Before Nao heard footsteps coming down the tunnel, she sensed the imminent arrival of danger.
Girishi!
She shot up from her seated position but was otherwise frozen in fear, vividly aware that her civilian limbs stood no chance of outrunning a professional shinobi.
What should I do! Hide...No, that's ridiculous, there aren't any rooms around us...Run away? That's even more idiotic...
Her frantic trains of thought didn't last long as within moments, Girishi appeared right in front of her. Nao yelped in shock at the suddenness of his appearance, he took much less time than she had anticipated. It was terrifying coming face-to-face with the man responsible for her town's suffering, all Nao could do was to back away very slowly while her limbs trembled out of fear. However perplexed he was by the presence of a civilian, it soon transformed into rage and desperation.
Must be his accomplice! Hiroyuki roared internally. He grabbed her hair with such ferocity that Nao cried in pain, feeling her dark hair being pulled from their roots. He roughly threw her onto his shoulder and took off like a bat out of hell.
"No! Let me go!" She screeched, using her legs to kick her kidnapper's chest. But her pleas went unheard as Hiroyuki bolted through the intricate maze. He was determined to get out of these tunnels. The narrow, confined corridors were tanking his chances at survival. If he stayed here, he would have ended up like Toshiyuki.
Toshi...
Grinding his teeth together, he swallowed the bitter taste of loss and regret. Instead, Hiroyuki swore on my brother's memory that he would destroy the masked man and avenge his fallen brethren. It didn't take long before he leaped out of the Eastern exit. The cold air on his face was a welcomed sensation. He had made it.
With little concern, he threw his captive to the ground. She quickly rose to her feet, only to be greeted with a sharp blow to her face. The strike was enough to render her silent and immobile, but lacked the force to break any bones or kill her. Hiroyuki needed her alive to act as bait and lure the masked man to his demise.
He had only a few moments to prepare his first attack, but these precious seconds were enough. A cruel grin began spreading across his features, he would savour every moment of this merciless kill.
Should have killed them both straight away, Kakuzu chided his carelessness. Running down the hallway, he found that his target had already nabbed the innkeeper. His concern for her was superficial, he was more annoyed with being wrong about her safety.
The target was fast, even with the innkeeper in tow. Although Kakuzu was hot on their trail, he was still seconds behind them. Even worse, they disappeared through a new exit into the outside world. This fresh battlefield placed Kakuzu at a noticeable disadvantage; it was the perfect killing ground for an Ice-style user. Snow caked every inch of this arena, enabling his target to blend seamlessly into the landscape and conjure more powerful jutsu.
However, Kakuzu was no ordinary missing-nin. His forbidden jutsu combined with decades of experience morphed him into a deadly weapon. Truth be told, he craved an exhilarating battle with the remaining target. The fights underground were too easy for someone of his calibre. If the change in scenery could satisfy his bloodlust, part of him welcomed it.
With a quick sweep of the area, Kakuzu located the innkeeper's crumpled form lying on the ground. Alive but likely unconscious. Kakuzu didn't check on her, recognising that it was merely a ploy to lower his guard.
So stop hiding, coward.
He had to admit that the snowy landscape worked a treat for his opponent, Kakuzu couldn't detect anyone else besides the innkeeper. Nevertheless, He settled into a defensive posture, with every muscle of his body coiled in anticipation. Whatever his opponent was planning, Kakuzu would not be so easily caught off-guard.
Hiroyuki was disgruntled that his trap near the woman wasn't activated. No matter, he had a contingency plan in place. With careful precision, he fired off several ice swords at once. Thanks to his quick reflexes, Kakuzu swiftly dodged the incoming projectiles and started advancing towards his target.
However, another round of ice swords were quickly fired from behind him. Without missing a beat, Kakuzu backflipped out of the way. His eyes darted around and found faint shimmers all around him. They were undoubtedly more deadly ice swords at the ready, their tips catching the moonlight. Within a blink of an eye, Kakuzu found himself surrounded. The new ice projectiles were fired all at once, this time coming from every direction.
Willing his muscles to move faster, he began evading them in rapid succession. On occasion, wayward swords nicked his cloak or were knocked out of the way by his agile threads. Kakuzu couldn't see his opponent but he felt a chill run down his neck. Without sparing a thought, his body moved out of instinct and narrowly avoided being struck. The target briefly emerged from the snow and tried to plunge a sword into Kakuzu's neck. If Kakuzu had hesitated, he would have been decapitated. Hardening his fist, he lashed out in retaliation. But the moment he made contact, his opponent shattered into pieces.
