No Room for Another Heart (Kakuzu fanfiction)

The Chameleon

Ikari's p.o.v.

Kakuzu and I walked through the Hidden Rain and out into the surrounding forests before making our way Northeast through the Land of Fire. The rain was still coming down for a good two miles outside the Rain village but soon let up into a small drizzle and then into merely cloudy skies. I looked up and smiled at the clouds and watched as water droplets fell from the leaves above. Kakuzu took his cloak back once the rain had stopped and flung it over his shoulder. "So who is the Chameleon posing as?" I looked over to Kakuzu who was pushing his hair out of his face which sent a small chill down my back. I looked away as he turned his head over towards me to hide my flush. Come on, something like that shouldn't be attractive. "Well from what I could gather she is likely posed as a woman named Tatsume. It adds up the best it is either her or a woman named Uchiwara. Both are jonin and Tatsume even taught at the ninja academy of the Hidden Cloud."

I nodded slowly as I steadied myself and turned my eyes to the path before us. "So how should we go about it? If she is hiding inside a major village, as a jonin no less, how can we get to her?" Kakuzu sighed as he scratched the back of his head with a hint of annoyance. "That is the current issue at hand, with the Hidden Sound and Grass attacking us, potentially paid by the Hidden Waterfall to do so, then we are certainly on the radar of every other village. The only thing I have been able to think of is perhaps using something to draw Chameleon outside the village so we can ambush her," I thought for a minute before motioning to myself. "I could be the bait we use, I'm sure she would take it," Kakuzu's eyes widened as he shook his head. "Absolutely not! It was bad enough you had to go after Akuno but neither of us should go after the Chameleon alone."

I shrugged as we continued walking while placing my hands behind my head. "Well what other option do we have? I wouldn't directly engage her but I would at least let her see me and let her follow me out. I'm not quite as recognizable as you are so if I take my cloak off then I should be able to walk around freely. The only reason Chameleon should take note of me is just because she knew my parents," Kakuzu shook his head again as he placed his hood and mask back on now that he was sure no more rain was coming down. "Except do we know for sure Chameleon ever saw you? And on top of that, even if she had she wouldn't necessarily know what you currently looked like," I pouted out my lip as my mind descended into thought. "Well ok then how about I just go in and plant a letter or just a symbol. At the very least she would recognize the Kireina clan symbol." I pulled my bag over and into my arms and turned it so Kakuzu could see.

The Kireina symbol was a thin shuriken symbol on a beige background within the circle. My father had told me long ago it was made to symbolize our clan's proficiency with shuriken. I never knew if it was true or not but supposedly my dad was a master with them and one story he told me was him hitting a target, curving the shuriken around a mountain. I always figured it was just a tall tale to amaze me as a kid and no one ever confirmed nor denied it so to that day I wasn't sure. Kakuzu studied it before before nodding slowly with a sigh. "I guess you're right, that is likely the best idea to get her out. I keep forgetting you are from that clan." He continued forward, turning his attention forward as we continued. The trip to the Hidden Cloud would be a week long and the first day passed rather quickly.

Come the second day, Kakuzu and I ditched our cloaks and made our way through a small merchant town. Kakuzu covered himself in a black jacket he found and swiped from one of the merchant stands finding the price to be outrageous. "Why get a jacket? We ditched our cloaks already," Kakuzu adjusted the collar on the jacket as he shoved his hands in the pockets. "Large man in a mask with stitches all over his body is kind of a noticeable description. Even without my cloak I need to disguise to a certain degree," I made a face of understanding as we exited the other end of the merchant village. I began walking a little closer to Kakuzu as the sun crept higher into the sky. Before long I was brushing against him with every step. He seemed to make room between us which caused me to sigh internally. "Hey Kakuzu...since we are alone right now...could I...hold your hand?" Kakuzu looked over confused for a moment before looking down to his own hand and holding it out.