A split second before the avalanche hit, Kakuzu deployed some quick thinking and erected an electric field. It held up against the crushing snowfall, shielding both him and the newly-deceased woman.

He had underestimated his opponents, multiple times by now. Pein's ban, coupled with the freezing temperatures, was throwing him off his game. He didn't like being told what to do, especially when it came to his bounty hunting.

You are losing your edge, old man. You lost them and they know you're here. Fuck.

The avalanche likely wiped out his opponents' tracks, making Kakuzu's job of finding them even harder than before. Right now, he was banking on the very slim chance that the woman's corpse carried clues.

Strategically punching his way out of the avalanche took a while, especially with a dead person slung over his shoulder. His next moves were crucial if he hoped to finish this cursed mission. Without knowing how many opponents he was up against, he needed to re-group and prepare for the next battle. He refused to be caught off-guard again.

It was still dark outside and he had an hour or so left till daybreak, so secluded shelter was the top priority. He needed to find it quickly.

With some urgency, he moved quickly through the forest. Money must have been smiling upon him because he soon found an empty house. It was a reasonable distance away from both the valley and the town. He could stay under the radar, away from any kidnappers and panic-stricken villagers.

The door was locked, but it was child's play to pick it open. It was a simple, single-storey home; one bedroom, a bathroom, and an open-plan living room with a small kitchen. He surmised that only one person lived here.

The house's surfaces were lightly coated with a layer of dust. If he was lucky, maybe the owner was away on a holiday. If not, Kakuzu was prepared to make them disappear. A person living this far away from the town was likely a hermit and socially unattached. The villagers would pin the blame on the kidnappers anyway.

As Kakuzu passed a mirror hanging on the living room wall, he caught a glimpse of his reflection. And he looked like hell. The woman's blood stained a significant portion of his Akatsuki cloak while his hood and clothes were soaked from melting snow. Ideally, he would have lit up the fireplace, peel off his clothes, and take a warm shower. It had been days since his last one and he couldn't exactly clean himself in a frozen lake.

But all of this would have to wait as he had far more pressing matters at hand. Although the cold had slowed down decomposition, any clues on the corpse were likely vanishing by the minute. Fishing out a sealing scroll from his travel pack, he summoned a large tarp and laid the dead body on it. Kakuzu had no qualms with people calling him cruel, violent, or even temperamental. But, no one could call him sloppy.

After amassing years of knowledge in medical ninjutsu, he knew how to properly conduct an autopsy. Opening her mouth, he checked for markings on the roof of her mouth or on the underside of her tongue. Nothing.

He then removed most of her clothes and examined her skin for clues. A lesser creature would have ogled at her bare body, but Kakuzu would not stoop to that level. His external examination also revealed nothing - neither a mark nor a seal. He stifled an annoyed sigh, he had no choice but to continue with a tedious internal examination.

With his right hand, he channelled his chakra into a kunai. He started a 'Y'-shaped incision from the front of each shoulder and ended at the start of her pubic bone. The cut penetrated the abdominal wall and allowed him to peel back the skin.

The ribcage was much sturdier and harder to cut through, so he concentrated more chakra into the kunai. Cutting away the sternal plate, Kakuzu finally exposed the organs underneath. Her liver and spleen were severely ruptured from his wind attack and led to massive blood loss. Fortunately, the rest of her organs were still intact and available for inspection.

His hands were deep in the abdominal cavity when he detected a flicker of chakra approaching the house. His face twisted into an annoyed scowl. Not so lucky after all.

But this chakra felt familiar...

Che, what are the chances that this house belongs to that innkeeper? It felt as though the universe was enjoying a joke at his expense.

After briefly weighing his options, he decided to not immediately kill her. She was hardly a threat, and he wasn't going to pause his autopsy midway for neck snapping.

A smirk tugged at the corner of his lip. Though he wouldn't admit it to anyone, the more twisted side of him was curious to see her reaction.

Standing with her back pressed against the closed front door, Nao experienced a flurry of emotions and thoughts.

Shock came first. There was an uninvited stranger in her home who was probably responsible for her unlocked door.

