'This must be my punishment', Kakuzu mused.
Why else would Pein order him to leave Amegakure for a mission in Shimo no Kuni? The journey had taken weeks by foot and there were still a few days left before he arrived in the icy hellscape. While no one could force him to admit it, Kakuzu was tired and in a especially foul mood.
The reason for his current predicament was related to his poor teamwork skills, as Pein had put it.
His teamwork skills were brought into question following the demise of his fourth and latest partner, Aoki. During a mission in Kagerō no Sato, Kakuzu swiftly took out an entire band of shinobi with his fire release mask. Unfortunately, Aoki made the mistake of standing in the way of the intended targets and failed to dodge the incoming fire blast.
Given his partner's mortally wounded state, Kakuzu thought it was only fitting to retrieve his still beating heart and use it for his water release mask. Afterall, it would have been an utter waste not to do so.
'Honestly, I did the organisation a favour by rooting out its weaker members', Kakuzu grumbled to himself.
But his justification left the leader of the Akatsuki very unamused, who then ordered Kakuzu to undertake this new mission. His assignment was to track down and kill a band of rogue shinobi hiding out in the country's north-western valley.
Surely another Akatsuki member or duo was closer to Shimo no Kuni than him? Apparently not.
And to add insult to injury, Pein deliberately specified that he would not undertake any bounty side-missions until he finished his work for the Akatsuki. Despite Kakuzu's prowess and ruthlessness, he was not foolish enough to disobey Pein and was certain that Zetsu was keeping a watchful eye somewhere.
'That plant-freak would tattle to Pein faster than I could get my hands on him', Kakuzu thought darkly. He couldn't fight, kill, or negotiate his way out of this hellishly-long mission.
However, the was one silver lining. At least he was finally alone and free from listening to Aoki's mind-numbing chatter.
'Should have gotten rid of him sooner, hmph'. The thought passed through his mind, but he wasn't inclined to share it with anyone in the Akatsuki.
By the time Kakuzu finally crossed the border from Yu no Kuni into Shimo no Kuni, a violent snow storm had descended. Within a few hours, the fallen snow had collected and reached halfway up to his knees. To his ire, most of his pants and lower portion of his cloak were soaked. They stubbornly clung to his robust form, becoming a freezing hindrance.
'Fuck sake, I can't track anyone in this storm', he cursed to himself. Any footprints or trails would have disappeared from the storm, making tracking a hopeless endeavour. Right now, he needed to find a safer place to shelter himself.
After trudging through the heavy snow and harsh winds for a few hours, he spotted an inn nestled in the woods. The dark smoke from burning firewood and orange-lighted rooms signalled that it was open for business.
Faced with the choice of camping outside in the unrelenting blizzard, Kakuzu settled for spending some ryō on a warm, insulated room. It wouldn't have killed him to camp outside, but it was incredibly undesirable given his already ill-tempered state. Besides, being treasurer of the Akatsuki had its perks when it came to spending decisions.
Upon opening the entrance of the inn, he was greeted with a rush of warm air and the scent of burning pine wood. There was a single attendant at the front desk; a middle-aged woman with pale skin with wrinkles forming at the corner of her eyes and descending down her cheeks. Her medium-length brown hair didn't show any grey hair, but maybe she dyed it out of vanity.
The receptionist had been reading before his arrival quickly grabbed her attention. With a polite bow, she greeted him and was preparing to talk before Kakuzu interrupted her. He was in absolutely no mood to have a chat. To dispense with more unnecessary pleasantries and expedite matters, Kakuzu pulled out a wad of cash to pay for a single, private room. He already saw the prices for the various rooms scribbled on a board outside of the inn.
He needed some rest. Urgently.
The attendant's eyes widened at the stack of cash on the desk. Her surprise could be heard in the stammer of her voice, "W-we have rooms available for the night, how long would you like to stay?"
"Not long, I will pay for the first two nights", he replied curtly. 'Hell, this storm better end by then', he grimaced at the thought of forking out more money. It was wasteful.
"That will be no problem. We also serve meals in our dining hall-", she started.
"I want my meals to be served in my room", he cut her off quickly. While he did not plan on staying long, he did not need any of the other guests noticing his presence. Unfortunately, he stood out in a crowd with his imposing height and heavily cloaked face.
"Y-yes, we can arrange that. As a rule, we usually take down the names of our guests ... but we don't have to", she hastily finished. Faced down by Kakuzu's eerie and cold gaze, the attendant was willing to bend the rules this time.
After nodding and receiving the keys for his room, Kakuzu made his way down the halls and found his room at the end of the corridor. Despite the inn being located in the middle of bloody nowhere, the room was clean and well-maintained. More importantly, it had an ensuite bathroom. The shower was small but it was enough.
Stripping off his cloak and clothes, he laid his equipment on the sink and stepped into the shower. The water was warm, another unexpected luxury. He grunted in satisfaction as the warm water seeped into his scalp, ran down his body, and pooled at his feet. He must have stood there for at least fifteen minutes. He usually took much less time to shower, but he would make an exception today.
At one point, he braced his hands against the shower wall and was deep in thought over his current assignment.
'If the storm ends tomorrow, I can head out and survey the valley. It is only an hour away, maybe less if I hurry. I need to map out the caves and then track down their nest...'
His thoughts were disrupted by someone sliding open the screen door. His brow creased, more from irritation than genuine worry over danger. He kept the water running and quickly tied a towel to his waist. His left hand steadied a kunai in preparation for what was on the other side of the door. Pushing the door open ever so slightly, he peered at his intruder.
It was a young woman with brown skin, probably a couple of shades deeper than his own. Her medium-length, dark hair was tied in a loose braid. She was busy with placing his meal on the table and was preparing to pour a cup of tea.
Kakuzu snorted, 'Just the service staff'. There was no imminent threat to his life or the mission. He switched off the water, quickly dressed himself, and entered the living area. If his appearance startled her, she didn't show it.
"Apologies, I did not want to disturb your shower by knocking", she politely apologised while pouring a cup of tea. She rose from her kneeled position, bowed, and prepared to leave.
But just as she reached the threshold of the entrance, she asked, "May I serve your meal tomorrow morning at 7am?"
"6am will do", he replied composedly. She nodded and quickly left the room.
Not long after she was gone, Kakuzu quickly inhaled both the food and tea. He was much hungrier and more in need of sustenance than he thought. With a full stomach, a deep lethargy overcame him. With his eyelids growing heavier and heavier, he decided that it was time for a good night's rest.
At last.
As Naoko walked down the hallways, she pondered over her brief meeting with their new tall and cloaked guest. She sensed him the moment he stepped within a mile of their inn. His chakra was incredibly strong and very distinct from their usual clientele; it was almost as though she could taste it on the tip of her tongue. Powerful, intense, and somewhat exhilarating.
Naoko hoped that he was here to deal with the band of powerful shinobi who were terrorising the town. This was not a shinobi village and no one had the skill set to fend off the kidnappers.
Hell, no one had even caught a whiff or glance of the kidnappers. Maybe this stranger was skilled enough to catch the rogue ninja.
He was their final resort.
A/N:
Amegakure - Village Hidden by Rain
Shimo no Kuni - The Land of Frost
Yu no Kuni - The Land of Hot Water
My first attempt at writing a fanfic, hope you enjoyed it!