Tesseineko's covered market was as crowded as ever. A hooded figure was strolling from one stall to the other with an observant look on his face. He stopped in front of a dozen antiques, examining the aged clocks, vases and other items. He took an old box into his hands, his fingers touching the carving of nine animal figures on its sides. The owner of the stand was occupied with a potential costumer, so he wasn't disturbed. He listened. The two men at the next stall he had been tailing hadn't noticed him. A minute later he learnt that one of them would meet his target soon.
By the time the merchant turned towards him, he was out of the market. He quickly got on top of the roofs, following the man to the outer part of the village. They stopped at a corner, the stranger was just standing there, looking around, frequently glancing down at his watch. Not much later the spy appeared; they talked, he took something from the other and left. Fuuga went right after him. When no one was in sight, he jumped down from the building, and landed on his target with his kunai between his shoulder blades.
The next one didn't make his mood lighter. He was a sensor-type and an explosive expert, and to top that, he had chosen one of the best hiding places on earth. The road to his hut was full of traps, and it was damn hard moving around in a swamp without using his chakra and getting noticed. He couldn't walk on water, and he couldn't walk in it as well, he would make too much noise, and he certainly did not want to touch that water. He was barely able to fight off his nausea from the stench, and the ominous growls coming from random places didn't calm him down.
The only way for him to get there was to use the trees and rocks. Most of them were mossy and slippery, and he was afraid a branch would break under his weight or under the mist Anbu guiding and overseeing him. The blond was used to move like that but the shinobi wasn't, and thanks to him their journey hadn't been perfectly silent.
So he was making his way into the heart of a natural sewer, he wasn't able to use their chakra, and he could die anytime because of falling, dangerous animals and his target himself. Not to mention he was doing it under the blanket of night. Fuuga was glad he had his augmented senses.
They landed on a boulder. – And now? – he asked the panting Anbu who looked around, crouched and pointed in a direction.
- Eighty metres… – he whispered. - I'll be monitoring you from here.
Fuuga repressed a grunt, and made it there quickly. The missing nin was sleeping in his hut. He must have felt safe with all those natural and man-made traps around him. His hooded murderer left a deep slice on his throat and left.
'Finally, you showed up your mighty ass!' He thought when he spotted Kirishichi. – Care to inform me next time you're two hours late again?
- Nope.
- The heck were you-
- Our strategical meetings are none of your business.
- Even if you come and find the corpse of that Anbu watching over me and I'm nowhere near? – he hissed.
Kirishichi stepped closer to him and stared into his eyes. - In that case our next meeting will be about occupying your sweet little island, Fuuga. - the shinobi simply grinned at his darkening gaze then turned away. – Now, let's talk about your next target...
Fuuga felt so sorry for Houchuu and Shinya. Although they weren't loyal to anyone, he knew they respected the laws of Kirigakure and did everything not to oppose the Mizukage. They must have no clue that one of their girls were working for the same spy he had killed a day prior.
Knowing what he was about to do, he transformed into the same man. Shinya recognized the person he was impersonating, and quickly arranged a meeting with his usual entertainer. He was waiting for the girl in a room, and when she arrived, she wasn't wasting their time to get to the point and handed him her next report. Fuuga's smile was bittersweet. When the girl wanted to start her work on him, he gently cupped her face and went for a kiss.
Instead of a kiss, he broke her neck. He laid her down on the bed and escaped through the window. He left the report, the evidence of her doings, right next to her corpse. With that, Houchuu would be able to prove that they hadn't been involved in her espionage.
He looked around and let the peaceful silence fill his mind and body. Then he moaned in relief.
The guest quarters had been empty for about a week now. His footsteps echoed in the cooled air as he dragged his weary body towards his apartment. The stairs were cruel. Gravity was crueller. Something sitting on his dropping eyelids was the cruellest.
He had his keys in his hand, he had just got them. He was finally allowed to go back to his place. Alone. Not like after a target alone, or hiding twenty metres from another shinobi watching his every move alone. He was allowed to be simply alone, just being with himself. More than nine days and six dead bodies after he had "accepted" the deal.
He stood in front of his door and looked at the next one, waiting for something to happen. But Tata wouldn't appear, hewasn't there; he had left already. The blond knew it, Kirishichi had made sure he knew it. He missed the blacksmith's warm greetings and his friendly smile. Everything had been so dark and cold since... For god knows how long.
Dark and cold like the shinobi's look. He saw them when he was accompanying Kirishichi in the Mizukage Building or on the streets. They were distant. Eyeing. Mei had noticed the growing whispers and suspicion towards the hooded stranger, so he was put away from eager eyes for a while and he was allowed to retreat to his apartment. Her orders would reach him in a more discreet way.
The keys moved and the door creaked silently. He took a shower first, and while closing the windows he had opened before, he noticed an Anbu on a nearby tree. 'They just can't let me be fully alone, can they?', he couldn't help sighing. He turned the heater on for a few minutes before going to bed.
