Rotted Rowan

I Killed You

Beta: Cyndaquil123

(ง ⌣ ~ ⌣) ง

(Mei)

"This can't be real," Hotoro whispered.

The water daimyo was staring at the scroll Mei had given him, tears streaming down his face.

"It is," she assured him, the yōton user flipping her hair over her shoulder. The daimyo's office was in completely disarray, with the daimyo himself looking like a barely put together mess. He was once a handsome man, but the stress of what had happened to his country devoured him until he was little more than a husk.

His hands trembled as he read the scroll. "The Akatsuki... Ame... will buy my country? In the state its in?"

"Our agents in the Land of Fire assure us that Mo will not protest, and as long as the country isn't absorbed by Mo, the Land of Lightning won't start a war," Mei said. "This is your way out."

"The economy is in shambles... I have no military..." Hotoro trailed off, his bottom lip quivering. "What kindness..."

"Yes," Mei agreed, her eyes bright. "The kindness of an angel. If you agree to this, he will make everything right."

"He will?"

"Yes. He will devour the monsters of the world so only the good and pure may remain," Mei promised him. "Place your trust in us." She cocked her head, her smile curling into something more vicious. "Or don't, and watch this country be torn apart by war between Fire and Lightning."

Hotoro swallowed roughly. "I... I will trust you. I will sell my country to Ame, to the Akatsuki."

"Good," Mei said, clapping her hands. "Kakuzu, you hear that?"

Into the office stepped a tall man cloaked head to toe in black. The only part of his body that was visible were his pair of green and red eyes. "Of course. Daimyo, sign the scroll. Once that's done, we'll have a lot of work left to do."

Mei beamed. "Owari-sama will be so happy."

"Mm-hmm." Kakuzu pulled out a briefcase, setting it on the desk. He opened it up, and Hotoro noticed it was filled with slips of paper. "Mei, are the acolytes ready?"

"Naturally," she said.

Kakuzu glanced at Hotoro. "Stop staring, and sign already. The sooner we submit the paperwork to the other countries, the sooner we can salvage this catastrophe."

"Ah—Yes! Yes," Hotoro said, stumbling.

Mei plucked some special seals Owari and Konan had created. They were designed by Owari himself. The acolyte that had accompanied Mei were the fastest acolytes Owari had. They would place the seals on the edge of the country.

The seals were chakra transfers and amplifiers. The acolytes would need to continuously feed their own chakra into the seals, and in doing so they would be able to remotely trigger Pein's rain. Pein's rain would then cover the entire country, like Ame, and he would be able to monitor each intruder.

While Kakuzu would work with Hotoro on the financial and political side of the country, Mei would be in charge of the acolytes. When Guren and Deidara were finished with their mission, they would join with Mei and the three of them would begin converting as many to the noble cause. They would rebuild a shinobi village in the Akatsuki's name.

Mei watched Hotoro sign away his country, elated and joyful.

Owari-sama will be so happy this mission was a success.