Chapter 273: Into the Depths
The explosion roared like a beast unleashed, the earth trembling beneath Kakashi's feet as smoke and debris billowed into the air. The once-peaceful if not a little foggy forest clearing was now a chaotic mess of fire, shattered wood, and swirling ash. Kakashi's book dropped from his hand, forgotten, as his sharp eye snapped toward the inferno where the hut had stood mere moments ago.
"I looked away for five seconds..." Kakashi muttered under his breath, his tone equal parts exasperation and resignation. He didn't need a crystal ball to know Malik had walked directly into a trap.
The flames licked the sky with violent intensity, their searing heat radiating outward. Without hesitation, Kakashi dashed forward, weaving signs with practiced precision.
"Water Style: Water Encampment Wall!" he called out, his voice steady despite the urgency of the moment.
A surge of water erupted from the ground in a swirling arc, crashing over the flames with a hiss that drowned out the forest's natural ambiance. Steam rose in thick clouds as the fire began to die, leaving behind charred wood and blackened earth. Kakashi remained focused, redirecting the water to extinguish the last stubborn embers.
Once the fire was out, the forest fell eerily silent, the quiet broken only by the faint crackling of cooling debris. Kakashi stepped carefully into the wreckage, his single visible eye scanning the scene with practiced intensity.
"Where are you, Malik?" he murmured to himself, kicking aside a piece of scorched timber. His gaze moved methodically, but there was no sign of Malik—not a body, not even a trace of pink magic lingering in the air.
Kakashi straightened, his brow furrowing beneath his forehead protector. Malik was many things—reckless, flamboyant, prone to finding trouble—but Kakashi doubted even someone as unpredictable as Malik would let himself be taken down by something so crude.
"I looked away for five seconds," Kakashi repeated, this time with a hint of irritation creeping into his tone.
He glanced around the clearing, his sharp instincts kicking in. The hut had been a trap, clearly designed to lure someone in—and possibly lead them somewhere. But where?
The realization hit him like a kunai to the gut.
"The tunnels," Kakashi muttered, his voice low but certain.
He remembered the reports he'd read before the mission—rumors of vast, labyrinthine underground pathways spread beneath the Land of Birds, remnants of an ancient network built by the people long ago and mostly forgotten. Most of the entrances were hidden or sealed, but the hut had clearly been one of them.
"Of course he's still alive," Kakashi said, more to reassure himself than anything else. "He probably set off a chain reaction and fell straight into the tunnels."
Without wasting another second, Kakashi turned and dashed into the forest, his steps quiet but deliberate as he searched for another way down.
The forest was dense and the fog only got thicker the further in he serched, the path uneven as Kakashi maneuvered through the undergrowth. His every sense was on high alert, his focus razor-sharp as he scanned the ground for signs of an entrance.
The air grew colder the deeper he went, the trees casting long, shifting shadows in the pale light filtering through the canopy, smering into the grey brume. Kakashi's hand hovered near his kunai pouch, ready for anything.
He spotted a depression in the earth ahead, partially obscured by a tangle of roots and vines. Kakashi knelt down, brushing the foliage aside to reveal a narrow opening—a fissure in the ground that looked just wide enough for a person to squeeze through.
"This must be it," Kakashi muttered, his eye narrowing.
He crouched lower, peering into the darkness below. A faint draft of air brushed against his face, carrying with it a subtle hint of damp earth and moss. The tunnels were down there—he could feel it.
Kakashi didn't hesitate. With practiced ease, he slipped through the opening, landing silently on the uneven stone floor below.
The underground passage was cold and dimly lit, the light filtering down from cracks in the ceiling above. The walls were rough and worn, carved out of the natural stone. The air was damp, the faint sound of dripping water echoing through the tunnel like a distant heartbeat.
Kakashi straightened, his eye adjusting quickly to the low light as he began to move. His steps were careful but quick, his senses tuned to the faintest hint of Malik's presence.
The tunnel branched off in multiple directions, each path disappearing into the shadows. Kakashi paused at the intersection, his instincts guiding him as he crouched down to inspect the ground.
There it was—a faint trace of pink magic lingering in the air, almost imperceptible. Malik's signature.
