Ojos Asi [[private -- nyrax]]

Kaliegh nodded, listening to what Kakuzu was telling her. That was strange. She couldn't imagine Pein being the type of man to give people the right to do as they pleased. However, she had seen it herself, she supposed. This mission was one that Pein had put up for grabs and Kisame and Itachi had willfully admitted that they had no interest in doing the missions at all, and that was more than acceptable. That was strange to Kaliegh, even now, since Youki would never allow that. What would it be like, she wondered, to be free to do whatever she pleased? To work for someone that respected both her as a person and her individual skill?

She longed for that, and it brought a smile to her face. Maybe... this wasn't such a bad idea after all? Maybe she could join them and survive? As long as one of her siblings didn't have to take her place, she had nothing else to fear since Youki would no longer be able to touch her.

Kakuzu didn't raise the subject any more as Kaliegh went silent. He assumed that she had something on her mind as she was keeping it to herself. When Kaliegh had something to share she had always been very quick to bring it up and sat it. She spoke quickly and with confidence around Kakuzu, he saw it as a sign of trust and he appreciated that. If she ever wanted to talk he would be there for her, that was how teammates worked.

Eventually they got closer to their destination, and the village in question began to be visible in the distance.

Kaliegh looked over the village as they approached it. Luckily, the village was downwind of the trees, so they had an ideal vantage point from one angle. "Tell me something." She said, having not spoken since earlier before, wanting to think out this mission and what he'd offered her. "If I asked to complete this mission alone with whatever means I saw necessary, would you let me do it?" She asked, wondering if he would allow her to do such a thing. Whereas it was an Akatsuki mission, it was a lesser one of not paramount importance, which was why Pein offered it to whomever was willing to take it.

"I have an idea, but it will likely only work on a singular level."

Kakuzu glanced over towards Kaliegh and listened as she spoke. She wanted to do this mission alone? That was quite unlike her, so far she had just been willing to provide support as necessary. She had never asked to do the entire mission on her own before. This was quite the sign, though he wasn't sure if it was good or bad. Pein had told Kakuzu to keep an eye out for suspicious actions, but what could happen?

"If that is your wish I can allow it. However, I am your partner. I need to know of your plan so that if something goes wrong I can come in and help you. Is that satisfactory?"

Kaliegh thought it over for a moment, a little unsure on how she should approach this. "Would..." She paused, biting her lip softly. "Would you object if I asked to do this on my own without your help at all?" She asked, wondering if he would allow her to do this as she wanted. He wanted her to be a part of the Akatsuki, that meant he trusted her, so it meant that he would have to show her some of that trust.

If he couldn't, she'd understand, but she wanted to know if his offer was serious and if he trusted her, or if this was just his way of pulling her into a false sense of security.

Kakuzu was silent for a moment, not sure of what he should do here. Kaliegh wanted to do this mission completely on her own without him, but how could he allow that? They were supposed to be partners, course that didn't mean much to Kakuzu who had killed the far majority of his old partners. But this was an entirely different thing, the situations weren't the same anymore. And yet he knew that if he refused, she would see it as the grip of the Akatsuki taking her freedom away.

"If you insist...I will let you do as you please. But i would encourage you to reconsider. You are my partner and i am yours. I do not wish to have you unprotected as much as you would run away if I was in trouble. If you insist though, you may do this mission as you see fit."

Kaliegh leaned forward and took Kakuzu's hand. "No." She said quietly. "I wouldn't do something like that. I just want to do this, as a means of proving to myself that I'm good enough. I want to make sure that I can do this, Kakuzu. I want to prove that I trained enough and that I'm able to do this, that I can accomplish a mission without help from a shinobi as great as you."

Kakuzu glanced down, surprised that Kaliegh would take his hand as she spoke to him. He glanced back up, looking at her eyes as she spoke. He listened calmly and intently, hanging on every word as she spoke. when she finished his red and green eyes just blinked for a few moments as he processed all of the information.

Kakuzu slowly rested his hand a top of Kaliegh's and patted it. "Very well.....do what you need to do Kaliegh. I trust and believe in you."

Kaliegh nodded and hugged him. "Thank you." She said, bowing her head to him. She did respect him, and she had to prove to herself, and to him, that she could do this by herself. She vanished from the trees and went into the village. She honestly wanted to do this for her as much as she was doing it for him.

Once she was inside the village, she started looking around for information that she could find.

