AN: For anyone that is sensitive violent content, then I strongly advise you avoid this chapter as it will be the introduction to Zetsu's cannibalistic diet. There is little you will miss besides that.

Also, I would like to mention in this story that Konan will be OoC because she will be depicted as more of a mother figure. Not always however, as when it is required she remain in her true personality than she will be. The chapters she is not then I will include a specific warning as well for any other character. The only exception will be Zetsu as her personality is my own creation from the canon, obviously.

Another warning, characters will have their personalities changed for this story but not dramatically (although some will have new, different traits about them included). Mostly, certain aspects of their personalities will be amplified so if you do not like that as you prefer to have the characters remain vanilla than avoid this story because every Akatsuki member will be altered. And I mean altered, but nothing that will remove from their vicious natures so do not expect the fluffy characters you read about in OC or SI fictions. In fact, they will be depicted as more bloodthirsty and violent for realism. I shall include warnings for each character introduced to avoid potential backlash so do not flame if you do not like the new changes. They will be ignored.

beloved of naruto: Thank you for the kind review! You asked so you shall receive. I hope I can keep your support and not disappoint from now into the future!

With all of that out of the way, I hope those that choose to read this chapter, enjoy!

Warning(s): Language (Mid), Genderbend (Low), Out of Character (Konan), Violence/Gore, Cannibalism

…

Wasteland

Mayfly Arc:

Chapter 13

The time it took for Kakuzu to 'give a shit' was approximately a week. That week, Konan had sole custody over Zetsu and Kakuzu wisely kept his distance, biding his time until the woman left. It would not be smart to invade a cave to steal a cub when the mother bear was present.

During the week, Konan spent accustomating the girl, whose name she learned to be Zetsu, to her new home and life within the Akatsuki and attempting to repair some of the damage she had suffered in her past life after reviewing her records. It was a feat certainly easier said than done. Feeding the girl was issue enough as the only thing she was capable of eating was oatmeal and anything else resulted in vocal gagging or violent vomiting altogether. A byproduct of the mutations caused from the Mayfly. Then there was the problem of verbal communication as Zetsu was completely mute and could only speak in whines and chirps so it took effort for Konan to distinguish between which were sounds of distress and what was noises of request for food or sleep. By the end of the week however, she was able to say 'Ko' when referring to Konan and the woman considered that a tiny victory. Also her ability to walk on her own had improved. Unfortunately, before she could properly begin Zetsu's recuperation, Pein returned from his business. This meant she would have to leave to occupy his place and while it normally did not bother her, afterall they were partners, this time however, there was a glaring concern. Kakuzu.

"Pein, Kakuzu will kill her. You cannot leave Zetsu with him!" Konan argued heatedly with Pein, hands pressed down on his desk and the broken furniture bowed beneath her applied weight.

"Kakuzu will not kill Zetsu, Konan," Pein assured her as he concentrated on signing paperwork, unfazed by her sudden rebellion against him. Honestly, he had prepared himself for a similar reaction when he returned. "He is under contract. If any unnecessary harm or death befalls her than he will be eliminated from the Akatsuki. The risk is too great for him to attempt anything or make mistakes."

"'Mistakes' can be made." Konan intoned, emphasizing 'mistakes' with a sarcastic tone. She did not trust Kakuzu enough to believe he was capable of innocent accidents with Zetsu. Nothing was an accident with the brutish man nor innocent.

"You've grown very attached to this girl in such a short period." Pein observed, setting aside his pen as he focused on his flustered, female partner, calmly folding his hands beneath his chin.

"How can I not? She's had a horrible life and the Akatsuki is her life now. She deserves better from us," Pein said nothing in reply to her heartfelt confession and Konan sighed. "Doesn't she remind you of us, Nagato?"

The forthright question earned the desired effect as Pein's Rinnegan faded and Konan could only imagine Nagato's reaction from the otherside of the human vessel. Obviously, he did not want her to witness it. Probably acknowledgement that the comment was indeed somewhat true, whether he admitted to it or not. A child whose life had been torn asunder from the horrors of war and her only salvation was the Akatsuki? She was more alike them than Nagato would ever admit. A few seconds later, the Rinnegan returned to Pein's eyes and it took another moment for the medium to 'restart'.

"Konan, for both your own interest and the interest of the Akatsuki, I recommend you detach yourself emotionally from Zetsu. Unless she is able prove herself with the Mayfly, she is nothing more than an asset to the Akatsuki that can and will be sold off if deemed necessary." The man returned to his steady workload, ignorant to the blue-haired woman's insulted expression from the affront remark.

