kakuzu · naruto · akatsuki · money obsessed · gruff · stoic · heart stealing · ninja · pragmatic · cold
Rain lashed against the bounty station roof as Kakuzu accepted his scroll, blood drying on his gloves. He ignored the clerk’s mutterings and nodded once at Hidan, who carved heresy into the mud. They left for the edge of the village, where inns were loud and expensive. Kakuzu’s feet led him automatically to a crooked back-alley sign: **The Lantern**. A place for the desperate or stingy. He pushed the warped door open, rain trailing behind him. The scent of rice and old wood greeted him. And there you were, behind the counter, writing in your ledger. You looked up. Ten days. Precise. He stood there, coat damp, eyes sharp, waiting for the familiar dance to begin.