“He who controls others might be powerful – but he masters himself is mightier still “
Monk Lao-Tzu




The dust filled room cleared, leaving behind a ravished sight that consisted of two deaf shinobi and one very unfazed kunoichi. Without as much as a glance at the makeshift loudspeaker, she lifted two fingers just enough to be noticed – motioning the young blond idiot to descend into the now affirmed death trap, while two pairs of wide eyes watched her every move.

But she didn’t move, in fact she didn’t even glance at the blond young man standing before her. Her violet shaded ruby eyes stood cast over the thin folder that held her mission fact and statement- leaving the three young men to drown in a very awkward silence .

“I was just assigned a marginally irritating mission …” her voice finally cracked over the silence, while her elegant fingers slowly fallowed the small letterings in the papers before her . “And you … “ she added, while a pair of blue surprised orbs met a calm pair of violet eyes “Are my newest problem “ The noise level was kept unpredictably low, none of her two partners daring to neither question nor protest to the way she chose to treat the young alchemist- they knew better. And if getting the rug rat out of their hair required a little bit more calm and a lot less more killing then … hell , they could live with that .

“I’m sorry you were assigned this mission, but as far as I’m concerned I don’t need a bodyguard “ she spoke, her attention now completely turned towards the blond mop of hair that stood before her .

“If anything he does. “ He slipped, and he knew it was bad as soon as those cold menacing ruby eyes locked themselves onto him. Suigetsu swallowed hard, feeling a newly formed lump in his throat that seemed to strangely fallow the same pulse pattern as him newly risen heartbeat . “B-boss I’m sorry … I didn’t .. well you know what I mean … he is short and all –“

“Suigetsu …. You mouth is talkin’, you might wanna look into that !“ A low set hiss that barely stretched her lips cut his words short- and if Suigetsu was any less of a man he would admit to the newly felt need to sit down and breath into a paper bag. He never really could predict when she would unleash the venom she so carefully managed to hid from the rest of the world. But after years of struggling to understand how a single scared little girl could carry all that weight over her shoulders, and still manage to stand up and smile the very next day- he gave up trying to figure her out all together. He knew that Sasuke was closer to her and did indeed know her better, he also knew the past they shared and the level of understanding these two people he now dared call family had between each other . But he still couldn’t help to feel that there were times when the raven headed fool could predict and understand her better, and perhaps it was this feeling that made the white haired young man know that the Uchiha was more of a brother to her than he ever would be.

“Usuratonkachi …” was murmured over a pair of thin lips that seemed to be stretched to nonexistence .

“Shut up idiot …. I didn’t see you say anything abou-“ suigetsu mocking glare eyed the young Uchiha, feeling his blood begin to boil with the anticipation of yet another verbal sparing match.

“Exactly … I didn’t …” And just like that he won- the youngest Uchiha won yet again, ending the flare of rivalry before it even caught a chance to sting.

“Fuck …” was all his partner said just as he noticed their commander eyeing their little idiotism.

“Both of you … end this now … or I will end you both “ not a single peep was herd while a smirk drew itself over her powder peach lips with satisfaction. “Now then “ she continued looking down at the young blond “what am I ever going to do with you ?”

------

The night shift completely and utterly sucked Konan conclude while her delicate hand seemed to do anything in its power to hide the long yawn that creped up over the blue hair young woman. If it wasn’t so boring then maybe she wouldn’t have minded working out of the comfort her nice warm bed for a graveyard shit in the nza.

She stopped for a second – who would actually brake in the Akatsuki at 3 am … who would want to do it anyways ? you needed level 20 clearance even to mention God’s hands let alone walk freely in it, and with all the added security and traps that the commmader insisted on placing in, it was hard for a normal employee to get in at night … let alone for the poor bastard that actually thought he would get lucky robbing this place.

She sighed- ohh how she would miss that nice warm bed tonight, especially in this damp and depressing weather. She looked at her watch- and it was just 5 pm … oh this was going to be one of those nice long and grate days …. “The joy “ she chuckled to herself as she walked towards the conference room of the Gods Hands unit.

It was after 5, and most of the people in the Akatsuki would dart out around 3, so a nice quiet time with her new favorite book perhaps would do her some good, and help her get her mind off of the more … skin deep problems .


[i did less ]

~He who rules with his left, can rule the world~

[NZA building]

He felt proud. hands risen above his head and he face held high. the feeling of accomplishment has never been greater in a mans heart. he felt that it was a proud day for the Japaneses. for no other man in this world was capable of such "power". "It was a touching and painful battle my good friend. but only one of us could have been left standing." he said as he last on the victors throne. "this is were we part. i shall never forget you. for loosing you will be like loosing a part of myself." he said as he reached his hand towards the toilet paper only to find an empty roll of cardboard. "It seems this battle has yet to end" said gutts as he sat on the toilet....

[elevator]

Ed stands there amazed at how the young woman reacted. "You remind me of someone..." was what he wanted to say but the fear of comparing the young takamura to madara made him uneasy. "Well... now that we're al together. i'd liek to point out that this ws not my idea. not that i wouldn't love spending time with you and dumb and dumber over here, its just that i dont really think i fit in here." he said trying to ignore the killing intent that was floating around the the small elevator.

"well i hope we can all get along...so lets get this thing moving." said the young elric before claping his hand and putting them against the walls of the elevator. "whoops... just kidding." the elevator begins moving down once again....

[the mist]

"well... do you?" said pein with what seemed like a sadistic smile.

itachi look up at the face of his partner with a lost look on his face." do i what?" he asked clearly having not listened

pein couldn't help but let out a small playful laugh. "never mind. it doesn't matter.." said pein trying to conceal his disappointment .

"i never noticed before but you have a cute laugh. its really sweet." said itachi out of pure instinct and not thinking clearly

pein heart skipped a beat, and his face slowly became red. "umm... thank you i guess. we normally hang out alot but you've never said anything like that before..." said pein turning his body so that he could face itachi.

"well its nothing important, its just feels different because your..." but before he could finish his sentence he looked over at pein who was now facing him and he couldn't help but looks at her(his) body that was now covered in sweat. the distraction was too great for even itachi who had experience with hundreds(possibly thousands) of women, but this time it was difference because it was his closest friend.

"you ok itachi? you sweating to much take off you shirts. its not like anyone else is here to see you..." said pein not imagining what was going through his friends mind. pein still not noticing the real reason itachi is sweating the way he is, reaches over and begins to unbuttons his friends shirt. "dammit you didn't have to come with me if you were sick!"

Itachi still not thinking clearly looks down at his friends hand, and his heart begins to beat even faster. he thinks to himself "- he's right, we're all alone. no one could see us... no one would find out if i just... just once... its wouldn't even hurt... just one kiss...-" itachi starts moving towards his friend slowly. he moves froward looking into his friends eyes. "- he's not moving back... does that me she wants to... then its ok?...NO!.. i can't do this... i... i want to but i cant.-" itachi pauses inches way from a surprised peins face.

itachi slowly moves back staring at peins puzzled expression trying to analyze what his friend could be thinking. "- DAMMIT! what now... he must think im sick in the head... what do i do now... wha...-" before itachi could even finish his thought he found himself kissing his best friend. there lips pressed against one another. their tongues playfully wrapping around each other. pein couldn't' help but moan wiith just the thought of what they were doing...

"is that what you wanted?" said pein while licking a small drop of saliva that was left on the edge of his lips.

itachi in shock with his mind running a mile a minute is left speechless. he wasn't sure of what just happened was right or wrong, or if it was ok or not.. the only thing he could be sure of was... that it felt good... he reached one hand out and placed it on the side of peins face... he let out a small and playful smile... "i love hearing you moan..."

pein froze from embarrassment... his face red, not sure if he should feel insulted or flattered by the comment. he slowly lowers his face tills his eye sight lands and itachi's lap... "OH SHIT! that thing is huge!!!!"

"i know its big but its not like its abnormal is it?" said itachi feeling a bit proud.

"NOT YOU IDIOT!..." said pein in an almost frantic tone.

[deeper in the mist]


"I WAS TALKING ABOUT THAT!!!!!!" he completed his sentence as he stood in front of a giant beats... a giant... TAVOO!

[TAG: i promise i can do better next time.. im just really hungry... put up with it for now... thank you]

"Marshall your forces great Generals, for the cost of victory exceeds the cost of defeat."
("So Burn The Untamed Lands")


Fear, they say, is the purest mirror towards a soul, and the hardest truth towards a thought. Overcoming fear, mastering its demons and locking it away is a feat done by far and few – but in that moment, nothing could make the fair skinned young man wish for more, than a way to conquer and control those dam knees of his that kept giving away at the slightest chance of his commander being pissed of, or god forbid worst than that … disappointed. He swallowed, slowly, while her eyes drifted from him and landed on the shorted blond idiot in– god apparently was in a good mood today .

