Uuuuuuuuggggghhhhh. Sorry for the lack of updates recently, guys. First I was sick with strep throat (gross) and now work has been having me running rampant with five double shifts in a row. That means no time to write. And when I do get the time to, I'm too tired to. My work schedule is going to remain pretty hectic for a few more weeks, but I'll get the chapters out when I can. Anyways, I probably rewrote this chapter, like, five times. I don't think I like writing multiple points of view, just feels wierd. I still don't like the way it reads, but i feel guilty for leaving you guys hanging for so long so here's what I got. Hope you guys enjoy! And don't forget to send a review, I want to know what you think!

I do not own the Naruto characters. I do however own Jen and the Mananako Clan. :)

Chapter 9

Sasori didn't speak a word as we made our way into the basement workshop. The puppet boy stood in the middle of the room while I descended the stairs. Without even a glance Sasori pushed on a hidden panel at the back of the room. The wall swung inward and he stepped inside, beckoning me to follow. Once I stepped inside, the panel closed.

"Uh, Sasori-san, what is this place?" I asked looking around. Multitudes of vials of every shape and size containing various colored liquids filled the shelves lining every wall. In the middle of the secret room stood a table with an old looking chemistry set. It was like a mad scientist's laboratory miniaturized.

"This is my poison room. I have to hide it to keep that brat Deidara from getting in and making a mess." I nodded in understanding. Out in the main workshop the basement was split in half, obviously each area belonging to a specific artist. Sasori's side was immaculately clean and tidy, while Deidara's half looked like, well like a bomb hit it (which is highly likely).

"So, do you have any special abilities in your 'world'?" Sasori asked, standing next to a line of beakers.

"You mean like a kekkei genkai?" He nodded. "No, no one does. Everyone is completely average in that department."

"Then what do you know of the Mananako clan from this world?"

I shot Sasori a weird look. I'd never heard of a clan in Naruto with the same last name as me. That's kinda cool.

"I'll take that as a nothing then." Sasori sighed, closing his eyes and shaking his head. "The Mananako Clan was an extremely small and secluded clan from the Land of Marshes. Every member was recorded to have one of two combinations of chakra natures. Fire and Water, or Lighting and Water. You obviously, have the second. This in of itself is very unique. Majority of clans do not share the bloodline trait with every member." I nodded, following along. He eyed me with a sudden interest. I felt an uneasy chill work its way down my spine. "They also had a unique and somewhat irritating trait, shared again, by every clan member."

"And what was it?" I asked. I know he has a point, I wish he would just get to it.

"They are immune to every poison known to the ninja world."

"And you want to see if my blood has the same trait." I concluded. I crossed my arms over my chest. Sasori nodded. "I doubt that I will, but I guess it won't hurt to try."

Sasori smirked at this. "Actually, this could be quite lethal to you, if you don't carry it."

I think my eyes almost popped out of my skull and I felt my meager dinner try to force it's way back up.

"Go ahead and take a seat over there. We'll get started in a minute." Sasori pointed to an old chair in the back corner, ignoring my reaction. My movements seemed almost robotic as I made my way to probably the last chair I would sit in. I watched as Sasori fiddled with the beakers and vials on the center table before he came over to me. He began putting restraints around my wrists and ankles and around my shoulders.

"These are for your own protection. Some of the poisons I want to test on you are meant to cause convulsions and violent seizures."

"Great..." I replied, my voice shaky.

"Now, here we go." Sasori picked up the first vial and a syringe. He extracted a slightly opaque purple mixture and brought it to the crook of my left arm. The needle stung as it bit into my flesh. He remained quiet as it started to make its way into my systems. Almost immediately I started feeling nauseous. My entire arm started to feel like it was on fire. I fidgeted pulling against the wrist restraint.

"What do you feel?" Sasori asked.

"My arm hurts like hell and I think I'm gonna be-" Well, there goes my dinner, good thing I didn't finish that pork chop.

"Your arm. Is it a pins and needles feeling?"

"It feels like it's on fire." I clenched the arm of the chair and squeezed my eyes shut trying to fight back the pain that was growing more intense with each passing second.

"Interesting." Sasori mused. He gently prodded my arm with two fingers before jotting something down in a nearby notebook. I peeked through my eye lids at my arm. My eyes widened at the sight. Thick purple veins pulsed along my lower arm. My once pale skin was turning light purple. I watched as the reaction spread up my arm and I could feel the veins in my neck and face enlarge. The burning sensation came with it.

"I've never seen such a violent reaction to this poison before. I guess I should have diluted the mixture before giving it to you."

I screamed in pain.

"If you don't start fighting the poison before it reaches all your vital organs, you're going to die." Sasori stated flatly. A knock came from the panel. Sasori left my side to shoo away the intruder. I could see blue hair above Sasori's fiery red mop.

"Konan!" I shouted. "Help me! I don't want to die!"

