So I'm late updating again and I'm sorry but I haven't been able to find the time to write much lately. University has been really rough these past couple weeks, not to mention other things that have been happening.
Also this chapter contains some of her back story which I know a couple of you have likely been wondering about. I hope I've done a good job with it but I'm iffy about it to be honest. Anyways without any more delay, here is the next chapter!
Blood.
There was blood everywhere.
It covered the walls, splattered the ceiling, and turned the ground into a sticky marsh that threatened to swallow me whole if I wasn't careful.
And where there wasn't blood, there were bodies.
Some were whole but some were so badly mangled they could barely be seen as human. Limbs and body parts lay scattered everywhere I could see, and despite being a hardened ANBU member, I couldn't help but feel nauseated at the gruesome sight before me.
Kids.
Women.
Men.
Whoever had done this had spared no one. Fear suddenly took hold in me as I saw the decapitated head of one of the victims and immediately recognized the features.
Blonde hair.
Red eyes.
That's when I realized that every dead body looked the same. They all looked like me.
My clan.
Someone murdered my clan.
I was the last.
"To…tokor…ryu…" garbled a voice by my foot and upon looking down I saw my younger sister Toki, or at least what was left of her.
Her eyes had been gouged out, that left only two gaping holes where they should have been. One of her arms had been chopped off and her throat was gaping open with blood pouring out of it.
"How… how could… you?" she gurgled as more blood streamed out of her mouth, I started to back away, my eyes wide in horror.
"I didn't, I didn't do this!" I responded breathless, I felt a hand firmly latch onto my ankle and prevent me from retreating.
"Of course… you did… our blood…is on…your hands…" she wheezed before I hurriedly brought my hands up to my face only to find them drenched in blood. I could only stare in horror as the thick crimson liquid started to flow from them onto the ground and mix with the blood that was already beginning to churn madly.
I tried to resist the pull that was slowly sucking my feet below the surface but the more I struggled the faster I was pulled in. It went past my knees, past my hips, past my waist and when it finally reached past my shoulders I knew I that there was no escape.
The blood burned as it forced its way into my nostrils and I shut my eyes to prevent it from hurting them. I opened my mouth to scream and immediately started to choke on the thick coppery substance that began to shoving its way down my throat. I tried to breathe in but only ended up filling my lungs with the burning viscous liquid. Choking, spluttering I could feel myself fading and just as everything started to turn dark I-
-Shot up in bed gasping and trembling with the left over adrenaline from the nightmare I'd just experienced. Once I'd calmed down a bit though I was glad to note that it was still night time and I hadn't woken my partner who was snoring in a very un-ninja like way not too far from me. As my heart continued to pound inside my chest, however, I knew I wasn't getting back to sleep anytime soon. I guess I should count myself lucky that this was the first time in at least a year since I'd last had that nightmare. But considering it was such a horrible experience every time, I'd only count myself lucky when, or if, I stopped having it completely.
However since Kisame was doing such a nice job of making it so that the room was uninhabitable I decided that I was going to take myself elsewhere. Although since it was still the dead of night I doubted very much that there was really anywhere I could go. Most bars had probably closed by now and plus I didn't feel like drinking right now anyway. One thing was sure though, I was getting out of this room. Gathering my cloak and supplies I climbed out the window silently and then climbed up onto the roof.
Once up there I found it to have quite a nice view over the tiny village and if I looked closely I could almost see into the bathing area. I smirked as an amused snort made its way through my nostrils, although I suppose that would have been really creepy for me to be spying on people while they're trying to have a bath. A lead weight started to settle in my stomach and try as I might I couldn't ignore it or push it away. Normally that would have made me angry to have something like this beyond my control, but this time I could only feel a sense of helplessness.
