AN: Another chapter. another fight scene. Yes, I know I am rubbish at writing them but personally, I think I'm steadily improving since the first one I wrote a few years back. Don't fret, this one will be short and painless. The larger one will be in upcoming chapters. Also, I forgot to mention last chapter that there in a reference in this chapter and the last one to another character. Just in case anyone noticed and thought I had reused the name by mistake.
Included in this AN will be a warning for a canon character. These will be included now when a canon character is introduced and has been changed from their original canon to a new canon for Wasteland. This so the readers are not confused. Please, do not flame me for these changes. It is not creative criticism and will be ignored. These have been made for Wasteland which is considered AU and does not follow the canon in certain cases. Obviously, since Zetsu is female. That said, thank you for reading and understanding.
Warning(s): Language (Med), Genderbend (Low), Violence (High), Blood/Gore (High), OC
Character Warning(s): Hiruko: Accent
EDIT: Additional scene added, minor mistakes corrected
…
Wasteland
Red Dawn Arc
Chapter 21
"What the fuck are you looking at, girl?" Kakuzu barked, after noticing Zetsu look over her shoulder for the umpteenth time that hour like a suspect on the run. He looked back and again, saw nothing behind them except miles of rustling sand and tumbleweed. Sunagakure couldn't even be seen in the distance from their location.
Zetsu flinched, looking at him before subconscious glancing behind her again then instantly back to him. Should she tell him of the friendly firefly that had been following them since they left? Maybe she shouldn't. He might scare it away and she didn't want that because it was so warm. It reminded her of Konan. Better than Sir's firefly which red hot and aggressive—another new word she learned. So, Zetsu answered by downcasting her gaze to her dusty shoes while she shuffled through the sand and Kakuzu huffed but left it be. He had more important manners to burden himself with then fretting over her bizarre behaviour.
Apparently, the elderly couple which owned the Akiyama Ranch—the Akiyama's—had granted permission for Kakuzu to squat in their farmhouse in preparation for Hiruko and had acknowledged the evacuation notice. However, due to their older age and health issues, traveling to Sunagakure by themselves would be too dangerous and had requested an escort. Kakuzu was asked to do it. Although, he called bullshit on the favour since two officers could be spared to interrupt his reading instead of doing the job themselves, but he agreed regardless. He was an asshole, but he wasn't going to stand aside and let two innocent civilians be murdered or perish in the desert—unlike their government. Now, his current objection was to safely chaperon the couple back to Sunagakure first. He wasn't doing it entirely out of the kindness of his heart though. Once back, he would politely ask the ranchers to babysit Zetsu while he handled this contract by himself. He didn't trust leaving the girl by herself, even if she were locked in a hotel room, and didn't need her having another accident either. Then, he would return alone to await Hiruko.
Regarding Hiruko, Kakuzu had thoroughly researched the paperwork generously donated about him the previous evening. Immediately, the fact the middle-aged man was a puppeteer brought up issues. He had never fought a puppeteer. During his initial shinobi career, puppets had been used to entertain children and elderly citizens, not warfare. Even in the First World War, the art of puppetry had been in its infancy and he never encountered one on the battlefield. So, his experience fighting one was zero, but he was cautiously optimist. Afterall, Hiruko was notorious for having ownership to the highest kill count in Sunagakure's history. This bastard wasn't a pushover, especially now with this Hitokugutsu Kinjutsu. This may be his biggest challenge since that Mayfly Man, but nothing like Hashirama.
Heaving a sigh, he itched his chin underneath his bandana and rifled in his slacks pocket for the map of Sunagakure supplied. The Akiyama Ranch had been inked with pen onto it since it was considered too tiny to be listed originally. If they had departed upon being contacted by law enforcement, which was at midnight, he approximated they should be arriving at their destination soon despite their casual pace and didn't break. It also gave him ample time to run back. Luckily, the rare thunderstorm was polluting the dawning sky over the Wastelands, blotting out the smouldering sun with angry, black clouds. It had turned traversing the ordinarily baking desert into a pleasant scroll. However, when Zetsu wasn't whiplashing her neck, she was skulking against Kakuzu's leg in response to the thunder rumbling overhead or the distant flash of lightning. He'd kick her off and ignored her subsequent whimpering.
"Hush up, girl. Listen—you'll be staying with an elderly couple while I'm working. While you're with them, you'll be respectful and obedient until I return to pick you up."
"Re—spec—full?" Zetsu vocalized, clamouring back to Sir so he didn't leave her behind. That was a word she hadn't read in her dictionary yet.
"Respectful. It means you'll be polite and courteous." Two other words she didn't understand but she nodded still. Kakuzu glanced at her and huffed. "Maybe if you're well-behaved, they'll let you pet the animals."
"Animals? Not-peoples?"
"Yes. I shouldn't take too long, so it shouldn't give you enough time to raise Hell for them," He uttered under his breath. "We should be arriving at the ranch soon." He lifted his sunglasses, squinting his eyes at the horizon. In the far distance, he could faintly observe the red tips of a windmill lazily spiraling in the breeze, confirming his theory. Satisfied, he walked faster.
Although, several steps in, he noticed the lack of footsteps reverberating his own in the sand. He paused, assuming Zetsu's little legs couldn't keep pace with his long stride and politely waited for her. When the teenager didn't immediately scuttle back aside him though, he bent his neck to search for his missing shadow. Zetsu was standing feet behind—just standing there. Kakuzu frowned. He hadn't notice her stop.
"Girl," He barked, snapping his fingers impatiently. "The fuck are you doing? Get over here!" She didn't move, which was bizarre since she would ordinarily scamper to him once he started yelling. She just stood there, frozen stiff. Her naturally large, almond-shaped eyes were unnaturally large and staring straightforward, unblinking, and her lips were stretched thin across her locked canines. Something must've spooked her.
"Girl." He grumbled, marching back to her position. "What the hell has been with you? You've been acting strange since we left." He towered over her, crossing his arms and tapping his boot while he awaited her answer.
Zetsu flickered her widened gaze to him for a solid minute. "F-Firefly…" She stammered, finally. Kakuzu quirked an eyebrow, lost by the single word—considering his infinite knowledge of her broken language.
"What?"
"Firefly." She reuttered, voice raising "Aggressive—red! Hot, hot, hot! Like Sir firefly! Big! Mean!" After flailing her arms to demonstrate, she pointed at him then franticly in the direction of their destination. She stared at him, her golden orbs pleading him to understand. He didn't have the slightest idea what she was on about though. But after a moment of speculating it, it finally struck him. She wasn't speaking about actual fireflies, she was speaking about chakra signatures. Fireflies was her primitive term for them.
