Sutures || Kakuzu

Ch. 3 - Negotiations

Nozomi stood in the middle of the concrete pathway, staring down at the head protruding out of the ground. The bits of apple left in her mouth started to taste like sandpaper as she quickly swallowed them. Where did this man come from and how did he know that she had come out of Kakuzu's apartment? How long had he been watching her?

"I just recently moved here..." She answered cautiously, unable to mask the shock in her voice. "I should really go home now..." Taking a step back, she was able to head back to the apartment when she turned around, only to see the male standing in front of her. Surprised, she dropped her apples, the fruit aimlessly rolling away from her.

"How interesting." The man smiled at her. His voice was teasing, but it only made her feel more uncomfortable. More of his body was showing this time - up to his torso. He was indeed half black and half white, and he had a plant-like structure enclosing him, similar to a venus fly trap opening. "But I already know who really lives there, so you must be lying."

Kakuzu didn't tell her she couldn't leave, but it was most likely an unspoken rule. Unfortunately, she still didn't know where he went or how long he was going to be gone. She also didn't know anything about the people who lived here, which probably further confirmed the fact that she shouldn't have left the apartment. The man in front of her didn't seem like someone she could trust so she needed to escape somehow.

Pulling out a kunai from her emergency pouch, Nozomi held it in front of her with both hands. Unfortunately, her hands were shaking so she didn't seem all that threatening but she slowly took a couple steps back to create some distance. "Who are you?"

"My apologies, I never introduced myself. My name is Zetsu." The plant man grinned. "What are you going to do with a weapon like that, little girl?"

Narrowing her eyes, Nozomi prepared herself. Her brother had taught her some shinobi basics so she was going to use them to make a run for it. Discreetly, she unraveled part of the cloth on the kunai's handle, which revealed part of an explosive tag. In one move, she threw the kunai at Zetsu's head and took off running in the opposite direction, covering her ears with her hands while counting in her head.

Three...

Two...

One...

There was a loud explosion followed by a cloud of dark smoke. Hopefully it was enough for her to hide somewhere, then once the coast was clear, she could find her way back to Kakuzu's apartment. Turning the corner to the right, Nozomi ran a little more before stopping behind one of the taller buildings to catch her breath. Her ears were still ringing from being so close to the explosion, but overall she was okay. Peeking around the corner, she scanned the area to see if the suspicious man had followed her.

"Now, that wasn't nice..." A voice spoke up from over her shoulder. "I have to admit, that attack did hurt a little. If it wasn't for my abilities, that probably would've been quite a burn."

Nozomi's eyes widened and she let out a shriek of surprise as she jumped away from Zetsu. Once again, he had reappeared out of nowhere. Choosing flight instead of fight, she ran back the way she had come.

"Wait, where are you going? Let's play some more, little girl." Zetsu called after her. "I usually end my games with a feast."

Make a left, pass three buildings, then go up the stairs. Nozomi repeated these words to herself with every step she took. This was all her fault; all she had to do was follow directions, but she had gotten hungry. Now, she had to hurry back before she wouldn't have a 'next time'. Her lungs were burning from exhaustion, but she couldn't stop now. Seeing the light at the end of the tunnel and no plant monster in sight, she quickly made her way up the flights of stairs to Kakuzu's apartment.