Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto
In times of war, in times of strife, we fight with all our life. Those who have fallen shall rise again, those who were dead live once more. Hope, our greatest friend and ally, guides us in our path, and whether we are let astray or not, we find ourselves with the courage to continue on - Konan and Pain, beginning life anew.
Revamped from the original - The five great nations are at war again, and Amegakure is caught in the middle of it. The Akatsuki has, for the most part, abandoned its original goals and Madara is no longer a part of the organization, although most of the remaining group is still together and in Amegakure. (Sasori, Deidara, Itachi, Kisame, Konan, and Nagato). Nagato has found a way to restore his body to its former status, and now he no longer uses the six paths of pain. Konan will be a lot more powerful than she is in canon Naruto, and Naruto won't be as strong as canon. Still Konan centric. More revealed in story-
"Speech"
Thoughts
The world churns again. One cycle after another, life slips into ceaseless strife, boundless hatred. This game we call life, a fool's game, and we, the biggest fools of them all, why do we even play it? I see the world crumble before my eyes, fallen into despairing chaos, anarchy abound... here we maintain some semblance of calm, but war comes soon, the bitter winds of battle staining heaven's rain red with blood, carving unto the land a vast crypt, scorching everything in its path with unforgiving fire. Our time draws near again, our fate decided against the leaves of war. A proliferation of carnage, all the lost souls crying out to me, and I, their angel, can do nothing but sit back and watch it happen, helpless, caught in the midst of an immutable impetus, the force that causes these humans to fight each other, the catalyst of pain in this world.
Sometimes we ask ourselves why. Why so much hatred for one another? What purpose does it serve? Is it useful, or are we just hurting each other... and ourselves? We are all justified in our causes. Or so it seems. Every village, every single person does what he, what she feels is right. We help ourselves, we say we are the morally sound ones, we are good, and they are evil. They are just... wrong. Yes, our own hatred is always justified, we are always right in causing others pain, but they are never right if they want to retaliate. What peace we seek is only a lie, tailored to our own needs, to our own wants, what bonds we hold with others merely a disguise, easily evaporated when truth is revealed. Friends, who are not really our friends, who abandon us in times of need, leaving us alone again, solitary guardians of a dying world.
Silent watchers of ceaseless destruction, hapless protectors of those who cannot be defended, we hope for a world without war, without hate, but where one conflict ends another arises. Those we call our friends are our worst enemies a moment later, those our most hated foes our allies the next, but when in the hour of dire need, the only one you can rely on is yourself. Alone, we hope for something better, together, we destroy those dreams, dashing those illusions of harmony with one another, cast into despair once more. For desolation does not rise until hope ends, and there does pain return.
Winter comes again, snowfall at the eve of rising flame, glacial frost soon given into raging fire, nothing to quell the pyres that raze all creation to ashes. The ashen skies reign over an ashen world, casting white flakes unto a blackened ground, a shroud for the fallen, each one a fallen soul itself. A myriad of snowflakes from the heavens, a myriad of spirits lost in battle, spectres haunting this hellish plane, tormented life worse than death, dispassionate shadows wandering listlessly through boundless chaos. Discordant harmonies, that which we call concord, unity of naught but abhorrent furies, fervent in nothing but fighting, passionless otherwise.
Helpless, I claim to be angel, messenger of an equally powerless god, who only can watch as her people die, suffer, and live on as more powerful forces ravage our lands. Mortal, we all are, yet some more so than others, fallen easily upon winds of hate, while others watch from above. Seeing such foolishness but unable to do anything about it. Interfering with it and hated all the more so because of it. In the wake of the giants' fight we are left to clean up by ourselves, to rebuild, to recover. Standing in the shadows of titans we can only watch, and wait for a time when they stop fighting. Invariably, we are left waiting for the end of eternity.
Beneath these grey skies I fly, seeing everything, yet nothing with these eyes, as everything dies, if I could still I would cry. My heart sings for them but I feel nothing. Nothing but bitterness and disappointment, hatred consuming me as well, but cleansed as I hear this lie, this lie they call amity, this lie that tears the world asunder. I feel naught for those who strive beneath me, cold as the ice that falls around me, frozen within a wintry shell, muted ardor, abated fervor, I cannot allow myself to feel or I will be lost as well. Lost in the throes of malevolence, I become no better than those I scorn, purging it from my body, I still cling to those ideals of peace.
What was past is not forgotten, what is present cannot be controlled, what will be the future cannot be foreseen. All we can do is live. And carry on. In this life, we seek out the things that bring us happiness, or lessen our own despair. Most wish to erase their own pain as well, but for us it is not the case. This pain, it eats away at my soul, yet it drives me forward as well. To improve myself, to grow stronger, smarter, to understand others better, the will to make progress in this world. To progress from the anarchy that it is now. Pain, the impetus that gives me the will to live, Pein, my only friend and ally. Though it is not what other seek, it is what he and I both relish, though we may wish to erase it from others' lives.
There is no sun in Amegakure. Only the endless rain, washing away the sorrows of years past, or the veils of snow, a curtain to mute the pain of ceaseless war. With nothing we yet live. With our lives, we struggle on, and in death only then do we find peace. Such is our existence, such is what we are doomed to suffer. So while we still live, we must keep fighting. Without hope, I have not yet given up, without motivation to do anything, I still devote my soul to this concept, this thing that seems that it cannot be achieved, peace. We strive for perfection but cannot attain it, we seek to do the impossible, knowing that it cannot be done. Some of us give up, overcome by hopelessness, and yet some of us continue on, knowing we cannot do anything but striving forward anyway.
Here, in the frozen rains, I look into the sky, and wonder, when will it end?
The answer, as always... never.
Konan's looked down and her face contorted very slightly. A bead of sweat ran down her forehead and she raised a hand to wipe it away, frowning to herself. She hated being sick.