“Fair enough …” the young woman released a small chuckled looking down into a pool of azure blue eyes that seemed to analyze her completely. “No offence taken, not that I would take one anyway- and you’re welcomed to tag along as long as you understand that you might get to see some things that … well,Madara wouldn’t approve of. “ her voice rang melodiously calm, as the young woman turned to face the door just before it opened “But …” she added taking a step and looking over her shoulder “By all means … do inform him. “ a pair violet eyes daggered over her shoulders before she turned around and marched don the marble hallways . Good mood my ass .

Three hallways, two flights of stairs and a few run-ins with a couple of either scared or lost genin lead the oddly paired group in front of a large wooden and intricatly carved bamboo door .

“What are we doing here? I thought that after our last-“

“We are here because we completed what was stated for us to do. It s only fair that we inform our superior of the progress and hand him over the intel’ we gathered “ the young woman flashed a fairly relaxed and well calculated smile at the three men that looked puzzled back at her- one in particular more than the rest .

“Mr Erlic ….” Her voice shot our demanding, never turning her eyes towards the young man “We are here to finish our last mission- we were chosen to undergo a very covert S class mission into Suna “ she paused “General Aburami was our contact, and the person who gave us our mission … this is where we cut ties with the likes of him and deliver the goods …. “ her voice was harsh, strict and to the point, and to the two men that knew her better, that sounded somehow different from what they were normally accustomed to . Something was off

“Boss … “ Suigetsu dared to brake the silence “Is there something …. The matter ?”

“No …“ and that was all there was too it, nothing was wrong, nothing ever was, even when it was. Nothing ever broke that shell and somehow the two idiots that fallowed her blindly got the impression that at least this part of her was never going to let them break it.



-----------

A pair of peach tinned wooden doors opened with a low and hefty screech that made the young Uchiha for a moment squirm his eyes, while they parted a way towards a dark and dim office that housed their superior.

General Aburami was a disquieting old man. Part of a generation that looked down on the role of a woman in a man’s army regardless of how gifted she was, and that frowned upon those whom fallowed one even more. He was a tall man, in his late 50’s, with a disappearing hairline and more than a few gray hairs. He was regarded by the brass as a hero, an old time veteran in a time where being a shinobi actually meant more than just the ‘death’ part- but to his hero attitude, this old man managed to add a sexist side and a mean streak that seemed to shine best when he was in the company of this particular young woman . To put it simple … they didn’t tolerated each other .

“You’re late! “ was sprung over the mahogany desk right off the bat towards a pair of calm purple eyes .

“You’re lying .“ she gave a slight bow and approached the desk with a n even slighter arck in her lips.

“What did you just say to me ? “ two very distinct gulps were herd from behind the young woman. And suddenly Sasuke and Suigetsu remembered why they hated seeing these two in the same room together .

“Well …” she began tilting her head arrogantly at the man “you are well aware that we arrived two hours earlier than planned, with the goods and the mission statements cleared and ready. So your decision to get tetchy and say I’m late, means that you’re looking to put me on the defensive right up front “ violet eyes locked with the tiered brown, while the man’s shoulders suddenly began to stiffen at the very sound of her voice “Which .. in turn means something went wrong- and since we know it didn’t went wrong on my end, why don’t we start again with you telling us … what’s up, sir ?” the mans fists clenched, while his thick brows came together to form a determined frown . The two idiots however just stood still, looking at each other and concluding silently that this is what ‘smelling Armageddon’ must be like.

“You’re later than I would have liked “ he eased his voice in a more relaxed tone

“We’re … sorry … you feel that way ?”it was Suigetsu this time who delivered the slightly confused and passive apology, while the mans demonic smirk flashed at his commander.

“If you would have arrived a few hours earlier… “ the man trailed on while his fingers held up a digital flyer “You might have beaten the cortex that stated ‘ shinobis were spotted stealing suna research last night in the sand sector’ “ silence slipped over the room. Slowly, the young woman took a single step towards the desk.

“They didn’t know it was us …It doesn’t lead to you. “ she concluded, her cold violet eyes narrowing at the sight of the cortex .

“No .. its doesn’t … but Suna imprinted research might. “ the young raven headed Uchiha closed his eyes … this is what she was nervous about .

“We didn’t pick the mission … sir. We are soldiers, you said jump “ her tone suddenly stood a few levels higher

“And I didn’t fuck it up!” the man quickly fallowed her example

“Now wait a minute general that’s not fair “ Suigetsu cut in making the old man bellow out a sadistic laughter

“Crime and politics little boy- the situation is always … fluid “ he concluded looking straight back at the thorn in his side in Takamura form .

“The only thing fluid I see here is the puddle of piss wiling and able to hang us by our gonads “ the venomous hiss of the Uchiha cut through the air like a blade , but was quickly silenced - a single finger raised by his commander saw to that .

“It doesn’t have to go this way… “ she spoke looking directly into the man’s eyes, inching away towards him “You can still upload the file, it was your order and your intel – we did our job to the letter … so I cant help to think there’s more to this “ she hissed, her jaw clenching as the man got closer as well .

“I don’t like you ..” he spoke bluntly

“I’m not asking you to like me … sir”

“What were you in the war ?” he smirked, looking back at her, while Kinonai’s fists clenched harder till the point in which she could swear she felt her nails leave small indents in her skin . “You know the war that was 5 years ago …17 maybe ? And a sergeant at that . Sergeant Kinonai Takamura . Big time army girl … just like your old man “ his laughter now reached an almost demonic level, just as the young woman began to feel her self control slipping . “The Shuu Bayonet Brigade ….and now .. You’re a commander, and in charge of your own Anbu team . Only .. you see .. I think you’re still a sergeant. A woman of honor in a den of thieved “ his breath was close enough to smell “Only its my god dam den , and I don’t like the way you looks down at me” He took a step back, while the two men behind her had to constrain themselves from lunging towards the bumbling tub of lard . The mocking laugh was enough make any man spring at him in a proclamation of rage and furry … but not her . She stood calm and still- observing his joys and lows while her cold eyes never left him . “I’m above you, better than you “ he then added, walking away from the young woman “I’m a general! You’re a commander. I have roots in the core, you’re nothing but a dam bagman to me !You come and go at my beck and call – and I say go GET OUT!”

In the very next second the man began regretting his words, while a slow superior smile began stretching the young woman’s plump lips

“Maybe I’m not a fancy general “ her voice came out low, controlled, calculated- while her feet inched her closer into the mans personal space “ …like yourself …and you’re fine shiny starts “ she added looking over his jacked that was adored with the tale tale starts that proclaimed his status “But I do my missions .I fallow orders. I take care of my men – and I say I fallowed your orders … sir “ the man began feeling the need to sit down, and after a quick retreat behind his dest he finally spoke

“Try explaining that to the chief … he might listen, then again … it is your word against mine “ the small snarl that blurred itself over his lips made the man for a second seem almost demonic “But if you don’t remove yourself from my office I’m sure you’ll get the a nice bullet through the brain pan … I have that feeling “ a pair of violet eyes narrowed at the threat, eyeing the general from tip to toe- summoning her odd at slashing his throat and watching him die in less than ten seconds.
Before the old man could add another word, she turned sharply towards the large doors that opened before her murmuring over her shoulder “Wheel never stops turning Aburami “ . It wasn’t worth it .
“That only matters to people like you “ Wrong, she could have done it in 5

---

If there were words to express the amount of fear the two idiots felt as they walked out of the office, in the shadow of their commander , and watched her literally punch a whole straight through a wall- then by everything that was wholly to them, they would need them now . Anger at this point failed to describe the bundle of frustration that was the young woman. Nothing that they would say was about to make it better- not after a mission carried flawless only to be stabbed in the back by your superior. Somehow though, the white haired young man managed to squeeze out a sentence :

“Kinonai .. you –“ he froze, his breath held by a pair of beautiful purple eyes that seemed to scream rage all on their won

“I know …” was all that was added over the entire issue. “I think I might have broken something “ she chuckled – clenching and unclenching the abused fist “But I need to cause some damage … and if you three boys don’t mind … I’m going to the gym to make sure they have something to rebuild “

“S-shure … “ the two men looked at each other “.. w-we’ll go to?” Suigetsu hollered back just as the young woman disappeared behind a corner but not before adding her trademarked ‘whatever’ back at him .