Regardless of personal feelings, Konan wisely did not argue with Pein. It would be like yelling at a brick wall, pointless and fatiguing, and instead, begrudgingly choice to pack her bags for the trek back to their home village for an indeterminate amount of time. Hopefully, it was not too long. She feared for Zetsu's safety and would not remove herself like instructed. She was the only person in the world the girl had now. Her bags stuffed with clothing, Konan took her leave without bidding her partner goodbye and as she shuffled past his desk, her duffle bag 'accidental' brushing against the growing stack of signed paperwork he had built and knocked it to the floor in a cascade of white.

Pein frowned when his beautiful organized papers fluttered to the floor in a jumbled mess yet again. "Would you kindly come back and pick this up?" He called after Konan but the woman did not respond and slammed the door behind her, strong enough to quake the basement and the rest of the paperwork that had endured the collapse, slid off his desk to join its brethren on the floor. The ginger sighed and pinched one of the piercings that lined the bridge of his nose. Perhaps Kakuzu was correct, women were quite the emotional handful.

…

On her way out, Konan visited Zetsu to inform her of her unwanted departure so she did not worry. She was currently residing in the second bedroom of the cabin and while it was across the hall from Kakuzu's room, Konan preferred it rather than having her sleep in the living room and on the ugly, age old couch that wheezed dust when sat on. When she nudged open the closed door to check on Zetsu, the girl was sound asleep in bed, deeply cocooned away in the moth-nibbled blankets as Konan had left her the night before. Normally, Konan awoke her for breakfast, but this morning was different as she gently prodded the girl awake.

It took a moment before Zetsu's eyes twitched behind her lids and rolled open. The girl blinked a few times, her golden eyes hazy from the aftereffects of deep sleep until she was able to perceive Konan's blue hair and immediately jolted up on her mattress, wide awake. She emitted to her a series of happy chirping of 'Ko' with her lips wrenched back behind her canines in a wide smile and Konan smiled back, squeezing the child's sunken cheekbones and scratching her nails through her shaved, emerald locks.

"Good morning," Konan chirped. Zetsu chirped back, quite literally and wound her arms around Konan's neck to be heaved out of bed for breakfast but the woman kindly declined. "Not this morning, sweetheart. Listen, I have to leave. I will be gone shortly, alright, Zetsu?"

Zetsu nodded, not appearing too distraught over the sudden information and Konan wondered if she truly understood the degree she was speaking. Nevertheless, perhaps her ignorance was bliss so she did not get too upset once Konan left.

"Good. Now, if you need anything, just ask Pein. He might seem scary, but he's all bark and no bite." Konan smirked from her own metaphor, an amusing image entering her mind of a growling, lapdog Pein. It was a lie, however, as Pein was in cahoots with Kakuzu but she did not Zetsu knowing that. Again, Zetsu nodded, her vicious smile intact and Konan was convinced now the girl understood nothing she said and was merely responding to the sound of her voice. It was probably for the best. "Alright, Zetsu, can I have a hug?" That, the girl clearly understood as she lunged onto the woman, squeezing her tightly and nuzzling her neck. Konan hugged her back firmly, so not to do any harm to any of the healing wounds on her bone thin body.

After a few seconds, Konan released the petite girl and ushered her back into bed, tucking her securely in the coverings so she was not chilled. "I'll be back soon, I promise." She patted the girl's head before picking up her bags and leaving the room, shutting the door behind her with a silent click.

…

Meanwhile, Kakuzu had just risen and was enjoying his breakfast when Konan entered the kitchen only to come to a screeching halt behind him. He did not pause in his eating as he shoveled another chunk of salt-saturated egg onto his butter-soaked toast and into his mouth, ignoring the woman's distasteful glowering he perceived from the corner of his eye. When she did not leave even after several minutes, Kakuzu sighed and shifted around his seat to meet her heated looks, annoyed his meal had been interrupted.

"Can I help you?"

"Do not hurt Zetsu or you will be sorry, Kakuzu." Konan avowed, rather forcefully considering the person she was speaking to.

Kakuzu quirked an eyebrow. "Is that a threat?"

"No. It's a promise." And with that, she took her departure and exited the cabin, leaving behind a taken aback (and miffed) Kakuzu.

"Damned woman." Kakuzu sneered as he returned to his breakfast which had been considerably spoiled from her attempted intimidation. If Konan thought threatening him would frighten him into treating the brat like a little princess like her, she was dead wrong. This girl was potentially costing him a fortune each and every day and if he wanted to vent those frustrations out of her, he had every right to, regardless of contracts and threats.