"Found you," Kakashi murmured, rising to his feet.
He followed the faint trail, weaving through the labyrinth of tunnels with ease born of years of experience. The path grew narrower, the walls pressing in around him, but Kakashi didn't falter.
As he rounded a corner, the faint sound of movement reached his ears—a soft rustling, followed by the echo of footsteps.
Kakashi's eye narrowed, his hand moving to his kunai as he quickened his pace.
"Malik," he called out, his voice low but firm.
The sound stopped abruptly, the air growing heavy with anticipation. Kakashi tensed, ready for anything.
From the shadows ahead, a figure emerged.
Kakashi's grip on his kunai tightened as the figure stepped into the dim light.
It was not Malik.
The figure was cloaked, their face obscured by a hood that cast deep shadows over their features. They stood motionless, their posture tense, as if they had been waiting for him.
Kakashi's visible eye narrowed, his voice cold and controlled. "Who are you?"
The figure didn't respond, their silence unnerving as they raised one hand, revealing a glowing object in their palm—a shard of crystal pulsing faintly with pink light.
Kakashi's heart skipped a beat.
"Malik's magic," he muttered under his breath.
The figure tilted their head slightly, as if considering something, before turning and disappearing into the shadows of the tunnel.
"Oh no you don't," Kakashi growled, sprinting after them.
The chase was on.
=== somewhere close enough but much further than you would think ===
The dim, suffocating darkness of the underground tunnels felt endless, the faint echo of dripping water breaking the silence only intermittently. Konan stood motionless, her stoic demeanor masking the irritation bubbling under the surface. Her piercing amber eyes focused on Malik, who lay on the cold stone floor, his body aglow with deep pink light. The ethereal shimmer seemed to pulse faintly, as though it was alive—a protective cocoon of his magic, safeguarding him even while unconscious.
Nearby, Tobi leaned against the damp stone wall, her head tilted slightly as she studied Malik's prone figure with amusement. The orange spiral mask obscured her expression, but the sarcastic lilt in her voice was unmistakable.
"I told you so," Tobi remarked, her tone dripping with smug satisfaction.
Konan didn't respond immediately. She rolled her eyes subtly, her gaze lingering on Malik for a moment longer. She hated to admit it, but Tobi wasn't wrong. Malik was, indeed, notoriously hard to kill—something the other Akatsuki members had complained about often. Even the few times Konan had tried, albeit reluctantly and without her full effort, she hadn't come close.
"Even when you want to," Konan murmured under her breath, her words quiet but laden with meaning.
Tobi chuckled, crossing her arms. "Exactly! You know, several teams have tried to take him back with them. And here we are, even after promising to wait two years —and we're the ones who succeed. I think that deserves a pat on the back, don't you?"
Konan shot her a sharp look, her irritation threatening to spill over.
"The other teams failed because he isn't strong but strange. He's weridly clever. Unpredictable." Konan shook her head slightly, her blue hair swaying in the dim light. "The fact that we captured him at all has less to do with us and more to do with timing."
Tobi shrugged, unbothered by the subtle jab. "Maybe. But let's not discount the snake charms. Orochimaru certainly delivered on that front."
Konan glanced down at her hand, where one of the snake-shaped charms rested coolly against her palm. Its intricate design gleamed faintly in the dim light, the magic within humming softly. She turned her gaze to Malik's neck, where the second charm was wrapped tightly, its fangs sunk into his skin.
The charm appeared to be doing something strange to Malik's magic. The pink glow emanating from his body was tinged with faint traces of greenish-black energy—an unnatural discoloration that made Konan uneasy.
"What is it doing to him?" Konan muttered, more to herself than to Tobi.
"Siphoning, maybe," Tobi offered casually, stepping closer to Malik's glowing figure. "Or corrupting. Who knows? I'm sure Orochimaru had a purpose when she handed them over. But hey—whatever works, right?"
Konan frowned, her fingers tightening around the charm in her hand. She didn't trust Orochimaru. The snake-like shinobi had a knack for twisting situations to her advantage, and Konan couldn't shake the feeling that this was no different.
"We shouldn't have accepted her help," Konan said quietly.