Curling up with my knees against my chest I stared at the horizon off in the distance. An ache began to work its way into my chest and soon it became hard to breathe. The pressure continued to grow until I had to suppress the shuddering breaths to make them more controlled and even. A burning sensation started up behind my eyes and after I realized what was coming next I shoved my head in my arms that were tightly wound around my legs. I was extremely glad that I'd decided to come onto the roof instead of stay in the room. If Kisame had woken up while I was in the middle of this episode I would never forgive myself. I had promised myself that I was done mourning for my family years ago but even so, it was moments like these where I missed them terribly.
I missed my parents waving from the door as I left on another mission. My sister and I staying up late swapping scary stories and then not being able to sleep because we were afraid of what might attack us while our eyes were closed. I missed my cousins that I would train with and share our secrets of success in learning how to control our bloodline limit.
I also missed my old genin team and the friends I had made that now thought I was a horrible, mass murdering, genocidal traitor. My fingers tightened around my arms. What hurt the most though was that even though I had avenged my clan, I still wasn't able to forgive the Taki leader for what he had done. It was simply unforgivable and the hate I feel towards him is constantly burning within me, and it was a large factor in my change from loyal Kunoichi, to ruthless nuke-nin.
Something warm touched the top of my head and when I looked up to see what it was I discovered that the sun was rising. The horizon was turning a misty blue with the golden rays of the sun washing over the land and banishing the night for another day. A sudden rush of contentment washed over me and along with the warmth of the sun heating my skin, the chill of loneliness was washed away. There always was something about the rising sun that helped reinstate my sense of hope and realize that I had the job of living for all my clan that no longer could do so for themselves.
Making sure that I had once again fully composed myself I crept back down the roof and just as silently as I'd left I re-entered the room. Much to my surprise I found my partner still sleeping soundly although he was no longer snoring. A grin stretched across my face as I realized my opportunity for revenge. Taking out a kunai I threw it as hard as I could towards his head and watched with great amusement as he leapt out of bed and into a fighting stance all within one fluid motion.
"Wakey wakey." I stated only just barely keeping myself from bursting into laughter. This was a lot of fun and he could bet that if a situation like this ever arose again I would use this tactic again in a heartbeat. Unfortunately I think he was far less amused than I was if the snarl on his face was anything to go by, I only grinned wider though. "Come on we don't have all day and we need to reach Waterfall country before the ringleader can get word of us taking his business down." I stated as I turned away and started to pack up my things.
"Maybe I had you pegged wrong. Perhaps you aren't so bad after all." I could feel his irritation slowly turn into amusement if the wide smirk (I didn't even have to turn to see, I could hear it) on his face was anything to go by. "You've still made some stupid decisions that have made me wonder how you've survived for this long." He continued and that was when I whirled on him, a displeased frown set firmly on my face.
"Oh I've made some questionable decisions? Well, what about that one time you threatened to kill that fish merchant in the middle of a busy street, for insinuating that you eating fish should be considered cannibalism." I retorted and just remembering the moment made me want to burst into hysterical laughter. The look on his face at the time had been priceless. His grin took a more sinister turn as he crossed his arms across that incredibly wide chest of his.
"And what about the time that you decided that transforming yourself into an old lady would be a good way to lure a bounty thug out of hiding?" he laughed harshly, "It's no wonder that Kakuzu got to so many of your targets before you did." Ohhhh, he was begging for it now. I could feel my anger start to bubble up inside me and I had to fist my hands to keep myself from launching myself at him.
"Well you thought it would be a good idea to kill everyone in Hidden Grass when we got there in order to minimize our presence there." I argued and his grin only widened at the thought of killing lots of people at a time.
"Nothing beats when you let yourself be drugged twice in one night and then do your best to bring every village guard down on us when you tried to remove it." He bit back and I felt my mouth open to launch a rebuttal only to realize that no he was right, when he said it like that it really did sound stupid.
