Before the punch could connect, Jiraiya's hand caught Naruto's wrist, holding him back with firm unyielding strength.
"Naruto, calm down," Jiraiya said softly, his voice carrying a gentle tenderness meant to calm the boy.
Kakuzu didn't even flinch at the near-miss. "Like I said, no one knows where the headquarters actually is. But I am certain the leader can track every member's general location through the rings."
That single detail struck Kimimaro mind. "What happens to those who have defected?" Kimimaro asked stepping into the light.
"An Akatsuki pair was already slated to be dispatched to hunt down and execute Orochimaru," Kakuzu replied casually.
Kimimaro's mind raced, Lord Orochimaru's hands are sealed. He is defenseless against this high-level rogue ninja. The ritual for the body transfer should have happened two years ago; without his hands and his master's current host body would be decaying rapidly and nearing his weak state, leaving him terribly weakened. Kabuto wouldn't be able to defend him alone against an Akatsuki strike team.
"I have to break away from this group and plan my defect," Kimimaro thought, his eyes shifting subtly toward Neji, who was currently carrying his personal supply of life-sustaining medicine for the month for each day. Jiraiya will make a forced escape impossible at this situation. I have to wait until our paths split. That will be my only chance to return to Lord Orochimaru. I had a good time in Konoha, I did make some friends as he thought of Neji, Might Guy and Rock Lee but he had no choice.
~~
"What actually happened to Orochimaru's former partner?" Kimimaro asked, keeping his tone casual. On the surface, he made it sound like curiosity, but his real motive was different: he needed to figure out which Akatsuki duo was being dispatched to hunt down Orochimaru.
"Ah, Sasori," Kakuzu replied, a faint scowl crossing his features as he recalled the puppet master's reaction. "He was practically shaking with rage. The moment Orochimaru's name came up, he volunteered to hunt him down personally. I don't know all the messy details of what went down between them, though."
Kimimaro already knew the truth. Orochimaru had taken great pleasure in mocking Sasori, specifically bragging about how easy it had been to scrape genetic material right off Sasori's prized puppet, the Third Kazekage.
Jiraiya cut in, shifting the focus back to the bigger picture. "Which Akatsuki pairs are assigned to which Jinchuriki?"
"Konan was paired with me temporarily, mainly because none of my previous partners lasted long," Kakuzu explained cleanly. "After the seven tails extraction, they were planning to team me up with some fanatic named Hidan to go after the Two-Tails, but everything's off the rails now. As for the rest: Deidara has the One-Tail, Sasori takes the Three-Tails, Kisame was assigned the Four-Tails, and Orochimaru had the Five-Tails. Pain is handling the Six-Tails, Konan gets the Eight-Tails, and Itachi is tasked with the Nine-Tails."
A little anger came out from Kakuzu as he looked at the group surrounding him. "Now I have a question for you," he growled, trying to make sense of the trap he'd fallen into. "How did you all track me and Konan down so fast?"
Shino glanced over at Jiraiya, silently asking for permission before sharing anything sensitive.
Jiraiya gave a firm nod. "Go ahead and tell him. He isn't going anywhere... he's coming back with me anyway."
Hearing those words, Kakuzu felt a grim settle in his chest. His future had just taken a very dark turn. Shino adjusted his glasses and stepped forward. "During one of our previous encounters, I secretly attached a female parasitic insect to your clothes. The male bug I kept with me allowed us to track your location. The signal only stopped when my insect on you was killed during your clash with Jiraiya-san."
Kakuzu closed his eyes, swallowed by a wave of regret. He had no one to blame for this disastrous turn of events but himself
"If your questions are finally over," Kakuzu grunted, interrupting the silence, "I'll be taking my hundred million ryo now."
Jiraiya blinked, tilting his head in genuine confusion. "What hundred million?"
Kakuzu's single remaining heart flared with irritation. "Jiraiya-san... do not test my patience."
"Test your patience?" Jiraiya chuckled, scratching the back of his neck with a sheepish grin. "Look, these are just ten heavy travel cases packed with training weights and bricks. The suitcase I showed you only had cash laid across the top band... the actual value would maybe ten thousand ryo at best. You're the one who jumped to conclusions and assumed the whole lot was stacked with money!"
He paused with a mischievous glint in his eye as his strange laugh echoed off the empty cave. "Still, a promise is a promise. All ten of these cases, along with whatever cash is sitting on top, are officially yours."
With a quick weaving of hand signs, Jiraiya released the Toad's summoning bind holding the cave and Kakuzu, sending it back to Mount Myoboku.
"And hey, you're more than welcome to try making a run for it... assuming you actually think you can," Jiraiya added, his playful tone carrying an unmistakable challenge.
In truth, a living Akatsuki immortal was a rare opportunity; it was the perfect chance to pit Naruto against a true S-rank threat under my strict supervision.
Kakuzu's green eyes scanned the imposing lineup before him. Jiraiya stood at the center, flanked by Kimimaro, Naruto, Neji, Shikamaru, and Shino. Each one were ready to move the second he twitched.
"If you've finally run out of fight, let's move," Jiraiya said, his tone making it clear that Kakuzu's future was no longer up for debate. Turning to the rest of the group, he ordered, "That wraps up our joint mission. We'll head back our way and sweep through their suspected hideouts along the way, and I'll deliver the full report directly to Tsunade."
Kimimaro smiled internally when Jiraiya said they will be on their way.
"This is my chance," he thought, as subtle smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
"In that case, Team Kimimaro will take our leave and head straight back to Konoha," Kimimaro announced, turning on his heel to lead his squad. "It's been a long exhausting mission, and I desperately need a hot bath."
"Neji, don't forget to take the seven tails Jinchuriki's body." Kimimaro said.
~~
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