For Love Of Country

A kunoichi crept softly across the floor of the daimyo's bedroom. His guards were weak, if he wasn't about to die, she would have advised him to hire new ones. But his life was about to come to an end.

Without any sign of emotion, the woman drew a kunai, and lowered it to the man's neck.

'Remember, you're doing this for your country, they cannot endure another war... please, Gaara, Kankuro... forgive me for what I am about to do.'

Temari pressed the kunai to the skin and winced ever so slightly as she felt it sear through the flesh.

'It was a painless death, he didn't feel a thing.' she tired to tell herself as she slipped through the window and headed toward the village gate, she had to leave Wind country. Someone, somehow, would figure out that she was the murderer of the war lord.

Temari paused for a moment, on a dune outside the village, the village cemetery, there was someone she had to see before she began her life as a rouge nin.

The girl wound her way through the headstones, before stopping at one in a far corner. The stone was made of the most beautiful granite, and carved in the shape of an angel. Temari knelt down and pressed her forehead to the rock, breathing deeply.

"Hey momma, I've not been doing so well lately. I have to leave the village, I thought I'd stop and see you before I left. When I'm here, at your grave, I feel like you're sitting right across from me, and I can talk to you. I know that sounds crazy... I miss you... Kankuro does too, he just won't let it show. Watch after them when I'm gone, especially Gaara. He needs you, so much." Temari said, as she united her headband, she traced her fingers over the shiny metal, before taking out a kunai, and with a single motion, cutting a perfect line right through the village symbol.

The former Suna nin sniffed, wiped the tears from her face, tied the headband back around her neck, and stood up. She stole one last glance at her former home before taking off through the desert, headed north, with no destination in mind.

Days of travel began to take it's tole on the kunoichi, she had never traveled this far north from her village before, and was unfamiliar with the desert. The heat was playing tricks on her, she would look around and see her friends or family, and would run toward them, only to have them disappear. "Come back," she would cry hoarsely to the mirages. Temari continued to wander, but had lost her sense of direction completely, every direction seemed the same. Exhaustion finally took it's tole, and Sabuko no Temari, collapsed, and waited for death to take her.

But death didn't come, Temari woke up to find a really pretty man starring down at her.

"Glad to see you're awake!" He said brightly "We've been worried about you, un!"

"We?" Temari asked.

"We..." the man said pointing.

Temari sat up and looked around, there was another man with an orange mask sitting not to far away, they were in a small oasis.

"Oh, I've forgotten my manners, un. I'm Deidara, and that is Tobi. We were on our way to Konoha when we saw you pass out. We brought you here and have been waiting for you to regain consciousness, un."

"I'm Temari, nice to meet the both of you. Thanks for helping me."

"You're very welcome. I hope you don't mind me asking, but I can see from your forehead protector that you're a missing Suna nin. What exactly are your plans, un?"

"That's sort of what I'm trying to figure out, I only recently severed ties with Sand."

"Are you a decent ninja?"

"What?"

"Can you fight? Are you good at strategy? Do you have some sort of characteristic that makes you an exceptional shinobi, un?"

"Well, I'm was top kunoichi out of Suna, I fight well, and I was the battle strategist in times of war.

"Well, how bout this. You fight me, and if I see potential, I might be able to get you into a little organization, made entirely out of rouge ninja such as yourself, un. This is an offer that had rarely been made to anyone, so I would take advantage of it if I were you, un."

Tobi just smirked, there was no way this girl could take on Deidara.

"Okay then. Bring it on!" Temari cried as she jumped back, her fan ready.

Deidara smirked, and rushed at the girl. He pulled his arm back, and took a punch at Temari.

She was ready and casually used her fan to block the swing. She unfolded it to the first star and sent a gust of wind, knocking Deidara off his feet. "If that's all you got, this is gonna be a short battle!" She taunted.

"You haven't seen anything." Deidara came at Temari again, before being blown back. He chuckled to himself as he began to mold clay into a small beetle, which he sent toward the kunoichi.

Temari failed to see the beetle and was busy sending violent winds toward her rescuer. She didn't notice the clay insect until it exploded and sent her hurling through the air, landing face down in the sand. "Ugh." she groaned and got back up. "It'll take more than that to bring me down!" She warned as she opened the fan to the second star, sending an even stronger gust of wind toward Deidara, who failed to escape before the wind drew blood.

The duo continued to exchange blows, wind blew and clay exploded, and no one was willing to give up, eventually both collapsed.

"You're not half bad, un!" Deidara panted.

"Neither are you." Temari huffed.

"Tobi, you saw the entire fight, what do you think? Never mind, don't worry you little moronic head about it."

Deidara smiled, got up and offered a hand to pull Temari up as well, which she took. "Welcome to the Akatsuki."

Please review and tell me if I should continue or not. I plan on turning this into a TemariXItachi story.