Sorry it's been a while guys, but luckily I finally finished chapter eight of this story. And because I haven't gotten to certain points in the show and suck at fights I needed a little help on this one. That in mind, please thank Joon for his magnificent work that formed the base of the fight in this chapter. I was almost afraid to edit it apart from things involving what I already had for the beginning of the chapter. Very glad to have had his assistance!

Special thanks to loverofakatsuki for checking out the story and to lilith dracul for having taken an interest in a lot of my stories. I hope you enjoy this chapter!


Suicide Mission

"Don't disappoint us... Kakuzu..."


The blonde Leaf ANBU, whose mask resembled that of a orange fox, peaked over his shoulders concerned. How could it have taken him this long to notice the absence of his following companion? Sure they were racing back, but letting his competitiveness get the better of him was no excuse to make such a potentially fatal mistake. He was surprised at Hiyate as well, since he was usually the careful one of the duo.

It was hard to pick up a trail under the curtain of the night so finding his partner would prove difficult if something had happened. He was about to turn back and start searching for his comrade when rustling in the bushes caught his attention, prompting him to prepare a kunai. Slowly the blonde started to turn, jumping in surprise and signing in relief when he saw his brunette partner approaching in his white wolf mask.

"You scared the crap out of me Hiyate! What happened to you?" The brunette rubs his neck nervously.

"Sorry, I hit a patch of forest where moonlight didn't get through and got turned around." The blonde chuckled at the quiet tone that spoke with slight shame.

"Sounds like you. You're so busy watching for a threat that you're your biggest one!"

"Hehe..." The two shared a laugh and continued back to the Leaf without letting a race distract them this time.


"Have you heard what's going on over in the Hidden Waterfall Village?"

"Oh come on Kamakura, not this again."

"I mean it! I heard this from a reliable source!" The blue haired chuunin whined to the blonde ANBU. He made it clear that he had been wrong before and apparently gossip was his trade. Uncommon among Hidden Leaf ninja but this guy had managed to make it his duty to give the full stories. The ANBU and his partner were only stopping by to make sure Kamakura and his comrade were relieved of gate duty on time before going to guard the Hokage while he visited the academy.

"You always hear from reliable sources," his brunette ANBU partner groans rather irately.

"I'm serious! This time it's not just a rumor!" he assures. The blonde sighs and leans against the table.

"Fine, spill it. What's going on with the Waterfall Village? And make it quick. The Hokage is visiting the academy in a short while and we have to be there to escort him." His partner merely nods.

At this the chuunin starts getting excited and jumps up and down. "Okay so get this! It was when we were out on a mission last week right? We had a run in with a Waterfall family out on a camping trip outside their village and this guy said his name was Paku and that he was a chuunin on leave with his parents and cousins. So we got to talking and he said something about hell breaking loose in the village because of the practical slaughter of an entire clan!"

"The slaughter... Of a clan?" The blonde wouldn't deny he was curious now. "What clan?"

The blue haired male practically screeched. "You're never gonna believe it! I'm even getting goosebumps just thinking about it!"

"Damn it Kamakura spill it!"

"Alright alright!" There's a short pause. "The Kurosaki clan was completely wiped out." The two ANBU were visibly jolted, the blonde more so. "All of them, every last one."

"The Kurosakis?! The clan of blood sucking immortals?!"

"Technically they're not immortal... They just have unnatural life spans and heal quickly. Like anything else though, they can be killed," the brunette chips in solemnly.

"Nevertheless the Waterfall Village has always prided themselves on the advantage of having the Kurosaki clan as a trump card, to have lost them all in one blow... It's impossible. No ninja no matter how skilled could have taken them all on and won."

"Not even if that ninja was a Kurosaki themselves?" Kamakura chips.

"A Kurosaki a shinobi? I thought they couldn't wield chakra? Or they at least didn't have a need to."

"They didn't. But supposedly this one was different. And the worst part was that it was the clan heiress herself!"

"Are you serious?"

"As a heart attack! Supposedly she was being outshined by her older brother who was in line to lead the clan and she became a shinobi to get the advantage. Made it to ANBU and when she saw her brother had became a Class A vamp she took her anger out on the whole clan. Slaughtered every one of them in a single night. There were over a hundred corpses either burned to a crisp or missing hearts and heads. He said she was gone before morning and the compound went up in flames."