"Oh, come on," Tobi replied, her tone light and dismissive. "She's a snake, sure, but she gets results. Besides, you know as well as I do that Malik's magic makes him impossible to pin down. These charms are the only reason he's not running circles around us right now."
Konan didn't respond. Instead, she knelt beside Malik, her sharp gaze sweeping over him as though searching for something. Despite the unnatural glow of his magic, his expression was peaceful—a stark contrast to the chaos that seemed to follow him everywhere.
"Hard to kill," Konan muttered again, shaking her head.
Tobi straightened, clapping her gloved hands together loudly enough to echo through the tunnels. "Well, no use standing around. Let's move him before something... unfortunate happens."
Konan reluctantly rose to her feet, stepping back as Tobi crouched beside Malik's glowing body. With surprising ease, Tobi lifted him, throwing him over her shoulder in one fluid motion.
"He's lighter than I thought," Tobi quipped, adjusting her grip.
Konan ignored the comment, turning her attention to the path ahead. The tunnels stretched endlessly in every direction, their labyrinthine design a testament to the civilization that had built them. Konan had studied the maps extensively—she knew the way out.
"Follow me," she said curtly, her tone leaving no room for argument.
Tobi fell into step behind her, Malik's unconscious form glowing faintly on her shoulder.
"You know," Tobi began conversationally, her voice bouncing off the tunnel walls, "the other teams really struggled with him. I mean, what was it—five different attempts? Six? And all of them ended in disaster."
Konan didn't respond, her focus fixed on the path ahead.
"But us?" Tobi continued, her tone turning smug. "We barely broke a sweat. I think that says something about our teamwork."
Konan stopped abruptly, turning to fix Tobi with a sharp glare.
"We promised him two years. That's the only reason this was easy." Her voice was cold, clipped.
Tobi tilted her head, unfazed by Konan's irritation. "Sure, sure. If you want to think of it that way. But I prefer to believe we're just that good."
Konan rolled her eyes and turned back toward the path, her patience wearing thin.
"You talk too much," Konan muttered.
Tobi laughed loudly, her voice echoing through the tunnels. "Oh, come on! Admit it—you're impressed. We've got the infamous Malik, who everyone said was impossible to capture, and it only took a couple of snake charms and a little finesse, maybe one little baby exposltion and my now destroyed underwear."
Konan ignored her, quickening her pace.
"Fine, fine," Tobi said, still grinning behind her mask. "Don't give me credit. Just remember who carried him all the way out of here."
Konan didn't bother to reply. She simply kept walking, her mind already racing with the next steps. Malik might have been captured, but Konan knew better than to consider this a victory. He wasn't just hard to kill—he was unpredictable, clever, and impossibly resourceful.
As the dim glow of the tunnel began to shift toward brighter light at the exit, Konan tightened her grip on the snake charm in her hand.
Konan moved swiftly through the winding, dimly lit tunnels, her expression carefully neutral as she kept her eyes fixed firmly ahead. Each footstep echoed softly, a rhythmic reminder of the pressing need to escape before Kakashi discovered their trail. Behind her, Tobi moved with surprising agility despite carrying Malik's glowing body over her shoulder.
"I really hope Kakashi stays distracted," Konan murmured softly, almost to herself.
Tobi tilted her head, a cheerful lilt to her voice even under the very light strain of Malik. "Relax. Kakashi loves to chase shadows—he'll probably be down there all day trying to figure out which way we went."
Konan didn't reply, instead tightening her grip around the small snake charm in her palm, unease flickering briefly across her stoic features.
Tobi giggled abruptly, shifting Malik's limp form slightly. "You know, he smells really good. Like, unusually good for a guy who spends so much time baking. Maybe it's the magic, or maybe it's just him."
"Focus," Konan replied dryly, glancing back with mild annoyance. "We don't have time for your ridiculous observations."
"Hey, just an observation!" Tobi protested lightly, adjusting Malik again. "Seriously though, it's distracting. You should take a whiff sometime."
Konan sighed heavily, shaking her head. "Please, stop talking."
Before Tobi could respond, Malik stirred slightly. His hand moved sleepily, almost unconsciously, coming to rest gently but firmly upon one of Tobi's breasts. His lips grazed her neck softly, planting a gentle kiss there. Tobi emitted a startled, high-pitched "Eep!" and reflexively dropped him, jumping backward.
