AN: This shall be more training like the previous ones. It'll also be focused on character development, as it'll be the first interaction between Pein and Zetsu. But, it filler so you may skip to the ending of it. It is long since this chapter shall be covering three days and therefore three chapters in one. After this, however, we will be back to plot.
Shashabux: First off, thank you. Thank you so much for this perfect example of construction criticism. That said, I do admit that Konan is out-of-character currently and a motherly character (which she will exhibit throughout the entire fiction although not so much like now). However, she'll become less so as Zetsu matures and the Akatsuki expands. And Zetsu herself will gradually become more aware of the harsh realities of life, like murdering. This is a slow story in the beginning but the characters shall improve and reflect their real counterparts more so as the chapters progress. Again, thank you for your opinions and suggestions and I'll strive to improve this fiction using them.
Warning(s): Language (Mild), Genderbend (Low), Out of Character (Konan)
MESSAGE: This chapter has been corrected and reposted due to an error concerning one of Kakuzu's hearts. I incorrectly thought it was Earth element, due to his ability being called Earth Grudge Fear. Instead, it is his kinjustu, and the mask I thought Earth was Water. So, it has been corrected to the Water element and Dah'ren renamed to Amatsu. Sorry for this mistake.
…
Wasteland
Mayfly Arc
Chapter 17
In the upcoming months, the conclusion of the Third World War was in the horizon.
In rebellion for The Old Kusagakure Massacre, the Third Tsuchikage ordered a thousand shinobi in massive invasion towards Konohagakure. However, the death march was intercepted and exterminated by a single man known as Namikaze Minato, crippling Iwagakure's military indefinitely. Days later, the previously rumoured peace treaty between the nations was reluctantly signed by the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen and the Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, terminating further conflict. Sunagakure abruptly retired from the war due to unanticipated disaster of their leadership when the Third Kazekage and his decorated subordinate, monikered Akasuna-no-Sasori, vanished mysteriously into the night. Sunagakure's battered army was withdrawn from the battlefield and repurposed into an expansive search party that scoured the whole country in desperation. However, attempts thus far had been futile and whisperings of treachery quickly circulated.
Meanwhile, the Akatsuki was flourishing. Warmongers were clamouring for mercenary services and flocked towards the organization for their cheaper business. Even Sunagakure had petitioned them for assistance in searching for their precious Kazekage. Payments were voluminous but labour merciless as Kakuzu slaved alone, hardly with enough intermission for rest. Without the new stream of salary (and hearts), he would have quit and started his own financial empire as competition due to over.
Zetsu was discharged from the hospital after her last reconstructive procedure and month of bedrest, and Konan had persuaded—borderline threated, Pein to permit her 'maturity leave' to nurse the teenager back to health—arguing that cleaning and bandaging her lacerations between two to three times a day along with general care was a twenty-four job. Pein—Nagato reluctantly agreed. However, on the restriction of a single month since with the Mayfly activated, it had yet to be harnessed for the benefit of the Akatsuki. Konan begrudgingly agreed.
…
"There, finished." Konan announced as she finished cocooning Zetsu's waist with fresh bandages as per their morning routine and securely taped them together. "They aren't too tight, are they?"
"No." Zetsu answered, probing her fingertips beneath the bandages as evidence, before yanking her favourite pink shirt down to hide the dressings and smoothing out the cute puppy dog print on the front. She analyzed herself in the bathroom mirror and stroked her hands across her emerald locks which Konan had just trimmed back into her fancied burr cut. The extraction zones on her forearms had healed enough for the plasters to be removed yesterday and she also glanced at the perfectly rectangular scarring marring them.
"Ok. Now then, I've explained everything well enough, right? You understand how to clean your waist and bandage it by yourself?"
"Off, wash, medicine, small bandage, big bandage." She parroted the instructions Konan had rehashed to her, in own limited vocabulary, and further illustrated them with hand gestures such as patting her stomach and casting circular motions around her waist.
"And when to change them and take your medication?"
"Up time and bed time." She said, beaming with self-satisfaction.
Konan smiled, satisfied with her answers, though as simple as they were, and stood from her crouching position, scratching the girl's green, shavened head. However, her expression soured moments afterward and she heaved a drawn sigh while staring at Zetsu who mimicked her sudden dejection.
"Zetsu, I'm sorry I have to leave again, sweetheart. It'll be for a little awhile, I promise."
"…Ok." Zetsu said, glancing away to distract herself with the stray locks of her hair which littered the bathroom floor. The hesitation in her soft-spoken voice was obvious and Konan understood the reason intimately. Without her, Zetsu would be recruited back beneath Kakuzu's supervision—the man responsible with everything negative which had happened to her since she left Kusagakure and whom frightened her. Suddenly, Konan nudged her in her arms and Zetsu promptly cuddled herself into the woman's warm embrace, causing the blunette to squeeze her tighter although cautiously due to healing.
After several seconds, she released the adolescent and pecked her on the forehead, smiling. "You're such a strong girl. You'll be fine," Zetsu mirrored her smile, though awkwardly with her canines flashing. "Now, go have breakfast and take your medication. There's something I have to do before I leave, ok?"
"Ok."
She obediently left and Konan swept up the bathroom and disposed of the soiled bandages and supplies. Finished, she left the tidied bathroom herself and marched straight to the basement. Before, she had made the amateurish mistake of assuming Pein would be responsible for Zetsu. She would not make that mistake twice.
…
Pein had been reviewing pending commissions when Konan entered. She strutted up to his desk and wordlessly, chucked an assemblage of loose-leaf paper from her old Akatsuki cloak and onto his desk, causing his deskwork to be knocked to the ground. His ringed orbs focused on it, momentarily widening at its thickness before relieving back to their apathetic gaze as he stared deadpanned at his female partner and rested down his pen.
"Would you kindly explain to me what this is?"
"I've written everything down you'll need for Zetsu. I'm leaving and you must take responsibility for her this time." Konan explained, tapping her manicured nails against the blank cover while leering into the Rinnegan.
He sighed and spared her an empty stare. He should have known better. Everything with Konan entangled that girl nowadays. "Zetsu is not my responsibility, Konan. I am her superior, not her personal babysitter. Kakuzu is her supervisor. Address him about her."
"I do not trust Kakuzu."
