Chapter Nine

AMEGAKURE, AKATSUKI HEADQUARTERS; PEIN'S OFFICE

"Sada is a complete mess Pein." Konan stated, trying her hardest to sound professional. "She has at least ten injuries, not including the arm Kakuzu-san managed to repair. Kisame-san and Itachi-san have been completely irresponsible about her training."

Pein nodded once to Konan, sighing quietly to himself. Konan was all too caring about this child, it was the mother in her. She had always been caring towards the members, the motherly figure in the organization. Even when they'd been children, Konan was the one to take care of everyone. But this child, she'd changed Konan into more of a mother than she'd ever been. Perhaps it wasn't just the child, perhaps it had been that heart breaking event that had made Konan even more motherly. The Akatsuki leader couldn't put his finger on it, but he also couldn't do anything to hurt Konan. She was the last person in the world he wanted to hurt, he cared more for her well being than his own. He took in a slow breath, saying

"What do you suggest be done about this, Konan?" She blinked at his words, finally saying

"She needs rest, she needs to heal. Her body can't handle anymore training for a while." Pein nodded, silently agreeing with her before saying

"Kakuzu, you'll have more leisure time before your next mission for repairing the child's arm." Kakuzu nodded in thanks, bowing his head slightly. "You are dismissed." Kakuzu nodded again, walking out of the room without a word. Konan glanced at Kisame when the door shut, turning her orange orbs to Pein.

"I would also like to make a request about Sada's training." she said, Pein nodded once.

"Very well."

"I believe it would be best if Kisame did not use his same-haha during her training until she's improved with her taijutsu." she said, Kisame narrowed his beady eyes at the woman.

Just because she was Pein's right hand, didn't mean she could stop him from using his only weapon during the child's training. This was an outrage and he wasn't pleased by this so called 'suggestion' in the slightest.

"Leader-sama, there would be no other way for me to train her. You've already banned the use of ninjutsu and genjutsu during her training, there's no way I can train her without my same-hada." he said, forcing his voice to sound respectful.

"Then you'll just have to figure something out." Konan snapped, Kisame glared at her out of the corner of his eye.

"What do you expect me to do, let her-"

"I expect you to be professional about her train-"

"Enough!" the Akatsuki leader shouted, slamming his hands on his desk.

Both members sealed their lips at Pein's outburst, the orange haired man groaned quietly and put his hand to his head. This was beginning to frustrate him, this child had better be worth it.

"Pein." Konan said quietly, sounding concerned.

She had hoped this hasn't put him in pain, he had been having severe health problems in the past few weeks because of stress and it tore her up on the inside. The last thing she wanted to do was be one of the causes to his deteriorating health, she wanted to take care of him and make sure he would always be alright, he meant the world to her.

"If you were to stand in during her training, would that suffice Konan?" Pein asked, Konan nodded a little.

"I'd feel much better but I don't think that's enough." Konan admitted, Pein sighed.

"If the child were to have a weapon of her choice, would that put you more at ease during her training Konan?" he inquired, she bit her lowerlip in thought.

That seemed plausible, if Sada had a better weapon than a few kunai and shuriken then she might stand more of a chance during her training, that would keep her from getting as injured. Konan nodded in agreement, saying

"I'll ask her which weapon she would prefer to have when she is properly healed." Pein nodded, saying

"Very well Konan, you're dismissed."

Konan nodded, her eyes thanking her childhood friend as she exited the room. As she walked down the hallway, she couldn't help but smirk to herself. Kisame was screwed.

AKATSUKI HEADQUARTERS; SADA'S ROOM

I blinked curiously, moving my arm in all sorts of directions, trying to find some type of flaw in Kakuzu's medical jutsu. I pursed my lips in concentration, moving my arm in the most complicated pose I could manage. Nothing, I didn't feel any pain what so ever; it seemed as though Kakuzu's medical jutsu was flawless. I wondered if he had any flaws in his jutsu, were all the Akatsuki just as perfect about everything they did? It made me curious as to what types of members the Akatsuki had in their ranks, were they all prodigies just like Itachi?

I sighed softly and laid back on my bed, trying to rest and gather my strength. Konan wouldn't be happy with me if I wasn't taking care of myself and the last thing I wanted was to disappoint or upset her. She had been so kind to me and taken care of me more than my own mother had, I wanted to do everything I could to show her that I appreciated her. That reminded me, I needed to let her know about the painting I'd done for her. I hoped that she would like it, I'd taken so much time and prepared it with the greatest amount of care. I'd wanted it to be perfect for her, I just hoped with all my heart that she would like it.