"Tsunade, you know I have to do this. I know that Iwa declared war on us again-"
"If you know that, then why are you still doing this?!" Tsunade slammed her palm on her desk, breaking it in half (again). "Kumogakure is allies with Iwagakure! We're not just dealing with the Earth country this time, Jiraiya! We-"
"We also have Suna on our side. Listen to me, Tsunade. I have information from a very good source that the leader of Akatsuki is in Amegakure. I at least have to check it out."
Tsunade sighed. "And what if you, well..."
Jiraiya snorted. "I'm not stupid enough to get caught by a bunch of amateurs-"
"Jiraiya, this is the Akatsuki we're talking about. Look. We've got a ton of issues on our hands. Iwagakure, Kumogakure, hell you can probably bet that Kirigakure won't stay out of it either. We need you. If something happens and-"
Jiraiya looked at her seriously. "Nothing is going to happen. I promise you."
"Yeah, sure. Nothing will stop you from keeping your sennin's promise-"
Jiraiya rolled his eyes. "You know, if it makes you feel any better I could bring along a couple people with me. Two at most, so we'll have a three man reconnaissance team."
Tsunade was silent. Well, on the one hand, itwould make her feel better, but on the other hand, they were short handed right now, and she couldn't exactly spare many people. Still, the Akatsuki was a big deal, and even with the rumors floating around that their activities had stopped and they weren't collecting bijuu anymore, nobody could be certain what they were actually up to. It wasn't a good idea to leave them alone for too long, even if they were preoccupied with war. And sending Jiraiya alone..?
Well, he certainly was a capable shinobi, she knew that. Few came close to him in infiltration and stealth techniques, which was why he was perfectly suited to go to Amegakure and gather intel on whoever the leader of Akatsuki might be. But he was not infallible. She had seen before, he sometimes got a bit reckless when alone... perhaps he felt like he needed to be the hero or something, but he risked his life as if it were nothing. Perhaps sending someone with him would be for the best after all. The question was, who was there?
He noticed her thinking about it. "Kakashi, perhaps? Or Yamato?"
"Kakashi is staying with Naruto for the moment, and I doubt you want to take him to Amegakure with you."
Jiraiya nodded. That would be disastrous.
"Yamato... how long will you be there?"
"In and out in hopefully a week," he muttered, "unless we encounter... trouble."
"Ugh. Fine, Yamato will go with you. And one more person... the problem is, all of the other jounin and ANBU that I can think of are already at the border on duty. Yamato just happens to still be here because Naruto is. And I doubt Danzo would approve of sending any of his men with you."
"So a chuunin. I know we have some particularly talented ones in the village. That bug guy, what was his name?"
"Shino? He's with his father on the front as well. Let me think." Tsunade put a hand to her chin. Team Asuma - well, Team Shikamaru now - was also on the front already. Team Kurenai had already met up with their old mentor and gone as well, so they were out of the question. In fact... now that she thought of it, most of the old teams were already prepared for battle at the border. The only ones still in the village were Team Gai and Team Kakashi. Gai's team... that would be a terrible idea. Tsunade shuddered to think of what would happen if she sent Lee on a stealthy recon mission. And Neji was already gone with the rest of the Hyuugas, so that left Team Kakashi. Sai would have been perfect but then there was the possible connection to Danzo, and she wanted him as far away from the intel as possible... though he somehow always managed to get his hands on it. Naruto... no. And Kakashi had to stay with him. So that left...
"Sakura, I guess," she muttered. "Not ideal but she's basically the only one available. As long as she isn't away long, we won't miss her too much."
"Sai? Oh right, Danzo," Jiraiya's face darkened. Not many people liked the old man, especially not those who agreed with the Third's teachings. "There's really nobody else?"
"Unless you want a genin-"
"No. Well, if it must be done, it must be done. I shall go find them and we will be off as soon as we can." His voice dropped in volume slightly. "Tsunade, don't worry. Everything will be fine."
"I'm not worrying, you idiot-"
"It's written all over your face, Tsunade."
She sighed again. "I can't be worried for an old teammate? Sending you off to Amegakure like that-"
Jiraiya frowned and his gaze hardened. "I can't make you any promises," he said darkly. "The leader of Akatsuki... I honestly don't know what to expect. I can't guarantee that I'll bring back Yamato and Sakura safely either. But you know it has to be done. We can't just leave them be."
"I knew that already," she murmured. "It's just... whatever. Go."
Jiraiya nodded and jumped out the window, becoming no more than a blur as he darted from rooftop to rooftop.
"... and please be safe."
"You're sick again."
Nagato pressed a wet cloth to Konan's forehead. She coughed a little and shifted under her blankets. Her eyes opened a sliver. And closed again.
"You should take better care of yourself. Only a fool or a crazy woman runs out into freezing rain when she's sick."
"I'm... not crazy."
It pained Nagato that her voice was so weak, but he decided not to seem overly worried. She was depressed enough anyway - his job was to cheer her up.
"I don't know about that," he smiled a little.
"Your jokes suck."
He sighed. "Just trying to-"
"I know, I know," she smiled a little. "But it's just not like you to do something like that. You were always so serious before-"
"Shh, don't talk. Let me take care of you."
Konan nodded almost imperceptibly and her eyes opened slightly again, her gaze traveling over to him. She loved the way Nagato looked, now that he had found a way to restore his body to its original status using the Naraka path. Admittedly, she missed seeing Yahiko's body around, but... it was all for the better. Now their old friend could rest in peace and she could actually interact with her Nagato and not just some dead bodies.
