Kindred spirit- a person whose interests or attitudes are similar to one's own.
Whipping wintry winds pierced through the shattered windows with ease, followed by two quick shadows flickering inside the mansion. The shadowy figures briefly paused to shake the snow off their cloaks. The glow of the full moon revealed the red clouds underneath. The young girl hidden under the bed shuddered from recognition and the streaming wind.
Akatsuki. Anyone who lived in small villages knew of them. She reveled in her wisdom of hiding immediately when the branch soared through her window.
The girl whimpered and curled up tighter, for they were in her house, in her room. She held back her fear and stared hard at the legs that were currently pacing the floor nearby the bed. Why were they here? What did they want? Tears were pricking her eyes and she quietly pulled the loose floorboard up. Her pale hand was shaking as it searched for her target through the hay, lingering on a piece of parchment until it settled for the knife instead. The knife cut relentlessly into her palm but she clutched it closer to her chest all the same. She was sure that Papa heard the crash and would be here in a minute, along with their strongest servants. She was sure of it. And they would stop the bad men and she would be okay. She opened her eyes-she didn't realize she had closed them when was cut- and stared horrified.
There were only one set of feet when there were two. Where was the other one? She started to tremble against the hardwood floor. It had been a few minutes. Where was Papa?
The door crashed open, causing the girl to jump and bang her head against the metal frame of the mattress. Luckily, she was smart enough to clamp her mouth shut to stop the groan of anguish. Unluckily, with the people she was dealing with, that wouldn't be enough. Giant legs went and stood next to the smaller form.
"The target?" A male voice abruptly called out, shattering the former silence. A deep chuckle resounded in response. "The guy squealed like a pig. It's where you figured it would be." A strange, dark liquid was pooling onto the floor from the large one and smelled slightly metallic. The girl's eyes widened and her tremors started anew for she knew it was blood. And if it were his blood, the man wouldn't laugh, wouldn't seem so content. So it had to be someone else's blood.
Her Papa!
The smaller figure slowly walked towards her bedroom door. At this angle, she could see long dark hair and pale hands, almost as pale as her own from living in this cloudy village all her life. If she could see better, she would have seen crimson eyes that bled through the nighttime and stared into her soul. The door opened-much gentler- and the figure stopped when the large one called out, "What about the last one?" The figure lingered before continuing out the door. "Just don't cause a bigger commotion than you did breaking in. "
Those words sealed her fate.
The deep chuckle resounded and bounced against the walls until the shrieking wind caught the noise. The large feet walked slowly-oh so slowly- out of her room and down the hall until she couldn't hear anything but the wind. The girl stayed there for a long while, wanting to be sure it would be safe to come out. But it would never be safe, it never was with them.
The girl inched forward, I have to find Papa!, when a vise-like grip wrapped around her ankles and pulled. She slid out from under the bed easier than a knife slid into butter, or better yet, a sword into a man. Her chin banged harshly against the wooden floor. Her pale purple nightgown rode up her scrawny legs and tore a little when it got caught against the knife she dropped in shock. She was drug away, screams caught in the wintry winds and heard by no one. Eventually, the two Akatsuki members were on the road again, a new scroll of parchment from a safe in one of their weapon pouches.
"Papa!"
Mission accomplished.
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"An Akatsuki sighting?! Where? Are you sure?" The head police officer in a small town near Amegakure shot rapid fire questions for which he demanded answers. His subordinate gulped and replied, hesitating slightly.
"We are certain, Captain. The Yufukuna family has been found by a recent patrol who happened to be in the area. The head of the family, Sobokuna Yufukuna, and his daughter, Fumiko, have been found dead." The captain gulped, eyes bugging out, and face draining color. He slowly walked over to his desk and reached for the framed picture.
"How do you know it was the Akatsuki?"
A tiny, pale girl with dark hair was smiling brightly, sitting next to a grinning, blushing boy with blonde hair-his son- while his beautiful wife wrapped a red blanket around their shoulders. The deep color contrasted greatly with the whiteness of the never dissipating clouds. The burgundy blanket seemed to transform in front of him, melting into a liquid that stained the now frowning girl. Her black eyes seemed to stare into his soul. He shuddered and closed his eyes. When he opened them again, the picture revealed nothing but cold, smiling faces.
"Fumiko was found wrapped in one of those wretched cloaks. We matched the material to the one that was torn from the last fight. I'm so sorry, sir. The rivaling sector of Amegakure shinobi refuse to aid us on discovering the purpose of the attack. They said they couldn't clash with the Akatsuki if they wanted to keep the village in tact." The subordinate flinched when the captain abruptly slammed his fist onto the desk. He replied, "We are going to avenge this attack if it is the last thing I do," he growled, "And we are going to need some help."