His breakfast successfully ruined, Kakuzu dumped the rest of his plate into the trash and washed his hands. At least now Konan was gone and he could begin the tedious process of awakening the girl's Mayfly. He had no idea how long it would take, or how to do it, but the sooner the better. There was treasure trove of cash awaiting him and he was impatient to get his hands on it and be rid of the vermin. Once the cleaning was finished, he left the kitchen to the cabin entrance and retrieved his jacket from the coat rack stationed there. He shrugged on the thick, leather trench coat and tied his bandanna around his face then pushed his sunglasses onto his nose before leaving the cabin himself for some 'hunting'.

The mother bear had left the cave and now it was time for the hunter to coax the cub out with meat.

…

A few hours after Konan left, Zetsu awoke again and was instantly alarmed when Konan was not there to greet her and whisk her away for food or a bath. The girl sat up in her bed, glancing around the barren room for any sighting of the woman but there was nothing. Konan said she would back soon, right? It had been soon so where was she? Kiyoshi always told her he would be back soon and he was. She waited a few minutes, thinking she was just a little late but when even that did not pan out, Zetsu got worried and scared. She carefully climbed out of bed, setting her unsteady feet on the wooden floor and waiting until her legs stopped trembling before slowly stepping to the closed door. She twisted the brass knob and peeked out. The hallway empty, there were no voices and she could not hear Konan's heels clicking around the floor or her voice. She was terrified to leave however, because of the monster Konan called 'Kakuzu'. The one responsible of hurting Kiyoshi and bringing her here. She listened harder but heard nothing still, just dead silence and she concluded that perhaps he was gone or asleep too so she took a shaky step outside into the hallway. Cautiously, she tiptoed about the cabin, checking every room she could in search for Konan, wisely leaving the monster's room and the door which led to a treacherous basement unexplored. It had only taken a few minutes with Konan nowhere to be found. It was too much for the teenager's mentally slow brain to handle as she sobbed and softly wailed on the living room floor.

Suddenly, her anguish was interrupted by the sound of a lock being undone. She glanced around before realizing it was the front door and saw the golden door lock was wiggling in the frame. Of course, the front door! Konan had probably left outside. She never thought to check because Konan had warned her to never go outside unsupervised since it was too dangerous and Zetsu was unfamiliar with it. She had never seen the sun or trees before so who knew what else was out there. Zetsu stood and stumbled over to the front door, turning the knob when the door was unlocked and tugging it open with her meager strength to allow Konan in. However, when she opened the door, it was not Konan standing on the other side.

"Hmm?" Kakuzu grunted when the door was unexpectedly opened for him and he gazed down to see the girl, noting how her sharp grin instantly fell from her face within milliseconds of seeing him and an expression of pure terror twisted her pale features. "Oh, it's you. Perfect. Hnn, this is much easier than wrestling you from your room."

Unfortunately, the moment he said that, the girl turned and fled as fast as her weak legs could carry her away from Kakuzu in the direction of her room, screaming. The miser snarled, his patience already worn thin, and launched his hand from his wrist. The appendage shot across the cabin faster than Zetsu could run and clamped down onto the back of the oversized shirt she wore, using it to violently yank her back towards him. She landed hard onto her back in front of him, the collision briefly stunning her as she gasped for breath, and when Kakuzu leant down to wrench the girl up, she snapped her bear trap-like teeth at his hand, nearly chomping off one of his fingertips. Kakuzu recoiled to dodge her lethal teeth and the child took the opening to wriggle past him through the narrow entrance and into the outside world.

"You little shit!" Kakuzu fumed as the girl sprinted through the clearing that surrounded the cabin and towards the thick of the forest only a few meters away. 'Thank god she can't use the Mayfly.' Kakuzu wasn't in the mood to pursue the girl around the woods in a giant game of hide-and-seek so decided to leave that responsible to someone else.

"Daora!" In reply to the name, the wind-element mask throbbed and twitched in his back as the creature rose. The mask stitched to his back detached from his skin as a cluster of tightly wound threads thrusted it out from beneath the collar of his coat and over his shoulder onto the grassy floor. In a moment, the threads arranged themselves in a dog-like creature with wings and erected itself. Daora flexed its wings and stretched like a cat as it awoke before focusing its attention on Kakuzu, plopping itself down in front of its master with greeting, metallic caw.

"Daora," Kakuzu spoke again, pointing in the direction the girl had ran off, now successfully hidden among the trees and out of sight. "Fetch." Like a bloodhound on the hunt, Daora shot into the treeline with the quickness of a bullet. In only a matter of minutes, the troublesome brat had been successfully found.

