Hello! The 'Naruto' Manga has never been an overly happy one so it is to be expected that there are brutal tragedies, heartless murders and selfish desires.
Chapter 13- The Plan.
"I call it 'Operation Overlord'," Pein began during one of their routine meetings.
It had already been six months since Mika's official membership so she was quite used to sitting silently for an extended period of time while the bland form of their leader spoke to them.
"War will come in a few years, but we have to shake up their foundations beforehand for the best results," he continued and everyone seemed to perk up a bit.
Most meetings were usually about status updates in various countries and a few facts about tailed beasts, but never before had a large-scale operation been mentioned.
"Each pair of partners will be sent to a different ninja nation, where they will find and assassinate the feudal lords. That way, the ninja nations will have to find new feudal lords. That will inevitably breed hatred, confusion and possibly civil war."
A few quiet murmurs went through the room, but Pein silenced them with a dark glare.
"Also, they will have trouble trusting their new lords so when the time comes for the ninja nations to decide on important topics such as war, they might reach an impasse. Any conflict among our enemies is a good thing," Pein stated.
Some members were smiling at each other now. Murder missions were always so much fun to these people, but they were S-Ranked criminals so it was to be expected. The leader then started calling out names of various partners and saying which country they would be heading off to.
"Mika Aranuki, Tobi, you will both be going to Konoha," he said at last and Mika both cursed her bad luck and thanked the gods.
She was not exactly pleased to go to her former village, but the chance to show them just how powerful she had gotten was too tempting. It was a confidence builder, really. The others started leaving the room; some grumbling, some celebrating.
Giving Tobi a half-hearted smile, she too got up to leave. They had already packed all of their things so all they had to do was get them and be off. Somewhere at the back of her mind, Mika knew that it was Madara who made the decision as to who would go to which country. That brought a small frown to her face, but she knew that she would have to prove her loyalty to the Akatsuki one way or another.
"So, Tobi, are you excited to go on this mission?" she started.
The masked man nodded vigorously before yelling, "Tobi can't wait to see Mika-chan killing people!"
"You'll be killing too," she reminded and mentally flinched at the fact that they were talking of murder so lightheartedly.
"Nope! Tobi will just be watching because he doesn't know how to kill people properly!" he replied and she imagined the smug grin on his face.
Scoffing, she started walking a little faster so that he couldn't see her face. Whenever he saw that she was frustrated by what he was saying, he made it a habit to annoy her even more.
Suddenly, Tobi jumped in front of her and screamed, "Is Mika-chan ready to kill some people?"
Rolling her eyes, she muttered, "Yeah, yeah, stop rubbing it in."
"Great!" was Tobi's response as he grabbed her and everything started to spin.
She was about to remind him that they needed their things, but decided that if they needed anything, she could always send Tobi to teleport and get it. The spinning stopped and they were in a large tea room.
Each wall was delicately coated with a feathery lavender, intricate gold detailing lined the moulds, fragile-looking antique furniture lined the walls and the large, circular windows let majestic sunlight in to bathe the room in its purity. Everything looked so perfect that she felt a little like a dirty trespasser. Well, she was a trespasser, but she did not like feeling like a bum.
"This place is not suited for fighting," she noted as she realized that if she used even one tiny fireball, the entire building would crumble.
"They are in the garden," Madara said in his natural voice as he handed her a long sword.
She thanked him and cracked her knuckles before opening the shoji door. With a deep breath, she gathered chakra around her and then charged. The feudal lords and ladies were sitting around a small tea table and chatting idly when Mika jumped over them and stabbed the one closest to her.
The man died before he even knew what hit him. Instantly, the others started screaming and guards rushed in. Tobi sucked them all into his eye and stopped to lean against a tree and watch. This was exactly what he called amusement.
Their targets were fleeing the area, but it took Mika no effort to catch up to them. Her second victim was a woman with too much make-up, who she simply stabbed through the chest.
