.

Meanwhile, Konan had finished the tedious task of washing the girl and was dressing her in an extra pair of clothing of her own she had scrounged up. It had taken nearly an hour to scrub the layers of hardened dirt and filth from the poor girl's skin, piling it off like scabs to reveal her colourless flesh beneath that was littered with perfectly straight scars made from scalpels and indents from syringes, revealing a medical hell of a past. There was also a crude tattoo that read '084' inked down the base of her neck, directly across her jutting vertebrae. She had attempted to wash the girl's long hair too, hoping the shampoo would loosen the snarled green locks so she could brush them out but the hair was so badly matted from years of neglect that the soap did little deter the knots except clean them. In the end, to Konan's dismay, she had to shave the girl's hair off for the next hour, years of growth fluttering to the ground until the girl was left with an inch of hair on her head in a butch-cut style. The girl, while bewildered by her new haircut, did not seem upset as she observed herself in the bathroom mirror and Konan was positive there was a relief as the hair had to be painful with its knots that yanked on the roots. With the girl squeaky clean, Konan briefly left the bathroom and returned with her own clothing she was found left over from her last stay.

"There, much better, yes?" Konan said as she adjusted the muscle shirt on the girl's slumped shoulders. Konan was not a large woman, but even the shirt which fit her perfectly was comically large on the girl's petite, starved form as it appeared more a dress than a shirt.

The girl said nothing, merely nodding. It had taken Konan some time to coax the girl into the bathtub, who clearly unfamiliar with it, and even longer to convince her that the scissors and razor she had used to shave her hair would not harm her. After some tears and attempted escapes, the girl now sat quietly on the toilet, considerably calmer as she fiddled with the hem of gifted shirt.

Konan crouched down in front of her, sparing her a sweet smile. "Now that drama is over, why don't you and I introduce ourselves to each other? I am Konan." The girl did not respond, her caramel eyes staring at Konan. Konan did not pressure her for her own name as she was obviously shy and no doubt still recovering from the shock of everything which had happened today between Kakuzu and Konan. She would merely ask Pein later if he knew it. "Alright, then why don't we feed you? I can't imagine how hungry you must be." Hungry? The girl must have been starved the majority of her life to be so thin and Konan wouldn't be shocked if she ate an entire horse.

Konan stood and helped the child to her feet, supporting her by her arms as her knobby knees knocked together from the pressure placed on her skinny legs. She helped the girl out of the disordered bathroom, Konan settling for cleaning it later, and down the hallway towards the kitchen. Unfortunately, Kakuzu chose that moment to step out from his room and the two parties collided. Immediately, the girl began whimpering and pressed herself against Konan's legs to hide and the woman glared at the dark-skinned man distastefully. Kakuzu just snorted and eyed the girl, making her shiver beneath the weight of his scalding gaze.

"I see you washed the hellion," Kakuzu remarked to Konan. "And cut her hair also so now we all have to suffer her hideous little mug." The girl's bottom lip trembled, clearly understanding the insults being thrown at her, and Konan quickly hurried her away from the man, glowering at him as she did. Unfazed, Kakuzu resumed his journey as he descending into the cellar that doubled as an office and bedroom for his superior.

"That woman had already begun babying that girl. Typical female." Kakuzu grumbled to himself as he climbed the stairs down though he had spoken it loud enough that Leader heard the misogynist comment towards his partner.

"Konan? I would be lying if I said I was surprised. She had always had a weakness for children, especially those in such a desperate situation as Zetsu. I'd ask you speak of her more respectively, Kakuzu. She is my partner therefore your superior also," Leader said, signing a paper and shuffling it to the stacking pile beside him, having reclaimed all his paperwork and neatly reorganized them on his damaged desk which had been quickly patched with duct tape. "Did you read through the notes?"

"Yes."

"Perfect, we can have an appropriate conservation about the Mayfly now that we are both educated on it. Now, please share your thoughts."

"You're fucking insane."

Leader frowned, that certainly was not the response he expected but perhaps he had been too optimistic with Kakuzu. He had never met someone so difficult to please. "I thought that once you read my research notes you would be more welcoming to idea of recruiting Zetsu with her Mayfly, but obviously I was mistaken." He laid down his pen and folded his hands together as he leant back in his swivel chair. "What is the issue this time, Kakuzu?"

"Don't give me that bullshit," Kakuzu tossed the notebook on leader's desk, knocking aside his stack of signed paperwork to the floor again. "You know exactly what my issue is."

Leader sighed and pitched the bridge of his nose between his piercings, his precious organized paperwork ruined once more. Investing in folders was becoming a consideration. "No, I honestly do not, Kakuzu. It can be anything, so please elaborate."

"The Mayfly is a treacherous bloodline and you continue to believe it will benefit the Akatsuki?"

"There are glaring negatives, it is true. But the positives far outweigh them. With the Mayfly on our side, we will be in possession of arguably the greatest Kekkei Genkai to ever exist besides the Sharingan and my own Rinnegan."

"And what if the girl decides she does not want to assist the Akatsuki? What if she uses the Mayfly against us? I've seen what the Mayfly is capable of. Those positives will become negative, quickly."

