July 7th — Clear skies.
The Wintersnow Casino sat on the far edge of Chuanzhu Street, a place so quiet it felt forgotten by time. Hardly anyone came here unless they had to. That, of course, was exactly why Haruya chose it.
If anyone from Konoha happened to see him meeting with members of the Akatsuki, that alone would start an international incident. Better not traumatize civilians by letting them stumble upon a group of S-class criminals holding a casual business meeting.
At the stroke of seven, Haruya arrived to find two figures already waiting for him.
Kakuzu.Sasori.
Both wore the Akatsuki's iconic black cloaks patterned with red clouds.
Kakuzu still looked vaguely human at first glance, though the veil over his face left only his eerie green eyes visible. Sasori… looked less like a person and more like a hunched, armored puppet with a scorpion tail. Because, well—he was.
Neither of them were human anymore.
Sasori of the Red Sand, prodigy puppeteer of Sunagakure and grandson of Chiyo, had turned his own body into a masterpiece of his craft. Kakuzu, the infamous rogue from Takigakure, had five hearts thanks to the forbidden Jiongu technique, granting him five lives and an obscene lifespan.
His legend included, among other things, throwing a shuriken at the First Hokage from eight hundred miles away. Maybe exaggeration, maybe not.
In the original timeline, Sasori eventually partnered with Deidara, the explosion-happy "art is an explosion" fanatic. Kakuzu's eventual partner was Hidan, the immortal lunatic of the Jashin faith. But neither had joined yet, which meant the two ancient terrors were still paired together.
Haruya's only lingering fear was bumping into Uchiha Obito. But thinking it through, Obito wouldn't take up the goofy Tobi persona until much later. At this point in the timeline he was still in Kirigakure, quietly orchestrating massacres to avenge Rin Nohara.
Kiri had taken advantage of Konoha's weakened state during the Third Shinobi War and launched two infamous operations:
The Seven Ninja Swordsmen raid, which ended abruptly when they ran into Genin Might Dai, who opened the Eight Gates and wiped them out except for the "lucky three."
The Rin incident, in which Kiri ANBU forced the Three-Tails into Rin and attempted to use her as a living time bomb against Konoha. To stop the plan, Rin threw herself into Kakashi's Chidori.
Obito never got over it.
Not that he ever learned the truth — that the entire setup was engineered by Madara and Black Zetsu to manipulate him into awakening his Mangekyō and becoming Madara's proxy in the Eye of the Moon plan.
Rin's death had been predetermined.
"Are you the employer?" Kakuzu's voice was dry and hostile as his gaze slid over Haruya.
"Yes," Haruya replied calmly. "I'm a clone. So I'll need the two of you to guard me on the way."
Shadow clones could last indefinitely provided no one smashed them and they had enough chakra.
"Guard you?" Kakuzu scoffed. "You didn't list that in the mission description. And a clone is even more annoying. Add money."
Haruya lifted two fingers."You're two people. I'll add two-hundred thousand ryō for bodyguard duty."
"Fine."Kakuzu's eyes gleamed. Two point two million ryō and a trip to the Grass Village was an easy payday. High bounties were rare, and aside from the occasional assassination, Akatsuki mostly survived on missions. An S-class job at this price was practically a luxury.
"Before we go, there's another task." Haruya spoke before Kakuzu could complain.
"…Another?" Kakuzu's frown deepened. "Do all employers these days ignore the rules?"
"I'll pay for it."
That shut him up.
"I have a deal with Orochimaru. I need you two to meet him and retrieve an item for me."
The name "Orochimaru" made Kakuzu pause for half a heartbeat. The Sannin were famous, though Kakuzu personally considered them overrated. Strength was strength, but money was money.
"How much?" he asked.
"Two million ryō."
"Acceptable—if it's just a trade," Kakuzu said. "But since you're sending us instead of going yourself, that means Orochimaru may decide to attack. That's an entirely different fee."
He wasn't wrong.
Haruya sighed. There went his savings.
"Fine. Another ten million."
Kakuzu's eyes immediately lit up like lanterns.
Perfect.Not only would he earn ten million from the client, he could kill Orochimaru afterward and cash in his bounty on the black market. Double profit.
He glanced at Sasori.The puppet master hadn't reacted at all, standing motionless like an emotionless statue.
"We accept both commissions," Kakuzu finally said.
"Great. Let's get going." Haruya smiled. "Though my speed's a bit slow."
At that, Sasori casually dropped a puppet in front of him—something that looked like a tattered, horned insectoid creature with six arms.
"Oh," Haruya thought. "A mount."
Sasori's flat voice said only two words:
"Sit. Down."
This thing is going to kill me, isn't it?
Couldn't he have at least used his Third Kazekage puppet? Imagine soaring majestically like a demonic Iron Man instead of… whatever this was.
The three set off.
Kakuzu and Sasori used the standard shinobi run, efficient and silent. Haruya wobbled on his grotesque "luxury mount," which, despite its terrifying appearance, was surprisingly comfortable and strong.
Their destination: the Grass Village in the Land of Grass.
Kusagakure was known for "studying other nations' jutsu," which was the diplomatic way of saying they were excellent at stealing things.
Small, shameless, and short-sighted — perhaps the most accurate description of the village.
Their most notorious deed involved the kidnapped survivors of the Uzumaki clan, whom they used as living chakra batteries.
After the destruction of Uzushiogakure, fleeing clansmen sought refuge in the Grass Village… only to be turned into blood-pack resources. Because Uzumaki bodies produced immense chakra and their bite carried healing properties, Kusagakure chose the laziest, cruelest use imaginable: treating the Uzumaki like livestock, draining them until they died.