"Alright fine I'll give you that one, which is why we're not taking that course of action for the next one for several reasons." He stared at me with a gaze that said he was listening but was still skeptical that whatever plan I'd come up with was inadequate. "One, that was a stupid plan, and to use it again would be just as ludicrous. Second, we're going to be in Waterfall Country where I'll be more easily recognized. Actually with that second reason alone we would need a new plan because chances are the people will recognize me before I can get anywhere near enough to get them to spill the beans." I explained and I watched as he regarded me with more respect than before but that still wasn't saying much because he wasn't impressed in the slightest.
"So what is the plan then?" he asked of me as he turned to get his cloak that until now I hadn't realized was missing from his figure.
"Well I was hoping you'd be able to help me with that since you're going to be the one doing most of the work. Like I said I can't really be seen so now it's your turn to take to the front lines, partner!" I stated enthusiastically and I saw him throw me a glare over his shoulder as he put Samehada on his back. I returned it with a cheery grin before walking towards the door.
"I'm going to go get some breakfast, I'll meet you outside!" I declared before exiting.
"Kisame, Tokoryu, Leader has sent us to retrieve the Akatsuki's money. Have you turned the bounty in yet?" I couldn't help but stare and be a little repulsed by the… thing before me that spoke in two different voices and had a venus fly trap-like growth around the top part of his body. He was also split directly down the middle into black and white halves, the right was black and the left was white. They also apparently had different personalities where the white was more calm and was able to make strategic decisions, the black was more blood thirsty and eager for violence.
"Yeah, we have it." Kisame stated while pulling out one of the many containment scrolls and handing it to the weird plant man halfway merged with the tree we were standing next to. I'd recognized his chakra signature immediately as the mysterious person who'd been following me the days before that bastard and Hidan approached me with the offer to join Akatsuki.
Zetsu took the scroll before turning his attention to me, "Leader also wants a performance update on Tokoryu, Kisame." The black half stated and I felt my eyebrows lower just a fraction of a centimeter. An update huh? And from the Shark no less, there was no telling what that blue man would say about me. So I crossed my arms and settled my weight onto one leg while I watched and waited for Kisame to spill the beans about me to the plant freak.
"The only thing that you didn't tell me about her was how tall she was. The rest you know; nothing has changed." Was his enigmatic reply and I glanced back to Zetsu to see him glance briefly at me before back to the tall blue man beside me.
"I see, we will report this to Leader. Continue your mission." The dual being stated before sinking back into the ground from whence he came and vanished leaving no trace he'd been there moments before.
"That's funny that the one thing you were surprised at was my height. Especially when it was the same thing that surprised me about you." I said with a smirk and watched as he returned my smirk and turned to resume our journey north towards my old country. "I think you're the first person I've met that's been taller than me and I'm not sure how I feel about it to be honest. I'm so used to towering over everyone that I meet that the concept of looking up to someone is very strange." I saw his smirk widen into a full grin as he regarded me with his small eyes.
"Are you admitting to looking up to me, chibi-chan?" the walking piece of sushi snickered and I for the hundredth time since I'd met him, I felt a vein appear on my forehead.
"In a literal sense, yes because you are physically taller than I am." I replied before I pulled out the ridiculously large hat that Leader had supplied me with in the beginning and fit it on my head.
"What's with the hat all of a sudden? I thought you hated it?" Kisame inquired as we continued to walk onwards to our destination.
"We just entered Waterfall Country, I'm much more likely to be recognized here; so I thought it would be a good way to keep my identity safe while at the same time not making me stick out like a sore thumb. Plus I'm supposed to be by myself so travelling with you also provides good cover." I explained and immediately felt my guard rise to one hundred percent because the last time I'd been here I'd been on a mission to avenge my clan in the most brutal way possible.
Omake- Team seven (AN: This hasn't happened in the story (yet), I just added it for fun.)
I knelt down in front of the now dead target that I'd killed in order to turn him in for the very large bounty that was on his head. Kisame had continued to chase after the partner this guy had teamed up with while I took care of the sealing. Unrolling the scroll I bit my thumb and with a poof of smoke the corpse disappeared into the roll of parchment. After this was finished I detected an incoming chakra signature and at first I thought it would be Kisame on his way back, but then I realized it was too small to be my partner. A scream from the tree tops caught my attention right before an orange blur face planted and slid face first along the ground to stop right at my feet. I raised an eyebrow in amusement and had a brief moment to examine him before I felt the signature of three more people approaching, one of which was jounin level.