She knew how much he loved her even though he tried to be emotionless. To others, he might have seemed so, but she could read him easily, probably because they had been together for so many years. She got the feeling that he understood her well too, though sometimes he didn't quite understand her emotions. Like now, when he was trying to cheer her up, when she didn't want to be. Actually, she never really wanted to be cheered up. It wasn't like she was so serious all the time, but she was more of a go with the flow type of person - she felt however she happened to feel, but as it was, with everything that was going on, she could not help but feel depressed most of the time. And angry, but she didn't show it like most people did. She had more of a 'cold temper' so it did not show as much. But forcing emotions?
Maybe it was a male thing. He always had to feel some way and everything had to be made right. To change a course of action or emotion, to make an impact rather than let things happen. But then there were things that she was stubborn about too. Like making sure her people didn't suffer. And especially important, making sure he didn't suffer. For all his ranting about pain, he didn't like it quite as much as she did - he wanted happiness and tranquility.
Okay, she sounded like a masochist, but she liked conflict in someways, and being hurt, because it gave her something to contemplate, a motive for doing something, anything, a purpose to live on. She felt like without pain in some form, she would just not bother living. Yes, Nagato hated seeing her hurt, but... he never understood that part of her.
Nagato held out a steaming cup of tea to her lips and she sipped at it slowly, trying not to cough in the process of drinking. Well, however much he didn't quite understand her, he knew how to take care of her, that was for sure. And she felt a bit better when he was just... there. Graced by his presence, not the presence of an almighty god, but someone just like her, a human, troubled by the issues that plagued the world. And her only real friend.
Konan curled up into a ball and tried to sleep but the searing pain in her forehead was killing her. She felt something small and round at her lips and opened her mouth slightly, quickly swallowing the bitter medicine and feeling the pain lessen somewhat.
"It is dawn," she heard his voice from above her.
"I am nocturnal anyway," she whispered.
Nagato laughed softly. "So you are. Normally you are asleep at this hour."
She was silent again for a moment.
"Do you... have to go?"
"Not if you need me."
"It's alright," she panted with the strain of speaking. "I'll... be fine."
"I don't think so."
If she had the energy to, she would have rolled her eyes, but sleep was closing in on her quickly.
Nagato listened to Konan's breathing slow down, though it was still shallow and irregular, but at least it seemed like she was sleeping now. He knew her dreams had always been troubled after Yahiko's death, so sleeping peacefully might have been too much to ask for, but Konan was better at handling mental pain than physical pain. Though her tolerance for injury was amazing - he had no clue how she managed to suffer through such torment, day and night, awake and asleep, and still keep her sanity.
He knew she empathized with the people of Amegakure far more than even he did. It was almost as if their pains were her pains as well. Taking in the hurt of a country, as well as bearing her own, hearing terrible stories of war over and over, rape, murder, disgusting acts of torture, he didn't want to think about it. And then, he remembered that awful day, Yahiko's death, the day their hopes had been dashed and harsh reality had come crashing down on them.
Nagato curled his hand into a fist. Danzo. He vowed he would get his revenge some day-
No. He wouldn't. Because Konan wouldn't approve of it. He closed his eyes and rubbed his temples. Konan kept him sane as well, it seemed.
Sometimes, he felt like he didn't quite understand her as well as he should have, for being her friend for so many years. He knew he could never reach that level that Yahiko had, who had seemed to decipher her every motion, every little twitch on her face and translate it into an emotion. To one that did not know her well, Konan seemed incredibly cold and stoic, emotionless, detached from the world, but those few that did know her knew that she was very troubled by... well, everything. It was difficult to see on her face, that was for sure, but with careful practice he did notice how she frowned every time she heard something else happening in the war, from the little stories like a husband getting killed to an entire village being razed, and how sad her eyes looked, how her blue-grey irises almost seemed to cry but did not because she simply did not show her emotions so easily.
That was Konan. Holding everything in. Bearing it all.
He didn't understand why she felt the way she did about somethings. Pain, how she seemed to seek it out. Sure, his name had once been Pein, but that was a reminder of what he had suffered, not what he sought. He also didn't understand how much she seemed to hate people because of the horrible things they could do to one another, yet care about them so much that all of their hurts seemed to be her own. She had risked her own life on many occasions to save the people of Amegakure, and though she was not particularly... happy with the shinobi of other villages, she did not murder them in cold blood without good reason, unlike many of the other members of Akatsuki.
He knew that if she lost control of her temper, she might have become a warmonger like they were, like he had been. He had seen her when she was angry often enough. The slight narrowing of her eyes, the furrow of her brow, the frown, it was not particularly frightening, especially not with how quiet she was, but her reputation for being very powerful was enough to make up for it.
He didn't know how deep that anger ran, though. If it was just superficial or if it ran through her blood, rage commanding her soul. She could certainly be... impassioned at times, and she would do anything to protect those she cared about. Like even using her own body to shield him even though he was much more durable than she was. Or running out of chakra and continuing to fight because he was in danger. She was crazy.
He looked down at her again. Her breathing was still no deeper and highly irregular. Konan didn't get sick very often, but when she did it was usually pretty awful. Nagato sighed. He wished he could do more for her, but he was no medical ninja. For all his ability to revive the dead, he couldn't get rid of something as simple as a fever. He hated that.
He hated seeing her beautiful face in pain. He hated seeing her blood when she was hurt. He hated seeing her worry for him. He hated leaving her when she so clearly needed him. He also hated the fact that she didn't want to be a nuisance to him. That she felt like she was hindering him when in fact she was just as strong as he was. Not in terms of raw power, but in many other ways.
He knew that she wanted him to go do whatever he needed to, but secretly she wanted him to stay at her side.
Nagato ran his fingers through her blue locks of hair, looking at her quietly. It was strange, how he could just stare at her for hours, at that beautiful face, playing with her very unique, cerulean colored hair, at the dark eyeshadow on her eye lids, which was totally unnecessary considering how shadowed her eyes were already, at the faint lines on her face that shouldn't have been there, considering she was still in her twenties, but were there because she had seen and felt too much. At the place where her labret had once been but was gone when he had laid Yahiko's body to rest. Nagato frowned once more.
