08


In the shadows, things were always different.

The days are getting brighter and brighter in the hidden leaf village as their recovery went faster than expected. Despite this, it remained cold and dark within their shadows. There was nothing but constant wariness, suspicion, and premonition. And this was where the Anbu belonged. Because some had to wander in the shadows to keep watch on the darkness so that the rest could retain some semblance of brightness in their lives.

One particular night, a team of experienced operatives with an additional rookie gathered in the dimly lit room of the Hokage office. They were there for the final debriefing before they headed to the hidden mist village for an S-rank mission. The sudden troubling rumors surrounding this other major village couldn't be ignored any longer. The team's main objective was to see the possibility of an invasion coming from there. It had to be done. With how severely weakened their village was at the moment, the other hidden villages would naturally see them as an easy prey.

The mission was clear. There was no question. And before long, the Hokage dismissed them except for the rookie. She looked at the young girl in concern, trying to see past the white porcelain mask.

"Forgive me, Rin. It must be very hard for you to have to return to Kirigakure this soon after your experience with them in the third war. I wish I could send Jiraiya instead, but even that useless fool already has his hands full as it is. And you're the only other person I can really trust with such an important task."

"It's okay, Tsunade-sama. Thank you for the concern. Yes, what I experienced there had led to my death. But if I let a mere trauma stop me, I would risk the death of the ones I hold dear this time. We can't afford that."

This girl, despite her bright nature, was really no stranger to what laid in the darkness. A bittersweet smile graced Tsunade's lips at this realization.

"Very well. Now, the reason I want you to stay behind for a bit is to give you one additional secret objective for the mission. Do you know what it is?"

"The masked man. I am to figure out if he's involved with the strange happenings in Kirigakure or not."

"Correct. We can't put it past such a dangerous individual from manipulating a hidden village that's already been known for its shadiness in the first place."

"Understood, Tsunade-sama. But since I work under a captain in this mission, I'm afraid it would hinder me from this objective."

"That's why I give you full permission to decide your own course of action, or even take over the leadership if you deem necessary."

This might have seemed rather thoughtless to give a rookie such a free rein. But it would be even more thoughtless to disregard her capacity just because she was new in Anbu. The Hokage seemed to believe that none of the other operatives had experienced even half of what she had gone through. And the girl clearly was not about to question the powerful woman.

"Yes, Hokage-sama. I will not disappoint you."

"Good. But remember your most important objective, Rin. Come back alive."

Their eyes met for a second, and the two nodded at each other before the Anbu girl disappeared in the shadows.

It was past midnight. The moon shone brightly. Rin let her body bask under its gentle glow as she nimbly moved across the rooftops. It felt good to be able to move this freely. But she knew that she could only afford to do it within the safety of the village. Outside, she had to return in the shadows again. That was why she allowed herself to savor this feeling even just for a few moments.

The mission would take her away for a while. She didn't knew how long it would take. But what made her truly sad was it would be the first time she had to leave Naruto for a prolonged time. She could still remember his hysterical wail as she left him earlier. Somehow the baby refused to sleep early like usual as if he knew that she would be gone if he closed his eyes.

But she had to. Her resolve was unflinching.

She only cast a brief glance back at the direction of her home before she went past the village gate. Not that far away, under the shadow of an old tree, her team was waiting. There were five of them. And they all were said to be seasoned veterans, years older than her. Unfortunately, most of them couldn't live up to their reputation as they openly sneered at her arrival.

"What was that new Hokage thinking? Does she really expect us to babysit her new pet in a real Anbu mission?"

"Hey, not just any pet. She's the undead girl."

"Careful. I heard the traitor Hatake had trained her pretty well."

Everyone except for the one with kuma mask shared a cruel laugh then before continuing.

"Ooh scary. Had he turned her into some kind of lightning undead then?"

As if on cue, the unique shrill sound of a certain lightning justu interrupted them. Beight white light illuminated the dark surroundings as destructive electricity of the infamous technique danced all over the girl's outstretched hand. The Anbu team stepped back immediately in alarm. Their porcelain masks hid the dread on their faces as they witnessed the fearsome Chidori.

For a long dreadful moment, no one said anything or made any move for that matter. The tense silence was only broken when Kuma who was the oldest among them decided to finally play his role as the captain.

"That's enough, Tori. It's time to move out. Everyone else, apologize to her!"

The electricity died out right away. Halfhearted apologizes followed soon after, but the girl paid no mind to them as she quietly took the lead.