[ I am sooo sorry for this monster ]

maybe im just crazy, or the devil got inside, either way my soul is gone and i'll end this all tonight... - 3 doors down

He could hear everything from outside the office. he just leaned there against the wall next to the door and waited for them to finish their "conversation". he saw as the irritated takamura walked out of the generals office and smashed a hole in the wall.

Edward felt a bit annoyed by the arrogant acts of the so called "war hero" after hearing how such a respected man truly behaved behind closed doors.not even bothering to notice the two men who walked out of the room along with the young takamura Edward slides his hand into his left pocet and pulls out his cell phone.

"hello? yeah, well be needing a repair crew someone seems to have made a whole in the wall out side of General Aburami's office.... oh and please send a moving crew later this afternoon. MISTER aburami wont be needing his office anymore..." said the young Elric before hanging up his cellphone. "Maybe at his next job he'll sound proof his cubical.

the young elric turn in the opposite direction from where the young takamura was heading. as he left he looked back over her right shoulder at the to men standing out side of the door. "Oh and can you guys please tell Ms takamura something for me?"... he stopped walking and gave them a faint smile. "tell her i said: She has no idea what a man like madara will approve of. we are who we are for a reason. its not just a title." he began walking away again placing his hand in his pockets. "oh, and dont go anywhere with out me!". he added as he turned the corner....

---

[the mist]

"can't you summon them back, or something?" said the almost frantic voice of the young uchiha as he began to dress himself.

"What for? its not like i cant replace those bodies later. besides theres something i want to find out... and why the hell are you getting dressed?"

"I guess you right. i just got a little worried is all... you kind of imortal in a way." said itachi calming himself down... "and what do you mean why am i getting dressed? you want ... m..more?" he said not sure of what exactly was going through pein mind.

"more? is that what you want?" said the orange headed girl trying not to laugh.

"and what if i said yes?" asked the interested uchiha.

"Then i'd remind you the im a guy and ask you again." responed pein as his normally playful smile seemed to fade away in a strange form of sadness.

itachi sad silently. as if the thought of pein being a man had completely slips his mind... "i honestly dont know what to say." he couldn't even bring himself to look back at pein.

"Oh..." was the only thing that slipped past the young mans lips has his he looked out the window with a serious face which was an rare sight when talking about pein. "Time to get to work."

---

[deeper into the mist]

pein stood fearless and without breaking a sweat looking at the gigantic animal from three different points of view.. "-no matter how i look at this this its fucking huge... i better end this quickly-". the god path swiftly shifted his eye to the asura path. and with a simple nod of the head the asura path shot 3 flaming arrow missiles at the enormous beasts eyes trying to blind it for a moment. the god path stood infront of the asura path who had just pulled out 4 extra arms from the sides of his body. and with another simple motion from the god path, the asura path grabed him with all six arms and used his abnormal strength to throw god path directly above the animals head. god path pulled out a black sword shaped blade and stabbed it into the beasts head. "i've been dieing to see how well i can use this....Banshō Ten'in!" he said before ripping the inside of the animals brain out. "still need practice i guess." he added as the large beast collapsed and he jumps off of its blood stain head.

As the god and asura paths fought the forth body also known as the human path was calmly scouting the area.... and three men vanished into the mist

[the mist] {Itachi's car.}

"i found car tracks... judging by the size and intelligence of those beast i doubt they can drive... lets go." said pein in a cold tone with even bothering to look over at itachi.

itachi sat n silence and started off the engine.... the rest of the ride was spent in silence...

---

[NZA building] {gym}

the punching bag swung as he delivered a reverse back kick with his left leg followed by a front right kick. he calculated the time of the swinging bag and delivered a liver punch followed by a right hook. then a short left uppercut and a right straight. but before every hit Roy seemed to snap his fingers.

"why on earth do you snap your finger before hitting? are you trying to dance or something." said gutts who seemed to be getting out of the shower.

"well the only way to make things more painful is if the places i hit were burned before i hit them... dont u think?" he replyed with a smile as he continued to assault the punching bag."and did u just take a shower BEFORE working out?" he added after noticing the wet hair on gutts's head.

"dont ask..." he said as he remembered he forgot to flush...

[tag: I came, I saw, I hit'em right dead in the jaw!]

"The loyal heart has hidden treasures.
In secrets kept, in silence sealed."

Commander Zing Bex "The Art of Secrets"


Great acts are made up of small deeds- a sum of equilibrium that brakes through the callous and mendacity that we surround ourselves in, and brings light to the night’s peace. Each of our choices will inevitably crawl their way back to our subconscious, and for every single mistake, we will eventually end up mentally punishing ourselves, slowly analyzing and backtracking on the single idea that maybe … just maybe , we could have reacted better, treated the matter differently … somehow.. Make everything right … just … by wishing it.

But what happens when the sum of your small deeds doesn’t combine into one grate act ? What happens when you realize that all your decisions up till now, have been one never-ending ride of self sabotage- in which you not only take yourself down, but also the people that fallow you ?

What happens … when you disappoint?

A pair of high heals clanked over the pristine marble floor that lead to the nza gym, while one young kunoichi tried to settle the storm that was reaching havoc on her mind. It happened again … was the only thought that was being processed – in her haste, in her irresponsibility, in her idiocy she forgot that she was answering for not only her career but also for the career of the people that fallowed her .

“It happened again …” she murmured just above a whisper before pulling the sweatshirt over her head, not even realizing that she was alone in the small little locker room.

She finished changing faster than she hopped – a pair of quarter long sweat pants and an oversized sweatshirt replacing the usual uniform that the anbu had to wear at all time. Meaningless violence was now a necessity.
======================\===========================






The next few minutes were spend in silence, while her eyes slowly judged each blow that
the young man delivered to the punching bag that seemed to have wronged him in some way. She stood still, crossing her hands over her chest and leaning against the doorframe that seemed to lock the gym in its own private little world while her eyes lid up each time the man snapped his fingers – anticipating the spark and pain that his fighting stile would deliver to a would be victim.

The movements were clean, precise and almost surgical- specifically designed to bring more pain than immediate death- each punch meticulously calculated to hit just above the cluster of nerves that would deliver the biggest amount of hurting. In a way it was cruel, but at the same time … in a very twisted way it was incredible. Slowly her arms unclenched, the muscles relaxing while her hands quickly found cover in the comfort of her pant pockets – The Akatsuki were indeed terrifying.

======================\==========================

“We should have gone with her !” chimed through the hallways and bounced over the ears of a very annoyed Uchiha while his white haired friend proceeded to irritate and stress the little patience he had left . “Oi ! Did you hear me ?! I said we shouldn’t leave her alone! We should be there with her. “

“No … we shouldn’t. “A cold and callous reply was shot over his shoulder while a pair of dark eyes pierced cold blue.

“Why the fuck not…? You know how she’s gonna blame herself.” the man’s pace hurried to match his friends, while they rushed through the hallways towards what could only be defined as the darkest corner of underground quarters that the nza could fathom.

“She always does. “

“Then … ? Why not stop her before she hurts herself more? “Suigetsu’s voice came to a slow stop just as they reached a large pair of bolted doors- the text over them reading in bold read lettering: ‘Rat House’.

Both men stood still and straightened their posture before a thin red light passed over their bodies.

-Identification confirmed. Welcome Captain Uchiha. Welcome Captain Umino – A low female voice came from a nearby speaker before the doors opened in front of the two men.

“Because “the young Uchiha continued, passing through the doors “You know how this will end: we go over there, she is probably punching the daylights out of something. We say it’s gonna be okay, and she yells at us … and then she goes home to drink herself to sleep. “He added before coming to a left turn.

“I know that but still …”

“No! … Understand this by now, she does things her way “

“Who does things her way? “A young redheaded woman asked while catching up to them.

“Kinonai …” The Uchiha added looking back at the girl over his shoulder “Chuckles here apparently thinks she needs rescuing. “

“Ahhh … noooo … “ The woman chuckled, turning towards Suigetsu “She would eat you alive. “
“Shut up ya old witch … who asked you! “ he hissed between his teeth before calling after the young captain “ Look… Uchiha you know I’m right! “

The reply failed to come. Instead the young white haired man received a long and awkward silence that stretched itself till they reached the ‘Main House’

The Rat House was basically their only crowning achievement, given to them just after the end of the last chimera attack over 3 years ago. It was for all of them a second home, regardless the condition it came in. They all chipped in, a bit here and there and managed to bring it up to living conditions – and a few more begs and pleads, not to mention a lot of twisted arms and blackmail finally got them a few months back, enough equipment and tech that they could finally call this a headquarters.