If it was a chakra signature then, according to her, it was large and hostile, and it was radiating from the Akiyama Ranch. It had to be Hiruko, nothing else explained it. A civilian couldn't generate a chakra signature that sizable nor could a god-forbid bighorner. If true then, that meant the Kazekage's estimation had been off since they should have had hours left before he was supposed to arrive. And if it was Hiruko, that meant the Akiyama's were in trouble—although that was the least of his concerns at the moment. This was their "golden opportunity" to corner him and it was going to be missed. He was not going to chase this bastard to the ass-ends of the Wastelands. Kakuzu muttered a curse and gritted his teeth. He should have known this would go wrong too. He had such shit luck since the brat arrived. She had to be an omen.
Zetsu yipped when Kakuzu suddenly yanked her up by her backpack and was hoisted onto his bandaged arm. After being steadfastly cradled against his chest, the felon broke into a run towards the Akiyama Ranch—all while praying Hiruko hadn't left yet. It would have taken between a half-an-hour and hour by walking to reach the ranch, but by sprinting, it had only taken him only several minutes.
The Akiyama Ranch was as tiny as foretold. It constituted of an attractive, yet modest-sized wooden farmhouse. Behind it was large pen ramshackled together with barb wire around wooden posts driven in the sand. The squealing metal windmill witnessed before was positioned at a corner of the pen—and everything had been painted red. The cabin's door was smeared with it with a trail leading from a large puddle of it on the front steps—there was the red Kakuzu had observed on the windmill but what he hadn't noticed was the disturbingly organ-like substance which was wound around the blades and hung from them like grotesque decoration. One had been tied around the pillar and led down into the corral—the corral itself housed a jumble of minced meat and horn which coated the ground and was being besieged upon by an army of buzzing flies—whatever had been inside no longer resembled nothing but an explosion of gore. The gut-wrenching odor of sun-baked rot could be smelt from their position several yards away and Kakuzu clenched his nose underneath his bandana. Zetsu gagged and hid her nose inside the collar of her shirt. He gently rested her onto the ground and she immediately crouched behind his legs, trembling and whimpering.
She felt herself being drowned in an inescapable sensation of horror upon being within such close proximately to the malicious chakra signature. Her mouth tasted thick with invisible blood that made her stomach simultaneously sour and grumble and her nostrils burned with the lingering aroma of death. The firefly—it was so cankerous and aggressive and bright red! Like Sir's firefly but this firefly wanted to kill Sir's firefly—it wanted to make it not alive and make her not alive like it made every other firefly here not alive! She wanted Konan—she wanted the friendly firefly here!
Kakuzu stared at Zetsu who had dissolved into a pile of sniveling and tears. "Girl, he's here, isn't he?" He questioned. He could have taken her borderline panic attack as confirmation, but he wanted a straight answer from her instead. However, no sooner had he asked that question, there was the distant noise of shuffling sand. He jerked his head towards the source, mentally and physically preparing himself. Zetsu released a low whine, shielding her head between her knees.
A figure shambled out from behind the house several yards ahead, squat and bulking yet pitch black and indistinguishable, cloaked in shadows. It could have been either animal or person. Then, he saw it—the distinctive metallic scorpion tail—its silver sheen glimmered sinisterly with each leisurely swaying and its spade swinging back and forth, hung like a noose and coated in that familiar red which streaked it with rivers and waterfalled off the barb, dripping quietly into the sand. The roaring of thunder eerily announced the individual's entrance. It was Hiruko.
Once Kakuzu noticed him, Hiruko had noticed them. His bloodshot eyes inched in their sockets and pinpointed their gaze onto Kakuzu and while he could not see this, he certainly felt them penetrating through him. Zetsu even felt it and shivered. He stared back, issuing a silent challenge to his target. An eon had elapsed by and finally, Hiruko volunteered first to interrupt the pregnant tension between them.
"Oi. The 'ell're you?" He asked, loud enough for Kakuzu to hear while the two kept their respective distances—his voice like the oceaning sand around them, gravel and rough, underscored by an idiosyncratic accent.
"I would be the one sent by Sunagakure to arrest you." Kakuzu explained. Obviously, the answer had tickled a funny bone because Hiruko laughed—a genuine belly laugh which caused his entire being to bounce and his tail to wriggle, splashing the sand and adjacent structures with fresh blood.
"Tha' so? I'm disappoint'd. Thought Rasa'd finally spare a shinobi, not more rubbish."
Kakuzu's lip twitched. Zetsu flinched—Sir's firefly was fluttering. "I promise you, I am not rubbish."
"Tha' so?" Hiruko challenged, voice lowering further into the gravel pit, his tail lashing against the sand and kicking up a red-tinted cloud. Kakuzu wasn't intimidated by the little show, and stood his ground, even standing firm once the hermit started approaching him—exiting the darkness into the muffled silver lighting—and wasn't he incredibly uglier than his identification picture?
A debilitating disease, plus years of poor posture, had disfigured him with a grotesquely hunched back. It had practically rendered him quadruped like an animal instead of a human—late human, rather—as he shuffled through the sand towards them, soil dusting the dark fabric of his cloak. Thankfully, he had chosen to hide the bottom half of his face with a black bandana, leaving just his shrunken eyes visible, reducing the amount of hideousness viewable. It was similar to Kakuzu. Although, that one little comparison was enough to insult the brunet.
Hiruko paused, leaving barely a yard between he and Kakuzu, and coiled his scorpion-este tail against his back like a snoozing snake, indicating passiveness. Kakuzu wasn't buying it though as he kept his jaw locked and wrapped fists clenched. Zetsu whimpered, pressing against her mentor's calves. Unfortunately, Hiruko was notified to her presence through her mewling as his eyes twitched from Kakuzu instead in her direction, spying her elbow poking out from behind him.
"Wha' shinobi brings their pup to'a battlefield?" He drawled.
"She isn't my pup, she's my subordinate."
Hiruko muttered a thoughtful noise. "Eitha' or—it wasn' wise ta bring a brat with—makes fer easy target practice." His metallic tail laid itself across his humped back and arched into a striking position, the spade pointed towards the exposed little arm.
Kakuzu outstretched his arm to obscure Zetsu from the puppeteer, an action performed subconsciously rather than instinctively towards her. "She has nothing to do with this. This is between you and I."
Hiruko snorted. "Then I'll 'appily kill ya firs'—then I'll take my sweet time torturin' 'er nex'." That was the one and only warning given before he quickly thrusted his tail at Kakuzu.