Kakuzu lightly returned the hug and patted Kaliegh once on the head. "You'll do great, and should anything go wrong don't hesitate to yell. I'll be there," he said before watching her leave. He would stay behind a few minutes so that people wouldn't think that they came together. After waiting a while Kakuzu sent a little chakra in to the Akatsuki cloak to turn it in to a dark blue color so no one would recognize him or who he worked for.

With that in mind Kakuzu entered the village and began to walk around, observing the area for anything that he could use later. He had faith in Kaliegh, but he still needed to make sure he was prepared in case something unforeseen took place.

Kaliegh went into the village and it didn't take her very long to get wind of things. Most of the people of the village talked to her since she was clearly a shinobi, and following that, the men who were "in charge" and stealing supplies in order to gain control of this village and remove it from Akatsuki control came to her and offered her a choice: to clear out of here before they started any trouble, or to face their wrath. But she refused and stated that she would join up with them and that's why she was here.

Of course, they laughed at her. The leader sent forth a man to deal with her, only for her to kill him within a minute. With him dead, the others seemed a little more aware of what was going on and took her more seriously.

It took three more days for Kaliegh to climb the ranks and become central to the organization as a whole. She was able to deal with the people of the village and the smaller rebellions. Little did they know that she was actually robbing them blind. And she was good at it to, redistribution power, money, and supplies, as well as weakening the alliance of the men by starting rumors and making comments.

Since she was able to read minds, she could spread fear easily around them about whatever she pleased. It made her happy, to say the least, that disharmony was achieved so easily. By the end of the week, the leader realized what she was planning to do he drew her out to make an example of her. He drew a sword to execute her and after he removed her head, a long black pipe pierced through him. Blood sprayed everywhere and the logn rod flew back into Pein's hand.

He jumped down onto the stage he had killed Kaliegh and sliced off the man's head with a blade that was like the one that Kaliegh carried. Actually, it was identical to the one Kaliegh carried. He went about killing the other men that caused a stir, some of whom attempted to follow him, yet he showed them no mercy. Afterward, he freed the city and disappeared into the woods surrounding the town. Into the night, the people burned tribute to Ame and changed their symbols to show their loyalty to Pein with a line through the headbands that so few of them carried.

After the rebellions had been quelled, Kakuzu watched from afar as Kaliegh worked and continued to cause havoc on all of the men within this organization. They had seen her as an ally for one moment, and because of that they had been destroyed. Kakuzu knew that it could just as easily happen to them, but he knew that Kaliegh would not betray him or the Akatsuki. He could just tell, it was in the way she spoke to him about it.

Afterwards, Kakuzu made his way up to the forest that Pein had disappeared to. Despite how convincing it had been to everyone else, Kakuzu knew Pein even better than Kaliegh had. "You know, I think the blood spewing from your corpse was a nice touch," Kakuzu admitted as he could sense the familiar chakra nearby. "About thirty years ago I might have been fooled by that."

Kaliegh smirked at him and rested a hand on her hip. She walked over to him and turned slowly back into herself, since she had still been in the facade of Pein. "I thought you'd like it. I was worried that I would scare you and you'd jump in. I'm glad you stuck to our agreement and didn't do anything because I didn't ask. I thought it would be better for them if Pein arrived himself to free them, even if he didn't free them himself. It just adds for a nice folktale, you know? The Akatsuki leader saw it fit to free them rather than sending someone else to do it. I think it'd make them feel pretty important."

Kakuzu just crossed his arms as he saw Kaliegh turning back in to her old self. He just gave a nod as she spoke, acknowledging everything that she said. "I made a deal with you. Besides, I saw how they supposedly captured you. I knew that you would have put up way more of a fight than that if your life was really in danger," Kakuzu remarked as he turned back in the direction of the village. he could still hear the celebration going on, people talking about Pein and the Akatsuki and how they were saved.

"You saved many people today...you should be proud of what you did."

That made her laugh. She should be proud? No, she didn't really feel that she had done anything at all. She cheated a cheater and made him may for what he did to them. "I didn't do anything that deserves pride. I did something that any normal human should have done, what shinobi should do. I protected someone who is weaker than me and I did it for them, not for me. I'm not selfish enough to think that I'm powerful enough that I could stop them for nothing other than the good of the people who deserved it. I'm grateful I did, but I shouldn't be proud of doing a shinobi's duty."