"That is unfortunate. But, like said before, Kakuzu is her supervisor while you are gone. I am not. I will dictate him to give her appropriate care, however. That is all I shall do, nothing more." He sternly demurred her before hunching beneath his desk to rescue his precious paperwork from the floor yet again.
Konan sighed. It was a losing battle, but that did not mean she could not attempt to negotiate with him. "Can you at least assist her with her bandaging? She may have difficulty applying the bandage to her back and I'm positive she'll be too afraid to ask Kakuzu. She hasn't met you yet though. I do not want her intimidation to result in her grafts becoming infected. It would not beneficial towards her training." She tacked on the last part, knowing it would sway her other half towards her cause.
Pein straightened up, patting a rescued stack of paperwork against his knee to align it while thinking the request over. He laid it out on his broken desk and after another moment, nodded in agreement. "Alright. That I can do. But that only."
She sighed again. "Thank you."
Konan fetched her packed dufflebag she had smuggled underneath his desk while he fetched the packet and thumbed through it out of curiosity, glancing through the handwritten details which included Zetsu's dietary menu and dosage of medication, to her scheduled slumbertime and bathing. A majority of it was inconsequential to him so he made a mental note to deliver it to Kakuzu for his reference. For now, he set it aside alongside his current assignments.
"I'm leaving. I'll be back soon." She announced, shouldering her bag. Her partner responded with a dismissive grunt as he returned to shoveling his paperwork from the floor, not sparing her a glance as she marched up the stairwell of the basement to the main floor.
Konan entered the kitchen/dining room combination where Zetsu was seated at the dining table, preoccupiedly munching on jarred peaches which had previously mashed for her since grounding food was an impossibility with her canines. The girl perked up when a slender hand landed atop her head and she smiled through a mouthful of the pulverized fruit upwards at the woman. Konan returned the gesture, deciding to scold her later for such horrendous eating manners.
"I'm leaving now, can I have a hug goodbye?"
Zetsu responded without pause as she swallowed down the hefty bite before bouncing off the chair to eagerly oblige her request. The two exchanged a heartfelt hug for a minute before they separated and Konan kissed her forehead again.
"I've spoken to Leader and he has agreed to help you with anything and everything you might need. He's in the basement. Do not be afraid to ask him, alright?" Zetsu mutely agreed and Konan pinched her pale cheek affectionally before straightening as she readjusted the strap of her luggage. "I'll see you soon, I promise. Until then, be strong and behave."
The blunette walked towards the front door with Zetsu shadowing her like a puppy. Waving goodbye, she exited the cottage and the teenager scampered to the window, peering through the blinds and watching her departure through the enveloping clearing before vanishing into the thicket. Once gone, she muttered a disappointed whine before slinking off back to the dining table to finish her breakfast.
However, it was interrupted minutes later as a drowsy Kakuzu exited his room, stretching while yawning vehemently—the porcelain masks on his back shuttering and wriggling, mimicking his rousing. He swept his gnarled locks from his face and bloodshot orbs settled on Zetsu who stared back, lemoned eyes widened and spoon hovering frozen inches from her slacked mouth. He snorted, causing her to flinch and the yellow mush to tumble from the utensil back into the jar it originated from.
"You're awake. Konan is gone?" It was an open inquiry rather than forward questioning. His answer came from the lack of banshee screaming and thundering of heels against the hardwood floor towards him for being within the vicinity of the minor. "Great. Now—you and I can resume our training together." He continued, tongue thick with sarcasm. "So, finish eating and whatever else you must and go outside. If you are not outside before I am, you will be punished. Understood?" Immediately, she meekly nodded and he responded with more snorting. Obviously, her feeble courage had shattered without Konan present.
That said, he entered the bathroom for a much required shower while leaving her with the simple instruction. Unceasing missions had left his tanned skin and brown hair darkened further with dirt and dried blood since his rare breathers between were used collapsing from exhaustion or heeding his starving stomach. The scalding water alleviated his aching muscles and he salvaged it to the last drop. Once finished, he dried and dressed lightly before scouring up a simple breakfast of toast and butter which he shoveled into his cheeks before walking towards the front door. However, he paused once realizing he lacked a key item for his lessons and walked to his room to retrieve it before exiting with said object smuggled underneath his arm, cursing beneath his breath with the thought of having to return to playing tutor again.
Outside, Zetsu was seated cross-legged in the dirt clearance, plucking blades of grass from the ground while anxiously awaiting Kakuzu's arrival. His quaking footfalls impending behind her and she flinched as his vast shadow cloaked her. She peeked timidly upward at the hulking man who towered above her and he stared back, versicoloured eyes naked of his sunglasses. Predictably, she winced upon seeing his stitched scowl.
He withdrew something from beneath his arm and discarded it, causing her to flinch and scuttle back against his legs as it crashed to the ground in front of her in a plume of dirt. She stared at the unknown object, dubious about it and Kakuzu kicked her off, pointing towards it like scorning a mutt.
"It's a dictionary," He deadpanned—her ignorance astounding him. Konan might find it adorable, but he did not.
She recuperated and stared again, realizing it resembled a book like the ones Konan read to her at night although much larger and escorted by his persistent pointing, she warily approached it. The cardboard cover was decorated with golden lettering she assumed spelt 'dictionary' since her reading skills hardly spanned above three-lettered words and colours. It was heavy; too heavy for her so she settled with casting it open instead and fingering through the weathered pages which were printed with words upon words assembled with three letters and more she could not read nor fathom. It boggled her mind.
"I will not tolerate your toddler babble anymore," Kakuzu elaborated, sneering and crossing his muscled arms. "You will speak like a competent human being while underneath my supervision. Everyday, you shall read and learn new words until you are able to string together the simplest sentences by week's end. Failure to do so will result in punishment." The threatening was not missed by Zetsu as she stared upward at him with glimmering, saucered eyes. "Understood?"
She obediently nodded and he scowled. Obviously, he would have to revise his guidelines with her but just once, he excused it. Currently, he had more important manners to address instead of playing grammar police—resentfully training her again. He walked a few paces past her before halting and facing in her direction, craning his neck and arching his shoulders. His back bubbled and swelled as the threading underneath clustered together and slithered inside two of the masks installed there, detaching them as they protruded from his tunic collar. Twitching masses collapsed over his shoulders and clambered away before stalling as the living stitching assembled itself into two black creatures that experienced their first awakening.
