Takeshi raised his sore backside a couple of hours after Kakuzu left him. Although his body was strong and better developed than a young man his age should be, this did not include superior regeneration.
He looked with disgust at the cold, foul-smelling body of the headless Kumo-Nin, shaking off the electrifying sensation that had assaulted him during the fight.
Despite the outcome, Takeshi had no regrets. Although he could have won more easily by using his Kekkei Genkai more effectively, he really didn't want to become a one-trick pony.
If he continued to freeze and steal chakra, sooner or later someone would counter him and he would be defeated. He either had to develop overwhelming power, surround himself with powerful allies, or diversify his repertoire of tricks to always have options available.
—...Should I try to make a contract?— he wondered internally. A summoning wouldn't be much of a problem with his chakra reserves, which continued to grow.
Takeshi pondered the idea at length while moving from his initial position, retracing his steps towards the nearest city to rest for a couple of days.
Since he couldn't count on Kakuzu's help for now, he would first head to the Land of Iron and then return to Sunagakure for business. The one-year period was ending, and he needed more stable and legitimate sources of income.
He wasn't too keen on getting involved with the weirdos in the Bingo Book, and he considered it was still too early to go looking for a certain Magnate in the Land of Waves. So Suna was still his golden goose.
********************
While the members of his Organization were carrying out their business throughout the Ninja World, Nagato frowned as he verified Amegakure's financial stability.
Without Kakuzu to help him, the Uzumaki had no choice but to put the Paths to rest, grab a pair of glasses, and sit down with pencil and paper to do the accounting. God or not, there were things he couldn't entrust to anyone else.
Almost no one, at least.
His wavy-patterned grey eyes shifted slightly to a corner, where his childhood friend and loyal partner lay with her face buried in the paperwork, mercilessly giving in to exhaustion.
Konan had been assisting him along with a couple of paper clones, but the work turned out to be more exhausting than imagined, and the woman fell asleep.
Nagato had been about to wake her an hour ago, but he noticed the string of drool escaping the kunoichi and changed his mind.
A strange smile formed on his lips upon remembering such a memorable scene. His cold heart warmed up a little after that, and he didn't have the strength to pull his friend out of the realm of dreams.
Nagato was aware that he had pressured Konan a lot, and she never complained once about the mountain of work he threw in her face on multiple occasions.
Paperwork, administration, recruitment, supervision. Konan is a key piece for the functioning of both the Village and Akatsuki.
Akatsuki... Thinking about what the Organization became, what He turned it into, made him feel bitterness.
His friends, his comrades were no longer there, replaced by murderers, criminals, dangerous, despicable people. Abominations that their own Villages rejected and that will make this world a better place as soon as they leave.
Nagato had no affection for the current members of Akatsuki. They were not his companions, but his subordinates, tools he would use to bring peace to this rotten world.
A world that would soon know—
—...
Nagato's contemplations suddenly stopped. His hand ceased tracing numbers, and his severe expression slowly transformed into confusion.
He slowly turned his head, looking over his shoulder at what was happening behind him.
There, sitting on an armchair while admiring the room with a curious expression was a little girl with intense red hair and glasses, innocently licking a lollipop, despite the cold weather present throughout Amegakure.
Nagato blinked a couple of times, in complete silence. The girl then fixed her eyes on his, pausing mid-lick.
Neither said anything for a few seconds, unsure how to react to the other's presence.
—Do you need something, Ojii-San?— she asked suddenly, tilting her head slightly.
—...Ojii-San?— Nagato thought with a hint of pain. His hand trembled, about to move to his face to touch it, but he suppressed the impulse.
—What are you doing here, kid? This is no place for civilians— Nagato spoke with a cold voice, genuinely bewildered as to how this brat managed to bypass the shinobi who were guarding the tower in every cursed corner.
—Hmmm, I was supposed to train with Sensei— Uzumaki Karin began, gesturing toward the sleeping Konan. —But she never arrived at our training ground, so I came to visit her in case she forgot.
—...And how did you get in?— Nagato inquired.
—Through the door— she replied, licking her lollipop again as if nothing bad was happening in the world. Nagato's eyelid twitched, but he refused to get angry at a little girl.
What kind of God would he be then?
—I mean, how did you manage to get past my guards— the older Uzumaki clarified.
—Oh, I see. Well, I just walked in and asked for Sensei. The Onii-San pointed the way for me, and I got here— Karin recounted normally. Nagato only had more questions than answers.
He decided he would handle that matter later. For now, it was better if he finished his duties instead of continuing to argue with the brat.
—I have work to do, so you'd better go home. I'll tell Konan you were here as soon as she wakes up— he said with a tone that left no room for reply.
—And what are you doing?— Karin asked, casually approaching the desk and ignoring the penetrating gaze of the Rinnegan wielder.
—Brat, I don't know how your parents raised you, but- Cough Cough Cough!— Nagato coughed in the middle of his reprimand.
Karin grimaced at the wet sound reverberating in the elderly man's chest, and proceeded to pat his back, soothing him gently.
—It's okay, you're okay, Ojii-San. Do you need medicine or something? I can find it if you tell me where to look.
—N-no! It's not necessary— Nagato gasped, suppressing both his cough and his slight flare of anger at the brat's words. —And I'm 25— he added in a lower tone as a protest.
Karin's pats stopped, and the lollipop fell from her hand, her expression morphing into surprise and then something akin to repulsion.
Seeing that was a hard blow to Nagato's pride, but he hid it behind a facade of indifference. However, he would soon realize that Karin's disgust didn't stem from what he thought.
The little girl's palm slapped his cupped cheek, echoing audibly in the otherwise silent room.
—Pervert!— she shrieked, so loudly that it woke up Konan.
The kunoichi shot up, her sharp gaze quickly focusing on the figures of Nagato and Karin, her friend and her student.
The girl turned in her direction with a grimace and pointed an accusatory finger at Nagato.
—Sensei, this pervert pretended to be an old man and let me touch him!
—PFFFT!!— Nagato spat out, completely caught off guard by the way the girl recounted the events. Technically, she hadn't said anything wrong, but the statement was open to misinterpretation.
Indeed, before Nagato could clarify the facts, Konan appeared between him and the girl, looking down at him as if he had stepped in street waste.
—Let's go, Karin— she said coldly, leaving the room with the girl in tow.
Nagato was dumbfounded, wondering what the hell had just happened.