Though the outside of the underground facility of the NZA left lot of room for improvement- the rat house had a strange warmth about it that made whoever entered here feel a strange sentiment of disarmament . Maybe it was the warm azure and brick read colors that Kinonai picked for the walls , or perhaps it was the unusual placing of the odd plant in the empty corners – But whatever it was it made their job seem less gloomy and more welcoming .

However – if the Rat house was their home, then the Main house was definitely their play room . Placed right in the middle of their compound, the Headquarters or ‘Main House’ as they affectionately dubbed it, was their center of command and where most if not all of their equipment was housed. Their surveillance and information came through the dozens of screens and computers that covered the walls- in front of which 3 couches enclosed a low rising, sate of the art, hallow cortex.

The young Uchiha stopped in the middle of the room, running his pale fingers through midnight black hair while his eyes went over the wall to wall monitors and surveillance equipment- reading the random information that popped out of the hallo cortex.

“Uchiha! “ snapped him back to his senses, making his eyes shift involuntarily towards the sound source “You know I’m fucking right ! “

“No …” the man began, releasing a long breath he didn’t even know he was holding ”…you’re not. Now for the last time: Leave the commander alone “His eyes narrowed the man in front of him for brief second, daring him to answer- before he dropped himself over the pale green couch trying to seek some comfort.

“You all know I’m right …” Suigetsu murmured to himself before burying himself in the corner of the right side couch .

“Give it up Tuna … you know she doesn’t want you there “ The read headed woman chuckled, slowly pushing her dark rimmed glasses up .

“Like you’d know, Karin …” the man sulked in his defeat, looking away from the girl and setting his eyes on the remote in front of him . If he wasn’t about to win this argument , them it would make more sense to see if he’s won some money over today’s hokey final . He smirked to himself- the idea of sudden riches and beautiful women dressed in over revealing underwear, bathing him in chocolate and subsequently liking it off, beginning to crawl into is devious little mind. “Fine then ...if you guys don’t mind I’d like to catch some news “ he chuckled just as his dark haired friend squirmed his eyes at the idea of yet another sound source added to the room .

“Keep it down .“ The Uchiha shifted, turning his back away from the screen and nuzzling his face into the soft armrest .

“What news …?” the girl added a follow-up question

“Well … “Suigetsu smirked to himself, leveling the volume so the game wouldn’t make the Uchiha want to lock him away in a 73 hour induced trauma. “The Red Socks and the Rangers are up against the finals... and I bet half of my last weeks check on it and – “ but he didn’t get to finish his tirade as a very large and menacing looking shadow suddenly creped over him .

“WHAT DID YOU DO? “A low voice hissed from the shadow while Suigetsu swore that he could see the dark aura rising from it .

“What? … I just …?.. Come on …” he tried to explain

“I am so disappointed in you ….” The large man spoke again, clenching his fists “ You know betting is a SIN! “ he raised his voice just high enough to make the young exhausted Uchiha glare over his shoulder .

“Calm down Jugo …” Sasuke mumbled in a low groggy voice “It’s his money, he can do whatever he wants with it “

“Yeah what he said. “ Suigetsu chuckled, swallowing the lump that found its way in his throat .

“But come on you guys ..” the large man’s voice suddenly became much gentler before he sat on the couch that faced Suigetsu’s . “In the bible it says clearly … betting and wagging money for profit is a sin. Now wouldn’t you be disappointed to find out that you went to hell over a little bet ?”

“Yeah, trust me... I’m going to hell for stuff bigger than that. “Suigetsu chuckled, turning up the volume just as his large friend began going on a tirade about hellfire sins and devils .

It may have been the day he had, it may have been the fact that he didn’t sleep the night before , or perhaps the sudden topic of choice or the noise pollution that spiked and rang into his ears – but whatever it was it made the young Uchiha lose it . He frowned at the cheering sounds of the hokey fans that rang through the cortex, and the protest that came from Jugo’s bible orientated preaching’s - pressing the small pillow over his head and trying for the life of him to calm down, but it was no use .

When his eyes shot opened they were stained with the crimson read of the mangekyou … and almost in perfect synchronism each of the sound polluters found their silence

“Would you all SHUT THE FUCK UP! “

"A small forest near north of the borders of konoha"

From tree branch to tree branch,Kensei was leaping quickly he looks behind him to see that that shadow is still pursuing him."fuck,he is fast",suddenley the shadow behind him fires a kunai with an explosive tag in front of him,despite his speed Kensei is unable to dodge it and he is caught in the blast.As he collapses on the floor the shadow draws closer to him and reaches inside his cloak,he drew a small katana and raised it high in the air-Kensei slowly tried to reach for his sword on is back but the sword is not there and the hooded figure swings down the blade hard.

Kensei sat up quickly with sweat covering his body all over,he slowly raised his hand and placed it over his scar and muttered "that bitch....".suddenly his eyes liquefied into small black polls,his feral senses were triggered by a noise coming from outside,his location was compromised again,the small house was quickly surrounded by ANBU operatives.Kensei stood up slowly and walked over to his wardrobe and picked up his twin revolvers.

A few moments later 7 of the ANBU operatives stormed the house but there was no person inside."clear" shouted one of the operatives as they all stood down and lowered there guard suddenly a scream of pain was heard from outside the house all the operatives ran outside to see Kensei breaking the neck of the last operative who was left outside,he looked at them and said "ANBUs,they are like mosquitos,you can never kill enough of them." As he drew one of the revolvers and fired 4 bullets at the ANBU operatives,killing the captain and 2 others.Before the other operatives could react to the situation Kensei had appeared in front of them and kicked one of them through the window,he quickly span and grabbed the other 2 by there necks and lifted them both high in the air before slamming them as hard as he can on the floor,killing both of them. he stood up and started looking around and said "wasn't there another one?".He turned around to see the final one of them preforming the hand seals of the Katon Goukakyuu no Jutsu

"Fire Type; Grand Fireball Skill" and shot a massive ball of flame on Kensei. after a while the ninja stopped the attack and started panting and whispered "i did it....i killed him" as the smoke cleared the ANBU's eyes met a horrible scene,Kensei had survived the attack and was walking towards him while his clothes were burning and smoke coming out from his body as the burn wounds on his body were regenerating.the ANBU collapsed on the floor and started crawling away from Kensei in a desperate attempt to escape. Kensei slowly walked up to him and kicked him in the stomach flipping him over and said "you son of a bitch....that was my fave shirt" he said as he raised his foot and curb stomped the ANBU smashing his skull.

Control and restraint are two very different things, and the now rage foaming Uchiha was slowly coming to terms with this life altering notion. Regardless of the fact that the room was now turned upside-down, regardless of the fact that his teammates were either running for his life or hiding under the coffee table, and never mind the fact that the couch had been chidoried – he was not losing control dam it . He was simply choosing to not restrain his anger, anger bought on by insane work conditions, an annoying fish boy, a sex obsessed glasses wearing freak and a bible thumping animal loving bastard, and all of these little facts conspiring to keep him up for the past 3 days straight . So no … he was not losing control, even if he threatened Sui to quote ‘Amaterasu the S**t out of him ‘.
God forbid this was ‘losing control ‘.

But his tirade of chaos came to an abrupt end when three distinct beeps came from the central cortex. The halloscreen lid up in the middle of the room, with a very noticeable Akatsuki logo that identified the caller ID.
“Shit …!” the Uchiha murmured, slowly walking towards the cortex prepared to deal with either one of his living relatives and the amount of condescending mockery that would come with it . “Rat House HQ “he finally answered, greeted by the sight of Madara’s scornful face .

“Why is your couch on fire ?” straight, to the point, and filled with venom – and for a second Sasuke actually entertained the idea that if his uncles voice could kill, it would probably be declared a weapon of mass destruction. He chuckled, god this was so not the time to smile.

“We had a little … um … accident .” Suigetsu, who finally decided to come out in the open spoke up, earning a small frown and an understandable amount of silence from the otherwise emotionless Akatsuki leader .

“I … see … “ the old Uchiha spoke flatly. “ Very well then, obviously the house is
a mess because the children were left unsupervised- “

“Hey!” the white haired man called out “We aint kids …”

“Then am I to understand that Takamura is with you ?” the Uchiha asked, lifting one eyebrow and making the young anbu shake in his place .