One stood, far taller than Kakuzu himself with skinny, elongated limbs and flared shoulders where a demonic mask with a pronounced, yellow nose sat between. The second stretched out like a fat snake and sprouted stubby legs and flaccid arms that spanned its whole body with a simplistic, beaked mask. Upon release, both creations stretched and inhaled their first breathes like newborns—Kakuzu's new hearts, dubbed Amatsu and Rājan. Amatsu instantly scuttled to the sunbathed grassed area and laid itself in it like an old hound while Rājan positioned itself protectively over its wielder, rumbling like thunder. Their introduction was not for entertainment, however. Today, Kakuzu would resume training Zetsu and her Mayfly and with the activation of her Kekkei Genkai, the stakes had skyrocketed.
Once harnessed, she possessed a critical flight risk. She would have the capability to escape by phasing through the ground and erasing her chakra signature, rendering restoration borderline impossible. That was the reason Amatsu and Rajang were chosen to be present for these upcoming training sessions as Kakuzu had calculated these risks beforehand. Once Zetsu learned her Mayfly and if she attempted to flee, Amatsu would flood the section of earth she tried to tunnel herself through while Rajan's electricity would disable the natural chakra to render her Kekkei Genkai null and her unconscious before safely jarring her free. It might not work, but it was his best and one solution.
"Set the book aside, we're resuming our training today." Kakuzu instructed, swiping his finger. Zetsu listened as she tried to heave the dictionary aside. When that failed again, she resorted to shoving it through the dirt, causing the elder to cringe. It was old, perhaps older than him and while it was outdated, it was nonetheless valuable and he realized he would have to purchase another one to give her instead—a smaller one.
He approached her again with Rājan shadowing him and the teenager shrank underneath their silhouettes. "We aren't wasting anymore time with chakra exercise or history lessons. You've activated the Mayfly and you're going to practice activating it again. Understood?" She nodded and he promptly scowled, his hand coiling into a fist causing his knuckles bleach and crack. Rājan mimicked its creator seething as it bellowed lowly and blue static cackled through its black threading.
Thankfully, Zetsu realized her mistake before he had to physically correct her. "Y-Y-Yes, sir."
"Good," His hand slackened and Rājan mimicked him, sparkling shoulders slouching. "Do you remember activating your Mayfly?"
She stared blankly, eyebrows crinkled and Kakuzu realized she might not know what her own Kekkei Genkai was. Saying he was taken aback would be a blatant lie seeing dimness. However, a few moments later, a lightbulb apparently flickered on in the empty, cobwebbed depths of her head and she frowned. "Yes."
Skeptical. "Are you positive?"
"Yes," She reaffirmed, then clenched her sundered stomach and stared woefully away. "Hurt."
"Because you activated it incorrectly," He elucidated, apathetic towards her insignificant pain and suffering. It was nothing in comparison to his own due to lack of a hefty payout on her behalf. His finances would grieve forever. "You're going to activate it again—correctly now,"
Zetsu whimpered but was silenced with a snapping of the fingers. "Hush up. It'll be simple, even for your meager brain," He had wanted to bypass more lecturing but with her, obviously, it was inescapable, he realized. "Kekkei Genkai functions off the chakra pathways in certain locations in the body. Once awakened, it modifies the pathways to enable easier future activation. Activating it is like breathing; done without thought," He focused back onto her to discover her trademark, thousand-yard stare fixated on him and he heaved an exasperated sigh, shaking his head.
"Konan taught you chakra control, correct? Just do that but concentrate your chakra upon the point of activation which is—your waist?" He gestured towards her hideous, pink top and Zetsu glanced down before humbly nodding to confirm his question. "Yes. Then do that. I've paperwork to finish so I'll be absent from this little session. But, Rājan and Amatsu shall be present so if you attempt to flee or lollygag, you'll be punished once I return. Understood?"
"Y-Yes, sir." Kakuzu snorted in rare approval. Learning already.
With that, he departed back to the cabin, leaving behind Rājan and Amatsu to babysit. Amatsu merrily snoozed on while Rājan patrolled, pacing back and forth along the treeline and glowering at Zetsu. Everytime she procrastinated, whether by browsing the lexicon or becoming distracted by a random, crawling bug, it was met with distant snarling and bridling by the heart. It effectively startled her back to task of sitting still, since she was stumped about what she was supposed to be doing, while also steadily promoting her anxiety. As evident by her shivering and quivering lips. Eventually, Rājan was barking at her for breathing incorrectly or adjusting her weight and the teenager responded with erupting into waterfalls. Amatsu awakened from the commotion and waddled off to another spot to resume sleeping peacefully.
Hours later, Kakuzu returned, having finished an entire month of finances in that timeframe—a new record, and found Zetsu bawling outside, drenched in tears and snot. It was obvious that which transpired by the gnarled Rājan circling like a vulture and he sighed. He had foolishly thought leaving the girl to simple self-training and nannies would save him the effort of training her himself but he was dead wrong. He should have known better than taking the low road and lost an entire day because of it as the sun was setting in the horizon. He no one but himself to blame.
Begrudgingly, he sent Zetsu inside, sniffling with dictionary in hand, while he tranquilized Rājan and arose Amatsu. Hearts returned to their fleshy abodes, Kakuzu walked inside and back to his room to assuage himself with rebalancing his checkbook. Also, to conceive a new strategy with Zetsu's training. Assuming she knew how to 'concentrate' had been stupid indeed and if she were to activate the Mayfly again, he had to produce a new method. Intimidating it out of her again would result in her death this time, and he had to resist the urge to settle with that option. Leader would not appreciate it (neither would Konan) and Kakuzu had taken to his position in the Akatsuki.
Shaking his head, he sighed and combed back his riled hair before focusing on the spreadsheets laid on his desk. He'd rather fiddle with numbers and collect bounties any day than being a babysitter. Numbers did not lie and corpses did not speak. But alas, fate loved fucking with him like its personal plaything. His only prayer was it was worth all the agitation in the end and this girl was the goldmine Leader perceived her as.
…
Per usual, Pein was processing filing regarding random ongoings in Amegakure when the door atop the basement shrilled open. He paused, staring at the stairwell as the wooden steps creaked. The footsteps were too light to be Kakuzu, but too tentative to be Konan as the person stepped down gradually. It had to be Zetsu, he realized like Konan said and patiently waited, reclining in his chair with hands knotted. Eventually, the teenager descended the stairwell and emerged in the doorway, freezing instantly like a caught deer upon seeing Pein who stared back silently. She had bundles of various sized bandages and medicine bottles nestled in her gaunt arms and he remembered Konan's instruction. Zetsu said nothing, merely staring, and after several moments, he decided to break the awkward tension.