Okay, maybe he had things to do today, but at least for now, watching over her was more important.
Three shadows passed through the forests of Konoha toward the Land of Rain. As they approached the border, they began to see the first signs of war and the devastating effect it could cause on the land and its people.
Villages burned to the ground, nothing but blackened ashes remaining. What few people still remained there were all homeless and starving, wearing only rags, ashen faced women bearing their children on their backs, not knowing if they could even give their kids a morsel to eat let alone themselves...
The three shinobi stopped and helped wherever they could, but their supplies were limited and it was impossible to provide for everyone. At least Yamato could put a roof over their heads, but there was not much else they could do.
"Except maybe give them a little money? Or food? I mean, we have plenty! And it's not like Amegakure will have nothing either-"
"Sakura, enough. I have told you already. We can't do anything for these people. I am not god. I cannot make food appear out of thin air."
"But we can just get more later-"
"No, we cannot. In the first place, it is not a good idea to show our faces around Amegakure too much, or we may attract unwanted attention. And, I hate to put it so bluntly, but our mission is more important than these people right now. Look, it's not like I don't value their lives-"
"Clearly, you don't."
Jiraiya closed his eyes. "Listen, Sakura. We are going to a land far poorer than the Country of Fire. I don't know how long it will take, but there are relief teams and charity organizations that specially come to help people like these, who have lost everything. We have given them shelter again and a little money in case they need it, but that is all we can spare. In the Land of Rain, there are no such things. Everyone fends for themselves, including children."
His thoughts traveled back to those three orphans, Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan. He had spent three years with them, taking care of them and protecting them from outside threats, and even then it had been exceedingly dangerous, so he had had no idea how they had survived for years without someone watching over them. And despite all their cheery innocence, they were not as naïve as one might have expected - no, they had probably seen much more than he had and experienced the worst of the war. And yet somehow they, well mostly Yahiko, had clung to that ideal of peace and hoped that things would get better. How incredible the incorruptibility of children had seemed to him, how amazing that people could still retain hope in such dark times - it had inspired him to strengthen his own resolve and never, ever deviated from his nindo.
And then they had died.
"Jiraiya-sama? Hello?"
He came out of his thoughts. "Sorry," he muttered. "What was I saying? Oh yes. Amegakure, is far poorer than you can imagine. If you think about how much we suffer during war time, think about how they are in the middle of the war with everyone fighting around them. And they are not even involved in the war itself. How unfair do you think it is to them?"
Sakura's gaze lowered.
"Look, I don't mean to be harsh on our people, but they have no idea how worse it could be for them. We're going to a place where there literally is nothing to spare for us. So please try to understand."
Sakura nodded and was silent.
Through the war torn lands they walked silently, watching as everything slowly grew worse and worse. From no homes and no food to dead bodies laying everywhere, scattered amongst the ruins of what were presumably their homes, to dead body parts scattered everywhere, amidst pools of dried blood and strange looking devices that looked like they could have been used for torture. Just maybe.
And Jiraiya's eyes darkened as he saw that these were not shinobi at all, but innocent people from Amegakure who had been captured because someone thought they might be spies from a different country. Wartime called for desperate measures, but this was just... too much. Way too much. They made graves for the bodies and moved on, and nobody spoke a word but there was an understanding between them. Hatred made people do things that were just inhuman.
They kept their hoods down as they passed the few that were still living, and when Sakura made a move to try to help them, Jiraya pulled her back and stopped her, shaking his head sadly.
She looked back at them with sorrowful eyes and saw that they had already given up on living, looking listlessly at the ground, ready to die at any moment. She turned away and held back tears.
We help those who we can, she had been told before, by both Tsunade and Jiraiya. As people who had both seen war, they understood to what extent a total war devastated a country. There was simply no way to provide for thousands of people by oneself. No matter how charitable one was, it was impossible. So, they helped those that they could. We help those who still have the will to live to fight on and survive. Those who have already given up, there is nothing we can do for them anyway. Let us save our aid for the people who can use it. That was what they had both said to her.
And yet was it so wrong that she wanted to at least give a little... something to these people who had lost everything? Anything at all, so that she might not feel so useless? Was it so wrong to want a world in which these people wouldn't have to suffer like that?
The first thing that had struck her when she entered Amegakure's domain was the aura of gloom that penetrated the very air. She didn't know whether it was due to the snow or the cold, grey sky. All she knew was that she felt a sense of depression come over her as soon as the snow began falling. The land where the sun never shone, Jiraiya had called it.
He had told her about his first three students, the ones he had taken up during the second shinobi world war. How they had retained hope in these times - how one of them, in particular, was like Naruto. And the other two, one a rather self deprecating, not confident at all boy, who was also the strongest out of all of them. Funny how that worked. But he had ended up being influenced by his friend, who had some strange power, the power to change people readily... right, as if she hadn't heard that before. Except, about Naruto.
And the last one, a girl. A very weird girl, who had seemed happy enough at first, but when he had gotten to know her a little better, there was a darkness in her that was not present in either of the other two, something that almost frightened him with how dangerous it could be. To herself and others, because she was going to turn out to be an exceptionally strong kunoichi, possibly stronger than Tsunade. A weird girl, who had loved the snow and rain, which complemented her extremely pale skin and seemingly delicate physique, one who had loved paper and origami, and mentally the strongest of the group.
It was clear that he loved them as if they were his own children. As much as Naruto or anyone else.
She felt really bad that they had died, for him and for the children as well, though the circumstances of the news seemed suspicious. It wasn't even like he had met someone and asked about them. No, he had received a letter that they had died, and that was it. Nothing else. Someone could have easily set that up, someone like Danzo, or something, who probably perceived them as a threat and wanted to pretend they were dead. Well, not necessarily Danzo, but there were a lot of people like him...