Kakuzu managed to activate his Doton in the split second before the sharpened tip jabbed him and he backhanded the stinger away. The deafening collision of the two metal weapons pierced the air and vibrating through eardrums. Zetsu yelled out in a mixture of fear and pain and plugged up her stabbed ears with her fingers. The power behind the strike sent the tail barreling to the ground in an explosion of dust and sand. Hiruko muttered another noise, one voicing vexation while simultaneously, he was fascinated.
"Impressive. An average shinobi'd be felled by tha' one 'tack. Hmm, we 'aven' met 'fore, 'ave we? I recognize ya from somewhere, but I can' pinpoint' it." He speculated, eyeballing Kakuzu while he scavenged through the depths of his memories for a name to match the little bit of visible face.
"We've never met before, nor will we meet again after this battle because I'll defeat you and turn you over to Sunagakure." Kakuzu promised, keeping his arm hardened.
Hiruko chuckled. "Cheeky, ain't we? Awright then, let's see if you'll be in the rare percentage of shinobi which survive two 'tacks from me." There was an eruption of sand as his tail emerged from its hiding spot directly behind Kakuzu and lurched at him. Zetsu screamed again, hiding her face but Kakuzu was prepared.
He hadn't been distracted by their casual little conversation and had noticed the tail sneakily slithering underneath the sand to position itself behind him. Immediately, he spun around and punched his brass hand back at it. However, the stinger stopped inches from registering with his fist and ducked underneath, leaving him swiping at the empty air.
Hiruko guided the tail towards Kakuzu's exposed abdomen. "Checkmate." He grunted, his smirking audible.
Kakuzu had been anticipating such a cheap tactic though. He had casted his midsection also and waited for the spade to harmlessly ricochet off his rockhard abs for a gifted counterattack. Then, a recognizable gleaming twinkled caught the corner of his eye and he jerked his head backwards the exact moment a shuriken went cartwheeling past his face, narrowly nicking his nose. Hiruko noticed it also and swatted it away with his stinger, sending it spiraling into the sand.
"Huh?" By Hiruko's bewildered exclamation, he hadn't been responsible for the unanticipated attack which Kakuzu had suspected being another sneak attempt by him. However, when Zetsu peeked between her fingers, she released an excited gasp at the figure approaching from the horizon and the one responsible for the little surprise. It was the friendly firefly!
"Sorry, boy. But if anyone is going to defeat Hiruko, it'll be me." An unknown yet strangely distinct voice proclaimed behind him. Kakuzu divided his attention from the mysterious discarded weapon to their uninvited guest, grimacing upon recognizing them.
"You're that woman from the Kazekage's Office."
Chiyo smiled sweetly back at him as she shuffled up to Kakuzu. "You're that Akatsuki boy." She then noticed the excited little girl staring at her and frowned. "You brought your daughter here? You're a very irresponsible father!"
"She isn't my daughter, she's my subordinate." He grumbled.
"Subordinate? So, you've introduced an innocent child to a criminal enterprise? Either or—she shouldn't be here." Chiyo criticized him, brazenly wagging her finger in his face then looked at Zetsu and smiled sweetly. "Hello, sweetie. What's your name?" Kakuzu grunted. He felt like he just experienced déjà vu.
"Zetsu." Zetsu answered and smiled widely, taking the grandmother aback upon seeing her mouthful of unnatural, canine teeth. Besides that, the girl seemed sweet enough to rot teeth.
"Heh, ain't this'a surprise? 'ello, Lady Chiyo." Hiruko greeted in the background so not to be forgotten, voice dripping faux benevolence, withdrawing his liberated tail and waving at her with it.
Chiyo's attention sidetracked to Hiruko, her grandmotherly attitude deviating in a millisecond to something rotten as her dark eyes narrowed and wrinkled lips pressed into a thin line as she stared her old student—so abruptly so that it successfully scared Zetsu who questioned if she had been mistaken about her friendly firefly.
"Hiruko." Chiyo sneered, taking a threatening step forwards, the smothering thunderstorm overhead exploding again with the mere mention of his name. "You bastard! Where is the Third? Where is Sasori!?"
"Straigh' to it then?" He acknowledged. "Awright then—I'll let ya see 'em. I 'aven' met anyone worth showin' my newes' puppets ta yet."
"Bastard!" She shrieked again, taking another step when Kakuzu intervened, outstretching an arm to block her path. He had quickly experienced how dirty Hiruko's fighting tactics were and didn't put it pass the bastard indeed to take her aggressive approach as permission to pull out another dirty trick of them both.
Chiyo glowered at Kakuzu for his interference and Hiruko chuckled, his artificial appendage anxiously rustled the sand. "Don' 'urt yerself now, Lady Chiyo. Er, should I say, Granny Chiyo?"
Instantly, the older woman bristled at the affectionate nickname which was not shared between herself and the person speaking it. She wrestled herself away from Kakuzu and stepped past him. "Please take your daug—subordinate and leave, Akatsuki Boy. I'll handle Hiruko myself."
"Hell no. He's my target. I've been hired to apprehend him." He argued, pointing at himself then thrusting his thumb over his shoulder. "You can leave."
"I couldn't give a rat's backside if Rasa hired you! This bastard kidnapped my grandson! I deserve my pound of flesh!" She spun around, standing on her toes to scream this directly into Kakuzu's bandanaed face without hesitation considering the size difference. Zetsu shrank herself between the two feuding adults, their flittering fireflies making her nauseated.
He snarled, resisting the urge to punch the woman due to the sole fact she was old, and he didn't walk around assaulting the elderly—unless money was involved which may soon make one of those rare situations. "And I don't give a fuck about your petty revenge! I won't let you jeopardize my paycheck!"
"Ha! Typical mercenary! Doesn't care about anything except money! Green-eyed, materialistic, money-grubbing, the lot of you!"
"Hmm, two people fightin' over which can defeat me? I've never felt so 'onour'd." Hiruko snickered aloud as he idly stood by on the sidelines, watching entertained at the heated argument happening over him.
This wisecrack interrupted the heated glaring contest between Chiyo and Kakuzu as both glowered at Hiruko instead. They exchanged side glances and after a moment, there was a silent yet mutual decision between them that fighting with each other was idiotic when the cause of their ire was directly in front them and to put aside their differences—for the time being.
Chiyo flickered her gaze at Zetsu. She had glued herself to Kakuzu's leg and was hugging his knee in an adorable display. The grandmother frowned though. It wasn't safe for her to remain here and she would be devastated if anything befell the innocent girl. Hiruko had already hurt enough children during his rampage if the abhorrent rumours were true. She searched around for somewhere the girl could hide and wouldn't be caught in the crossfire. Her sight was drawn to the farmhouse and her frowning turned into a grimace upon seeing the amount of blood which smeared the wooden structure. The Akiyama's…she hadn't known them well, but she had known them well enough from their few encounters. She had frequently brought Sasori to the farmstead when he was little, after his parents' deaths, to feed the bighorners while she had tea with the ranchers. They were incredibly modest people with their only bragging right being their son who had finished medical school and became a doctor. She couldn't remember his name though. Now, he would have to be found and told of his parents' unfortunate demises.
