Ch444. Lights out.

"So we are finally going to Amegakure?" Konan calmly asked, but her eyes betrayed the overwhelming excitement she felt.

She always wanted to return and check it out. It was the place where she was born, after all.

And while she could always just go alone, she never did. It wouldn't have felt right to do so without Rei. That's why Konan calmly awaited the day when Rei finally decided to pay Amegakure a visit.

And she was not disappointed. The time has finally arrived.

"Yes. Having Zetsu working for us is quite convenient, you know?" Rei spoke with a smirk, holding Konan close to his chest with his right arm, while with his left hand he showed Konan a tanto sword that had a sealing tag enwrapped around its hilt.

Konan's eyes widened, "Hira-" She didn't manage to finish her sentence as the Space around them shifted and she found herself in a dark room...

"Wha-!"

"Wha-?"

"Wha-."

Three confused voices exclaimed, one belonging to Konan who didn't expect Rei to shift their position so abruptly, the other two voices...

Konan barely managed to turn her head and look at the two utterly shocked people in front of them before the sword Rei was holding found purchase and slashed straight through the eyes of the redheaded man in front of them while his companion, a nondescript brown-haired woman could just watch, her blue eyes slowly widening in horror as her brain was slowly registering what was happening.

"Nagato!" The woman screamed in horror, drawing out a kunai from a pouch on her tight at praise-worthy speeds...

But before the woman could even raise her hand in front of her, her face abruptly met the floor, making her dizzy from the sudden impact as her brain rattled.

Konan appeared above the woman, one knee firmly planted on her back and holding her down, while her other foot was pressing the woman's outstretched main hand to the ground, all the while she was pressing a sharp slice of paper full of wind chakra to the woman's neck.

As confused as Konan was at the start, she quickly understood the situation and acted accordingly, disarming and subduing the only threat remaining in the room. She also subtly distributed a few of her paper slices into the dark corners of the room where they would not be noticed, just in case reinforcements show up.

It happened in a split of a second and Rei was just leisurely standing in his spot, in front of the man who was screaming in pain while pressing his hands onto his eyes as blood was gushing out from in between his fingers...

But Rei didn't really care. His eyes were firmly observing Konan. He couldn't help but lick his lips at how hot she currently was, kneeling on, and subduing the woman that took her 'fated' place in the world.

"Any explanation of why we attacked these people and who they are?" Konan raised her head towards Rei and asked.

Only then did she notice how his eyes trailed over her curves, making her blush a bit and show a slightly smug, and very satisfied smile full of happiness. She almost preened under Rei's attention, pushing her chest a bit out.

She knew the expression Rei had very well and it made her girlish excitement gush forth.

'Oh, yes... we are so having sex tonight.' She inwardly thought, happily shrieking in her mind.

At that moment, she could care less who was the woman under or the man Rei blinded. Her paper slice involuntarily approached the brunette's neck, drawing blood and causing her to try getting her neck away from it in fear...

"Konan, don't kill her."

Only Rei's words pulled Konan down from her elation, back into reality as she realized she almost slit her captive's throat while daydreaming.

Rei threw the disturbed brunette an apologetic smile, but for someone like Konan, someone who spent years with him, it was ever so easy to see the amusement behind his gaze.

"These two are Nagato and... er, I have no idea what's her name," Rei nodded in the direction of the frightened brunette who was slowly gathering her wits before shrugging. "Oh, well, the redhead boy is the leader of Akatsuki. Or so he would like to think."

"Akatsuki?" Konan blinked in bafflement. "As in the mercenary shits that try to imitate us? That Akatsuki?"

"Yup." Rei nonchalantly admitted.

"Oh..." Konan eloquently replied, not knowing how to react to that. Akatsuki was never a big threat. In fact, she sometimes used their mercenary services for the Biri-Biri Company. She had no idea why Rei wanted to kill their leader but... It didn't really matter to her.

"Who are you?" The brunette under Konan finally regained her mental state and looked at Rei with hatred.

Konan was about to grab her by the hair and smash her face into the floor at the disrespect the bitch was showing to Rei but when she tightly gripped her hair, Rei gestured for her to stop.

With a pout, Konan obliged, but not before she yanked the woman's head by her hair a bit, making her hiss from pain.

Rei could only wryly smile at Konan's vindictiveness. 'Better not tell her she could have easily been in the brunette's place.' He could already tell she would have thrown a Konan-style tantrum which would end up with the entire Akatsuki dead.

And that wasn't Rei's aim.

Rei looked at the defiant brunette and gave her a pleasant, but fake, smile. "We? We are Yozora."

The brunette's eyes widened a bit, clearly recognizing that name. Her surprise lasted only a split of a second before she gritted her teeth, "What are you going to do with us?"

Rei raised his eyebrow at that. The brunette was quite smart. She quickly realized them being still alive was for a reason. They were full at Rei and Konan's mercy and could have been killed any time they wanted.

Rei could also see her from time to time give a 'subtle' worried glance in Nagato's direction. The man was still gritting his teeth, trying to get through the pain and the shock from the sudden lights-out while clutching his ruined eyes and whimpering... which made the brunette quite distraught even though she tried to hide it. Obviously, she cared a lot for the redhead.

It really reminded him of Konan from canon. If a bit weaker.

Or maybe his perception was a bit screwed? Eh, it didn't matter...

The brunette would clearly do anything to ensure Nagato's survival. Rei could tell her to strip and she would do it, even if reluctantly and with hate. Not that he would do that. His women were enough for him, thank you very much!

He was not even going to utter that as a joke because Konan's hand would most likely slip and the brunette's head would roll before he could even finish such a joke.

Plus, he knew he had Konan in a good spot. She was hot and bothered, looking forward to having some nice intimate time this evening. As a gentleman, it was his duty to not sour that mood and enjoy her body to the fullest come evening.

Therefore, he decided to be serious instead of playful.

He kindly smiled at the unnamed brunette as he crouched in front of her and patted her head as if she was a misbehaving child he was about to lecture, "Would you believe me if I said I just didn't like his eyes so I decided to do him a favor and get rid of them for him?"