"Hello," He politely met. She did not return his pleasantries and his kindness apparently disturbed her further as she squeezed the supplies in her arms, eyes bugling towards him. It was not unexpected. While they heard of one another, neither had met the other personally (except once on Pein's side when Kakuzu first brought her in) and it was the equivalent of meeting a stranger. "Konan said you might need assistance." Upon the mentioning of Konan's name, it tranquilized Zetsu slightly as her shoulders and eyelids lolled and she relieved her death-like grasp upon the medical stock.
Reluctantly, she stepped forward and Pein thoughtfully relocated a stack of paperwork elsewhere so she could place down her items on his desk. She rested the materials on the donated corner, eyes downcast as she randomly arranged them but he took no offense. He acknowledged his bizarre appearance and their alienation.
"We've have not met before so we should introduce ourselves to each other. I'm well aware of you however, Zetsu, so I'll introduce myself instead. I'm founder and director of the Akatsuki. You shall address me as Leader."
"Yes, sir—" Came Zetsu's programmed response before she realized her mistake and scrambled to correct herself, instinctively shrinking back. "L-Leader." Pein blinked, but said nor did anything.
"Requiring help with your dressings?" He assumed, given the containers and gauze she brought with.
"Yes, sir—L-Leader." She winced. He quirked an orange eyebrow, but again, did not correct her.
"Alright. What exactly are you needing help with?"
"Bandage."
"Bandage?"
She abruptly lifted her sleeping shirt up—causing Pein to cringe as Nagato flinched away from the unexpected flashing—displaying the new bandage she had applied by herself beforehand below her navel. Pre-pubescence rendered nothing to be seen but he averted his eyes out of respect. She lowered it, letting Nagato to breathe again as Pein inhaled, and she indicating behind her. "Back."
"I'm able to do that." He said, voice edged due to his startle and cleared his throat while recollecting himself back to his impersonal self. "What do I do?"
"Off, wash, medicine, small bandage, big bandage." She sped through, pointing to each respective object which corresponded with her chanting before gesturing towards her stomach and hips. He memorized each in order along with her vague flailing and nodded. He had tended to his own wounds before so it was easy enough to replicate.
"Alright. You said your back, correct? May I see?" Zetsu faltered before turning around and hiking her shirt up her back and lowering the waistband of her shorts a bit.
The basement was illuminated by the orange glow from a single lantern hung from the ceiling beams but even in the dimness, the grotesque abrasion on her back was perfectly visible. Konan had informed him about Zetsu's double skin grafting and it explained the perfectly oblong, squared patch stapled onto her back. The donated skin was discoloured purple and the mesh base visible underneath but slow healing was evident. Her waist was riddled with further stapling and stitching where she had bisected herself and the vertical lacerations where the Mayfly had pierced through. It was graphic and Nagato experienced an inkling of sympathy for the girl but Pein betrayed nothing.
He presumed the steps "Off" and "Wash" had been done by her beforehand so he proceeded on with "Medicine". He retrieved the tube of doctor prescribed cream and squeezed a dollop of the white substance onto his fingers. It smelt like aloe vera and tingled faintly on his skin. Carefully, he applied it to the trauma and Zetsu winced. He smeared the ointment evenly along the border of the graft and the seam of her waist where he hypothesized she had not been able to apply it herself. During which, the anxiety persisted between them and Pein decided to disrupt it with idle conversation.
"Did Kakuzu resume your training today?" He attempted. It was lame, he acknowledged that, but Nagato had never been a social person, leaving the talking to Konan and Yahiko and now was no different—although marginally easier behind his guise.
"Yes."
"Did you make progress with your Mayfly?"
"No, s—Leader." She was honest, at least.
He finished medicating her and fetched the smaller bandage according to her which was gauze patch. He folded it out and laid it onto her implant, the lotion behaving like a paste and cementing the swathe in place. Then, with the last step, he reeled out a length of bandage and laid it onto the patch before enveloping it around her waist with the girl's assistance. He made three layers before tearing it off and taping it into place.
"Is it too tight?" He inquired, lightly tugging on it to confirm it was not pitching into her skin.
She shook her head and fixed her shirt and shorts before facing him. She mumbled her appreciation before gathering the materials into her arms then as quickly as she came, she scurried out the basement. Pein stared at her retreating back as she vanished through the doorway and heard her stampede up the stairwell and the door above thrown shut. Once gone, he returned to his paperwork but after a few minutes, he paused and smiled.
"Sir Leader?" He chuckled to himself and resumed writing. "Has a certain ring to it."
…
Next morning, Zetsu was seated outside again, idly browsing through the weathered pages of the dictionary Kakuzu had given her while waiting for said person to arrive. Rājan and Amatsu were present, having been ordered outside to babysit the adolescent while their master prepared for his training lesson that day. Rājan glowered at her from the flickering shade of a tree while Amatsu dozed, sprawled in the sunlight. She minimized herself behind the grand book in response to the mask's painted gaze pinpointed onto her and attempted to read.
Awhile later, Kakuzu finally appeared, haggard and defaulted to grumpiness. He had spent several hours the previous night brainstorming on effortless methods of training Zetsu and due to that, had achieved a few hours of sleep at most. It was obvious too, as he wore his bandana over his tangled, brown locks and his sunglasses to shield his sleep deprived eyes accompanied with his trademark scowl. Rājan friendly snorted as its host and mimicked his advancing while Zetsu shrank away like a groveling pup between them.
Kakuzu noticed the heavyset book she had lugged outside with her and he speculated she thought it a mandatory prop to their training when he remembered his little reading assignment for her.
"Girl, speak—now." He instructed, pointing at the dictionary opened on her lap.
She blinked upward at him for a second before realizing his request and stared at the textbook, hesitating while searching the printed gibberish which was enough of an answer for him. He removed the notebook tucked beneath his arm and brought it against the side of her head in a single, blurred swoop. She yelped out and toppled onto her side, scrunching into a fetal positioned while shielding her stinging face. Salt sprinkled into the wound as he tossed the pad onto her crumpled form.