Familiarity then followed as she finally realised who was in her home. It was the tall shinobi with the unusual red and green eyes from the inn. She suppressed a groan. How did I miss him? Granted, he was heavily suppressing his chakra. But, this was an avoidable blunder on her part. Had she been less tired and more focused, she could have turned right back around.

Horror finally settled in. After beating herself up, she proceeded to register the dead and open woman on her floor. At least, she hoped that the person was dead since his hands were in her freaking abdomen.

Fear hit her like a tidal wave. She became acutely aware that they were all alone in the woods and isolated from everyone else. He was an incredibly strong shinobi while she was most certainly outmatched. Against her wishes, a stream of intrusive thoughts entered her consciousness.

Why is he here?

What the hell is he doing?

Did he kill that woman?

Is he going to kill me now?

The thought of death at the hands of a stranger was panic-inducing; chills ran up and down her neck, as black spots danced at the edges of her vision.

From the corner of his eye, Kakuzu noticed that Nao was turning paler by the minute. So she hasn't screamed or tried running away, he noted with some amusement. At least he didn't need to hunt her down.

With the innkeeper standing frozen in her spot, Kakuzu decided to ignore her for the moment and began removing the organs. The lungs, heart, liver, and stomach were first to be pulled out and laid beside the corpse.

Unfortunately, his actions didn't help Nao's stomach. The squelching sound of blood and flesh was nauseating. Her hand came up to cover her mouth as she fought to keep the contents of her stomach from spewing out.

"Don't throw up", Kakuzu commented gruffly. He knew that civilians became weak-kneed at the sight of blood and organs. Kakuzu could tolerate any adverse reaction from the innkeeper, except vomiting or crying. The overpowering smell of blood was enough and he didn't need the scent of vomit on top of everything else.

The sound of his voice briefly pulled Nao out of her spiral. He didn't seem like he was going to murder her, which was a good sign. She started to slow her breathing and her vision began returning to normal. Lucky me, she thought with some bitterness.

After succeeding in calming herself down, Nao started to stare at her feet. She'd never been in such a situation before and was lost on what to do. Her years of working in hospitality hadn't prepared her for this. He was technically a guest in her home, but an uninvited one who was digging around in a dead body.

Okay, so I won't serve food, she commented dryly to herself.

An uncomfortable silence ensued. Kakuzu was perfectly fine with it, but Nao couldn't stand it. Summoning some courage, she asked, "What are you doing?" Despite her best efforts at sounding collected, there was a tremor in her voice. She hated it.

Kakuzu didn't bother looking up when he replied, "Searching for irregularities".

Irregularities...in her body? That was astonishingly ambiguous but she wasn't prepared to ask for an elaboration.

For the first time, she focused on what his hands were actually doing. One by one, he picked up and inspected each organ. It was an incredibly disturbing display. However, he moved with such ease and precision, it almost felt normal.

When he picked up the stomach, her breath caught in her throat. Unlike before, she was completely focused this time. There was a trace of foreign chakra lodged in that particular organ. It was incredibly faint, but she was sure that something was there. Chakra was unique to every person; each bore a distinct look, feel, and even taste. This one radiated an icy aura with glass-like sharpness.

She bit her lower lip, unsure if she should say anything to him. Since she was young, her parents had drilled into her to never reveal her abilities to anyone, especially to outsiders. Her indecision was her downfall as it didn't escape Kakuzu's keen senses. He found it intriguing that she reacted to that particular organ and not to the rest.

"I need a bowl", he announced matter-of-factly. Nao didn't realise that he was requesting her to fetch the item until he looked up again. His piercing gaze quickly jolted Nao out of her daze. She quickly rummaged through her kitchen cupboard and pulled out a large stainless steel bowl. She shuffled over and handled the bowl over to him, nearly tripping over her own two feet.

With a quick flick of his index finger, Kakuzu sliced open the stomach and emptied its contents into the bowl.

Nao felt sick again and averted her gaze away from him. I have to throw that away now. How terribly wasteful.

Settled within the gastric juices, Kakuzu found a partially-digested pill fragment and a tiny, solid metal ball. Now, that is unexpected, he conceded.