Kakuzu traced Chiyo's spaced stare to the house and he realized that he had to find somewhere to hide Zetsu. Having her in the middle of this was too large a risk since she might ether die, or be triggered again. Either or would not fare well in his favour. The house was her best chance at a hiding place, though he was hesitant since he might be ordering her into a bloodbath, given the blood spilt outside alone, and he wasn't positive if that would be enough traumatize her into another fit. He didn't have much other choice, however.
"Girl," Zetsu lifted her face at Kakuzu who kept his gaze locked onto Hiruko while he addressed her. "Go to the house. Run."
Zetsu glanced at the said house than back up at him, squeezing his knee nervously and frowning. "Run? Run nows?"
"Yes. But, listen. Whatever is inside, do not look at it. Just find somewhere to hide and wait until I'm finished. I'll get you. Leave for no reason, understood?"
"Understood." She agreed, hushed.
He reached down and gently pried her off his leg, nudging her behind him instead while took a few steps aside so she had a straight shot to the house without leaving herself susceptible. Chiyo saw this and adjusted beside him to provide extra coverage for the teenager. Once both were in place, he gave the signal.
"Run, girl! Run!"
Zetsu didn't have to be told twice as she immediately ran for the house. She didn't stop, even when her frantic fleeing caused sand to trickle into her shoes and the little pebbles dug painfully into the bottoms of her feet. She reached the porch and scrambled up the bloodsoaked steps. However, the blood was fresh and wet, and her sole slipped, sending her tumbling onto the deck with a yip. She sat up, whimpering and touching her aching backside from the fall. When she brought her hand back, she went rigid and golden orbs widening upon seeing the crimson painted onto her hand. Flashbacks washed over her from the incident weeks ago. The bloodcurdling screaming, the iron flavour of blood on her tastebuds and flesh she found wedged later between her teeth. Something inside her whispered without speaking, dark sweet nothings to something hidden in her soul, primal and savage. However, whatever it was, her fear overrode it as flight overtook her and she scrambled to her feet, nearly slipping again. She fumbled with the doorknob, struggling to grasp it due to the bodily fluid slicking her hand. Finally, she twisted it open and ducked inside the house. Her backpack caught on the knob inside, causing her to trip but managed to close the door behind her as she fell.
Once the door clicked shut, Kakuzu released the breath he had been holding in. He was relieved, not for Zetsu's safety, but rather now there would be no chance of another accident happening now she was safely locked up and away from danger. Now, he could focus on the reason he was in the middle of nowhere. He cracked his knuckles and neck, glowering at Hiruko through his sunglasses as he tightened the bandages wrapped around his hands. Chiyo prepared herself also, taking position with her arms raised and fingers spread, blue chakra sparkling on her fingertips. Hiruko remained motionless, his hollowed eyes unblinking and staring them both down while his tail swished through the sand, leaving sand angels behind. The thunderclouds were finally breached as warm rainwater softly pattered to the wasteland below, steadily thickening the sand into mud.
"I didn't believe that Hiruko was idiotic enough to have used the Hitokugutsu on himself. But now that I've seen it, I realize that fighting himself myself may've been a wee ambitious. This isn't the Hiruko I remember." Chiyo muttered to herself, though loud enough for Kakuzu to hear, glancing at him through the corner of her eye before returning her squinted eyesight to said person a second later. Now that she had a moment, she gave him a glance over and realized he didn't even resemble the person she once knew, perhaps physically but nothing else. It was like she was staring at a stranger. "Can I trust that you'll cooperate with me, Akatsuki Boy?"
"Just Akatsuki," Kakuzu started, tried of the 'boy' title when it was fact he was significantly older than her, which might be unbelievable to her. "And I can handle this bastard myself. I've fought motherfuckers a lot scarier than him."
"May be but Hiruko isn't a human anymore, he's a puppet! That by itself has made him more dangerous than a human being. Now let me educate you, boy. What makes puppets so terrifying are their mechanisms which can launch attacks from anywhere—and if I know Hiruko, he's boobytrapped himself with several traps hidden on his person in the short time he's been a puppet. All which are poisonous. So, you cannot run in and punch him like you would a person! You'll kill yourself!"
"So, what do you purpose we do, hag?" He rebutted, maliciously spitting out the nickname. She clicked her tongue to voice her dislike.
"Since neither of us have knowledge of what traps he has installed himself with, we'll have to avoid them by all costs which means having the ability to avoid an attack in an instant if any of them is triggered."
"Alright, so avoid. How the fuck are we supposed to defeat him, though?"
"Puppets have weak points in their foundation—all puppets have them, even if made by a master craftsman. Even with the Hitokugutsu, I believe Hiruko has them too. So, we must find his weak point and target it. That should be enough to disable him."
"'Avoid an attack in an instant if any of them is triggered' and 'find his weak point and target it'. Easy."
"It may be but it is not so don't josh yourself."
"'urry with it, I 'ate waitin'." Hiruko interrupted, narrowing his eyes as his tail whiplashed itself against the ground in impatience. Chiyo frowned, troubled by the trademark phrase which was not characteristic of the person speaking it, but convinced herself it was just a coincidence. Although, it was another addition to a growing list of things which did not sit right with her.
"Obliged." Kakuzu muttered and stepped forward, flexing his biceps. A ringing echoed out, like a sword being unsheathed, as his Doton activated again a millisecond later and coated his arms in dark bronze. Hiruko uttered a noise underneath his breath although his facial features betrayed nothing of his thought process as even his tailed went still also. Chiyo found herself swallowing her breath in anticipation and had perspiration bead on her fingertips from the warmth of the chakra pooled in them. The air thickened with smothering humidity and tension as the three parties stared at each other, waiting for the other to move first.
Finally, after several tense seconds, Kakuzu lunged at him with his arm cocked back for a punch. Hiruko didn't hesitate in his counterattack at his tail bulleted back at him, sharpened tip aimed for a killing blow. Both had taught each other from their short-lived skirmish earlier. So, when Kakuzu attempted to strike the tail away, Hiruko quickly swiveled the stinger past his fist and his arm to hit the underside of the extremity, sending embers flying as the two metals grinded against each other. Kakuzu threw his head against his shoulder as the spade darted past his face and it sliced through the fabric of his bandana in a grazing hit. The tail recovered quickly from the missed attack and arched itself behind him, plunging again at the back of his head. Kakuzu heard the telltale swishing of air and made the beginning motions to duck. When he did, it was with remarkable ease, like someone had oiled his old joints and he almost tripped over himself with the sudden gained dexterity. Maybe the mud squishing underneath his boots had made him slip a little because it was like his body had done it itself without his assistance.