Kakuzu smirked when the girl's screaming echoed throughout the forest followed by Daora's provoked squealing. It appeared the girl had had her hiding place discovered and was currently being secured for transportation by the wind-element creature. The screams faded out and a serene silence engulfed the forest as birds chirped happily in the distance and the leaves rustled from a gentle breeze. Kakuzu enjoyed the quiet for its entirety until the peace was shattered by the familiar cawing and spasmodic flapping of wings. Daora emerged from the thicket, gliding awkwardly and landed on the ground, galloping the rest of the distance to Kakuzu. Once there, it seated itself at his feet, wings flexing and backside wagging back and forth like a dog. Its body was noticeably swollen.

"Good," Kakuzu said, much to the heart monster's pleasure as its rear shook harder. "Now, release." Daora obeyed without hesitation as its fiber body unwound itself and expelled the body it had previously devoured.

The teenager slumped to the floor, seemingly having passed out but after a moment, the girl jolted awake and inhaled loudly, her fangs condensing the absorbed air into a whistle. Zetsu clambered upward, shaking and gasping, as her caramel orbs scanned her surroundings to reinsert herself. Her sight captured Daora, who greeted her with a happy squawking, which made her swarm away but the moment her eyes settled on Kakuzu who was impatiently observing from above, a scream tore itself from her strained lungs. The girl rolled over to her hands and knees and launched herself to her feet to run again but Daora reacted before she could and trotted into her path, shrieking and puffing itself like an angry feline, scaring her backwards where she collided with Kakuzu's tall legs. She screamed again, shielding her head and Kakuzu leant down, snatching her by the back of her collar and using it to lift the girl to his eyelevel, lowering his sunglasses so his mismatched orbs pierced hers. Zetsu immediately closed her eyes and covered them with her hands, sobs shaking free from her heaving chest.

"Listen here, you little shit," Kakuzu seethed, dumping the girl to the ground, a good six foot plus fall and she struck the floor on her back, sobs broken into heaving. "Konan isn't here to protect you. I'm your caretaker now and you better fucking listen to me. Otherwise, your life will be more of a hell than you have ever experienced before, understood?" His only reply was crying and he decided the answer would be the best he would get out of the pitiful child.

"Now stop crying," The command only made Zetsu wailed louder as snot and drool leaked from her facial orifices in a disgusting show. "Stop crying!" The girl wept loudly, drowning out Kakuzu's yelling and making the stabbing ping of a migraine spawn in his brain. He removed his glasses and nursed his throbbing temples with snarl.

He would accomplish nothing with the girl crying like she was. He couldn't even get a single word in without the sound of voice setting her off farther. He had intended to read the girl off a slew of rules he had crafted during their 'training' together, but it seemed like that was impossible now and he would have to move onto his second plan for the day. Kakuzu walked away, abandoning the girl to wail, as he rounded the cabin where he had stashed his little present for her under the house. After retrieving the gift, he heaved to back to the sniffling teenager and dumped it in front of her. Zetsu temporarily halted her tears from the sound of something being dropped in front of her and screamed at the sight of a dead body in front of her.

The man was clad in civilian clothing, a local farming, and had had his neck broken as his head was twisted around at an impossible angle, his brown eyes bulging in its sockets and mouth frozen mid-scream. Kakuzu was sarcastically hurt she did not like his present for her. He had spent the entirety of the morning hunting for a delicious meal for her. He had to trek a few miles outside Amegakure to the swampy backwoods to finally locate a human sacrifice without being seen. Little shit should be more appreciative of his generosity. Obviously, he would have to include that on his developing list of strict guidelines with her.

"Quit screaming, you little shit," Kakuzu hissed. "You should be thanking me that I was kind enough to secure you a fresh meal. So long as I have to suffer your miserable existence, you will be nothing to me but the monstrosity you are and that includes treating you as such. Now, eat up." The girl was skin and bones and a gentle breeze could probably kill her at the weight she was now so fattening her up was vital and due to the Mayfly, that could only be achieved if she embraced her natural born cannibalism.

Zetsu did not 'eat up' as instructed and instead scrambled away from the decaying corpse, attempting to flee again but Daora bounded after her, snagging her pant leg in its mouth and using it to drag her back towards Kakuzu and the body. While Daora controlled the thrashing girl, enduring a few kicks to the face which cracked its mask, Kakuzu withdrew a kunai from his ankle and hunched over, slicing off a chuck of blood flesh from the dead man's arm before walking over to the girl with it in hand. Zetsu stared up at Kakuzu in horror as he dangled the meat above her face, drops of cold body dripping onto her tear-streaked cheeks and the man leant down, smashing it against her lips in an attempt to force it into her mouth. She resisted and he resorted to force as threads sprung from his wrist, weaving themselves between her lips and tying around her canines, using them as leverage as her jaws were slowly apart. Once her mouth was wide enough, Kakuzu dropped the hunk of muscle into it then quickly had his threads retreat from her mouth as he clamped her mouth closed with his hands to prevent her from expelling it.

