Akatsuki In Town

A/N: Double Release (2/2)! I was busy preparing for a road trip and didn't manage to edit the third chapter of the Triple Release. So, you'll get a double release today and tomorrow. Apologies! Our target is to reach 400 powerstones by Sunday for a double release next week Monday. This story's continuation depends on your support—so don't forget to give the story powerstones! New Goal: 400 Powerstones! 

It was now 12 a.m., and Goro had just woken up in his bed after avoiding spending time with Ino and losing sleep. The mission had now begun. Getting up and walking into the reception area, Goro was met by the sight of his other three teammates and his Sensei.

"Sensei, I can't do this... I got no sleep," Ino complained, completely drained.

"It's too much of a drag to stay up for another six hours just to roam the streets," Shikamaru agreed.

Choji nodded vigorously, openly displaying his agreement with Ino and Shikamaru's sentiments.

Annoyed by his team's failure to take his advice, Asuma turned to Goro and asked, "What about you?"

"I'm all ready to go," Goro responded, stretching his arms.

Exhaling cigarette smoke, Asuma said, "Shikamaru, lunch today is on you."

Ino waved at Goro as he and Asuma left the building to patrol the streets.

Once outside, Asuma faced Goro, took another puff of his cigarette, and revealed, "You're on your own from here on out. We'll split up and do our own patrols." Asuma's gaze lingered on Goro, waiting for a sign of acceptance.

Nodding, Goro set out on his own path, taking the street to the right.

"Not even a response?" Asuma thought as he walked down the street to the left.

While Goro was patrolling the street, looking for any suspicious activity, he spotted a woman frantically running between different merchants, complaining about her belongings being stolen by a bandit.

Trying to find out more, Goro approached the woman, who was in the midst of begging another merchant for help.

"What's going on?" Goro asked the woman.

As the woman turned to look at him, Goro was taken aback by her beauty.

'She looks... incredible…'

The woman paused for a moment, processing Goro's appearance.

"A Leaf Shinobi?" the woman gasped, her expression melting into one of relief.

"Thank God!" the woman cried.

"Can you tell me the details, ma'am?" Goro repeated.

Rubbing her eyes to rid them of tears, the woman exclaimed, "M-my brother was kidnapped by a bandit and is being held hostage in a shed!"

'So that's why she's running from merchant to merchant... She wants them to pay the ransom.'

Swiftly coming to a conclusion on how to deal with this dilemma, Goro responded, "Show me where the shed is."

The woman nodded and held onto Goro's hand, thanking him profusely.

"Follow me," the woman said, leading the way.

Goro followed her, making sure to leave a clone behind to continue patrolling the streets.

Not long after, the two arrived at a rundown shed that looked ready to collapse at any second.

'This doesn't look too sturdy. I guess the location is quite discrete, but even so, this is an odd choice.'

"Are you sure this is the place?" Goro asked, seeking confirmation.

"Y-yes, it's here," the woman said, her voice shaky.

Placing his hand on the woman's shoulder, Goro instructed her to stay put and made his way into the shed.

Inside, it was pitch black, the only light coming from the moon outside.

Stepping inside, Goro saw a man sitting on a chair, surrounded by multiple people bound by their hands and legs, their mouths covered with cloth. He couldn't make out the man's features due to the darkness.

"Another one, hm? Tastume is doing a great job," the man said, bursting into laughter.

Vehemently against entertaining the man, Goro removed his sword from his back. But when he leaped toward the man and swung his sword, both the sword and Goro's body froze in place.

"What is this?" Goro wondered, utterly confused.

The man stood up from his seat and closed in on Goro, circling his suspended body. "You're probably wondering what's going on, aren't you?" the man said, continuing to circle Goro.

'How's a mere bandit able to pull off a trick like this?'

The faint light coming through the door enabled Goro to see something that both made the situation make sense and gave him a shock.

'A Cloud headband... So he's a ninja. There's only one explanation for why he's able to do this, then...'

Weaving a hand sign, Goro shouted, "Release!" In an instant, Goro returned to his prior position, while the Cloud ninja remained seated.

"Who are you?!" the man asked, beginning to panic.

Taking his blade off his back for real this time, Goro replied, "A Genin from the Leaf. What's a Cloud shinobi doing so far out here?"

The man stayed silent for a moment, replaying Goro's words in his mind. "Genin?! Genin?!! Stop playing around!" the ninja yelled.

Standing up from his seat and pacing back and forth, the man paused, then grabbed a female hostage and put a kunai to her neck. "I told that wretched woman to bring only civilians! Instead of following orders, the witch went and brought me a dangerous Leaf shinobi! Damn it! Any movement from you, and I'll kill her!" the Cloud shinobi roared.

'It's a shame for him that I'm able to take his head off as quickly as he blinks.'

"Leave this pla—" The man's voice disappeared.

Stepping into the light with the Cloud shinobi's head in his hand, Goro noticed a giant mark over the man's headband.

'A rogue shinobi. It adds up.'

Before freeing the hostages, Goro decided to hunt down the woman who had tried to set him up. The woman was on her way back, ready to lure in another unsuspecting victim.

Flickering behind her and holding his blade above her head, Goro asked, "Any last words, Tatsume?"

Tatsume jumped at the sound of the voice behind her. Recognizing it, she stammered, "But h-how? Tenji should've been able to take out a brat like you! How?!"

"Not the best choice of words," Goro sighed, bringing his blade down on her head.

'Now I can continue my patrol.'

Meanwhile, back in town, the clone continued Goro's patrol, staying alert for any abnormal signs.

As the clone was walking down the street, it bumped into a man considerably taller than him.

"That's an interesting sword, kid," the man said, staring intently at the weapon.

Intending to apologize, the clone looked up, but the last being he expected stood before him.

"That black cloak... and the red clouds that decorate it... The Akatsuki. I wasn't expecting to run into a member so early..." the clone pondered.

Outstretching his hand with his palm facing up, the man said, "I could make a pretty penny from that. Hand it over."

"He doesn't need to hand over anything," Asuma said, appearing beside Goro.

A grin emerged on the man's face. "Today is my lucky day, isn't it? First the Executioner Blade and now a member of the Twelve Guardian Ninja? I hit the lottery," the man laughed.

Equipping his brass knuckles, Asuma said, "It's best if we take this to open space."

Asuma gave the clone a look and flickered away. Before the clone could also use the Body Flicker, Kakuzu attacked, making Goro's clone disappear in a plume of smoke.

"A clone... I guess I'll have to settle for the other one. He'd probably go for much more anyway," the man said, flickering after Asuma.

While strolling back to town, Goro suddenly received the knowledge of what had happened. His stroll turned into a sprint, and then into the Body Flicker Jutsu.

'Kakuzu...'

Reminder: Our target is to reach 400 powerstones by Sunday for a double release next week Monday. This story's continuation depends on your support—so don't forget to give the story powerstones! New Goal: 400 Powerstones!