"But!!!" Karin cried loudly, "I don't wanna leave! If I leave, I can't beat Chino! I need to have my revenge!" she pleaded, as she clung to me.
Despite how good she had become at begging and being cute, I didn't let her words sway me, even for a second.
"No means no, Karin. Now go and help your mother pack up; we will be leaving as soon as we can." I gently pushed her away. I had already made a deal with the Akatsuki, and even now they were waiting for us.
Kakuzu wasn't known for his patience, and while he was better than Sasori, it wasn't by much. And even the others, they too were eager to get going.
So I couldn't really delay things any longer than what was absolutely necessary.
It was one thing to make them wait for us while we packed; it was something else entirely to have them wait for Karin to get another chance to fight Chino, something that would at least have taken a week if we wanted an official match.
"Fine," Karin pouted as she left to do as I asked.
With her gone, I too went to work. After living here for a few years, we had accumulated a lot of things, and since I didn't want to waste time figuring out what we should bring with us, I decided to just seal everything into storage scrolls.
Once we arrived in Amegakure, Kanna could unpack everything and spend some time setting up a new home.
Despite being the headquarters of the Akatsuki, the biggest, most dangerous group of criminals in the world, there was no safer place for Kanna and Karin than the Village Hidden in the Rain.
One could say many things about the Akatsuki and Pain, but they did do their best to help their people.
There was a reason Pain was worshipped as a god, and it wasn't just his strength, but the peace and prosperity he brought about.
Civilians couldn't see the true extent of his strength, so they didn't judge him based on that; they judged him far more fairly, based on results, on the effect of having him around.
Under him, the Land of Rain didn't fear shinobi and had no more bandits, and had money to pay people for the work they put in building up their nation.
Food on their tables, even if people weren't rich, they also weren't poor, they weren't starving.
Nagato didn't just wake up one day and declare himself a god; that likely came about from worship. People saw him as a god; he had the strength to easily kill Hanzo, the so-called demigod, and so, he accepted that he was a god, because no person had ever brought peace.
Only Hashirama Senju and the Sage of Six Paths brought about peace, and both were hailed as gods, so I didn't blame Nagato for getting deluded into thinking himself a god.
I finally pulled my thoughts back from thinking about our new home once I finished sealing the last of the room down into scrolls. And only then did I realize that I had gotten a bit carried away due to being distracted.
"Whoops," I whispered as the room was bare, empty of everything that wasn't nailed down, which was a bit of a problem, since the furniture was something that came with the place, and stuff we weren't meant to take.
But at the same time, I couldn't be asked to fix my mistake, so I guess we wouldn't have to buy some of that once we found a place in Ame.
It wasn't like the person who rented me this villa would dare to complain, and even if he did, where and to whom would he complain?
No one.
With my room done, I helped Kanna pack up the rest of the villa, taking everything with us. It was much faster to seal away a cabinet than to take things out one by one.
I managed to pack most of the villa in the time Kanna handled just a few rooms, but I didn't blame her; she was, after all, also keeping Karin busy, and I could see and hear how she tried to beg her mother to somehow persuade me to stay.
"No, Karin, we can't stay here alone, without Kaguya-hime, those nobles would try to enslave you and sell you to the highest bidder." I overheard Kanna explain to Karin.
Which wasn't wrong, they were indeed greedy and ruthless enough that they would try and kidnap her if I wasn't here.
And while she could much better protect herself now than a few years ago, it wasn't to the point that she was safe. And even if she herself was strong enough, she wasn't able to protect her mother.
The merchants and nobles who visited this place would have no problem targeting someone's loved ones if they could get something out of it.
And Karin was still only around the elite chūnin level, and with all the major shinobi villages wanting her... yeah, without someone like me to protect them, they would end up in Kumo or Konoha's Root in no time.
As they stepped out into the main living room, Kanna looked around, clearly shocked at how empty everything was. "You packed all of this?" she asked, her voice filled with a mixture of awe and exasperation.
I simply shrugged. "It's more efficient." I turned my gaze towards Karin, who was still pouting, her arms crossed over her chest. "Don't worry. There are plenty of strong people for you to fight in the Akatsuki. I'm sure you'll find a new rival."
That did little to cheer her up, but it was the best I could do for now. I knew she would get over it eventually, especially when she realized that I was right.
Once we left the villa, the four members of the Akatsuki were waiting for us. They had been waiting for some hours now, and I was sure they were getting impatient.
