Chapter 19

The night was still in the small village, with only a few lights flickering in the windows of the modest homes. Yurochi and Kabuto had found a quiet, unassuming restaurant to eat at before settling in for the night. The place was rustic, with wooden tables and chairs that creaked with age, and the aroma of grilled fish and rice filled the air.

Perched atop the shop, Kimimaro remained unnoticed, his vigilant eyes scanning the darkened streets for any signs of danger. He didn't need to eat, so he stayed on guard, ever loyal.

Inside, Yurochi and Kabuto sat across from each other as their meal was laid out before them. The food was simple grilled fish, rice, and a few vegetables. Yurochi picked up his chopsticks and began to eat, his eyes occasionally flicking up to Kabuto, who ate with his usual calm, measured pace.

After a few moments of silence, he decided to break it. "So, Kabuto, why do you keep following me? After everything that's happened, you're still here."

Kabuto paused, looking up from his food, a slight smile forming. "Curiosity I'd say. I'm curious about what you'll do next. Nothing much more than that."

Yurochi raised an eyebrow, his expression thoughtful. "Curiosity, huh? I've considered killing you many times, you know. Even now, the thought crosses my mind. You've likely thought of this, haven't you?"

Kabuto didn't flinch, meeting Yurochi's gaze steadily. "Yes, I have. I would expect nothing less. I'd be surprised if you hadn't. So why haven't you done it yet? What's stopping you?"

Yurochi leaned back in his chair, pondering the question. He understood why Kabuto had been loyal to Orochimaru. There was a debt there, a sense of purpose Orochimaru had given him. But for Yurochi, it wasn't that simple.

"You're useful," Yurochi finally said, his voice quiet but firm. "But you have no reason to follow my orders. I essentially killed your superior and took his place. I haven't done much beyond partially filling Orochimaru's role. So, I need to give you a reason to stay with me."

Kabuto nodded, as if this was what he had expected to hear. "Alright then. So what are you proposing?"

Yurochi leaned forward after a few moments. "I would say Danzo's death, but that's already something I intend to do for myself. What I will offer you is something special, something you can use. Something Orochimaru denied you, a summoning contract with the Ryuchi Cave."

Kabuto's expression remained neutral, but a flash of interest crossed his eyes. "Are you serious about this? About Danzo's death and the contract?"

"Yes, on both counts," Yurochi said bluntly. "I want Danzo dead. He tried to assassinate me and is a scourge to the world. I already know you have your own reasons to hate him, but yes, I will allow you to sign a contract with the Ryuchi Cave. As you know, it's more than just summoning snakes."

Kabuto was silent for a moment, his eyes locked on Yurochi's. He understood the unspoken implication. The Ryuchi Cave held something even Orochimaru had not achieved or anyone else in the shinobi world. The Ryuchi Caves Sage Mode.

Kabuto of course knew that he might not be able to achieve this, but the prospect of being able achieve something even Orochimaru couldn't do was undoubtedly something that intrigued him. Even if it ended with nothing, then there were the smaller things, the other techniques which were tied to the Ryuchi Cave.

Slowly, Kabuto nodded. "I accept, but can you guarantee Danzo's death? Danzo was Orochimaru's main benefactor. He provided the funds and resources for all the experiments. Are you really planning to sever that connection?"

Yurochi's lips curved into a faint smile and shook his head. "Not yet. Cutting ties with Danzo and killing him will come later. For now, I'll continue to play the part of Orochimaru towards him. When the time is right, I'll take him down, but only when I'm sure I can do so without issue."

"Oh, then what's the current goal? We're heading towards the Land of Waves for the materials you mentioned. Why? Is it for the Edo Tensei? Are you planning to continue Orochimaru's work on perfecting it?"

"I'll be blunt and honest with you. Yes, I do. I know that if I lie or keep things from you, you'll figure it out eventually. But I don't trust any of you, though I wish I could. You, The Sound Four, Sasuke even. The only person I trust right now is Kimimaro, maybe Karin, but not yet. I want more people like him. Thats all im going to say."

Kabuto's eyes widened slightly, understanding something which wasn't said yet he either was looking too far into it, or was on the right track. The Edo Tensei. The technique to revive the dead, in the simplest terms. But Yurochi wanted more than just resurrection; he wanted control, absolute loyalty, something no one could betray.

Loyalty, or perhaps trust, was what he sought. Thinking about both Orochimaru and Yurochi, it made sense. Orochimaru rarely trusted anyone, and trust was slow to grow with him. Yurochi, on the other hand, had grown up with no one to trust, no one to rely on, and had always kept his distance from others.