"Then don't." Sasori snapped over his shoulder. The pair at the hidden door exchanged a few words before the panel snapped shut once again. The burning sensation was spreading quickly throughout my body. I prepared to let loose another pain filled scream when suddenly, the burning died out. The veins in my arm retracted back leaving the skin on top its normal smooth paleness. I sighed with relief. I was still alive. Sasori leaned down and placed a hand glowing with chakra against my forearm. "Very interesting. There's no trace of the poison at all."

I breathed heavily, that hurt like hell. I don't think I like these experiments.

"Now, let's try another one." Sasori said, holding up a new syringe, this one filled with a clear liquid. He didn't give me a chance to respond. The needle went in and the poison spread once again. Again I felt like I was on fire. I dry wretched while each of my muscles started to twitch spastically. I felt my heart rate increase dramatically. I clenched my jaw shut against the pain filled screams and curses as the burning intensified filling me to the very core. Then again, the flames died out.

"And again." This one must have been one of those that caused the seizures he mentioned. I lost all control of my body, every inch of me shaking and burning, foam forming at the corners of my mouth. I also bit my tongue drawing blood. As soon as the burning died out and I had gained control once more, I spit a good amount of blood onto the floor. Sasori glared at it for a moment before injecting me again. This process continued several more times with different substances until the bastard puppet was satisfied. By then, the intense burning each time became a dull ache and I was drenched in sweat.

"Okay, that should be it." Sasori said, undoing the restraints. I let out a heavy sigh of relief. "I just want to do one more thing." I grimaced and glared at him. He picked up another syringe, empty this time, and pierced my arm for the umpteenth time this time taking blood instead of adding stuff to it. I stood and rubbed my arm. I had a number of red pinpricks dotting the inside of my elbow.

"I'm going to run some tests on your blood. You may go now." He motioned towards the panel that swung open on its own.

Deidara sat at his bench working with a glob of clay as I exited. He glanced over at me, went back to his clay and then took a double take, this time staring at me intently.

"What?" I asked, slightly annoyed and still aching all over.

"W-where did you come from, un?"

"I was um-" I looked back to the hidden panel to see it closed. The door disappeared seamlessly into the wall.

"Nevermind. I don't want to know, un." He waved a chewing hand dismissively. I headed towards the stairs when the blonde stopped me again.

"Hey, can you put this book back in the library for me, hm?" He held out a small red leather bound book. One entire side was singed.

"We have a library?" I asked as I took the book. Deidara merely nodded, focusing on shaping his newest piece of artwork. A little bird rose from his hand and flapped its wings. He smirked and tossed it at me. I ducked instinctively which in turn made him laugh. The bird flew around my head a few times before soaring up the stairs and pecking at the door.

"It'll lead the way. Have a good night, un." Deidara turned back to his art table and I left the basement.


Well geez, no wonder I hadn't found the library before. It was on the complete opposite side of the base. This building must have been a school or institution at some point what with the sheer size of it along with all the extra rooms and long empty hallways. The Akatsuki only seemed to use a small portion of it. The library looked pretty normal. There were tables set up between the shelves, reading lamps, and some comfy looking chairs. Deidara's little bird sat perched on my shoulder as I perused the shelves, wiping away the cobwebs from a couple scrolls and books. I found several with highly advanced ninjutsus, no doubt taken from clans and villages defeated by the Akatsuki. In another section there were tons of books and scrolls of basic element ninjutsus and medical ninjutsu. Hmm, that might come in handy. I pulled a few books off the shelves in a variety of subjects and took them to my room for study once my evening chores were finished.


An entire week went by and I had made great progress in my training with Sasori and Itachi. Well, actually I wouldn't give them any credit. They are horrible teachers. But anyways I can walk on water and climb trees with ease now, and I had learned a couple water style ninjutsus from the one of the books I was reading, with a little advice agonizingly pulled from Kisame. All fairly basic but I was surprised at how easily I had mastered it all. Sasori had me endure two more sessions of his 'tests' and extracted a good amount of my blood. Another thing, Kakuzu and Hidan haven't come back yet. I couldn't help but think about their deaths whenever any of the members left the base. Of course, Deidara and Sasori were still alive so it should still be a while yet before that happens.

I started to think of home occasionally too. I wonder how long I've been gone in that world. It's been around two weeks since I popped up in the field. During some downtime before I had to start on dinner, I wandered around in the grass seeing if I could find the rift I had fallen through. No such luck, but I don't really want to go back anyways. I wandered near the surrounding trees, keeping a careful eye out for Zetsu. The sun shined through the forest canopy bathing everything in a green light. Birds twittered and just the sounds of the forest help release some of the stress living, working, and training in the base had caused. Walking under the trees always helped me relax, letting my thoughts drift. A twig snapped behind me and I spun around fist raised. Nothing. I warily scanned the trees before turning back to the base. Best not to linger long in a strange forest with Zetsu and who knows what else lurking around.

