#v — initium finis (part 0)

[exurgedomine]

Continued || @karenuhana

Konan jumped in surprised, causing Nagato to jump as well !! Then he realized he was the source of the shock and settled back down, hands still held tightly together.

"Mmm... Okay," he tilts his head, letting his long bangs fall out of his eyes," it comes from the ground... and it's wet...."

The descriptions didn't feel befitting, but he didn't want her to guess too easily. Where's the fun in that.

[exurgedomine]

The item between his fingers started to squirm, uncomfortable in the confining darkness of his cold hands. It almost started to tickle him, but he was firm in his resolve to keep the item as ambiguous as possible, his eyes steeled towards Konan while she tries to guess.

She screams and Nagato grins.

"Almost! Not quite.....," he blinks a couple of times, rummaging in his mind for the next clue," it has sticky skin and-"

He clamps his mouth shut, not wanting to reveal too much.

" comes from the ground......wet....... "

konan's mind is currently racing from the excitement of playing a game where she gets to win something, so her body is reacting accordingly, with her hands moving around frantically while she does her absolute best at guessing just what lies hidden within nagato's palm.

she begins to twist and turn the delicate, dirty cloth that composes her long shirt, but before she ends up ripping it by accident, she gasped, and her face was glowing with resolution. konan has an answer now, and she screamed it with all her chest.

" WORM!!!!!! "

[exurgedomine]

Obito rests an arm over his mask, another arm dangling from where he just laid down. With a boot propped up on his knee too. Making himself very, very comfortable. ❛ Disrespectfully, I decline, ❜ even makes a loud snoring noise to further drive his point || @senjufound

A near-silent exhale slips through Nagato's lips into the chill evening air. His energy whittling away from the short travel he took to meet the Uchiha outside, and yet, this audacious man stays needling a fresh thorn into the Uzumaki's side.

Taking his seat ( close, but not too close — a slight adjacent ) near him, he steeples his fingers together in quiet contemplation.

"What is not meeting your standards this time?" Nagato asks," Kirigakure is in a vulnerable state, it would be a missed opportunity not to seize it."

[exurgedomine]

Yuki no kuni, aside from it being frigid with blustering winds, had its own special charm. Take the quaint snow lanterns that glittered within the hillsides and snow drifts, for instance. Yet, he couldn't be bothered with them. Not at the moment, at least... No, his mind was preoccupied with his now partner. Their illustrious organization's Leader... At first, it was seemingly a one-off arrangement. The need for his skills in subterfuge, but then it kept happening. He'd often wondered if Pein was keeping him close for the sake of watching him, much like a Warden to their prisoner. The Sannin had long since given up his desire to defect, anyway. The inner workings of Akatsuki had captivated his curiosity. For the time being, that is. Now though? He wondered if it was because they worked so well together. Strange as it was... Regardless, he huffed out a quiet chuckle and picked up his pace to match that of his partner, regarding him from his periphery. "Would you care to elaborate as to why we are here, of all places?" He raised a palm toward the gray sky and watched as snow fell upon it. Just as white and almost as cold. "You were even more tight-lipped on the details than you normally are..." ((No clue why, but uh... Here we are! Hope this is okay! Plus a song.)) || @valtiels-darkness

Nagato's meticulous planning was thorough and elaborate, but exceedingly pragmatic.

It was an informal arrangement for Pein to present himself an option for workplace partnership. The ever elusive leadership that sat atop a yawning shrine of a god long forgotten walking along the same ground as all the men beneath him.

Yet now, God was a man, who bore cold flesh and a non-beating heart, walking though the troves of wet snow littering their path in this barren territory. Near him stood a like-minded man. Like-minded. Better so, similarly constructed— a mortal seeking the riddle of immortality of which no answer remains. His long hair like bleeding ink pouring over the milk-white paleness of his collar bones and vanishing into the crimson of their shared outfit.