But, there was no point in brooding over that now. Sakura looked into the distance, catching sight of buildings in the distance, though they were still minuscule in comparison to her surroundings. That would be Amegakure, she supposed. Her head turned up and she watched the snow fall from the sky, an endless, dreary veil of pure white clouding her vision. She blinked the flakes out of her eyelashes and squinted, trying to see through the thickening shroud.
"Is something wrong?" Yamato turned to look at her.
Sakura shook her head. "No. Just thinking about the snow."
He looked up at the sky and then back down at the ground. "Yeah, we may need to stop soon if this gets worse. In the winter, all the rain that usually falls in Ame gets turned to snow, so sometimes it can get pretty rough. Jiraiya-sama?"
The sennin turned. "Very well. We'll stop soon."
It began to snow harder and the biting cold set in. Sakura shivered and seemed to shrink into her clothes, trying to conserve body heat. Brushing the snow off of her clothes, she looked at Amegakure again. I can't help but get this weird feeling about these Akatsuki people. Why have they stopped moving around? Why have they stopped trying to capture Naruto? What are they doing now? They can't have just disappeared...
I guess we'll find out.
It has been a while since Madara left with the Gedo Mazo. And here, when I finally have a lead on where he might be, war is about to break out. And Konan is sick. But I cannot just let Madara run around either. He's planning to do something with it, but I don't know what yet. However, something of that power, seven bijuu, cannot just be ignored.
He sighed. I wish I did not have to leave you, but it must be done.
The red haired man closed the door behind him and stepped out onto the balcony. Jumping upwards, he soon reached the roof and had a striking view of Amegakure and the surrounding lands. The tower upon which he stood was not the tallest one, but it was probably the one fewest people passed by in the city. 'Angel's Tower', they called it, and not without good reason, for it was where Konan had lived for a long while now, and now where he did as well. 'God's Tower', although the locals didn't know it, was vacant after he had laid the six paths of pain to rest.
He looked at the city, still bustling and filled with life, although there was an air of dread about it - everyone knew that the war between the great nations would affect them, and despite their 'god's' power to keep others out of the city, there would be plenty of suffering in the months to come. As there was outside.
He turned a sorrowful gaze on the blackened land outside of the city walls and the pillars of smoke rising into the sky in the distance. My country now. I wish I could protect you better. But with my reputation, pushing for peace is... too much. The only thing I can do is protect the city with my power. And while I am gone...
He closed his eyes. The remaining Akatsuki would do his bidding, of course. Itachi and Sasori had their own reasons for obeying him, and it wasn't just for their selfish gains. Itachi... there was much about the man that was a mystery, even to him, but he knew that he was not the same as the rest of them, not someone who had been corrupted by the world, not someone who killed without reason or tormented others for his own pleasure. Itachi was... definitely more kindhearted than he let on. And Sasori? For all his rantings about art, he truly believed in it - the dream of an art that was eternal, something that would transcend life and death. And if Pain gave him a place to pursue that at, then that was all he needed. And it was a curious thing because Sasori said that he had given up making human puppets because they were too fragile and had instead begun pursuing an interest in developing a new material - he wasn't familiar with that type of stuff, so he stayed out of it.
But Kisame and Deidara, why they stayed was beyond him. Deidara was known to have a grudge against Itachi, so perhaps it was that he wanted to be in close proximity to the man to more easily find him when he wanted to kill him? But facts were facts, Itachi was stronger. Sorry Deidara, but it's not going to happen. Or maybe it was that he had some sort of relationship with Sasori... he didn't want to think about that either.
And Kisame. Kisame had seemed to be pretty loyal to Madara, so why? That, he did not know the answer to.
But the rest of his comrades, yes comrades now that he thought of it, were dead and gone, and despite some of them being rather... unpleasant - Hidan - he had still enjoyed their company. Although they were not truly his friends or ones that he could rely on. No, that title belonged solely to Konan.
Unfortunately, it was too much to ask her to defend the city alone while deathly ill, so the rest of them would have to help. Not that they would object, most of them loved a good fight.
He opened his eyes and looked back toward the tower. I will be back shortly. Be safe while I am gone.
"Get in."
"Are you crazy! You want me to get into that frog-"
"Yes," Jiraiya repeated. "Get into the frog."
Sakura sighed. "But-"
"I mean it," Jiraiya said jokingly, but then his face turned serious. "You have no way to get into the city without being noticed. I'll have to have you tag along with me since Yamato can't do it. Once we're inside, we're splitting up and you're on your own. Try not to get caught. Keep your face hidden underneath your hat and don't seem overly interested when you ask people questions. In case any one of us finds something," Jiraya took out two radio devices and gave both Yamato and Sakura one, "use these. We'll find a place to meet together and determine a course of action. Got it?"
The pink haired girl nodded, but Yamato stopped Jiraiya before the sennin could enter the tiny frog on the ground. "You won't be reckless? Tsunade-"
"Tsunade doesn't know what she's talking about," Jiraiya muttered. "In these situations, you have to be reckless - oh don't give me that look. I won't be stupid. And I won't do anything if you're not there. I give you my word."
"Alright. Then I'm off too."
The two men nodded and disappeared.
"Who are you?"
Sakura looked up in surprise. She had been on guard and well aware of her surroundings, so it was surprising that someone had been able to sneak up behind her. He must have been very skilled if she did not notice him at all. Who was he? She turned around and the blood drained from her face. That red hair, those youthful, almost boyish features, impossibly smooth skin, and of course, the black cloak with red clouds. He smirked at her, eyes filled with humor, but perhaps a little contempt as well. Sasori.
"Well? What's your name, lady?"
