"True art is fleeting," Deidara said for the tenth time.
"What's the point of exploding art? No one's ever going to see it for more than three seconds. Not to mention that after that, the only witnesses to your 'art' are dead. No, true art is eternal," Sasori argued.
"Like Hiruko?" Black Zetsu sneered.
Sasori used one of his puppets to capture the two Akatsuki members. "What did you say?"
"Would you all just shut up for five minutes?" Itachi yelled.
"What would you know about true art, Uchiha?" Deidara shouted back, drawing the attention of the room back to him.
The Uchiha rubbed his temples as the blonde and the red head joined forces to deafen him.
White Zetsu came running into the main room of the Akatsuki's new hideout. "Nagato! Nagato! We have company."
"Who?" Nagato asked. His voice held authority. He could grab the attention of anyone in a room by appearance alone but, when he spoke, everyone in the Akatsuki would listen and do what they were told without fail.
"I'm not sure who, but she's from the Leaf."
"How did she find our hideout?" Nagato mumbled to no one in particular.
"I don't think she's specifically looking for us, but it would be a disaster if she discovered us."
"I'll get rid of her," Itachi offered.
"Itachi, earlier today you were asking what the true purpose of the Akatsuki is. What it was created for. Yahiko is the founder, me and Konan the co-founders. It was created to maintain peace, but it has been corrupted over time, ever since Yahiko was murdered. You slaughtered your clan for the greater good of Konoha, the village that this girl is from. Do you wish for the Akatsuki to kill her, or nurture her? You have two choices; save her from the harsh elements, or leave her alone if you wish for her to die. She won't live long in the snow. It's entirely your decision."
"Why give it to me? Why should I make it? I know I offered to get rid of her, but I thought you would order me to kill her. Why can't somebody else make this decision?"
"I want to see if the Akatsuki is truly corrupted."
Itachi knew what he had to do.
"I'll go and check up on them," Konan told the Rinnegan user.
"I'm proud of him," he smiled.
Konan smiled as she walked to find Itachi and the Leaf girl. She found them in Itachi's room. He was looking at her whilst she was unconscious.
"Why did you decide to bring her in?" Konan asked.
"I went out to see how I felt when I saw her. She was stumbling and weary. She collapsed onto her knees and smacked her face onto the ground, into the cold snow. I knew I couldn't just leave her there, so I saved her."
"Nagato says he's proud of you. That there is some hope left for the Akatsuki after all. He has called a meeting with the others. I will tend to the girl as I already know what it is about. You should go too. I'll see you in a while."
"Okay."
He was almost at the door when Konan asked, "What's her name? Do you know?"
"Why do you want to know?"
"Just in case she wakes up, so I could use her name and make her feel less intimidated by my presence."
"I don't think that will do much good," Itachi said.
"Why not?"
"Because no doubt she knows about the Akatsuki and our... reputation. She is also friends with the Uzumaki kid, so she will know what we look like, or at least our attire. We're notorious criminals. You knowing her name will probably make her more uneasy, not less. Nevertheless, her name is Hinata Hyuga."
"Why do you think she's this far away from the village? Don't Konoha shinobi usually travel around in squads of three with a Jonin as a leader?"
We do. I have no idea what she is doing this far away from the village on her own. She must have gotten lost."
"Where is she?" Naruto grumbled to himself looking for the lost Hyuga girl. "I was given the simplest of missions; escort Hinata to the Sand Village and ensure her safe return once she had completed her mission. I had no idea that we were going to get caught up in a snow storm on the way back! Gaara warned us about sand storms! Not snow storms! And now I have no idea where I am, never mind her!" He kicked the snow in a fit of fury. "Where the hell could she have gotten to?"
The Hokage, Tsunade, was growing ever more worried because Hinata and Naruto hadn't returned yet. She knew that it took six days for them to get from Konoha to Suna, and then six days back, and that Hinata's mission could last anything from a week to two, but she couldn't help feeling that they should be back by now. It had been a month. It didn't help her nerves that she hadn't heard anything from the pair, or the Kazekage, Gaara, updating her on the situation. Again, she knew that she never explicitly asked for any of them to contact her, but she couldn't help worrying.