Ice clone, Kakuzu muttered to himself. As soon as the clone shattered, the barrage of ice projectiles renewed their assault. This was becoming a tedious game of cat and mouse. His target was toying with him, or worse he was preparing to make his escape.
Tossing aside his cloak, Kakuzu summoned his wind and fire masks. He knew from past combat that simple fire attacks would be a futile exercise of chakra against the Yuki's clan renowned fire-resistant ice. But he was going to take it a step further.
He was going to raze everything around them to the ground.
Move.
Whose voice was that? Is it mine?
You can't stay here. The voice came closer and spoke right into Nao's ear this time.
You are going to die. Move!
Nao's eyelids flew open, instantly feeling a sharp pain on the right side of her face. The taste of metal lingered in her mouth, forcing her to remember how her captor knocked her into oblivion. Much to her despair, none of that was a nightmare after all. In fact, it was still happening in real time.
Her vision was still blurry and the dark night sky didn't help her already obscured-vision. But her chakra-sensing ability remained intact, she detected three sizable signatures very nearby. Was that Kakuzu? One of them clearly belonged to him. But the other two...They felt inhuman.
What are they?
But she couldn't sit on it any longer. Her gut told her that she wasn't safe and her neck was breaking out in a sweat for some reason. She closed her eyes and calmed down her breathing, pouring all of her concentration into finding a safer location. Her exercise saved her from falling headfirst into an enemy trap to her left flank and she hastily located a large rock nearby to hide behind.
Within half a second of her diving behind the substantial stone, she heard Kakuzu bellow, "Katon: Zukokku!"
Fire?! Nao cried out in shock. She curled further into a foetal position, trying to shield her body from the onslaught of flames. Kakuzu's attack obliterated nearly everything in its path as the smell of ash flooded her nose. If she hadn't awoken in time, she too would have become a pile of charcoal.
The intensity of the flames vaporized the snow while gales of wind cleared away the fog. The attack was accompanied by the distinct sound of shadow clones proofing out of existence. In the corner of his eye, Kakuzu noticed that the innkeeper had regained consciousness at some point and shielded herself behind a large rock. It briefly dawned on him that he forgot about her during his earlier attack, a frequent consequence of his killer instinct in battle. She could count herself lucky that she survived, unlike his last four Akatsuki partners.
Refocusing his sight on the new, desolate terrain, Kakuzu searched for his target as his two masks retreated into his body. Without the snow-clad landscape working to his opponent's advantage, he would be forced to fight Kakuzu head-on.
Where the hell are you hiding?
As if hearing Kakuzu's unspoken question, his opponent erupted from the ground below. He ferociously swung at Kakuzu who caught his fist with ease. From there, the two exchanged a flurry of blows. From some distance away, Nao peeked over the rock and observed the two men fighting. She was well-aware how useless she would be in a close-combat brawl. But something was gnawing away at her…
Girishi was keeping up with Kakuzu, but his presence felt different from when she was abducted. Nao's senses weren't as honed as that of a shinobi, she was having trouble placing her finger on what was off. Didn't he feel colder earlier or was she wrong?
As she fumbled with her indecision, Kakuzu caught Girishi and slammed him into the ground. The surface cracked under the pressure of his grip. In Kakuzu's iron grip, Girishi's chakra signature began fading which was very unusual for someone fighting for their life.
He's not real, the voice from earlier whispered.
But where is he then? Nao was puzzled. After refocusing, she scanned the field once more. It was quiet but maybe there was an unusual presence approaching Kakuzu from the rear. Was that Girishi?
"Behind you!" She screamed at the top of her lungs.
In reaction to Nao's warning, Kakuzu shifted just barely enough to stop an icy blade from impaling one of his hearts. He cursed from the pain, it wasn't lethal but hardly pleasant. With a hardened fist, he slugged his opponent's head. While he expected to crush bone and see blood spew out, he was disappointed by the sound of splintered ice.
He cursed under his breath, angered by how impeccable his target was at creating clones. He hated to admit it but the civilian innkeeper was more useful than he had imagined. Grabbing the chunk of ice impaled in his chest, Kakuzu pulled it out in one smooth motion and discarded it.
Nao gaped at the sight of Kakuzu pulling out the ice from his chest with little difficulty. Woah, are all shinobi this sturdy? While her head was in the clouds, Nao made the fatal mistake of dropping her guard. She only realised her blunder upon feeling the cool sensation of a metal blade pressed against her neck.
"Don't you fucking move", a voice hissed behind her.
Girishi...
His voice dripped with vile and murderous intent. She gasped in pain as the blade dug into her neck and a trickle of blood ran down it.
"Walk away or I'll kill her," Hiroyuki yelled at his opponent and Nao knew that he meant every word.