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"Your mission is to investigate the murders of the Yufukuna family and gather any intel on this 'Akatsuki' group. They are a minor organization but their goals are unclear. Do I make myself clear?" The three ninja kneeling replied with a sharp, "Yes, Hokage-sama," and flashed out of the room.
It wasn't like the Hokage didn't know about the Akatsuki. He had his very own spy within its clutches. But he couldn't contact Jiraiya often or with too much information without exposing himself. So gathering as much intel as the village could would be their goal.
The Sandaime Hokage glanced back at the file in his hand. A wealthy family murdered, but nothing notable stolen or noticed. How peculiar, and even more so, the nearest shinobi village refused to investigate a seemingly simple case. Hiruzen knew something was obviously amiss and sent one of his best teams. The mission payed handsomely and looking at the smiling face of a dead twelve year old girl, he knew he couldn't sit back and do nothing. He's always had a soft spot for children, revealed by the way he always thought of Naruto, little Konohamaru, and his newest, indirect ward, Sasuke. He sighed in regret and looked out the window, thinking of the last child he could do nothing for, the child who would never walk in light again.
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Two weeks later, the team he assigned to investigate the Yufukuna case returned. They flashed in and knelt before Hiruzen and little Naruto, whose big blue eyes stared blankly and slightly suspicious. Hiruzen smiled gently, usher the boy from his office. Hiruzen held out a few coins.
"Here, Naruto. Why don't you go and get some ramen?" The preteen blonde boy grabbed the offered money and dashed off with grin. "See ya next week, Gramps!" As soon as the door eased shut, Hiruzen's gentle smile withered slightly. The squad was still kneeling, heads bowed respectfully.
"Alright. Report."
The ninja on his left replied, head still down. "It has been confirmed. This enigma group, Akatsuki, is behind the death of the Yufukuna family, a family built on the wealth of their silk production. The reason for their death is unknown due to the fact that nothing was stolen, except for an empty safe. We noticed the lack of destructive marks on the safe, so we presume that it was willingly opened, most likely under duress as an attempt to preserve their lives. There must have been something of extreme value, something the Akatsuki were after for them to abandon their wealth. We surveyed the house and found more hidden compartments throughout the mansion. " The ninja kneeling in the middle of the other two performed a few hand signs, a with a poof of white smoke, a small weathered box appeared.
Hiruzen raised an eyebrow. "Take this to the decrypting sector. I want to know every hidden detail in those scrolls. Then return to complete your report immediately after."
After a collective, "Yes, Hokage-sama," the team was gone.
Little did they know, the answer to their puzzle had fallen from a slight, slight hole in the bottom corner of the worn box and was in the hands of a prepubescent civilian child.
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The tiny pink-haired girl child stared at the little piece of parchment wonderingly. It was only slightly longer than her index finger and just as wide. She had never seen such a scroll before, a feat considering the twelve year-old spent her non-stalking time at the library. She had read most of the scrolls available and had managed to sneak past the snoring librarian to stow away in the upper levels, forbidden to little academy students.
She needed to return this to those Shinobi as soon as possible! The girl adjusted her newly awarded head protector onto of her pink locks. She started after the ninja, fully intending to deliver the scroll to the Hokage himself. Maybe this information could save the village from some unknown enemy she didn't have clearance to know about!
Then she wondered. What would vital information to Konaha look like? She paused from her brisk walk and turned into an alleyway. Maybe just a peek...
She let out a deep breath and hesitantly opened it, revealing-
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Nothing. The barren plain revealed nothing. The only features to gaze upon were a few thrushes and mice scampering among the dehydrated ferns. So few people traveled on these parts that there wasn't even a path. This is where the bloody Akatsuki member found himself grumbling about the cold and kicking a few stones. His accomplice only raised a slim brow.
"You shouldn't have left your cloak."
The taller, larger man turned beady eyes towards the smaller. "Watch yourself, kid. I don't need some smart mouthed runt telling me what to do." The smaller of the two stared blankly in response.
"Then stop acting so foolish." Most would have thought the larger man would have been angry but instead he threw his head back and unleashed a loud, echoing laugh. "Boy, Itachi, I never thought you would take the bait!" The guffaws started up again, painting the bluish, brutish man a slight purple shade. The smaller one, Itachi, just raised an eyebrow and continued to walk.
The laughs were loud enough to cause any living thing in the vicinity to hide, a feeling Itachi had borne for a very long time now.
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The two Akatsuki members quickly darted through the rain. The cloud covered moon above them was full and bright, dimly lighting the way. They stopped in front of a large metal structure that perched over Amegakure.
