Chapter Twenty-Two: Deal.

Raio nodded. He couldn't do anything else. 'Anything else' involved bolting right from his seat and through the open doors of the Dango shop. Maybe he'd call for help. Start screaming, praying.

This man…

Who was he?

He was disguising himself. That much was evident– but to what extent? His power? Was the surge of helplessness assaulting his senses but a shred of this man's true vitriolic nature…?

They were staring at each other. He realized this, drowning in the stifling venom that rolled off this man in waves. Both of Raio's black eyes exchanged with his brown.

Raio was going to die. There was only one saving grace to this encounter, one unspoken promise: whoever this was couldn't attack him in such an open area. In a restaurant with children and civilians, for God's sake.

He couldn't kill him. He couldn't kill him right now. This was the only reason that Raio allowed himself to hang onto his held breath.

"I will keep this to the point," The man said. He leaned forward, and Raio saw just a glimpse of what this man was: a shark in bloodied water. "You do not know me, but I know you very well. I know your upbringing and have worked with your creator in the past."

Tremulous, Raio's heart palpitated in his chest. Shuddering against his ribcage like it had been plunged into an ice bath. The conversation had taken a sharp veer. This man who had sent Sai and Shin to 'bring him back', who was so dizzyingly powerful– had worked with his father. His creator, his experimenter.

This man wanted to capture him again.

Raio's lips, now chapped, parted. He didn't get a chance to interject.

"I am aware of your caveats. Your diet, and I am going to tell you that my job is to protect this village. Your very existence here threatens Konohagakure, and it will be for as long as you live," The man surveyed him evenly. "As long as you are in danger of acting on your impulses."

He knew everything about him. Darting, his eyes went to the door again. Why was no one paying attention to them? It was such a conspicuous conversation. Yet– every single civilian in this small dango shop was going about their business as if they couldn't even hear them.

A Genjutsu? A jutsu? This man had already shown himself to be proficient in Fuinjutsu. He had both Yin and Yang– he would be capable of manipulating the minds of those around them. There was no chance of running.

"You," Raio was finally able to force. This man was able to dispose of him. Quite easily– instead, he sent two weaklings to capture him. This man knew exactly how strong Raio would be in comparison to those two if what he was saying was truthful. There was only one reason he would do that: it had been a test. Raio swallowed through a veil of cotton, "You're proposing something."

Though his ruler-straight posture didn't change, something passed through his one eye. Not anything close to being impressed– satisfaction? Raio didn't have the time to decode it. "Yes. As long as you are controlled by your dietary restrictions and are acting by yourself, you will be a threat to Konohagakure's safety."

Why wasn't he just saying it? Any other time, Raio would've tapped his fingers on the table counter to convey his frustration. Get his nervous energy out. He didn't dare be so imprudent. Whoever this man was seemed no-nonsense, but he wanted something out of him.

"You want me to join ANBU so they can closely monitor me?" Raio tried. A shot in the dark.

"Under my jurisdiction," He confirmed. "You turn into something good for the village, and I'll take care of your more discrete needs."

There was a mental stutter in Raio's head. Slowly, words formed on his lips. "You'll feed me?"

Possibilities ran through his head. Rampant, overflowing. This man worked with his father. This man knew everything about him, too. Therefore– he knew what he would get by consumption. He was telling Raio, 'You work for me, you don't hunt for yourself, and I'll get you the goods'.

"Yes," He nodded. "The Leaf has many enemies. Many targets. You have the potential to be one of its protectors. Wouldn't you like that?"

"And you won't turn me back to Father?" Raio prodded. First, dwarfing even his ever-growing hunger, was his necessity for freedom.

The man shook his head, "Of course not. He is a madman focused on his mortality. He is the epitome of a danger to the village. It would be a fool's gambit to even consider giving him anything."

