Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Strange Love ❯ Chapter 2

Akatsuki: Lost Village 2 - Trouble in town

 

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The inn was, in essence, at the peak of its lifetime business. New, young, needy customer's filed in everyday for a chat, a hard beer, some young ladies, or maybe even a rest at one of the newly renovated rooms which recently had sent it's price sent skyrocketing via the influx of wannabe ninjas or casual tourists. All for the newly discovered ancient pre-war village ruins, just a quick ten-minute stroll for town, so close and convenient and undeniably interesting that even teenagers and kids with time to waste wandered there on their free time. It had been a surprise to the villagers of that small town itself, never knowing that the small, picturesque lake which was situated so closely to them housed ruins that made treasure-hunters, artifact explorers, and every dreaming thief salivate until puddles formed at their feet. And they had embraced the ruins completely. Post-cards, ninja-muffins, ninja -inns, fake ninja weapons, fake ninja scrolls and the tourists fell for it, bait, hook, and trap.

But, ruins as irresistible as grown over ninja village ruins attracted more all sorts of people. There were nice people…and bad people. And right now, the inn was full of the latter. Sitting around the tables as if they owned the joint, the beer-guzzling, smelling group comprised of bandits, wannabe ninjas and other peoples often referred to as the cesspools of society, had driven out the normal, younger customers.

The bartender and owner of the establishment stood behind the counter, making sure to avoid any and all eye contact with the bunch of hooligans. He stood there, fidgeting, wiping off the same bottle of wine that was in his hand for the last two hours. He prayed, hoping that they would leave soon. At about, now. However, that wasn't exactly happening, and he had no idea what to do. He didn't want to make waves; waves were bad. Waves meant possible bar fights. And bar fights meant the possible destruction of the inn, at least with this crowd. No, no waves, not when he had almost managed to pay off the debt he had accumulated to build the inn in this teeny town.

He gulped. Raising his eyes just a fraction of the inch to check the situation, he couldn't help but turn his vision to the two strangers who sat at a stocky wooden table. They had first seemed like the normal wayfarers that had been going in and out, though upon closer inspection, they were extraordinarily strange. They were two men, and both individuals radiated all sorts of dangerous waves.

The first one, who looked a bit sullen, the bartender could tell, was a young man who looked to be around his mid twenties, with exquisite facial features. High, delicate cheek bones, and a strong, straight nose led up to a flawless forehead accentuated with an almost perfectly slicked back widows peak. He had intense eyes, almost as intense as the man's next to him, and pouty baby lips that looked as if they were two pink clouds. He wore a high-collared black shirt that outlined a flat stomach and six-pack abs, along with a loose pair of dark-colored pants. A necklace, with a round circle inset with a triangle, rested around a thickly corded neck. Right now, he relaxed against a chair as he sipped periodically from a glass of sake.

The other man was even stranger. Around the same height as the first man, he looked to be in his early thirties. His entire body was covered in a bulky cloak, a black cloak with floating red clouds that seemed ominous to the innkeeper. His face was covered to, and all he could see were a pair of piercing white eyes.

Two words came to the innkeepers mind. `Ninja'. And `danger'. He could tell that the two forehead protectors that the two had with them weren't the fake kind that the vendors sold. And they were scratched out, each with a long rusted line right through the middle. Renegade ninja, or cast-out ninja, or ninja who just wanted to seek their own path. None of the choices were good. This was all suspicious enough, but the thing that really set the innkeeper over the edge was the giant scythe that the young man had strapped across his back. It looked very, very sharp, and very, very used.

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Hidan swigged down another burning shot of alcohol. The sake was horrible. Not that he expected anything but watered down shit from an establishment like this. And he felt like shit too. Ever since his new and boringly money-grubbing partner had tried to kill him, failed, and ended up fucking him in the middle of the forest next to two headless corpses, he had ignored him for the most part, except when Hidan himself asked questions. He even had the audacity to make him, him of all people, clean up after the bodies.

 

The memory made Hidan fume. “There might be more nin-hunters” He had said to him, “Clean up your mess.” What the hell! Did that fucking Kakuzu think that he, the immortal and damn good-looking Hidan was a fucking kid? And he cleaned it up too, because the asshole had put his clothes back on and left to this shit-hole of a town to look for `something', he had claimed. Whatever.