Karin's mother suffered that exact fate. Karin herself narrowly escaped thanks to Orochimaru—only to end up as a tool again under Sasuke, albeit slightly better treated.
There was a meme about Sasuke in Haruya's past life:"Whenever I get an idea, I kill her."Accurate enough.
The Land of Grass bordered the Fire Country's northwest edge. Traveling at shinobi speed, it took the trio less than two days to arrive.
Kusagakure
Haruya had no idea what Karin and her mother looked like, nor where they were kept. Searching the village manually would take forever.
But one thing was certain: if any Grass ninja got injured, they would be taken straight to the Uzumaki mother and daughter.
So the solution was simple.
Block the road.
Haruya, Kakuzu, and Sasori stood directly in the center of the only entrance path to the village—openly, arrogantly, daring someone to confront them.
It didn't take long.
A squad of Grass shinobi appeared.
"Hey!" the lead chūnin barked arrogantly. "This is the Grass Village! Are you blind? Get out of the way!"
Haruya didn't respond. Kakuzu didn't respond.
Sasori raised his left arm.
A machine-gun barrel unfolded.
"???"
All four Grass shinobi froze in complete confusion.
Had the times changed without them noticing?
A moment later, the cannon fired a cluster of cylinders that burst mid-air into a storm of poisoned needles.
The rain of metal peppered their skin and armor with ruthless precision.
The four collapsed screaming, blood bubbling up from dozens of punctures.
"Scram," Haruya said coldly, channeling a confidence he didn't truly feel. "You're ruining our mood."
The four Grass ninjas fled toward the village, sobbing and stumbling.
"Follow them," Haruya said, pointing casually.
Kakuzu and Sasori found the plan stupid but obeyed. The man who paid the bills made the rules.
The wounded Grass shinobi sprinted into a wooden hut deeper in the village.
"Hurry! Let me bite her—now!" the chūnin groaned.
He'd recognized Sasori's poison. Half his body was already numb.
He staggered toward a pale, beautiful woman with red hair… but froze mid-lunge when he saw Haruya, Sasori, and Kakuzu standing behind her.
Sasori's tail whipped forward once—clean, silent.
The chūnin dropped dead, impaled through the chest.
The remaining three attempted to flee, only to be skewered moments later.
The red-haired woman trembled violently, backing into a corner as she shielded the newborn on the nearby bed. She didn't try to run. There was no point.
Sasori alone could kill her ten times over before she reached the door.
Haruya turned fully and paused.
She was beautiful—fragile, pale, eyes full of fear yet soft enough to evoke instinctive protectiveness. The kind of woman who had survived only by enduring.
Four words described her perfectly:
Delicate and pitiful.
He glanced at the crying baby.
"Where's your husband?" he asked.
"…Dead," she whispered, trembling from fear, not grief.
Haruya didn't blame her. Finding true love in Kusagakure was a fairy tale.
"Take your daughter and come with me."
She froze in place, uncertain.
"What? You love the Grass Village that much?" Haruya asked dryly. "Or do you want your daughter to grow up the way you did?"
The woman's heart clenched.
She knew her life was misery. Staying meant condemning her baby to the same.
Kakuzu suddenly looked up."More incoming. Many. All shinobi."
Of course the area was heavily watched—medical assets like these two were too valuable.
"Handle it," Haruya said calmly.
This earned him a horrified glance from the woman.But only for a moment.
Kakuzu kicked the door open.
His shoulders split open and black threads erupted like wild vines. Masks emerged from the mass, and seconds later—
Flames engulfed the streets.
Anyone the woman recognized—neighbors, guards, familiar faces—was swept up instantly in Kakuzu's merciless assault.
She froze for several seconds, then snatched up her baby and followed without hesitation.
Wisdom was survival.
Any more hesitation, and she might be next.
The group moved through the burning village.
Any Grass ninja who got within reach died in under three seconds—Kakuzu and Sasori were the kind of disasters a small village simply couldn't contend with.
The woman hugged her infant—little Karin—trembling, whispering frantic prayers.
Eventually, the four of them (and one tiny baby) walked straight out of the Grass Village without a single pursuer. None were left capable of chasing.
Once they were safely out, Haruya looked at Sasori.
"Do you have a more stable puppet? There's a baby here. I'll pay—two-hundred thousand."
Sasori's eyes shifted slightly. He tossed down another puppet—something vaguely reptilian, low to the ground, stable enough to function as a mount.
Puppets were expensive, like limited-edition figures or high-grade model kits. Free money was free money.
The woman stared in disbelief.Two hundred thousand ryō… thrown around like pocket change?
"Climb on," Haruya said as he mounted the puppet. "It's safer."
She didn't hesitate this time.
Side panels rose automatically, forming a protective barrier around them. Haruya blinked.
Okay, that actually was worth two hundred thousand.
"What's your name?" he asked.
"…Uzumaki Ena," she answered, voice trembling. Then, worried, "My lord… what will you do with us?"
"Relax," Haruya said, waving a hand. "I'm not Grass. You'll understand in two days."
Ena swallowed her questions and held her baby closer. She hoped—desperately—that he was telling the truth.
A few minutes later, little Karin began to cry.
"I'm so sorry, sir," Ena said quickly. "She's just been born—she must be hungry."
She turned away, cheeks flushing faintly as she began feeding her daughter.
The crying subsided, and a warm, faint fragrance filled the enclosed puppet compartment.