Naruto had an incredible knack for getting into trouble and Hinata was just this dainty little thing that should never have to come into contact with any sort of violence. Hinata was so pitiful as a ninja as a child that she was disowned by her parents, and was only now, at the age of sixteen, developing her skills to match her older cousin, Neji, who had become a Jonin. She knew that Hinata was calm and knew what she was doing, but Naruto could misread anything as an attack on one of his friends and start unnecessary fights.
There was a knock on the door, "Come in."
"I'm sorry to disturb you, m'lady, but there's something unusual in the sky," said Tsunade's advisor/right-hand-woman/best friend, Shizune.
"Could it be from the Sand?" asked the anxious village leader.
"No, I don't think so, m'lady. It's bigger than one of their birds. It doesn't look like anything I've ever seen before."
They both looked out of the window wondering what this thing could be.
"You want to change the Akatsuki's ideals? You want to make us a peace organisation when we have been a criminal one for as long as any one of us can remember, excluding you and Konan?" Itachi asked bewildered.
"Yes," said Nagato through of his favourite body, Deva Path.
"That's never going to work," Deidara argued. "Not only are we all criminals, but no one on the outside is going to believe that we are trying to become a changed group. Even if we start to recruit new, more respected ninja, the mistrust will always be there, as it has from the start."
"We have to try. I know that it won't happen overnight, and it almost certainly won't happen during our lifetimes, but we have to do something. If we just try and do as many good deeds as possible and we spread the message that we are a changed people, then others will start to believe us and, hopefully, come to us for help instead of with a mob.
"Deidara, I want you to pass the message to the Hokage that we have Hinata and we are keeping her safe until she is strong enough to make her way back to the village with Itachi as an escort so that she won't get lost again. You got that?"
"Yeah, un. I got it."
The bird got bigger as it got closer and it started to look like it was made of clay.
"Oh no," Tsunade breathed.
"What's the matter, m'lady? What it that?"
"Deidara of the Akatsuki. What does he want here?"
Down below, shinobi and civilians alike screamed and ran for cover, expecting to be attacked by clay spiders, or locusts, or smaller birds. Each being placed discretely in the nooks and crannies of Konoha to avoid being detected. They suspected that, if that was the case, Deidara would detonate them simultaneously so he could take as many lives as possible before people started to fight back.
"He must be after Naruto!" Tsunade exclaimed answering her own question.
"Not Naruto, un," Deidara said hovering on his clay bird at the Hokage's window. "I'm here to relay a message to you regarding the Hyuga girl. She is with us. But, before you panic and kill me with one punch, hear me out, un. We are a changed organisation. We are no longer criminals and we are looking after her, un. We could have let her die in the snow, but we brought her inside and are nursing her back to health."
"What was she doing on her own?"
"I don't know. Dying from the cold by the looks of it. Anyway, don't interrupt me, un. She's going to return when she is strong enough and she will be escorted back to the village by Itachi so could you please do him a favour and not kill him on sight as he was the one who was given the choice to save her or let her die, and he chose to save her, un. He is also going to be the one to bring her back so he is going to ensure that she is not going to get lost again."
Tsunade and Shizune were stunned into silence.
"How do I know that I can trust your word? After all, you are a terrorist bomber and a member of the Akatsuki," Tsunade challenged.
"Did you not hear what I just said? The Akatsuki is a changed group! So, therefore, I am a terrorist bomber no more."
"I don't believe you," said Shizune.
"I agree with Shizune. What evidence do you have that you're really changed?"
"I've just told you!"
"Your word means nothing without evidence. And what would you purpose be if you're not blowing things up? That is your speciality after all," said the Hokage.
"I would think of something. I don't know. But, with the changed issue, you'll have to trust us."
"Give me your detonating clay," Tsunade demanded.
"Why?"
"Just so you actually can't hurt her."
"That completely defeats the object of trust, you know, un? If I can't hurt her, then how would you know that I wouldn't?"
After a brief pause, "Fine, but then you have to do me a favour."
"Name it."
"Find Naruto and bring him back to Konoha. If he comes back unharmed then I'll trust you with Hinata."
"Do you know how long that will take?" protested the blonde bomber.
"Do it."
"Fine, but he'll probably be scraped up and have pneumonia as he'll probably have been in the snow for a very long time. You'll know if I have harmed him because there will be parts missing due to an explosion." With that, he flew away.
-To be continued-