A young medical nin with grey hair and round glasses entered the room.

"My father is unavailable. I am Kabuto Yakushi, son of the Chief Medical Examiner."

"Kudos, un, but can you undo the stitching over my heart? And my left hand, maybe?"

"I received instructions to sever-"

"Great, yeah. Just do it, before I decide to blow this whole city up, yeah." Kabuto glared at her. He went into the hall to collect his medical cart. In another four hours, Zakuro again woke up with the Hokage sitting in her room.

"Zakuro, how do you feel?"

"Like hell. When can I leave?"

"As soon as you are healthy."

"Sorry, un. I've got plans, yeah. Those include leaving soon." Zakuro sat up in her bed to better face the old man in the chair.

"Well, Zakuro, I offer you to stay in Konoha. The Chunin exams are in five months; would you like to take them?" he asked.

"Not in particular. I may have to, though." She crossed her arms and looked out the window.

"Zakuro, where did you come from?"

"It depends on who you ask. Papa said I came from love. But Ita-san said I came from despair. Uncle Sasori told me it doesn't matter where I come from, yeah, but where I'm going, un. And Uncle Hidan says not to listen to Uncle Sasori cuz he's got no idea, yeah." The Hokage laughed openly at Zakuro's expression.

"No, no. That's not what I mean. What village were you born in?"

"I wasn't, yeah. I was born in a cave outside of Takigakure. We moved a lot, yeah." Zakuro said shortly. The Hokage, picking up that she didn't want to talk about it, nodded.

"I see. Zakuro, I can't keep you here, but if you aren't ready to leave, you're welcome to stay here." Zakuro uncrossed her arms and stared down at her palms, frowning.

"Meh. If I…hmph. I guess I have to stay, at least for a week, yeah. So….can I leave, un?" He chuckled again.

"Yes, I suppose so." He rose from his chair and opened the wardrobe at the opposite wall near the window. Sarutobi handed Zakuro her clothes and left. The clothes consisted of black capri pants, a black shirt that had the red kanji 'love' on the back, and a pair of black ninja sandals. Over this, Zakuro wore a black hooded cloak with a large red cloud on the back. She pulled half her hair into long yellow pigtails and left the rest down. Instead of leaving through the door, Zakuro jumped out the window and headed to a field on the outer area of Konoha.

An hour later, she woke up in the field and guessed it was about three p.m. Zakuro laid back down.

"Hey." an almost familiar voice said. She opened her eyes and came face to face with a pair of blood red eyes set in a pale face framed by navy black hair. "You're in my way." Not thinking, Zakuro sat up and flung her arms around his neck.

"Ita-san! You came, yeah!" she laughed.

"Hey, Sasuke! Who's that?" a pink haired girl farther off asked.

"Sas…uke…You're Ita-san's kyodai!" Zakuro pulled her arms back. "Sorry, Sasu-san!"

"What do you know about Itachi?" he growled. "Who are you, anyway?" Sasuke made hand signs for the Fireball Jutsu. Recognizing it, Zakuro jumped up ten feet in the air to hopefully avoid it. She reached into a cloak pocket and pulled out a small clay hummingbird, throwing it at Sasuke.

"Katsu!" she yelled. The bird blew up and flung Sasuke a few feet back. Zakuro sensed a familiar chakra and ran-- ten feet in the air. Sasuke, Sakura, and the newly-arrived Naruto stared in disbelief.

Zakuro dropped to the ground and landed hard just as the main gates came into view. A blue haired woman and a white haired man appeared from within the crowd.

"Aunt Konan! Uncle Hidan!" she ran at the pair, who embraced her. They stepped back.

"Are you okay?" Konan asked.

"Hey kid, how are you?" Hidan grinned.

"Fine, yeah, but…" She didn't know how to finish.

"What is it?" Hidan kneeled down.

"Erm…well, Ita-san…Uncle Sasori had to leave, yeah, and Ita-san was supposed to watch me un, but all he did was watch them take me, yeah. Um, did…"

"What?" Konan asked, concerned.

"Did papa forget me like that statue he forgot to explode? Last year in the forest?"

'No way, kid!" Hidan hugged her. "Deidara couldn't forget you, and if he did, I'd fvck1ng kill him!"

"Ne? Then why didn't he come, yeah?"

"Leader's got him pretty busy, honey." Konan spoke up. "I promise, once he's able to, he'll come and get you and never let you go."

"I bet puppet boy'll come, too." Hidan said, rubbing Zakuro's arms. "Sasori would've come today, but fvck1ng leader sent him back out with Deidara, the assho7e." referring to Pein.

"Careful, or he'll get you, un."

"You shouldn't use those words, Hidan!" Konan scolded.