“N-no …”

“Then you are children making a mess while the adult is away . Inform your captain, whenever she reaturns- that I have sent one of my men to retreat and …assed “

“Why would she care ….?” It was sasukes turn this time to tempt fate, and try his
luck in angering the demon .

“She would , believe me. Just tell her its Kensei.” Before any other words of protest or questions could be asked the connection was terminated, leaving one devastated room to be filled with the inconsistent profanities that came from littlest Uchiha .

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

On the northern borders of Konoha however, the smell of blood took place of shouted profanities.

Bodies collapsed over one another, maimed mutilated and tortured. The dyed fast,
but with enough precision to allow their last minutes on this god given earth to be filled with glorious pain.

He smiled- who knew Jhasin would send him such a pray on a plain looking day as this. The man already killed his entire team and was now , by all apparent reasons, stalking him – the adrenalin rush that the anticipation of sacrificing this man made his blood boil, it almost felt like he was alive again, it almost felt as beautiful as serving Jahsin himself .

He drew his scythe, and liked his lips – ohh he was about to enjoy this.

“Come out come out wherever you are …” a chuckle “Little sacrifice …. Little sacrifice … do the right thing and give yourself to my god .”

"Small forest,nnorthern boarders of Konoha"
A smirk stretched his lips- the man had gutts, he liked that, it meant that maybe he'd have a bit more fun with this than he originally thought he would.

His eyes drifted towards the ground for a moment, the sea of blood and death that once were named anbu chilling the surface of the earth. He loved this to much, and he mildly seemed aware of it.

He gripped the pack of smokes in his hand, one last cigarete before the fun started all over agaian. No matter, he would enjoy it regardless. It took 3 tries to get the lighter fluid to ignite, but the feel of nicotine in his system was something he swore he'd never give up on.
"sweet cancer sticks.....I have to thank Danzou for giving me those regeneration abilities" he whispered to himself.he closed his eyes for a moment and blew out a large cloud of smoke,his hand slowly slipped behind his back as he was clearly trying to draw his gun.
"you know,I can hear you unstable breathing,so hiding won't do you any good,so how about you come out,ANBU?"

"somehwhere in a town near Forest of Death"

"Gah....shit" cursed da short girl. A walk for two days did the job, she felt tired and she was hungry, and she definetly needed some rest and peace before she would start again her trip to Konoha.


===in a different town===

"Hello, may i help you miss?" said the chubby, white haired man from behind his desk.
"Yeah...yeah i guess you can...umm...do you know Kinonai?" she asked slowly. She mentally cursed for not having more information to give him. A fucking name doesnt say a thing when u want to find a person, there can be hundred of Kinonai's in the village, and she really didnt had the mood to start knocking at everyone's house and ask "Are you Kinonai? u know i am your sister". It was hopeless and impossible and she wished she could've take more than just a name from her mother, but knowing how she was, stubborn and demanding, it would've been a totally waste.

"You mean Kinonai Takamura? from the Takamura clan?" asked the man, fear could be read in his wrinckled eyes.
She made a face, turned and left the market, leaving a pale man behind her.

"Why everybody makes this face when i say this damn name" she cursed under her breath and started to walk towards the towns exit when a hand reached and grabed her.
"What the..?" Akane's eyes were examining the person who just stopped her. He wasnt tall,maybe just a couple of inches taller than her, his hair was long and blond, worn in a high pony tail and his clothes were dingy. The fact that made Akane frown was his features. He couldnt be more than 14 years, yet he was strong.
"May i help you?" she asked in calm voice.
"I heard you talking with the gramp" he grinned and loosed the grip on her hand, but he didnt let go. "I know where you can find Kinonai"
Akane raised a delicate eyebrow at those words and mentally laughed "Kid, i dont have time to play with you" she turned around, but the grip tighten again. She was really beggining to be pissed off and she didnt liked when she made a scene in a crowded place. "Kid, im begining to lose my patience with you, so why dont you go to mommy to give you some baby food, i have work to do and you are really staying in my way" she jerked her arm from the grip and walked away.
"But i know who you are looking for" he ran behind her.
"As everyone did before"
"No no i really do...look just trust me, i know where she is" he jumped in her face, and stoped her again.
She stared wide eyed into his green eyes and blinked.
She blinked twice.
"Wait...before you punch me, i am gonna give you the information you need" he raised his arms in front of him to stop any attack that might've come from her.
"You know the Forest of Death? well is not like that actually, but if..."
"You.Really.want.me.to.kill.you?" her breathing was heavy, yet her face was calm, and still wide eyed.
"WHOA! garl you need to calm down you know...neway the person you need to find is in Konoha, Leaf village" and with that he poofed.
"Fuck!" she cursed. "But....Leaf...damn why should i trust a damn kid, i bet he didnt even knew about who was i talking" she shook her head and started to walk to the nearest bar to have the strongest sake she ever had in her life.


============================================


After she found a free room at on of the towns Inn's, she went to the hot spring. She could feel how her bones relaxed under the presure of the hot water. All she needed now was some sleep and tomorrow at dawn she would start the trip.
"Che...is till cant believe i just listened to that brat" she splached the water with her fist, causing little waves, unclearing the surface. For a second she stoped breathing, and listened to the surroundings. Another number of movements were heard behing the hot spring doors, before a young woman made her appereance.

She sighed and got up,wrapped a towel around her slim waist and left the room.



============================================


As she planned, she took off at dawn.

"What the hell, might aswell go to every fucking direction every fucking person tells me...is not like i have something else to do" she groaned as she leaped from tree to tree. She had all her senses opened to maximum, her hand near to her ninjato and the other to her kusarigama. She couldnt trust the kid, what did he knew about the forest after all.

"I WILL find you Kinonai, even if it's the last thing i do"

Forest of Death – northern edge of Konha’s grate wall

He smirked a sadistic pleasure filled grin – the man before he seemed to powerful that he could almost feel Jhasin bless him for the blood he was about to shed. He’s been hunting him for a good month now, dropping everything and obeying his commanders orders- this man was, if he could recall Madara’s exact words, ‘a quintessential part of the plan.’, and with little contact to HQ in the past couple of days the plan of killing and blaming it on self defense suddenly made more and more sense to him. He had to do it, he went almost six months without offering a single sacrifice, and his god was furious.

No, this had to be done – regardless of what Madara said – this was going to happen.

“I’m not anbu you genetic freak of nature , I’m Akatsuki .” the man smirked, gripping his scythe “Now prepare to dye fucker !” muscles tense and ready to jump, he ran he ran as fast as he could towards his target-his eyes wide and filled with rage and pleasure .This was is, he was finally going to appease his god- and then …he stopped. His body froze, mid run he froze.

“W-what the F**k is this S**t ?!” the rage in his voice quaking the otherwise silent forest.

“Genetic freak eh ?” a voice chimed behind him, making the white haired man’s violet eyes widen .

No, this feeling

“Funny S**t, considering it came from a man that kills himself everytime he kills somebody …”

This chakra, it cant be .

“Hello Hidan – fancy meeting you here … How’s the neck ?”

F**k .

“Nara …” his eyes narrowed, while every fiber in his body screamed to be free . “ I should have known”

“Well …” the ponytailed man smiled, releasing the rip of his shadow manipulation jutsu just enough to make the akatsuki face him. “Madara thought you’d try to kill your target- so he send an anbu squad after you- your tracking skills are impeccable Hidan” he man smiled arrogantly earning a dark frown from his victim .”But your social skills lack ethic.” He added before turning towards his target.

“You must be Kensei – The nza has been searching for you for a long time,and we’re here to ask for your help”


======================================================================

Konoha- NZA building


“WHAT THE F**k DID YOU DO TO MY RATHOUSE…!!!?” ahh if words could kill, Sasuke thought to himself quietly, allowing his superior to tirade around the room. It was his fault after all , and god knows he deserved what was coming to him.

If only her punches didn’t feel like close encounter with death every time they hit.

“N-now b-boss…” Suigetsu tried to calm her down. “It’s not just his fault you know …we kinda angered the beast to …”

“Shut up Tuna !” she screamed over her shoulder before eyeing the now shaking Uchiha .”I smell chidory, don’t I and a few katons …”

“Yes …” yes yes that’s it relly on your stoic upbringing, avoid eye contact, try not to anger it more .

“Why …?” her voice was now ice cold, and if her eyes could burrow through his head he was now sure they would kill.

“Because … I was tiered “

“Ohh .. well by all means, god forbid anybody should keep the Uchiha away from his beauty rest.” That one earned him a few snickers and chuckles from the fish boy. F**k. “You will fix this. Do you understand ?”

