AN: This chapter shall be a two-parter, stretched across a single mission. Once it is done, we will enter the second arc.
Cats Beats: I'm so pleased you like this story so much and thank you for adding it to your favourites! Answering your question: It shall be something saved for while she progresses her Mayfly. I do not want to spoil anything now. But basically, a lot of her original abilities shall be included along with a few new ones. Thank you again!
Guest: I'm glad you love it and do not fret, I will not abandon it! It is just some updates take longer due to real life problems.
Warning(s): Violence/Death (Low), Language (Medium), Genderbend (Low), Out of Character (Konan)
…
Wasteland
Mayfly Arc
Chapter 18
A straight month of diplomatic meetings, overseeing construction, and overdue assassinations of evasive associates to Hanzō had left Konan physically exhausted. Anxiety every waking moment over Zetsu's wellbeing with Kakuzu had left her mentally exhausted. If she hadn't lacked sleep for three days, she would have sprinted from Amegakure back to their current hideout. Instead, she resorted to a sleep deprived shuffle through the putrid swamps which gradually blossomed into lush forest. It took approximately a half day's travel but she had made it back before night had fallen and swallowed her in darkness. As she navigated through the dense thicket towards their inconspicuous cabin, amongst the rustling leaves and distant animal noises, there a sole voice echoing in the direction she was traveling.
She treaded closer and identified the low, roughness belonging to none else but Kakuzu. Although, his speech she could not distinguish until a few steps more.
"Throw—wrong. Throw—wrong." Konan frowned. What could he be talking about?
She resumed walking through the wooded area until she broke through the treeline and witnessed Kakuzu and his ongoings. He was standing in the sunny clearing with a bizarre, winged monstrosity huddled against his leg and Zetsu positioned several meters in front. Again, he muttered that single word—or evidently commanded as suddenly, the black threaded creature inhaled, briefly ballooning like an inflatable decoration and hissing as it spewed out a rock from its curved beak with a huff of condensed wind. The projectile flew out faster than the human eye could follow and collided with Zetsu's head causing the teenager to yelp and prance about while clenching the impacted area.
Kakuzu audibly snorted. "Wrong. Throw." The heart gobbled up another rock piled beside it but before it could heed, Konan intervened.
"What are you doing!?"
The tanned man scowled from the unwelcomed interruption and glowered at the woman stampeding towards him while Daora whined, conflicted if it should launch another rock like told as it nibbled on the pebble in its beak.
"Konan!" Zetsu squealed, intercepting Konan with a soaring hug before she could interrogate Kakuzu about his latest method of torture.
The blunette caught the girl and was bewildered when she had to implement an ounce of strength to heave her up unlike before. She had been so light when she left, like a feather, but she had gained weight while Konan was gone and her skin tone was naturally pale instead of ghastly white. She couldn't have fattened up on mushed fruit and oatmeal, could she? Either or, she was pleased she was healthier now and in no obvious pain from her incident as she bounced about.
"Hello, Zetsu, sweetheart." Zetsu grinned upward at her. Her face smeared in dirt and littered with scratches and red welts with her right eyelid was swollen closed.
"Hello, Konan." Kakuzu greeted politely, snapping his fingers towards Daora who abandoned the rock it had been toying with to return to its host's back. Konan sneered towards him, releasing her affectionate attacker.
"What are you doing?"
He crossed his muscled arms, casually heaving his shoulders into a shrug. "Training."
"How is this training!?" She demanded, gesturing towards Zetsu's blotched face. He snorted again, bemused. She thought this bad yet, she would have had a heart attack earlier when he was pushing his little apprentice against trees and the ground while screaming at her to phase using the Mayfly. It hadn't been successful.
His lips quirked back into a stitched smirk. "Well, while you were gone, the girl activated her Mayfly." He snapped his fingers again and pointed at his student who instantly came to attention. "Girl, show Konan the Mayfly."
"Yes, sir!" Zetsu chirped, not yielding but rather eager to share her progress with her guardian.
She backed away from Konan so she wasn't caught in the wide area of effect of her Kekkei Genkai. She inhaled and closed her eyes, arms flexed against her chest. There was a moment of silence and stillness before suddenly, there was an odd noise emitting from her like jammed vacuum—that was what Konan related it to anyway—then, a green extremity thrusted through her waist with such velocity she expected a shower of blood also. Another one jutted forth afterward then another one until there were at least six in total encircling Zetsu. They shuttered and stretched before arching around their wielder in a defensive position. Konan gaped at the bloodline, awestruck silent.