Kakuzu calmly surveyed the scene. A tinge of a grin formed beneath his mask, his target made the foolish error of assuming that Kakuzu cared about the innkeeper. Frankly, he would sacrifice whoever was in his way. It was hardly personal. But since she had helped him, he would return the favour and give her a warning. Gathering his chakra, he awakened his lightning mask.
He's doing something...Shit.
Sensing the build-up in Kakuzu's chakra, she knew that she had to do something or become caught in the crossfire.
Run away? No, I can't break his grip. Punch him? He'll slash my neck before my measly fist could even make contact...
What else...I need...I need a distraction!
She slumped her head forward and paused for a moment, hoping that this display would fool the man behind her into thinking she had given up. When he didn't react to her head movement, Nao decided to make her move. Using every single ounce of her strength, she slammed the back of her head into Girishi's face. He grunted from the contact and staggered backwards. "Fuck!" he howled in pain.
You aren't the only one, Nao groaned to herself. In that single moment when the back of her head made contact with Girishi's nose, she felt an explosion erupt in that exact spot. She only realised belatedly that the kunai in his hand embedded itself into Nao's right shoulder. It must have been the adrenaline. While the pain was intense, Nao couldn't focus on it. She was still in great danger and needed to run away.
Forming the snake hand seal, Kakuzu's lightning mask sprung from his back and made a beeline for his target. "Raiton: Gian!"
Searing pain passed through part of Nao's body as the lightning whizzed right past her. She only made it half a dozen steps away before she collapsed on the ground. It felt impossible to get up with pins and needles radiating throughout her body, she was amazed that she was still conscious by this point.
In the meantime, Kakuzu walked past her. His approach was more cautious that usual, saving for any last minute tricks from his target. Fortunately, this time his attack stuck. The target was just barely alive and in no shape to resist. His threads began encircling the target, ready to finish him off. It took nearly two weeks to eliminate the bastard. A regrettable amount of time when he could have caught more lucrative bounties.
But he would have to wait a little longer.
"Wait Kakuzu-san, don't kill him", Nao cried out weakly. Kakuzu paused minutely but didn't loosen his tight grip on his unconscious target.
"What?" He all but snarled at Nao. His temper was rising quickly and very nearly at its boiling point.
"If you keep him alive, we can find out what happened to the kidnapped people", Nao started. But after seeing no change in his demeanour, Nao backtracked, "And...and! You can get more money!" She distinctly remembered their earlier conversation, this man cared about the bottom line and would likely to be swayed by financial gain above all else.
Kakuzu was a hair's trigger away from killing both the target and this pesky innkeeper, but her offer of a larger pay-out temporarily abated his rage. "Hm...", he was seriously contemplating the tempting offer.
"Does that mean yes?" Nao ventured tentatively, unsure of how to read Kakuzu's pensive response.
"And who is paying for this?" Kakuzu growled out.
His question gave Nao some considerable pause. The village headman, Sanetoshi Ogawa, was not going to cough up more cash despite coming from a well-off family. Ogawa was a stubborn, calculated man, more concerned with his interests than the welfare of his people. After all, it took months of campaigning before the villagers convinced him to hire someone. Ogawa likely only agreed to it when he saw that they were on the cusp of a revolt. Even then he solicited the services of a secret organisation instead of those from a shinobi village, preferring to keep their problems strictly off the record.
And the families? No, the people in their small civilian village had just enough to get by and couldn't pay Kakuzu. That only left one person...
Nao swallowed loudly, "I... I will fulfil the debt". Upon hearing this, Kakuzu dropped his target with an audible thud. As he stalked his way over to her, Nao's head began pounding, the edges of her vision turning dark. The adrenaline was leaving her system once more and the totality of her injuries was becoming apparent.
Nao wasn't aware of his proximity until he crouched down in front of her, his piercing gaze studying her bruised face. He ascertained that she was indeed conscious, not delirious. Good.
"I'll see to it that you do", he spoke all too sinisterly.
"Then we have a deal Kakuzu-san", Nao replied while mustering a half-smile. With that final remark, she surrendered to the darkness.
Staring down at the innkeeper who was out cold, Kakuzu wanted to shake his head with incredulity. There was no guarantee that the target could even be interrogated and whether the missing women and children were still alive. Foolish girl. Before he could even think of accepting the innkeeper's plan, he needed to appraise the leader of the current situation.
Forming the ram sign, Kakuzu signalled for an audience with Pein. "Gentōshin no Jutsu". Within moments, both men's astral projections convened.
Pein broke the silence first. "Kakuzu, it's been a while. Have you finished your assignment?"
"Almost. There has been a new development". Kakuzu proceeded to explain about the target's hideout, the group's leader incapacitation, and the innkeeper's mission request.
