Hallo minna!
This story, Secret of the Sand, was inspired by a one-shot reader-insert by Darkpetal16. :3 The story is called "A Book of Memories." I read the first chapter about Kakuzu's lover before he became a missing-nin for the Waterfall village and I had to write a story on it.
I do realize I have other stories to work on but I believe that I won't be working on much until I get my own laptop which, sadly, won't be until I graduate in less than two years. I'll update what I can though!
I hope you enjoy reading this!
Disclaimer: I do not own any Naruto characters, its plot or the story where my idea came from. I own only my OCs. :3
A young woman sat outside a small tea shop in the forest. Admiring her surroundings of early morning with a cup of green tea beside her, she pondered what she would do for the day.
Her hair was green and shoulder-length, most of her hair cupped her face, swept to the left, skin pale and her eyes were a gold colour. And her body structure was very curvy.
She wore entirely dark red. A sleeveless hoodie that showed her stomach, ninja trousers, heeled ninja shoes (AN. Much like Tsunade's). Around her hips was a light tan skirt-like fabric with the Sand ninja symbol on it, marked with red in the middle of it. She also had white arm-warmers, stained with blood and a tan ninja pack on her right thigh.
Something that made her stand out were the scars wrapped around her left upper arm, leading up her neck and above her left eye. They also crossed her left side of her stomach, lower right leg and left foot. The scars were almost like whip marks.
And hanging around her neck was a black circle with an upside-down triangle inside it.
The sign of Jashin.
She took the cup in her hand and drank the green liquid and sighed, her pink lips revealing an entire set of sharp teeth.
"I wonder where I should look for Sierra today." She said aloud. Before the woman could do anything, she heard the sharp cry of a bird.
Looking up, a hawk flew straight at her, landing gracefully. The animal held out its leg to the surprised woman.
"A letter? Who would send me a letter?" Her voice was laced with confusion and curiosity. Taking the paper around the hawk's leg, she looked at the sender. Her eyes grew wide with shock.
"The Kazekage?" She hissed. "What would he want with a missing-nin?" Cautiously, she opened the scroll.
Senikal Centrait, Red Demon of Sunagakure. I, the Kazekage, request a mission for you. This mission requires the help of a missing-nin and you are the only one that has been seen in the area. Because I ask for your assistance, I need your full corporation. I will give out the orders for non of the guards in the village to attack you when you are spotted. I will tell you more about this S-ranked assassination mission when you arrive in Sunagakure within the week. If you do not, we will continue to treat you as a missing-nin.
Best hopes that your arrival won't be… troublesome.
The Fourth Kazekage of Sunagakure
Senikal snorted when she finished the scroll.
"The Kazekage must be pretty desperate to ask for my help. But it has been a while since my last kill. Jashin-sama would be pleased to receive a sacrifice." She smirked, showing off her teeth. "I guess that I am going to Suna today."
She bit her middle finger and turned the scroll over. In a messy scrawl, she wrote, 'I'll take up your offer. But I ask for something in return when I'm done. I will make this clear: I do not trust you and I know you don't trust me either. Expect to see me soon, for I am not far.
Red Demon'
Satisfied with her response, she attached the scroll to the leg of the hawk and watched it take off and fly away. She chuckled and drank the rest of her tea before leaving a generous tip.
Her full height drew to 5'4' and the air she gave off now was excited, blood-lusted and almost cocky. She headed off Northwest, taking a guess on where her destination is, humming as she goes along.
"Hmm… maybe I should have asked how long it will take to get there." She wondered aloud. Then she shrugged and continued along, "It'll be an adventure."
"A painfully long process, I hope." A raspy voice clicked its tongue. Senikal rolled her gold eyes.
"Only you would say that about me, Dune." She scoffed. The tan skirt wriggled on her hips. It eventually ripped to reveal a deformed head grinning at her. Senikal was unfazed by it and kept walking.
The head had spiky blue hair that defied gravity, bright red eyes and pale grey skin. The right side of the face was sadly deformed while the left side was fairly handsome. His teeth were sharp like Senikal's and his ears were like an elf's.
"Of course, Seni-sama." He clicked his tongue again. "Are you sure you know where you are going?" The woman snapped her attention at the demon.