"Surely they would've found her? Vamps can't go far during the day, even with the cover of those thick forests. Enough would get through to slow them down significantly."

"That's what they don't get! Now this guy said he thinks there was another ANBU in on it, one that had a thing for her for as far back as the academy. Was her teammate and opponent in the chuunin exams. He says-"

"How does he know all of this?" the brunette ANBU asks gruffly. "Seems like a lot of insinuation for one act of rebellion against a clan of monsters. And why openly tell an enemy village about the loss of their own village's greatest weapon? The more you go on the more likely it seems like a tall tale." The blonde pondered this and seemed to begin to doubt the credibility himself.

"I swear this guy said he went to the academy with her and he was the right age to line up with the story!"

"But Kurosakis have lengthened lifespans so this particular one didn't have to be young to do such a thing," he adds.

"He's got a point Kamakura."

"But I-"

"We have to go, we'll look into it another time okay?" The blonde tries giving the chuunin the benefit of the doubt but it isn't well received since Kamakura only sighs and slinks back in his chair. "Sorry." He gestures to his partner to follow him towards the academy, moving at a moderate pace. Once they were a good ways away, the blonde addressed the other. "Can you believe that shit Hiyate? The great Kurosaki clan just, wiped out. The purest of the pure."

"Yeah, hard to believe. Never saw it coming myself," the brunette admits.

"You made some good points back there. You study about the clan or something?"

"I did some training in the village years ago with a comrade. Picked up a few things."

"No way, you serious?" He receives a nod in confirmation. "I had no idea. What was it like? You see one up close?"

"Our sessions were abroad daylight so-"

"Right, vamps can't do sunlight."

"I was going to say they run on a nocturnal schedule but I did manage to come across one. Most beautiful thing I'd ever seen..."

"For real? I'd heard they were naturally good looking but I didn't think it was that big a deal... You get a name? What did they look like?"

There was a moment of silence. "She. It was a she. Not only was her blood pure but she was the very embodiment of perfection... She was white as snow and had the body of an angel... Her voice was so soft and heavenly I could've cried. It was those eyes though, like precious marine stones that stole my heart..."

"Woah. Sounds like a dream alright. You talk to her?"

"I couldn't bring myself to say what I wanted..."

"Yeah, probably wouldn't have been able to myself. Just knowing something so beautiful could just as easily take my life would be enough to scare me into silence you know what I mean? I guess I would have to see to understand though, that awestruck feeling. Too bad I won't get the chance now. I would've liked to at least meet one at some point."

"I like to think she's still out there somewhere, bringing heaven on earth wherever she goes," the brunette proclaims.

"Sounds like you fell hard for this Kurosaki girl." The blonde was edging ahead of the brunette and passing by huddled masses of citizens, which had him wondering what all the commotion was about. He was passing an elderly woman speaking softly to her neighbors when he heard part of the conversation.

"Oh that poor boy... He was barely a man."

"Do you know what happened Kana?" her male friend asks.

"Oh the poor boy was viciously attacked, just outside of the village no less. The attacker even went so far as to steal his mask and weapons. Marred his face almost beyond recognition. And all they know for sure is that the child had medium brown hair." The blonde flinched at this beneath his mask, giving him the view to realize that his partner was right at his side looking curiously up at him.

"You could say I fell... How hard is up for debate at this point." His aura had changed, making the blonde uneasy. Something was off... His partner never used to be one to admit his feelings so openly. Hiyate was a quiet and reserved man that rarely put personal matters into a discussion of logic. It was as if-

The blonde's eyes widen as he falls behind the brunette, brunette hair that was a few shades too dark for his partner. He pulled a kunai in a secluded area before they had a chance to reach the academy, shouting to the man he had been getting so chummy with. "Hold it! Who are you?" The brunette paused and looked back, eyes glaring through the holes in his mask.

"Figured it out huh?" His voice was more gruff and even deeper than before now. "I guess my acting skills still suck after all these years..." The male sidestepped into an alleyway, hand going to his pocket as he removed the mask. The blonde gasped when it was indeed his partner looking back at him.

