"So," Zabuza said as we entered the Land of Rain, "you two work for Hanzō? I would never have guessed that old man was planning something big like this, gathering top missing-nin from all around."
"Hanzō?" Karin asked, confused as she looked between the two of us, while Zabuza and I both realized we were talking about different things.
"You still think that man is in charge here?" I couldn't help but ask, my tone a mixture of amusement and pity.
Who was still in charge of Amegakure was something few knew, but it wasn't Hanzō. That man had been dead for years now.
"What do you mean?" Zabuza asked, clearly not aware of this.
"Don't ask what you shouldn't ask, don't know what you shouldn't know, or you might lose the chance to leave altogether. And if that happens, Kakuzu here will lose out on a pretty sum of money," I warned him.
Zabuza naturally understood what I was hinting at, so he wisely changed the subject. "Alright, I get it, but really, after squeezing that midget for that much, are you still desperate for cash?"
He had a point. We had indeed made enough money for a long, long while.
But the problem wasn't us, it was the Akatsuki. Nagato had grand ambitions, but those grand ambitions cost a lot of money.
So much that even with our little windfall, it wasn't nearly enough.
Not to mention, to Kakuzu, money was everything, and even if he was as wealthy as a nation, he would never stop earning, and never start spending.
"You don't understand Kakuzu at all," Karin said amusedly. "He loves money more than life. I have never seen him spend anything; all he does is hoard it all and get Kaguya to pay for everything. Really cheapskate."
Karin spoke her mind openly, something that I never tried to correct, as her childish honesty often made people underestimate her.
The veins on Kakuzu's temples bulged, but he bit back a retort, knowing it was pointless to argue with a child, and doubly pointless to argue when she was speaking the truth. He just shot her a death glare that promised future financial ruin, a threat that was both terrifying and entirely impotent in that moment.
"Enough," I cut in before the argument could escalate. "We're almost there."
"Hehe, I can't wait to see Mom again. I'm gonna tell her how much I earned. She isn't going to believe it!" Karin giggled happily as she imagined her mother's shock.
Zabuza, however, looked at me with a thoughtful expression. "You seem to care a lot about that child," he observed. "Not what I expected from someone like you."
"And what did you expect?" I asked, my Byakugan still taking in the surroundings of Ame, seeing the familiar patrols, the familiar faces of the Ame-nin, all loyal to their new God.
He shrugged. "I expected someone like you to be cold, ruthless, to see a child as nothing more than a tool. But you... you're different. You care."
"Caring for someone doesn't make you weak," I said, my tone leaving no room for argument. "It is, however, the privilege of the powerful."
That was a lesson I had learned at great cost.
And even now, a lesson I clearly had failed to learn from.
But so be it.
Karin and her mother didn't stop me from achieving my goals.
Taking care of them was something I could easily do, and their power would never reach the level where they could be like my sons and betray me.
Or at least, where their betrayal would be able to harm me.
Because I was stronger than them, therefore I was freely able to care about them.
As we continued through the Land of Rain, I was also thankful for the Akatsuki uniform. The large coat was great for keeping our clothes dry underneath, and the large hat offered some degree of anonymity, but also further protection from the rain.
Something Zabuza and Haku were envying as we faced the near-constant rain that plagued these lands.
"And here I thought the Land of Water was wet with all its mist, but this place is even worse," Zabuza cursed as the bandages covering his face were soaked through and through.
If I didn't know better, I would say the man was afraid of getting a cold, but given how easily shinobi tended to heal, that was not the case. He just liked to hide his face, a habit that he couldn't easily break now.
"It's not that bad once you get used to it," Karin said, clearly used to it after spending so much time here with her mother. It was like a second home to her.
"Spoken like someone with an umbrella," Zabuza grumbled back.
Karin let out another laugh, clearly happy that she was nice and dry, while he was wet and miserable, and Zabuza could do nothing about it.
Despite everything, Karin was still a child, and after growing up under my protection, she was still lively and playful.
She brought entertainment on these missions, because Kakuzu for sure wasn't much for conversation.
Despite being so old and well-traveled, he really didn't have a lot of interesting stories to share, and far less patience to tell them.
...
We finally reached the massive skyscraper, the tower that served as the Akatsuki's headquarters.
The two Ame-nin at the gate gave us a respectful bow as we approached, their eyes lingering on Zabuza and Haku for a moment, but they didn't dare to question us.
