Ojos Asi [[private -- nyrax]]

"Understood Lady Hokage," Shino said with a small nod before turning to his team. "Good work to all of you, I'll catch you again soon. And I shall wait to hear back from you Lady Hokage," Shino said before turning and departing the hospital. He would most likely go back home to his father and inform him how the mission went.

"Ah right, thank you Lady Tsunade," Kiba said before quickly moving out of the room. He wasn't exactly going to waste time on the goodbyes like Shino enjoyed doing. He was already using his nose to locate Akiko, Suigetsu following behind him since the Inuzuka had the nose to track them both down. It was only when his mate came in to sight that he called out to her. "Akiko!" he said happily before running towards her.

Akiko looked up, rather surprised. "K-Kiba-kun." She said, walking over to him, smiling. She seemed in a much better mood then when they'd talked on the phone. "I didn't expect you back so soon. How was your mission, I see that you're not hurt." Kiba did have a cut on his face, but it was nothing serious. "How're you feeling?"

Karin smiled at Suigetsu when she saw him. Her hair was pulled back in a high pony tail. she walked over to him and leaned up on her toes to kiss him. "I take it things went well?"

Kiba just leaned down and quickly wrapped his arms around Akiko, holding her close to him. Right now he didn't even care if she hugged back or not. "The mission was really good Akiko, we did good work," he said as he continued to hold her close. "I'm sorry about what I said. I wasn't thinking about how I said it, I realized how stupid it was just after you hung up. I'm so sorry Akiko."

Suigetsu returned the kiss before smiling. "Oh hell yeah things went well. I had one of the best fights of my LIFE against that Suki chick. Man I can't even begin to tell you how fun it was," he said as he looked towards Karin. "Anything happen while we were gone?"

Akiko smiled and hugged him back. She rested her head on his chest, smelling his body. She felt safe in his arms and had almost since she met him. "I'm not upset with you anymore. Sakura came to see me in the morning and I had breakfast with her. I-I know that you didn't mean it that way, and that you were just worried. But, I love you, okay?"

Karin shrugged. "Nothing all that interesting. I hung out with kano some more and I started to work for Tsunade. I learn most of my medical ninjutsu from her, since she doesn't trust me with Ino or Sakura. So I suppose that's a good thing." However, she also knew that if she became too good and reached Sakura's level, she'd never be able to leave the village. Her presence was too valuable, and to have a tracker and a healer all in one. It would be too dangerous for Konoha to let go.

"A chick huh?" She asked with a smirk. "Tell me about the fight then."

"I love you too Akiko and I really am sorry. I'll think about it more before I open my mouth next time," Kiba said teasingly as he pulled back slightly from the hug and looked in to Akiko's eyes. He held her gaze for several moments before slowly standing up fully. It was than that Kiba remembered to tell her something. "By the way my training is paying off. Suki and Sani tried to stop us, but we ended up defeating them to escape."

"Well you see it all started when we got found out," Suigetsu began to explain before going in to the details about their escape and fight. He didn't really care if this was deemed classified or not, he just wanted to let Karin know how much the battle had really gotten his blood boiling in the right way. "God it was just so amazing. I wish you had been there to see it."

Akiko nodded, glad that he was going to think more before he spoke. She didn't see the point in confirming this, since it would be rude for her to stay something like that to her husband. So she just kissed hsi cheek. "I'm glad your training is going well." Again, Akiko wasn't one to say that she was right and he was getting stronger for listening to her and taking her advice and training with Sasuke. It wasn't her style. She loved Kiba and wanted what was best for him. She didn't have to be right.

Karin smirked. Somehow, Suigetsu was always happy when he was talking about fighting, blood, or killing someone. It was the shinobi in him, and the mist shinobi at that. She knew how much he wanted to go home, but she was glad all the same that he at least got to go on missions and do what he did best, which was fight. And he even got to pretend to be Kisame, which she was sure he secretly enjoyed.

A few days later...

Darkness, that was all that he could see as the man opened his eyes. He stretched his hands forward, as if they hadn't been used in ages. As they moved several cracks were heard throughout the arms and hands. It was like he was experiencing the sensation for the first time, as he quickly twisted his wrists in order to make them crack again. After that he slowly pushed himself upwards, sitting fully on the table he had been laid upon.

