47 Chapter 47 : Would You Like Fries With That?

OK FELLERS! I'M BACK AND SO IS MY INTERNET. ESKETIT.

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"All units hold tight." Kenji opened his mind, trying to see the best course of action. If he gave the wrong answer, trouble would definitely come. It could be a trick question in the first place. Maybe no answer was even needed. Even if he got the answer right, there would be turmoil since no one knew the voices of the captains. This was a pickle.

"Kenji! What's the plan?" Asuma looked anxious.

"TWENTY SECONDS REMAINING."

"We'll do nothing."

Kurenai looked at Kenji's calm dead face. "Nothing!"

"Yes. Everyone transform into a slave and take a spot at the table. Time for lunch." Kenji said over the comms.

The brawly leader of Team 3 spoke up. "Captain! What the hell are-"

Kenji darkly reinforced his voice. "Swallow your fu***** pride and do what I said."

Kenji angrily formed a seal and transformed into a sorry looking middle aged man with all the characteristics of the villagers. Void and blank faces fed on trays of food upon a basic metal table with chairs. Kenji's squad followed his lead and grabbed a tray of food. They sat, spaced out from each other, Kenji knew it was a toss up. If certain akatsuki members showed up, their ruze would be seen through immediately. But no risk no reward.

Every team was blended in perfectly, repeating the same boring motion of consumption like their peers around the table. Kenji had to shut his eyes off. Even with a transformation jutsu, his white swirls were obvious.

Thirty seconds were gone instantly.

"CONGRATULATIONS. YOUR ANSWER IS CORRECT. CONTINUE!"

Kenji smirked. No matter what they said, it would be correct. Great design Obito.

"Captain."

"Report."

Team two's captain, actually one of Kenji's relatives, spotted two images approaching fast with his byakugan.

"Can you tell who it is?"

"From your descriptions, it appears to be Sasori and Kakuzu."

Kenji focused, running through his profiles of those two.

"Alright. All teams hold, wait for further instructions." Kenji sounded.

Kakuzu would be a tough one, and Sasori would definitely have some narly poison tips. Kenji was not conflicted at all. With Obito, he had good in him, according to Minato, but besides him and Itachi, the slave marks on the other Akatsuki didn't really matter, they were bad to begin with. Kenji's plan was beat, gain intel, brutally kill, rescue. He wasn't in the mood to recreate some off-the-wall S rank plan of attack. Just the old fashioned ambush would be enough.

Kakuzu would know whats happening at a glance. If he didn't have that stupid slave mark, Kenji could probably bargain with the real Kakuzu. He only really cares about profit anyway, but that wasn't an option.

"They're close. Ten seconds out."

Kenji said again. "All teams hold."

Two bodies slammed against the ground close to Kenji's building. The metal door creaked open. Nothing but utensil clicks and the occasional food chew. A shadow flew into the room, circling with a red lipped mask. Asuma was beside Kenji. Guy and Kurenai were across the room. Kenji felt Asuma tense up, gripping his knife. A scarred up hand grabbed Asuma's wrist, he seeing Kenji shake his head slightly, proceeded to take a bite.

The shadow left after another round. Kenji wanted the real Kakuzu all at once. It'd be easier that way.

"Captain." Team 3 leader whispered.

"Not yet."

Kenji checked his surroundings. "Alright, team two, I want you to hit these two buildings as hard as you can. Demolish the buildings."

"Sir?!"

"Do it. Then join us down here. We'll be fine."

What Kenji didn't tell him was all the slaves were actually in his building along with team three and four. Kenji had picked up a little fuinjutsu from Jiraiya. Sealing the slaves from the other buildings into scrolls wasn't hard. Everyone was together, that's what mattered.

"This is team two, hitting the buildings now."

A massive fireball crashed into the compound along with a avalanche of boulders. Beneath the rubble, everyone was still seated, eating, under Kenji's blackened Susannoo, sizzling away.

"Team Four, erase the slave marks on everyone! Team two and three with me."

Kenji shot out of the smoke and met his sword with the poison tail of Sasori.

"Nice trick Kenji. Who knew you could actually lead an operation. Hansuke would be proud."

Really? Kenji's blank sharingan eyes hardened. He flashed in a heap of lightning behind Sasori. The poison tail whipped around. Sasori saw Guy emerge from the dust in front of him. Kenji teleported, swapping him and guy. Guy round housed the man into Kenji's sword thrust.

Sasori sat there. Kenji's sword deep in his gut. "Hmm. You've never shown me that move before. From the Fourth Hokage himself?"

Sasori kicked Kenji into the remaining wall, letting off a cringeworthy impact. He flashed away. When the dust cleared, He and Kakuzu were standing idly by, waiting. The Sword in Sasori's gut teleported to Kenji's hand. He marked it. Never wanting to lose it again.

Kenji ran through his mind again. Sasori needed to be put down now, before his army was introduced. He and Kakuzu were the most durable next to Hidan, smart on their play to send those two.

Kenji decided the Mist Jutsu wouldn't help. He wasn't solo. But his 'improved thunder god was an option.

Team two raced in, landing a blow to both akatsuki, but it didn't do much.