Itachi quickly pressed against the metal door, causing it to open with a small screech. The lack of security didn't faze them; they knew that any intruders would never have made it this far through Amekagure if Pein didn't want them to.
The two men darted inside and took off their drenched cloaks. (Itachi had his standard Akatsuki cloak, his partner picked up a plain black one in the previous town.) They headed though the hideout and converged with several others in the same cloaks. The smallest of the group detached and faced them. The light fixtures casted shadows across her full features, causing a look of malevolence to overcome the normally placid expression.
"Leader-sama wishes to see you two immediately." The lithe blue haired female gestured to a pile of freshly washed towels placed onto a nearby table and turned to face her longtime companion. The other Akatsuki members stared emotionless as the duo crossed to their leader, though there was thinly veiled hatred in the eyes of the blonde member.
Konan's companion was a man with metal piercings and orange hair. Leader-sama. Pein. He was lounging against a door that led to his favorite place of all: the balcony overlooking Ame.
"I trust you have acquired the target." As Kisame voiced approval, Itachi upended a small pocket in his pouch.
Itachi produced the tiniest scroll he had seen in a long time, slightly smaller than his longest finger. Their leader raised an eyebrow. "Open it."
Itachi kept his face carefully blank but felt the slightest bit of trepidation. Only a fool would open an unknown scroll that could contain just about any justu, item, or curse imaginable.
But he also was able to rationalize that Pein wouldn't carelessly throw away his best operative just for kicks. So Itachi, careful not to use his chakra, opened it.
And nothing happened.
The scroll was blank. At Pein's nod, Itachi rolled the scroll up and set it before him. Pein looked pleased and Kisame seemed slightly miffed, after all that he and Itachi had been through for a piece of paper! Kisame huffed and stormed off. Meanwhile, Itachi analyzed the scroll harmlessly laid on the nearby table with his Sharingan.
What was the point of this? Was it Madara? Itachi was puzzled by the lack of information the scroll gave. It didn't activate or react, he noted as Pein sent a wave of chakra into the parchment. Nothing is happening.
But something would happen. Just later. Perhaps later that night.
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Itachi knew something was wrong as soon as his mind slipped into wakefulness. While keeping his breathing even, he barely opened his eyes. Pale walls, a brown nightstand to his left that had a half glass of water perched on it, a wide window directly in front of the pink bed. His eyes drifted towards the pink door before an unknown voice sharply called out.
"Darling, you're gonna be late. Get a move on!" A female, he noted, with little chakra. A civilian. There weren't any aggressive tones in her speech so he felt certain that either the civilian didn't know he was here and she was calling for someone else, or she actually was calling out to him (unlikely, she had called for her 'darling' after all) so he wasn't a prisoner, due to lack of restraints. After ascertaining that he wasn't in danger, he awakened fully. His body felt incredibly light as he sat up.
I don't seem to be injured, he thought. He didn't even feel his pervasive sickness lingering. His chakra though..it was so low. He could not recall fighting anyone recently, at least no one who would require his chakra to be drained so extensively. Perhaps this was Kisame's doing, Itachi inwardly scowled. This wasn't the slightest bit amusing, though he was curious as to how Kisame pulled this off. No one else would trifle with him like this. Sighing, he ran his hand through his unbound locks of hair, frowning when his hand encountered a tangle. Iachi pulled the piece over his shoulder and his eyes widened.
Pink. He was clutching pink hair. He inhaled sharply and quickly covered his mouth.
Calm down, calm down, he told himself as he evened out his breathing. Luckily, no one noticed his very manly yell. Unluckily, someone noticed the high pitched shriek. Of all things to lose composure over, he sighed, pinching his nose. For some reason, his emotions seemed very overwhelming. His normal sereneness had vanished, along with his normal clothes. Why was he in pink?
"Why are you screaming? It's past time for breakfast, hurry up!
Why was the woman yelling? There were sounds of stomping towards his room. He leapt out of bed, intending on finding a hiding spot and a weapon when an abrupt bout of dizziness overtook him. He staggered back to the bed. He couldn't move.
He tensed as the woman barged in, hands on hips. He immediately surveyed her person, determining if she were a threat. It wasn't likely, but some shinobi had the immense chakra control to make their reserves seemingly shrink. She had shoulder length blonde hair with a swatch covering her forehead. Her skin was fair and stood out against large viridian eyes. Her pale hand stayed on her hand while the other fumbled with her loosened apron string. She scowled at the sight of him.
"Sakura Haruno, why are you still in bed? You're going to be late for meeting your team!"