She shook her head, clearing her thoughts before responding. "Ayumi," she said coolly, taking care to keep her face hidden under her straw hat.
He looked at her suspiciously. "No surname?"
"Last I checked, shinobi do not exchange surnames."
He raised an eyebrow. "You're one too? Where do you come from?"
"The Land of Grass," she lied easily, smoothly. "Fleeing from the war. I heard it was safer here."
Surprisingly, the young man looked at her kindly. "Understandable. Welcome, Ayumi. My name is Sasori, one of the... guardians... of this city. I would hope that your stay in Amegakure proves to be hospitable, but... tell me, how did you get into the city?"
"I walked in?"
"The gates are closed and will remain that way until an order is given from my... superiors... that it be opened. Tell me again, how did you get in?"
She held her hands up as if in surrender, and smirked a little, allowing him to see her mouth but nothing of her hair or upper face. "Okay, okay, you got me. I snuck in through the sewer system. You really should have people guard those a bit better if you really want this place to be secure."
He raised an eyebrow. "Nobody's been able to do that before. Everyone gets lost without a map, and the sewers are lined with all sorts of magnetic materials so it's impossible to use any positioning jutsu to find your location? So tell me again, how did you get in?"
"Blind luck?" She laughed shortly, but stopped when she saw him frowning. Despite her humorous, relaxed tone, Sakura felt nervous, very nervous. Not without reason either. What was she supposed to say? I jumped over the wall? I can turn invisible and walk through solid stone and metal? No, and if he suspected anymore than he already did, he would ask her to show her face and see who she really was.
Sasori laughed curtly at her silence. "Obviously you're not a very good liar. That headband hanging from your pouch, it has a Konoha symbol on it. You're not from the Land of Grass. Secondly, you have absolutely nothing with you at all except, I'm guessing some ninja tools and some money. No major possessions, no spare clothing, nothing. If you really intended to stay here, you would have more with you-"
"Actually, I do," Sakura pulled out some shirts and shorts from her backpack.
Sasori smirked. "And wearing those in the middle of winter in Amegakure is suicide. I'm surprised you aren't afflicted by frostbite already. Clearly you're not from around here. And if you really are from Konoha, you had better hide that headband before someone tries to kill you."
Shit. I'm an idiot. "I, uh... wait you're not going to-"
The red haired man sighed and shook his head with the smirk still etched onto his face. "Look, you obviously have a good reason for coming here and hiding your identity. And clearly you're not a threat to us, so I'm willing to let you go, for now. We're not here to kill everyone that comes into the city, we just want to keep it safe. So quit your worrying. But you really should have been better prepared if you wanted to come here. Once the war breaks out, there's going to be practically no way out of this city. No safe way, that is."
Wait. Since when was he so nice? Last time I checked, Sasori was like well... an asshole.
"Well, are you going to stand there gawking at me all day or are you going to find a place to stay? This snowstorm is only going to get worse and you'll freeze to death if you stay out here."
"Err- well where are the inns and stuff? I don't exactly know this place very well-"
"They're mostly filled. Refugees from the surrounding area. Here, let me think..." Sasori pondered for a moment, then frowned. "Whatever. Can't think of any right now. Here, you can come with me."
Sakura frowned very slightly but nodded and began following the red haired man. Well this isn't how it was supposed to work out, but if Sasori's here, then maybe the leader of Akatsuki really is here. Maybe I'll be able to figure something out from him or just by spying on him. But I'll need a way to hide my face and hair... maybe I can buy some hair dye or something... Her frown deepened.
But the way he's acting, it's bugging me. He's so... different from when I last met him. Well, actually, he's supposed to be dead. I wonder what changed. Maybe Akatsuki really has-
Lost in her thoughts, Sakura didn't notice the sheet of ice beneath her foot and slipped.
"Woah-" She fell and hit the ground, landing face down into a pile of snow.
Sasori turned and she could have sworn she heard him laughing at her, but he still helped her up and - wow. His hand was somehow so warm- wait, that wasn't right...
"Aren't you supposed to be a puppet- shit." Sakura covered her mouth but the deed was done.
Sasori looked at her severely as she said it and then in a calm, cool voice, he spoke again. "Take off your hat."
"I-"
"Do it, Konoha girl."
Sakura bit her lip and took it off, revealing her pink hair to him, knowing that he would remember who she was.
And indeed he did. "You're the one who killed me," he said calmly, silkily. "What was your name?"
She was silent.
"Your name," he repeated, rolling his eyes. "I don't have all day, and neither do you, with how fast this snowstorm is picking up."
"H-Haruno S-Sakura," her voice trembled.
He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, as if she were troubling him greatly. Well, she was.
"Fine, Haruno Sakura. You're still coming with me. I'll figure out what to do with you later."
What? "You're not going to... you know... kill me?"
"I would love to do something like that, but unfortunately you could prove to be more... valuable alive."
"Sounds like a lie to me- why are you keeping me alive-"
"Just shut up and follow me. I have no intention of freezing to death today. Maybe you'll find out later."
"Um... err- okay," she flinched as he glared at her, and put her hat back on. They set off once again, only this time she could practically sense the man brooding in front of her.
"She's not responding," Yamato's voice sounded over the radio. "Perhaps she's busy?"
Jiraiya frowned deeply and look up at the towers of Amegakure. "We'll never be able to find her manually. But if we keep our link to her open and she's been captured, they'll easily be able to find us. We'll run the risk of being-"
"We can't just leave her-"
"I know that," Jiraiya closed his eyes. What to do? Was it prudent to jeopardize such an important mission and put both Yamato's life and his life at risk to keep their connection to Sakura open? But if he didn't, she'd never find a way back to them, and maybe she wasn't even in trouble at all, just buying something or- but she shouldn't have been unresponsive for so long...
In the worst case scenario, she was already...