"Captain, what's the plan." Kenji's relative stood next to him. The Hyuuga clan members had a certain admiration for Kenji except for the select few that despised the Uchiha.

"Team two and three take Sasori. Finish him quickly, that's priority. Team One will fight Kakuzu. Go!"

Flashes of Ninja raced across the dirt. Mounds of the flaky substance danced in the wind. These four teams of Leaf Ninja knew the stakes. Everyone was going all out at the start.

Kenji stood by his team, staring Kakuzu in the face.

"Hey Kakuzu. Where's Rei?" Kenji was obviously curious.

"Hmm. I won't lie Kenji. Even I don't know the answer to that. But master has ordered that you never find out."

"....."

"Since I respected you, Kenji, as a fellow Akatsuki, I will use all my strength to defeat you."

Kakuzu stretched his body into a tendril infested puppet. The faces on his back peered over his shoulder like dead souls wanting to be freed.

"Let's do this."

The affirmative signs of his respected jonin team brought confidence. Kenji didn't like Kakuzu, in terms of their odds.

Kenji littered the field with markers in an instant. He gripped his sword. Guy took a menacing stance. Kurenai steadied her eyes. Asuma loaded chakra into his blades. This wouldn't be easy.

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Back at The Hidden Leaf camp...

Minato stood by relentlessly pacing back and forth. Was this the right move so early since the village fell? The rest of the Leaf forces were at stake here.

"Minato! Take a breath. I've never seen you like this before."

Tsunade made her way into the tent.

Minato nervously sighed. "Sorry. I'm just restless. Even if-"

"What?"

"You feel that?"

Tsunade focused. This feeling overwhelmed her.

"Don't tell me."

Minato delved into thought. "Tsunade, start moving the villagers further into the woods north of here. Don't stop until dark."

"WHAT! Are you gonna handle this by yourself!"

"We have no ninja besides us two here right now. I want you to guide the villagers, protect them. I'll cover your back." Minato walked to the tent opening. He slipped through the other sleeve of his hokage cape, stopped, and turned his face.

"If I don't return, you're Hokage." He smiled.

"Wai-"

Minato disappeared.

Tsunade lowered her face and grimaced. She mumbled under her breath, "You idiot."

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Kenji whipped back and forth between markers, like lighting through the smoke and turmoil. He threw his sword back and forth towards Kakuzu. When he dodged, Kenji would flash and meet his sword on the other side. When he hit Kakuzu, he would instantly call his sword back to him.

Kakuzu hurled a scary amount of jutsu at his opponents. The rest of Kenji's team was kneeled, breathing heavy, waiting for the moment to jump in. They were impressed actually. Kenji was almost as fast as Minato already.

Kakuzu managed a hit on Kenji, throwing off his rhythm. Guy opened the fifth gate instantly and buzzed towards him. A furious kick smashed kakuzu in the face. Asuma appeared on the other side. He breathed a heap of smoke, engulfing the flying Kakuzu. He clicked his teeth. The explosion blew Team one off balance.

Kakuzu stood up slowly, Kenji ran straight at him.

"DIE!" Kakuzu weaved signs. Every chakra affinity combined together, crackling and popping together. An amazing sight. The ball rocketed towards Kenji, destroying his markers on the ground. Kenji gritted his teeth and disappeared. The ball continued to fly. Kakuzu didn't see it, but Kenji teleported to the back of Kurenai, disappearing again afterwards.

A knife flew by Kakuzu's face from the right. That knife. He knew that fear, that marked handled. Those three prongs. It brought tingles through his spine for the first time. Kakuzu met the eyes of Kurenai. Mistake. Lost in a Genjutsu for a split second was all he needed. Kenji slid around her, scraping the ground at a ninety degree angle.

Kenji pushed out the black flames through his arm to his sword. When his blade met Kakuzu, Kenji muttered, "Amaterasu." A bomb of inextinguishable flames engulfed away at the body inside.

Kenji was the only one that felt happiness in those screams.

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Minato stood alone at the opening of the woods. Opposite of him stood thousands of ninja. The Hidden Mist. The Hidden Stone. The Hidden Cloud. At the Front, stood Yagura. The wind whistled by, blowing leaves across the air. Even the air itself, felt the violence that has yet to brew.

Minato felt a certain anger boil in his heart. These ninja, loyal to their villages, were reduced to mindless ants. Whoever controlled them, actually had the nerve to try and destroy HIS people. Unforgivable.

"Mizukage. What's the meaning of this."

"Master would like you and your village to cease. He knows you'll go after your daughter and he needs her, so you need to die." Yagura took a stance.

"Very well." Minato took out one marker. "Guess I have no choice." Before he flew to battle alone, he thought of his family, his village, all the happy faces through the years. The sad ones. Kakashi, when Rin died. Rei when Kushina died. Even his own face. Kenji's face in that hospital when he first met him. Aya. Jiraiya's smiling face, surrounded by women, with a scary looking tsunade creeping up on him. Hiruzen's face when he was asked to be the fourth Hokage, and Kushina's smile, red hair drifting in the wind.

Minato repeated in his mind, "Everyone, please give me strength.

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