Hey. I'm back. Hope you enjoy the remix of the latest chapter!! :)

Chapter 2: The Warrior's Tears

Normal POV:

"Hey, Itachi, could we head to the sealing this time? I want to meet the new guy." "I agree. There have been rumors that he is very strong." "Well, at least we've reached an agreement."

Immediately after the sealing of the Tree-Tailed Biju, the other members disappeared, and the two members remaining hopped to the ground. They watched as the shadowy figure stepped out of the corner and into their range of vision. She seemed to recognize Itachi, because she walked in their direction and held her hand out. Cautiously, he gently shook the outstretched hand, and then dropped it. "So… You're the boy who killed his clan, huh… Sorry, I can't seem to recall your name…" She scratched the back of her head. "Itachi." Her golden eyes registered slight surprise. "Really? Call me Kenshiin. Shi Kenshiin. It's been quite a while since I've seen an Uchiha." "I could say the same about you." She hid a glare, and smiled slightly, although no one noticed under the scarf. "Hey…", Kisame stepped into the silent glaring match. "The name's Kisame. By the way, we just thought we should warn you. You're paired with Raidon, right? Well, he's only half-sane."

Kenshiin's golden eyes glinted, and she answered, "No need to worry about that; so am I. By the way, I'm supposed to meet him in Suna, right?" Kisame shrugged. "If that's his current location. You'd better hurry, Raidon doesn't take well to tardiness."

Kenshiin's POV:

Suna is hot. Very hot. I ran out of provisions days ago, but I keep walking. I could have reached my destination much earlier than I will, but that requires chakra. And a lot of it. I can't afford to run low on chakra in the middle of the desert. Speaking of the desert, I will never understand how some people can call this barren wasteland home. If I didn't have as much experience as I did, simply trekking across the desert could have cost me my life.

I am lost in my musings as I stumble down a sand dune, and almost immediately step into a sinkhole. I grapple for a footing on the loose sand, but quickly fail. The sand drags me down, forcing into my eyes, and my mouth, as I struggle to scream. All that comes out is a strangled yell as I am lost from sight. I silently berated myself; 120 years of battle experience, and simple sand can defeat me. Yards down in the earth, the intense pressure squeezes what little breath I had left out of my lungs. Am I truly to die here, alone, with not a soul to share my fate?

Just when I was sure that this would be the end, the sinkhole was drained. It was so silent for a moment, without the sickening sound of my bones snapping, until a hand came down hard on my back, and I remembered that I could breathe. Gasping and choking, I crawled up onto my hands and knees and began coughing up sand and blood.

Normal POV:

The ashen haired woman managed to move into a sitting position, although the movement was not without the accompaniment of several cracking bones. She punched the side of her leg, nodding in satisfaction as the joint found its proper placement, and then grimaced. Glancing upwards at her savior, she saw but a small, ten year old blood haired boy, arms crossed and pale green eyes following her every move.

Hiding her shock, the woman spat out what appeared to be an ant-lion, and glared at it for a moment before speaking. "T- Thank you, kind sir." The child never moved, so she got up and walked away. After a while, she could hear footsteps behind her, and, out of the corner of her eye, saw that the child was following her. Seeing that she had noticed him, the small boy spoke. "You aren't from Suna." "No, I am not. I'm from a city on the border of the Village Hidden in the Leaves, and the Village Hidden in the Stone. I'm looking for the Village Hidden in the Sand, can you lead me there?" The child nodded, and turned onto a slightly westward course. Taking this as a signal to follow, Kenshiin walked silently behind him.

The duo spoke not a word more while they traveled. A swift gust of wind brought the child's icy gaze towards where the stranger had been, but all that was left was a single pair of footprints, already fading with the gentle gusts of wind blowing across the desert.

Kenshiin's POV:

It was not extremely difficult to find the meeting place, a grassy overhang overlooking the village. In the middle of the clearing, a man was staring at a stone, his hair blending in with the new, green, grass. All of a sudden, the man looked my way, and I caught my breath and hid myself behind a nearby tree. He reached into his wide sleeve and withdrew a small, black bag. Curiously, I watched as he dumped its contents upon the stone. They were childish things; appleseeds, a forked twig, a length of black string, marbles, stone arrowheads, and such. His eyes became wide, and he looked up, searching the woods. Finally coming to rest in my general direction, his roving eyes quivered, and his hand rose, pointing at me in an accusing matter. He yelled, voice grating yet strong,

"Ye, who search for the iron seer,

Ye are… Speed hunter!"

I was still for a moment, shocked, and then stepped out from behind my shield of foliage, and raised my hands disarmingly. It is in my opinion that you should never reveal your true strength to your enemy unless you absolutely have to, and this definitely applies to a complete stranger. I walked over nonchalantly, and my fears were confirmed by the Akatsuki cloak he was wearing, and the ring with the symbol for 'ground' on his finger. This man- if you could even call him that, for the left side of his body was comprised completely of metal- was to be my partner, Raidon.

A/N: Ta Da!!!!!!! Raidon is revealed!!!!!!!!