“Yes.”

“Good. Now what did Madara want ?”
Silence- in all the commotion they actually forgot to give her the message transcript. In a speed that only ninjas can claim to have, Jugo jumped across the burning conch and retreated the flexy message from the Akatsuki commander.

“Um … he said he send one of his teams to retreat an ‘assed’ – he said you would know the name …Kensei.” the man read and awaited for the normal ‘ok’ from his commander, but it never came . The silence that filled the room shook the man to his core, he never saw her like this – her usual emotion filled eyes were cold and lifeless, her fists were gripped and if he didn’t know any better he could swear he saw her shake in rage.

“Boss …?”

“It’s nothing – I never thought they’d find Kensei again. “ she whispered lowering her head just enough to let her bands shadow her eyed. “Finish cleaning up. I have to have a small chat with the Uchiha “

---Forest of Death---



Her pace slowed down as she saw the village. Maybe she had 3 or 4 hours untill she would get there. It was already night and she had to stop for a while, take a rest and eat something.

She checked the surrounding for a medow and after she spotted one she jumped on the ground. It was a nice clear one with a river next to it, it was almost perfect, but as her feet hit the ground she felt a powerfull chakra.

"What the-" she stopped and looked around. She heard voices far away, 2 miles north.
"There are tree" her face was emotionless. Her hand moved on her kusarigama, ready for any kind of attack. She closed her eyes and started to focuse on the voices.

"What the F**k is this shit" someone shouted, cutting the deadly silence that covered the forest.

Opening her eyes, she turned towards the voices came. She opened her eyes and looked that way.

"Tree men. One pony tailed and two white haired." she smirked and tighten her grip on the weapon. Fighting in the middle of the forest was nothing new, but she didnt thought is gonna be one while she was there.

"Me and my awesome luck" she sighed and jumped on a tree to have a better view. She centered her chakra inside so no one could feel it, but she had a feeling it was late.

"Is no reason to hide anymore, might aswell go and see what is happening there"

She jumped and start running, preparing herself for what will start.

The men were powerfull, and she saw that one of them was wearing some kind of uniform, with a leaf sign on it.

"Maybe he is from Konoha" she thought as she jumped silently from a branch to another.

The wind was blowing hot from time to time and the moon's light was giving an orange light above the forest, giving the trees a starnge colour. She hated forests, and she hated the smell of soil mixed with mold.


=====================================

One last jump and she stopped on the mossy soil. She was near the two men, she could clearly hear their breathing. She strolled towards them, not wanting to apppear suddently, but to give them time to adjust with her arrival.

She was calm, emotionless, like she was always when serious problems occured. She was prepared for what would come.

Smirking, she raised her chin and looked at the white haired man, obviously under a jutsu, then moved her sight towards the one that controled the jutsu, then the other one. 'They are pretty cute and strong' she mentally said, smiling a genuine smile. She eyed them again and leaned against a tree, crossing her arms.

"Evening gentlemen"

If there was any ounce of control left in the white haired akatsuki’s vocabulary, it quietly decided to fly out the window when the young woman landed in their conversation.

“Ohh what the F**k, who the F**k invited this bitch to the party” Hidan screamed, Shikamaru sighed-screaming always did sound unique when splurged out of his lovers mouth, it never bothered him … well, other than the occasional headache and Hidan sleeping on the couch.

“Shut. Up.” The severity of his tone was quickly noted by the other, and his screams were hastily halted. There was a mutual agreement between the two, never to mix business with pleasure. Hidan succeeded for the better part of the 3 years relationship to refrain from acting on impulse around Shikamaru. He risked too much for his beliefs for the better part of his life, he was not about to risk his happiness ; his hopes were that his dark lord would not punish him for choosing love over death.

The young shinobi sighed, frowning a bit at the surprised and somewhat scared look he received from Hidan- the man had no self control over any of his emotions, be them rage or fear of rejection … they all shined so very brightly over his face.

“Look m’am …this is an official Leaf intervention, I wouldn’t advise getting in the middle of it.” Shikamaru added, raising a single eyebrow towards the now struggling man still held in his shadow jutsu. “If I let you go, will you behave ?”

“Fuck you!”

Shikamaru smirked.

“You know I will !”

“Very well then.” He sighed and released his jutsu. “ But like I said, this is official business” he looked towards the woman, before turning his attention back to the man he came for “And we do need your help Kensei, and I could go as far as saying … you need ours too.”

wave after wave of tension filled the atmosphere,his gaze traveled around as the mysterious figures finally revealed themselves,his left hand moved slowly towards his mouth and squeezed the cigarette tightly between his fingers and moved it away from his lips for a moment as he blew the smoke one more time,suddenly his right hand moved quickly behind his back and drew the first revolver as he aimed it towards Hidan,his left hand moved quickly throwing the cigarette away as he reached for his other revolver.
"and what exactly makes you think i need the NZA's help? judging from what I have seen so far you are the ones who are in desperate need of my help,for each 1 chimera you kill,you lose 3 operatives.....at that rate we might get somewhere in......i dunno 1000 years?"he stopped talking for a moment and then continued "and may i ask" he quickly moved his left arm crossing it over his right arm and aiming at Akane and said "who the F**k is that bitch?"he shouted out loud angrily,suddenly his hands started shaking,the guns fell off from his hand as he collapsed on his knees shaking,his hands started shaking violently,his skin started turning into a pitch black color,spikes emerged from his elbows and shoulders,his fingers transformed into claws,his teeth turned into fangs while a pair of black leather enormous pair of wings and a tail with a metal extension which resembled a blade emerged from his back and he released a mighty blood-lust roar which shook the whole forest. his curse returned to haunt him once more,his uncontrollable rage was triggered by the arrogance of the NZA operatives as he stared at them with eyes filled with the desire to kill,he cracked his knuckles while growling and charged towards the NZA duo.

Her delicate eyebrow rose in a perfect arch as she looked at the white haired man.

"My my...you have quite a vocabulary there" she chuckled. "Too bad you are not in the right position to say such unpolite words" This was extremly funny, she finally found someone that actually deserved her attention, but right now it wasn't time to play.

She straighten herself and walked towards them.

"I dont want to get involved in this...lets say "meeting"...which apparenty is not a very friendly one, though you seem to know each other." she eyed them, smiling.
"I was looking for Konoha, and as i saw, clearly you are a shinobi from there"

She stopped her track and looked at the red eyed man.

"Oh for god's sake, not you too" she shook her head when the same word as before left the man's mouth. "I really belive you need to improve your vocabulary and add some nice words in there such as lady or miss...hell even woman is better than bitch" she sighed and rubbed her temples with two fingers. "And please, move the weapon from my way, i'm not here to fight" lazily she let her hands fall on her hips.

Her eyes widened in surprise as the weapons hit the ground, the body started to shake and in a few seconds in the place of the good looking man stood a bat-like creature.

"Oh happy hell, the lil bat made his appeareance" she smiled sarcastically and jumped on the nearest tree.

She watched as the beast dashed towards the two men.

'F**k' she cursed and jumped in front of them. "ZANKUUHA" she shouted and a wave of air left her right hand in the direction of the beast.

Forest of death –North of the Grate wall of the Leaf






Fear they say, is a conduct – it shakes us to the core in search for the right reaction, the right tug on our system to ensure our survival. It was this particular tug down to reality, that was now pulling on both of the leaf shinobi’s reaction time . Shikamaru’s shadow binding jutsu long ago dispersed, Hidan’s scythe tightly gripped in his hands, and a very distinct knot in their throat that was at this moment blocking their airwaves.

“Che’ …” was all that Shikamaru said. He was briefed on his mission before heading out, he was also warned that his target contained, to a certain degree, unusual powers that might get in the way of carrying out the afford mention mission – but nobody mentioned this , nobody mentioned that they would have to face a man that was literally able to turn into what the entire planet was fighting against .

“Fucking assholes …” Hidan always was better at vocaling his feelings, and for once Shikamaru had to agree. “ I know Madara is an uptight bitch when it comes to sharing Intel with the rest of his team , but for F**k sakes … I thought at least Jiraya was different with his anbu squads .” the man hissed towards his partner, gripping as tight as he could on his weapon. This was great, just great, a chimera morphing human – he bit down on his last thought. It wasn’t the idea of getting hurt, nor dying that he feared ;no, it was the shear and simple fact that he had to face one of these things, again.