She had never witnessed the Mayfly before, personally or impersonally, neither had she seen it activated before when it maimed Zetsu. Seeing it was—her first thought that it was perturbing. The limbs reminded her of flora-like fingers with honed points like fingernails and perspired a thick, perfumed sweat and surrounded Zetsu like a cradling hand. One migrated toward her and snagged the dark fabric of her Akatsuki cloak with its claw, scrapping skin underneath. She fought against it to release herself but her thrashing apparently provoked it as it trembled and yanked harder as her uniform. It tore through the captured cloth and she stumbled back while the digit retreated, the torn fiber caught on its barb like a trophy. Konan observed the hole before staring at the vegetation. Zetsu hadn't noticed her accidental attack, her eyes shut still and Konan questioned if the Mayfly functioned on its own will without her consent. It troubled her further while she straightened out her cloak.
Zetsu flexed and the Mayfly shuddered again. It proceeded to shrink in size while its green colouring bleached into white as it melted away back where it came, revving while it did. It took a second before it was gone and its user opened her caramel orbs, relaxing her arms against her sides.
Immediately, she pounced Konan again. "See? See!?"
"Yes, I saw. That was amazing, Zetsu," Konan replied, gifting her a forged smile which the juvenile mirrored with her own beartrap grin. It was a lie. She was mortified. Before, the Mayfly had been nothing but words—mumblings and thought. But now, it was here and it was reality. She had witnessed it with her own eyes and she feared for Zetsu's safety from her own accursed bloodline. The sakes had been risen. "We'll include it in our training together."
"No."
Konan frowned and stared at Kakuzu from his murmured objection. "Excuse me?"
He crinkled his nose so his sunglasses slouched down the bridge of his nose while he glowered back at her. "You heard me. I've made too much progress with this girl for you to undermine everything I've done. She'll resume her training with me."
"That wasn't the arrangement, Kakuzu!"
"It is now."
"You—!" She halted herself before she lost her temper and focused on Zetsu who was standing in front of her still, mutely staring upward at her with her naturally large eyes and lips puckered into a frown. Konan sighed and crouched down to eye level with the petite teenager. "Zetsu, can you go inside, please? Go to the bathroom and get a wash cloth, soak it in cold water and press it against your face. It'll help with the swelling, alright sweetheart?"
"Ok." Zetsu paused, staring at Kakuzu for clearance to leave. He jabbed his thumb over his shoulder, indicting she had his approval before she began walking back to the cabin. It seemed he had programmed her, Konan realized, unpleased with the fact.
She waited until Zetsu had vanished inside and was out of earshot but returning her attention to Kakuzu, scowling. "We'll have this sorted out." She whispered under her breath, then adjusted the duffle bag on her shoulder and stomped towards the cottage.
The male snorted, once again. "We'll see." He said and pursued her inside with arms crossed.
…
Pein heard the clamouring of heels followed by thundering footfalls on the floorboards above, meaning Konan had returned and she and Kakuzu were heading towards the basement. Also, the loud shouting indicated they were engaged in another spat and bringing it directly to him, causing the man to sigh as he rested down his pen and prepared himself for the onslaught.
Moments later, as predicted, Konan and Kakuzu stampeded down the stairwell, engaged in a heated exchange with each other. The origamitress threw her bag down beside her partner's desk without stuttering in her harsh words towards the hulking man behind her which circulated around her approach to Zetsu, the Mayfly and her training which Kakuzu did not fail to return with his own colourfully worded opinions. Pein knew better than to attempt to interfere in their argument so instead, he occupied himself to reaping the benefits of Konan's hard work in Amegakure. He unzipped the bag and shoveled through the shopping bags of gifts for Zetsu until fetching folders and bounded paperwork which he thumbed through in curiosity.
Their feuding resumed for a manner of minutes before it began to falter in Konan's favour, Kakuzu being too thickheaded for her to talk logic into, and she changed her attention to Pein who was reading through the proposals for the Akatsuki's assistance. She punched her fists onto his broken desk but he had wisely rubber banded his paperwork together beforehand in anticipation of it being thrashed about and smirked in success when it wobbled but did not collapse into a blizzard.
"Pe—Leader, please remind Kakuzu that Zetsu is to underneath my supervision when I am off duty!"
"Sir Leader." Kakuzu corrected quietly. Konan stared at Pein in response who offered no explanation and she sighed, decided not to question him about it.
"Konan, I apologize but Zetsu shall remain with Kakuzu," Pein said, without removing his gaze up from the folder he was skimming through. Konan gaped while Kakuzu snickered and congratulated himself on his deserved victory. "Because, starting today, Zetsu shall be accompanying him on his missions." His cackling stopped immediately and she gaped further that her jaw threatened to unhinge.
"What!?" Both screamed after being stunned for a few seconds and Pein winced, digging in his ringing ear with his pinky.