Zetsu struggling, nostrils flaring and tearing eyes rolling back in her head as the overpowering flavour of copper and rot invaded her taste buds and made them water. Even worse, she realized the taste was not bad and her hungry stomach seemed to roar for it. She reached up in skirmish, yanking Kakuzu's black bandana from his face and the sight of his stitched face made her gasp sharply through her nose. As a result, the flesh that had been sitting on her tongue slid down her throat and into her stomach, striking the bottom like a rock. Kakuzu saw the girl's throat bulge out as she finally swallowed the flesh and it disappeared beneath her collar. He kept his hands locked on her face to prevent her from upchucking it. When she managed to keep it down after several seconds, he released her as did Daora and both parties took a step back to observe the girl. Kakuzu fully expected her to make her vomit up the meat but to his surprise, she did no such thing and even more surprising was her numb expression.

Zetsu stared upwards towards the clear sky, her golden eyes unfocused and blood stained mouth hanging ajar as rivers of drool leaked from her quivering lips. She did not move as she laid flat on her back, almost in a deep trance, and Kakuzu, deciding to test a theory, retrieved another cut of meat. He slung the chuck above her face, swinging it side to side like a master teasing a mutt with a treat and when he lowered it closer to her face, she suddenly jerked upwards and caught the ration between her fangs, nearly taking Kakuzu's fingers along with it. She tilted her head back and the meat easily slid down her throat without the assistance of chewing. Her empty expression shifted to something more malevolent, inhuman and Kakuzu recognized it as the same look from the Mayfly Man. He stepped aside and the second the corpse behind him was unimpeded, Zetsu pounced like a starved animal as her canines tore flesh from bone.

Kakuzu quietly observed the gory show, the sound of her snarling and snorting as well as the wet tearing of meat making his stomach churn slightly. When the display got a bit too much for his liking, he took his leave back to the cabin, leaving Daora to babysit the girl as she feasted. He felt slightly dirty from the he had just witnessed and a shower felt appropriate but with his uncleanliness came the sensation of victory. The Mayfly was well and alive in the girl and clearly the line between her sanity and the bloodline was paper thin, threatening to overwhelm her. This girl would not survive the Kekkei Genkai's awakening as Leader insisted. Kakuzu felt victorious from the thought of it alone.

A full hour and shower later, Kakuzu decided to check in on the girl. He had not been alerted by Daora's shrieking so she obviously had made no attempt to run again, probably too occupied with her meal. When he exited the cabin, the first thing he noticed was the body, or lack there was. It had been completely dissembled, stripped to the bone with the limbs laying in a neat pile next to it. It did not appear a human child had eaten it but an entire pride of lions, impressing (and also disgusting) Kakuzu with the pounds of flesh she had consumed within such a short time frame. Sleeping beside the husk of a corpse was Zetsu, peacefully curled up in a sunny patch of grass with her clothing and skin soaked in blood and gore. She did not stir when he approached her nor when he scooped her up and tucked her beneath his arm. Daora stood from the spot it had been lounging and strutted to its master, returning to its cozy home in his back as Kakuzu carried Zetsu inside. As he walked back to the cabin, he paused to observe the bloody girl under his arm and sneered. He cursed Leader aloud for making him her babysitter. His only wish at this point was the Mayfly awoke, and soon.

…

AN: This chapter came out faster than I thought because in the last few days alone I was hit was a huge writing fever and wrote this entire chapter within that time. It's also better than I expected considering the quickness it took to write it.

For anyone curious about the names of Kakuzu's masks, they are all named after Elder Dragons from Monster Hunter. Daora, is from Kushala Daora, the Elder Dragon of Ice and Wind. The previously mentioned Teo, is from Teostra, the Elder Dragon of Fire. Also, the masks in this story will be represented more as minions to Kakuzu and each will possess its own unique personality. Just a friendly warning so no one is mad I fiddled with that canon too.

Anyway, the next chapter will not be so quickly produced because from here it will be nothing but training which will require a lot of research from my part. It will not last long, only a few chapters, maybe three at most and they will be mostly montages. After that, the Mayfly will be awakened and plot shall progress again. Within the next several chapters, in fact, a new member will be introduced. Get hyped.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Reviews are welcomed so long as they are consecutive, not destructive.

Next Chapter: Zetsu's training with Kakuzu begins.

Until next time.