"You bitch! You killed my wife!" the husband yelled as he came charging at her.
He aimed a punch at her direction, but she simply stuck forward with her katana and effectively severed his arm. The man let out the loudest screech imaginable and she swiftly jumped behind him to sever the nerves in his neck. His death was instant and painless, which was mostly because Mika pitied him. Thanks to Madara's genjutsu, she knew exactly what it was like to have a limb lopped off. The last woman was already on the other side of the estate and with a quick glance in Madara's direction Mika ran after her.
"Please! I-I'm sorry if we did anything to upset you! I don't want to die!" the woman pleaded as she fell to her knees and cried.
Something in Mika's heart stirred and she realized that she was just like Madara. She had done nothing to him and yet he hurt yet and now, this woman had done nothing to Mika, but she was about to kill her.
"I do not want to kill you. Go in peace," she whispered before slicing the back of the woman's neck.
The feudal lady fell to the ground and blood poured out of the wound. With another sigh, she tore her eyes from the sight and noticed that Madara was standing right beside her.
"You did well," he stated, but it did not settle the dreadful feeling in her heart.
It was not regret, but it was more akin to sadness caused by the realization that she was now as bad as the other Akatsuki members. She was not only a criminal, and traitor, but a cold, heartless murderer as well.
"Let's get out of here," Mika said as she sheathed her katana and started walking away from the body.
He was standing in front of her in an instant and his mask was off. She was about to ask him what he was doing, but suddenly, his rough, demanding lips came crashing down on hers. The kiss was full of passion, lust and control, which overwhelmed her. All thoughts fled her mind and for just one moment, she forgot about the atrocities she had just committed.
When he pulled away, her face was flushed and she muttered, "What was that for?"
He leaned closer and his breath tickled her neck.
"It really turns me on when I see you killing people."
...
"First of all, congratulations to all of you for successfully completing your missions," Konan started.
They were in a meeting again and this time, it was to discuss the effects of their systematic murder mission.
"I can surely say that Operation Overlord was a grand triumph. All of the ninja nations are in an uproar and security has tightened up everywhere. In the small eastern ninja nations, there have been many riots and there are rumors of civil war breaking out in Rice Country."
Some of the members snickered, but Mika's face was passive of all emotion. She would not take joy in the pain of others; it was simply not like her to.
"At the same time, the wealthier ninja nations have set out teams of spies into the other countries. Everyone wants to find out who hired us. Though, there is no proof that we killed them in the first place."
Konan was right; no one had actually bore witness to the murders, and yet, the Akatsuki were being blamed simply because they were the only organization capable of pulling it off.
"Earth Country is blaming Mist Country, which in turn, is blaming Sand Country. Fire Country is trying to calm everyone down, but that is making Waterfall Country and Sound Country suspicious of Fire Country. It is a circle of hatred and no one has any answers, except for us, that is."
The blue haired ninja sat down and Pein stood up in her place.
"This is a grand victory for the Akatsuki and it is bringing us closer to our goal of world domination. If we were this successful in all of our missions, nothing would be able to stop us," he stated blankly.
"For now, we will lay low so that no one will have any leads on us. A lot of people want revenge and we do not want this to backfire. Thus, I order that we will all be staying at this base for the next two weeks."
Instantly, there were murmurs of dissent, but he silenced them by glaring at said individuals.
"Anyone wishing to leave the base has to ask me first and if anyone disobeys this rule, I will have no problems instilling a little bit of discipline into them," he threatened and the room went deathly silent.
Pein was not one to threaten often, but when he did, he really meant it.
"You are dismissed," he finished with a wave of his hand and everyone rushed out in case he was in the mood for a discipline 'demonstration'.
Mika headed for the kitchen, while Tobi took a moment to speak privately with Pein and Konan. When she got there, she let out a heavy sigh and plopped down on a seat. Her hands held her head and she took several deep breaths.