Kakuzu rudely shouldered Konan away and smashed his own fists onto his superior's desk, causing the duct tape to lost traction and for the surface to collapse in half again, the shackled paperwork to tumble over like unstable structures onto the floor and falling apart. Pein sighed, defeated. "What the fuck do you mean she'll be on missions with me!?"
"As I said, Kakuzu. Zetsu shall be joining you on missions. You've made remarkable progress with her and the Mayfly. But, she will not progress any further without firsthand experience and we cannot spare anymore time on training her on the side."
"She has barely mastered activating the Mayfly and you expect her to participate on missions with me!?" Kakuzu shouted, gradually inching closer to the ginger's face with each word until he was screaming directly into his passive face. "She can't defend herself and all she'll do it hinder me!"
Pein scratched the inside of his ear again and wiped the spit off his brow. "The purpose is for her to begin learning what her duties will be in the Akatsuki by observing you on mission and she'll have to learn quickly how to defend herself when in danger."
Kakuzu locked his jaw into a snarl and prepared himself for more "persuasive" screaming, when Konan nudged him away for her turn to voice her own defense. He heeded, stepping back as he muttered angrily to himself while chewing on the plastic of his sunglasses to vent his frustration to prevent himself from slugging Pein in his pierced face.
"Lea—Sir Leader, please. If it's experience you believe Zetsu needs, then allow me to bring her on mission. She'll learn the basics of it and I can train her while out and she'll be safe!" Konan insisted, borderline pleading. She had nervous breakdowns when leaving Zetsu underneath the supervision of Kakuzu but now sending her on mission with him and being exposed to death—and whatelse? It couldn't be described how frightened that made her for the girl's sanity and safety.
"Konan, your position within the Akatsuki is addressing political matters and homeland security. With her Mayfly, Zetsu shall be handling assassinations, spying and larceny, not government. That is Kakuzu's profession so he is best qualified for her to learn from," Pein explained, ignoring his partner's heartbreak over the decision although it was difficult. Maybe it would have been wiser to inform her about this when she performed her daily check on him, Nagato realized now. "I have a perfect mission to start her on too—an assassination."
He handed Kakuzu the folder he had been thumbing through and the brunette snatched it away, reading it himself. It detailed a request from a random bastard which wanted another bastard killed for cheap—a simple murder-for-hire like Sir Leader had said and it would be difficult for Zetsu to muck it up. That didn't mean Kakuzu was any happier with the decision however as he bit through one of his sunglass's temples. Konan was distraught with the thought of Zetsu being exposed to such violence and death. "You'll leave tomorrow."
"What!?" Both screamed again and Pein sighed, closing his ringed orbs and applying pressure to his temples to ward off the lingering headache beginning to manifest.
"They cannot leave tomorrow! I've spoken to Dr. Ryu and he said Zetsu is due for a check-up if she can have her stapling removed and he also wanted to start her on experimental treatment for the Mayfly! If she cannot have her stapling removed then what condition would she be in to be on mission?" Konan interjected.
"Also, I'd like at least one day to myself after dealing with that girl after a month!" Kakuzu remarked in the background, snorting.
"How long will it take to have Zetsu checked, Konan?" Pein asked, ignoring Kakuzu's muttering.
"Please, give me a week."
"You'll have three days to have Zetsu attended to. Nothing more. After that, Kakuzu, you and Zetsu shall leave, stapling or not. My decision is final and there will be no more negotiations. Now, please leave my office, both of you." He affirmed then started the tedious task of retrieving his paperwork off the floor again along with fetching more duct tape for his poor desk, again.
Konan and Kakuzu exchanged glances, both riling for another debate but something told them that it would be fruitless since they had both left this as losers and bickering with each other would not change that. So, instead, they heaved their collective sighs and filed up the staircase and out of the basement, defeated.
…
"Alright, I've pack you three jars of food, five water bottles, three changes of clothing, a sleeping bag and emergency medical supplies including your medication." Konan detailed, pointing to each item jammed inside the pink backpack while Zetsu stared on, seated on her bed and munching on mashed bananas for breakfast. "That should be everything you'll need. It shouldn't take anymore than a few days—hopefully."
"Ok." Zetsu mumbled, spooning more yellow fruit inside her cheeks and chipmunking it.
Konan pinched the girl's bulging cheeks, the pressure making her swallow it down. "Manners." She scolded in a motherly fashion before smiling and affectionately poking her nose.
Suddenly, there was hard knocking on the door, strong enough to cause the door to rattle in its frame. Konan knew who it was before anything was said. "We're leaving. Girl, get out here!"
She sighed and fixated her gaze on Zetsu who was staring at the trembling door, mimicking a startled animal with her widened eyes and jaw slackened, uneaten banana leaking from her gasping mouth. Konan used her uniform sleeve to dab it away and nudged her mouth closed before standing.