"You bastard... How dare you use a transformation jutsu to sport his face!" He was livid, threatening to charge at any second.

"Hmph. I think you've forgotten just what the transformation jutsu is used for. Spying and assassination."

"Does that mean you're... Of course, why else would you go after a ninja who resembles your true appearance and is scheduled to guard the Hokage.."

"Bingo. But your intellect just got you killed."

"Why you!" The blonde charged the brunette imposter in a rage, taking him off guard and sending them both flying back into the darkness of the alley. Hits could be heard behind grunts and the occasional clank, but there was suddenly a bloodcurdling scream. The blonde was scrambling out of the alley on all fours, blood pouring from his face and arm. He barely made it into the light when gray threads wrapped around his ankle and jerked him back. Another scream rang out before it was cut off prematurely, silence ensuing. There was a puff of smoke and the fake Leaf ninja emerged looking clean and proper, mask replaced over his face. Knowing that someone would've heard the screams he moved quickly towards the academy, slowing only not to draw attention when he nearly arrived.

When he did get there he approached with caution as he was met face to face with another dark brunette male a couple heads taller than he in his jutsu induced form. His skin was actually a few shades from his true tone as well. But this man had hair longer than he and had brown-black eyes.


Kakuzu held the the files given to him by the elders, going over what information they had on the God of Shinobi. His incredible ability was the wood style, something not seen in anyone else that still lived. Kakuzu himself was a primary Earth nature, but from what they knew the wood style was an Earth and Water combination kekkei genkai, something that would prove difficult to beat.

The tallest of the elders handed Kakuzu a photograph to examine. "This is what he looks like, so you can pick him out even if he manages to go about like a normal citizen," he explained. Kakuzu studied it thoroughly, thinking that apart from the eyes, the Senju looked like he could belong to the same family as he. "The Second Hokage Tobirama Senju is currently away from the village, so there should be no interference with your mission that you shouldn't be able to handle."


The man seemed rather reserved, a cool and collected expression on his features that made him indeed look like he held a position of authority. Not to mention he was wearing the very robes that identified him. His eyes were tired however and weary, strained yawns escaping him periodically. As he approached however, the man gave him a small grin and turned to face him directly. This was the Hokage, Hashirama Senju...

"Ah Hiyate, I was afraid I'd been forgotten. I must admit I was expecting more than one of you though, not that I believe I need it to visit children of all things," he jokes. The brunette ANBU stopped and bowed respectively to the shinobi of higher status.

"My apologies Lord Hokage," he says in his fake voice. "There has been attacks on ANBU by an unknown assailant. My partner thought it essential to look into the matter while you were away from your office." Senju seems to ponder this with great interest, his eyes filling with concern.

"I see... Perhaps today was a bad day to visit the children..." He glanced back at the academy with a thoughtful look, obvious deliberation going on in his mind.

"Please sir, the children will be ecstatic to see you. It would certainly bring smiles to their faces while the matter is investigated in the meantime." Hashirama also takes this into consideration. If an attack were being planned against his village, he would like to be near the children to protect them if need be.

"Very well, I'll take your word for it," he says. Turning to see an oncoming class of students emerging from the entrance and grouping in the schoolyard. It seemed that the children had been waiting eagerly for the arrival of the Hokage. A class full of students, who understandably, wanted to show off their skills and be praised and guided by the Lord Hokage so that they could be assured that they were going in the right direction to becoming fine shinobi capable of protecting the village under any circumstance.

Hashirama began to approach the gates with tired and stressed eyes as he yawned, the traditional Kage attire playing on his body as the robes flapped in the wind. Once he had placed himself before the bodies of young children he forced away his tired eyes and replaced them with ones lit with joyful fire, sluggish yawns giving way to a bright smile. All the while the ANBU followed at his side.

"Class, this is the Lord Hoka-" the sensei had began, only to be interrupted by the exclaimed awe of the class as they bounced in place. "Hey! What did I tell you kids about being on your best behavior?!" he scolded. Hashirama merely waved a calming hand.