"I very well know where I am headed. I just don't know how long it will take to get there." She glowered at him.
"I highly doubt that." He scoffed, flicking a pale grey, clawed hand.
"Oh really? Then why do you stay with me? You could be else where and I could summon you."
"But then I wouldn't understand the entire situation. What help would I be if I attacked the wrong person?" Dune countered.
As their argument went on, a small group of leaf ninja heard them squabble.
"Find out who she is," One of them ordered another. They couldn't see Dune from their angle. One of the ninja looked through their bingo book.
"That's Senikal Centrait, The Red Demon of Sunagakure. She's an S-ranked missing-nin." He responded.
"Good. We can kill her and cross out her out of the bingo books." The leader smirked. "Get in position." Each of the members began their attack.
Senikal grabbed each of the kunai thrown at her and dodged the shiriken with complete ease.
"Mm, someone was kind enough to send me a meal." She hummed in happiness. She took one of the kunai and started to chop on it like it was a soft candy.
"Don't I get one, Seni-sama?" Dune clicked, head appearing in view to the opposing ninja.
"You'll get blood, not iron." She said between chews. "Besides, this is my treat." Dune pouted and slid back into the skirt, rip repairing on its own.
The ninja trailing Senikal were taken by surprise when an evil aura appeared behind them. Daring to look behind them they were frozen in fear.
It was the Red Demon herself.
"Fancy seeing you all here. I wonder what your blood would taste like." She grinned licking her lips. They all screamed as blood shot from her fingertips and began their one-sided fight.
When Senikal was finished, she drew a Jashin symbol on the ground and laid there, blood poring out of her heart onto the green grass. Dune was over next to the bodies, collecting all the blood he could.
His pale grey body was small; his hands had massive claws and little wings protruded from his back. Dune was hunched over with small empty vials between his fingers that were quickly filling up with blood.
Senikal soon finished with her prayers and got up.
"Come Dune. We must get to Suna before nightfall." She ordered. He looked over and quickened his process before hurrying over and turning into the tan skirt that Senikal was currently not wearing. When she was satisfied with his return, she continued on her way to Sunagakure, eating the kunai she received from the leaf ninja.
Senikal soon reached the nearest village and instantly recognized it as her 'home base,' so to speak. The village is called Akigakure. It was largely known for their unusual harvest in many different products, such as pumpkins, maple syrup, squash, apples, and medicine made from autumn leaves that grow three seasons of each year.
One of the villagers noticed her and came up to greet her. He had dark blue hair that was sticking in all directions over his autumn leaf headband. (A.N. Shaped like a Maple leaf)
"Senikal-sama! It's nice to see you again? Where are you headed today?" He asked with a friendly smile.
"Ah, Kianto. Good to see you as well. I'm actually headed to Suna. It's nice to know I'm only 5 hours away from there." She grinned. He looked shocked but not with her appearance.
"Suna? Why would you go back?" He asked, concerned. "They're the ones that chased you out of their village!" He yelled. The other villagers were beginning to notice Senikal's presence.
Senikal sighed. "Kianto, I realize that you're frustrated with them but I am choosing to go back. And I will probably be paid with this offer."
"I'm not frustrated, Senikal! I am furious! You can't go back!" He yelled some more. Dune chose that moment to appear.
"If you're so worried about Seni-sama, then why don't you ask her why she's returning to Suna?" He clicked irritably. Kianto blinked at the demon before yelling in fright.
"What the hell is that?!" He yelled, pointing at Dune.
"'That?' I am extremely insulted, human! I am Seni-sama's familiar, Dune!" He cried indignantly. Senikal shook her head.
"You were away when I last came to Akigakure, Kianto." Senikal explained. A small girl with long red pigtails came running up to the duo. She hugged Senikal's leg and looked up with her bright golden eyes.
"Okaa-sama! You back! You be here long?" She asked with enthusiasm and eyes filled with hope. The woman looked at her with a bright smile.
"Riley! There you are sweetheart!" She picked up the girl with ease and rubbed her cheeks with hers. "No, Mama won't be here very long. She has a mission to do in Suna."