" You were more inquisitive than you normally are, " Pein replied, deflecting further prying.

Though, he did owe an explanation, after all, he did drag this man away from the assuredness of his scientific routine and warm laboratory.

" It's been brought to my attention of a tailed beast that exists in this territory. However, they are notably ' suspended in animation '. I deemed your expertise to be of value here. "

The obvious leered between the thin space of intention and actual reason. It would have been easier to pull the rumored bijuu from the depths of which it was sunk into and bring it forward for inspection, but Nagato wanted Orochimaru for far more than that.

He was testing him. Pein himself the proctor.

[exurgedomine]

Nagato managed another sigh.

Existing with at least 12 rods fixed into his spine was exhausting; dealing with Obito was as such, multiplied by 10.

"I only offer to make your tasks easier for both you and me. You have my full trust, Madara," he says. A full, shameless lie of his own.

His thoughts were aligned to say something else, only to be interrupted by a hand intruding his personal space, swiping some of the many loose strands of his hair— baring both of his lavender beauties to stare upon him. He made no effort to fix his hair afterwards, letting his face remain bare.

"You may rest as you need. I was only mentioning it since I had your undivided attention." Nagato found himself forcing division where no equation existed with this Uchiha, often. The fatigue returned to his bones and he sat back once again on his chair, fingers interlaced in neutral position.

Come to disrupt his nap time, and ignore his words too?  ❛ Nagato, I did not realise you want to give me your bodies so desperately. ❜ Obito jests with a short, rough giggle. He's rather sick, but that is to be expected.

Knowing that he can’t find any rest here, Obito sat up, his feet planted to the floor with a distinct thud. ❛ There is no need to spy on me, my friend, I do everything for the success of the Akatsuki. ❜ An absolute bold-faced lie if they have ever heard one.

Obito had a few varied intentions in Kirigakure, and he needed the subtlety for his own goals. ❛ A whole crowd will scare the snakes back into obscurity. ❜ He further remarked. This might not be enough to stop Nagato from tailing him, but it just means that Obito had to take extra precautions where he went.

Two fingers quickly flick strands of Nagato’s red hair, a tease to dispel any ambivalence caused by his rejection of the Paths. His hand returns to his side at lightning speed, ❛ I appreciate the concern, if that is what it was. I shall go and make preparations, since someone wouldn't let me have a nap. ❜

[exurgedomine]

Nagato wasn't one to prod, but he was unable to ignore it either; the way Obito's chakra frayed at the edges. A hot, thick static catching on to all the free mass in the room and clinging to it. The redhead shrugged it off, opting to ignore it given how petulant Obito was already acting today.

"You can bring the Deva Path. If you feel as if that is not enough, then you may request Konan as well," he offers. The task was not above her, but Nagato would do anything in his power to keep her away from this Madara. Too much uncertainty existed within their partnership, more than the Uzumaki was willing to bet on without know where his money was being spent.

"I can handle the frontline and you can tend to your business." His abilities were not to be questioned, naturally. "If you need more than that, then I can spare an additional path, but such a thing surely would not be required." His words cut in, sizing the Uchiha and his alleged adeptness.

Masked being grunts at "this time" as though Obito was a brat who needed a lecture on his lateness. Maybe he's overthinking, and Nagato just sounds impatient is all. Obito's moods these days have been up and down. Yes he was stalling, but Nagato doesn't need to know his weaknesses. As far as history goes, Uchiha Madara is all powerful, rivalled only by the shodai Hokage.

Obito carefully and quietly exhales. Under his mask, he really was closing his eyes. Not having to put up with Tobi's limbs was great for his sore shoulders. ❛ What resources or manpower are we to bring across the ocean, Nagato? ❜ While it may be the easiest state to control of the five greats, being split between Ame and Kirigakure was not the smartest move. ❛ We only need the Sanbi, and location of the Rokubi. Intel is enough, and I alone can go. There are far greater enemies inland. ❜