Sold

Disappointing Circumstances

The cold of the cave did little to upset the people who dwelled inside. 

"The loss of Deidara and Sasori was... unexpected." the Akatsuki leader spoke from the safety of a projection. All but two members participated in the projection, allowing communication from any location, no matter what. "But our new member, Tobi, will take the place of Deidara." 

All eight members listened to the news. 

Hidan of the Village Hidden in Steam was the one to speak up, a question itching in his immortal brain. "Who's this Tobi going to be paired with?"

The Akatsuki leader answered simply, "He is to be paired with Zetsu until another rogue ninja falls into our ranks. Now, we are to discuss the securing of the other tailed beasts. Hidan, Kakazu," He began to relegate each two man group to their tasks. "You two are to secure the two tails from the hidden cloud. Tobi and Zetsu will go after the three tails. Do not worry about the seven or six tails; they will be taken care of in due time. Itatchi, Kisame: the two of you are to track down and locate the ninetails. The jinchuriki was a boy named Naruto Uzumaki before the boy died, and then a member of the leafs anbu black ops. It has been almost three years since that anbu was reported dead and no new jinchuriki has been documented yet. Did you find anything the last time you visited the village, Itachi?"

"I did not. The leaf has kept the identity of the jinchuriki under wraps and out of public knowledge." 

"We'll go and secure the information." Kisame piped up.

Their leader nodded. "Very well. Good hunting."

"I must ask," the swordsman quickly interjected. "How'd Deidara meet his demise? The leaf isn't exactly known for killing their prisoners."

The air grew colder. It was bitter and malicious in nature. Speaking, their leader failed to portray any fear or remorse in his words. "It has been reported that Deidara was killed by a mysterious figure, nothing more than a murderous shadow. Not even the leaf has found his killer."

Kisame smiled. This was interesting. The meeting ended, all members beginning their journeys.

*******

Sai watched the scene unfold with the careful eye of a Root member. He was assigned to practice with 'Nayu' and work on their compatibility as teammates. Little did Captain Yamato know, but the two of them had worked numerous missions together, though identities were different then. 

There was a strange mix of fear and admiration of the fabled Fox of Death. To hold a transformation jutsu for so long, even while at rest, that took incredible chakra and skill. But that name Fox received bore far too much weight to be a mere nickname. No, that was a title granted to the most efficient tool in Lord Danzo's arsenal. Not even master assassins feared in all nations were able to bring Fox down. Yet Sai found himself here, crouching in the bushes with his superior disguised as an unbelievably unintelligent kunoichi. 

His teammate, Sakura, waited up in a tree; watching the tactics unfold. She too was an interesting character. So unsure of herself, yet with the temper of the hokage herself. What a strange girl. He bore no thoughts of the team captain. The captain was merely another member of the anbu. Just another tool for the leaf.

Speak of the devil. A very obvious clone of Captain Yamato walked into the clearing. 'Nayu' inched forward, her feet digging into the dry beneath her. The expression on her face was something his books mentioned. She expressed glee and an anxious joy at the coming fight. Truly a master-of-disguise, Fox was. Sai found it honouring to watch. 

Nayu made the first move, earth becoming upturned in front of Captain Yamato. 

"Earth Style: Bottomless Swamp." she whispered. Before Captain Yamato, the earth turned into a large pool of mud. Their captain was quick to jump away, escaping the otherwise foolproof trap.