To confirm his suspicions, he fetched a chakra-sensing scroll from his satchel and placed the metal ball on it. The seal flashed and started to sizzle with a bright, blue glow. All of this indicated that the ball had once been imbued with a powerful chakra.

I doubt it belonged to the village girl, he swiftly concluded. Onto the more interesting puzzle. How did the innkeeper know before I emptied the stomach?

Of course, it was a rhetorical question. In his mind, he surmised that she was most likely a spy.

Wiping his hands clean on his already forsaken cloak, Kakuzu stood up. He stepped over the corpse and began approaching Nao. Within a few strides, he cornered her. His height dwarfed Nao as she stood nearly a head shorter than him. Craning her neck upwards to meet his gaze, Nao was faintly aware that she was holding her breath. His stern, unblinking gaze unnerved her.

"How long have you been working with them?" Kakuzu asked tersely.

Looking down on her face, he expected to see fear and nervousness. Those were tell-tale signs of a spy being discovered. Instead, she blinked a few times and her expression turned to cluelessness.

"Huh?"

His hand moved with such speed that Nao didn't even register it. He grabbed her neck and roughly lifted her till she was on his eye level.

"I am not going to ask again Nao", he added in her name for intimidation.

Her eyes began to water from the chokehold and she could only sputter out a sentence, "W-working for who! I d-don't understand!"

Kakuzu's eyes narrowed into near slits. His patience was running thin and he could feel his temper rising dangerously. He was tired, cold, and was fucking sick of this town. Staring into his angry face, Nao could almost see that he was coming dangerously close to ending her life. This was a dire situation and she needed to quickly abandon any reservations on sharing her secret.

As it was becoming very difficult to form coherent sentences, she needed to get to the point quickly. "Wait-t, please! I can e-explain!" His grip on her throat loosened, but he wasn't going to let go of her yet. Nao was riddled with apprehension as she scrambled to find a quick, satisfactory answer for her belligerent guest.

"I'm not working with anyone, I swear! I uh c-can sense chakra. " Hell, even I know how pathetic that sounds and what a fantastic way to make use of your final moments.

Kakuzu's expression reflected mixture of annoyance and disbelief. Really? An innkeeper in this backwater town with sensory abilities? Seeing his unimpressed expression, Nao quickly followed up, "I c-can show you-u!"

Kakuzu was ambivalent about his next move. It was so tempting to kill her, but that would be a terrible idea. Unfortunately, the innkeeper was well-connected and returned home after daybreak. Someone would notice her disappearance and then he would need to destroy more bodies instead of just one. He hardly needed more work on his plate. On the miniscule chance that she had sensory abilities, she could ultimately be of some use to him.

With a frustrated sigh, he body-flickered away from her. While Nao was very happy about not being strangled, his sudden disappearance caused her to fall unceremoniously on her behind and hit her back against the doorknob.

Shit, that hurt, she cursed while rubbing the newly-smarting spot on her lower back. She didn't see where he had disappeared to, so his sudden re-appearance nearly made her jump out of her skin. Crossing his arms, he growled out, "Well, where is it?"

Once again, astonishingly ambiguous. Nao avoided rolling her eyes, no doubt it would infuriate him and hammer the final nail in her coffin. Closing her eyes, she exhaled deeply to steel her nerves. Her life now depended on finding whatever the hell he hid somewhere in her house.

Nao pursed her lips and shut her eyes as she tried to locate the very faint trace. The sharp and cold aura had migrated from the living room and into her bedroom. If she had to be specific, it was probably inside of her closet.

But...there was something else out of place in her home. It belonged to the man who was impatiently waiting for her response. He had left something in her bathroom, somewhere in the bathtub. Maybe a weapon?

"That thing from her stomach is in my bedroom, um in the closet. You also left some tool in the bathtub too", she nervously answered.

Kakuzu's eyes widened by a tiny fraction. The real test was her finding a chakra-infused kunai in the bathtub, and she passed it. He hummed a pensive 'Hm', mollified that she was not a spy. He could ignore her again and return to solving his first puzzle.

