Ojos Asi [[private -- nyrax]]

Kakuzu got up from the bed, allowing his tall frame to stretch and nearly hit the ceiling as he moved forward and picked up the phone. He ordered merely their largest breakfast platter, two orders. HE figured that way he would get a wide variety of food that Kaeligh would enjoy eating. And he wanted some for himself, so it worked out best that way.

When he hung up the phone he glanced over towards Kaliegh and thought about her question. "I don't believe so. With your desire to be in the Akatsuki Pein might see it as a great thing, he would just make sure that we still accomplished our missions," Kakuzu remarked. "With anyone else it might be a problem, but I believe Pein trusts me enough to not let this be a concern."

Kaliegh nodded, agreeing with that notion. Pein seemed generally alright with Kakuzu and respected him a great deal, as he did with all his members. It was rather comforting to know that he was such a respectable man and Kaliegh was put at ease by that. She honestly liked being around Kakuzu a lot, and, she was starting to like Pein too. Mostly it was Kakuzu's opinions of him, but also what she had experienced of the man herself. He was kind and dedicated and she couldn't help but admire him.

"I suppose." She sat up, her blanket wrapped around her. "I just don't want to put you or anyone else in an awkward position because the two of us are together. The Akatsuki doesn't normally take on women, I notice."

"That's not our fault," Kakuzu said as he glanced over at Kaliegh. "You have to remember, there are very few women like you and your sisters out there. And most of the good female shinobi have stayed loyal to their village it would seem. So few of they have any desire to leave their village, they believe that it will only end in disappointment or death," Kakuzu said slowly.

"With you though there will be no problems. You are strong, you're independent, you're already loyal. Pein will have show his support, I'm certain of it."

Kaliegh bit her lip, but slowly nodded. "I'll agree to join the Akatsuki, but in exchange, Pein will not take any of my siblings as he took me. Since Youki will lose me, he will be very reluctant to give up any of us a second time. I'm not sure how he'll react to this, but either I will serve the Akatsuki or I will serve Youki, and I'm sick of serving Youki." However, Kaliegh knew what else this meant. Once she joined the Akatsuki, Konoha would refuse her any medical treatment. If she relapsed again, she wouldn't be able to go there for a transplant. And she was okay with that.

"You praise me too much." She said, running a hand over his cheek.

Kakuzu listened in silence as he heard about what Kaliegh planned on doing. She was happy with joining the Akatsuki, but she was going to have to insist on some conditions. She wanted to get away from Youki, but she didn't want any of her siblings given up in exchange for her leaving. It was fair, as she knew that her siblings would not be as fond of the Akatsuki as she was. He saw it as a reasonable request, but it was also risky. There was always the chance that Youki could threated to break the alliance if Kaliegh did not return.

But as Kakuzu had thought previously, what had Youki really contributed to the Akatsuki since this all started?

As she cupped his cheek, he placed a hand on her shoulder. "And you have allowed your brother's words to affect your eyesight. I see a strong shinobi in front of me, even my old eyes can see that still."

---

It was several days later that Kakuzu and Kaliegh found themselves arriving back at the village in Ame where the Akatsuki base was located. After taking one more day to recover from the battle they had gone on to complete the other two missions without any problems. They worked together on these two, as Kakuzu wanted to work even more closely with Kaliegh now.

As they descended to the base Kakuzu looked at Kaliegh. "Allow me to talk to Pein in private about this matter between us. I don't want him to feel cornered if he's in a room with all the others. I believe that he'll see our reasoning if I can speak to him individually."

Kaliegh thought that Kakuzu would want to meet with Pein alone, and she couldn't object to it. "Alright." She agreed, not bothering to fight against him. She knew that it was best to let Kakuzu deal with Pein, especially considering her position.

Pein was waiting for Kakuzu to return. "Someone has been impersonating me." He said, turning to face one of the oldest members of the Akatsuki. "The mission I sent you on was solved by another shinobi that was pretending to be me. The result was the same, but I am not pleased. What did you find out?"

Kakuzu entered in to the room, immediately being greeted by Pein, who wasn't happy that someone had been impersonating him. "Actually Pein, that was a part of our plan," he explained as he stood at attention in front of his leader. "By having the legendary Pein show up, the village now has unwavering faith and loyalty that Akatsuki will protect them no matter what happens."