"Up. That hardly hurt you."
Zetsu straightened up and uncovered the inflicted area, revealing a red, highlighted imprint on her ashen skin where the metal spiraling of the notebook had struck her. Kakuzu ignored her sniffling and instead addressed the notepad he had brought with by pointing at it. She flinched and stared at it, replicating her hesitation as she had with the dictionary and again, he had to painstakingly explain to this mentally handicapped child.
"It's a notebook. Konan taught you about origami, correct?"
"Yes, sir—"
"And how to activate it with chakra?"
"Yes, sir?"
"You're going to be making origami like she taught you," Immediately, Zetsu brightened upon hearing this. "But instead, concentrate your chakra into the point of activation of the Mayfly." Obviously, the detailing had failed in translation by his student's scrunched brow and frown.
He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose underneath his sunglasses. He could not blame her this time, however. It sounded more idiotic aloud than it had in his sleep deprived head but it was the best he had thought up. He hated admitting anything Konan had taught her was beneficial but Leader had left him stranded trying to train a girl about a Kekkei Genkai which he did not possess himself. It was like trying to describe colour to a blind person while being blind yourself.
"Just activate the origami using the activation point in your pelvis while simultaneously concentrating it to activate the Mayfly again," He sighed and leisurely crossed his arms. "If you successfully awaken your Mayfly, you'll be rewarded."
Zetsu tilted her head. "What?"
Kakuzu snorted. So, she had learned a new word afterall. "You'll get it if you activate your Mayfly and on that condition. Now, do that and do not think this is just arts and crafts. I'll be observing this lesson and slouching shall be punished. Understood?"
"Yes, sir."
Satisfied, he left to the woodland border with Rājan stalking behind and seated himself against the trunk of a tree, far enough to leave install a false thought of security in the teenager while being within view of one another. Zetsu stared at him like a fidgety rodent for a manner of minutes before she finally separated her gaze from him and focused it on the journal he had left. It was a spare with the pages unblemished and while he execrated wasting supplies, it had taken a lot of self-convincing that permitting her use it for origami was a decent enough cause. Although, he could not help the unconscious grimace racked from him when she tore out the first, perfectly useable page and proceeded to raze it with deliberate wrinkles.
Her first creation was a flower which she bloomed in her palm and grinned before setting aside to fold something new. She made a crane next and it flexed its blank wings before joining the other craft. Kakuzu passively watched Zetsu as she made artwork after artwork and activated each with chakra, causing them to briefly rouse to live before being scrapped. However, it was made obvious she had either did not understand his instruction—which he was not surprised, or, was purposely ignoring him when she used her hands to cluster her chakra instead of her abdomen. Either or, it was not appreciated.
"Girl," Zetsu flinched and glanced up from her croaking paper frog at Kakuzu who pointed at her once again. "Use the activation point in your stomach—your stomach."
She blinked and peered at her stomach before returning her stare onto him as she positioned the frog against her abdomen instead. He nodded then sighed which dissolved into yawning as he reclined back against the tree to resume drowsily observing her. The idea was if she amalgamated her chakra into the general region of the Mayfly, it would trigger the Kekkei Genkai into activating again—correctly. That was the idea, anyway.
She dumped the amphibian onto the stack of trashed origami and yanked out a new page which she made into another crane. However, this time, it did not activate instantly like the rest did and remained motionless as she cradled it against her stomach like advised. Zetsu frowned when nothing happened and tried again, not pinpointing her "chakra" into her hands but her abdomen instead—tried. There was nothing by lack of reaction from the white bird and warm prickling in her belly and her frowning deepened. She could not understand. She could make the birdie flap-flap with the hot in her hands but not her tummy? Maybe the birdie was broken. So, she tossed it and made something else.
Kakuzu watched on as the girl constructed another flower and attempted again to stimulate it which failed. She tried for a few minutes before trashing it in favour of folding something new. This cycle carried on for awhile of her crafting a new piece then attempting to animate it, only to give up after a few minutes and ditch it to make something else and try again. Eventually, there was a growing pile of abandoned origami beside her and she had begun focusing so hard at one point her face was shaded crimson, prompting a lethargic Kakuzu to interrupt before she fainted or broke a blood vessel.
"Don't push yourself, girl. You're going to kill yourself." Zetsu's face paled back to its original colour from the revelation.
By evening, she had emptied the notebook of all its pages and had not activated her Mayfly—only succeeding in littering her crude origami everywhere. Kakuzu was infuriated and communicated this by delivering a solid punch against her cheek which sent her soaring against the porch of the cabin. He struck her with the hard-covered dictionary for extra measure. She limped back inside, whimpering and bleeding while he cleaned up her mess—and by cleaning he meant going to sleep while leaving Daora to huff them away in the wind.
…
Pein glanced at the clock while idling clicking his pen and reclining in his chair. He was taking a breather from continuous stream of paperwork and patiently awaiting Zetsu to arrive so he could assist her again with her evening bandaging. However, tonight she was later than she had been the previous night and he was curious of her wellbeing. It could be that Kakuzu was training her into the late hours, or she had neglected to remember. Although, he found himself doubting both.
It wasn't until a half-an-hour later that the cellar door screeched open and the stairwell groaned with modest stepping. Zetsu tiptoed down, bandages and medication in hand, and upon witnessing the juvenile's face, Pein inhaled sharply between his teeth.
"Dear me," He sighed, setting his pen down again. "Are you alright, Zetsu?" She wavered before nodding which he obviously did not believe. He ushered her forward and after a moment, she abided and inched toward him, eyes averted downward at her bare feet. The sparkling, green polish Konan had painted on her toes was chipping off.
Pein analyzed her bruising which was an ugly purple and yellow, visible even in the dim lighting and spanned her cheek and splattered across her forehead. There was even a peculiar lined pattern scraped alongside her eye. Kakuzu's handiwork. He sighed again and cupped her cheek, causing her to flinch back before settling in when a refreshing warmth and greenish glowing bathed her skin. His hand traveled against the map of bruising and healed it. After a few seconds, he removed his hand and gently tilted her face around in search of anymore damage.
"Feeling better?" She nodded. He believed it and released her. "Good. Konan does not have to know about this, alright?" Konan would metaphorical kill him if she knew he was permitting treatment of Zetsu by Kakuzu like this. He made another mental note to speak to tanned man about his 'methods' of discipline.