I suspected they might assume Zabuza was a new member of the Akatsuki, and he could have been, if he wasn't still loyal to Kiri, even if not to the current Mizukage.
"Alright, Karin, you are free to run back home. We will stay here for a few days before setting back out," I said as we walked through the hallways.
"Okay!" she said happily, her mood brightening even more. But before she left, she ran up to me and gave me a quick hug, her arms wrapping tightly around my waist. "Don't forget to give Mom my cut!" she whispered in my ear.
"I won't," I said, ruffling her hair. "Now go, before you get into trouble."
She stuck her tongue out at me before turning and running off, her footsteps echoing down the long corridor, a flash of red and black disappearing around a corner.
"Quite the kid," Zabuza said, a small, almost imperceptible smile on his face. It was the first time I had seen him show anything other than a scowl or a look of murderous intent.
"She is," I agreed, a small smile on my own face. "Now, Kakuzu, will you handle these two while I go deliver the report to Pain?"
"Fine," he grumbled, clearly not happy about having to babysit, but also not about to argue with me.
Zabuza and Haku didn't seem to mind, as they likely thought it was better to deal with Kakuzu than me, a far more mysterious and unknown figure.
...
I made my way down into the secret tunnels beneath the tower, my footsteps echoing on the damp stone floor.
I didn't need to be led; I knew the way.
The Gedō Statue loomed in the distance, a silent, imposing presence, a hollowed-out husk of what was once a part of me.
Pain was waiting for me, standing on a high ledge, overlooking the cavernous chamber. He was alone, save for Konan, who stood a respectful distance behind him.
"Kaguya-hime," he said, his deep, resonant voice echoing through the chamber. "You have returned."
"I have," I said, coming to a stop before him. "And I have brought a gift."
I tossed the sealing scroll containing the money up to him, and he caught it effortlessly, his Rinnegan eyes glowing faintly as he looked at it.
"This is... a substantial amount," he said, a hint of surprise in his tone.
The scroll was passed to Konan, who also looked shocked by the amount.
They had both grown up poor, as the entire Land of Rain was poor. Only once they took over did things change a little, but seeing this kind of money was still something they were far from used to.
Even I had never had this much before; even the cut left behind after handing this over was by no means a small amount.
"Indeed, this time you two have truly impressed us. With this money, a few of our concerns suddenly feel like small things," Konan commented.
While Nagato was the leader, she was the one who truly managed the organization's funds. With this money, the Akatsuki wouldn't have to worry for a while.
"I am as dedicated as you are to achieving the organization's goals, a world without wars, without clans dying due to the greed and fear of old men," I said, repeating the goal he had stated during our first meeting.
His Rinnegan eyes fixed on me, a deep, unreadable expression on his face. "Your dedication is... appreciated. But I wonder about your true motives, Kaguya-hime. You seek power, I can see that. Your desire for this 'immortal monk' is proof of that."
"My motives are my own," I said, my tone flat, unyielding. "But they do not conflict with yours. We both want a better world. And among all those you pull in, I dare say I am the one whose goals align the most with yours."
I was, after all, hardly the only one who had their own goals. Everyone had them. Few truly cared about Pain's dream. Most were here purely for selfish reasons, and only kept in line due to Pain's overwhelming power.
While my motives were selfish, the outcome I wanted to achieve would also make the world a better place.
A world where I was its ruler.
A world where there was only one chakra, mine, and mine alone.
It would be a world without war, a world without pain, just as he wanted.
"I suppose that is true," he said after a long moment of silence.
"What about my request?" I asked. "Any news of the monk I am looking for?" I asked, even though I already knew the answer.
"We have a few leads, but nothing solid. Orochimaru and Sasori have begun their own investigations, and Zetsu is... looking into it. But this being, if he exists, is very good at hiding," he said, not looking pleased at the lack of progress.
Patience was a virtue I had learned over a thousand years, one that I had to learn, or else I would have lost my sanity long ago.
"I see," I said, not letting my disappointment show. "I will be patient. Good things come to those who wait."
"Indeed," he said, a hint of amusement in his tone. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have other matters to attend to."
I gave a slight bow, a gesture of respect, and then turned and walked away, leaving him and Konan to their discussion.
I made my way back through the tunnels, my mind already turning to my next steps. I had money, I had power, and I had the Akatsuki's resources at my disposal. But I still needed more.
I needed the Tenseigan.
And to get that, I needed to find Isshiki.
And to find him, I needed information.
Truly a catch-22.
(End of chapter)
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