Prologue

On that fateful night, the words that started the Akatsuki down a different path were:

"Hey guys, I think I know how to bring Sasori back to life!"

These words were met with varying degrees of indifference but Deidara was positive it would work. He was willing to do anything to be rid of Tobi. So, he began his preparations. Then he cast his jutsu.

It worked. There were a few unfortunate side affects but it worked. Sasori was alive again.

There was very little celebration however.

Kakuzu was the first to wake up. After taking in his surroundings, he wished he was still sleeping; that it was all a bad dream. The hideout was a mess. Walls had fallen over, though thankfully not onto anyone. Furniture was scattered haphazardly around the place, some pieces upturned. As he looked around, he started to see parts of cloaks.

Closer inspection showed that the jutsu had affected the other members of the Akatsuki more than himself, and they were unlikely to wake up anytime soon. So, being the nice person he was, he cleared a space and began laying them out. After finding Hidan and moving him next to Itachi, Kakuzu went looking for the leader.

What he found, made him wish that he'd lived a full and happy life that had ended ten years previously.

"I'm too old for this shit!"