"Yes, sir." Her eyes widened automictically but he hushed her by lifting his hand before she could correct herself and smiled shortly.
Like that morning, it was quiet between them as he changed her wrappings. Although, it was a comfortable silence as Zetsu was relaxed unlike their first meeting and Pein felt no need to sedate her with conversation—much to Nagato's unspoken relief. He finished up with applying a length of tape on the new bandaging and she fixed her penguin printed shirt before shoveling the leftover supplies into her arms. Instead of leaving, however, she stared at Pein who responded with a quirked eyebrow.
"Something amatter, Zetsu?" She did not respond as she frowned and her eyebrows scrunched instead like she was struggling internally. "You can share. I will not judge you."
She averted her gaze momentarily before returning it to him and after another minute of staring, she spoke. "Help?"
"Help?"
"Help."
"You require help?" She nodded but did not elaborate which Pein did not pressure her to do since he doubted she could anyway with her limited vocabulary. "I'm willing to help you with whatever it is."
His answer sufficed enough that she left, sprinting up the stairwell and yanking the door closed behind. Pein waited, curious what she requested further help for as he shuffled around paperwork and twiddled his thumbs. Several minutes later, the door reopened but the footfalls upon the wooden stairs were heavier and slow, unlike the girl's cautious stepping. Instead, it was trademark of Kakuzu's tramping. It made him surmise he had arrived in the meantime to speak with him instead and expected the behemoth man to crouch though the doorway any second. However, it was not Kakuzu, it was Zetsu, heaving along a huge book. She scuttled through the doorway and Pein hardly managed to relocate a stack of folders before she dropped it onto his desk. It instantly lurched beneath the gargantuan novel and he caught when it bowed in half and hoisted back together. It astounded him she managed to carry it from the main floor to the basement since he estimated it weighed approximately as much as she did.
"Zetsu, what is this?" Pein asked. Obviously, he realized it was a dictionary and he should have been specific with his questioning, like: why do you have dictionary? Had Kakuzu given it to her?
"Read." Zetsu answered.
"Read?"
She opened the leather cover and fingered to a random page before staring up at him. "Read?"
He blinked and glanced at the page which was just a random assortment of words beginning with the letter 'A'. He could not understand why she wanted to read a dictionary. If he was correct, she had plenty of children books Konan had purchased for her. If he were a betting man, he'd say it was Kakuzu's doing since how else would she have gotten the dictionary (a rather decrepit dictionary) and was so hellbent to read it?
His first reaction was a reject her. He had enough work as it was and he did not need to be playing teacher atop that. Especially, not that when it was Kakuzu's assignment. However, his resolve crumbled slight upon witnessing the girl's puckered bottom lip and large eyes staring at him. They reminded him of the saying about puppy dog eyes as Nagato experienced flashbacks of Chibi and how he would plead for food or affection using the same method. The comparison amplified her sniveling and Pein sighed, flicking his lip piercing with his thumb. Perhaps he could sacrifice a few minutes on his evening to read her a couple words. Just enough it satisfied whatever assignment Kakuzu had given her. Just this once and never again would he be so kind.
"Alright," He retrieved the cumbersome book and replaced it in front of him. Zetsu smiled and rounded the desk to peek around his shoulder. "Which word would you like to do first?"
…
Zetsu seated herself in the dirt, swiping her finger down the page of the dictionary while she mumbled crude pronunciations of each word under her breath. Sir—Leader, had taught her the pronunciations and definitions of a handful of random words the previous night and it had perked her interest. There were lots of colourful words, more so than the simple ones in her storybooks and all meant something different or the same. Who knew there were different words for the colour blue? Or have hunger? She wanted to learn all the words now—and not because Kakuzu had threatened her to.
Speaking of that devil, Kakuzu exited the cottage, combing his damp hair underneath the collar of his trench coat and finishing his piece of buttered toast. He stepped behind Zetsu, who did not notice as her eyes remained glued to the dictionary pages. It captured his curiosity, more so with her whispering of broken words underneath her breath and he quirked his head against his shoulder. So, she had taken interest in reading and learning speech, had she? Only if she did so also with reactivating with the Mayfly also—he thought with a snort which succeeded in startling said person as her head jolted upward at him and she stared at those trademark, widened eyes. He did not apologize.
"Word." He ordered, snapping his fingers.
Unlike yesterday, the teenager did not falter. Instead, her attention returned to the dictionary as she flipped back through the pages in search of a word she had practiced with Leader. After a few moments, she settled on one and rested her finger underneath it as her tongue toiled to pronounce it.
"A-A-As—Az—or? Az—ore. Azure."
Kakuzu perked an eyebrow. "Azure?"
"Azure." She confirmed, smiling and obviously proud of herself. However, he was suspicious she hadn't learned this herself.
"Definition?"
"B-Blue?"
"Use it in a sentence." Zetsu's smile vanished instantly.
He sighed but found himself incapable of becoming irritated with her about it. He was dubious about her ability to learn such complicated words like 'azure' by herself but she had learned one nonetheless so he gave her the tiniest credit. However, it did not excuse her failure with his last request and he flicked her in the forehead, causing her shield the impacted area and whine.
"Please, that did nothing. Now set aside the dictionary. We're returning to training the Mayfly." Lord, he felt like a broken record.
He whistled and gestured at Rājan, who understood its host's unsaid directions. It lumbered over to a tree and plucked off the largest leaf to be found before walking to Kakuzu. He accepted it and Rājan returned to dozing alongside Amatsu. He walked to Zetsu who flinched reactionarily and squeezed shut her eyes when he pressed it against her forehead until the foliage struck against her skin. It remained there for a few seconds before fluttering off and into her cupped hands, leaving behind a red mark in its image.
"We're returning to chakra concentration training today, girl." He explained, pointing at the leaf. "Your ability to focus your chakra is abysmal. Konan taught you how to circulate charka into your hands but nowhere else. That is the purpose of this practice. It's been awhile since we did it last so I'll remind you what to do." He snatched the leaf and jabbed it back against her forehead. "Balance the leaf on your forehead and focus on it. Nothing else. Close your eyes, breathe and purge everything from your empty head except that leaf. It'll sharpen your ability to focus and permit your chakra to circulate throughout you and into it. Understood?"