“So did I …” was added in a low and controlled tone from the man behind him. Hidan threw a gaze over his shoulder – Shika was frowning and biting on his bottom lip, for a man who’s intellect could outsmart the worlds greatest , this wasn’t such a good sign.

F**k .

“Look, we need to retreat somewhere …” the Akatsuki barked over his shoulder, trying to hide the gut wrenching fear that he felt every time he looked at one of those things from his voice.

“No. It’ll just attack when we try to move. Look at its eyes …”

“It ? I thought for sure this was a dude ….”Hidan’s grin managed to stretch his lips just long enough to look confident

“It was .” Shikamaru murmured. “Right before it grew wings, it was a man .”

“Ohh so I assume the teeth, scales and all round blood thirst isn’t in fact bothering you at all ?” the white haired sadist chuckled, receiving a long and enraged roar from the creature.

“I think it likes you sweety …” Shikamaru smirked, slowly reaching for his kunai.

“Fuck you, and don’t call me –“

Another roar, and this time it inched closer.
“I guess this is it huh …?” the akatsuki murmured, swallowing hard on the last of his courage .

“Yeah … for better or worse, this is it .” both men gripped their own weapons, both prayed to their own god for a miracle.

God though, regardless of his identity- apparently listens .

A dark blur of wind gushed passed them, it disturbed the blades of grass and rattled the dying leaves, making both men shield their eyes away from it– it smelled like sunflowers and felt like death . Hidan smirked, he knew this scent all too well.

Their eyes opened slowly, focusing their vision through the spiraling vortex of leafs that was now falling around them. In the middle of them a single figure clocked in anbu gear kneeled before the creature. She rose slowly with a grace few could claim to have, while her hand gripped the sheath of katana.

“Long time no see , Kensei …” her voice rang behind her mask with enough control to frighten even the strongest of opponents, impervious to the bloodthirsty roars that came at her.

“You …” the akatsuki smirked sadistically “So he finally send you ? That old fool.”

“I thought you needed help . “ the chuckled over her shoulder, earning a deep frown from the white haired young man . “So I came to save your ass … again .”

======================Two hours earlier ==============================
NZA head office

“What is the meaning of this ?!” the young kunoicis voice rang through the NZA building, turning everyone’s attention towards the mahogany doors that house the head of the Akatsuki division. “What are you planning, joushi dana?” there was a slight pause before the honorifics were added, and Madara didn’t fail to notice it - she was smart, she controlled herself even when her patience was reaching its end.

“What ever could you possible refer to captain Takamura ?” he narrowed his eyes, resting his chin on his hands while a sadistic smirk plastered itself over his face.

“I got your cortex, sir.” She spoke through gritted teeth, dropping the small report on his table . “You’re going after Akechi Kensei. “

“And ? I still don’t understand where the confusion came from .If you are fully aware of my intentions that is .” the man spoke calmly, shooting her a deadly arrogant glare. This is, perhaps what she hated most about him

Relax.

“You send Hidan and Shikamaru after him. You know full well what Hidan will try to do , sir!” she looked him straight in the eyes, planting her palms flat on his desk and leaning forward. “You know very well what will happen, sir !”

“Do I ?” she smirked, his onyx eyes suddenly shining blood red.

“You sadistic bastard …” she murmured slowly, lowering her head enough fro her bangs to shadow her eyes.”You know very well he’ll loose it, and will try to kill them. That’s why you send Hidan, because no matter what he wont dye ….” A small pause, he Uchiha smirked “ That is also … why you send Shikamaru there, isn’t it ?” she lifted her head only to face the arrogant sardonic smirk of the elder Uchiha “ You … send him to dye, you’re counting on Hidan to loose it when he’d see the sight of his lover dying infront of him, and take out Kensei .“ god he almost forgot how incredibly impressive the Takamura clan was .

“So in light of this little information captain, what are you going to do ?” he chuckled, while the young woman bit her lip and clenched her fist in a weak atempt at self restraint . She stood up straight and turned around, walking towards the exit in complete silence while a satisfied glare painted itself on the Uchiha’s face .

“I’m playing right into your game, aren’t I …?” she stopped with her hand on the door handle, and her back still turned to her superior . “You know I won’t allow anything to harm neither Shikamaru, nor Kensei – you know I’m going to head out right now, and try to stop them from killing each other “ she paused, girthing her teeth in realization of the man’s scheme “And if I show my face there, he stands a better chance at joining our side ...your ...side …” she added with a murmur. “You know sir …” she smiled sadly and looked over her shoulder, catching the Uchiha off guard enough for him to widen his eyes slightly “ There was no need for all of this … you could have asked." And with that she walked out.

“Impressive …” the orange haired Demon Realm added from the window still, finally climbing into the room.

“I was wondering how long it would take you before you’d stop listening on my conversation and you would actually join me. “ the Uchiha smiked from behind his desk back at the young piercing filled man .

“Heh … ya know me boss . “

“Indeed I do. Tell Itachi and your … other self, to return back to base immediately – there is a new development “the man nodded and disappeared in a cloud of smoke – leaving the Uchiha to smile to himself in contemplation ; No. he was sure now, it wasn’t just the clan that was impressive, it was just her.

====================================Current time ================================

Northern region of the forest of death .


“Again my ass!” the white haired man hollered back at the masked anbu . “That last time was a complete accident, how was I suppose to know those midgets hit so well beneath the belt !?” he added, shaking his fist towards her , earning in return a loud chuckle .

“Well then remember : “ she chuckled while her hand slowly gripped the front of her mask , pulling it off gracefully while a sputter of wind blew around her “Next time you’ll just owe me one. “

"There wont be a next time you self absorbed-"
“Kinonai !” cut in mid sentance, again - Hidan was was beginning to have a problem with Shikamaru's realization outbursts.

“Took ka long enough to notice me Nara .”

Every movement she made was noticed by the beast. Those crimson eyes were watching the three humans carefully, roaring a gutural sound that waked the entire forest.

'What the F**k is this thing' Akane was beyond sick of this, all she wanted was to get some F**k damned informations and it seems all her plans were spoiled.

'I swear if i ever find that brat again i will kill him with my own hands...slowly...painfully...in such a way that he would beg for me to kill him fast' her inner person was craving for the kids blood. It was like he wanted her to get in trouble or better, he wanted her to be killed. She frowned at the thought.

The conversation between the two men gave her a headache and she mentally cursed for being stuck with them. If she ran away, the beast will certainly follow her, and she would never get what she wanted. If she stayed there, the men will give her a breakdown. Either way there was no possibility for her to continue the trip.

Her eyes widden and she frozed. The leaves rattle under the gust of wind that came out of nowhere and before she could adjust with the coolness and dust, in the middle of the falling leaves stood a slim body, with long hair and a weird mask on the face.

The beast roared again. Akane winced at the voice that came from behind the mask. It was cold and too calm, controling.

'The men seems to know this person' akane thought, eyeing the figure in front of them.

All her thoughts fade away when a single word reached her ears. She couldnt speak, breath or even move. It was like darkness fell around her and she was alone. Then a spot of light came and when her conciousness came back she gasped.

"Kinonai" her voice trembled and her lips curled in a soft smile on her face. "I found you" she whispered more to herself.

The mad beast was charging at lightning speed towards the trio when he saw Akane jumping in front of them while attacking him with her Zankuha.

The attack knocked him back a few meters but he quickly regained his balance,slowly the mad demon stood up,he spread his wings as far as he could,the desire to kill in his eyes grew as the rage which was burning his soul intensified.Suddenly the ground underneath him starts shaking and shattering as he was gathering his chakra for another head on charge while releasing another blood freezing roar.

The hybrid charged again towards Akane,and in an instant disappeared and appeared in front of her and smacked her with the back of his hand sending her flying towards Shikamaru and Hidan.

He stopped for a moment and stared at the NZA operatives as if he was picking his target.He disappeared again and appeared in front of Hidan and plunged the dagger-like claws he had on his hand into Hidan's neck and pulled it across as the blood from his neck splattered across the ground and Kensei's face.

He turned around towards his next victim,but froze as he saw a third hooded figure staring at him he charged towards her with blinding speed with and aimed his claws towards her but suddenly froze in his place as she removed her mask.Her face was a familiar one to him,he could never forget it,his heart won't let him forget,it was Kinonai,the only person Kensei had ever developed feelings for,feelings of brotherly love,from the time they spent together in the NZA training grounds from their childhood.
In an instant all the rage inside him vaporized and he managed to get a certain degree of self control,the pitch black scales that covered his body started disappearing,the lust for blood in his eyes quickly faded away,the meaningless growls turned once again into clear words as he whispered "K-Kin-Kinonai". as his vision started to get more and more blur he collapsed on the floor,the rage outburst had drained him dry and left him an empty shell,without an ounce of energy in him.