"Suna? Okaa-sama said Suna bad to her!" Riley exclaimed. Senikal gave her a sad smile.
"Yes, Suna was bad to her. She will be gone for a long time. But she'll be back in time for your birthday!" Senikal tapped her nose. Riley smiled and cheered.
"Yay! Present from Suna!" She yelled, jumping down from Senikal's arms and running towards a specific house. Kianto was still fuming.
"Then why are you going back to Suna?" He spat, crossing his arms.
"The Kazekage himself has asked that I complete a mission he has for me." She replied. He didn't move from her intense gaze.
"It could be a trap."
"So it could. That is why I am prepared… though, I could use some more vials and kunai knives from my stash here." She thought aloud. The thought automatically told her body to move towards a place of town that everyone respected… for she saved this village. Kianto was yelling for her to come back but she ignored it. He couldn't do much to her even if he wanted to.
Walking through the streets, she found people waving, bowing and even yelling praises at her. She was so well-loved in this village.
"Senikal-sama! Senikal-sama!" Senikal turned around to see who was calling her when she was so close to her boarder territory home. She found a small group of children brandishing the autumn leaf headband somewhere on their person.
She put on a smile before these children.
"Hello there, children. What is the big commotion about? And so close to the forbidden boarders." She asked, curiously.
"We each got you an offering for when you came to the village next!" One of the boys grinned.
"Yeah! Since you don't visit very often and we aren't old enough to go to the offering temple yet, we wanted to give them to you in person!" A girl said, shuffling her feet.
"Oh? You're all such good children. What have you brought to me?" She kneeled down to the children's level. The smallest child was first, as was probably decided earlier.
"My name is Kika. I… don't have long to live but I offer you this." She held out a small box that was a little bigger than her own hands. Senikal didn't take it instead, she asked a question.
"What ailment do you have that would cause you to die?" Kika looked shocked.
"Oh… uhhh… I think the doctor said that it was a blood thinning problem…" She shifted uneasily. Senikal smiled.
"I can change that. Then you wouldn't have to die. Cut your finger." She ordered gently. Kika looked frightened but her friends encouraged her to do so. Shakily, she took out a kunai and cut the tip, flinching.
Senikal took her finger and brushed the blood over her lips. When she did that, her entire body turned a gray colour, surprising the children. She touched the child softly in many different places while still being appropriate.
Kika was flinching in pain but relaxed after each touch. When Senikal placed her hands over Kika's heart, the girl shivered and fell to the ground.
The children watched with horror as their friend fell and almost started to yell out but the girl opened her eyes and spoke.
"Sugoi… I feel limitless…" She smiled. The cut on her finger had already stopped and turned dry. Kika got up and hugged Senikal. "I'm so grateful!" The woman's skin turned back to white pale complexion as she removed the blood from her lips.
The children who witnessed the healing of their young friend, all burst out with apologies and yells about not putting their faith in her.
"That's alright children." Senikal said, attempting to calm them all down. "Now what sort of gifts did you have for me?"
Kika scooped up the gift she had dropped and handed it to her. The woman gently took it and began opening it. Inside was an assortment of rings, nails and crystal-like rocks.
"These are pretty. Thank you." She put the small box down so she could receive the next gift. A much older child, by the name of Jinx, gave her a box full of sweets. Senikal thanked the boy and asked the next child to come forward.
After about five more children, she had received sweets, pieces of metal, a medical kit (a surprisingly nice one), and a storing scroll.
"I will put all of these gifts to good use." Senikal smiled, patting each child on the head. "Be good and I may visit sooner." She gathered each gift and placed them inside the storing scroll, then stood up and began to walk across the forbidden border. "May we meet again." She replied, waving her arm, not facing them.
The smile didn't drop from her face as she passed a number of maple trees.
'The children are so sweet. They'll be wonderful ninjas for this small village.' Senikal thought, walking casually.
"I thought you said we needed to be at Suna before sundown." Dune clicked.
"Patience. It's not even noon and you're worried. I only need to grab the items from the shrine the villagers made for me. It's thoughtful that they worship me like a god. I can get whatever I want from these people." Senikal replied.
"Yeah, but you're lucky no one outside the village has figured out your home base." He pointed out.