It sounded foolishly, backtracking like this instead of repeating yesterday's practice but he didn't need the girl maiming herself again trying to activate the Mayfly. It was wiser to retort simpler practices until she mastered her chakra control. How long that might take—perhaps forever. But, not like he had much of a choice but to wait. Damn Leader for everything.
"Yes, sir." She answered, toying with the green petal once it fell off again.
Kakuzu left it and walked to join Rajan and Amatsu in their snoozing underneath the wavering shadows of the forest. He fetched a novel from his jacket pocket and flipped through to his bookmarked spot, occasionally gazing at Zetsu to analyze her process. She struggled at first to balance the leaf on her forehead without pressure at it repeatedly danced off. He was about to do it himself again when she finally figured out how to keep it on by tilting her head back. Although, he could not imagine it being comfortable and her retaining that position for long and expected her to squirm about within a few minutes. However, it apparently did not as she remained like that, convincing him she had fallen asleep but he did not interfere for the slim chance she was concentrating. He hushed his doubt about it.
This was not a training session which could be done in a few minutes so he read through his book while peering at her. She sat still for an hour straight, legs crossed and arms resting limply in her lap while her spine was erect with her head resting backwards against her shoulders. Her mouth was agape and he was leering for the presence of drool to confirm his suspicions she had nodded off so he could jar her awake. There was none and another hour ticked away by evidence of the sunlight shifting the angle of the trees' silhouettes.
It was a peaceful and silent day so there was nothing to distract Zetsu and Kakuzu had kept himself perfectly still since his slightly movements would startle her. Again, she may have fallen asleep, which he could not rule out since he was unable to detect her chakra movements. The Mayfly made hosts' chakra system invisible, even to the most acute of chakra sensors and since he was not one, there was nothing he could about that little trait of the bloodline. So, returned to his novel.
He lingered on it as the plot's tension heightened and went without checking on the minor for awhile. Suddenly, Rājan snorted. Kakuzu ignored it, assuming the heart creature had been distracted by a questionable movement in the distance. It resumed snorting, however, like a panting bull and the elder finally separated himself from his book to locate the source of the its distress. He glared at it first before glancing at Zetsu in case she had fallen over asleep or was sidetracked by that damned dictionary again. Instead, it was neither of those things and his jaw metaphorically dropped at the sight instead.
Sprouting from her waist were green, sharpened appendages. Kakuzu recognized it as being the same which had activated that morning she had accidently bisected herself. It was the Mayfly.
He remained motionless, afraid that getting up to walk to her would interrupt whatever trance she had fallen into and cause the vegetation to either retract or sunder her again. He observed instead as they inched from underneath her shirt, phasing through the bandages around her waist like they were surfacing from water. They stretched upward, over her abdomen and towards her shoulders like groping fingers. It felt like it was an instant to Kakuzu but the process took approximately an hour as they sluggishly grew out. They made it to their destination as the pointed tips reached the height of her shoulders—then stopped. He waited patiently but they made no more movement outward nor did they return.
Cautiously, Kakuzu set aside his book and stood, his old knees cracking at the motion. Zetsu did not flinch at the subtle noise or when he shuffled to her as she stayed in the position she had drifted off in. It wasn't until he removed the leaf off her forehead that her caramel orbs rolled open and widened upon him standing about her. Before she could do anything, mainly panic and harm herself, he pressed his finger to lips, signaling her to hush. She blinked and eyebrows crinkled together, evidently puzzled by the request.
"Shh. Don't panic, girl. Listen to me—I want you to lower your head slowly. Understood?"
She swallowed thickly. "Y-Yes, sir."
He pointed downward and she slowly followed his head until witnessing the digit-like vegetation protruding from her waist. She gasped and he prepared himself for them to suddenly withdraw in her frenzy and there to be a bloodbath like last time. Thankfully, it never came and they persisted undisturbed outside her body, even while Zetsu fretted with hysteria. Kakuzu inspected her physical representation of the Mayfly.
It was different from the Mayfly Man's where it vaguely resembled a Venus Flytrap as he rounded her and saw the bottoms of the extremities had fused together into a cocoon-like webbing. They were thick and riddled with veins, mimicking muscles while the insides were fleshier and secreted a clear, syrup-like liquid that emitted numbing scent. It could be poisonous like the Mayfly Man had wielded so he refrained from touching it or inhaling its smell too deeply. Instead, he prodded the exterior and the extension flinched away, shuttering before reclining back into its original position. It did not splash him with the fluid or attempt an assault. Due to this, he hypothesized Zetsu's Mayfly functioned as a defensive mechanism rather than offensive like the Mayfly Man had and it had been partially reason it had prematurely activated before. This was his first encounter with the bloodline without being the midst of battle and it was an educational experience.
However, while Zetsu had managed to activate it, deactivating would be another question now. He wasn't positive how she had achieved it, but now she would have to undo it. Otherwise, they would have a larger problem on their hands—one without a simple solution.
"Girl," Zetsu stared at Kakuzu with clouded eyes. "Are you pained? Or dying?" She sniffled but indicted she did not by shaking of her head. "Hush up then. Crying will achieve nothing."
He searched upon the ground around his boots for the leaf he had flicked away. Upon locating it, he rescued it and attached it back to her forehead. As he did, the branches of her Mayfly migrated towards his hand, the honed tips scrapping his skin before he wrenched it back to which they relaxed back into their original positions. It appeared it was not as passive as he had assumed, he realized as he scratched his grazed wrist.
"You activated the Mayfly. Now, you must deactivate it. Repeat the process before. Afterward, you may return to your pathetic bawling. Understood?"
"Yes, s-sir…"
He returned to his location and scrutinized her while the teenager rearranged herself. She mimicked the steps she had performed before, balancing the piece of foliage on her forehead by slouching her head backward then shutting her eyes. It went silent, the sole noise originating from the trees as the wind rustled the branches and leaves against one another and the occasional snoring from Amatsu. He kept his gaze on her Mayfly, patiently awaiting the bloodline to retract. It made no movement except the occasional twitch and shutter from the gust. Minutes ticked by and regardless of himself, Kakuzu became somewhat anxious. If Zetsu could not disable the Mayfly, there would be a larger issue on their hands and he did not know how to solve it. He had barely guided the girl to triggering the bloodline without resorting to more self-maiming, afterall.