It might be hard to believe, but Rin was not that upset. It was all pretty much just for show. She had really learned a lot from Kakashi. She had learned that sometimes she needed to appear as the complete opposite of who she really was. To not lose one's self, it was necessary to know when to hide it after all.

/

A pair of attractive boy and girl walked together in the market district of Amegakure. The girl looked to be a bit older, but the two definitely still made a perfect couple. It was such a lovely sight that caught many attention.

And it was downright irritating.

The blue-haired girl had been glad that the useless boy besides her had finally decided to not be so useless for once by helping her doing grocery shopping. But she absolutely didn't expect that she would regret it so soon. So far, everyone they met always assumed that they were a couple as if it was the most natural thing in the world. It had come to the point that she was too irritate to appreciate his thoughtfulness to carry everything they bought had alone.

In all honestly, she couldn't blame the others completely.

The civilian clothing they wore really made them look like a normal couple a bit. The way they tried to talk privately in hushed tones also made it seem like they were whispering loving words to each other. And since the boy was not familiar with the place, she had no choice but to keep him close to her. In fact, she had even unconsciously reach out for his hand several times when he was about to get lost in the crowds.

Still, it would've been much bearable if only he didn't find it necessary to entertain everyone's misunderstanding. He was really a talented liar. And this time, he once again showed his talent as he played along with an old lady in a fruit store who thought that the two were a married couple.

"You're too sweet, obaa-san. But no. Not yet, anyway. She said that she would only say yes next year once I turn eighteen."

"Honestly, dear. There's no need to wait. You look very responsible already. Surely, you'd have no problem to provide for her."

"Oh, it's not about that, obaa-san. Such a thing doesn't matter that much to her. As long as we love each other -"

Enough of this.

A hand suddenly grabbed his collar. And he could only give the old woman an apologetic look before he found himself being dragged away. The girl only let go of him when she noticed that they had unintentionally attracted even more attention. There was only one to blame for this. And she glared at him.

"You enjoyed that, didn't you?"

"Oh, well..." He smiled sheepishly. "It was the only chance I could ever pretend to live an unreachable dream, you know"

"Could you be even more pathetic? You even lied to an old woman. Really, eighteen? You can't be older than fifteen next year."

"Then would you have preferred it if I implied that you're willing to marry a fifteen years old, Miss Konan?"

"That's not the point!"

Her face turned red. It was way too cute that he couldn't bring himself to stop. But just as he was about to tease her again, there was a sudden commotion near the fruit store they went to earlier.

Before long, the market district was filled with cries and screams as civilians ran away in panic. As it turned out, a fight had broken out between two groups of Amegakure's own shinobi. There were explosions, various projectiles flying everywhere as the fight quickly turned into a full blown battle. All the while, the pair of Akatsuki members watched all of this in silence.

Kakashi easily caught a stray shuriken before it hit his female companion who seemed to be somewhat distracted before turning toward her.

"Do you know what's going on?"

That seemed to snap her out of her thought. She blinked then. Her gaze found the sharp metal lodged between his fingers as he waved it playfully in front of her face. Thankfully, she heard his question well enough to save herself from further embarrassment.

"This has been going on for a while now. As much as it pains me to admit it, things have turned out for the worse after Hanzo's demise. Ame shinobi have been split into two factions as his two remaining generals fight over the leadership. And it only results in the people of Ame's suffering."

"Has Tobi mentioned anything about it? Surely he's been aware of it already."

"He said to wait for you because you're the one who's supposed to make decisions in the new Akatsuki."

What a surprise.

Kakashi had seen that coming. He still didn't get why his friend insisted for him to take charge. Had it not been proven time and time again that he was a such a shitty leader? Every decision he had ever made always resulted in a horrible mess. Oh well, perhaps the idiot simply didn't want to bother to think about complicated matters as usual.

"That lazy ass..." He chuckled at this. "Well, I'd better do it his way then."

"And that is?"

"Face every problem head-on, and beat up the bad guys like a hero."

"Why am I not surprised?" She sighed tiredly.

The boy chuckled again at her reaction before moving toward the battle with leisure steps. It was clear that he intended to make a quick work of this mess. Seeing this, the girl quietly followed after him.

She couldn't help secretly worrying about his condition. Despite his returning playfulness and easygoing attitude, she knew that deep down he was still trying to deal with the mental fallout of the sealing. This was why she had decided to not be too hard on him for the time being. That didn't mean she would stay quiet if he got on her nerves too much like what happened earlier.

He had gone too far back there!

