The Princess of the Cloud Village
Chapter 1

The stinging tears had flooded over her for the past two days. Now in a distant town, far from the Akatsuki hideout, Ashiko sat in at a small table, nibbling on some ramen. She was going through a state of denial, trying to forget the orginization, but trying to remember how the hell she was going to get home. The tiny hotel she was staying at was anything but hospitable, and it smelled of garlic and old people. She rubbed her nose and pushed away her ramen, throwing her shirts hood over her head. Only getting four hours of sleep in the past two days was begining to bite at her nerves. She was already a wreck as it was, seeing as how there was no up to date map in this forsaken town, or because of the fact that she could'nt remember squat.A small child had at least told her they were in the Village Hidden in the Rain.She had no idea why the idea of going home was eating her from the inside. Something felt wrong, but it felt even more so staying here.
Being that connected to an orginization she had only spent a week with... it scared her. The thought of his stupid orange mask...stupid eye patch...stupid Tobi...

"Can I get you anything else?"

Ashiko threw her head up in a startled expression. She had been off her guard for the past few days...she had to get more alert."Im...fine. Thanks." She handed the blonde waitress her ramen bowl and stood up from her chair, making her way outside into the misty morning. She inhaled deeply, tasting the thick air. She turned her head in each direction, surveying the empty street, crickets echoing in the distance. Ashiko felt around her waist for her sword sheaths... but they were still gone. When she was in such a rush to get out of there she forgot her beautiful swords in Tobi's room. Pein probably fed them to Zetsu or something. Ashiko took one more taste of the air, and dashed through the empty streets, making for the northern exits, hoping to find a more helpful town. Even the wind brushing her face, and the smell of morning dew could'nt help calm her. Something in the streets felt ominous and dark. Already on the outskirts of the town she stood next
to a street pole, listening for a faint noise, or pressence."I know your'e there!"She shouted into the air, wondering if she was just being paranoid.

"Your in a bit of a hurry arn't you?" The dark voice came from behind her, with a snide tone.

"Zetsu..." Ashiko swung herself backwards and flung her kunai at the plant.

"Thats really pointless ya'know?" The lighter voice said, catching the kunai in mid air. "Dont get mad, im here to help." He bent down to place a scroll on the dirt path between them, followed by her katanas. "Pein's really going to be mad at me for this." The white side winked at her and he dissolved once more into the ground. "You best get moving...before he finds you..." The voice seemed to waver, and then evaporated into the echoing streets.

She stood frozen on the spot. He didn't try to take her? "There is something serisouly wrong with that orginization..." She uncoiled herself from her stance and reached down to her harmless swords. Once again attached to her waist, it made her feel less jittery. She bent down once more to wearily pick up the scroll. It was sealed with a black dot, but scrapped it open with her thumbnail. Uncoiling it, it reveiled a detailed map of the ninja world. More extence details than she'd ever seen in a map before. Wave currents, moutain ranges, every small town she'd never heard of, even a pinpointed green mark that red above it 'You are Here'. Apparently this town was named Hitsuo. "You have got to be kidding me...". She relized, the only logical way to get home was of course through the Fire Country. She hated leaf ninja with a passion, for many reasons. They based everything on their friends and would'nt even care if half the world went to war, as long as they
were'nt in it. She grunted and slid the scroll into her kunai bag, setting out once more for her village. Slowing slightly and turning her head she could'nt help but see the black and white man who stood in the spot she just was ten seconds ago. He was smiling at her and waving.

"Good luck Ashiko!" He laughed and disolved into the ground once more.

"I really hate those people." She sprinted forward and refused to look back again. Something urged her to go back...and something ate at her to keep on running away. She was begining to think Zetsu had an influence on her, giving her split personalities.

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Two Days Earlier

"How the HELL could you just let her go like that?! She could get Killed!" Tobi screamed into his leaders face, both fists around Pein's shirt collar.

"I couldn't tell her to stay here after this little incident she had made..." He managed to kick the boulder that was still laying in his office.

"You know the people in this village are screwed up! If some ninja's were to find her out there they could kill her! Maybe even worse, who knows?!" He pushed Pein backwards and walked off to the door. "You better be damn happy that im to worried about her right now to deal with you." He pointed a single finger at him and said "If anything has happened to her, I swear on whatever screwed up God exsists, I. will. kill. you." He stormed out of the room slamming the door so hard, a large crack had run up half its course. He made it into the living room, about to set off when Hidan entered the room.

"Tobi, I -"

"Dont screw with me right now Hidan." Tobi shot his head over to the purple eyed man, the same that Ashiko's eyes had been. "As soon as Ashiko came out of your room is when things started going bad, you did something to her, I know it! Everything you do ends up screwing with other peoples lives!"

"It comes with the job discription." Hidan sighed and tried to walk over to Tobi, still frozen by the hideout entrance. "It's not my fault she started to remember things Tobi, we all knew it was bound to happen. Even you did, even if you did'nt want to believe it."

"Maybe thats true, maybe your right! But at the same time this could have ended so much better, without a life being taken by this screw up village! A life that I saved!" Tobi slunk his way through the opening and out into the clearing.

"Tobi! Try to be a bit more rational about this! It was her choice, not ours!" Deidara's own squeeky voice chimmed in from behind Hidan, now exiting the hideout behind him follwed by Itachi.

"Your just going to get yourself hurt Tobi, just come inside we can figure out what to do-" Hidan tryed to say, but got cut off. A deep snarl ripped from Tobi who flung himself around and faced the three ninjas.

"None of you know how much danger she's in right now! She could already be dead! Instead of just sitting here like a bunch on kids, im actaully going to go and help her! You can all hudle in your teams and pretend all you want to, but that isn't going to help Ashiko!" He swallowed hard, he hated saying her name. In one fluid motion he zipped up his Akatsuki jacket completely, and put his right hand over his mask. "Do what you want, but im leaving." With one crushing second his mask shattered, scattered in the mud around his feet. Three looks of shock stared at the sharingan that pertruded from his right eye. He swirled around, cloak swaying, and dashed as fast as he could into the forest, his eye trying to adjust to the surroundings.

Deidara and Hidan stood in there same rooted positions with looks of awe on there faces. No one spoke for five seconds.

"And so the plot thickens." Itachi strode off back to him room, pondering about his newly recognized relative.