"I'm going to speak with Kakuzu. Why don't you pack anything else you want in your backpack while I do?" Zetsu nodded mutely and Konan ruffled her grassy locks before leaving the room and shutting the door behind her.
Kakuzu was lingering in the kitchen, finishing off a butter lathered piece of toast as he chewed it and wiped his fingers clean on his leather coat. Konan approached him and he groaned, anticipating what the woman had to say to him.
"Going to scold me again? Or rather leave me with more 'promises'?" He muttered sarcastically, brushing the crumbs off the stitching threaded through his jaw before repositioning his dark bandana onto his nose.
"Yes. You will not harm Zetsu or let her be harmed." Konan said, displaying her prevailing lack of intimidation from the behemoth-sized man as she dared to thrust her finger against his chest. "Or else."
Kakuzu snorted. "Her safety isn't the one you should be concerned with."
"Excuse me?"
"You heard me. That girl is an abomination against nature. The moment she experiences taking a person's life, she'll become addicted to the bloodlust. Just like the rest of those with her bloodline were."
"Excuse me!?" Konan shrilled, chiseling her nail harder against his chest until he felt it piercing his skin underneath his shirt and prompting herself up on her toes. "Zetsu is not like th—"
"Yes, she is!" Kakuzu roared, tired of her motherly coddling of that child. "Why do you think dear Sir Leader had been so fucking hellbent on training her? Because her Mayfly has programmed her to be the perfect bloodthirsty killer. Face reality! That girl won't be the cute, innocent child you insist she is for much longer. If the Mayfly does not do it, the Akatsuki will!" It was true, and obviously, as much as she hated admitting to it, Konan realized this as she was stunned into silence, staring at Kakuzu with a stupefied expression.
He swatted her hand away. "She's already started walking down the darker path," He mumbled, but did not elaborate as he marched past her to pound his fist onto the closed door. "Girl, out! We're leaving!" Moments later, the door opened and Zetsu timidly shuffled out and Kakuzu winced at her vivid pink outfit.
She had her backpack on, which was apparently too heavy for her as she tittered backwards with each stumble forward. Konan separated herself from her own thoughts to assist the teenager, adjusting the straps so it hugged closer against her back and helped her balance. She hadn't known it would be so heavy with everything she put inside it and wanted to reorganize it for Zetsu's sake, but Kakuzu did not have the patience for it.
"We're leaving now!" He announced, snapping his fingers and gesturing at his hip, calling at Zetsu as if she were a mutt. She did not listen and instead stared at Konan, lip pouting. She didn't want to leave, which she communicated mutely.
The bluenette sighed. There was nothing she could do unless she wanted to wrestle Zetsu away from Kakuzu—something which might be borderline impossible given the man's physical strength and abnormal size, then plead Pein again to permit Zetsu to stay with her instead—which was impossible. She didn't want to subject the girl to anymore melodrama then she had already experienced and increase her anxiety. Instead, she knelt down and zipped up her pink jacket, leaving it down a little at the top so the metal zipper didn't pinch her skin.
"Everything will be alright. Just think of it as a fieldtrip," She assured her, fixing her collar and hood also. "You'll be back in a few days and I'll be here waiting for you, okay?" Zetsu glanced between her and Kakuzu.
"Ok…" She whispered.
Konan smiled and kissed her cheek before standing up. She nudged her and Zetsu hesitantly walked towards Kakuzu, positioning herself alongside him like instructed. He snorted in approval, patting the adolescent's face and Konan resisted against her maternal instincts which told her he was subtly smacking her.
"We've leaving." With that, he walked toward the door, eager to leave after so much dramatics. Zetsu did not immediately follow after, however, as she paused and stared at Konan, the fear visible in her caramel orbs. It made the woman's bleeding heart seize but there was nothing she could do and she had to fight against the temptation to whisk the scared child away in her arms from the boogeyman.
"You'll be alright, Zetsu. You're such a strong and brave girl, remember that." She instead told her.
"Girl!" Kakuzu roared impatiently from outside.
Zetsu swallowed and after a second, puffed herself up like in a muscular cartoon character and resumed walking. Kakuzu was waiting on the porch when she finally left the cabin and as she did, Konan silently closed the door behind them and locked it. It made Zetsu flinch and deflate as she stared at the shut door, lips trembling.
"Move. We have to be at the rendezvous by tomorrow morning." Kakuzu said, rejecting her anguishing and leaving down the steps. It took a minute, but Zetsu gathered herself, reminding herself of Konan's encouragement and reluctantly followed as they exited the clearance.