Now, with the prospect of controlling these unkillable puppets which couldn't betray him, even Kabuto himself would want to go around reviving the strongest shinobi, maybe even one day amass an army which could contend with the world.

"...I see," Kabuto responded quietly.

The night wore on as they resumed eating silently, and eventually, they left the restaurant, making their way to the small inn where they would spend the night.

Kimimaro joined them as they walked, his expression as unreadable as ever. He hadn't heard the conversation inside and he could sense a change in the air. Yet he asked nothing as he followed.

Yurochi entered his room, the door closing softly behind him. Not long after falling onto the bed, sleep claimed him quickly, exhaustion finally taking its toll.

—

The Land of Waves, a small nation off the mainland of the Land of Fire, had recently experienced an unexpected yet welcome economic boom.

This transformation was sparked by the construction of a massive bridge that connected the once-isolated nation to the mainland. If it weren't for a greedy man named Gato, this project might never have been thought about as necessary.

Gato, a money-hungry tyrant, had monopolized the shipping routes for imported and exported goods, leaving the local populace with little choice but to follow his orders, vanish, or starve if they were lucky.

The colossal construction of the bridge was a direct challenge to Gato's stranglehold, effectively creating competition, something Gato would never tolerate. Yet, despite the risks, the builders pressed on. With time and the crucial assistance of a Konohagakure shinobi team, the bridge was completed, and Gato was also permanently removed from power.

With Gato gone, the once-oppressed civilians now enjoyed the benefits of goods flowing freely via ship and bridge, bringing previously unseen merchandise to the island. New settlers, workers, and merchants gradually populated the area, breathing new life into the village.

Two figures were walking across the newly constructed bridge, leaving the village behind them. Both of them were in sour moods though for different reasons and one of them didn't care to voice his reasons.

"So much for your gut instincts, huh? There was nothing here! And you didn't even let me sacrifice anyone!" one traveler exclaimed loudly.

"I still made some money," the other replied slowly, about to lose his own calmess.

"Hmph, hardly anything worth mentioning. Nothing but small fries here, and that Gato guy didn't leave anything valuable behind either. What a waste of time."

"Just shut up, before I make you."

"Oh, I'd love to see you t—"

In a flash, a hand gripped his face, clamping his mouth shut.

"Just. Shut. Up," the other hissed.

Pain shot through his mouth as he struggled to remove the hand, but he couldn't. Before he could swing his fists, he was abruptly released, though his mouth was now wired shut.

Stunned, he stood frozen in place while the other continued walking, saying nothing more.

—

"The bridge is named after Naruto Uzumaki?" Kabuto asked, curious as he continued to look at the expanding sea.

"Yeah," Yurochi replied, leaning on the bridge railings, gazing down at the flowing water below. "After Kakashi and his team finished their mission here, they decided to name it after Naruto. Despite their lack of experience, they managed to protect the builders. Its funny though, after all their hard work, risking their lives to complete it and secure the future of the Land of Waves, they named it after just one of them. They maybe should've called it 'Nasura'. It would be a simple blend of the names of the three genin who risked everything for this bridge."

Perhaps neither Sasuke nor Sakura cared that the bridge wasn't named after them, Yurochi thought. Still, if they had to name it after someone, why not Kakashi? If it weren't for him, their so-called hero would've died three or four times during the mission in the Land of Waves.

"From what I've seen of them, I don't think any of them would mind, except Naruto perhaps." Kabuto said with a smile, remembering the time he spent with them inside the Chunin Exams.

"True. If the bridge had been named after Sakura or Sasuke, Naruto would've thrown a tantrum. Maybe that even happens, I don't know all the specifics." He turned towards Kabuto. "I'm sure that even if Kakashi got the name, Naruto would still have found—"

Yurochi abruptly cut himself off. He saw two figures approaching from the other end of the bridge, their presence immediately unsettling. Both were wearing Akatsuki robes and bamboo hats which hid their features.

"Kabuto."

"I see them."

As the two figures drew closer, the tension thickened. Yurochi noted that despite the bamboo hats obscuring their faces, one of them carried a very distinctive weapon on his back, a scythe. The identity of them was immediately known. The immortal duo, Kakuzu and Hidan. There was no doubt they had noticed them too since they stopped at a distance.

Kakuzu eyed Yurochi up and down before reaching into a pocket and pulling out a small booklet. He flipped through it silently while the group stood in tense silence. Finally, he stopped on a page, scrutinized it, then glanced back at Yurochi.