/

The infighting within Amegakure really had been taking a great toll on the citizens. It was like a ghost town over there. The people went through their daily lives in fear. They only went outside to make a living. And most of them did it in the market district. So the place was decently populated simply because there was no other choice.

It all changed one particular morning. Whether for the better or worse, it was still a mystery, however.

The sun had risen for a while, but no one could really tell because of the constant dark clouds that covered the sky beyond the towering structures. And as usual, there was light drizzle everywhere. What's unusual was the sight of a black-clad figure walking in the normally empty courtyard.

A teenage boy was there, wearing nearly all black. Even the lower half of his face was covered by a black fabric mask. It was a stark contrast with the unruly mess of silvery white hair on his head. All in all, he was really such an eerie sight. But what made him appear so spine-chillingly eerie was the fact that he was dragging two dead bodies as he walked leisurely through the wet pavement.

He really did a good job impersonating a Reaper.

Kakashi chuckled at the thought as he carelessly dropped the corpses of both of Ame's warring factions' leaders in the middle of the courtyard. Both of these old men were too full of themselves, so he had no choice but to eliminate them. He did it overnight. It wasn't that much difficult. His assassination skills paired with his lack of presence as a living being allowed him to move pretty much like a ghost.

Now all he had to do was wait for a bit.

Almost automatically, he began to slouch as he stood with a bored expression. Then absentmindedly, he looked over his new Akatsuki coat. It was plain black, lined with a bit of red here and there. This sight only made him even more bored.

It was a good thing he didn't need to wait for long.

Like swarms of flies, multiple hordes of shinobi from both factions surrounded him in a short amount of time. Well, it was to be expected since he stood over the corpses of their esteemed leaders in such an open place. And really, the frantic sounds they made as they whispered, shouted, and bickered made them sound like flies. However, a select few of them seemed to be competent enough, having their attentions focused solely on him.

The ruckus only died down when a somewhat burly old man decided to step up. He seemed to be very cautious as he faced the black-clad boy in front of him.

"Who are you, boy in black? What... are you?"

"A Reaper."

And it started again. The seemingly absurd answer made the crowds start to talk uncontrollably again. Thankfully, the old shinobi once again stopped them. He cleared his throat loudly before looking back at the boy.

"Alright... 'Black Reaper'. You seem to be the one responsible for the death of those two generals. I serve neither of them, unlike most of us here. Therefore, I merely wish to know why you killed them."

"They were scums, fighting like children, making the people suffer. It's about time a Reaper comes to collect their sinful souls."

"I see. But is that your only intention?"

"For the time being, I just want to see a better Amegakure. So now I kindly ask you all to surrender and stop the petty infighting."

Alas, that only seemed to provoke the crowds. Somehow, it didn't cross their mind that someone who could easily kill their leaders was not to be taken lightly. Unlike the old man, they only saw a cocky boy playing some kind of sick prank.

Soon, both factions of Amegakure shinobi were all after his blood. Just as they were about to make a move, however, a sudden otherworldly pressure in the air slammed them down to their knees. Only the old man remained standing, albeit with difficulty. Their eyes widened in terror. Minds couldn't even comprehend what was actually happening. It was hard to breath. And before long, the weaker ones amongst them even started to pass out one by one.

He was really talented.

Kakashi came to that conclusion as he gradually tried to restrain the pressure. It just came naturally. He didn't even expect that he could release the Shinigami power on first try like that. Seriously, he had only heard about it from his friend who had experienced it firsthand. And to further prove how talented he was, it only took him a few seconds to fully call back the power. He couldn't help but smile smugly at this.

The eerie silence remained in the crowded courtyard even after the pressure fully dissipated. But before any of them could recover, they were once again shocked as they looked up. They saw an angel...

Hmm, no.

It was just Konan descending from the sky with her paper wings, a new technique of hers. She landed gracefully beside Kakashi. The wings soon scattered as she did. He whistled lightly at her, but she paid him no mind. Her eyes looked over the defeated crowds.

"You all have just witnessed what the Reaper is capable of. Now surrender to us, the Akatsuki, if you know what is good for you."

After that, people moved away immediately in fear to let the pair through as they walked away without a word. It was only after they left the courtyard that the boy decided to break the silence.

"Now that I think about it, we appeared more like villains than heroes..."

"As if that would matter."

"Easy for you to say, Miss Konan. You're already pretty mean to begin with so -"

A good wack on the head was given to him for his thoughtless remark.

/

In a secluded outskirt of Kirigakure, a hard panting could be heard from a young girl in Konoha's Anbu uniform.