Konan gazed through the blinds outside the window, watching until they vanished into the devouring thicket. She sighed, toying with her lip piercing as she cycled Kakuzu's harsh words. He was correct. The Akatsuki would mold Zetsu into the person it required in no consideration for her innocence. Another weapon of war, nothing more. If not the Akatsuki, then the Mayfly.
It made Konan fear the person Kakuzu may return with.
…
Their mission was located on the border between Amegakure and Sunagakure, in a tradepost settlement, approximately a day's travel north. Kakuzu proceeded forward on the lonesome road chosen, his pacing steadfast while Zetsu toiled behind. They were a few mere miles into their journey and she was already exhausted, her backpack weighing heavy on her shoulders and her legs untrained for such punishing trekking as her calves ached and burned, making each step agonizing. Steadily, the distance between them increased but the dark-skinned male did not adjust his pace to service her. Instead, he resumed forward and scoffed at her struggling.
"If you mastered the Mayfly, girl, then you would not have to walk. You could phase to your location in a manner of minutes." He taunted her without response. In fact, he could not spy her any longer over the bend of the dirt road behind him. But, that wasn't enough to bother him as he walked on.
It wasn't until an hour later did he slow himself into an eventual stop in the middle of the dirt path. He could reach his destination without pause normally but this occasion, he had along unwanted baggage. He removed him to the side in the refreshing shade of a tree and waited—and waited, gazing down the path he had just treaded in search of his "baggage". Several minutes passed, then several more with no visual of his companion. Another chunk of time passed and he scowled, prepared to launch Daora out to search for the missing girl. Then, there was a shuffling green crop and hideous pink approaching from the distance. It was Zetsu—finally.
She had ditched her overweight backpack as she heaved it behind her like a dead weight while she straggled along, dragging along one of her legs which had seized up with pain. She limped up to an awaiting Kakuzu before collapsing at his boots, whimpering and sniffling into the dirt while clenching at her abdomen which was riddled with crippling stitches and leftover pain from having her stapling removed days before. He sighed, shaking his head at her pathetic display before he picked up her ugly, matching pink backpack which felt heavy to even him and he unzipped it, curious what Konan had overpacked it with.
What he found instead was that the dictionary he had given Zetsu had been jammed inside, presumably by the teenager herself. She must have packed it, either due to her recent attachment to it, or because of her daily reading assignments. Either or, he didn't know why but explained a lot as he yanked out the cumbersome book and the bag become instantly lighter. He pocketed it instead inside his coat then withdrew one of the water bottles Konan had packed. He tossed it at Zetsu, which collided with her chest with a dull thud and she groaned. She weakly uncapped it before guzzling it, rehydrating her dry throat.
This once, Kakuzu permitted her to recover as he lounged in the shade and looked over a map to verify their location while Zetsu laid out on the path like roadkill, resting her burning muscles and trying to ward off the cramping with excessive amounts of water. After a half-an-hour and two bottles of water, it had been long enough for the elder as he pushed himself off the tree and snapped his fingers at his downed disciple.
"That's enough. You've had your one break today. We're aren't stopping for anything else now. So, if you fall behind again, whether because you collapsed or stopped to relief yourself, I'll leave you this time. You'll have to learn quickly, girl, because this is how our missions will function together. No resting. Understood?"
"Yes, sir." Zetsu uttered, sitting up and analyzing the amount of discomfort she was in. It was high, but the stitching was gone at least—not that it mattered since she had no choice. She clamored to her feet next and shouldered her backpack which had been disencumbered a few pounds with the removal of the book and two water bottles, much to the relief of her shoulders and back.
Thankfully, after the break, Zetsu managed to keep pace with Kakuzu, although lingering behind slightly due to the aching plaguing her legs and her feet being swollen inside her shoes. She frequently stopped to rest before sprinting after to catch up again, afraid of being abandoned. However, she remained relatively at his side and Kakuzu had no need to bark further at her since she was learning quickly.
Morning matured into noon and once Kakuzu stopped to shed his leather coat due to the increase of temperature as they neared Sunagakure but besides that, it was a straight shot to their destination without further interruption. Mercifully, due to the autumn season, the afternoon quickly darkened into frigid evening and a few hours after sunset, they had reached their assumed location.
Kakuzu gazed towards the distant lighting of a township positioned beneath the hill they were perched atop before squinting at his map, using the dim moonlight to read it. It was ages old so it may not be accurate. This time, however, he confirmed it to be their rendezvous and glanced at Zetsu who had stolen the chance to slump against a tree as she massaged her agonized legs. They could finish their trek to the settlement to rest, but it meant having to shack up in an inn for the night and he did not want to spend such money. Especially not for two people.
"Alright, girl. We're going to rest here for the night." Kakuzu declared, folding up his old map and pocketing it.