She tried to rest her eyes, but the second she closed them, the images of her victims became fresh in her mind. For the past two days, it had been like this and she was getting seriously bothered by it. Murder was supposed to be something she could get over quickly, but it just seemed to haunt her wherever she went. It was in her dreams, in her darkest thoughts and it would not let her move on.
Her bigger worry, though, was that Madara would find out about her confused feelings. If he knew, he would be ashamed of her for not being able to do as he said.
She shook her head and thoughts of Itachi came in. He had massacred his entire clan and yet, he as somehow still walking around and living. All she had done was kill a few strangers. Getting up, she clenched her fists and cracked her neck. If Itachi could do it, so could she.
...
"You're kidding, right?" Mika whispered into Tobi's ear.
"No! Tobi and the Akatsuki celebrate Christmas every year!" the masked man replied as he watched Deidara struggling to get their new tree up.
"But, you know, you're criminals... It just doesn't seem right," she muttered and flinched when the tree fell on Deidara, who cursed loudly.
"Why the hell are you all staring at me! Help me!" the blond screeched from under the greenery and reluctantly, Sasori stepped forward.
After more grumbling and swearing, the tree was up. At that moment, Pein and Konan walked in with boxes of decorations. Konan looked very excited and she quickly handed everyone some of the seasonal items before ordering them to set them up.
"Oh... That's why we celebrate Christmas," Mika said as she got to work on decorating the walls with various streamers.
"Konan-chan loves Christmas!" Tobi yelled and threw sparkles all over the room.
Everyone dutifully did their part, but that was mostly because Konan had the eyes of a hawk as she watched everyone. If so much as one snowflake was out of place, they all had to fear her wrath. A few hours later, the living room had been completely transformed to look like something that a normal family house would have.
Pein hid a sigh as Konan placed a cheery Santa hat on his head.
"There, now it's perfect!" she announced with a smile.
The leader gave her a nod, while mentally reminding himself that this torture would only last for a few more days. After all, Christmas day was in a week so he was sure he could survive. The blue haired woman then pulled out a bag and extended it forward.
"I put everyone's names in this bag. You will each draw out one name and you'll have to give a present to that person. You can also give presents to other members, but you have to give your chosen member a present. I will accept no excuses. You all know the punishment for failing..." she trailed off darkly.
Mika gave Tobi a curious glance, who whispered back, "The punishment is a million paper cuts all over your body, while you're in front of everyone naked."
She paled and understood why everyone looked so tense. Then, she whispered back, "Has she done it to anyone?"
"Yes. Hidan got in trouble a few years ago," the masked man replied and she chuckled.
"Oh and one more thing. You are not allowed to tell each other who you have drawn. I will know," Konan finished and one by one, everyone reached into the bag.
When it was Mika's turn, she reached in and grabbed the name at the very bottom.
'Itachi.'
She blinked and re-read the small piece of paper. Then, after a moment of processing, she mentally cursed. Itachi was the hardest person to ever shop for. He didn't like anything and he hated a lot of things. She crumpled the paper up and put it in her pocket.
Tobi was staring blankly at his piece of paper and from the looks of his one narrowed eye, he was not pleased with who he got. He hid the small thing and turned to face Mika.
"We have seven days to get our presents, but what do you think of going out today so we can get it over with?" she suggested with a small smile.
Procrastinating always made her feel horrible so she wanted to feel as little of it as possible. He gave her a nod and then turned to look back at Konan, who was handing everyone an ANBU mask.
"When you go outside to shop for presents, put on regular clothes and wear this mask. We are still trying to be off the radar so I want you to actually pay for anything you are buying. Getting money is your own responsibility," Konan explained and then walked out of the room.
Mika furrowed her brow at the realization that she was broke. Up until now, she had no use for money. She racked her brain for ideas as to how get some quick cash. Unfortunately, the only ideas that came to mind were to rob a bank, attacks some innocent civilians or make counterfeits. With a frown, she dismissed those odd notions and tried to think of what a normal person would do.