I blinked curiously when the door opened, smiling a little when I saw Konan enter my room. She shut the door behind her, a tray in one of her hands. I felt my heart swell with joy, my stomach was crying for food, I hadn't had a full meal since before my training had started. She crossed the floor to my side, sitting the tray on the bed next to me, sushi again, thank goodness.

"I figured you were hungry Sada-chan." she said with a smile, I nodded a little.

"Arigato Konan-san." I whispered, my cheeks going warm.

I took the chopsticks she offered me, going about eating my sushi. I ate slowly, not sure if I could manage to finish a small roll. My stomach had significantly shrunk since Konan had been away, I'd been afraid to leave my room to get food during the time she'd been away. The one time I had left my room, let's just say it was unforgettable.

I quietly scurried down the hallway, trying to make it to the kitchen without being seen by anyone in this base. I had just finished my first training session with Kisame, Itachi had observed the entire match without a word. My arm was in a small amount of pain from being flung across the room by it but the pain was bearable, the worst part was my swollen jaw and blacked eye, I could barely blink from the soreness. I just wanted to get some food in my system and go to bed, my body was exhausted and I needed sleep, especially since I would be having training again in the morning.

I peaked around the corner, making sure the hallway was vacant before making another turn. I was so close to the kitchen, I knew I could make it without coming across any of the members. I let out a sigh of relief when I found the kitchen empty and moved across the floor. I looked through the cabinets, passing up all the snacks and grabbed some of the udon noodles. I went about boiling the noodles, looking around for some type of disposable dish. I didn't like the idea of having to come back in the kitchen until my next meal, just to wash a dish, maybe it would be a good idea to take some small things to go. I grabbed a few pieces of fruit, stowing them away in my pockets and finally had to settle with a glass bowl when I couldn't find anything disposable. I poured my noodles into the bowl, added a few seasonings and sauce and stowed a bottle of water in my free pocket.

'I guess I'll just wash the dish when I come back for my next meal.' I grabbed my bowl of noodles, shoved a pair of chopsticks down in them and exited the kitchen. I walked across the floor, and head in the direction of my room. I could almost smile, the udon smelled amazing and I was so hungry, my stomach was grumbling quietly for food. I took a turn down the hallway, stopping in my tracks when I saw a man.

It wasn't someone I'd seen before, I shouldn't have been surprised that I ran into someone here but it was all because I'd went down the wrong hallway, I hadn't been paying attention to where I was going. I looked up through my bangs, my red eyes meeting his violet ones. He was tall, he had a good few inches on me in the height department. He had silver colored hair, it was slicked back away from his face. He wasn't wearing a shirt, his pants resembled Itachi and Kisame's, and he had a symbol hanging from his neck. I couldn't tell what it was from this distance but I wasn't going to be curious about it, I didn't want him getting any closer to me.

"Well well." he mused, taking a step closer. I took a step back nervously, not knowing what to do with myself. "So you're the damn bitch Uchiha brought fuckin back here huh?" I didn't respond, I just needed to figure out a way to get back to my room. "You'd be a nice damn sacrifice for Jashin-sama."

I dropped the bowl in shock, bolting back down the hallway I'd come. A worshiper of the Jashin religion wasn't on my bucket list of friends to make, people of that religion were ruthless and unnecessarily violent. If he got his hands on me, I was sure he would kill me without a second thought.

"Get back here you bitch!"

I ran down the hallway as fast as I could without chakra, trying my hardest to get back to my room. I gasped when a hand went around my arm, my body was shoved against the wall. I sealed my lips shut, trying to ignore the pain in my back as best I could and stared up at the man wide-eyed. He placed his free hand above my head as he leaned against the wall, leering at me.

"It's not fuckin polite to walk away from people fuckin talkin to you bitch." he snapped, I flinched a little at the hostility of his voice. He laughed maniacally when he saw how much I was shaking, leaning down closer to me. "You afraid bitch?" I swallowed nervously, trying to force my body to stop trembling but try as I might, it wasn't enough; I was terrified.

"Hidan."

I looked over when I heard the familiar voice, there stood the Uchiha prodigy. I blinked dumbly when I saw the cool look on Itachi's face, not looking phased in the slightest by what he saw. His Sharingan eyes moved from Hidan, to my small form, his eyes cold as usual.