Despite it being a little early, I figured I'd start on dinner. Last night I made some pasta bowties and let them dry overnight. There was some tomato sauce jarred down in the basement and I planned on making meatballs too. Pasta is one of my top favorite foods and it's fun to make. Making my way down the hallway I heard a ruckus coming from the kitchen. What greeted me was two ninja screaming and cackling at each other. Kisame had upturned the kitchen table and was using it as a shield while Deidara chucked all sorts of snacks, pans, and utensils at him, a crazed grin spread across his face. The kitchen was a disaster area. My eyes widened as I watched the scene for close to a minute, I could feel my left eye start to twitch.

"ENOUGH!" I bellowed. The pair of them froze and looked at me. "What. The hell. Are you two doing?" I growled. Deidara sweat dropped, Kisame's grin fell from his sharky face.

"He called me a girl, un!" Deidara dropped the frying pan in his hand and pointed an accusing finger at the shark-nin.

"I don't give a damn if he called you the prettiest fucking pretty princess. You two are helping me clean this shit up!" Deidara glared at me. I glared right back. I heard Kisame snicker. "I don't know what's so funny Kisame-san." I growled again threateningly, fixing him with my glare. "This is just as much your fault as his."

Kisame stood from behind his makeshift barricade and set the table on its feet, before slowly advancing on me.

"And just how are you going to make me?" he growled maliciously, bending down so we were eye to eye. "The ragdoll isn't here to protect you right now, so I suggest you watch your tongue." He gripped the hilt of Samehada, which wriggled in anticipation. I swallowed hard but didn't back down. I just glared at him, blocking the exit to the kitchen. He grinned and pulled his giant sword from his back.

"Samehada seems to want a taste of your chakra, girly." My eyes narrowed, the hair on the back of my neck stood up. I heard Deidara gasp on the other side of the kitchen. Kisame was really starting to piss me off.

"You make a mess, you clean it up, Kisame-san." I muttered darkly through clenched teeth.

Kisame took a step back, pointing Samehada at me. My hands felt like they were being stabbed by hundreds of needles.

Deidara's P.O.V

This girl is scary when she's pissed. Even Kisame seems a bit unnerved by her. He stood with his back to me pointing his big ass sword at her. She stood between him and the kitchen door. I could feel the pressure in the air change as I watched my hair start to frizz up. Great, it'll take forever to get it straight again.

"Samehada wants a taste of your chakra, girly." Said Kisame. Is he really going to cut her down here? I looked from Kisame to Jen. I gasped when I saw her hands. Electric sparks were circling her fingers and growing more erratic with every second.

"You make a mess, you clean it up, Kisame-san." She growled. I can't believe she's not backing down.

"Actually, that's your job." Kisame retorted. He raised his giant sword over his head and swung down towards her head. I covered my eyes.

"You wanna taste my chakra? Here, have some!" she yelled. There was a loud crash, the popping of electricity, and then a high pitched blood curdling scream. I clamped my hands over my ears.

Jen's P.O.V.

Samehada plummeted towards me, tape shredding to pieces, it's scales outstretched to shred me too. I lost all sense of self-preservation. I saw straight red.

"You wanna taste my chakra? Here, have some!" I yelled and raked the air with my right hand. Lightning shot through the air in three crude arcs towards Kisame. Samehada absored it instantly, not even slowing down in the process. The very tip of the razor sharp teeth along Samehada's body connected with my arm. I fell back into the hallway, holding my arm, blood leaking from between my fingers. A high pitched scream echoed through the base as I hit the floor. Everyone clasped their hands over their ears. Kisame even dropped his beloved sword to do so. Slightly stunned, I watched the sword writhe and scream as if in pain. Small wisps of smoke or steam rose from the scales that had cut me. Sasori, then appeared next to me, staring at the screaming sword. Konan and Pein came from the opposite side of the hallway.

"What the hell?" I yelled over the screaming. Sasori simply moved to the sink, filled a glass with water and splashed it over the sword. The screaming died down and everyone looked at me.

"What happened?" asked Pein with such an air of authority, no one spoke for nearly a minute. He locked his ringed eyes on me.

"Um, well. You see-"

"She attacked me." Kisame cut me off. Gently, he lifted Samehada from the floor. Sasori stood by his side inspecting the damage that caused the sword to scream like bloody murder.

"No, you attacked me. I was merely defending myself." I countered, glaring at him. "And look at the state of my kitchen! How am I supposed to cook in it like that?" I glanced up to Pein and Konan. Konan glanced into the kitchen before kneeling beside me.

"What's going on here?" asked a deep voice. I gasped with happiness. Kakuzu was back! He stood behind Pein looking down at me brows furrowed together, a bag hanging heavily in one hand, a briefcase in the other.

"Just a misunderstanding." Answered Sasori cooly. "Kisame, do you mind bringing your sword down to my workshop? I wish to examine the damage." Kisame, practically cradling his 'wounded' Samehada, nodded and followed Sasori down the hallway back to the basement.

"Come on, Jen. Let's get you to the infirmary." Said Konan. She pulled me to my feet and escorted me down the same hallway Sasori and Kisame had retreated.

"Get this place cleaned up, Deidara." I heard Pein say. Surprisingly, I didn't hear any arguments before turning the corner.