Malik, instead of hitting the hard stone floor, hovered gently in mid-air, glowing faintly with his signature pink aura. Eyes still closed, he murmured incoherently, words tumbling out in sleepy confusion.
"Mmm... got to knead the dough properly... Shisui, is that you? Why do you smell so good?" he muttered dreamily, turning slightly as if adjusting himself in a comfortable bed. His eyes flickered open for just a moment, unfocused and distant. "And your breasts... a full C cup. Nice."
He drifted back into unconsciousness immediately afterward, his breathing steadying once more.
Tobi stared at him incredulously, her mask doing little to conceal the blush she surely bore. "Did he just...? Did he say I smell like Shisui?"
Konan gave her a flat stare, completely unimpressed by the momentary chaos. "Be more careful. Pick him back up and let's move."
"Why do I always have to carry him?" Tobi whined, bending down cautiously to retrieve Malik's gently floating form, holding him slightly further away now. "This mission was supposed to be easy! He's asleep and still managing to sexually harass me."
Konan rolled her eyes, turning her back once more and continuing down the tunnel. "You volunteered, remember? Something about being stronger than me."
"Ugh, I regret everything," Tobi groaned dramatically, resuming her pace behind Konan. "So, what exactly does the Leader want with him anyway? She's been so mysterious about it."
Konan hesitated slightly, her shoulders stiffening almost imperceptibly. "I have no idea," she admitted quietly, the words carrying more weight than intended.
Tobi hummed thoughtfully, her voice regaining its playful edge. "Maybe she wants his baking recipes. You know, for Akatsuki morale. Good pastries are a powerful motivator."
Konan didn't dignify that with a response, quickening her pace slightly as if hoping to leave Tobi and her absurd theories behind.
"Or maybe," Tobi continued eagerly, completely undeterred, "she needs his magic for some secret ritual! Like, maybe she's planning on making herself immortal, or something equally dramatic and villainous."
"Quiet, Tobi," Konan said, her voice clipped with irritation.
"Oh! Or what if she's planning to marry him?" Tobi speculated excitedly. "You know, unite his magic with the Akatsuki forever! Imagine the wedding cake Malik could bake—"
"Please, stop talking," Konan snapped, her patience finally wearing paper thin. "None of your theories are helpful, and all of them are utterly ridiculous."
Tobi pouted audibly behind her mask. "Well, at least I'm trying to keep our spirits up. It's not every day we kidnap someone who's literally floating and glowing."
Konan exhaled slowly, her irritation ebbing slightly at the truth in Tobi's words. Malik, suspended gently in Tobi's grip, continued glowing softly, oblivious to the conversation and the tension around him. Despite herself, Konan felt a brief pang of sympathy—Malik had clearly never anticipated becoming entangled in their complicated web.
They emerged from the tunnel network into an open cavern, where light streamed in gently from cracks in the stone ceiling far above. The air here was cooler and fresher, and Konan paused momentarily to regain her bearings.
Tobi sighed dramatically. "You know, I'm beginning to think capturing him was the easy part. Keeping him contained is going to be the real challenge."
Konan glanced at Malik once more, thoughtful and uncertain. "Perhaps," she conceded quietly. "But for now, let's just worry about getting him back safely. The Leader can deal with whatever chaos follows."
Tobi adjusted her grip, finally managing to secure Malik in a less compromising position. "Fine. But when this all blows up spectacularly—and we both know it will—just remember, I called it first."
Konan ignored the warning, focusing instead on leading them swiftly toward the exit. Whatever the Leader's intentions, she knew this was only the beginning of a dangerous game. Malik's unpredictable nature meant things could spiral out of control at any moment.
As they stepped into the moonlit night, Malik murmured softly again, still fast asleep. "Mmm... dough needs more cinnamon... Shisui, hold still..."
Tobi groaned loudly, her voice echoing into the night air. "Seriously, how is he still talking in his sleep?"
Konan sighed, resuming their swift march forward. "Just ignore him. Let's move quickly—I don't want to find out how long Kakashi stays distracted."