Before long, we were sitting around a small fire. Karin was roasting some small sausages over the open flames, leaving the rest of us to talk among ourselves.
Kakuzu was sitting on the suitcase containing the 50 million from the Kiri job, while the latest body was still lying beside him. He looked like he wanted to be anywhere but here, more interested in money than immortality.
Whatever desires he might have for the monk, he clearly didn't care to find him, more willing to work, earn money, and let others put in the legwork for him.
So the two that looked at me intensely were Sasori and Orochimaru.
"I hate wasting my time," Sasori's puppet shell said, a deep, dark voice, utterly devoid of life and emotion, safe from irritation.
"You came to me, seeking information, so you either deal with it, or you try to take the information by force," I stated, my Byakugan locked onto him, wordlessly telling him that I saw through him.
It was naked provocation, but the best way to deal with these people was through force, just like how Pain kept everyone in line.
"Now now," Orochimaru spoke up to smooth things out, "Let's not start fighting, we are all friends here, we all want the same thing, don't we?" he said.
I didn't answer him.
But he didn't need me to.
He wanted to know if I had any real leads on the monk, not the vague story I had told Pain.
It was clear he didn't believe in the story, but he also didn't believe the monk didn't exist. So he wanted more information to see if it was worth spending his own resources.
"Fine," I finally said, "We don't know the same, at least to some extent, I want him dead, as for why? That's for me to know, but as long as he is dead by the end, we are all friends here." I said, but didn't explain myself, only telling him what he already knew.
"Dead?" Sasori asked. "Most people would want to know the secrets of someone like this, if they are real... but you only want his death? One can't help but be suspicious of your motives," he accused me.
I just shrugged. "I will not hide the fact that I know a few things, but that man? I want him dead, as for the secrets of immortality? I know very little, only that this man, this monk, has been hiding, has been keeping a low profile for a long time."
"Which means," Orochimaru leaned in, "that either he isn't very strong, or he can't use his powers too much. But if he is as old as you claim, even a weakened man like that must have some powerful tricks."
"Indeed," I nodded, "I suspect that he can burst out with great power, but likely at a cost, that man? If he didn't have something to fear? He would have done something bad long ago."
"So you know him?" Sasori asked, still suspicious.
"Know of him," I corrected him, "I have read about him, and that is the most that I can say." I continued, telling a half-truth, it was easier to lie when you mixed in some truth.
"So this monk… he fears something?" Orochimaru pressed, a predatory glint in his yellow eyes. "That's a weakness. A crack in the facade of eternity. What could possibly make an immortal creature afraid?"
"There is one thing even the immortal would fear, sealing." I offered up a possibility, one that would feel real. After all, I couldn't tell them the truth, the fact that he was hiding because he was worried about my sons returning, if he revealed himself.
He had, after all, seen them seal me away at the height of my power, and in his current state, he would have no chance against Hagoromo, who would crush him for no other reason than being a pureblood Ōtsutsuki.
"Sealing? Yes, that would indeed make sense... A truly powerful Fūinjutsu user could be a true danger, and those Uzumaki bastards were certainly masters in that field." Kakuzu finally spoke up, clearly remembering a few things that had likely left him with scars he hadn't been able to heal.
"Exactly," Orochimaru said, a thoughtful look on his face. "The Uzumaki... their secrets were largely lost when their village was destroyed. But some survived. I have collected a few myself. And what is this monk, if not a container that needs to be sealed away?" he mused, a plan clearly forming in his twisted mind.
"A clever way to think of it," I said with a slight nod. "But if you try to capture him, he would rather die. He would likely destroy himself before he allows himself to be captured." I warned them, since I knew of his Kāma.
With it, he would be able to be resurrected if he died, but if he was sealed, that wouldn't work.
"Then we just need to be prepared for that," Orochimaru said with a chilling smile. "A body, even a destroyed one, holds many secrets. And with the right techniques, we can still learn from it."
"Even a destroyed body can be studied, I might even try to turn him into a puppet." Sasori said, already imagining how he could use such a body.
"Would you both stop drooling?" Kakuzu grumbled, "I don't care about your immortality fantasies. Do you think it is so simple? Someone this old? This well hidden? You are chasing a ghost; it's better to just earn some money." He complained, not even trying to hide his anger.
For a man who lived for money, being on a hunt that might not pay was a personal offense.
"No one is forcing you to do anything," Orochimaru said, his tone dismissive. "You can go back to your counting and your complaining. This is a conversation for those with ambition."
"More like delusions," Kakuzu shot back, "The only thing worth anything is money, it's the one thing that won't ever betray you, won't turn against you, the only thing you can trust."