"Well, thankfully, at the moment we do not need worry about that, do we? Once her Mayfly is awakened then I'm positive she will have warmed up to us all and the vision of the Akatsuki."

Kakuzu laughed. "The moment that brat activates the Mayfly, it will maim her conscious and render her into nothing but an imbecilic savage like that brute in Kusagakure and every other poor bastard during the Second World War," Kakuzu stabbed his finger on the notebook where Leader himself had recorded evidence of the Kekkei Genkai's destruction of its host's brain upon awakening, leaving them basically braindead. "If that happens, the Akatsuki will be nothing to her but a lavish human buffet."

"There is also the possibility it will not and her mental state will be unharmed," Leader argued back, having also written down a case of a Mayfly wielder, a child younger than Zetsu from the same laboratory labeled as K-MF-002, being perfectly within her right mind after the bloodline's animation. "The chance is high, actually. Due to years of chemotherapy the girl endured with a chemical created specifically to reduce the Mayfly's poisonous chakra."

"Yes, but it also potentially suppressed the Mayfly altogether so she might not be able to rouse it at all now." Yet another fact Leader forgetfully included. Perhaps he should also include the little matter of a potential and brutal death if the Mayfly was incorrectly used?

"But she might be able to," Leader stressed, his head again beginning to pound from the persistent back and forth. "Kakuzu, please explain to me why you are so insisting on ridding this child and her Mayfly? Is there a reason besides the money?"

"I'm merely arguing my side," Kakuzu reasoned. "But yes there is. You are placing too much faith on this brat. You should never place all your chips in one pot. She had shown nothing to prove herself besides a bust. You'd be better off collecting your winnings and leaving."

"Yes, but I'm willing to risk that chance and play the hand I've been dealt," Leader responded. "I've always been optimistic when it regards a person's qualifications. When you and I first met, I praised your Kinjutsu, did I not?"

"Yes, but you did not employee me due to Kinjutsu alone. You employed me for my knowledge of accounting and resources."

"And that gamble of mine paid off, yes?" Kakuzu sighed, massaging his temples. His boss was not understanding the overall situation and risks associated with this girl. This reckless gambling of his could cause him the entire Akatsuki and their lives.

"I will strike you a deal, Kakuzu." Leader suddenly offered.

Kakuzu's bloodshot eyes narrowed. "A deal?"

Leader nodded. "Yes. It is simple. If Zetsu activates her Mayfly and it results in the ruin of her psyche, then you are free to sell her at any price you deem necessary. But, if her Mayfly is activated and she is perfectly right-minded, then she will remain with the Akatsuki. My only condition is that you will be responsible for her training."

"Why the hell do I have to train the brat? I'm not her babysitter. You're the one so interested in her, so why the fuck don't you do it?"

"Because I am too occupied with the Akatsuki and another project that requires both I and Konan's attention so neither myself or her can train Zetsu which only leaves you." Leader explained simply with a casual shrug. Kakuzu sneered, the heat of another rage licking his skin but the other male did not allow that to threaten him. "Kakuzu, I suggest you accept this deal. This way, we both know the risks and rewards. Either way, the result will be split either way we approach this." Leader was correct. Either the girl had the Mayfly and it destroyed her mind or it did not, it was a fifty-fifty shot. Kakuzu could only roll the dice and pray the results were in his favour.

"Fine."

"Perfect." Leader searched around in the top drawer of his desk before uncovering what he had stashed earlier and placing a piece of paper in front of Kakuzu along with a pen. "Now, just please sign this."

"The hell is this?" Kakuzu huffed as he scooped the paper up which had been entirely hand-written and had a list of bullet points.

"A contract. Basically, it details the agreement we discuss and if you sign it, you agree to my terms including that no harm or death shall befall Zetsu while she is in your care and you will not sell her outside the circumstances agree. If these terms are broken, then I am free to terminate your partnership to the Akatsuki." Kakuzu glanced up from the contract, shooting Leader a flat glare. "Please Kakuzu. You are a businessman. You know better than anyone that nothing is official unless it is written down. Also, I want your word on this. You might be in charge of finances, but I am in charge of the Akatsuki and at the moment, Zetsu is property to the Akatsuki, not the bank. Now, would you kindly sign it?"

Kakuzu briefly reviewed the contract, confirming it enlisted everything he and Leader spoke about and nothing was hidden between the lines. With a growl, he signed his name at the line supplied at the bottom before tossing it in the ginger's piercing-riddled face and taking his leave. He would have to begin his plotting on how he would handle this new 'student' of his that wouldn't result in her imitate death.

"Thank you." Leader said, plucking the paper from his hair and storing it back in his desk for safe-keeping. "Now then, when is the soonest you can begin Zetsu's training?"

"When I give a shit." Kakuzu called back.

…

AN: I need to stop making the mistake of thinking these chapters will be short because my summary of them are short. Sorry about the wait and the plot load this chapter dumped but it was required to set up the next chapters. The chapters starting now will be even slower as I do not have them planned out yet and school is more demanding of my attention.

Thank you for reading and be kind with your comments.

Next Chapter: Zetsu's training beneath Kakuzu begins and Kakuzu decides to start it with a dramatic dietary change.

Until next time.