"That is for another day, Dune." She rolled her eyes, tapping the tan skirt. "I have a good feeling it won't be discovered for a good while." Dune just scoffed.
The duo got closer to a white marble shrine that had ivy growing on it. Flecks of red were barely visible from where they were standing. As they got even closer, Senikal's eyes narrowed.
A person, if you could call them one, was sitting on the steps. He had black hair on his head, a hunched back and wearing a black cloak.
With a red cloud pattern.
"What a surprise. I will admit that I didn't expect a member of the Akatsuki sitting on the stairs of my shrine." Senikal called.
"Don't waste anymore of my time. Leader-sama had caught wind that you were heading back to Sunagakure." His voice was rough with annoyance. "Is this true?"
"It is. News travels fast amoung the Akatsuki. He has another assignment for me?" Senikal asked. "Why couldn't he send Kakuzu?" She shifted her weight and crossed her arms.
"I was the closest member to your position." He snapped. "Leader-sama has written the instructions in this scroll." From under his cloak, he withdrew a scroll. "You are to memorize the contents and burn it."
Senikal took the scroll from his hand, noting it wasn't completely human. She smirked, opening it up.
'Find the man Dazuu Jugan of the Sand Village. He will have information of the Shukaku for us. After you have retrieved all information, dispose of him. You have a week to submit the information you have obtained to a member of the Akatsuki before I will send one to kill you.'
The woman grinned, her sharp teeth glinting in the sunlight.
"Dune." The familiar popped his head out to look at his mistress. The man's eyes widened at the beast but did nothing.
"Yes, Seni-sama?"
"See to it that this scroll is burned. Then hand me the scroll we obtained from our last mission with the Akatsuki." Senikal ordered. Dune's claws shot out and grabbed the scroll, burning on contact. Senikal chuckled as he dove back into the tan pouch.
He appeared again and handed the black covered scroll to Senikal.
"Thank you, Dune." She then held it out to the man in front of her. "This is the information I collected from last month. I could not make contact with anyone so I had to keep it on hand."
The man took no time to take the scroll.
"Good. Leader-sama had to move to another location therefore, he was busy." He grunted. "I have a feeling this won't be the last time I'll see you.
"No. Not unless you die soon. The talented missing-nin don't." Senikal smiled mysteriously.
"I hope I won't see you again. The young are stupid." He scoffed. She narrowed her eyes at him.
"Don't talk to her like that!" Dune clicked angrily. Senikal whacked the tan skirt. "Ow!" he whined.
"What have I told you about scolding the higher ups?" Senikal hissed.
"…Not to correct them." He clicked in embarrassment. The greenette shook her head. When she looked up, the man was gone. She chuckled to herself.
"I do like him. I wonder what's under his shell." She muttered to herself. "Literally."
Senikal took her time up the steps of the pretty shrine. Around the doorway were large blots of old and recent red blood. The fumes of the iron was very tempting to lick.
She resisted the urge.
Opening the wooden doors, she headed inside.
The room was fairly open, besides the occasional wooden bench facing away from her. The floor had blood, wooden fragments scattered everywhere. The once-white walls were drenched in blood, covered with holes, shiriken and kunai knives.
Senikal walked past all of the overall damage towards the alter. Upon arriving, she stopped in front, looking at the gifts the villagers left her.
An assortment of metals, kunai knives, shiriken, medical kits, candy, many vials of blood, scrolls of various types, crystals, and money lay on the tables.
"Score! This batch is promising." Senikal smiled, taking whatever all fits into the storing scrolls. She then starting chewing on a kunai knife from the pile. She then knelt down and reached underneath the alter. She pulled out a bloody scroll and opened it. Unraveling it quite a bit, she soon found a semi-blank spot. She bit her finger and began writing a thank you to the villagers.
Not after too long, she turned to head away from the village in the northwest.
"In a few hours, my missions will being." She smirked, chewing on a kunai knife. Her golden eyes flashed with bloodlust in anticipation for her mission. "Kehehe…" She chuckled to herself.
Yay! I finished this! Does this seem rushed? I would love some opinion in this story! Please? *puppy dog face* My sister doesn't have any good advice for me. :/ Hope you enjoyed this first chapter. :D