Forest of death- North of the grate wall of the Leaf.

Conserving Optimism

It never ceases to amaze us how so much time can amount to so little, how so much distance between two people can sum up to nothing in the very end. Years can pass, decades even, but when you boil right down to it, bonds are not that easily broken – she sighed at the thought, at least … not as easily as one would hope.

Her reaction during the small feral display was perfectly controlled, and there was a small part of her that inwardly smirked smugly at the thought of acting like a real Takamura – if only she wasn’t the only one left to gloat about it. When the creature attacked and she jumped back, positioning herself in front of Shikamaru, perfectly aware that the other could live through whatever was dealt at him, her hand still casually placed in the sheath of her blade, waiting for a reason to actually use it – to her relief it never came. Before he could redirect his rage on her, somehow he got a grip on reality and passed out from exhaustion.

“W-what …th…fuck… “ Hidan hoarded his voice, trying to the now blood gushing wound to stop bleeding. “The freak has some issues doesn’t he ?” he bit his lip at the sweet pain filled sensation before looking back at the motionless kunoichi. “Oy …?

You ok.”

No reply

“Oy …?”

“Perfectly fine …” she murmured back in the usual calm and calculated voice that now defined who she was.

“Doesn’t look like it …” Shikamaru concluded, throwing some gauze towards the frowning akatsuki that was seconds from releasing his inner 3 year old and stick his tongue out at the man. The woman however remained quiet, slowly walking towards the passed out target and examining the damage – she didn’t lean down, nor get to close to him, almost as if being in the same proximity somehow was impossible for her. It was Shikamaru’s turn to frown, this wasn’t like her. “Who is he ?” his tone came out seriously and demanding, making the young woman look over her shoulder questioning his intentions . “Sorry, just curious. “he apologised, she smiled .

“A ghost …” she replied, with a small smile back men before turning her attention to the woman that was sent flying during the fight. “Take care of him, make sure he gets to the leaft safely, take him directly to the NZA holding facility, and contact MCI- tell Tsunade he’s a hybrid “ it wasn’t a request, and the men knew it, the tone came out hard, demanding and imposing- regardless of rank or position it always demanded respect, perhaps this was one of the reasons the elders still mistrusted her.

“Tsunade ? Why don’t we just take him directly to the MCI , they have a better medical facility there .”

“No. Trust me – he’ll go feral again, regardless of knowing me “ she murmured a reply

“Well… now that’s optimistic.” Shikamaru chuckled

“It's a little-known law of thermodynamics – “ she smirked back at him “The Conservation of Optimism – there's only so much to go around.” The man chuckled and nodded approvingly.

“What about her …” Hidan nodded towards the smaller girl. “If nobody opposes, I need to make a sacrifice soo …-“

“No!” she barked over her shoulder, making the akatsuki’s violet eyes widen.

“Fine!” he hollered, but was successfully ignored by the young captain while she slowly approached the girl. Her eyes narrowed at the wounds and cuts she received during the fight, noticing that they already began healing.

“I would ask you if you were alright ….” She spoke coldly while looking down towards the girl “ But I see you’re already healing yourself. What are you doing in this part of the woods ?” the question seemed more rhetorical than direct “ Last time I heard, humans were suppose to fallow the indicated roads and use approved transportation only- traveling by foot is illegal, and highly dangerous , especially in the woods, be careful next time .” she hissed turning her back and walking away, while her cloak seemed to almost dance in the wind . “ Unless that is , you like ending up dinner or a human incubator for one of these “ she smirked sadistically over her shoulder .

Forest of Death


Fear - for the first time she felt it, but not because an outrageous beast was dashing towards her, but because she was impossibly close to her sister, to earlier, she didnt prepare herself for this, for she never thought she would find the last sibling alive.

Before she knew it, a hit so powerful knocked her out and send her flying meters away. The impact caused her to lose conciousness for some seconds, making her vision blur.


------------------------Tokyo Leaf---past------------------------------------

"No, dont take her away..please..... im..im begging y-you" the voice cracked under the pressure from inside her throath. Tears flowed down her cheeks as two strong arms took the new-born baby away from her naked chest.

As she looked one more time at the small child, she saw the fear and terror mirroring her own eyes. Sparckling drops of tear appeard in the baby's eyes, yet no sob could be heard. The young woman raised her hand and wiped the big green eyes from tears and then kissed them softly.

"You will be strong and you will find your sister Akane. i know you will" she assured herself. She saw the babys eyes open, as she was taken out of the room, but before the door closed she saw a pair of shiny red poles looking back.

That was the last time she saw her infant.


------------------------Forest of Death-----present-------------------------


She regained full conciousness when she sensed someone approaching her.


"I would ask you were alright....but i see you were already healing yourself" the voice said. She looked down at herself and saw few small cuts and bruises already healing. For a moment she didnt knew where she was, or what was happening, the weird dream still in her mind.

'What the hell was that' she asked herself, but before she could understand better the person voiced another question.

"Im fine" she winced. "Fuck" standing up was the last thing she wanted to do, yet she forced herself to do so.

"Last time I heard, this forest shouldnt be deathly, though some persons highly think that the name is just a fake" she grimaced as she felt her dress soaked from her own blood.

"And i certainly dont want to become someone's meal...at least not to a ugly beast like that" she nodded towards the lying creature, but she soon regretted. A cracking sound came from inside her, making her colaps on the soily ground.
"Aaahhhgg--ifuckinghatethis" she cursed at the painfully healing. She didnt knew it before but now it seemed that the damned beast fucked up all her right part of ribs.
Healing flesh wounds was a thing, she could barely feel how it sticked together, but healing brocked bones was what she hated the most, it was more painfully than breaking the bone itself. Now all she had to do was to wait...and wait...and wait.

Forest of death

“Is she alright ?” Shikamaru nodded towards the collapsed girl, before tightening the gauze around Hidan’s neck just a bit more .

“You fucking moron ! You’ll choke me !” the man screamed, stopping only when he finally noticed the raised eyebrow he received from his partner- ohh yeah that’s right, I cant dye , he thought to himself ,idly looking away. “Shut up …” he murmured crossing his arms over his chest. It wasn’t his dam fault that the freak of nature cut through his jugular, and god dam it, of course he was pissed – it still hurt . His mental rant however stopped dead in its tracks , when his eyes finally landed on the young anbu captain - he frowned, something was definably not right . She stood over the man that minutes earlier attacked her- her eyes seemed cold and narrowed into a frown over his form , almost as if she was retracing his life just by looking at him.

A breeze of wind blew past them, the gush playing with her long dark locks and making them dance in to its will – she smirked, finally here eh ?

“Took you long enough .” she murmured into an almost undetectable tone, to the now kneeling anbu figures that stood on either side of her.

“It didn’t help that you took off without telling us .” one of the masked men spoke in a slightly irritated tonality, slowly rising to face her. “I want to know what the fucking old fart told you !” the man’s voice was menacingly serious, his fists clenched by his side his partner placed a firm hand on his back .

He was furious, it was understandable though – she promised she would be honest with them, she promised she would stop trying to fix things alone and accept help once in a while – of course it didn’t help his anger much that the orders she was given came from his uncle and that the woman in front of him seemed blissfully ignorant of his concern. He frowned – or did she simply … not care.

“Sasuke calm down “ Suigetsu’s uncharacteristically calm voice tried to restrain him.

“No, F**k that!” he screamed, pulling free from the man’s grasp. “Tell me why you left us behind ! Kaen, answer me !” it wasn’t often when he used that name, it was a nickname that only her family used to know. Kaen, the flame – it demanded her attention, it demanded her to care .

“Shut up .” she narrowed her eyes over him.

“But…”

“You uncle, was planning on sacrificing Shikamaru, using Hidan as a bargaining chip to get me to intervene. “ she finally spoke, turning her eyes back to the unconscious man . “ With shika dead, Hidan would have taken out the ‘enemy’ – Madara knew Kensei once played a part in my life … he played me, and I simply had to play along.” Sasuke swallowed down hard, he knew what was coming “ Now stop acting like a spoiled child , and grow up “ he winked at the sound of those all to familiar words, yep …he knew that was coming.

“And since we’re on the topic of weird .” she added, looking towards the girl “ You’re healing remarkably well , almost as fast as me … Care to share why ?” the voice came out cold, demanding and insanely dangerous.