"It's perfectly alright, Saruka," he assured. "Do you not see the will of fire in their eyes? They can't contain themselves." He turned to the ANBU in the white wolf mask that had taken position on his right flank. "I remember when you were their age, haha. Do you remember what you said to me when I asked you what you wanted to be Hiyate?"

The ANBU simply shook his head as if ashamed. "Forgive me Lord Hokage, it was so long ago."

"Hmm?" Hashirama raised a concerned brow. "Are you feeling alright? You seem quiet, even for you."

The male sighed and glanced down. "My apologies Lord Hokage. My thoughts seem to keep wandering elsewhere. I suppose it comes with the job," he replies.

Hashirama looked at the ANBU for a while, thinking as they moved to the students' classroom. A student interrupted the deep thoughts however, pleading for attention as did others who did so from a distance. "Hehe, you're pretty bold, aren't you?" Hashirama said with a smile as they reached the room and he stooped to one knee and ruffled the student's hair playfully. "Why don't you all show me your best transformation jutsu? Come now, don't be shy. It can be anything you want!"

And so few by few the students performed the jutsu. Those who made a mess of the jutsu were encouraged to get better. Those who preformed it nicely were subtly praised and given encouragement. Those who got creative with their performance had brightened the classroom up with laughter. Hashirama even asked if Hiyate would give one of the usual transformations. Hiyate had seen so many strange and different characters throughout missions that each transformation never failed to bring a laugh out of Hashirama, and the frivolous ANBU was always eager to do so.

But today was different... Hiyate declined.

For the remainder of the next hour or so Hashirama watched the ANBU out of the corner of his eye, taking note of his behavior. Near lunchtime Hashirama took Saruka aside and whispered something. Minutes later, as Hashirama was wearing a frown previously, he smiled to the kids and patted their sensei on the shoulder as he cleared his throat and spoke to his students. "Alright kids, now we're going to show Lord Hokage how well we've practiced the evacuation drills. We're taking a small field trip to the tunnels." The class replied with excited cheers and lined up in an orderly fashion, filing out one by one down into the evacuation tunnels recently added to the village structure.

Hashirama nodded to the other ninja on duty in the academy and kindly, though his eyes and set jaw implied that this was a command and not a question, asked that they please follow the children and see to it that the drills were well done. Once everyone was gone Hashirama began to head upstairs to the roof. "Hiyate, come. You seem down. Why don't we go to the usual place to talk?"

There was a long silence before the ANBU spoke. "As you wish, Lord Hokage."


Winds howled over the mountain that looked over the village. It was the best place to look down on it and feel proud of how far it had come and feel assured that the citizens and shinobi would carry it to the future. Hashirama would come here all the time to think about such things, but this time was different. Instead of wearing a smile Hashirama wore a frown. Instead of his steps being soft and gentle they were hard with anger. Instead of being alone, or with someone he was quite comfortable with, he was with a stranger. "Transform into the same person you did yesterday before your mission."

"I beg your pardon sir?" the brunette says with a turn of his head.

"Transform into the same person you did yesterday Hiyate," he urges once more.

The ANBU took a few steps forward, closing the distance between he and the Hokage. "Pardon, who was it again?"

"Tobirama, my brother remember?" Hashirama said with a happy laugh.

"Ah yes, now I remember!" the ANBU exclaimed with fake laughter and enthusiasm, as if the man had never laughed a day in his life. He made the hand seal to transform, prompting Hashirama to stop laughing, as he made far more seals than was needed for such a simple jutsu. Hashirama jumped back, but the ANBU was fast. A cloud of smoke concealed his features and from that cloud came a blackened fist that moved toward Hashirama like a bullet.

Under the fluttering arm of Hashirama's robe came a kunai that managed to deflect the attack, graceful feet sliding across the ground to increase the space between he and his attacker. "I guess I put on an amateur performance for the second time today..." murmured the assailant as the clearing smoke revealed his figure. He was a tall man that was easily over six and a half feet, with tan skin and dark brown hair hanging just above his shoulders. Cut shorter than it had been a few days prior. Hashirama noted his black mask covering his lower face and the symbol for the Village Hidden by a Waterfall engraved on the headband adorning his forehead. He was dressed in the standard Waterfall Village flak jacket with a tight fitting black long sleeve beneath it along with standard gear for an ANBU of said village. He was crouched, one hand outstretched while the other was behind him. The most striking feature that the Hokage let himself linger on however was the red and green eyes watching back at him like a hawk.