Kakuzu gave a bow of respect. "I apologize if this offends you in any way, we believed it to be the best move to make at the time."

Pein turned to face him and studied Kakuzu's face. "No. That is not something that you would plan. I know your fighting and combat styles too well. You would never approach a mission in such a way. I know you well enough to be quite aware that you would not impersonate me. I take it that means Kaliegh was at fault."

Kakuzu moved up from his bow as Pein was easily able to read him and understand what happened. There was no point in continuing the lie any further at this point, they had been caught. "I allowed Kaliegh to take the lead on the mission because she had a plan to win the village over on our side. I was her superior on this mission, if any fault is to be had than place it on me for giving her the freedom to work as she saw best."

There was silence for a moment and Pein nodded in Kakuzu's direction. He respected that answer more than anything else. It made him quite happy, even though he didn't show it. So, it seemed that he was right in his assumptions. "I am surprised." He added. "You are not usually the type that would give your partner authority on a mission. I do respect what you have done, but I must know why."

"In my own defense, most of the partners I've had weren't worthy to raise a barn let alone lead a mission that requires any sort of a brain," Kakuzu said bluntly. It was no secret that he had hated every single one of his other partners because of their stupidity. But now things were different. "However, I also wanted Kaliegh to take charge on this mission as a means to test her. There is something I wish to ask of you Pein, something that you must be informed of," Kakuzu stated.

Kakuzu slowly got on to his knees and placed his hands together in a deep sign of respect. "It is of my opinion that Kaliegh should join the Akatsuki. I have spoken to her and she wishes to cut all ties with her brother in favor of serving you and the Akatsuki as a whole," he said as he continued to stay in this position. "I give her my recommendation," Kakuzu stated.

It was a phrase that Pein would never have heard Kakuzu say before.

Pein watched Kakuzu and could tell from the tone in his voice that this would be serious. A sigh escaped him and he glanced over his shoulder. He was not alone, as usual. Konan was watching this from not far away, and her eyes focused on Kakuzu quite intently. "This is the descision you've come to?" Pein asked, turning back to the shinobi before him.

Never before had Kakuzu respected anyone, but, considering what happened with the last Konoha shinobi he had taken on, he was starting to believe that the woman of that village had powers to charm a man with a stone heart; or, in Kakuzu's case, five rigid hearts. Still, he couldn't help but feel that it would be wrong to deny Kakuzu's request.

"I will test her and make my judgement after that, should she survive."

"It is, I have observed her for many months now and she has gone above and beyond the line of duty on our missions," Kakuzu said as he looked to Pein since he was being addressed. "After seeing her skill in battle, and believing that she has no reason to betray us...I support my earlier statement," he said before slowly standing up to face Pein on more even ground.

At Pein's last statement the Akatuski merely gave a nod. "Of course, I am merely giving the recommendation. Whether or not she can join I still leave up to you, your judgment has yet to fail us," Kakuzu said before turning to Kaliegh and motioning for her to come forward. She should make her own case to Pein after all.

Kaliegh really had nothing she could say to make her case. Ultimately, Pein had chosen to test her and make his own choice after testing her skill. She wasn't afraid of his challenge, nor was she particularly worried about what it could be. No matter what it was, she would live.

"Kakuzu has never praised anyone as he has praised you." Pein said, addressing the young woman as she came forward.

Of course, Kaliegh nodded in agreement, knowing it was true. "That's because I possess skill that few have witnessed."

Konan smirked in the background. She had courage, which was a trait she admired.

Pein stayed focused on Kaliegh. "You will rest and I will test you tomorrow. You should rest well, child."

"Child of not..." Kaliegh said, smirking at the leader. "I bet I can beat whatever expectations you have of me."

Kakuzu stood back and just watched in silence as Pein and Kaliegh spoke to one another, Pein informing her of the challenge and Kaliegh bravely accepting it. She had guts, he had admired that from day one about her, and it looked like Konan agreed. Good, at least Kaliegh was already beginning to make an example for others to see. Konan was probably happy to see another kunoichi with some background.

Kakuzu just waited in the background, ready to leave with Kaliegh in order to allow her to rest.