Kakuzu, one of the most senior members of the Akatsuki had been brought back.

Once his vision cleared he became aware of two men standing in front of him. "Leader? What am I doing here....and why is it so cold in here?" Kakuzu asked as he rubbed his arm. He had yet to notice that there were no stitches in his arms like there had been before.

Pein had been quite surprised to find that of all the bodies this little girl was able to grab, Kakuzu had been the first. It made him smirk, thinking that maybe this girl, Aaliyah, as she was called, could be more use to the Akatsuki than Youki was. While Akatsuki rarely took women, it was because their power usually lacked and they desired other things in life rather than being an S ranked criminal.

The day was set for Kakuzu to be brought back, but his body was trashed, sealed, and too damaged to take his soul. Pein "hired" five new mebers of the Akatsuki, who battled it out in a battle royal. Five strong men survived. They were all the lives to be given for his members. However, Pein grabbed an extra, assuming that Kakuzu would want to start with two hearts. But, the extra simply became his vessel. It was a simple choice, considering he was an earth style user.

Pein took the Akatsuki cloak from his body and draped it over Kakuzu's body. "You are in Ame, in a place much like the one we extracted the tailed beasts." He explained simply. "Akatsuki suffered great loses, and to combat that, I found someone that is able to revive the strongest men that once served me. Tell me something, do you remember death?"

Kakuzu took a deep breath as Pein draped the cloak over his body. Something wasn't making sense and his head was starting to hurt. Why was Pein here? He was only physically present during the most important of meetings, why would he be here to just check on Kakuzu? Before he could come up with anything Pein seemed willing to answer it for him. Kakuzu's eyes shot wide open as he heard Pein's last statement.

"Remember death?" Kakuzu uttered under his breath for some time. He seemed to be thinking about things for some time. Eventually he turned towards Pein. "The last thing I remember is fighting the Konoha shinobi. There had to be at least seven or eight of them fighting us. I kept trying to kill them but before I dealt a killing blow they ended up saving each other.....it really pissed me off," he muttered as he started to stand up. His leg went weak for a moment and he caught himself on the edge of the table.

Kakuzu looked and saw his arm, and he looked horrified at the seemingly normal skin that he appeared to have. "What the hell happened to my body!?" he screamed as he suddenly felt the changes. He only felt one heartbeat, and the tendrils that once encompassed everything felt absent. What was going on!

"It's been two years since your death, Kakuzu." Pein said, seeing the uneasiness of the shinobi before him. "Those Konoha shinobi took your body and destroyed it. Your chakra system didn't work, some of your organs were missing, and your spine was broken in several places. If we'd have put your soul into your real body, you wouldn't have been a shinobi anymore. You wouldn't have even been able to walk. I found you another earth style body. We have your original body and you can take from it what you will."

The idea that he completely changed one of his members angered him, but they didn't have much of a choice in this situation. He wanted Kakuzu back the most. He was the first to join them, and by far one of the strongest.

Kakuzu's grip was so strained right now that the veins in his body could easily be seen. However, he now understood the reasoning behind what Pein did. "You made the right decision Leader. If my old body couldn't be used than I'd rather be dead than be some weak cripple," Kakuzu said as the anger in his tone of voice was becoming more and more apparent. Just thinking about what Konoha did to him was making him angry. Not only did they kill him, but they went about wrecking and destroying his body after that.

Someone was going to pay for this. Kakuzu would have a reckoning against that village.

He turned to Pein and stood up fully on his own. "Take me to my body. I still have my knowledge and memories. If this body is strong enough I can transfer my earth jutsu back to me. From there gaining my other techniques will be easy," he said as a small smile formed on his face.

If he had really been reported dead, than boy were those brats from Konoha in for a rude awakening!

Pein had Kakuzu's body brought into the room and it was laid out. His body had been sewn shut in several places with blue hospital thread that had been used in Konoha. They had autopsied his body, likely more than once. His body was broken and it was apparent that they had trashed it.

"Itachi's younger brother managed to break into a meeting and pretended to be Itachi."Pein explained. "So it seemed they purposefully destroyed your body so we would be unable to use it. They didn't know we could do something else." Pein was confident, glad that he had outsmarted those irritating Konoha shinobi. Soon. Very soon, they would attack and completely crush the village.