He walked off the road into the surrounding bush in search for a suitable area to camp with Zetsu hustling to her feet once more to trail him. The lush greenery had decayed into desert shrubbery and sand due to being on the border of the Land of Wind, also known as the Wastelands, so finding somewhere to squat wasn't difficult as a flat space with a single, rotting tree was chosen. Kakuzu seated himself against and worked on a fire, which took seconds with Teo setting alight a pile of dried tumbleweed and Daora huffing on it into it was a tamed flame. Zetsu again collapsed into the dirt, kicking off her shoes to relieve the pressure off the blisters littering her feet before scouring in her backpack for a random jar of mashed fruit so she could take her medication.
It was peacefully silent, the only noises being of that of the cackling of the fire and rusting sand along Zetsu's obnoxious gobbling of food. Suddenly, the girl gasped and Kakuzu flinched, startled after having dozed off due to the quietude.
"What?" He barked, removing his sunglasses so he could glower at her in the semi-darkness.
"Shiny float!" She proclaimed through a mouthful of food, pointing towards him.
He hoisted at his eyebrows at her before searching in the direction her finger was aimed until he saw that which she had labeled a "shiny float", first mistaking it as being an ember from their campfire.
"That's a firefly." He deadpanned, briefly surveying the blinking insect hover by before sighing and closing his eyes again.
"Firefly? Not fire."
"They aren't on fire. They're named that because they glow."
"Ohhh." She nodded, swallowing down the squished pear in her cheeks before going another spoonful while watching the forlorn firefly float by. "Like peoples."
Again, Kakuzu opened his bloodshot eyes and squinted them at her. "Like people?"
Zetsu nodded again. "Yes. Glow like peoples."
"People…glow for you?"
"Not glow? Not you?"
He frowned, baffled by her question. Then, he thought about it and realized what exactly she was speaking about and wanted to facepalm himself for lapsing in memory on something so obvious. It was the Mayfly. He remembered one of the bloodline's trademarks had been unparalleled tracking. The glowing she was speaking about was feasibly a person's chakra signature. It was bizarre though since she had never mentioned anything about it before and it either due to the teenager's poor vocabulary or because she was beginning to become adjusted to her Kekkei Genkai. Either or, it was a promising sign.
"No, not glow not me." He mumbled, mocking her crude speech.
…
At dawn, they entered the humble township of Oashisu.
Kakuzu read the letter which had been written to the Akatsuki requesting their services. It failed to explain anything besides that it was an assassination with a modest payout and instead the author had detailed the precise location they wished to meet and the approximate time—a saloon at the break of dawn. It even said which table in the bar their contact would be seated awaiting them.
He tucked it back inside his coat and gestured Zetsu along who obediently trudged behind him as they searched for this meetup. The local populace had hardly roused and were preparing for their daily duties, politely greeting the odd duo as they walked past. Eventually, after awhile of lost wondering, Kakuzu had to ask a kindly old woman where the bar was located. After she finished cooing at Zetsu, she pointed him down the street. He thanked her and headed in that direction with Zetsu behind him who was rubbing her sore, pinched red and kissed cheeks.
The decrypted saloon was tucked away in an alleyway beside a makeshift playground, out of view of a normal passerbyer who was not already aware of it being there. Kakuzu checked the time using the town's clocktower to confirm they were not too late before turning towards Zetsu.
"Alright, girl. Normally, we would speak to this contact together since you'll have to learn to address them appropriately when you're doing this yourself. But, there are several conditions preventing that. First being I personally do not trust you not to blurt out something stupid with your kiddy talk. Main reason being, this is a bar and you are too young to enter. So, I'll be entering alone. I want you to stay here. There's a playground you can play on, but do not leave it. Understood?"
"Yes, sir." She confirmed.
He turned to leave when he remembered something. He fished in his interior pocket and withdrew the hefty dictionary he had been lugging about, the juvenile emitting a happy sound when he handed it back to her.
"Go." He pointed at the playground behind her, which was nothing more than a rope swing tied to a tree and plank seesaw. Once she walked towards it, he left to the bar.
The pub reeked of cigarette smoke and cheap alcohol and the interior was so dark that Kakuzu had to remove his sunglasses so he could navigate through it without walking into a table. Besides that, it was relatively empty except a few undesirable patrons as he traveled to the specific table the person requested which was the one in the furthest, darkest corner. Thankfully, it seemed his petitioner was already present as a man was seated there, anxiously wringing his hands around a glass mug. He flinched violently from the screeching when Kakuzu pulled out the chair on the opposite side of the table and stared at him, green orbs sized into saucer plates and trembling.
"Akatsuki." Kakuzu stated. Instantly, the emerald-eyed, shaking man released a keen wail which this time, made Kakuzu flinch at its glass shattering pitch.
