The clouds covered the sky, and beyond, as far as they could see, there were just clouds. Slowly, progressively... those clouds began to gain a red tone, turning the sky like blood.
When both members of Akatsuki cleared their eyes, they were in a clear expanse of clouds as far as the eye could see, but those were not beautiful clouds. The sky, the world went in tone with their robes.
"..." Hidan looked around in silence.
"Where are we?" Kakuzu asked with a grumpy voice, running scans and trying to survey their situation.
"You are dead".
A voice said like an eerie echo, and as it diffused, they came in front of the silhouette of a gigantic fox with a lot of tails. But this fox didn't look threatening or even remotely dangerous compared to the one they knew; instead, it was a beautiful golden fox with reddish hues and halos.
A deity.
"Ten tails...?", Kakuzu mumbled, he had counted the tails, just to be sure... and surely enough, they were not nine as expected.
"Oi, no one said anything about a ten-tails!" Hidan growled.
The fox merely stood in place as blazing suns began to grow behind her.
"It doesn't matter... I don't know where you brought us, but that's not going to help you! Jūbi, you will come with us, along with the Hachibi!".
"..."
Kakuzu made quick hand signs, and the Akatsuki robe dispersed, showcasing three masks on his back from which lightning was sparkling. Hidan wielded his scythe and got on guard, waiting for a cue.
The thunderstorm didn't manifest out of nowhere; Kakuzu's body contorted, and they shot out of the blue mask on his back like a barrage.
The barrage of lightning expanded and covered the skies, lighting up the red clouds as hideous shadows were visible within them for even a second. Shadows that didn't evade Hidan and Kakuzu's sight.
The Jūbi was not faced. With a swipe of her tail, the lightning storm was blasted and scattered.
*WHOOSH!*
As if they had expected it, Hidan screamed like a leech and phased like a phantom in front of the creature.
"Give me that blood!– UGHH!!"
The gigantic fox's claw pierced the man's stomach, phasing through him and scalding his very soul. Her movements were so fast that it didn't look like she was as tall as a mountain.
For the first time, her expression showed a sentiment.
"Who is the bitch now?"
*COUGH!*
"Still you!".
Rather than a despairing countenance, Hidan spat blood and laughed. He wielded his scythe and, with a clean swip, tried to cut that finger
*CLAANGG!*
But past the soft fur that evaded his blade like a dancing lady, there was only skin so tough that the moment it lashed against his scythe, it was like clashing against steel tougher than his scythe.
A huge vibration numbed his arms, and he didn't see any blood.
"Hehehe~".
Hidan didn't find that laugh attractive or beautiful. Rather, it showcased that deep inside, there was something wrong with this fox.
She waved her claw casually, and Hidan shot like a missile towards the clouds. He didn't phase through as expected, but instead crashed, akin to a bullet striking a blunt surface.
*BANG!*
"Feel free to resist as much as possible".
The fox said, followed by one of the suns behind her, approaching.
A water wall that covered several kilometres spread, Kakuzu didn't hold back in the slightest. Another one of his masks executed the jutsu.
He intended to protect them both against the sun and give Hidan time to recover. But it was then that Hidan realised his wounds were healing up.
"M-My body is healing up–".
"Of course it is, you fool, you're immortal–"
"I mean, it is not me healing it this time!".
"Huh?!".
When the sun met the water wall, a cloud of steam shot forth, the wall was disintegrated in an instant, and the sun didn't slow down at all.
*BAANGG!*
The sun collided with the mask, engulfed it and disintegrated it as well, tearing the strings that connected it with Kakuzu's body.
"UUGGHH!!!"
The sun impacted and produced an explosion that shattered everything in sight.
Yasaka frowned and opened her mouth, then blew a breath of air.
*WHOOSH!*
The breath dispersed the dust clouds and the very sun, leaving the sight of both Kakuzu and Hidan's charred bodies. She walked slowly in her fourth foot until she was close, then lay down with a sigh.
Soon, a golden light engulfed both bodies, and they began to regenerate.
"Did you think we are finished?".
On Kakuzu's back, both masks materialised again from the golden hue, and then... his eyes opened.
He felt like oxygen filled his lungs and took a deep breath, coming face to face with the resting fox.
"You... you!".
The fox grinned and placed her claw on top of his head, like she was playing with her toy.
"Boy, your immortality... is very feeble~".
All he could do was look in terror at the creature who had his life and soul in the grasp of her claw, unaware his soul was already reapt.
**
**
In the middle of Kumogakure, a crowd assembled.
"Raikage-sama!".
They made way for their Raikage, who walked alongside someone they didn't know. This man was as tall as him, with shining tattoos... his appearance was certainly eccentric. Moreover, he had two snakes on his body. One was pitch-black in colour, hanging on his shoulder, the other was black with a crimson hue, wrapped around his waist.
Once the crowd cleared, inside it, Yasaka was standing regally with a smile on her face while two bodies contorted on the ground.
Mabui was inspecting them, and her hands were shaking.
"There is no doubt, they fit the description, Raikage-sama, this individual is an infamous criminal from the mist, and I have no knowledge regarding this other one".
"Good work, Yasaka", Ray said, earning a smile from the vixen who approached and embraced him.
"Are you proud of me, Ray? I didn't destroy the village~"
Her words drew droplets of sweat in the crowd.
"Hmn, how disappointing, I thought you were going to explode like usual" the snake on his shoulders said with a disappointed hiss.
"Usual? Yasaka is very quiet, though" Ray patted her back, Yasaka's tails wiggled all over.
"That's right, master. I don't know what she's talking about~"
The Raikage knelt next to Mabui and inspected the shaking Kakuzu.
"What's their status, Lady Yasaka?" A's voice sounded serious and respectful. To torture an expert shinobi in such a fashion without moving a muscle? He already knew that anyone following Ray was not normal.
"I'll report, master. These two are not common humans, they both have special constitutions that make them hard to kill".
She pointed at Kakuzu, "this man has three hearts inside his body that seems to be composed of strings".
"…"
"As for this other one. You should have felt it, right?"
Ray nodded, "There is a deity interceding with his body keeping him alive. More accurately, it is connected to his soul".
"They're essentially 'immortal' in mortal terms anyway. I have already detached their souls from their bodies and placed them under an illusion. The reason their bodies are shaking is because their immortality has gone out of control without a consciousness".
"I don't understand one thing she's saying", Darui whispered to Samui, who also nodded awkwardly.
Yasaka waved her hands, and two gusts of smoke appeared. She compressed her fist, and the smoke transformed into crystals.
She approached the snake on top of Ray's shoulders and offered the crystals to her.
"Can't you do it yourself? I'm tired–"
Once more, sweat went down their spines when Yasaka forcefully opened the snake's mouth and shoved the crystals in.
"Do some work, you lazy youkai~"
Ray and the snake around his waist, Albedo, laughed heartily.
"Yasaka, you will respect me someday…" Hasshaku-sama hissed.
After a few seconds, she transformed into a humanoid lady. The Raikage and his people ignored the oddities they were already getting used to.
"Now that they're just souls, for you to interrogate them is out of question, but I can tell you a thing or two about these two about them~"