Rin spared a brief glance at the dead bodies all over the place. All of her teammates were lying motionless with dozens of Kiri shinobi that had ambushed them. The battle started before the sun began to rise, and now the sunlight had cast all the remaining darkness away. She should've felt tired already, but she barely paid any mind to the bad state of her body. The guilt was nearly overwhelming.

If only she had not remained quiet... If only she had been more confident... If only she had used the authority the Hokage had given her... But no. All her insecurities, and hesitation to voice her objection to the captain's reckless decisions had resulted in the worst possible outcome.

But there was no time to be guilt-ridden and weak.

One opponent still stood tall. And it was none other than one of the famous Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. One who wielded a giant axe and hammer. Getting hit by one of those weapons would mean the end for her, just like what happened with her team's captain earlier. There was only one option for her to survive this. Even though the chance of success was rather slim, she would take it.

She refused to die here.

The piercing sound of the Chidori broke the silence then as she prepared for a final clash. Her opponent responded by slamming the hammer into the ground, creating a powerful shock-wave toward her direction. She jumped at the last second before throwing the senbon she had been hiding in her left hand. The thin projectile hit the shinobi's axe-wielding arm right at the vital point. He appeared to be taken aback for a second as he noticed how unresponsive the arm had become. And this brief moment of distraction costed him greatly.

Rin successfully slipped through her enemy's defense right after she landed nimbly atop the hammer. Her lightning-coated hand easily pierced the man's chest, killing him instantly. She then used what little strength she had left to jump back as the dead body fell to the ground.

The intense battle had really taken a great toll on her. Using the Chidori at the end really drained her up. Her consciousness was slipping. She tried to fight it, at least until she could make a retreat, but it was futile. She began to fall forward...

Until a pair of slender arms caught her.

She should've felt alarmed, but somehow she couldn't bring herself to. She didn't sense any malicious intent from this mysterious stranger. So she decided to just close her eyes and focus on maintaining her consciousness as she felt herself being carried away.

Her eyes opened again only after the stranger put her down and leaned her against a wall inside of a building. She couldn't tell how long time had passed. Her mask didn't help her still slightly distorted sight, so she took it off weakly. That was when the stranger appeared on her vision, kneeling in front of her.

It was a girl. A pretty girl around her age with long auburn hair. She was smiling softly.

"Hey. Don't worry. You're safe now." She extended her hand. "I am Mei."

Instinctively Rin accepted it, and they shook hands. Being an Anbu wouldn't stop her from being friendly.

"Thank you, Mei. I am Rin."

"So, Rin. What's a Konoha Anbu like you doing here? Spying mission?" The joke was clearly evident in her voice.

"Pretty much. It didn't end well, though." Rin decided to return the joke then. "Is this how Kiri ninjas do interrogation, Mei? If so, I think I kinda like it."

The two girls shared a good-natured laugh at that. And Mei decided that she liked this Anbu girl.

"We'd be great friends, Rin! I can tell it already."

"That's good to hear. Doesn't it bother you, though... that I just killed your comrades?" She stared in worry.

"Hmm. Nope. They're not my comrades. That's not how it works here in Kiri. In fact, I thank you for doing us a favor by killing off those annoying idiots."

"Uh..." Rin didn't know what to think of that. "You're welcome?"

They both laughed again then until Mei suddenly remembered something interesting she saw earlier.

"That was one hell of a jutsu, by the way. Scary. I can see why you saved it for last."

"The Chidori. It's actually my friend's technique. And I saved it for last actually because it has a lot of drawbacks. Basically, it is for desperate situations only."

That was not what Mei expected to hear. But as she looked back into it, she remembered how the technique seemed to pull the girl forward. It was way too wild and fast. And such a powerful jutsu surely costed a heavy amount of chakra. She could understand it now.

"I see... Now that I think about it, the technique does seem too violent for someone of your stature."

"Indeed. I wish I were a bit better in nature transformation so I could evolve it to fit more with my own style..."

For some reason, the auburn-haired girl grinned at that.

"Oh well, consider yourself lucky, Rin. I'm exceptionally proficient in nature transformation if I may say so myself."

"You mean..." Her eyes widened.

"Yep! I think I can help you a bit."


Kakashi would be kinda overpowered here, but in return, he has one stupid weakness as mentioned in the previous chapter.

Obito would not be as much op, but he pretty much has no notable weakness.

As for Rin, she would start with creating her own signature jutsu soon with Mei's help!