"Do with your body what you can."

The sight of his own body was a strange one to Kakuzu. It was like looking in to a mirror, only a lot more creepy. He just continued to look at it until Pein told him to do with it what he could. Kakuzu slowly walked over to it and made several hand signs before extending his arm over the body. At first nothing seemed to happen, but only a few moments later the stitches on the outside of the body began to tremble and move. Within moment the mouth from Kakuzu opened, sending out the black tendrils out and moving towards Kakuzu's new body.

"They still recognize their master," Kakuzu said before opening his mouth. What happened next was not a very pretty sight to see. Blood poured from Kakuzu's mouth as the tendrils burrowed their way inside and began to become one with his new body. It looked like it was excruciatingly painful. In truth it was, and this level of pain wasn't something that Kakuzu had experienced in years. He was digging out and replacing practically all of his muscle all over again.

The process eventually finished and Kakuzu stood there and breathed heavily. Eventually he turned his head to Pein. "No chance you have some elemental shinobi that need slaying?" he asked in a cold tone.

Pein seemed amused by the question. "I did at first. I have several shinobi that will die to bring back the other members of the Akatsuki that have died. However, one of them is working my nerves, so if you wish to kill them and take their chakra, just be sure the one with the big mouth is one of the ones you kill." The Akatsuki was always loyal to one another, no matter their personal feelings. Pein made it clear that they were not allowed to have petty arguments. Them killing one another was usually fine, unless the members were important.

If Deidara had killed Itachi, for example, Pein would have not been pleased. But Kakuzu killing his less than useful partners was usually fine. These men had no sense of honor or boundary, and Pein was willing to let them die and find new men to kill for his members. "After you regain the chakra types you need, I have a mission for you. One that I think you'll enjoy greatly. Konoha still has the bodies of Hidan and Deidara. I'd like it for you to go there and retrieve them, whenever you feel ready for battle."

Kakuzu would want revenge and Pein had no issue offering it to him, especially if it kept him loyal to the Akatsuki and away from Youki.

"Assuming that their elements are what I need I'll be taking three of them," Kakuzu stated simply. He started with an earth type body, and through his secret earth jutsu he'd steal the hearts of a fire affinity along with water and air. That would be more than enough power to do what he needed. "I will not take a lightning heart, I shall save that one for when I cut it out of Kakashi Hatake's heart."

Kakuzu listened as Pein told him about the mission. "I know the last place that I saw Hidan, but the Nara boy lead him away from me before killing him. I'll have to do some reconnaissance in order to find them.......that will not be a problem. I have snuck in to Konoha before," he pointed out with a small smile as he tightened the Akatsuki cloak around his body.

"Now then, point me to these men and I'll make sure that they are silenced.....slowly."

Pein was glad to have Kakuzu back. Of all of the members, he had missed Kakuzu the most. "They've been whoring for a time. So, I assume they're in the east side of the compound."

The Akatsuki compound had four parts, the north part, which is where all the main buildings were, and where they held all their meetings. The south side was mostly for training adn was the largest area, with a variation of terrains. The east side had the houses of members who were not yet intiated, and it had some empty homes that could be used for the prostitutes that Akatsuki paid for. The entire west side was where all of the partners lived, in comfortable two person homes when they were in, rather than out in the field. Even criminals needed a place to call home and a bed to sleep in.

"The ease side, should have known. I'll be right back," Kakuzu remarked before walking down the hall. It wouldn't be too long before Pein would be fully convinced that Kakuzu had returned to them. The screams and shouts that followed were things that quite often followed him around.

Kakuzu returned shortly afterwards, the top half of his Akatsuki cloak draped down his body. Pein would see the familiar masks that covered several portions of Kakuzu's body. As he walked in he slowly pulled the cloak back on and fashioned it once again. "You were right leader.....that guy did have a large mouth."

Pein was glad to see that Kakuzu was feeling better and his power was up to par with what it was before. And, it was great to have the sound of screams back. Especially when people where here that were unworthy of the cloak. Pein never smiled, but he would be now if he did. "This is good. I thought it would take you longer to grow accustomed to your own body. you're free to reap Konoha as you see fit, but don't cause too much of a stir. Your priority should be Deidara and Hidan."