Still, I was going to test their patience to the full, since we would be travelling all the way back to Ame at civilian speed.
"So you are finally ready, what took you so long? Packing your makeup?" Jūzō Biwa grumbled, clearly annoyed by the long wait.
I didn't even grace him with a response; instead, I just looked at Konan. "We are ready, but please keep in mind that Kanna isn't a shinobi; she is unable to go much faster than civilian speed, nor can she run across the water, so unless you have a boat, we will need to acquire one," I told her.
They hadn't thought about that, and I could see the frustration on their faces, even if they tried to hide it. They were all powerful shinobi, and having to wait for a slow-moving group was a new experience for them, and they didn't like it one bit.
But Konan, ever the leader, took it in stride. "We have a boat waiting for us at the docks. It will take us to the mainland, and from there, we will travel to Amegakure," she said.
"A boat? That will take forever," Jūzō Biwa complained.
"It is that, or you will have to carry her," Itachi said, for the first time speaking since they had arrived. His tone was flat, emotionless. He didn't seem to be on either side, but his words were a clear warning to the hot-headed Jūzō.
"I will not allow Kanna to be carried like an object, she is of the noble Uzumaki clan, and should be treated as such, if you must, get a carriage once we get to the mainland and pull it like a beast of burden." I told them, my tone leaving no room for argument.
I could feel their chakra spike; even Itachi wasn't immune to my provocation. These were some of the strongest shinobi in the world, and with that came a certain level of pride, and my words struck a nerve.
But Konan, to her credit, managed to keep her cool. "Very well," she said, "we will walk; if nothing else, it will give us a chance to get to know our newest member."
"The big boss won't be happy with the delay," Jūzō Biwa muttered unhappily under his breath, though it was clearly Kakuzu who was the least happy with the arrangement.
"We still need to know if your leader will agree to my conditions before we know if I will join you or not," I helpfully reminded Konan. After all, I hadn't fully agreed to join them, only to go back with them to talk with their leader, Pain.
"He will," Konan said, her tone confident. "He is a man of vision. He will see the value in your strength, and the wisdom in your terms."
I thankfully shared her certainty; my request was nothing unreasonable.
And to keep all the powerful rogue shinobi in line, mere threats weren't enough; they would still need to offer something, such as Kakuzu being able to do bounties and keep a cut, or Sasori being able to make his puppets and continue his research.
Even Orochimaru likely had a deal that allowed him to continue his experiments as long as it didn't interfere with their plans.
So yes, I was sure he would agree, and if not? I would reconnect with Zetsu and have him pull some strings for me.
Such was the advantage of having a man on the inside.
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's get going," I said, before turning to Karin and Kanna. "Follow me."
I led them out of the villa and into the bustling streets of the island town. The four Akatsuki members fell into step behind us, their dark cloaks a stark contrast to the bright, colorful clothing of the islanders. People stared, their whispers following us like a shadow.
I could feel the tension radiating from them, a palpable force that made the crowd part before us. They were like sharks swimming through a school of fish, their very presence enough to instill fear and respect.
But we had a ways to go before we got to the docks. The town itself wasn't all that big, but we weren't going in a straight line. I was having us stop at many of the stores we moved past. This place had everything, thanks to its wealthy clientele, and I wanted to ensure we had everything we needed for the trip.
After all, it would be a long one, and I doubted they would be too interested in stopping in every town we came across on the way.
"You sure know how to spend money, poor Kakuzu will likely have an aneurysm," Jūzō Biwa said from behind me, a hint of amusement in his tone.
"I have to agree, you are very... liberal with your money," even Konan couldn't help but add her own comment as I bought one luxury item after another.
"We are nobles, we will not eat shinobi rations while on the road, and remember, this will be a long trip, so maybe you should get something as well." I kindly reminded them.
"Spend money here? Over my dead body!" Kakuzu was quick to object; he was looking at me as if every ryō I spent was draining the marrow from his bones, and that, despite my spending my own money.
Konan also didn't seem willing to spend money here; having grown up poor and starving, she clearly knew that the prices were a ripoff.
Despite that, Karin needed her snacks, or this trip would feel a lot longer than it would really be.
Because yes, she was somewhat spoiled.
And no, I didn't regret it for a moment.
Children deserved not to suffer, to enjoy their youth. And yes, that involved snacks, and many of them.
(End of chapter)
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