The tension in the air was thick enough to cut with a knife, and for a moment, I thought they might actually start fighting. But then, Orochimaru let out a soft, sibilant laugh, a sound that sent a shiver down my spine.
"Always so serious, Kakuzu," he said, his tone mockingly friendly. "You should learn to enjoy the simple pleasures in life. The pursuit of knowledge, the thrill of the hunt, the sweet taste of victory... even if it doesn't come with a price tag."
"Ignore the money worshipper," Sasori cut in, "What I want to know is more about this monk, you know more, you are telling us what we want to know, you want us to find him for you, and I don't like being manipulated."
"Then you are free to leave," I said calmly, my Byakugan still fixed on him. "I am not forcing you to do anything. I am merely offering you an opportunity. An opportunity to find a being from the age of the Sage, a being who holds the secret to immortality. If you don't want it, that's your choice."
He stared at me, a silent battle of wills playing out between us. He was a master of manipulation, a puppeteer who pulled the strings from the shadows. But he had met his match. I could see through his tricks, his lies, and his deceptions.
"Fine," he finally said, his tone still laced with suspicion. "We will play your little game, for now. But don't think for a second that we trust you. We will be watching you."
"I would expect nothing less," I said, a small, knowing smile on my face. I had them. They were too curious, too ambitious, to walk away. And I knew that they would do whatever it took to find the monk, even if it meant working with someone they didn't trust.
"If you want to look for clues, look at places far removed from the shinobi side of things. Someone that old? He wouldn't lower himself to such things, not to mention any shinobi would pick up on someone never aging, so he would stay away, likely isolated, but able to gather information still." I offered, giving them some real advice, as I was interested in what they might find, even if I had my own plans.
"That is... helpful advice," Orochimaru said, "but why do you think this monk would be gathering information? What would they be looking for?" he pressed me.
"I can't say for sure," I said, shrugging. "But I know one thing, that monk has watched the ages come and go, kingdoms rise and fall, with the patience of a predator waiting for his chance to strike, and to know when that time is..."
"He would need information, or at least someone to inform him of something..." Orochimaru trailed off, his eyes narrowed in thought.
He was a researcher at heart, and this was a puzzle that he couldn't resist. He was already thinking about the possibilities, the places where a being like this might hide, the ways he might gather information without being detected.
"Then our search starts now," Orochimaru said, a strange, unsettling glint in his eyes. "We have a long road ahead of us, but I have a feeling that it will be a... fruitful one."
"Then I'll take my leave," Sasori said, his puppet body already starting to dissolve into a swirl of wood and chakra. "I have my own methods, and I don't need your... advice."
And with that, he was gone, a whisper in the wind.
Orochimaru lingered for a moment longer, his gaze still fixed on me. "This was a... productive meeting, Kaguya-hime," he said, a sly smile on his face. "I look forward to our next encounter."
He looked at me as if I were a piece of meat, something to pull apart, or maybe another potential host for his body-hopping ninjutsu.
I ignored the dark thoughts he had and offered him one last bit of advice, "I heard that the oldest toad of Mount Myōboku once taught the Sage himself."
Orochimaru paused for a moment, licking his lips, "Is that so? Very curious indeed." he laughed as he turned to leave.
And then he, too, was gone, leaving me, Kakuzu, and Karin alone in the clearing.
"Great," Kakuzu grumbled, "Now I have to deal with two more fools chasing a ghost."
"You will soon have more to worry about. Now, either find us something worth doing with our time, or we will head back to Ame. I will not waste my time hunting more worthless bounties like that one." I gave the dead body beside him a spiteful glance.
"Now that is something I can agree on, time to make some money." he said, clearly happy that I was finally on the same page as him.
"So are we going to kill the Sannin now?" Karin asked, having been quiet for the most part.
"No, we are not," I said, a small, tired smile on my face. "Orochimaru is not an enemy, at least not now, he is... a useful tool."
She looked at me, a little confused. "A tool? But he's one of the strongest shinobi in the world. How can he be a tool?"
"Because he has a weakness," I said, my tone serious. "He wants something. And as long as he wants it, he can be... guided. You will learn that the best way to control someone is not through force, but through their desires."
Karin seemed to think about it for a moment, her brow furrowed in thought. She might not have fully understood the complexities of manipulation, but she understood the basic concept.
"So, we're using him?" she asked, her tone a little uncertain.
"In a way," I said. "We are giving him what he wants, a lead on immortality, and in return, he will help us find our target. It's a simple transaction."
"Like the money?" she asked, her eyes lighting up with understanding.
"Exactly like the money," I said, a proud smile on my face. "He provides a service, and we provide a reward. It's the way the world works."
"I think I understand," she said, her expression a mix of wonder and a newfound understanding of the world.
(End of chapter)
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