"Alright, alright. I'll cut it out." he said, standing back up.

"Well, sweetie, could you stay in Konoha until your papa and Sasori can come?" Zakuro hung her head.

"I guess so, yeah." She looked up, hopeful. "Can Uncle Tobi stay with me, un?"

"Afraid not, Zaku-chan." Hidan ruffled her hair. "Look, kid, we've got to go soon, okay?" She huffed.

"Fine. But why can't I go now?"

"Because," Konan started, "if you left so soon, the Hokage would put a tail on you. We'd all be in trouble." Especially your papa, she thought. "Be a good girl."

"Keep out of too much trouble, kid."

"That shouldn't be too hard, yeah. Some d1ckfac3 sewed up my hands." she commented bitterly.

"They did what?" Konan asked. Zakuro held her hands out. "That's not good." She rifled through her bag and found a scalpel made of chakra conductive metal. Konan took Zakuro's left palm and kneeled, slowly dragging the knife across her palm. A thin black line appeared, gradually opening into a mouth.

"Yesss!" she shouted, holding out her other hand. Konan repeated the process with her other palm, and both mouths opened. "Whoo-hoo!! Alright, yeah!"

"There you are. Is your heart sewn?"

"Not anymore. Some crackpot asshead undid it." Hidan stifled a laugh.

"It's not funny!" Konan slapped his arm. "She picked it up from you!"

"That reminds me, un! I ran into Ita-san's brother, Sasuke. He definitely inherited his attitude."

"Itachi's a fvck1ng shtheaded assh0le." Hidan commented.

"I know. His kyodai's no better, yeah. He seems like the type who has there own fan club, un, and takes a secret revel in it."

"When did you meet him?" Konan asked, inclining her head.

"Just before I came here, yeah. He tried to kill me when I said something about Ita-san, un. With the fireball jutsu."

"You didn't call the little runt Itachi, did you?"

"I….might have. Hidaaaan-un, I don't want to stay here, yeah."

"Why not?" Konan asked her.

"What if I call them? Or blow someone up, yeah? Where will I go then, un?"

"If word reaches us that that's happened, then we'll come for you, okay sweetie?"

"No. It's not okay, yeah. Um, when you leave, walk to the first hill and use the transport jutsu, yeah. The ANBU are closer than you think. Oh, uh, Uncle Tobi's cookies are under his bed, yeah. Kakuzu's fourth heart is in the middle of the statue of Kai in my room, un, Kisame's crayons are on top of the refrigerator, yeah, and Uncle Sasori's favourite pen is…..plastered to the bottom of his desk, I think. Yeah."

"And my comb?" Hidan asked, eyebrow raised.

"I didn't touch your comb, un, you left it on Zetsu's desk. Your gel, however, is behind the altar, un." Hidan swore and took his pack off.

"This is your stuff. Pens, pencils, clay, paint, hairbrush, ribbons…and…four scrolls, I think. Here ya go, kid." Zakuro slung the dark blue pack over her shoulder under the cloak. The hood hid most of the infamous cloud design. "Take care, Zaku-chan. And don't worry. Deidara will not forget you. Neither will anyone else." Hidan gave her a hug. Konan kneeled down.

"I'm better now I've got my hands." Zakuro threw her arms around Konan's neck. "Thanks, yeah."

"Just like you were six. Well, be good, or, at least, don't destroy the village. Pass the Chunin exam like your papa taught you, and be careful of how much of a 'bang' you make with your art. Bye Zaku-chan."

"Later, un!" Zakuro grinned as Konan stood up. She and Hidan walked out of the village.

"Wow Hidan. I didn't know you could be so nice. I'm surprised."

"Yeah, well if it weren't Zaku, I wouldn't be." Konan laughed.

"I hadn't pegged you as the type who likes kids. Going soft, are we?" Hidan shoved her to the side.

"Shut the fvck up." he put his hands in his pockets. "I think that if she hadn't been raised in the Akatsuki, and we hadn't watched her grow up, things would be a bit different. For everyone." Hidan looked at the road ahead of them.

"Frankly, I'm surprised Leader allowed her to stay." They walked in silence for a few minutes. "Hidan, do you think we should have told her?" He looked away.

"Naw. It would've made it a hell of a lot harder for her, knowing Deidara's in a coma. She'd flip. Or explode. Or whatever the fvck she does. I wish he'd wake his ass up. Zakuro thinks he forgot her. Sht!"

"And, he'd probably implode Itachi's guts." Konan giggled in her head.

"I'd fvcking pay to see that sht." Hidan grinned.

"Yeah…" Konan and Hidan disappeared in a puff of smoke, just as the ANBU caught up to them.