To distract himself, he returned to his book and gazed at her every few pages. This progress repeated for another series of hours as his rather lengthy novel neared its finish and the daylight dimmed into evening. He lifted his bloodshot vision for the umpteenth time and narrowed his eyes to perceive his pupil in the dwindling light to investigate her process. It was difficult to decipher, but he swore the Mayfly appeared shorter than it once was by an inch or two. Although, it might be his imagination. He returned to reading and when he checked again, it was shorter again and he convinced himself it had not been his old mind playing tricks on him as he pocketed the book again to watch. Minutes crawled by—then, the flytrap teeth abruptly diminished a few inches more. Kakuzu withheld a sigh. Little by little, the Kekkei Genkai returned to wherever it had been summoned and vanished from sight.
By hour's end, the greenery had withered away back inside Zetsu and he gave it a few minutes more before rousing her out of her trance. Her honey orbs opened and immediately, she averted them from Kakuzu and downward at herself, searching for the Mayfly. She clamoured to her feet and patted herself down for any questionable bumps and hiked up her shirt to observe her bandages which were undisturbed from the bloodline. When there was nothing, she giggled and smiled. He had seen her smile before, but never in his presence and never had he heard her laugh. It was such a genuinely joyous sound which enlightened people. Rājan made a retching noise in the background to vocalize Kakuzu's feelings. Most people.
Her beartrap smile gleamed upward at him and he snorted. However, her grinning disappeared when he suddenly lifted his gloved hand above her head. She anticipated being struck—the reason she didn't know (but did he need one?)—and squeezed closed her eyes, preparing herself for the harsh impact and pain. It never came and instead, his hand landed roughly atop her head once, then twice, then a third time without stopping. Hesitantly, she peeked at him and realized he was not hitting her, but patting her—although rather hard as her head jerked with each landing of his large hand. It lasted for several seconds before Kakuzu removed his hand. Zetsu resumed looking at him with her traditional vacant stare and after a few awkward seconds, he lifted his fist to his mouth as he cleared his throat.
"You've done well. You managed to activate the Mayfly, but also deactivate it without problem." He admitted. "It'll be second nature for you with more practice. Much, much more practice."
"Yes?" She chirped, arching her head sideways like an inquisitive owl.
He sighed, folding his arms. "Yes." Lord, he hated praising her for little things like Konan did.
"Reward?"
His sunglasses veered down the bridge of his nose as he gave her the flattest look he could muster. Her timid smile faltered again and his eyelids fluttered as his eyes rolled underneath them before he readjusted his dark spectacles. "Yes, yes. You'll receive your reward by week's end for awakening the Mayfly like promised." Her smile reinforced itself upon the confirmation and she bounced again. "Now inside. Training today is finished. We'll resume tomorrow and you'll practice with your bloodline further. Get."
Zetsu hoisted the rented dictionary into her frail arms and scurried inside the cabin without being told twice while Kakuzu recalled Rājan and Amatsu before hiking after her.
…
Kakuzu trudged down the basement stairwell, hunched over awkwardly to cram his broad frame inside the narrow passageway. Below was alit with a mellow light, indicting Leader was vigilant and working, like always. Although, the darker male had never walked in on him sleeping since it seemed he never did—or eat, or bathe. Actually, he had never seen him perform any basic human needs, but that was a conversation for another day. He entered the claustrophobic office where the occupying false deity had set aside his paperwork momentarily, having heard and felt his visitor's descent.
"Good evening, Kakuzu." Leader greeted, hands folded neatly atop his desk. "I'm appreciative you are here. I've a few topics to discuss with you."
Kakuzu seated himself in the cheap, foldout chair at his superior's desk, the metal bending further beneath his weight. "Such a coincidence, because I have something to share with you also."
"About Zetsu?"
"She activated and deactivated the Mayfly—successfully."
Leader's Rinnegan temporarily dilated upon the response. "Did she? If so, this is substantial progress. While it is the first step, at this pace, she'll prefect the Kekkei Genkai sooner than we could have anticipated. Brilliant job, Kakuzu."
"Thank you." Kakuzu replied, deciding against mentioning the fact that he hadn't a clue what he had done or was doing. He'd just keep that to himself.
"Since we on this topic, I have something to give you." He rescued a swollen folder from his stronghold of paperwork before resting it in front of his employee who stared at it in mild curiosity but practiced restraint. "Konan left this for you."
"What is it?"
"Notes on Zetsu." He picked up homemade notebook and searched through the individual papers tied together with string. "Everything Konan considered important need-to-know information. Her dietary menu, including specific meal times—the appropriate bed time and morning time along with her morning schedule—time limit of her bathing and grooming such as teeth brushing and method of brushing and—why are you leaving?" Leader gazed up from his reciting of the jottings, just now having noticed that Kakuzu had gotten up from his chair and was walking towards the exit.
"I'm not that girl's caretaker and I refuse to be. If Konan wants to baby this child, then she can play mother to her." The brunette grumbled, one hand poised on the brass doorknob which bent within his tightening grip while he glowered at the closed door.
"Yes, I understand this, Kakuzu, but—would you kindly return so we can speak?" The ginger insisted when the other male wrenched open the door and proceeded with mounting the ascending steps.
"Tomorrow. I'm too tired for this shit tonight."
"Kakuzu, I've more to speak to you about—"
"Tomorrow. Good night, Leader."
"Sir Leader, to you."
Kakuzu paused and stepped backward to stared at Leader through the doorway. "Excuse me?"
"Sir Leader. That shall be what you will address me." Leader answered, bizarrely proudly almost. It was such an odd revelation but he was too exhausted to question him about or correct him as he resumed upward to the main floor, calling down his own answer to the new nickname in an exasperated sigh.
"Whatever."
…
AN: Again, I apologize for the wait on this chapter. Seems I've done nothing but do that between each chapter but writing is difficult when you are writing essays upon essays ever semester. It murders your muse like you wouldn't believe it. But, no more essays until Fall. Currently doing Math and I want nothing but to write to separate myself from the misery of it. Needless to say, Math is not my strong subject.
Anyway, I am proud to proclaim this is the last chapter of filler and training. No more training. Ok, there will be more training obviously but entire chapter will not be dedicated to it. More so as training montages now in each chapter which Zetsu has yet to prefect or even unlock the capabilities of the Mayfly. Now, it is just plot and character development.
No BETA. So, sorry for all grammar mistakes and misspellings.
Next Chapter: Zetsu's first mission with…?
Until next time.