"If you had impersonated any other Leaf Village ANBU then perhaps you would have succeeded in your attempt to take my life," Hashirama admits, tossing his Hokage hat to the ground. He recalled what the brute had said when he first encountered him at the gate... "The story about someone attacking ANBU, I assume it was truth and you were referring to yourself. Where's the real Hiyate?"

"Dead." The cold reply was almost icy. He didn't care for the lives of the two men he'd killed.

"I see..." he sighed. "Well then, you might as well tell me your real name," Hashirama ordered, keeping his voice level as he mentally assessed the behemoth man.

He was hesitant, but the brunette eventually answered. "Kakuzu. My surname never has been nor ever will be of importance." And it was true, he never claimed pride in his heritage and now that he was the last there was no need...

"Fair enough."

"I wasn't surprised that you found me out," he continues. "I expected nothing less from the Hokage of the Leaf. But enough talk. I say we get to business so I can report to my village with a job well done." He was bluffing and he was painfully aware of it. He never expected to win in the first place. Honestly, he only showed good acting when it was something he valued more than his mission.

Hashirama snorted at the shinobi's feigned cockiness. "Fine, if that's how you feel." He instantly began hand seals and when he felt tremors from below he kicked off the ground. Kakuzu's black hand returned and came from the ground, following Hashirama in the air. Smoke formed around the Hokage, but that didn't stop the brute in the slightest.

"Gotcha," he mutters. Seconds later his hand gripped Hashirama's leg and swung him down to the ground in a crash, the impact kicking up unnatural amounts of dust and debris. Kakuzu recoiled his arm, reattaching it quickly with stitches acting as if living things, all the while being grateful that all those years of private training had produced a successful new jutsu. He dashed forward, both arms blackened and hard like iron, primed for a pummeling and running on pure will to survive. This was his jutsu: "Earth Style: Earth Spear!"

Just when Kakuzu was getting confident however he spotted danger coming his way from the corner of his eye. He halted abruptly, dodging the dozens of shuriken that were thrown his way. Instead of digging into his flesh however, they either impaled the ground or clanked and clattered among themselves. His bicolored gaze darted back to where he had previously tried to attack, a puff of smoke revealing a wood dummy. "A wood clone huh?"

"Did you honestly think that you could kill me that easily?" the older shinobi inquires upon landing, the impact of his feet sending small ripples through the ground as he swiftly made hand seals. "Wood Style: Great Forest Technique!" He thrust his arm forward as it morphed into trees and branches that grew only toward Kakuzu.

The brute evaded the attack with backflips that landed him farther up the mountain, rolling to dodge the deadly bark. Then when they started to surround him on the ground he took to the air, strong legs carrying him straight up. The branches followed him relentlessly, allowing him only brief steps every so often to avoid others. Because of this Hashirama could tell that the Shinobi was highly skilled, understandably since he had probably been groomed for the day he could take him on. So he tried something different instead of his previous approach.

Under the pretense of trying to capture and bind the Waterfall ninja, the trees began to form a sphere of wood that would leave no room for escape. The stitched man anticipated the motive behind the jutsu and with nimble feet continued kicking off the trunks and branches while making his way up. Once he saw that the exit would be sealed before he could reach it however, he changed direction and made a new path. Then another. Then another. The fourth attempt was one in which he barely succeeded.

'I can't do this with only my skills...' he thinks. Then again it was unlikely from the beginning. As he rolled to safety he frowned under his mask, the image of a certain someone tearing at his chest as he dug a nail into his thumb and pressed the blood to the surface, following with hand signs. "Summoning Jutsu!" He slams his palm down on the rocky earth, a summoning seal appearing on it's surface. 'Please don't fail me now...' The ANBU gave a sigh with eyes closed, one image driving him forward...