"Look at it how you wish, it helps me to keep going on days that i fail," Kakuzu remarked as he looked towards Kaliegh. "Feel free to turn away the credit if you wish, but don't let yourself be sold short. Just because you should have done it, doesn't mean that any shinobi would have done it. There was a reason the Akatsuki had to be involved, no one was helping these people," the elder Akatsuki said quietly as he looked right at Kaliegh.

"At any rate, at least accept my congratulations at a mission well done."

Kaliegh smiled at him as he praised her. No one had ever given her such a feeling before that it made her happy to at first deny she had done anything in order for him to make his true feelings known. It was stupid, and rude, she knew but it made her happy to have him say it to her, just because of his own skill and how he felt.

That was enough for her. So, she nodded. "Thank you. I suppose I'll have to admit you're right. No one else would have helped them because they wouldn't have wanted to get involved. It's stupid and that's why I hate the way this world works."

"As you said before, most people are motivated by selfish intentions," Kakuzu reflected as he thought back to what he wanted to say to Kaliegh. "Akatsuki steps in when people need help, give them hope and safety when no one else would give it to them.....and now listen to the thanks that come to us, all because of what you did in a few days time," he added as he smiled at Kaliegh.

"Akatsuki is capable of great good, and I still believe that the worth you could bring to us would be immeasurable."

Kaliegh nodded. "I know... I think that Akatsuki does good work, but I guess that there are some things that the organization does that I don't see the merit in. I know that's likely because of the fact I'm not one of you and therefore privileged information is held back from me, which I don't blame." She sighed and started to walk, knowing that they had another mission they had to deal with.

"I think that I could be a part of the Akatsuki, Kakuzu... I just, i fear what Youki would do, and if Akatsuki would bind more of my siblings the way that they're holding me. I could never let someone else take my place like that."

Kakuzu stayed silent as Kaliegh spoke. Normally he would have defended Akatsuki, but she was perfectly willing to admit that there were things she didn't understand because she wasn't a member. That was good enough for him, so he just stayed quiet as he thought about how to respond to her.

"I can't speak for what Pein would do in all honesty. The only way any of us would know would be to ask him, and there's no point in doing that unless this is something you really want," he remarked before thinking about what to say next. "I just think you could help so many people with us. With Youki, you're just a tool to him. He isn't even capable of seeing what high value you really have."

A soft sigh escaped her and she nodded. It was a great relief to know that this meant so much to her, and she honestly felt better to know what she'd be good at something. It gave her a sense of relief. "I am a tool to him, I know that." She said, looking up at him. "But at the same time, I've accepted that. He's my brother and I've been content to be used by him. Until... until he hurt Xerion. If he kills my brother then he will, in effect kill me. I have a rare blood type. Of ALL my siblings, Xerion is my only matching donor. I need him to survive."

Kakuzu gave a nod, knowing that Kaliegh spoke the truth. Even if she left she would always be bound to her brother, especially since she needed his blood in order to live. it was a tight rope that she walked, and one that she couldn't walk forever. Kakuzu didn't want to think about it, but it seemed like she could die at any moment. The fact that none of his knowledge of power could help her made kakuzu angry. He would work fiercely to do anything to help her.

"I know you do, and i'm sorry for the way that I speak to you. In you I just see so much skill and potential. I just wish you were truly free."

That made her laugh. "I am free, Kakuzu, but we all have our crosses to bear and this is mine. I am bound by the disease eating away at me, and sometimes it wins and so far, I've been winning. Thank you for your concern. I know it bothers you that I am bound to die, like most humans are. But for you... I dunno. It's just the way things are. Maybe that means I'm too great of a shinobi to live forever like you? You're great, but you can't have two great people be immortal together."

"I know it bothers me," Kakuzu remarked as Kaliegh pointed out how worried he was for her. "I guess that in the Akatsuki we have all helped and protected one another. That's been the way it has always been, it's why we've always had our agents come back alive. With you though...all my knowledge and experience can't help you, and that weighs on me," he said slowly as they walked side by side.

"I apologize, you don't need to hear the ramblings of an old man."

Somehow, to hear him admit that even he couldn't save her was a depressing though. It honestly made her sad. He was so powerful and even with all his skill there was nothing he could do. There was nothing Tsunade could do either. It fucking sucked that she was the only person that couldn't be saved. It depressed her. A lot.

"You don't need to apologize. It comforts me to know that you care, and I suppose that the rants of an old man are okay to listen to sometimes. At least this one wasn't about respect and how young people have no honor." She said with a laugh.