"Nani Uchiha?" the man known as Hidan snapped, a scowl on his face.

"Let the girl go." Itachi ordered, sounding emotionless.

"Fuck you." he spat. "She fuckin owes me a damn apology."

"The child owes you nothing." Itachi said coolly. "Release her."

"Or what?" the silver haired man scoffed.

"Or have you forgotten what leader-sama said." the Sharingan user retorted.

Hidan grumbled quietly, not seeming as though he cared but released his hold on my arm nonetheless. I scurried away from him and moved behind the elder Uchiha, seeing him as my only form of protection in this situation. He obviously cared about Pein's orders so he wouldn't let me be harmed, even though I was allowed to be beat to a bloody pulp in training.

"Do not bother the child again." he said coldly. Hidan huffed angrily and turned in our direction, glaring darkly at Itachi.

"Fuck you." he swore. He then stormed off in the opposite direction, leaving Itachi and I standing in the hallway. I played with a strand of my blue-violet hair, not sure what to do with myself and flinched when Itachi turned in my direction.

"What did you do?" he asked, sounding emotionless.

"Ano..." I mumbled, not sure if I had done anything to provoke Hidan's wrath. "I...gomen."

I blinked dumbly when Itachi placed his hand on my head, feeling confused as to what he was doing. I looked up through my lashes to find his Sharingan eyes staring down at me, not understanding his actions. I didn't expect him to touch me, let alone put his hand on my head, that was something that was completely out of character for him. Was he just trying to gauge my reactions, trying to figure me out, trying to understand me, or was it something else entirely? Something inside himself?

"Ano..."

"Go back to your room, now." he ordered. I nodded obediently and moved out of his touch, walking down the opposite end of the hallway in the direction of my room.

'What just happened?'

"Dear, you've barely touched your food."

"Ano..." I lowered my eyes, feeling embarrassed that I'd only had four pieces of sushi and I was already full. I knew she was going to figure out I'd barely ate since she'd been gone, she was the most insightful woman I knew.

"Sada-chan." I looked up through my bangs, finding Konan's orange orbs staring into my red ones. "Did you eat while I was gone?" she pressed.

"A little." I whispered, leaning back against the pillows. "I...ano...I was scared to leave my room."

"Did something happen?" she inquired, I felt the blood rush to my cheeks.

"Hai." I agreed softly.

I didn't want to go into the details about what had happened, especially since Konan had gotten upset within her first few minutes back when she'd seen the condition I was in. I didn't understand what had happened with Itachi, it was still spinning around in my head even though it'd been days ago, his actions were the complete opposite of what I'd expected from him. Part of me thought I needed to figure this out while the other part told me that I needed to stay out of it, just do what I was told to do and be an obedient prisoner. I supposed I could tell her about what happened with Hidan, not all of it obviously, just seeing him and being afraid to leave my room again after that. I didn't want to worry Konan, she took such good care of me and I didn't want to put another burden on her.

"Talk to me dear." she asked, I played with a strand of my hair.

"Ano...I ran into a man and got scared." I admitted, she looked at me curiously.

"Who Sada-chan?" she inquired, I pressed my index fingers together nervously.

"Hidan." I said softly, her eyes narrowed.

"Did he do anything to you?" she asked, sounding angry; I quickly shook my head.

"No Konan-san, I'm okay." I told her, she sighed quietly.

"Alright dear, you need to get some rest."

I nodded halfheartedly, finally realizing how tired I truly was and laid my head back on the pillows. I smiled a little when Konan placed her hand on my head, softly petting my hair. I was feeling so drowsy but I needed to let her know about the painting I'd made for her, I wanted to know if she liked it.

"Konan-san, I made something for you." I told her, she looked at me curiously. "It's on my easel."

She smiled a little and moved up from the bed, going to my easel. I watched her, feeling extremely nervous about if she would like it or not, I was extremely proud of it and hoped she would see how hard I'd worked on it. I watched as she lifted the painting, staring at it with an expression I couldn't place. Did she not like it? I could always paint something else for her if it wasn't good enough, I just wanted to give her a gift that would show her how much I appreciated her. I blinked dumbly when I saw tears roll down her cheeks, feeling unsure of what to do with myself and lowered my eyes.

"Sada-chan."