"You're not Orochimaru," Kakuzu said, his voice tinged with irritation. "You resemble him, but not quite. Who are you, his son?"

Just before this question, Yurochi had wondered why Hidan wasn't being his usual obnoxious self. But hearing Kakuzu's words, his thoughts came to an abrupt halt.

'Orochimaru's son?'

It made sense, Yurochi thought. For those unfamiliar with Orochimaru's Living Corpse Reincarnation technique, this could be a plausible assumption seeing his young self.

His first instinct was to deny it. But then he reconsidered. Why not let them believe it? It was a lie that would be easier for others to accept than the truth, and it carried no real downside beyond the association with Orochimaru, something he was already linked to.

Yurochi met Kakuzu's gaze with a steady look. "I actually am," he said simply, his voice cool and composed.

Kakuzu snapped the booklet shut, shaking his head. "Too bad. But I see Kabuto with you, a rogue ninja from Konohagakure. He's worth quite a bit."

By now, Hidan was trying to speak, but only muffled sounds came out, directed at Kakuzu, who ignored him. Hidan kept pointing at his mouth, which remained hidden. It seemed Kakuzu had tied it shut.

"How about this? Hand over Kabuto, and I'll let you run back to your daddy unharmed. Kabuto's a wanted criminal, and his bounty would fetch a nice sum. I'm in need of some money you see?"

Yurochi's smile faded, replaced by a cold, hard look. "No, I don't think I will. I know who you are. Kakuzu, S-Rank missing-nin from Takigakure and a member of the Akatsuki. You're immortal, thanks to the Earth Grudge Fear technique you stole from Takigakure after they punished you for failing to assassinate Hashirama."

He then turned to Hidan. "And you got teamed up with Hidan, a fanatic of the Cult of Jashin who's also unkillable thanks to those rituals performed by the Jashin cult. More importantly, Hidan's an idiot. I know a lot about both of you, your abilities and how to counter them."

Hidan was stunned into silence, but after a few moments, he moved. It seemed like he didn't take kindly to being called an idiot. He lunged forward with muffled shouts. Kimimaro instantly moved to intercept him, meeting the swing of Hidan's scythe with a hardened bone, the two clashing.

"Kimimaro, keep Hidan busy. Don't bother trying to kill him, just make it hurt," Yurochi instructed.

"Understood," Kimimaro replied with a calm precision that betrayed no emotion. In one swift motion, he kicked Hidan away, sending him skidding across the bridge.

Hidan snarled as he regained his footing, eyes gleaming with bloodlust. He brandished his scythe once more, swinging it in a wide arc, the sharp blade whistling through the air. But Kimimaro was already on the move, easily intercepting the incoming blow.

Kimimaro's bones sprouted from his body like deadly weapons, parrying Hidan's scythe with a bone blade that jutted from his forearm. The clash of metal against bone rang out, but it sounded like metal against metal echoing across the bridge. Hidan grinned maniacally, excited by the prospect of soon sacrificing Kimimaro.

Hidan swung again, aiming for Kimimaro's neck, but the attack was deftly dodged. Kimimaro countered with a swift strike, his bone blade slashing across Hidan's torso.

Blood splattered onto the bridge, but Hidan only laughed past his closed mouth, reveling in the pain, confident in his immortality.

Kimimaro remained silent, his face expressionless, though inwardly surprised at such a disregard for injuries. He advanced on Hidan, delivering a barrage of precise blows. Each strike landed with deadly accuracy, breaking bones and tearing flesh, yet Hidan continued to laugh, feeding off the pain like a twisted form of ecstasy.

Hidan finally managed to slip past Kimimaro's defenses, his scythe slicing across Kimimaro's chest. With a triumphant muffled yell, Hidan tore away the bindings from his mouth, blood dripping from his ripped lips as he prepared to initiate his ritual. His grin was feral, his eyes alight with anticipation.

But the next moment, his smile froze.

Kimimaro stood before him, completely unfazed by the wound. The gash across his chest began to close almost instantly, paper-looking material knitting back together with unnatural speed. There was no blood and soon, no sign of injury.

Hidan's eyes widened in shock, disbelief clouding his features. "What the fuck, you're not a person!?"

It was Hidan's worst nemesis, an enemy that doesn't bleed.

~

(A/N: As usual, sorry for such a late upload. Going through a lot IRL. I don't want to go into detail since this you are only here to read a Naruto Fanfiction, but that's the reason why these things are coming out uber-slow. Still, I am sorry that I can't make chapters quicker like most fanfics.

Anyway, Thanks For Reading!)