He straightened up after the second failed attack and gazed down at his gloved hands as he clenched them and flexed his biceps. There was a bizarre tingling in them which bridged down his spine and into his legs. It was an abnormal and evasive warmth which he recognized immediately. He squinted his eyes and searched his arms, confirming his theory when he spied a faint flickering. There was a shimmering, thread-like material which was attached to his arms, numbered one to his wrists and elbows. He wasn't an idiot of its source and turned his head, glowering at Chiyo from the side opening of his sunglasses. She was standing several feet behind him with her hands laid out inconspicuously at her sides. Each invisible string linked directly back to the older woman's fingertips, numbering ten in total for each finger. Chiyo glared back and lifted a finger to her thin lips to hush him.
'I'm helping you. Now hush up.' Her own glaring practically read out to him. Sighing, he returned his attention to Hiruko. He hated having other handicapping him in battle.
Hiruko had withdrawn his tail after the failed raid and it rattled as the hunchbacked man secretly schemed another onslaught. While he did, Kakuzu kept his defenses up and took the chance to analyze him, searching for potential areas of weakness while planning his own offense. It was obvious his tail was his main weapon or maybe his only weapon so if he disabled it, then all he would have to worry about would be the traps hidden on his body. If he avoided those then Hiruko was as good as incapacitated. How to disable it was another issue. He couldn't simply punch it into pieces given its steel structure, so he'd have to think of something else to cripple it.
He wasn't given much more time to think about it though, because Hiruko was attacking again. He thrusted his tail at him in a straight shot and Kakuzu lifted his hardened arms to block the hit instead of retaliating. If he did that, they'd just be engaged in the same song and dance forever until one of them tired—or rather Kakuzu tired since Hiruko couldn't. He had to test his pattern so he could get a solid hit in. The stinger did as it had before, stopping inches from impacting his arms and instead, corkscrewed towards his side which had been left exposed. Kakuzu had figured he would do this, given he had done this twice before, and three strikes confirmed his theory of Hiruko's cheap tricks. What Hiruko didn't realize was that while attempting to exploit Kakuzu's weaknesses, he had exploited his own in the process. Kakuzu smirked victoriously when he saw his chance and snatched it—literally.
Hiruko muttered a surprised noise when Kakuzu hooked his Doton infused arm around his tail and hugged it against his side. He tried to pull it back, but it did nothing as its circular joints squealed in objection with his persistent yanking. Kakuzu didn't budge either, like he had been glued in place. Unbeknownst to Hiruko, in the background, Chiyo was straining her chakra strings thin to prevent her little friend from being dragged away. She coiled them around her hands for extra traction and winced them the hot threading sliced into her withering skin.
"Release me!" Hiruko screamed, eyes bulging further and further in their sockets with each angrily shouted word. He tugged harder until he was digging both his hands and feet into the muddy sand for leverage like a captured animal.
"Not fucking happening." Kakuzu gritted through his teeth and squeezed the tail tighter, ignoring the pain as its joints pitched into his skin.
'This Akatsuki Boy learned quickly.' Chiyo thought and smirked. She could have been coloured impressed if he weren't a green-eyed, materialistic, money-grubbing mercenary. "Hold him, Akatsuki Boy. I'll attach my chakra strings to his tail. Once I do, I'll hold onto him while you search for his weak point."
"Fucking hurry with it!"
"No, ya don'." Hiruko hissed, having overheard their little plot.
The circular joints between the segments of the tail swiveled over and separated, revealing tiny canisters hidden inside. Kakuzu saw them but it was too late as they spewed a high-pressured gas directly into his face. He was forced to release the extremity as he clenched his hand over his nose and mouth to prevent himself from breathing the unknown fumes for the chance they were poisonous. Chiyo jumped back and watched as billowing smoke swallowed up Kakuzu and obscured her view of Hiruko. The colour of the smoke was not tinted, indicating to her it was not poisonous and just normal smoke for the sole purpose of evasion. Kakuzu figured this out also when there were no telltale signs of it being dangerous such as intense burning of his skin or his eyes watering. It was just a normal smokescreen.
It erected a new problem though. He could no longer see Hiruko. The smoke was too thick and dark which gave this bastard the perfect chance to ambush them both until the wind blew it away. Where and when was a mystery so all he do could was prepare himself. Since his eyesight was useless, he relied on his other senses as he listened for any indication of an incoming attack or the ground quivering underneath his feet. It felt like time had slowed to a crawl as he waited and waited. He had centralized his hearing so acutely that he could hear his own blood pumping through each of his five hearts. Finally, he heard it. It was a high-pitched whistling, but it wasn't the wind. It was to his right and in the middle, not up high or down low. With that information, he took two large sidesteps aside. At that exact moment, Hiruko's tail barreled through the smoke. It skewered through the spot Kakuzu had once been standing which would have resulted in gruesome bisection.
Unfortunately, from Chiyo's position, she could not see nor hear what was happening in the shrouding smokescreen. Her chakra threads were still inked to Kakuzu she knew his location inside but nothing else. So, when he suddenly jerked aside, it communicated as a dodge to her and she should do the same. However, in that same spilt second, Hiruko's tail erupted from the smoke cloud and hurtled towards her. She motioned to dodge but it was traveling faster than her muscles could move her out of its path. It was going to hit her, leaving her with nothing to do but attempt to angle herself to minimize the damage dealt. She squeezed shut her eyes and clenched her jaw, bracing herself for the impact.
…
The inside of the house was eerily quiet with the rain pattering on the roof, while outside, thunder and the various noises of fighting could be heard.
Zetsu freed herself from the doorknob and climbed to her feet, dusting herself off. She looked around, observing her new surroundings. She had entered into the humble living area of the house. The walls were pasted with hideous, mustard-coloured, flower print wallpaper with dozens of framed pictures crowding it, a table with a woven bowl on it with sewing supplies in it and a half-knitted scarf, which was in the middle of two loveseats and a recliner. It reminded her of the houses that grandparents had in her cartoons. Except that once she looked down, she released is wasn't a cartoon, but a horror movie.
