The fresh air of Amegakure stirred Takeshi's new cloak, carrying the humid, cold, metallic, and dreary essence of the city to the young Yuki.
Looking far away at the metal jungle, Takeshi wondered how these guys advanced so much industrially, considering how poor they were supposed to be. Perhaps the so-called God of Amegakure really could pull off a miracle or two.
If he had more confidence with the man behind the corpse posing coolly and mysteriously next to him, Takeshi would have asked him about the limits of the Ashura Path.
It can create missiles, laser cannons, thrusters, and everything. What was the true limit? Could it create a computer? Chemicals? After all, missiles don't explode just by being missiles; a chemical reaction is involved in the process.
Imagine the Ashura Path creating various devices capable of deploying fertilizer to stimulate agriculture.
—Internet...— Takeshi murmured unintentionally, catching the Deva Path's attention.
—Ah, it's nothing, Boss. When will my partner arrive? I need to boost the company's growth!
—...He's already here. You have a mission on the borders of the Land of Earth— Pain informed him with a twitching eyelid.
—Iwa? Anyway, trust me, Boss. I won't let you down!— Takeshi pounded his chest proudly, irritating the God of Amegakure even further.
—By the way, Boss... Are there funds to hire musicians?— the young man asked with interest, which further bewildered his terrorist leader.
—If you want to waste your earnings on musicians, that's your problem, but don't involve the organization in such nonsense— Pain replied. After a second, he seemed to realize something and frowned, turning to the brat who, somehow and for some reason, was accompanying him on the tongue of his building's statue.
—What the hell are you doing here?— he questioned after a while, wondering internally why Konan let him through.
—I saw you enjoying the village's humid air in a quite aesthetic way, so I wanted to join you, Boss. I mean, look at this place, this building, and this atmosphere! Perfect for a wallpaper— Takeshi explained enthusiastically, swearing that at some point he would take a picture sitting in Pain's position.
The Deva Path stared at him in silence for an uncomfortable five seconds before waving his hand in a dismissive gesture.
Takeshi felt something yank him aside and suddenly he was no longer on the statue's tongue, but was falling ignominiously into the void.
—Booossss!!— the young man shrieked, his voice fading as he descended, but Pain ignored him and returned to his cool and meditative pose, only to remember Yuki Takeshi's words and stand up with a barely perceptible grimace.
Pain wouldn't do it again for several days.
Kakuzu entered the Akatsuki Leader's tower to pick up his new partner and head toward the Land of Earth, but he was stopped by a cluster of paper scraps swirling in his path.
The familiar figure of Pain's right hand materialized before him, tossing a scroll in his direction with indifference.
—The details of your mission. And remember, don't kill another partner... So soon— Konan warned reluctantly, as this wasn't the first time they'd had this conversation and probably wouldn't be the last.
Before Kakuzu could even let out a snort, a loud shriek reached his and Konan's ears. Both looked up and met the figure of Yuki Takeshi in mid-fall.
Kakuzu had no reaction whatsoever, while Konan was momentarily stunned, wondering how the hell that brat sneaked onto the top of the tower.
A torrent of water shot out of Yuki Takeshi's mouth, forming a pool on the ground that helped him avoid breaking something upon landing.
The young Akatsuki member executed a perfect dive, dispersing the momentum of his fall in the water and emerging to the side, totally soaked but unharmed.
—Damn it, he didn't even bother to stop my fall! What if I had died from that!?— he complained under his breath while taking off his cloak and wringing it out.
—So I won't kill him— Kakuzu stated to the kunoichi and started walking, without bothering to call Takeshi.
Takeshi shot a distracted glance at Konan and then turned to Kakuzu, who was already walking away from the tower. —Wait up, Senpai!— the boy shouted, running after his partner and leaving Konan with many questions and a feeling of future headaches.
For his part, Kakuzu began to regret the fact that he hadn't killed the Yuki, as he also felt that things were going to be unnecessarily chaotic for him from this point forward.
The duo left Amegakure shortly before Nagato's technique was activated again, which didn't mean much to the already soaked Takeshi.
—Geez, the Leader needs a woman or something. I think he's too tense for his own good. What do you think, Senpai?— he asked after a while, uncomfortable wearing wet clothes.
—Before we get to our mission location, we'll take a detour. I need to verify a package— Kakuzu said, ignoring the small talk the Yuki was trying to initiate. But that didn't stop Takeshi.
After all, it's not every day you meet a villain from an anime you watched.
—So, what are those masks on your back, Senpai? Are they decorative? I think they look cool, they give you a pretty intimidating style. I bet it's some crazy, rare technique with a cool name.
Kakuzu sighed internally, his patience wearing thin with every syllable that came out of Takeshi's mouth. He suddenly stopped and the pressure in the area increased, his sharp gaze drilling into the carefree Yuki.
—Brat, this isn't a kindergarten for making friends. You are in a clandestine organization that handles jobs for whoever has enough money, nothing more, nothing less. If you want to keep your life and reach adulthood, I suggest you shut your mouth, because my patience has a limit and you are about to cross it— the man threatened.
Takeshi blinked a couple of times and opened his mouth to reply, but the intensity of the rogue Taki-Nin increased and he forced himself to remain silent again, making a sealing-lips gesture with his fingers and a thumbs-up to affirm that he understood.
Kakuzu stared at him for a few more seconds before resuming his walk, as if nothing had happened.
Takeshi followed him in silence, his mind already planning to exploit this fossil's network throughout the shinobi underworld to acquire some specific seals. Afterward, he would have to seize an opportunity to get away from Kakuzu and make a quick trip to the Fire Temple.
There was a trace of Kurama's chakra there that needed to be collected and re-implanted.