Konan felt her stomach knot under Uchiha Gen's lingering stare. She forced her voice into a flat monotone and said,
"Don't get any ideas."
Gen only smiled lazily. "What are you imagining? I was just thinking…" His eyes flicked to her cloak. "That your clothes look pretty nice. I'll be taking them."
Konan's expression didn't so much as twitch. She glanced down at the black cloak with red clouds, the Akatsuki's newly adopted uniform.
"You can have the clothes," she said coolly.
Clothing could be copied easily enough. The true mark of Akatsuki membership wasn't the robe, but the rings each of them carried.
Gen tilted his head, grin widening. "Of course, it's not just that. I'll also take the blue paper flower in your hair. And," he added with mock seriousness, "some money."
Konan: "…"
The demand for cash made sense, but the flower? Was he mocking her? Flirting with her?
Let him. Her heart had long since frozen into something cold and untouchable. The only warmth left in her life was reserved for Nagato and Yahiko's dream.
"…Fine. How much money do you want?" she asked at last, tone flat.
"You decide."
"I decide?" A flicker of surprise passed her eyes. The Uchiha were known for pride, not generosity.
"What else?" Gen rolled his eyes. "If we priced this according to my life, could you even afford it?"
"Shouldn't it be my life we're talking about?" Sasori cut in from the side, exasperated. He was the one being held hostage, after all.
Gen shot him a mocking look. "to Compete with me? Who do you think you are?"
Sasori swallowed his retort, his gaze sharp with quiet fury. He would remember this humiliation. If only he had completed his self-puppet transformation already… today's situation would have been different.
Turning back to Konan, Gen smiled faintly. "So? What's the offer?"
Konan exhaled. "…We'll give you everything we have on us."
Sasori nearly choked, his heart screaming. My savings! My materials! My puppets don't build themselves!
But he couldn't speak against it, his life was still balanced on Gen's blade.
Without hesitation, Konan unclasped her cloak. Beneath it, she wore a light-purple combat suit that hugged her figure, emphasizing long lines and a dancer's grace hardened by battle. She folded the cloak neatly and placed it on the ground.
Then, with calm fingers, she plucked the paper flower from her hair and laid it atop the robe, along with a pouch of ryo.
"Hmm. Not very thorough," Gen drawled, crouching slightly toward Sasori with an exaggerated whisper. "Should I check you personally? Strip search?" He deliberately pitched his voice teasingly, a little too close to Sasori's ear.
A cold sweat broke across Sasori's back. He didn't know what 'gay' meant, but every instinct screamed at him to run.
"I'll do it myself!" he blurted, fumbling through his pockets.
Gen nearly doubled over laughing inside.
The dignified Sasori of the Red Sand reduced to this? The thought alone was priceless.
Sasori thrust a bundle of money into Gen's hand, glaring at the ground.
"You didn't hide any, did you?" Gen asked, voice silky with menace.
"Absolutely not!" Sasori snapped.
"Good. I'll trust you. You're easy on the eyes, after all."
Sasori blinked. Against his will, a flicker of satisfaction stirred.
Gen raised his left hand. Wind-style chakra coiled around his palm, drawing the cloak, the flower, and both bundles of money into the air. They floated neatly to his side before snapping into his grasp with surgical precision.
Konan and Sasori stiffened. That kind of chakra control was terrifying.
"Alright," Gen said, tucking away his spoils. "You're free to go."
The Kusanagi Sword left Sasori's throat. In an instant, he retreated to Konan's side.
"If you want it back, you're welcome to try," Gen added with a half-smile.
Konan's expression didn't shift. Whatever they'd lost could be repaid later.
Sasori finally spoke, voice tight. "This time, I was careless. What's your name?"
Gen's smirk widened. "Looking for revenge? Come find me anytime. My name is Uchiha Gen. Every debt has its debtor, every grudge its source. Don't take it out on the wrong Uchiha, if you mess with the clan itself, you won't survive it… Chiyo's grandson."
Both Sasori and Konan stiffened. Their pupils contracted in shock.
"So it's true," Konan murmured. "Orochimaru's disciple. The Uchiha twin star. Konoha's deputy commander."
Sasori hissed, "Then you knew the Third Kazekage from the start."
"Of course," Gen said lightly. "But the war's over. Sunagakure and Konoha are allies. You thought you could scare me with a puppet? Don't insult me."
"But I'm not afraid of that little village's pursuit. If anything, it would just give me more puppet materials." Sasori yelled back.
Gen scoffed openly. "You talk big. No matter how weak Sunagakure is, it's still one of the Five Great Nations. Even you can't stand against them. Not then, not now, not ever."
Sasori's lips pressed thin.
Gen's eyes gleamed with sudden malice. "I won't bother informing Sunagakure. Instead, I'll have Orochimaru-sensei summon your parents with the Impure World Reincarnation. I'll drag their souls from the Pure Land and make them scream."
The words hit like poisoned blades. Sasori's whole body trembled, his eyes turning bloodshot as killing intent poured off him in waves.
Konan stepped forward, anger flashing through her icy mask. "Desecrating the dead is despicable. You're an orphan yourself, how can you say such a thing?"
Sasori's killing intent might have shaken lesser men. To Gen, it was a summer breeze. He answered with his own, dark, vast, suffocating. The air itself seemed to shiver, a bone-deep chill sweeping over them. Both Konan and Sasori broke into gooseflesh.
How many people has this man killed?
Gen's smile cut like a knife.
"The shinobi world is filth. I am filthier still. A man like Sasori, who turns humans into toys, deserves no gentleness. Filth must be fought with filth."
His gaze softened slightly, almost mocking. "Besides… you could have just come with me willingly."