Recruitment (1)

After they reached a place far away from the village they finally stopped to rest.

Saito: "Fu are you sure you want to come with me. You can still travel on your own or seek refuge in another village."

Fu: "It's ok, once I become strong enough. I will return back to the village."

Saito: "You believe they will accept you?"

Fu: "I believe they will, they are not bad people they are just scarred and even if they didn't try. I would have left the village eventually in order to avoid them getting hurt."

Saito nodded in silence. Fu seemed to truly believe that the villagers will change when time passes by.

Fu: "So what's our next move?"

Saito started thinking. He knew that for now he should try to hinder the Akatsuki's plans, he has no idea what they are going to use the Biju for but it shouldn't be anything good. For now he should recruit more people to join him. And he has an idea where he can find them.

Saito: "For now we will recruit more people. And I know just the place. From now on I'm waging a full out war on the Akatsuki no matter where they are I will find them. Speaking of which."

Saito gathered a huge amount of chakra in his hand and punched a nearby tree. Destroying it, before his punch landed a person clad in an Akatsuki robe appeared. He had white skin a creepy face with green hair. He had something that looked like a plant growing from his body it looked like a Venus flytrap. On his hand he was wearing a green ring.

Akatsuki member: "How did you know I was here?"

Saito: "I was moving full speed and you kept following us from the village by hiding underground. When you merged with tree you had to reveal yourself for a moment."

After answering Saito activated Chidori in his hand and with a breakneck speed he stabbed him in the head. The white guy collapsed and Saito was surprised because this guy was closer to a plant than a human. He directly stored his body in a scroll he wanted to study his body latter.

Fu: "Do you think he informed them about our location."

Saito: "I believe he did. We should keep moving before they catch us."

Fu and Saito started moving he told Fu about the place they were heading to. The prison was the northern hideout of Orochimaru and it was filled to the brim with test subjects. Some were criminals while others were captured for their unique bloodlines or physical abilities. He believes that some of them will willing to join him.

There travel will take a while so he made use of the occasion to restart his gravity training, and with his current chakra levels he didn't have any problem keeping his chakra mode's first phase constantly active. Fu was surprised to see the ground cracking under Saito's feet with each step. His speed slightly decreased but he was still fast and Fu had to use her Biju ability to grow wings in order to increase her speed. Saito was on guard he knew that he only managed to discover that Akatsuki guy, due to him underestimating Saito's abilities.

He was also surprised to learn that Fu had a slight control over her Biju and could use some of its abilities without losing control.

A week passed by, Saito was getting closer to the hideouts location and just as he was about to use his shadow clone to scout ahead. Both he and Fu where attacked by three people wearing gray shorts and shirts they didn't have any village's head protector on them and their bodies where covered with tattoo looking black lines and there chakra was overflowing.

Saito recognized those marks directly. Cursed Seal.

Saito: "Fu, I will take the two on the right you take care of the last one. Careful there chakra and physical power should be enhanced."

Fu nodded and directly engaged the attacker on the left. Saito also activated his second phase in order to fight the other two.

After clashing exchanging some attacks he knew that they have gone crazy. They attacked haphazardly and kept screaming savagely.

Saito knew that they were failed test subjects of the cursed seal tests. Saito activated his first gate and directly killed both of his assailants. Fu also finished of her opponent.

Fu: "They have the strength of a Jonin. But they seem to have lost their sanity."

Saito: "Let's move something must have happened in the prison. I will explain the situation while moving."

Saito explained to Fu about Orochimaru and his experimental labs. Fu was shocked that someone will go that far in search for immortality. In her opinion a person should live his life fully and without regrets and could seem to understand Orochimaru's goal.

As they approached the prison the saw a chaotic situation. All the test subjects where running around fighting and killing each other only a small number of them was trying to run away from the hideout.

Saito and Fu kept moving stealthily avoiding direct confrontation, because even if Saito could kill the convicts easily, he will use up his chakra before he can finish all of them off.