Blood was smudged on the floorboards and soaked into the rug—not a little, but a lot. It was trailed through the living room and into the bridging hallway to her right. Zetsu swallowed thickly while staring at the smeared substance, a cluster of thoughts bombarding her on whether or not to see where it went. She didn't feel any fireflies in the house, but maybe they were hiding from the bad firefly? Maybe they were hurt and needed help? She might be the only person who could help them now. However, Sir said not to look. But the fireflies… She swallowed again and cautiously tiptoed towards the hallway, wary not to step on the drying blood. The hallway was dark, the lights turned off when she peeked around the corner down it. She didn't know where the switch was though, so she would have to transverse it in the darkness. That thought alone made her more apprehensive to investigate. She hated the dark because monsters lived in the dark which is the reason she had to sleep with her window open and wouldn't use the bathroom at night—but she couldn't leave the fireflies, could she? Monsters would, and she would too because she was a monster…no. No! She would save the fireflies and prove she was not a monster!
With that, she sighed deeply then inhaled, preparing herself and praying there were no other monsters as she stepped inside the shadowy hallway. The blood was sticky, and she cringed when it stuck to her shoes as she walked through it. There were two doors on each side of the hallway and one at the end, all of which were closed shut. One by one, she hesitantly opened each of them to a crack and squinted through it, searching for evidence for anyone which may be hidden inside. When she saw no one, she let out a little 'hello' too with little result. She found nothing in either bedroom, or in the bathroom, or broom closet. Then, she came upon the last door. She couldn't see it, but by the syrupy puddle she was standing it, this is where the blood led. Her stomach soured, and she found herself shaking in unconscious anticipation of what may be on the other side. With a gulp, she grasped for the doorknob with a trembling hand and twisted it, breaching it open to a tiny gap.
It was pitched black when she glanced inside. A heavy, metallic scent wafting through the crack and invaded her nose, making her wrench back and gag. It smelt like a lot of blood, and she swallowed down the salvia puddling on her mouth. Squeezing her nose shut, she pushed the door open further and stared into the darkness. After a moment, her eyes adjusted, and she noticed it was not a room, but a narrow stairwell. It was like the one in their house, so it must lead to a basement. Immediately, the realization made her heart drop. She hated basements because they were dark too. But she couldn't leave the fireflies!
"Hello? Fireflies?" She whispered down and waited patiently for a response. The quiet creaking of the foundation being pushed by the wind was her only answer. "Hello!?" Nothing. Well, there was nothing left to do but go down…All she had to do was check if the fireflies were okay and then she could leave.
One by one, she crept down the ill-lighted stairwell, searching blindly for each step with her foot. The rotting wood creaked and slumped underneath her gooey shoes, making her fear she might tumble down them. Her nose was becoming sore from her pitching it shut so she unplugged it—and instantly regretted it. The smell was getting worse, sickening so, which meant she was inching closer to the blood source and the fireflies. She sheltered her nose again and resumed slinking down, step by step. Then, something cold and long brushed against Zetsu's forehead and she jerked back, squeaking. She swatted at the unknown object and it hooked between her fingers when she brought her hand down. She was blinded by a light and winced, blinking her eyes rapidly to ease them of the pain associated with the sudden lighting change. Her eyes adjusted after a second and she wiped away the tears as she stared at the thing that had attacked her. It was a rusted, silver chain which hung down from to an old lightbulb screwed into the wall. It was dim, but still bright enough that it bathed the stairs with its warm, orange glow. Zetsu felt a weight lifted from her with the vanquishing of the darkness but there was still the anxiety of what lurked below. She had made it halfway down so there was no going back now unless she wanted to admit to being a monster.
Mustering all her courage, she hurried down the reminder of the stairs and emerged at the bottom, finishing her little journey. The basement light illuminated across the concrete floor and the junk which had been stacked in front of the stairwell. There were boxes of toys and miscellaneous items, but no fireflies inside. She turned and searched the rest of the basement, but it was swallowed by the intimate shadiness and her eyes could see nothing except vague silhouettes. There had to be another light then, she thought, otherwise, how did anyone find anything? She was the smartest.
She reached up one of her hands and waved it around, searching for a chain. When she felt nothing, she shuffled forward a bit and continued swiping at the air. Another step—and her foot landed onto something. It was squishy, but when she applied pressure, it released a gruesome crunching which made her blood run ice cold. She backpedaled and her hand, which was still outstretched, brushed against something cold and familiar. She wrapped her fingers around it. It was a chain. She yanked down on it without a second thought—and doing so would forever haunt her.
The light flickered on, brighter and newer than its counterpart, and left nothing to the imagination. With it, she saw what she had stepped on and inhaled sharply. It was a hand attached to an amputated arm. Beside it laid a massacre. Human bodies chopped and diced into gorey chunklets marinated in blood with limbs sprawled and protruding bone lying fragmented. She wanted to scream but the noise would be too shrill, too horrified that it caught in her throat all she could do was squeak like a frightened mouse. As she backpedaled away, her foot caught something and sent her tumbling hard to the ground. She whimpered, prying herself off the adhesive-like blood puddling the floor and looked at what had tripped her up. It was a human head, its jaw locked mid scream and its clouded eyes budging in their sockets, staring their dead gaze straight at her. This time, she screamed. However, something interrupted the high-pitched noise escaping her and her jaw snapped shut like a bear trap upon sensing it.
It was hot; it was angry; it was nearby; it was—the firefly!? Just then, the floorboards over her head creaked, then again, and again, causing dust cascade from between them. Footsteps. The firefly was inside the house. She gasped. Impossible! Sir was supposed to be playing with the firefly! How did it get inside!? Her train wreck of questioning inside her head came to a screeching halt as she realized the footsteps were growing nearer, one by one. The firefly was walking towards her. She had to hide!
Franticly, her eyes searched for anything, anywhere that might function as a hiding place. They landed upon an old wardrobe, sitting against the wall. It wasn't that large, but neither was Zetsu, so it was perfect, and she scurried towards it. She was relieved to discover it was void of shelving on the inside and squeezed herself inside, shutting the doors. A keyhole permitted her to peek outside as she watched and waited nervously for the firefly.
Upstairs, the firefly was checking each room as evident by the footsteps backtracking and the kicking of doors. It was searching for her. She gulped, clinching her jaw to prevent her canines from clattering as she started shaking again. The firefly was soon at the basement door and it clicked open. Unfortunately, the keyhole's line of sight was limited so she could not see the firefly as it descended the stairs and listened instead to the creaking with each step. Then, a figure walked in front of the wardrobe, shadowed by the light. The firefly searched around as its head turned right then left, and she held her breath, afraid it would be heard and she would be found. Finally, after a minute, the firefly gave up its search and started walking away. Zetsu released her breath—too prematurely.