"O-Oh thank god! Thank god!" He exclaimed, snatching Kakuzu's hand and shaking it vigorously with both hands which were damp with perspiration. "I-I didn't think you'd accept! I w-was so scared! Thank you! Thank you!"
"Don't thank me yet, I've done nothing yet." Kakuzu replied, wrenching his hand away and wiping off his new friend's sweat as he seated himself in the uncomfortably small chair.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. My name is Koji." Koji reached out his hand again for a proper handshake which Kakuzu rejected, keeping his arms crossed against his chest until the hint was taken and the darker-haired male retracted his hand.
"Just tell me why I'm here, Koji. An assassination, correct?"
"Y-Yes. I'll explain everything. Please, I'll explain everything." Koji shuttered. "S-So, there's this man. His name is—well, he doesn't have a name. Like not a real name? He's known as 'Howaito Auto', or just Auto. H-He's leader of Moku."
"'Howaito Auto'?" Kakuzu repeated, thinking on the name in case it triggered any memories from back during his prison days where he was associated with a lot of questionably named individuals. No one with the name of 'White Out' came up though. Neither did 'Smoke', causing him to assume it was either a local gang or one in its infancy.
"Y-Yes! Anyway—he's horrible! Terrible! He blackmails everyone in Oashisu and makes us pay a 'protection' fee. If you don't pay it, h-his men steal the money either from your home or business. Or both! My store has been robbed twice and my daughter threatened! S-She's only nine! Nine!"
"Uh-huh." Kakuzu muttered, signaling over the bartender for an overdue drink while he listened to the dribble leaking out of this embodiment of anxiety.
"H-He needs to be taken care of. Also, the Moku! Not just my sake but e-everyone's!"
Meanwhile, within earshot, were two men seated at another table. They sipped at their booze and listened to each and every word as their "neighbour" speak to the hired hitman. Once they'd heard enough, they exchanged silent glances with each other and stood from their chairs, leaving payment before whisking out of the saloon.
…
Outside, Zetsu was seated at the mediocre playground while reading her dictionary.
Kakuzu or Sir, had been gone a little while but she was already bored and it was hot. She wanted to go home; she wanted to go home and see Konan. Sir was "cantankerous"—she had learned that word today, it meant mean. She didn't like him.
She sighed and returned to reading but her interest had left it. There was the playground but she didn't know how it worked. She had never been on a playground before. There was a hanging plank and a bigger plank on the ground. Was she supposed to sit on them? They didn't look fun.
She set her dictionary aside in the sand along with her backpack as she walked over to the park, deciding first on the swing. She sat down in the suspended slab but did nothing else, since she didn't know what to do. There were two men approaching which oddly looked alike. Maybe she'd ask them? Konan said not to speak to strangers but Sir did it and that old lady was nice even though she tried to eat her. Maybe they were too?
They kept walking towards her and when they were close enough, she tried to politely ask them to help her have fun. Instead, one of the men lashed out and grabbed her arm, wrenching her off the wooden seat. The other man wrestled something over her head which obscured her sight.
"Get it on her head!"
"I'm tryin'! She's fightin'!"
Zetsu cried out and tried feebly to fight back, blindly swinging her free arm at one of her assaulters. However, her other arm had been captured soon after and she felt herself being heaved into the air.
"Got her! Go! Go! Go!"
"That'll teach that Koji! We've got his daughter now, haha!"
…
"Alright," Kakuzu swallowed down a large gulp of beer once it was delivered and sighed. "So, you want this Howaito Auto executed and his organization, the Moku, axed also?"
Koji nodded, grinning. "Yes."
"Since you do not have a name, do you have a picture of this Auto?"
"I—no."
Kakuzu sipped his booze again. "Location?"
"No..."
He chugged a larger sip, purposely slumping it until his contact was shuffling uncomfortably in his chair. "What about the Moku? What are their approximate numbers?"
"I—I've seen maybe…three or four members? T-There's two which are responsible of collecting fees."
"Alright. Since you requested I eliminate them also, I'll require payment that service also."
"M-More!?" Koji gasped, his building excitement destroyed instantly. "But this is already my life savings!" Kakuzu swallowed down the remainder of his beer and smashed down his empty mug, making Koji flinch and freeze.
"So, for a meager fee, you want me to assassinate a gang leader?" He clarified, impatiently tapping his fingertips against the splintered tabletop. "Also, his entire organization?"
Koji swallowed. "I—yes?"
"Forget it."
"What!?" Koji yelled, disrupting the handful of other customers as they glared at him before returning to their drinking. "Why not? Why!?"
"Because, two reasons," Kakuzu replied, extending two fingers. "One, you're sending me on a wild goose chase."