They started moving down and soon they found the place that Orochimaru used to store data about his prisoners. Saito created five clones and started looking for possible candidates soon he found three people of interest one of the was a descendant of the Uzumaki clan, she had excellent sensing abilities and was trained in medical Ninjutsu, the second was a descendant of the Hozuki clan and possessed a special ability to liquefy his own body and the last was surprisingly the origin of the cursed seal Jugo. The rest of files contained many failed subjects and only a low number managed to control the instable cursed seal, the five sound ninja's included.

Saito sent his clones to look for Jugo, Karin and Suigetsu, he soon received a response Jugo and Suigetsu where fighting and Karin was observing them from the shadows, she didn't seem to have any fighting capabilities.

Just as she was about to move away she felt someone approaching her at a great speed before she could hide Saito's clone was standing before her.

Saito: "Karin right?"

Karin: "Who are you?"

Saito: "Saito Nakamura, I was looking for you."

Karin was on guard.

Karin: "What for?"

Saito: "I deemed you a capable and valuable shinobi and I want you to join my organization."

Karin: "I refuse, I will only follow Orochimaru sama."

Saito: "Orochimaru is dead. I killed him with my own hands."

Karin was enraged.

Karin: "Lier, how can a weakling like you kill Orochimaru sama. I will kill you for your insolence."

Saito: "You know that you where nothing but a puppet in his eyes. And according to your file the only reason you weren't a test subject is because he needed an additional vessel for him just in case he couldn't find a suitable one."

Karin: "I don't care. Orochimaru sama saved me after the destruction of my village. I will gladly sacrifice my life for him."

Saito: "Oh you mean the village that burned during a small scale war."

Karin: "How do you know about that?"

Saito: "I found records about it in some of the old hideouts of Orochimaru. You don't remember how you survived right?"

Karin was becoming more and more anxious.

Karin: "So what if I can't remember?"

Saito: "Didn't you find it weird that just after the villages destruction, Orochimaru appeared in front of you saving you from dying in the forest."

Karin: "Orochimaru sama heard about the attack and wanted to check the battleground."

Saito: "I don't think that you are a stupid girl. Open your eyes and see the full truth."

Saito handed her a folder. Looking at the content Karin was shocked, she didn't want to believe what she was reading.

Karin: "You won't trick me, now die."

Karin took a kunai and stabbed it at Saito aiming for his heart. Saito easily caught the attack. And immobilized Karin.

Saito : "So you made your choice. Even after you learned the truth"

Karin started crying.

Karin: "I refuse to believe it."

Saito (Clone) knew that for Karin, Orochimaru was her savior and even when she saw him doing his experiments she didn't question him. But he knew that she had to accept the truth in order for her to grow as a person. Saito slapped her with his free hand.

Saito: "Karin you are one of the last remaining descendants of the Uzumaki clan, I don't wish to kill you as you might be the last living family of a kid I know. You should open your eyes to the truth and accept that to Orochimaru you were only a tool to be used and discarded once he no longer needs you. What I want isn't just your abilities but also your own opinions and insights. You worked with Orochimaru since childhood and you witnessed many strange abilities and bloodlines. You will decide your own future now."

Saito let her hand go and stood in front of her with a solemn look on his face.

Soon Karin looked at him.

Karin: "Ok I will join you. But before that."

Just as Saito (clone) was puzzled at what she was going to say. Karin slapped his face with her full force.

Karin: "How dare you hit a girl on her face!"

Luckily the slap didn't dissipate the clone but it left a huge red palm mark on his cheek.

Saito (clone) was holding his cheek while looking at Karin with a helpless face. He was a father and husband in his old life and to this day he couldn't understand how a woman's brain worked. And in his eyes Karin should be the same age as the daughter he left on earth.

Saito (murmur): "I shouldn't have slapped her."

Saito moved to Karin who was waiting.

Karin: "So what's your plan?"

Saito: "I still have to recruit Jugo and Suigetsu."

Karin: "Are you crazy? Jugo is highly unstable and Suigetsu is well… a bastard."

Saito: "I see they are still fighting but Suigetsu is at his limit. We should move to Orochimaru's office. The other clones will take care of them."