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𝑹̲̅𝑨̲̅𝑽̲̅𝑬̲̅𝑵̲̅

book

  ⭑⭒ㅤ━━━━

“WHAT DO YOU THINK?” kisame's question was met with a skeptical side-eye. the inquiry seemed unclear after the meeting in amegakure as you and kisame made your way back to the city.

“what do you mean?” you inquired, not bothering to glance in his direction. the journey back to the city would span up to three days at the quickest. you and kisame strolled alongside each other, both adorned in the akatsuki cloak and bamboo hats.

“regarding the earlier meeting, do you concur with the idea of employing bonten as a distraction?” he asked, his voice maintaining its usual tone, leaving you unable to discern his thoughts.

you held off on responding. reflecting on the earlier meeting, you weren't certain if pain would endorse kakuzu's proposal, but it seemed like he was contemplating it. while bonten may be criminals, they are not shinobis. they could put up a fight, but facing off against a shinobi in battle would likely result in their defeat.

how would pain plan to employ them as a decoy, you wondered. recalling your encounter with kakashi, he likely reported it to the hokage, prompting an investigation into bonten since then. bonten lacked proper knowledge about shinobi and the hidden villages, the revelation of shinobi existence came to them only after encountering you and the akatsuki.

it could be argued that you and the akatsuki were the ones who entangled them in this predicament.

bonten was oblivious to the tumultuous realm of ninjas, and it would have stayed that way if not for your mission to infiltrate them.

well, it's irrelevant now, isn't it? it's done and irreversible. bonten has no option but to accept it, whether they proceed or withdraw, one thing is certain—sooner or later, they will meet their end.

“y/n, did you happen to develop an attachment to them? i'll understand if you did. you've spent months with them, and i don't know what kind of connection you've formed. i won't pass judgment on you for it.” this time, you cast a glance at kisame, though he wasn't returning the look. his expression, true to form, wasn't judgmental; it remained his usual demeanor.

did you genuinely become attached to bonten? you're uncertain of the answer, not yet knowing. being with them evokes a sense of ease and suffocation simultaneously. the ease may stem from their non-shinobi status; they are criminals, not ninjas. somehow, their world differs from yours. even though they are criminals, their realm is not as chaotic as yours.

then comes the suffocation, primarily sensed with ran and sanzu. the two always give the impression that they want you exclusively. besides them, bonten tends to be somewhat controlling, particularly when you're still in disguise. you can't quite pinpoint why, but when you're with them, it feels like drowning in the deepest depths of the sea, unable to swim up.

was it attachment? empathy? it remained unclear. you'll concede that bonten might have a place in your life, but you can assure it's nothing special. you don't have time for that. kisame is mistaken; you haven't formed a bond with them. there's no bond, bonten are simply acquaintances to you.

“i haven't. they're nothing more than mere acquaintances. pain can do whatever he wants with them, it doesn't matter. sooner or later, we'll just get rid of them anyway." you shifted your gaze back to the path, ignoring the look kisame was giving you.

“very well.”

--

“kakucho, seriously, where did you find that?” ran massaged his nape, tension filling the living room. all eight bonten higher-ups are present, settled and staring at the peculiar object above the mini table in the center.

“i've already informed you. i found it inside my car, on the backseat,” he explained, recalling the moment he discovered the object in his car.

after spending hours in the office, kakucho decided to take a break and satisfy his craving for dangos. he drove until he reached a relatively unknown dango shop; the place's remote location might explain its lack of popularity among people.

he placed an order for a take-out plate of dangos, relishing the peaceful ambiance of the dango house. however, he knew he had to hurry back to the office; mikey might be searching for him.

once his order arrived, he paid and expressed gratitude to the elderly lady who served him, leaving a tip before returning to his car. as he hopped in, he carefully placed the dangos on the passenger seat. however, while fastening his seatbelt, he caught a glimpse of a book on the backseat through the rearview mirror.

“i can't recall owning that book. i don't know, but i have a bad feeling about this,” kakucho explained, his gaze still fixed on the mysterious book.

mochi let out a sigh as he decided to approach the book. wrapped in a thin brown paper and secured with a delicate rope, he carefully untied the ribbon and revealed the black back cover of the book. as he turned it, the title surprised him.

“high, cunning, mighty uchiha...” their attention heightened as mochi read the title. the uchiha crest proudly adorned the center of the book's cover, though none of the men in the room were aware of it at that moment. soon, they walked towards mochi, fully interested on the stranger book that appeared on kakucho's car.

“y/n's clan? does she own that book?” sanzu inquired, but kakucho shook his head, stating that he couldn't recall you ever riding in his car.

“no, this doesn't belong to y/n. someone likely placed it inside your car, possibly a ninja, managing to do so without opening your car.” rindou commented, and they silently concurred. you're not the type to misplace things either.

“open it,” mikey commanded. mochi gulped and nodded, unveiling the book's content. they were curious, nervous, and thrilled all at once.

“eyes that witness loss also gain the strength to protect.” they read the quote on the first page, then turned to the second where the uchiha crest, the red and white fan, caught their attention. at the bottom, it stated, 'the uchiha clan's emblem.'

“this book seems to be solely about y/n's clan. should we wait for her and hand it over? i'm not sure how to feel about this," kakucho expressed.

“she won't be back anytime soon. kisame told me they'll be away for days. we need to figure out why this book ended up in kakucho's car," ran remarked. they aren't naive. if it's intentionally left in kakucho's car, the person who placed it there likely wants them to uncover something.

__

in a concealed and dim laboratory, two individuals diligently blended poisons away from prying eyes.

“orochimaru-sama why did you place that book in the criminal's vehicle?” kabuto inquired, pushing his eyeglasses upward. the snake sannin grinned maliciously.

“it wouldn't hurt to play with their lives a little, would it?”

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