Stepping away wordlessly from Nao, he approached the corpse once more. He now had several pieces of information at hand. The village girl died in the middle of the night, yet the ball was still in her stomach and not the small intestine. There was hardly any food left in the stomach. So, she most likely ingested the pill that encased the ball long after dinner, but just before going to bed.

It was in the medication. This was the most logical answer.

"Who is responsible for dispensing pills in this town?" He asked Nao, once again without looking at her.

"Um, we only have Fuyuta-san", she replied hesitantly. "He opens the dispensary in an hour. It is the red-roofed house, next to the marketplace. Do you uh need supplies?"

"I want to see him when everyone else is not there". Kakuzu didn't answer her question directly, it wasn't necessary to tell her about his suspicions yet.

Nao had to ponder on his question for a moment. While Fuyuta-san was supposed to have a lunch break at noon, he was a talkative man and often entertained the odd customer while eating. The only time that he was truly alone was during closing time. "Then, you should go right before four o'clock. He closes then and usually no one bothers coming into the dispensary".

Kakuzu rubbed the bridge of his nose in irritation. There was not much time to completely dispose of the body, get some rest, and prepare for his next move. He needed to make compromises. Earlier, he had noticed a shed outside and it could comfortably store the body until after the mission. It was cold enough to ward off putrefaction and would keep animals away.

Squatting down, he gathered his supplies and proceeded to quickly stuff the organs back into the body cavity. Threads slipped out of his forearm and started to sew the skin back to its original position. Seeing the threads coming out of the man's arm scared Nao, but it was one of the less grotesque things of the day.

As he sewed up the woman, Nao could finally steal a glimpse of the dead woman's face. Unfortunately, she did not recognise the woman. She looked young, maybe on the cusp of her twenties. Her short hair was chestnut brown and perfectly framed her oval-shaped face. Her eyes were open but with no sign of life in them. Nao frowned.

Willing some strength into her legs and ignoring the ache in her lower back, Nao walked over and kneeled down at the woman's head. Reaching out with her fingertips, she gently closed the woman's eyes. 'I hope that you are at peace', she thought briefly. She was more superstitious than religious; it was bad luck to leave a person's eyes open after death.

Kakuzu noticed Nao's approach and turned his head ever so slightly in her direction. Closing a dead person's eyes bothered on absurdity. In his eyes, it was unnecessary and a waste of time.

Throwing caution into the wind, Nao met Kakuzu's intense stare and asked, "Did you kill this woman?"

If he was surprised by her boldness, he didn't show it. Instead, he replied in a dispassionate voice, "Collateral damage. The people responsible for your town's problems used her as a shield against my attack".

He killed her but he's ridding us of the kidnappers. By no means did Nao trust this man. He was violent, secretive, and scary as fuck. But, he was the only person who could help them. By definition, he was a necessary evil.

After stitching the cuts closed, Kakuzu securely wrapped the body in the tarp and headed towards the shed. "Don't go anywhere", he commanded Nao. She quietly huffed at his directive and retreated to the kitchen. She needed something to calm down and feel like herself again.

Tea? Yes, I need some goddamn tea.

As the water boiled, Nao heard the shed door's loud, squeaky hinge and wanted to groan out loud. He was leaving the dead woman in her shed. 'He is the worst guest ever'. He was taking extensive liberties with her home and she didn't even know his name. His aloofness irked her to no end.

By the time he returned, Nao was pouring the nearly-boiled water into some tea leaves. The aroma alone was tantalising; it was a mixture of sweet and smoky. Oolongcha was her favourite, she often turned to it for comfort in stressful situations. The first sip was delicious, as always. It soothed her and made her feel much more at ease.

The masked man was quiet, his gaze was focused on the pot of tea. He probably wants a cup but is too proud to ask, she thought rather smugly to herself. Part of her wanted to ignore him entirely, but her sense of hospitality would spoil any derived pleasure. Since his earlier hostility had dissipated and he probably wasn't going to kill her right this second, Nao was going to extend some courtesy.

She fished out a second tea set and poured him a cup. He nodded at the gesture, his way of saying 'thank you' without actually saying the words. It was a peculiar sight; both of them sharing a pot of tea even after one person tried to strangle the other moments earlier.