...Get a job.
"Actually, Tobi, how about we go shopping tomorrow. I have to get some money today," she said before rushing off to their room to change.
She did not need a lot of money, but she needed enough to buy a sufficient present.
"So, what's your plan?" Madara said as he walked into the room a few minutes later.
"Street performing! You know, do a few cool chakra tricks and get people to put money into my hat," she said plainly.
"Alright, tell me how that works out," he said as he took of his mask.
Mika saw his smirk and stuck her tongue out at him. Then, she walked out and made her way into the streets. As usual, it was raining, but she was wearing a waterproof jacket so it did not bother her.
She made her way to the center of town and that was when she realized the major flaw of her plan. All around her, there were slums, broken down houses, beggars and garbage. After all, Rain Country was very poor.
She would have slapped her forehead in annoyance, but the mask would not let her. Instead, she sighed and started wandering the streets aimlessly. After about an hour of wasting her time, her eyes lit up and started running toward city hall. It was a dumpy little place, but that was where the country's government resided.
Without any hesitation, she barged into the main office. She expected to be interrupting a meeting, but instead, there was just a drunk man with a puffy red face lying on the table. Mika paused and inched toward the man, who looked completely out of it. Still, this man was one of the head officials so she knew she had to talk to him.
Thinking quickly, she got a bucket, some cold water and poured it all over him. The man shot straight up and swore loudly.
"I have a deal for you," she started after waiting for him to rub his red eyes and glare at her.
"I don't, uh, I..." he slurred back.
"I know the location of a few whore houses. You give me a warrant to destroy them and I will give you some of the money from the scene," she offered.
He sobered up almost instantly and replied, "No one cares about whore houses. They can keep standing."
Mika narrowed her eyes, but continued, "But you want the money, don't you? Plus, it will look like the government is actually trying to help its people."
The man went silent and finally said, "Fine. I'll give you a warrant. Not that it really matters. You could have just gone in there on your own."
"No... It has to be legal," she explained.
He stumbled over to the cabinet, took out a piece of paper, sighed and it then said, "Sign here and you can go."
She did as she was told, but of course, her signature and name was a fake. Then, he simply waved her out of the room and plopped back down on the table. Mika walked out of the building and then down the street. This was her first legal job in months and she was determined to pull it off.
In the evening, she walked into the Akatsuki base with two large bags. Tobi was first to greet her and he was surprised to see her quite so happy.
"Street performing actually worked?" he asked in his normal, deep voice.
She paused and she was about to tell him that she had just spent the last five hours breaking into and destroying a whore house while also capturing the criminals, stealing their money and then giving some of it to the drunk government official.
However, that seemed like too lengthy of an explanation so she simply said, "Yeah... It was a performance, of sorts."
He did not say anything so she walked past him with a haughty smirk and to a private room where she could pack the presents.
"There, now I can sit back and relax as everyone panics over what to get each other," she snickered.
To be continued...!
There are a few details I need to clarify:
-The Akatsuki mission was called 'Operation Overlord', which is also the name of a World War II mission to liberate certain parts of Europe.
-In the Naruto Manga, there was no assassination of Feudal Lords, but I am steering away from the original plotline so in later chapters, expect some... changes.
-Yes, there is an Akatsuki Christmas. I really wrestled with myself over the idea considering the fact that up until now, things have not been overly positive and it would odd to place in some happiness now. Still, it is a good opportunity to show how various relationships between the characters have evolved.
-Finally, here is the most important point: I have the option of finishing this story in the next chapter and it will be nice and fluffy. However, I can also continue for a few chapters, but then, the ending will be cruel and Madara-like. The third option is that I put this story on a brief hiatus because school is too distracting so I don't have time to write a well-written chapter. If I put it on hiatus, there will be more chapters, but you'll have to wait for them to be up. Basically, my question is: where would you like the story to go?