But it wasn't so easy just to abandon her. Not just because she was Tsunade's pupil, but because one did not simply abandon his comrades...
"Keep it open a while longer. We'll wait and see. In the meantime, keep doing your thing."
"Roger."
"Hey, Sasori-danna," a golden haired man greeted the red haired one as he walked in through the door of the tower. "Bring anything home today?"
"Dinner," Sasori grumbled. Sakura filed in behind her and caught sight of the other man - if she remembered correctly, Deidara - who smirked as she entered.
"Dinner," he said slowly. "I see what you mean. But you know, we don't get to decide what to do, even if you hold a grudge against her-"
"I've gotten over it-"
"No you haven't-"
"Shut up!" Sasori stormed out of the room and Deidara laughed.
He turned to Sakura. "So, what's up?"
Sakura blinked a couple times.
"Uh..."
"Surprised? We're just as human as any of you guys are. I hear that Tsunade chick has a temper to rival that of master Sasori's."
"Uh..."
Deidara frowned. "What are you, mute? Say something, hn!"
"Uh... hi."
Deidara facepalmed. "How did someone like you manage to beat Master Sasori? Never fails to amaze me..."
"I thought he died," Sakura said lightly. "I mean, he was a puppet before, but now he's-"
"Human, yeah. P- l-" What the hell do I even call him in front of her? "Uh... our, uh, leader revived him."
"He can what?"
"Revive the dead, un. You see - never mind. You can find out later. But he's, uh, out right now so the only one who can decide what to do with you is his partner."
"His partner - oh right, you guys work in pairs."
Deidara nodded. "But not right now. Snowstorm -"
"Yeah, I know," Sakura looked up at the melting snow on her hair. She looked back at him. "Are you guys, uh, going to kill me?"
Deidara facepalmed again. "You know how they say your enemies are worth more to you alive than dead? They didn't just make that up. And even if he wants to, he's prudent enough to know that it wouldn't be the best course of action for him or us."
"I guess that's reassuring."
"If you didn't know that already you're dumb, un."
Sakura glared at him and was taken aback as he laughed. "Like it or not, you're probably gonna be sticking around here for a while. So get used to us."
"But-"
"Unless you have a death wish, you're staying inside the city. Unless someone like you has some sort of what, invisibility jutsu or some way to get around without being detected. No? Yeah, I thought so."
"I'm not useless-"
"I didn't say you were."
"You were totally implying it!"
"I simply was suggesting that you probably suck at stealth missions-"
"Will you two girls quit shouting at each other!" Sasori's angry voice sounded from somewhere.
"Sorry! Forgot you needed your beauty sleep!"
"F-"
"Watch your tongue, we have kiddies around-"
Sasori appeared a moment later, wearing a simple shirt and pants, his hair still wet and plastered to his face. "I was not sleeping, you fool." He turned to Sakura. "Shower's down the hall to the left if you need it. Don't use the hot tub, it's broken right now."
"You have a hot tub?!"
"Yes, we have a hot tub. Are you always so surprised at everything?"
"No, it's just-"
"Yes, yes seeing us again and us acting so differently from what you expected has your nerves jumpy. So go take a shower then you can stay in the guest room and not bother me until tomorrow."
Sakura exchanged a glance with Deidara, as if to say is he always this grumpy?
Deidara nodded, and Sasori glared at him before walking out of the room again.
"Yamato." Sakura whispered into the microphone of her radio device. "Are you there?"
"Yeah," his voice came over quietly, so quietly that she could barely hear it. "Are you somewhere where we can talk freely or do I need to whisper?"
"Keep it down for now," she whispered back.
"Alright, so where are you?"
"I, uh, got captured by some Akatsuki people-"
It was silent for a moment.
"You what?!" A harsh whisper.
"Uh yeah... funny thing is it's those two that are supposed to be dead. Sasori and Deidara. But Deidara mentioned that their leader could revive people or something..."
Silence again.
"Jiraiya-sama should hear this. I'm connecting him as well."
"I'm already here. I've just been thinking."
"And?"
He sighed. "War is breaking out. We cannot stay here forever, but we cannot just break Sakura out either. We have a couple days at most before the battles draw close to Amegakure and it'll become very difficult to get out of here. A couple days to gather information, that is, and I highly doubt Yamato and I will be able to find anything useful. I've questioned a few shinobi already and they have referred to some sort of god in Amegakure, which I'm guessing is also the leader of Akatsuki."
"And why's that?"
"Haven't you realized? From what I can tell, you're located in one of the best districts in Amegakure, if not the best. Akatsuki seems to have considerable influence here."
She got the impression that he was frowning.
"Can you... handle yourself? Are they-"
"No, they said keeping me alive was more useful."
"Interesting. Normally they'd just kill you on sight."
"They seem different. Like a lot nicer or something. I'll be fine alone."
Jiraiya paused for a moment. "You do realize this connection is only local. Once we leave, there will be no way for you to contact us."
Sakura closed her eyes. "I know. But I'm kind of, you know... stuck. Look, I'll be fine. If I get any info, I'll find a way to get it to you, okay? You'll be able to deal with Tsunade-sensei?"
"I don't know about that," he said jokingly, but then turned serious again. "Hmm, in that case... we've got you inside their base already, but we can't pinpoint your exact location, and it will be suspicious if we just go poking around. We'll stay another couple days to see if we can determine who this 'god' is, but-"
"Don't bother," she replied. "He's out of town, according to them."
"Nothing like information from the source," Jiraiya muttered. "Who's in charge, then?"
"His partner. That's all they said."
"Fine. We'll figure out a way to contact you later. For now that's it."
"Stay safe," Yamato's voice sounded.
"I'll be fine." I hope.
"Wake up, sunshine," a grumbly voice penetrated the world of Sakura's dreams and she yawned, getting out of bed.
"Sasori?"