From the smoke emerged wings of a leathery texture with black fur stretching out in size equal length to the of the distance between Kakuzu's fingertips to his elbow individually. The dark head of a vampire bat emerged with a screech, a pale patch of gray over its nose and fangs protruding from the muzzle. It's reflective black eyes glared at the Hokage of Konoha, large ears folding down in a protective manner. "Need my help Kakuzu?" a sharp tenor coming from the bat asks. Kakuzu noted that the bat was squinting from his position on feet and folded wings on the ground because of their placement high on the mountain in midday and silently thanked him for his loyalty to he who, under the guidance of an angel, had helped raise him into what he was now.

Hashirama took note of the exchange but didn't let his expression falter. He detached his arm from the wooden entrapment he had made, the gargantuan sphere falling to the ground and beginning to roll towards his human opponent. Kakuzu gave a grunt when he saw the oncoming danger and felt the rumbling earth. He threw up his arms, hardened by his jutsu, and shoved forward with his great strength. Despite this he was shoved back several hundred feet and nearly crushed against the mountainside. With a loud groan he pushes it forward and punches with all his might, sending cracks through it. He pounded it once again, then thrice... Eventually it crumbled in splintered shards of destruction. Meanwhile, since Stitch had flown to the side when the sphere came their way, the vampire bat analyzed the situation and decided that this person was someone that Kakuzu deeply wanted to defeat for whatever reasons important to him. His clawed fingers on the bends of his wings were brought together and used to make handsigns, revealing when he was done several clones of himself. With a growl and strategic swarming of the clones he charged Hashirama, swooping down on him in a hellish fury.

Hashirama threw a several shuriken to counteract the flying mammal and then used Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu to multiply his chances of hitting the oncoming targets, only to have the multiple swooping bats dodge expertly. Soon they were upon him and he quickly made hand seals. "Wood Style: Domed Wall Jutsu!" Wooden pillars erupted from the ground from his left and right, stamping together to form a domed wall that covered front and above. Hashirama then turned around so that he was facing his open weakness and made more hand signs, repeating the use of Wood Style: Great Forest Technique. The branches shot forward as the bats came at Hashirama the only way they could, which left them with little room to dodge this time around. The clones dispersed one after the other but the real Stitch managed to last longer, making his way towards Hashirama and clamping down on the hand expelling the branches. The Hokage gave a yell as fangs dug into his flesh and the bat sucked at the open wound. Using his other hand he punched the summon in the face and sent it flying into the aim of his jutsu once more. Stitch weaved through the branches as best he could but the hit had disoriented him and he was struck hard in the chest. He crashed to the ground with a squeak and as the onslaught of plant life approached he gave an apologetic look to Kakuzu, reverse summoning before he could be squished and vanished.

The wall of the dome facing Hashirama was smashed open and Kakuzu emerged, eyes catching Stitch's silent apology as he reverse summoned. Those eyes closed in acceptance. The bat was still just a child after all, he had gotten him as an infant so he was merely boy. He bought him some time nevertheless and if he ever talked to him again he would give him his thanks. With a new determination he ignored the pain in his body and braced his fist forward. At hearing him break through his creation Hashirama spun, chakra surging through his body with perfect control and surging into his arm, colliding Kakuzu's fist with his own. The explosion of force from the interaction shattered the rest of the dome, sending branches in splinters drilling through the ground, dust from the impact concealing both shinobi in the cloud. It was a panting Kakuzu that drifted into sight first but Hashirama was right on him before he was even fully visible, hands working with seals. "I'm done with this," he sighs gruffly. He slammed his hands to the ground upon halting just feet from Kakuzu, who was trying to preserve what chakra he had left. It was his long time taijutsu training regiment that kept him from keeling over as it was. "Secret Earth Jutsu: Deep Forest Creation!" Trees sprouted, no shot forth, from the ground around the two and in seconds a forest was formed around them, hardly letting in any light from the sun. They grew supernaturally fast and on a much larger scale than Kakuzu could keep up with, but even though he was positive he wouldn't win and knew he was trapped, he'd keep fighting. To hell with bringing honor to his village! He wanted to bring honor to the one that was meant for his mission. The one that he believed actually could've killed the God of Shinobi if need be. He would honor her even if it meant he wouldn't be able to leave alive.