 

Hidan had been left naked in the bamboo forest until (he made a `thank you jashin-sama' gesture with his hand) some kid dressing up as a ninja stumbled through the same path. Hidan had knocked the boy unconscious and stole his clothes to wear. He wondered into the town, planning on picking up some young ladies until Kakuzu found him, but his damn partner had appeared right as he entered the entrance to town.

 

Kakuzu had offered him a newly sown and squeaky clean new Akatsuki robe, but Hidan had refused. For a second, Hidan wondered if his partner kept a stash of those robes somewhere. No one in hell he'd wear one again so soon if it was going to be ripped again. The robe was constricting anyways.

 

After that, they had settled in the inn where Hidan had taken a wonderful new shower, and both of them met downstairs to discuss what they were doing next.

 

“So,” He began, in a tired voice. “What are we doing here again? Could you please explain to me, in full detail, why we are in a backwater village? Why I am here?”

 

Hidan's words jolted Kakuzu out of his thoughts “Do you know what these newly discovered ruins are?” Kakuzu asked.

 

“Umm…lemme think about that.” Hidan chewed his lip for a moment as he tried to recall all those lessons and books that he had read however many years ago. “Ancient shinobi villages that were destroyed before the village wars?”

 

“That's all you know?” Kakuzu responded with a dose of disbelief. “Did you even listen to the leader as he explained?”

 

Hidan sighed and lifted his shoulders. “Nah. Boring lectures aren't for me. Besides, who cares?” Hidan said. “So what if a village disappeared of screwed itself over, it's not like it affects me.”

 

Kakuzu made a `hmph' sound. Hidan scowled; he didn't like being looked down upon.

 

“I'll tell you then.” Kakuzu began to give an explanation. “Before the village wars, a recorded four villages were wiped off the map. Simultaneously.”

 

“Infighting? Invasion?” Hidan guessed.

 

“No. About two hundred years before the shinobi village wars, there was no way that four villages could suddenly disappear. Not even now could that happen. The villages themselves are only mentioned in passing in the oldest texts, and they precede even the main villages. The leader himself pieced together clues from scrolls to found this out.”

 

“And…”

 

“That must mean that there was a far greater power that did this. Our mission is to locate any clues or hints as to what could have possibly done this. And if there is something worth taking here, then we take it.”

 

Kakuzu seemed very excited at the prospect, Hidan noted. “So that's why we are here? To look through a dead village's things? Boooring.” Hidan extended the o sound, and leaned back even further to showcase his boredom. “Besides, why are you so excited?”

 

Kakuzu gave a deep laugh. “Money. Ancient artifacts from villages are hundreds of million of ryo to the right customer.”

 

Hidan wanted to snort, but thought better. “Is money all that matters to you? There are more important things in life.”

 

“Like what?” Kakuzu said with dubiety.

 

“Religion. Jashin is always looking for new converts. Perhaps jashin might even welcome a atheistic money-grubber like you.” Hidan grinned. “On second hand, I doubt even jashin would welcome you.”

 

“Hm. Since I came into this world, I've seen religions fall and faiths collapse like cards. Only one is ever lasting. Money.” Kakuzu said firmly.

 

Hidan fixed his eyes on Kakuzu and knew he was telling the truth. He remembered the feel of the man's coarse skin upon his. Cold and hard as money. It brought pleasant shivers down his back. Hidan dismissed the thought. “Whatever. Money can hardly count as a religion. I doubt someone as idolatrous as you could understand the embrace of jashin-sama. Perhaps I can instill the fear of god in you?” Hidan recommended with an imperious wave of his hand.

 

Kakuzu bore deep-white eyes into Hidan and held him. “You can try.”

 

Hidan was stared back just hard. He wondered if Kakuzu would try to kill him again right here in the inn? He wondered if they would have sex afterwards too. Hidan was so distracted in his thoughts that when one of the windows of the inn shattered and five black clad figures burst through, it took him an extra second to turn.

 

Too late. Three well-placed kunai sank straight into Hidan's forehead, piercing his skull and knocking him over and into the wall.