That same second, the light filtering in through the keyhole was obstructed and when the girl squinted at it, she found an eye staring through it and at her.
"Hello, poppet." Said the firefly, and Zetsu screamed.
…
When the impact never came, Chiyo slowly opened her eyes and discovered the poison-laced barb suspended inches from her face. The attack had been prevented from hitting her and when she glanced up, she found her saviour to be a gigantic, black creature with a demonic mask staring at her. The smoke finally dispersed and Kakuzu glimpsed over his shoulder to find he had summoned Rājan in time as it had tangled its threaded body in the joints of the tail, immobilizing it. He should've left the old woman to her fate but cursed the last remnants of his conscious.
Hiruko saw Rājan and a glorious epiphany struck him, making him chuckle. "O', 'ow interestin'." He tried to retract his tail but Rājan stood steadfast, rumbling in response to the fruitless attempts at freedom.
"Give up, Rājan has you captured." Kakuzu interrupted, stepping forward and crossing his arms. "Surrender, and I'll return you in Sunagakure in one piece."
The puppeteer laughed. "O', ya t'ink me done, do ya? You're underestimatin' me, boy. I still got tricks up my sleeve." He then yanked his tail again and this time, the joints disconnected in the middle, bisecting it and revealing a chain-like weapon hidden inside. It snapped together into an alloy shiv.
He whipped the shortened appendage around and thrusted the blade at the dark-skinned male who blocked it with his Doton. Rājan reacted to aggression directed towards its host and dropped the dismembered extension to protect him. Hiruko smirked at this little mistake and Chiyo realized it.
"No, it was a trick! Grab the tail!" However, it was too late as the discarded spade quivered in the sand then launched through the air before either Kakuzu or Rājan could react. Hiruko lifted his stump and the soaring tail end linked neatly up with it, the joint spinning to lock the two pieces back together. Like a cat, he coiled newly reformed attachment around himself.
"Perfect, perfect. This lil' spar 'as benefi'ed me more than I though' I' would. 'owever, this distraction is over wit'."
"Distraction?" Kakuzu asked, not understanding what that meant.
Once that escaped his mouth, Chiyo noticed movement originating near the farmhouse and gasped. Kakuzu directed his attention towards what had startled her so and felt his stomach drop. It was Zetsu. She wasn't inside like he told her but rather she was lying in the sand outside the side like she had fallen through the wall, looking startled and frightened of something as she scuttled backwards through the damp sand and away from the house. She fought to her feet and without paying attention in which direction, starting run while staring over her shoulder as though something was chasing her. Unfortunately, she was running directly towards Kakuzu—and Hiruko.
Unfurling itself, the scorpion tail arched towards the fleeing girl and both Chiyo and Kakuzu ran at Hiruko realizing his intentions. Rājan gunned his arms at the tail, bellowing and cackling with static. Those few meters felt like forever.
"Zetsu!"
"Hiruko, no!" However, it was too late.
Rājan's hoofed hands missed it by inches as it evaded them and sped towards the teenager. Zetsu guided her gaze from behind her upon hearing a high-pitched whistling and saw the spade barreling towards her. She tried to stop herself, but her shoes slid through the mud and sent her careening directly at it. The stringer punched through her ribcage, the hollow impact backdropped by a thunderclap and flash of lightning. Blood and shattered bone sprayed and the collision sent her petite build summersaulting through the air. She landed on the wet ground and rolled before resting face down in the mud, blood rivering from her punctured abdomen.
Chiyo gasped in horror, hands automatically drawing to her mouth. Kakuzu snarled and cocked back his arm to punch Hiruko in his ugly face with Rājan howling behind him, an arch of electricity surging between its flared shoulders. "You bastard!"
"No, no, no. I wouldn' suggest doin' tha'. 'less ya wan' me tearin' yer pup apar' limb by limb." Hiruko dissuaded, keeping his tail poised over Zetsu's motionless body with the pincer pointed at the back of her tattooed neck, blood and rainwater streaming off it. Kakuzu stopped himself with Rājan skidding to a halt behind him.
"You cowardly bastard," Kakuzu seethed, his knuckles cracking as he balled his fists. "Hiding behind a child to save yourself."
"I ain't hidin'. I'mma opportunist."
"Opportunist my ass!"
"Hmph. Believe wha' ya want. It ain't goin' ta help 'er. In fac', the longer we talk, the longer my poison will circulate through her veins an' do mer damage to 'er organs—if the blood loss don' kill 'er firs'."
"He's right," Chiyo begrudgingly admitted through her gritted teeth, hating having to agree with this monster on anything. "If we do not get her immediate medical attention, she'll die." She casted her distraught gaze to Zetsu, who had started convulsing, a symptom of the poison infecting her.
"Then what do you suggest we do!?" Kakuzu screamed at Chiyo. He wasn't mad because Zetsu had been injured, he was mad because Zetsu had been injured and therefore that threatened his employment with the Akatsuki. 'Little shit keeps getting herself in situations!'
"Simple. Ya lemme leave." Hiruko answered instead. "Lemme leave, an' yer pup should survive."
"The fuck I will!" Kakuzu automatically said. His bullheaded pride refused to just let a target waltz away. It was like watching money walk.
"She'll die!" Chiyo marched up to Kakuzu and snatched his elbow, making his head swivel around to glower at the intrusive hand. Rājan loomed over the grandmother, rumbling menacingly with its stringy body standing up with static. She wasn't intimidated by the display though and stared intently at Kakuzu, her wrinkled lips drawn into a frown and eyebrows knitted together. "That child will die if we don't do something. We can find Hiruko later. He won't escape for long." Fuck, she was right. Zetsu would die and then he'd have a larger issue than missing out on one assassination, namely, finding a new job.
So, after a tense minute, Kakuzu gave up. "Fine." Chiyo released the breath she had been holding and eased her grip on him, tranquilizing Rājan in the process.
"Brilliant." Hiruko chirped, head bobbing bizarrely up and down with his snickering. "An' do not fret. Ya an' I will be meetin' 'gain real' soon. I promise ya tha'." Like promised, his tail retreated from its ominous position over the little girl and idly rested on its owner's back.
As a precaution, Chiyo kept her hand on Kakuzu to hold him back, feeling his muscles straining as the two involuntarily watched as Hiruko started leaving. The mass murderer shambled away without a second glance, past the farmhouse and leaving behind the carnage he was responsible for. It wasn't until he was a distant speck in the horizon did Chiyo release Kakuzu and the two rushed to Zetsu's aid.
Both adults landed of their knees beside her and delicately turned her over. She was tremoring, lips quivering as her mouth opened and closed like a suffocating fish and her eyes were wide but unseeing. She was in shock, either from the poison or the blood loss. Kakuzu hiked up her blood soaked shirt and cringed when her left side had been demolished into a debris of tattered flesh and extruding rib bone.