"Yeah, we're going to see leader-sama's partner right now."
"It's still dark outside. What time is it?"
"Foolish girl. It is always dark outside. Although, it is darker than normal because of the snowstorm. However, it is not too bad right now. It might be the only chance we'll get to step outside."
"Ugh, fine. Just let me get a coat or something."
"Here," he threw her one. "Hurry up. We don't know when it's going to get worse."
"Okay, okay, I'm coming."
She got out of bed and threw on the coat, then followed Sasori outside.
The wind hit her like a brick wall with its sheer intensity and frigidity. She staggered and fell back inside, but Sasori waved at her furiously, urging her to follow. She gathered her strength then ran into the wind, nearly blown away by its sheer intensity. Sasori grabbed her wrist and forced his way through the intense snow, squinting through the veil of white toward a tower a couple blocks away. But she slipped out of his grasp easily, falling to the ground in a pile of snow and faintly, she could hear Sasori curse through the howling wind.
"Just a little bit. Come on, don't give up on me, kid."
"I'm, not-" she gasped, trying to keep a footing on the slippery ground.
"This isn't even that bad. Keep going."
Sakura bit her lip and plodded on after him. Eventually, they reached a door to another tower and Sasori held his ring up to it. The door slid open and both he walked inside, helping her after him.
"Tch," he frowned. "Not the worst that we get during the winter, but not the greatest either. We might be stuck here for a while."
"Well what's wrong with that?"
"This is our leader's place. Well, his and his partner's place. He doesn't like it when other people come in when he's not here, especially when his partner's sick."
"He's sick?"
"She is sick, yes."
"She?"
Sasori sighed. "Why so surprised again? Is it that odd that there would be a female among the Akatsuki? Or, what remains of it..."
"Yes."
The red haired man rolled his eyes. "Whatever. It's almost night time so she's probably awake by now. Come, this way."
"What kind of logic is that?"
"She's nocturnal. Just follow me and stop asking questions."
Sakura followed him through a maze of halls and staircases, up toward the top of the tower. As she looked around, she saw that the interior of this building was a lot nicer than any of the other ones that she had seen in the city. There was the lack of prominent mechanical parts and tubing jutting out, as there were in most of the buildings due to their nature as industrial centers, or previous factories. Even though the outside of this tower appeared to still have all those weird metal parts and statues on them, inside the walls were smooth and painted with various designs and occasionally drawings. In particular, one that caught her eye was a couple with their backs facing her, a blue haired woman and a red haired man standing atop a mountain, viewing a breathtaking landscape beneath them. She stood there, entranced for a moment before Sasori tapped her on the shoulder and gestured for her to continue walking. As they reached the upper levels, the air curiously grew gradually warmer, rather than colder as she had expected.
And finally, they came to stop in front of another door, one with a simple blue flower painted on it.
"Now listen. I don't know her very well, but apparently she can be rather ill tempered at times, and I'm assuming this is one of those times since leader-sama told me she was really sick. So don't ask too many questions and just listen to her, got it?"
"Uh huh. But could you at least tell me her name? I mean, what am I supposed to call her?"
"Nothing. You're not supposed to talk - oh fine. Her name is Konan."
Sakura's eyes widened. Wait a second. Konan... wasn't that one of the three orphans that Jiraiya-sama -
"What? Do you know her or something?"
"No, but I - never mind. I'll take it up with her."
Sasori smiled a little. "Good. At least you're learning a little now. Just remember not to try her patience."
He walked up and knocked on the door. "Konan? It's Sasori."
No reply, but the door opened very slightly.
"I found someone from Konoha wandering in the village. A shinobi, Tsunade's pupil, actually. The one that killed me a while back. I've brought her here because, well, you're the one who's supposed to decide what to do with her."
The door opened wider.
"I guess we're supposed to go in," he muttered. "Come on, don't be afraid."
He opened the door more widely and the light from the hall spilled into the room. Sakura stared inside. There was a large window at the other side of the room, revealing the wrathful intensity the blizzard storming outside. The room itself seemed warmer than it should have been with the winter storm outside, but instantly, Sakura could sense a point of icy coldness from within. And a figure sat up slowly, her slender form shadowed by the light from outside. A pair of cold, blueish-grey eyes opened, filled with the same intensity as the storm that raged outside, terribly cold, yet not lifeless either, a pair of eyes filled with agonizing pain, the type that tormented a soul for years, decades, pain that seemed to last an eternity. Cold, not in the sense of cruelty, but in the sense of oppression, perhaps subduing her own emotions or forcing them back, not showing them to others, yet there was something boiling insider her, Sakura could tell. The woman held a hand up over her eyes, squinting into the light, and slowly her face became visible. And then she laid back again, closing her eyes, and her shallow breathing could be heard for a moment before Sasori moved over to her and stared down into her face.
"Konan?"
"I'm... fine," she breathed out. "The girl?"
"Haruno Sakura."
Konan seemed to struggle for a moment before she sat up again. Her eyes opened once more and she stared at Sakura, so intensely that the girl felt that she might be burned by that gaze. Her eyes narrowed as she saw the headband at Sakura's waist and for a moment immense hatred seemed to boil up inside her, but it was gone a second later. She closed her eyes again but remained sitting, a shadow in the darkness, a slender form outlined by the light from the hall.
"Jiraiya-sama knew you," Sakura blurted out suddenly, and the woman was quiet for a few minutes.
"I was... hoping you would not say that," she said quietly.
"Why?"
"I shall... tell you some other time," it was clear that she had difficulty speaking, from the slight hoarseness in her otherwise smooth voice and just from how weak she sounded.
"But-"
Her eyes opened again and her gaze hardened.
"Sorry."
"For now... we determine what to do with you. That story... comes much later... if it all." Her voice trailed of once more, and her eyes closed again. "What to do with you..."