The One Demon Night Parade

Chapter Eleven - Greed

His eyes traveled from me to Satsuki. "Very well. I will trust you regardless, as you also desire peace. The means do not matter, so long as that goal is reached."

He left us and I continued my fish silently. Satsuki left to report to Tsunade. I was alone in my thoughts.

But all I could think was that the beasts must not be gathered, no matter what. I would give my life to prevent the resurrection of the ten tails. I had to somehow sabotage Nagato without giving myself away.

I thought him foolish for trusting me. He had even given me a room to recover in instead of eliminating me for being a liability. Perhaps because I was a rare creature who could not be killed by normal means. But now I had confirmation. Any and all memories Nagato had from the Sage were few and unimportant. He shouldn't have memories in general, but perhaps he was granted them to further the wheel of fate. And the Sage had saved my life. There was also something Nagato wasn't telling me. The Akatsuki were a greater threat than I had anticipated.

And I knew there was someone behind Nagato. I knew it had something to do with the plant creature. But there was a missing link somewhere that I hadn't caught. I had to be careful, or I could perhaps die.

I felt goosebumps on my fake human skin and I grinned. Things were interesting. I stood and wiped the blood off my face carelessly as I wandered through twisting hallways. I noticed the building was an old labyrinth used in an old shinobi war, abandoned afterwards. I could only sense two human presences. I assumed those two were Konan and Nagato, the Akatsuki never gathered together. Perhaps Itachi and Kisame summoned Nagato when I first offered myself to them. They worked in pairs.

To my surprise, I was wrong. I found Itachi and a giant puppet. No, the human was inside the puppet. But he wasn't whole.

"Ren, Leader has informed us you will be joining us on a recruitment mission," Itachi tells me. The puppet clinks as it shifts.

"I am Sasori of the Red Sand," the puppet grates out. I nod and smile politely before my expression is unreadable once more. Nagato and Konan had left.

"Kisame will be joining us. You are here for some reason. Were you uninformed?" Itachi asks me.

"Ren doesn't know shit about what's going on," I sigh.

"You should've been contacted through your ring," Sasori grunted. I stared blankly at him before I lifted my fingers and wiggled them in front of him.

"Ren is not an official member. Ren is a contracted slave," I inform him. He didn't answer. Kisame soon arrived, as he had something to deal with before departure. Samehada once again was irritated in my presence, but soon quieted as I ignored the Yoto.

The walk was also silent, and the scenery caught my attention. I hadn't really stopped and examined the view when I had woken up. There was a kind of longing I felt in my chest, knowing that so long ago Yokai would have been peeking at us through the trees, curious at the travellers.

After some time, we reached a type of dojo in the forest. We entered, and I wondered if I really needed to be here. A blonde boy was seated in the middle of the floor, busy with clay.

Kisame introduced us as the Akatsuki, stating we were here to recruit him. He scoffed, claiming he had nothing to do with us. And all he cared about was his art.

"Art is an explosion," he grinned. "It is best savored in those few moments of beauty before it fizzles out, never to be repeated quite in the same way. Truly, that is what art is."

I really had no interest in this conversation. Itachi looked at me sideways. "If you can defeat Ren in a fight, we'll let you leave. However, if Ren wins, you must join the Akatsuki." I looked up sharply.

"Why does Ren have to?" I pouted. "Ren is sleepy from all the walking!" I noticed Itachi's eyebrow twitch slightly. "Fine," I rolled my eyes and stepped forward.

"Oh, so it's a fight you want? Then let's do this!" The boy shouted, excitedly. I figured they said his name at some point, but I didn't catch it. He threw a spider like sculpture of clay, but judging by his excitement it had to be a bomb. I ducked, and I felt heat behind me as the walls shook from the explosion. I stood up slowly, wondering if I should just bind him and be done with it.

I dashed forward, avoiding other bombs he sent after me, and I grinned at him. He caught the image of my sharp teeth before they were digging into his shoulder, blood spilling into my mouth. He shouted in pain. I suppose ninja just aren't used to wild animals biting them. I slid behind him and placed two fingers on the nape of his neck and he froze up.

"Now you can't run from Ren," I smiled as I skipped in front of him. "Ren wins! Blonde boy joins the Akatsuki now." He shouted in frustration as he tried to move but was unable.

I felt the stares of the three Akatsuki members behind me. "The kid was more formidable than we thought," Kisame hummed. I smiled darkly but allowed my expression to fade.

"Ren is sorry you have to join the Akatsuki now," I tell him. He rolls his eyes at me. He didn't believe in me, or this cause, or anything. "We aim for world peace. If you join Ren's friends, you can be part of something greater. And work on your art. The Akatsuki gives a lot of freedom in that regard," I smiled.

I allowed the spell to release him and he collapsed on the floor. "What am I going to do?" He lamented. "Who's going to take care of Nai now?" I blinked at him.

"Who is Nai?" I asked. His eyes shot up and he shook his head. I saw his gaze shift to the side quickly before returning to me. For a shinobi, he was an awful liar. I followed his gaze, one step at a time. Then, I heard it. The soft sniffling. I got on my knees as I saw a small hole. Deciding I didn't much care for things anymore, I reached in, grabbed whatever it was, and pulled it out.

I was surprised. It was a little boy, red orange hair falling over his eyes. But that wasn't what shocked me. His feet were animal like, and his ears were flattened on his head and his tail was hung between his legs. He was a young kitsune.

I turned to Deidara, my find clutched in my hand. "Is this Nai?" He looked alarmed, as if he wanted to attack me again. The little boy in my hand cried harder, and honestly he wasn't that much smaller than me. He was about three inches shorter than me, but this was the tallest I could make my human form. In a few years, the kitsune would be taller than me.

"Ren, we can't take in stray -" Itachi paused seeing the ears and tail of Nai. "He's your responsibility. Come, Deidara. Nai will be fine in Ren's hands." Sasori's aura felt puzzled on why the child was being left with me, but Kisame agreed with the decision.

"Please don't take him from me," Deidara suddenly pleaded. "He's so young and doesn't deserve to be persecuted because he's different."

Nai had stopped squirming, simply staring at Deidara with sad eyes now. I decided to speak. "Ren will take care of Nai. Nai is a Yokai, and therefore needs special treatment." Nai's head swiveled to me so quickly I worried he might get whiplash. I nodded to him. "Ren will take care of you, Nai." I placed him on the floor and told him not to move as I called Satsuki.

The yuki-onna appeared almost instantly, as if she was waiting for me to call her. "Yes, my lor-" she paused. "Another Yokai? My, my, you seem to attract all the Yokai that are left, my lord. It's quite impressive, considering how few of us there are!" The members of the Akatsuki left me with Nai and Satsuki, deciding I was trustworthy enough to leave behind.

Nai looked up at us, his golden eyes shining with hope. "Are you both Yokai?" I looked at him, wondering how he could be so young. Satsuki and I nodded, proving to him we were indeed Yokai.

"Nai, would you like to join our Night Parade?" I asked him, and Satsuki saw the greed in me. She couldn't say anything about it, though. I felt horrible for using a child like this, but I needed power. He nodded, the childlike wonder shining in his eyes. "Then tell me your True name." He hesitated a moment, before whispering in my ear.

"My name is Kazuo."

I nearly cried. His name meant 'the man of peace.'