The sense of temporary calm was soon shattered when something else caught her attention. His cloak. It was appalling. Even though the material was dark, there were discernible streaks of dried blood. The splattering of reddish-brown stains made him look like a walking horror show. This would not do, especially if he planned to sit on any of her furniture.

"If you need a shower, there is an extra towel in the bottom cabinet. I can clean the blood off your cloak in the meantime", Nao suggested.

Kakuzu was slightly befuddled by her hospitality. When he threatened people with death, they were typically less accommodating and didn't care about his comfort. "You can't show up like that in town", she rationalised. Aside from the hazard to my furniture, I doubt you want people yelling and pointing at you in the street, she thought wryly to herself.

Kakuzu huffed, but didn't fight her recommendation. It wasn't a terrible idea, a shower was a god-send in his current state. He swiftly unbuttoned his cloak and left it on the kitchen counter. "Don't leave", he warned once more.

"It's my house, I'm not going anywhere", Nao finally retorted. She hated being issued commands when it was her bloody house. Kakuzu offered no response and wordlessly headed towards the bathroom.

Underneath his cloak, he wore a thicker long-sleeved shirt. This didn't surprise Nao, given the freezing temperatures. On the other hand, there were four distinct lumps on his back. That was very unusual and momentarily made her wonder what was hidden underneath.

Alas, that mystery was to be be solved on another day. She had an urgent task at hand. Grabbing her trusted gloves, she turned on the tap in her kitchen sink. Cold water streamed onto the gigantic cloak. Within a few moments, the water beneath it turned into a dark, revolting colour. There wasn't just blood, it was caked in copious amounts of dirt and sweat.

Regular detergent would not do the job, she needed the special soap bar. It was loaded with an enzymatic cleaner and could easily remove all this gunk. They used the same one at the inn to get rid of those extra-stubborn stains.

When was the last time he washed this! She grunted in exasperation while furiously rubbing the soap into the cloak. Probably half an hour elapsed before she was finally satisfied with her work. She neither noticed Kakuzu's emergence from the bathroom nor him taking a seat on her sofa.

After wringing out the excess water, Nao lit the fireplace and hung the enormous cloak close to the heat source. Kakuzu had already hung his hood next to the fireplace, as though predicting her next move. He used a spare mask which hid only his lower face.

With the cloak sorted out, Nao was ready to collapse on her bed. "It will dry in a couple hours and before you head over to Fuyuta-san. I'm going to bed now".

"You don't seem to fear falling asleep with a complete stranger in your home", Kakuzu replied coolly. He found civilians like her mystifying. Any shinobi worth their salt would never consider sleeping with a dangerous, elusive character in their midst.

"If you kill me in my sleep, at least it is a peaceful way to go", her voice sounded even, much to her surprise. In reality, her stomach was performing somersaults and she was praying that he wouldn't call out her bluff.

"Good to know, we will leave in a few hours. Don't oversleep and keep the door open," Kakuzu replied in a nonchalant voice. He gave her a cold-eyed stare, as if daring her to fight him. Kakuzu knew what she was capable of and wouldn't let her go so easily. With the odds stacked against him, he could use her sensory talents to finish his mission. And if she died by the hands of the kidnappers, then so be it. He could wipe his hands clean and collect the mission payment nevertheless.

Great. More orders. Issued by him. In my house. Nao gritted her teeth together in irritation. "Can I at least know your name?" She inquired angrily, not bothering to disguise her annoyance. At the very least, he owed her that.

Kakuzu looked away and kept silent. Indignant with his non-communication, Nao got up and made a beeline for her bedroom. She had been awake since the night before and was utterly wiped out. There were only a few hours left before the visit to Fuyuta-san and she wasn't going to waste it with trying to pull teeth from her tight-lipped guest.

She wasn't allowed to slam the door shut, but maybe she kick it open in a fit of childish rebellion. Yes, it was immature but she was too tired to care. Before that could happen, she heard his baritone voice once more.

"Kakuzu".

A half-smile formed on her lips. Perhaps he isn't a lost cause after all.

And I don't need to smash up my furniture, she quickly added as an afterthought.

A/N:

Thank you tyuo for my first-ever review! Hope you like this chapter too ^.^