The musty interior of the Land of Fire's Bounty Association smelled of money and blood. Outside, the midday heat was stifling.
Konan stood near the counter, her eyes narrowed as she glared at her partner. Her posture was loose. "How long are you going to take, Kakuzu?" her voice was a calm yet sharp tone. "You are wasting everyone's time. The rest of the Akatsuki are already gathered at the hideout. The extraction cannot begin without us."
Kakuzu didn't even look up. His masked face remained lowered over the worn leather suitcase resting on the counter as he opened it to check the contents. "I can't help it," he snorted with his deep gravelly voice.
"When I see shinobi walking around with heavy price tags on their heads, acting as if they haven't a care in the world, I consider it a public service. They really should be more careful." He stacked another thick bundle of Ryo, his thread-sewn fingers counting the bills with obsession. "Fret not, I will loan this money to the Akatsuki. We still need resources for the grand plan, do we not? Think of it as killing two birds with one stone, treasurer Konan."
This was the fifth bounty Kakuzu had collected in the span of twenty-four hours. The clerk behind the desk was trembling, sweating through his robes as the Akatsuki monster meticulously verified every single bill. But suddenly, Kakuzu's hands froze over a stack.
The clerk seemed to hold his breath. The bounty station guards slowly shifted their hands toward their weapons, terrified of what the brute might do.
"We have company," Kakuzu muttered, his green, bloodshot eyes shifting toward the entrance doors.
"I know," Konan replied coldly with her expression unchanging. "What did you expect? They have destroyed my Origami butterflies."
Kakuzu let out a mocking growl. "You were the one who objected when I suggested wiping out that entire squad of Takigakure shinobi earlier. You said it would delay us. Now look at what your mercy has brought to our doorstep."
Konan clicked her tongue in annoyance but didn't argue. Kakuzu turned his terrifying gaze back to the pale clerk. "Believe me when I say this," he whispered, leaning over the counter. "I will return. And if I find that this bounty cash does not match my exact calculations down to the last Ryo, I will slaughter your entire lineage."
For the first time in his life, Kakuzu slammed the suitcase shut halfway through a count. The threat outside was too close to ignore.
"Wasting any more time, or allowing either of us to be left behind, will severely delay the extraction and sealing ritual," Konan reminded him, her body already beginning to fracture into dozens of white paper sheets.
~~
A few hundred yards away, hidden within the dense foliage of the forest, the Leaf Village retrieval squad watched the bounty association.
Neji Hyuga's veins around his eyes bulging fiercely. "Kimimaro, it is just as you said," Neji whispered, his Byakugan piercing through the thick wooden walls of the association. "There are two targets inside. A woman with blue hair and orange eyes, and a green-eyed man holding a briefcase."
Shikamaru Nara crouched low behind a thick root, his brow furrowed in thought. "Did they already sell our target? If the exchange is done, who could possibly be buying through this standard bounty house?"
Neji concentrated his gaze, zooming in on the chakra signatures. "Our target's body is being held by the woman. She's holding onto the target using some kind of paper ninjutsu."
Shino Aburame's coat rustled as a few black Kikaichu bugs crept out of his sleeves. "So, what is the plan?"
Kimimaro Kaguya stood at the front, his pale skin stark against the green leaves, his calm demeanor betraying none of the immense power he was about to face. "That flying woman will be trouble," he analyzed smoothly. "Shino, have your insects track her movements constantly. If she takes to the air, we lose our advantage. We cannot let her escape."
Neji's focus shifted to the man, and his breath hitched slightly. "Wait... Kakuzu, the rogue ninja from Takigakure. My Byakugan can see his chakra pathway system. He has a total of five distinct hearts beating inside him. Judging by the nature of the chakra surrounding those organs, he can likely utilize all five natures: Fire, Lightning, Earth, Wind, and Water."
Kimimaro's eyes narrowed. "So, that is the Kinjutsu. Hokage Tsunade mentioned that Takigakure's elders refused to disclose the details of his powers. We can likely achieve our mission objective here, but it will not be without casualties. Expect at least two deaths."
"Don't be ridiculous, Kimimaro," Shikamaru snapped, clicking his tongue in irritation. "No one here has been unprepared to die since the day we put on our headbands. But if we can avoid any unnecessary deaths by gathering just a little more information, it's a win. Neji, what else do you see?"
Neji looked closer, analyzing the man's form. "There... when Kakuzu's sleeve pulled back while he was counting the money. His skin... his limbs look like they are detached and held together by thick, black threads."
Kimimaro let out a soft sigh, turning his gaze toward the bounty association. "Shikamaru, I respect your intellect and your desire to plan. But strategy is pointless if we don't probe them first and force them to reveal their arsenal. We have to engage, if only to pull out the data we need to survive the next attack. Neji, you ready to strike, or do you want to stay back and plan more?"
While they were focusing on gauging their opponents powers and mannerisms. On a nearby tree there was Origami butterfly lay on a branch. As it swatted its paper wings.
Before Neji could answer, Shino's voice cut through the. "We are found out."
In a flash, Shino's Kikaichu swarmed the construct, devouring the chakra-infused paper in seconds. But it was a distraction. Suddenly, a dozen more paper butterflies erupted from the trees, fluttering aggressively toward the bounty association to signal their plans and opponents features & powers.
Kimimaro didn't waste anymore time. With a sickening crack, the bones in his fingertips burst through his skin. Using his Tenran Kyushin(Finger Bullet Orochi), he fired his distal phalanx bones shredding the paper butterflies out of the air before they could escape.
"Neji and I will take the vanguard and engage them directly," Kimimaro commanded, his voice with absolute authority. "Shikamaru, Shino, you provide mid-range support and control the field."
Kimimaro's eyes locked onto the front doors of the bounty association as they began to splinter. "I will handle the flying woman."
Inside the crumbling threshold, Konan winced slightly as her connection to the origami butterflies were severed. "Not a single one made it back," she thought.
"Kakuzu, be on your guard. These opponents are formidable."
~~
A/N: So there we go, Neji's Byakugan really helped gather information. How do you think it will turn out. Will anyone die? Can they safely take over Fuu?
you can support me @ patreon.com/aizenDuchiha0
Do check out my original novel