 

Kakuzu had risen up, his skin flashed as he changed color, the beginning of his earth-element technique that increased his strength to ridiculous heights and made him practically impervious to physical damage. He ignored the sword of a ninja that attacked him, responding by grabbing his throat. With a quick twist, the man's neck snapped and he fell limp in Kakuzu's hand. Using the dead man as a projectile, Kakuzu swung the man into another one the men, knocking him over.

 

“Fucking hell!” Hidan screamed as he braced himself. “Just did my god damn hair!” With a turn of his hand, he pulled one kunai, ignoring the stabbing pain and headache he was getting. He propped his feet against the floor and took another breathe to ready himself to dig out two more kunai. Around him, the hooligans that had occupied the bar had all made a straight dash for the only exit in the bar. They formed a bottleneck, clogging up the exit as screams filled inn.

 

The three remaining ninja, formed a line. They began forming a series of seals with their hands, as chakra molded itself in their bodies.

 

“Who sent you here?” Kakuzu asked in an amused tone. He sighed when they didn't respond. They were probably scared shitless that two of their comrades had died so easily. These shinobi were around chuunin-level, he guessed, but they had managed to surprise that little god-thumper Hidan. Were they sent here to kill us? He thought. He couldn't identify which village they were from. In fact, none of them wore the standard clothes that ninja from a village would wear. He'd have to question them later.

 

The three chuunin-level ninjas completed their seals. “Fire Release: Dragon Heat!” They said in unison.

 

Kakuzu would have attempted to dodge, but he recognized the order of seals that the shinobi formed. He stood his ground, letting them complete their desperate attempt to kill him. The three inhaled, their chests expanding as raging heat filled their lungs. They released together, and suddenly the inn was in the midst of a raging inferno. Wood caught fire, fabric burned, water sizzled, the men that hadn't made it out of the inn screamed as their flesh singed as the fire technique of the three combined into an enormous continuous fireball.

 

From the center of the blaze, the color of the heat changed, as if someone were making movements.

 

The three ninja's eyes snapped open and they stopped their fire breath as they heard Kakuzu finish the last of his seals. They hadn't expected him to survive.

 

“Fire Release: Burning Pain!”

 

The flames from the inferno split apart as a much higher-level technique cut directly down the center of the flames. The three attempted to dodge, but the S-level technique caught two in its path. Those two instantly flared up in a mini-explosion as skin melted away like ice cream in daylight.

 

The last remaining ninja jumped back, sweat dripping down his face profusely, and turned around to run away.

 

Too late. Kakuzu's still cool hand caught him from behind by the collar. He emerged from the inferno unscathed. “A technique of that level won't work on me, kid.”

 

The ninja tried to grab for a weapon, but Kakuzu's hand grabbed the man's wrists, and with a slight twist, broke both of them. The ninja screamed.

 

Kakuzu leaned forward and whispered a promise into the ninjas ear. “You're going to tell me everything you know, whether you're alive…or not. And trust me, you're going to suffer.”

 

Suddenly, spotted a flash of metal in the fire behind him and ducked - just in time for Hidan's scythe to sever the head of the last ninja.

 

Hidan howled in delight as the head flew into a wall. “Hell yes! That's what you get for fucking trying to burn me alive!”

 

Kakuzu trained his eyes on Hidan and let go of the headless body. “Do you know what you just did?”

 

“Took the fuckers head, that's what.” Hidan replied. “If you have a problem with that, then you can go fuck yourself, alright, Kakuzu?”

 

Kakuzu closed his eyes and attempted to calm himself. They needed to get out of here before the villagers and other curious people decided to come. It would make it much harder to complete the mission if the townsfold recognized them and called one of the main villages for help. “We're getting out of here.” He stated.

 

“Aww.” Hidan said with a slice of regret and sarcasm. “But I so wanted a new tan.”

 

“Go, or I'll flay your skin from your bones.” Kakuzu warned. He turned around and stepped through a large burning hole in the wall of the inn. There were in fact, several large burning holes in the inn.

 

“Ooo…” Hidan whispered to himself before following his partner. “I might enjoy that.”