Hashirama didn't even hide. He stood before Kakuzu, the forest still growing and trees protecting their master, all while coming at Kakuzu with their piercing limbs. Kakuzu hardened his skin once more with strained concentration, retaliating with punch after punch at the branches and shattered them as they came. He even inched his way towards Hashirama little by little, but the closer he got the worse the storm of attacks became and soon Kakuzu found himself overwhelmed and was pushed on the defensive until he could do nothing to stop the oncoming attacks.

He didn't realize at what point the branches had grabbed his limbs, but it was too late to do anything when he finally did and noticed he could not move at all. Hashirama took a stance in front of Kakuzu merely two feet away at most... Chakra visible to the eye surged through his fist like roaring flames, sending dread through the Waterfall ANBU. Kakuzu used the last of his chakra to cover his entire body with his Earth Spear Jutsu hoping to dull any attack he tried with that intense chakra. Hashirama went on, body coiling and releasing, his fist sending a single concentrated punch to Kakuzu's abdomen. The pain that shot through him was silence inducing, too excruciating to even form a sound. The blow had worked through his defenses...

The silence dragged on for a quarter of a minute before Hashirama withdrew his fist from his stomach and the trees released the battered young man. The younger male fell to the ground with blood spurting from the mouth, soaking his face mask that was torn and falling off his nose to the point that it weighed down and slid over his busted lip. His glasgow smile was misleading as he held himself up by his shaking arms, red liquid staining his mouth and chin. He didn't have the strength in his massive body to even keep in that position though... He fell to the side, shifting onto his back mid fall. With this motion something fell out of Kakuzu's pocket...

He laid there still as a corpse, only his labored breathing signaling he still lived. His body felt broken from the inside out, and not just because of his several shattered ribs and fractured arm... His upper chest seemed the most hurt out of his entire body despite the lack of physical attacks made there. It was heavy like someone had dropped a weight on it. His logic was finally settling in with him. All that promising and feigned confidence he had earlier was withering along with his will as he laid on the rocky earth. What was he thinking? He set an impossible goal for himself and that wasn't even the horrible part, it was that he had told himself he would do it for her. As if this was all to honor her. No, he had just convinced himself that if he completed a mission meant for her then he would feel closer to her. And if he completed it, maybe for some reason unknown, she would somehow know and return to him.

But she was gone. She wasn't coming back. He was alone and he didn't even have his only two friends left to die with..

As disgraceful as it was, he didn't much care anymore. He let tears fall out of the corners of his bicolored eyes and wash blood from the sides of his face. All he could think about was how he was weak, and how he had failed. His head fell sideways and through his blurred vision he saw a shiny blur beside him several feet away. Blinking rapidly he sniffled and focused on the object, realizing it to be the wallet he'd received on his thirteenth birthday, open and splayed on the ground. Apart from the money he so treasured, other irreplaceable items were in it.

Hashirama approached the collapsed man with a glare, intent to finish him off and rid the world of his presence. As he got close however he found himself gasping at the absolute look of despair and heartbreak on the face of the man that had tried to kill him, tears actually streaming the masculine man's face. He hadn't really noticed before but the man was actually very young, only in his early twenties probably. Even with the stitches that gave him a permanent smile, that much was apparent. He was still a child really.

He watched as the man-boy turned his head and zeroed in on something he himself had dismissed when he saw him fall. It glistened brightly and he recognized it to be a gold and silver cased wallet, several bills of currency and other small cards of paper falling out. That wasn't all either, there was a silver and blue trinket hanging from its side too. He watched with slight pity as the man's beaten and beefy arm slowly lifted at his side and, trembling, reached for the objects, whimpers and winces escaping him as he struggled to move his broken body. He found himself frowning and stepping towards the desired belongings reaching to pick them up cautiously, eyes watching Kakuzu like a hawk as the man gave a pathetic attempt at a protest. "D-don't touch that-!" he wheezes.

Ignoring his protest he knelt down. The shining object hanging from the wallet was actually a piece of woman's jewelry he noticed. A silver chain necklace with a beautiful blue teardrop stone hanging from it. He found himself interested and next went to some of the card like pieces of paper lying beside it. He blinked several times when he turned them over. They were pictures, wallet sized ones for display in the transparent folds. The first one was of three children, a squad photo it looked like. The child in the center was very tall for his age with very greasy brown hair and he noticed it looked a lot like his assassin without the many stitches on his partially covered body. To his left was a young girl with shoulder length hair that was as white as her skin and had a bright smile with one sapphire eye winking at the camera. She was leaned into what he assumed was Kakuzu's side and he had a blush on his frowning face. To his right was another, much smaller, boy. He had dirty blonde hair that covered one blue eye and looked as if he could wet himself from fear and embarrassment from the position he was in.