"You little shit, I instructed you to stay inside!"
"We have to stop the bleeding," Chiyo said, voicing the obvious. She reached underneath her robes to fetch the first-aid kit from her pouch.
"I've got it." He said, making her pause and lift an eyebrow to her hairline.
He poised his hand over Zetsu and threading sprouted from his bandaged wrist. Thankfully, the wound, while gruesome, was shallow and hadn't been as bad as when she had bisected herself. He was able to find undamaged skin and after pushing the broken bone inside, his thread sewed the two sides of the laceration shut. It took forty stitches to close it. Chiyo observed, tightlipped and uncertain of this odd ability but put away her bandages anyway, seeing as they were not required.
He lifted Zetsu into his arms and straightened up, turning towards Rājan behind him. "Rājan, return." The lightning mask grumbled in acknowledgement of the order. Its black anatomy collapsed as the threads and mask wedged itself underneath his tunic and returned onto his back. Again, Chiyo decided not to ask. It had been an emotional day for her.
"Daora." More threading sprung out from his collar and his wind mask wriggled out with it, puddling onto the ground and writhing as it gradually arranged itself into the quadruped. Once Daora had assembled itself, it stretched itself like a cat, yawning its beak and flexing its wings then plopped itself in front of him, greeting him with a screeching caw. "Daora. Zetsu has been injured, she needs to be flown to Sunagakure, now."
Daora cooed in understandment and positioned itself on its clawed feet. He rested Zetsu's semi-conscious on Daora's back and a current of strings coiled themselves around her, creating a makeshift swaddle so she didn't fall off. Then, the bird-like hopped away and lifted off, flapping its skeletal wings until it achieved acceptable height above the dark clouds and glided in the direction of Sunagakure. Kakuzu turned towards Chiyo, who looked like she had sucked on a lemon with her lips pursued so tight and simultaneously seen a ghost.
"Daora's flight is faster than if we carried the girl on foot. She should be in the hospital by the time we get there." He felt obliged to explain, swiping his damp hair from his face and the moisture from his sunglasses.
Chiyo didn't trust him nor did like him, but she trusted him this once that the poor child was being flown back to Sunagakure, not for his sake but her own. "Alright, we should leave." She nodded. "Once we get there, they should have the test results on the poison Hiruko used on her and I can make an antidote." That said, the two elders got to their feet and started running back to the capital, the thunderstorm overhead starting to disperse.
Meanwhile, a figure viewed them leave through the blinds of a window, and smirked. "Yes, I'll be seeing you both soon, my newest puppets."
…
Something wasn't right, Kakuzu realized once Sunagakure was view. He slowed his pace to a walk and Chiyo mimicked him though was confused for his sudden slowdown when the gates were around the canyon walls.
"Something amatter?" She asked.
He narrowed his gaze towards atop the village's rocky walls and caught a glimpse of someone hiding on them. They were being watched. "Yes. I don't remember Suna having such tight security. Thought all your shinobi died in on the battlefield?"
Hearing this, she casted her own curious gaze up and saw a shadow disappearing on the wall they were walking underneath. It was suspicious. Normally, only two people were assigned to patrol a certain amount of the wall at a time. Yet, she swore she had seen four silhouettes up there. She had heard nothing from the latest council meeting about them upping security when they managed to diverge war hungry nations away from Sunagakure itself. Something was up, and she imagined Rasa was behind it.
"Counsellor Chiyo!" Someone yelled, and she pinpointed her sight on someone running towards them. It was Geil.
Geil halted several feet in front of the and Kakuzu automatically stopped also, glaring at him for cutting him off. However, the bald assistant seemed more interested in Chiyo and spared him a passing glowered of his own. "Counsellor Chiyo, where have you been!? Why are you with this Akatsuki man?"
"She stalked me when I went after Hiruko." Kakuzu deadpanned.
Geil gasped. "Hiruko!? The Lord Kazekage gave you explicit orders that you were not involved in this manner!"
"Oh please, like I'd ever listen to that boy." Chiyo dismissed, tossing her head and propping her hands on her hips in a discourteous display.
Geil gaped at her then realized something and stared at Kakuzu instead. "Hiruko, were you able to find him? You never returned with the Ariyama's so we were prepared to send a search party." He said, likely referencing the reason why there were so many shinobi skulking around on the border walls. He must've realized Kakuzu and Chiyo had seen them. Kakuzu didn't buy it.
"Thought you said you couldn't spare anyone else to deal with this yourself," He muttered, calling out the bullshit pouring out of the other man's mouth, and crossed his arms. Geil's scarred face darkened and he sneered. "The Ariyama's were dead once I arrived. Hiruko had killed them already and was on scene. We did our best to repel him, but my subordinate got injured in the process."
"A little girl, has she been admitted to the hospital?" Chiyo interrupted them.
"I-I…If you're asking of the girl which was dropped in front of the Suna hospital by a bizarre creature that then flew away then yes she was." Geil admitted. Kakuzu nodded, so Daora achieved its task, though not as stealthily as he would've liked.
"Oh, thank the lord." She sighed, clapping her hands together in prayer then dropped them and started marching past Geil. "I have to get to the hospital and analyze her."
"W-Wait, Counsellor Chiyo!" Geil stuttered, stumbling out of the way as the little old lady practically trampled over him. "The Lord Kazekage will want to speak to you for your insubordinate behaviour!"
"Tell Rasa to bugger off because I have a child to save!" She screamed back and kept going.
Geil didn't attempt to stop her and focused his squinted gaze back to Kakuzu who had been patiently waiting for the conversation to return to him. "You—the Lord Kazekage will wish to speak with you about your failure to capture Hiruko." He said, speaking like a teacher sending a student to the principle.
Kakuzu shrugged. "Gladly." Then willingly trailed Geil back to the Kazekage's Office.
…
AN: Seems like every chapter I am apologizing for long periods between chapters but I'm sorry. I was finishing my semester, then there were holidays and then I got sick, like mysteriously ill type of sick. For a straight month I was being juggled between doctors to find out what was wrong, but they couldn't find anything after all the tests that could be done. So, now I live on pain killers. It depressed me for awhile, but I've bounced back. Nothing can be done for it, afterall. Also, it explains if some parts are better than others.
Anyway, here is the chapter. I tried so hard to write a decent fight scene so hopefully its better then those passed. I forgot whatelse I was going to write so bye.
Next Chapter: Zetsu is hospitalized, Hiruko is gone, and a horrible discovery.
Until next time.