Chapter 128: When Everyone Around You Is in the Minority, the Normal Person Becomes the Minority
The Iwagakure shinobi were not idiots. If their ANBU could not tell that Kenichi and Sasori had stepped out so casually, that would have been the truly absurd part.
"Relax," Kenichi said with a smile, raising both hands in a harmless gesture. "We're members of Akatsuki. We came at the Tsuchikage's invitation to discuss cooperation."
Four opponents was a little annoying.
Capturing them alive without injury would be difficult, but if it came down to it, killing them would not be much trouble.
"Akatsuki?" The ANBU leader stared at him through an animal mask. "Are you Heavenly Demon?"
Kenichi sighed inwardly when he saw the masks.
Konoha really deserved its reputation as the trendsetter of the shinobi world. The Land of Fire founded Konoha first, and the other nations followed by building their own hidden villages. Now even the ANBU fashion had spread.
"Hm. The Tsuchikage already briefed you, right?" Kenichi kept his tone light. It sounded like some of them had been informed in advance, which made things easier.
"Wait here," the ANBU leader said.
He did not answer directly. Instead, he spoke quietly to one companion, then pressed a hand to his ear and murmured a few words.
Kenichi's eyebrow lifted.
A wireless earpiece?
He knew the shinobi world had radios, but actually seeing ninjas use them still felt strangely surreal. The level of technology here was always like that, advancing in a way that made no sense until you accepted it.
After a short moment, the ANBU leader lowered his hand and spoke again, his tone more respectful.
"Please wait, gentlemen. Lord Tsuchikage will arrive shortly."
Even with confirmation from the Tsuchikage, the ANBU leader did not relax. If anything, his vigilance sharpened.
After all, the one standing here was the Heavenly Demon, a rising star who had already made the major villages uneasy.
And the man beside him was recognizable too. No mask, red hair, that presence. Sasori of the Red Sand from Sunagakure.
The ANBU did not expect Sasori to have joined Akatsuki as well.
Then the ANBU's gaze flicked down.
Dark green nail polish.
Kenichi noticed immediately and could not help himself. "I'm telling you, Sasori, you should have refused when they offered to paint your nails."
Thinking about it made his head hurt.
Akatsuki had strange little rules. Nail polish. Manicures. Like they were running a missing nin compilation alongside their mercenary work.
Kenichi was perfectly happy seeing Konan wear nail polish because it looked good on her. He did not care if Orochimaru wore it either because Orochimaru was currently in a female body and it suited the appearance.
But Sasori?
That was harder to accept.
Sasori pouted at him. "The leader said it's the rule. And you're the most unruly person in the whole organization."
Kenichi did not argue. He was the only one who refused to wear it now.
Sasori had felt pressure under Pain's gaze and could not bring himself to stop, even if he wanted to. Kakuzu, after joining, saw everyone else wearing it and started wearing it too.
So in the end, only Kenichi remained bare nailed.
Kenichi sucked in a breath like he had been struck by sudden enlightenment. "Wait. If you put it that way… does that mean I'm the normal one among a group of abnormal people, which makes me the abnormal one?"
If one person around you was a pervert, then that person was abnormal.
If half the people around you were perverts, then anyone who opposed it got treated like the pervert.
But if everyone around you was a pervert, then the one who was not became the outsider.
At that point, abnormality became the norm, and normal became the exception. And exceptions were, by definition, abnormal.
"That makes sense," Sasori said seriously.
Every time he saw Kenichi, he felt like tearing off the nail polish. If Kenichi painted his nails too, Sasori would feel much better.
Kenichi fell into thought.
There was no chance he would paint his nails. It would look wrong to him, and he could not unsee it. But if the minority was considered abnormal, then maybe avoiding minority status was the smarter move.
Then again, the more urgent issue was Sasori's desire to stop wearing it.
Maybe he could trick Sasori into accepting it willingly.
"Sasori." Kenichi pressed a hand on Sasori's shoulder, his expression solemn.
"You need to understand something," Kenichi said gravely. "Painting your nails is a sign of the organization's trust. It proves the leader values you and accepts you as part of the family."
Sasori stared at him, expression turning strange, as if he could smell the trap but could not locate it.
Kenichi kept going, his tone unwavering. "Family. Do you get it? Family. This is trust, and you should repay that trust. And nail polish is a kind of almost eternal art of beauty. This is the leader's subtle way of showing he cares about you."
Kenichi was still talking.
Other topics might not hook Sasori, but family and timeless art were exactly the words that could dig into his mind.
"Is that so?" Sasori narrowed his eyes, suspicion rising.
Before he could dig deeper into the argument, an old man flew in from the distance and landed in front of them. He looked the two of them over with a cold, experienced gaze.
Kenichi released Sasori's shoulder and faced the newcomer seriously.
Ōnoki.
The owner of Kekkei Tōta.
The man who wielded Dust Release.
"Heavenly Demon?" Ōnoki's eyes sharpened as he assessed them. The two in front of him felt… frivolous. If someone did not know better, they would assume Akatsuki was a traveling comedy troupe.
"Yes," Kenichi said, stepping forward. Curiosity flickered in his eyes as he studied the old man.
This was Ōnoki.
If he could get a sample of Ōnoki's blood and create clones, who knew whether those clones could master Dust Release?
If it was possible, it would be incredible. Dust Release's power was no joke.
At that moment, movement caught Kenichi's attention.
The blond kid at the foot of the mountain was sprinting toward them, visibly excited. As the boy drew closer, Kenichi recognized him.
Deidara.
But the Deidara in front of him still looked young. His eyes were normal, and he did not yet carry the future vibe Kenichi remembered.
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