Hashirama felt the corners of his mouth lift a tiny fraction. He shifted another photo before the first one. This one was different than the first in that it was of the girl in the first picture but a little older, about 16. She was wearing an ANBU outfit and seemed as if she had no idea the picture was being taken. Her hair was long and flowing and her thin frame was leaned forward against a desk filled with papers. Then Hashirama retrieved the third and final one from the wallet to the dismay of the collapsed shinobi. This one almost made the Hokage's heart break. It showed Kakuzu, no stitches on his face with long neatly combed hair and a tux. He didn't look any different from how he did now apart from that so he took that to mean this was the most recent photo he had. Kakuzu was with someone familiar yet not in this photo. It looked like the girl from the previous two photos, but her figure was extremely womanly and her face was almost angelic, her white hair curled and pinned in a loose bun with a stray strand in her face. He noticed something else as well, the necklace she was wearing in the picture was the very one he held in his other hand. He looked closer at the way Kakuzu held this woman so carefully against his form in this obvious celebratory setting. She in turn was clinging to him as well. Their eyes too, sapphire and red and green, were locked on each other's and held a tenderness and love he could only speculate at. Neither of them smiled, it was like they were entranced by one another. In his opinion, they were a beautiful pair that looked deeply in love. Although Hashirama didn't glance up, he spoke to Kakuzu. "What's her name?"

It was with reluctance and a long pause that Kakuzu's gave in and replied to his opponent. "N-Niki-..." He struggled to speak her name. "Nikita..." he breathes.

"She's beautiful," Hashirama compliments.

"She was..." Kakuzu was no longer sniffling but tears still flowed freely from his eyes.

"Is she your lover?"

The ANBU closes his eyes at the question, biting down with lips trembling. "I wanted her to be..." he breathes.

It was then that Hashirama nodded. For whatever reason she was gone from his life now, dead or simply just not around anymore. That was why he had this necklace that belonged to her. It was all he had left to cling to. He frowned and looked up from the picture placing the assassin's belongings back where they belonged and stood. He moved beside Kakuzu and placed the wallet in his flak pocket, then grabbing the man's hand to his surprise. In his palm he placed the expensive looking necklace and closed his fingers around it. Kakuzu looked as if he wanted to ask why, to beg for him to end his suffering but Hashirama glared down at him. "Your actions today were foolish. I'm sure Nikita would've liked to see you return. You wouldn't want to worry her." Kakuzu was left gaping and speechless as the Hokage pulled his mask back over his face and stood, stepping over the brute and making a single movement. The trees before Kakuzu parted then, revealing sunlight and more importantly, an exit. With a nudge and a sheer will to survive fueled by the words of the Senju, Kakuzu forced himself up...

.

.

Minutes later jonin, chuunin, and ANBU alike all arrived to aid Hashirama in a battle they had no idea was already over. Exchanging fists with something that felt as if it were hard as diamond had definitely taken a toll on the Hokage if nothing else, so medical ninja swarmed him almost immediately when they saw him wavering. He wasn't even aware that his punching hand had been broken until after an initial assessment. It was a good thing he himself knew medical ninjutsu because he was the one to realign the small bones before he started to heal the wounds himself. To the surprise of everyone there including him, a new face had arrived while the ninja searched for a threat that was no longer present. Tobirama Senju approached his brother with a hard look that was a pretense for concern. "Brother, what happened here? Who was it that harmed you?" He hadn't seen his brother this banged up since his battle with Madara.

Hashirama glanced up at Tobirama seriously for a moment, eyes seeming distant. Then out of the blue he burst out into laughter, almost startling his sibling. He merely shook his head and looked to the sun. "A man Brother... Just a man following orders."


I hope you enjoyed this another heart wrenching chapter! Tune in next time and please remember to review!