I looked up through my bangs, surprised at what I saw, she was smiling. Her orange eyes were focused on my self portrait of her, the tears running down her cheeks, her eyes were sparkling as she stared down at it. Was she crying tears of happiness?

"This is lovely dear." she told me, I felt my heart swell with joy.

"R-really?" I stuttered, she nodded in agreement.

"Of course, I've never received such a wonderful gift."

"You-you like it?" I asked, feeling self-conscious. She shook her head, the smile on her lips widening.

"I love it Sada-chan, it's beautiful."

I felt my cheeks go warm in embarrassment, feeling slightly relieved that she liked it, it was the one that I was most proud of. My other paintings were hanging on the wall, I'd went into an obsession with portraits and had went about painting portraits of those I cared about. The first painting I'd done was of Haku, I missed him with all my heart. It wasn't fair that his life had been stolen so young, he was the first person to see me for who I was and the first man to love me. The second, was of Zabuza. Even though Zabuza had betrayed me and traded me like a piece of property, he'd still raised me from a child. He'd been like a father to me when I'd been with him, taught me everything he knew and had protected me for most of my life, he was the only father I'd ever known. The third person, was Gaara. He'd been the greatest friend to me and had grown so much since we'd met, he'd supported me through one of the hardest part of my life and meant the world to me. The last person I'd painted, was Sasuke. He meant so much to me, he was the only friend I had in Konohagakure and had supported me through so much, I couldn't ask for anyone better.

"You have quite a talent Sada-chan." Konan's voice snapped me back to reality, I felt my cheeks go warm.

"I'm glad you like it." I whispered, my cheeks were burning even hotter at the praise. "I worked really hard on it."

"I can see that dear, I'll make sure to find the perfect spot for it in my room." she swore. I watched as her eyes moved to the other paintings on the wall, her eyes softened as she studied all the faces on my walls. "Are these friends of yours?"

"Hai." I agreed, trying to stay awake. "They're all very special to me."

"Is that...Momochi Zabuza?" she questioned, sounding confused; I nodded in agreement.

"Zabuza-sama was my master." I told her. She moved across the room with her painting, taking a seat next to me on the bed and placed her hand on my head lovingly. "He saved my life and helped me become a shinobi."

"No wonder you're so skilled for your age, training under one of Kirigakure's swordsmen." she commented, I snuggled my head against her head. "Tell me about your time with him."

"I was alone." I started, my voice lowering in volume at the memories. "The boy right there, his name was Haku." Konan looked over her shoulder, finding the picture I was talking about before her orange orbs found my red ones. "Haku-kun was a subordinate of Zabuza-sama before I was, he was the one that found me. I was starving in the streets, freezing to death and they came across me. He convinced Zabuza-sama to take me in."

"So after that, you became his subordinate?" she guessed, I nodded in agreement.

"Hai...there were a few times he wanted to give up on me though." I admitted, my cheeks going hot again in embarrassment. "I wasn't as talented as Haku, he was perfect at everything he did. It was hard for me to keep up to par with everything."

"Obviously you managed though." she guessed, I nodded a little.

"Haku always encouraged me, he was the reason I never gave up." I admitted. "I loved him."

"Your boyfriend?" she asked, I shook my head sadly.

"He died before we could be together." I whispered, playing with a strand of my hair; she petted my head softly.

"Gomenasai Sada-chan." she apologized.

"It's okay." I told her, trying to convince myself of just that. "I know he's in a better place and he loved me, he made sure I knew that."

She didn't say anything for a minute, the silence filled the room. I wondered what she was thinking about as I laid in the bed, she seemed as though she were lost in thought, thinking about what I'd just told her about my past, about my former life. I felt myself relax a little when she moved her hand over the top of my head, smoothing my hair in a motherly way.

"Get some rest dear."

I couldn't even nod in agreement, my eyes felt so heavy and my brain felt groggy. I needed rest, I hadn't had a good sleep since my training started and I needed to focus on healing, my body was still a mess from the prior few days. I shut my eyes when I heard Konan begin to hum softly, feeling like I could manage to finally sleep. She managed to soothe me, like my own mother once had when I was a child, she made me feel at peace. I could hear her humming growing softer, my mind was slipping into unconsciousness, I finally slipped into sleep.

Author's Note: I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter, I can't wait to show you all what's in store for Sada and the rest of the Akatsuki. It's going to get intense :)