"Naruto!" called the leader of the group as he and the other two teammates appeared on the branches around me. I was surprised that it was the famous Copy Ninja Hatake Kakashi that spoke. His silver hair stuck up on an angle over top of his crooked forehead protector that covered his left eye. The eye that was visible was black and widened in horrified recognition at my identity.
"You bastard! How come you had to go and trip me like that?!" came the scream from the clumsy orange kid below me and I redirected my gaze down to him smirking in great amusement.
"So this is the Nine Tails kid?" I asked rhetorically and then watched as this 'Naruto' finally realized I was standing there and slowly turned towards me. Except he was still on his knees so when he turned around all he could see was my cloak and then he had to look, up, up and up until he finally met my red gaze. I could see his eyes flicker briefly to the scratched forehead protector that was on my forehead.
"Naruto get away from her!" the jounin commanded and readied a weapon while I held my hands up.
"That's a woman?!" came a screech from below me and I resisted the urge to kick the child beneath me. So I opted instead to ignore him.
"I'm not here to fight Hatake, although I think it's clear as to whom the winner would be if I was. You are at a distinct disadvantage with three weak kids to protect and I have a partner even more powerful than myself who is due to return at any moment." I stated as my gaze brushed over the other two genin that were present. One was a girl with pink hair and green eyes with a stance that was so terrible I bet a breeze could knock her over. The other however was a boy with black hair and eyes to match with a blue shirt and after a scan with my ability I discovered that he had one too, and it wasn't just any Kekkei Genkai he was an Uchiha. I locked gazes with him and grinned widely, "It seems you have quite the motley crew here, Hatake it kind of reminds me of my own old genin team."
"I suppose I should thank you for the compliment Ishiyama-san." He replied before I felt a flare of chakra that I recognized as a clone coming at me from the side. In the blink of an eye I reached down and grabbed the Nine Tails boy who was still sitting in front of me and pulled him out of the reach of the copy of Hatake Kakashi. With my momentum I carried through with a kick that connected and dispelled the clone.
"Hey let go of me, lady!" squawked the blonde haired boy in my grip as he tried his best to kick and claw his was out of my grasp. When I finally looked into his eyes I finally noticed the bright shade of cerulean that they were and I was so shocked for a moment that I was seeing my sister's face instead of his. Then the image faded and I was once again faced with the visage of the boy that I actually had in my hold.
"I admire your guts kid but you're staying right here until I'm ready to leave. You're my collateral to make sure that your teacher right over there doesn't try to attack me." I grinned, "Although his attempt to rescue you from my evil clutches was rather admirable and you should feel lucky he would try to do that for you. My old teacher would have killed me if I allowed myself to land in the position you are faced with right now." My words seemed to have a horrifying effect on him when I saw his face pale and his eyes widen to the size of saucers.
There was another flare of chakra from behind me but before I had a chance to turn and face the threat that was no doubt another one of Hatake Kakashi's clones it disappeared and was replaced with a much more familiar and welcome signature. "How is it that you always seem to attract trouble whenever I'm not around?" asked Kisame as he walked out of the trees that were at my back.
"Because then otherwise your life would be boring, don't you agree? You could think of me as your fun compass." I replied with amusement clear in my voice as Naruto turned to look at the scary visage of the male counter part of our duo. "Although now that you're here we can probably go now. So it was fun Kakashi, Naruto, and you two there but unfortunately we have to take our leave now." And with that I dropped the nine tails kid and then with as much speed as I could muster sprinted out of the clearing with Kisame hot on my heels.
I hope you all enjoyed that little extra scene with Team Seven because I had a lot of fun writing it.
Please leave me a review if you liked it!
