Chapter 6: Shedding SkinChapter Text
"What are the three principles of spending money?"
"Spen' less than you earn, invest early, an' make lots."
"How are you supposed to keep the money you save?"
"Have three or more 'ccounts at, uh, all diff'rent banks and aw'ways keep money on you."
"What are you supposed to do when people ask you for money?"
"Say you don't got any even if you do."
Kakuzu strode down the halls of the Ame Tower with four year old Hoshigaki Sakura in tow, toting around some of his financial journals as they navigated through the maze of hallways. Technically, he was no longer allowed to be alone with her after the mishap when she was a baby, but Konan was out, Pein had a series of meetings, and he needed an extra hand to sort through materials as he straightened out Akatsuki's treasury funds.
Besides, it's not like he was going to snap her neck like he'd done to his previous partner some months ago.
She actuallylistenedto what he had to say.
"Good. Money is the only thing that won't turn its back on you," he said. Kakuzu saw her bob her head in his peripheral vision and knew for a fact that she was already acting to remember his words. Her memory was surprisingly capable for a child her age, and he supposed he had to credit Kisame for her tutelage no matter how many silent threats he received from the other.
"Kazu-san, what're the things on your arm?"
They turned left down another corridor, and he paid no mind to the pair of black rings that encircled each of his forearms.
"Prisoner identification," he replied. "I was jailed for a short period of time before I broke out and defected."
"Former 'filation: Takigakure," she recited. He tilted his head.
"That's correct. Takigakure. Those were the shinobi I killed when you were in my care over three years ago. Do you recall?"
He missed the way her eyes shuttered and dimmed even with the smile still plastered on her face.
"Yeah."
"Hm. They signed their deaths off to me the minute they decided we were on equal footing. Assess the situation before acting accordingly. If you know you'll lose the battle, don't be a hero."
Sakura bobbed her head again. Another tenet to live her life by. What better ones to learn than from those who trudged through life's tar and lived to tell their tales?
Suddenly, a pale white hand erupted from the shadows and grasped her upper arm. She held the journals close to her so they wouldn't fall out of her arms as she stumbled back and her eyes shot up to the one who grabbed her. Sickly lips paired with bile-yellow eyes peered down at her.
Sakura's mind whirred.
Orochimaru of the Sannin. Missing-nin. Former Affiliation: Konohagakure. Current Affiliation: Akatsuki.
Dangerous.
He smiled.
"Sasori-kun told me about Kisame-kun's little one, but I just couldn't bring myself to believe him. It seems I was wrong," he mused. "Hello, child. How interesting it is to meet you here. What's your name?"
"Sakura."
It wasn't her that answered—she was too afraid of the way Orochimaru's eyes shone like snakeskin—but Kakuzu who stopped some steps away and looked back at who caused him such an inconvenience. She wriggled out of the Sannin's now loosened grip and hurried back to her current caretaker's side without uttering a single world.
Orochimaru chuckled. "Oh my, she's trained as well? Fascinating. Does she know other tricks? Fetch, perhaps. Maybe how to roll over."
Sakura decided then that she didn't like this man and refrained herself from bearing her teeth. Kakuzu's expression never changed from the blank canvas it already was.
"I have places to be. If all you're going to do is amuse yourself, then I'll be taking my leave," he said. The man held both his hands up in a gesture to back-off and allowed his smile to dip into a predatory smirk.
"I won't take up any more of your time, Kakuzu-kun. Have a marvelous rest of your day," the Sannin bid. His gaze wandered to the girl. "It was nice meeting you, Sakura-chan."
Sakura was happy not to return the sentiment and turned to follow Kakuzu down to Leader's personal library.
Inside was a small alcove tucked away in a corner filled with financial documents and statements for both Amegakure and the Akatsuki. Kakuzu spent much of his time in that room surrounded by facts and cold words that held no other meaning than the truth.
It was also the place he'd take Sakura the sparse times he was her designated guardian. Nothing productive could be wrought sitting in an apartment all day long, so he sat her down at her own table, left her with a pen and an accounting book, and set down a stack of money bundled by dates by her side for her to count.
"You might as well do something worth my time," he said. "Since Hoshigaki is soadamantabout keeping your education consistent, you'll be adding, multiplying, subtracting, and improving your writing skills." He pointed to the book he gave her. "Count each type of bill and put the number in the first section, put the worth of each collection of bills in the second section, add everything up in the third, separate them by the dates. The top row shows you an example. Understand?"
Sakura's brows pulled together as she both digested his instruction and inspected the accounting book for a firmer grasp of what she had to do. After a minute or so, she nodded.
"'kay."
Kakuzu turned from her and went off to do his own work.
:
It was an hour later that he was interrupted from his own treasury work by Sakura trotting up to him and waiting patiently with her hands clasped behind her back. He left her to stand for a few moments before finally addressing her.
"What?"
"I don't know anymore numbers," she said. He paused in his documentation.
"Where did you stop?"
She counted her fingers for a little bit before looking back up.
"One—One thou—? The number with the one first then a zero, a zero, and a zero."
One thousand. That was actually an impressive barrier for a child like her to reach, but with the way her father had been teaching her he couldn't say he was surprised. Kakuzu waved her off.
"Find a book on numbers."
"Where?"
"Figure it out."
She bobbed her head and smiled. "'kay!"
He watched her bound off from the corner of his eye before resuming his work.
That girl's happiness was too far displaced. Children didn't grow in this environment to come out all sunshine and rainbows or lived without a care. Soon, she'd learn what it was like to have her enemy's blood soaking her hands and feel how it was to live with the weight of the world against her.
Kakuzu's eyes slid to the side.
He could see it now.
She wouldn't make it too far in this world.