"N-No, I—"
"Alright, do you know if this Howaito Auto is in Oashisu? Have you ever seen him?"
"I-I—well, no."
"Then if you do not know where he is or what he looks like, how the hell am I supposed to know?"
"B-But the Moku functions here!" Koji insisted.
"So? Currently, the Akatsuki is here but it does not mean we function here." Kakuzu countered, leaving the other man speechless so he continued with his next point. "Second, the payment proposed was pathetic. Enough for an assassination but that it is. It currently is not enough for me to waste my precious time, running around for a person who may or may not be here or who may or may be that person and eliminate every one of his associates here. So, unless, you're going to cough up more ryo, then our business is over."
"But the M-Moku took all the money we had!" Koji, almost in hysterics as his green orbs glazed over in tears. "There is nothing left!"
Kakuzu leant forward, voice lowered into a whisper. "Then we're done here."
"No! Please! Please!" Koji pleaded, knocking over his untouched mug of booze as he scrambled around the table to intercept the mercenary who was standing to leave.
Kakuzu ignored him, walking towards the exit with the man practically clinging to his arm who was crying and pleading miserably for him to reconsider. He persisted on like an irksome mosquito, even once he exited outside and the felon proceeded with trudging towards the playground to retrieve Zetsu to leave. He was within seconds of kicking the pathetic man off—literally—when a robust woman ran towards them, yanking a poor little boy behind her.
"Koji! Koji!"
Finally, Koji released Kakuzu, sniveling. "M-Mari? Mari, is something wrong?"
"Oh, Koji! It's horrible!" Mari proclaimed, throttling around the child like a stuffed animal. "Kari has been kidnapped!"
Koji bleached. "What!?"
"We were leaving the post office when I saw her. She was on the playground. Two men left the bar and snatched her up! It must have been the Moku!"
"H-How? How!? I left her with Romi!" Koji wailed and collapsed to his knees, trembling and grasping fistfuls of his black hair upon the news his daughter had been kidnapped. "I l-left her with Romi! She must have snuck out again to wait for me! Oh, Kari why!?"
Meanwhile, Kakuzu had lost interest in this conversation since it did not involve him. While he did pity the man that this Kari, whom he presumed to be his aforementioned daughter, had just been stolen, their lack of business together meant he did not care—not that he would normally care anyway. Instead, he returned to his task of fetching Zetsu. However, the playground was void of her presence despite being given strict orders not to leave. He muttered an irritated grunt at the girl's rebellion as he searched the ramshackle playing area but found nothing except her backpack and dictionary which was laying open-faced in the sand. It was unusual she would abandon the book, given the bizarre connection she had developed with the book and it erected a red flag.
"Are you p-positive it was her!? A-Are you!?"
Mari nodded, fatty jowls flapping. "Yes! She was wearing that cute pink jacket you imported for her. I couldn't mistake her in that!" Pink. Jacket? No. Kakuzu inhaled sharply, fists clenched.
"I'm taking the job," Kakuzu suddenly broadcasted, turning towards dramatic production behind him. "I'm taking the job for the original price."
Koji released a keen noise which stabbed the elder's old eardrums. "T-Thank you! T-Thank you!" He sobbed, shaking Kakuzu's hand again zealously and threatened to accidently unwind the old stitches in his hand. "Y-Y-You can save her! You can save my Kari!"
"I'm not taking this job to save your daughter," Kakuzu said, rudely stealing his hand back and before his words were taken the wrong way, he clarified while displaying the misplaced dictionary and backpack. "Because those bastards kidnapped my partner!"
"What?" Koji and Mari voiced in unison. The little boy whined when his arm was vicegripped in his mother's meaty hand and struggled to release it.
"They must have mistaken her for your daughter because that fucking, ugly jacket!" Kakuzu jabbed the book against the petite male's chest. "So, you're going to help me get her back."
"O-Of course." Koji shuttered, tears having instantly dried upon the realization it may not be his beloved daughter. Mari muttered a sigh before realizing she was harming her son and releasing him as she smothered him in wet kisses, relieved the Moku weren't kidnappers now and running around stealing their children and he wouldn't be next.
"And I'm going to kill all those motherfuckers because they stole something worth more than all their fucking lives combined," Kakuzu whispered, teeth clenched behind his bandana. "My fucking job!"
…
AN: Chapter finished and in about a month which is a record. A semester Math does that. Like said about, this chapter and next shall be the last of his arc and starting the 20th chapter, it will be a new arc.
Translations: Oashisu: Oasis, Howaito Auto: White Out, Moku: Smoke
No BETA. So, sorry for all grammar mistakes and misspellings.
Next Chapter: Zetsu's kidnapping, Howaito Auto and the Moku.
Until next time.