Kaliegh smirked at Kakuzu as she walked out of the meeting room. Pein had the same expression on is face that he always had, but Kaliegh was herself a little unsure on how she should feel about this. She was confident of course, but it was likely that he would try to kill her in order to force her to prove herself.

Oh well. She'd just have to be ready, despite her minor injuries.

They walked out of the room together, and Kakuzu couldn't help but wonder why Kaliegh was being so quiet. "You've never seen him fight before," he said simply as he glanced to his partner. "How do you plan to prepare to fight him?" he asked curiously.

Kaliegh looked over her shoulder. "Well, I plan to sleep and eat a few hours before the fight. Other than that, there's nothing I can really do. The battle is tomorrow, so I know that there's nothing I can really do to prepare. I just have to fight as he asks and if I win, then I win."

"Fair enough, a simplistic approach is sometimes all that you can do," Kakuzu remarked as they kept walking. "Well, if there is anything at all that I can get for you let me know, I will do my best to help prepare you for whatever challenge he gives to you."

Kaliegh smirked at Kakuzu. "Thanks. But you know that this is my test for a reason. I think that he wants to test not only my skills, but my general ability to adapt to a situation. I've spent enough time with you that I think I could deal with whatever the Akatsuki plans to send my way."

"Very well, I'm proud to hear that you have confidence in your own abilities," Kakuzu said as they walked to the room that they were designated as partners. "Just remember to do your best, Pein will be as impressed as I've been."

---

Meanwhile, back in Konoha...

A knock came to the Uchiha door. It was Suigetsu and Shino standing side by side, both seeming to be in fairly good moods today. That was part of the reason that they had come over in the first place after all. It was mainly about Suigetsu who wanted to inform Sasuke of what was going on.

"Hey there Sasuke," Suigetsu said as the door was opened up. "I just wanted to see if you've heard the good news or not?"

Sasuke opened the door, holding Shai in his arms. Shai seemed unhappy about this arrangement and was trying to squirm free, which, needless to say didn't seem to be happening anytime soon. "Yeah, the Mizukage is going to come here to personally evaluate you." He said, not paying much attention to the struggling toddler in his arms.

Shai, seeing that this wasn't working, decided that it would be better if he instead tried to slide down and onto the ground. "Let me goooo!" He whined, trying to pry Sasuke's hands open. "I didn't do it."

"You know the rate at which you kill surprises still astounds me," Suigetsu remarked as he looked at Sasuke. "I bet you've never had a surprise birthday party or anything," he said in a joking tone as he smiled and showed his fanged teeth.

Shino was actually more focused on Shai at the moment, who was trying eagerly to get away from the iron-clad grip of Sasuke. After hearing Shai speak Shino slowly looked over at Sasuke. "What did he supposedly not do?" he asked bluntly.

Sasuke shrugged his shoulders, but smiled at Sugietsu all the same. "Hey, if you're lucky maybe Karin won't be jealous when you get evaluated." He said rather simply, still holding his squirming heir, who seemed quite dedicated to his current mission of escaping. It was failing, of course, but that didn't stop him from trying. Sasuke ignored the joke and turned to Shino. "Do you want to tell Shino what you told Mommy this morning?"

Shai looked up at his father, pouting. "I didn't do that! I don't know how to paint, so I would never try to paint the baby's room! How do know that the baby didn't come early and paint the room by himself?" Shai theorized. "I bet the baby did it because he wanted a green room that will match his eyes and mine!"

The Uchiha smirked at the child. "I don't think the baby would want to paint the room green, Shai. Especially because your mother, for some unknown reason, doesn't want to know the gender of this baby and therefore wants to paint the room yellow."

Suigetsu raised an eyebrow as Sasuke spoke. "What do you mean by jealous? What would she have to be jealous of when my Kage decides to make sure that I'm worthy enough to return home?" he asked as he still didn't understand what the Uchiha meant by that comment.

Shino looked down at Shai as the boy explained that somehow the baby had come early in order to paint the room a color of green. While Shai's theory was amusing to hear, it was still obvious what the truth was. Babies couldn't come early like that.

Shino glanced up at Sasuke. "Do you know when the due date for Sakura is? Have they narrowed it down to a specific month yet?" he asked as he decided to try and get the subject off of Shai.