"Interesting and how did she become involved?"
"She provided information but was captured by our targets". Kakuzu was bending the truth, opting to keep the innkeeper's chakra-sensing abilities under wraps for the moment.
"And she is still alive", Pein couldn't help but voice his surprise.
"Hm", Kakuzu responded, slightly indignant at the insinuation that everyone winded up a corpse around him. (Although this happened at least four times...)
"Itachi can conduct the interrogation, Zetsu will take care of the transportation. Have you decided on the payment?"
"I'll need the body to collect payment from the village headman. On the other matter, the innkeeper has agreed to provide services to settle the debt".
"Before you go, is the hideout still intact?"
"There was minimal damage. Why?"
"We don't have many bases in Shimo no Kuni, perhaps you could explore setting one up". While one would mistake his phrasing as a request, it was unmistakeably an order.
"You want me to stay here?" A hint of disbelief creeped into Kakuzu's voice.
"You are the only one with first-hand insight into the hideout and without a partner...However, you can hunt for bounties in the surrounding area", Pein offered a small concession at the end to cool his subordinate's temper.
"And when will I get another partner?" Kakuzu inquired tersely.
"Soon, wait a little longer while I find them", Pein replied in a composed, unhurried manner.
"Fine", Kakuzu bit out as his illusionary body flickered out of sight, bringing the short but tense meeting to a close.
Ow...
When Nao finally awoke, her entire body and face throbbed. No doubt, there was a litany of bruises beginning to form on her body. Half-expecting to wake up on the cold forest floor, she was pleasantly surprised to feel the softness of a bed.
Um, is this my bed?
"It's about time you woke up", a gruff voice complained from the foot of the bed. Nao jolted in shock, causing her shoulder to hurt like hell. Seeing the pained expression cloud Nao's face, Kakuzu sighed. "Don't move or you'll rip out your stitches".
Looking down at the source of the pain, Nao found her right shoulder heavily bandaged beneath her tattered, bloodied winter sweater. "Um, thank you", she replied awkwardly. Determined to change the topic, she asked, "How long was I asleep?"
"Twelve hours. In that time, I've settled payment with your headman and fulfilled your request", he admonished.
"Already? What did you find out?" Ignoring her smarting wound, Nao fully sat up and anxiously waited for Kakuzu's reply. Fishing out a scroll from his cloak, he casually tossed it into Nao's lap. "Two of the women tried to run away and were killed. The others were sold to work in the brothels", he replied dispassionately. Unfurling the scroll, Nao read the names and locations of the missing people.
"Onto the matter of payment", he started. "You owe me 800,000 ryō".
Nao's jaw hit the floor. Fuck sake!
"W-what", she sputtered.
"The intel required sophisticated methods which do not come easily or cheaply", Kakuzu calmly stated. He was embellishing the truth, the Uchiha brat effortlessly obtained the details with his dōjutsu. But hey, his talent was a rare commodity as a result of the clan's demise by his hand.
"Will there be any problems?" Kakuzu asked, thinly veiling the threat behind his question.
I don't have any other option...
"I can sell my share in the inn", Nao answered reluctantly. It wasn't ideal given that she inherited her stake from her mentor three years ago. But this was a life-or-death type of emergency, death would come swiftly by Kakuzu's hand if she couldn't keep her word. Her mentor would have understood, Nao reasoned with herself as a way to alleviate her guilt.
"That should cover some of the fee and I can work the rest of it off", she promised.
"Even if you work everyday at the inn, you would take ages to pay off your debt to us", Kakuzu grumbled, promptly squashing Nao's hopes and plans.
Her eyebrows knitted in confusion. "But what do you propose then?"
"I heard that a pharmacy is in need a new shopkeeper", he replied nonchalantly.
Nao's eye twitched in response. You would know since you killed the last one...
"Is that a joke, Kakuzu-san? Because, it's not very good..."
A/N:
Katon: Zukokku - Fire Release: Intelligent Hard Work
Raiton: Gian - Lightning Release: False Darkness
Gentōshin no Jutsu - Magic Lantern Body Technique
Shimo no Kuni - Land of Frost
Oof, the fight scene was very challenging to write. After re-writing it dozens of times, at one point I screamed to myself to stop editing it! I shall likely take a short break from writing a long fight scene in the next chapter.
Before I go, I should probably explain the rationale behind the names of the kidnappers - Hiroyuki and Toshiyuki. I imagined them as inheriting the kekkei genkai from their mother's side and the clan name of Yuki being integrated into their first name. If we follow patrilineal naming conventions, that means that our antagonists have a family name that isn't Yuki. Hope this makes sense :3