"Deidara and Hidan's bodies are needed in order to bring them back. If it even works half as well as it did with me than Akatsuki will grow back to it's old strength," Kakuzu remarked as he looked towards Pein. "Understood, they will be retrieved and brought back here within four day's time," he said honestly. When Kakuzu said that he would accomplish something he always made it a realistic time period. He was one man going against a whole village and he still wasn't accustomed to his new body. He needed to play to take this a little easy.

"By the way.....if I happen to run in to a few of my killers, may I take some liberty of returning the favor to them?"

Pein nodded. "Do you remember the blonde kunoichi that you faced in battle upon your death?" He asked, wondering if he would even care to remember her. She wasn't strong, but she had considerable power, considering her medical ninjutsu.

"Akatsuki housed her for a while. I had her taken since she is a healer and gave her the choice between life and death for aiding our shinobi. She obliged, with a little forcing. Deidara stuck a child inside her, so if you do kill her, bring the child. If his skill is worth something, we will have a young shinobi that we can mold to be what we wish."

Kakuzu looked off to the side as he was focusing on the image. A blonde kunoichi, yes the memory was becoming more clear. She was friends with the fat one and the Nara boy. She hadn't particularly impressed Kakuzu in terms of raw power, but she had guts for trying to stand up to him. He nearly strangled her the last time they met.

"Deidara, should have known that he would do something that stupid," Kakuzu muttered. He remembered the last time Deidara acted recklessly. Kakuzu had to sew both of his arms back on before he became completely worthless to the Akatsuki. "Very well, if the child shows any sort of talent I'll make sure to bring him back with the two bodies. I would prefer having a summoning scroll on this mission to store the bodies in. That way they won't be damaged upon my return trip."

Pein pulled a scroll out of the sleeves of his cloak. "This is the scroll that was used to store your body when it was taken." He said, nodding to him. "Do what you will with Konoha, just leaving them strong enough that it's worth the effort when we crush them, later. But, feel free to kill whom you please, and if you desire to take someone back to sacrifice for Hidan's life, then do that as well. Especially the Nara. He has been a problem for us for quite some time."

"Very well, as I said give me four days to complete this mission. I'll recover the two bodies, the child, and I'll kill any one I can in order to bring back our lost teammates," Kakuzu said before taking the scroll and attaching it to one of the pouches that was hidden inside the Akatsuki cloak. "And believe me, that Nara's life is mine if I can get a hold on him."

Kakuzu turned to leave before stopping for a moment. He glanced over towards Pein. "Out of curiosity, who was it that recovered my body from Konoha?"

Pein looked to Kakuzu. "A kunoichi that works for Heisha Youki. Have you heard of the Heisha clan? They were once loyal to Konoha, before all of them abandoned. They were one of the founding clans when the village was established." The leader of Akatsuki lead Kakuzu to one of the meeting halls in the Akatsuki compound. It was large and had a sizable kitchen, but it had been years since they'd had a cook working there. It was warm inside, with the smell of fresh food.

Inside was a grown woman in a long flowing gown with black hair. She was working with two youger woman, one of which had light brown hair with golden eyes, and the other had long black hair that hung down her back. She had considerable strength, as compared to the other two.

"Aaliyah." Pein said, getting the attention of the golden eyed woman. "This is the woman who recovered your body."

Aaliyah turned and walked to Pein, bowing to him. "So, it worked." She looked up at the man, and knew that Akatsuki had unfortunately had a solution to the damaged body. Kakuzu was back.

"The name sounds vaguely familiar, but I must admit that until my demise I wasn't too fond in keeping up with Konoha's inner workings," Kakuzu admitted as they walked towards one of the meeting halls. He recognized where they were going, but he was more curious to meet the person that was able to sneak in to Konoha and recover his body that was most likely guarded by ANBU or something similar.

As the golden eyed woman approached him, Kakuzu couldn't help but be a little disappointed. He could see and sense the strength that emanated from the woman in black hair. He thought that she had been the one to do it. Alas, this golden eyed one seemed to do the work instead. He turned towards the one known as Aaliyah as she spoke, listening simply.

"Yes, luckily I was able to recover everything I need," Kakuzu said simply. He wasn't sure if Pein wanted these woman to know what Kakuzu was about to be sent to do. "At any rate, I suppose that I should thank the woman who saw to my resurrection."