Raio leaned back in his seat. It was more of a half-exhausted slump, but a noticeable tension left his body. This was an incredible deal. The low cost of joining this man's ANBU, being a protector of the Leaf (which he didn't care too much about, but it was a nice addition), and he was going to be trained by this powerful man– and given food!

How grand. At once, the forefront of his worries lessened. His primary concern of eating and protecting his freedom.

"Okay," Raio slowly nodded, still digesting the deal in his head. "You'll protect me, train me, give me food– and I will work as part of ANBU under you?"

An affirmative nod. "Precisely."

The man was doing something very decisive, he caught on. He was letting Raio lead the conversation past his initial foot-in-the-door 'threat'. He was trying to make it seem too good to be true. So, it wasn't. Nothing in this life was free, and this man certainly wasn't going to give him more than he could.

His jaw tightened. "You're going to want to brand my tongue, right?"

"For security measures," The man smoothly explained. "Over the decades I have been alive, I have seen much treachery and corruption within our glorious village's ranks. Though much of the evil has been weeded out, there are always a few rotten seeds sewn in. If you are not of the treasonous kind, then you won't mind being kept from speaking of our secrets."

Raio tried to comprehend the thought process. He supposed the man was correct in his way of thinking; yet, it reminded him of something chilling. 'If you're not going to try to escape, then you won't mind a lock on the door'. Right?

"I will not be bound," Raio mumbled and briefly wondered what this man would do if he rejected his offer. Kill him right here? None of the other patrons have even glanced at them yet. Raio didn't remember seeing him walk in. It had to be some sort of trick. "You've seen my files. You've seen what I grew up in. I refuse to have another collar put on me."

"You're mistaken," His voice rumbled a low note that betrayed his faux youthful appearance. "You believe you can extend past the choices I have given to you. My allegiance is to the Leaf, but I am still trying to work in your best interest. How would you get your meals if not through me? You're mistaken if you assumed you could kill any of the civilians here. Or were you going to start with those closer to you, like Naruto?"

Holy fuck. Of course, Raio thought, of course, this man had been watching him. Ever since he set foot into the village. It didn't matter if he could sense his chakra signature now, or anyone's if it was situationally. His knock-off blessing from Karin was limited. He hadn't been paying attention to anyone who could've been trailing him.

Up until now, he was naive. Was there someone in the Academy too? Maybe in the same apartments as him and Naruto?

"No," Raio shot, his face twisting into a halfway snarl. "I wasn't going to kill him. He's my friend."

Even though he had thought of it. Many times. Even when he was sitting next to him in the Academy. Even when he had fallen asleep so carelessly next to him.

"What of your classmates?" He pressed, and slightly brought himself to lean forward. Almost unnoticeable. "Their families, their friends, hm? Every meal you'd selfishly use to sustain yourself would be another life, another person lost. Were you going to live with that?"

"Stop it," Raio turned his head to the side. The utterly paralyzing fear from earlier melted away, the ice caps melting to reveal a gnarled and dead undergrowth. Disgust needled through him. "I wasn't going to do that."

"Is your will strong enough to withstand starving yourself to death?"

No. The answer was immediate. Concrete, as solid in his head as the seat cushion under him.

He was smart, the man. He was letting the question linger. Raio's eyes squeezed shut. Forcing his breathing to steady, he listened to his heartbeat thrum in his chest. There wasn't much of a choice presented here, was there? Not if he were to continue living within the village. Wait. Continue– within the village…

"I can last a few more days," Raio said, fitting the puzzle pieces together in his mind. The solution came simply, easily. "Give me a trial period, okay? I need to think about it. If I don't join you, then I'll leave the village forever, and go far away. You won't even have to worry about me because I won't even be on this continent anymore."

The man huffed, then. He straightened. "I will give you two days to come to a decision. Meet me here in three days, again at Noon. If you cause any disturbance in the peace or inflict any harm on our civilians in that time, you'll be dealt with."

"Deal." Greedily, desperately, Raio made his first pact with the devil.