As he got into a comfortable position to sleep in, his fingers touched something under his pillow. He pulled it out, a warm smile appearing on his face. He didn't remember he had left that there.
It was the spotted necklace he had got from his sister. 'Are you alright, my tiny ladybug?', he caressed that little piece of kindness. 'And mother? What about father? And our sister? What's up with you all?... I really hope everything's going well and you're happy.', his eyes wandered from spot to spot, and he sighed. – I miss you so much. - he raised the pendant to his face and planted a gentle kiss on it. – Take care of yourself for me. I... I can't go home for a while. I'm doing this for you all. Just wait a little longer, please... Please... Good night... I love you all.
He fell asleep with the necklace in his hands. He didn't let go of it, not even in his dreams. Not even when Kirishichi and his whistle appeared in his next nightmare. He was holding onto the pendant when he was startled awake again and again.
"1 pm. Yesterday's place."
The blond read the tiny paper over again. He looked around to find no one near the training field except for the Anbu hiding behind him, watching his every move. Then he snorted. Kirishichi was late again. Why did he even expect him to be on time?
He couldn't just stand in one place for much longer. He looked around to find something to keep him occupied, to keep his mind free from ghosts. The torture had some lasting effects on him. One of them was that he had been occasionally haunted by visions and flashbacks when his mind wasn't into something. A few times he had hallucinated he was in that room, where he wished he would never return to.
He climbed the tallest tree at the edge of the field. He decided to practice using his other senses; he needed it anyway. He sat on a safe spot, closed his eyes for a moment, inhaled and opened them again: the usual darkened environment appeared with no indication. There wasn't any clue even from the Anbu. 'It seems he doesn't like being here and watching over me either.' He smirked, put that away, and concentrated on the sharpness of his perception. He was able to see details of leaves on nearby trees better than with normal sight. But fogginess was beyond that, a price he should work on later. At the moment, something else bothered him.
He never liked how it dulled his hearing when he focused on his eyes, so he decided to turn his attention to his ears. He nearly chuckled when he caught himself with closed eyes. 'Well, something for something. I hope I could improve that.'
Then his smile disappeared and his thoughts fell in silence. He inhaled.
It had been long since he had been able to take in his surroundings so deeply. Birds' chirping and the calming noise of wind rustling through leaves got louder and clearer. Then other sounds hit his ears: movements of small insects inside the tree he was on. He pushed it as far as he could. He heard a mouse near the ground. He heard the breathing and heartbeat of his Anbu overseer. Finally, he heard something he couldn't place. He pushed back his hood and turned his head slightly towards the far source. Chirping and insects, rustling and breathing became silent to his ears; the searched noise didn't.
'This sounds like scratching on a chalkboard', he opened his eyes and shifted his concentration onto them, trying to look for the source. Of course, he didn't see it. But what he saw was a group of frightened birds abandoning the canopies.
His curiosity kicked in. 'Screw that bastard!', he descended from the tree as fast as he could and ran towards the source of the sound, forgetting about the freaked out Anbu watching over him. 'I don't know what this is but still better than just sitting around!'
After a while he was able to hear the noise with his bare ears, then it got louder and louder as he got closer. 'This sounds like a mixture of scratching a board and buz-… Wait, buzzing?', he channelled his chakra into his feet and run up a tree. Then he spotted it. – What the hell is that?!
It was a white… thing. Certainly, a large living thing in the middle of a destroyed clearing. It had a strange human torso, but some of its limbs reminded him of an insect, maybe a mantis. Its broken bug wings created the now deafening noise with moving so fast he couldn't see more than a blur. It looked scared, its motions too haste and unorganized. It was trying to hit away or trample down the mist shinobi around its body, sometimes with success.
The blond recognized a few faces amongst those people. The muscles in his legs tensed, his body wanted to move and get there to help them - but his mind kept it from doing so.
It wasn't his business. His business was somewhere else, and it had quite the price. He shouldn't get into something else. And, by the way, he had not been ordered to help other shinobi. He was ordered to stay away from them. And why should or would he help those who serve under the woman who had him suffer so much?
He stayed there. He crouched on the tree, watching as the thing defeated them one by one. He watched it fighting to get free, to lose the attackers. What he saw was a natural sight of small predators against a larger prey.
More and more shinobi was hurt. He couldn't stay still. They were men and women, humans, like him! He couldn't just watch them getting smashed - but they belonged to the same nation and leader that had been using him as a private assassin!
He shook his head. They had never harmed him in person. They didn't even know who he was or why he was following their fellow shinobi. They might be fathers and mothers, they might have families, children waiting for them at home. Just like him.
He growled and jumped off the tree.
- We're already short on chakra, we must capture this one or we won't be able to defend ourselves! – Choujuurou shouted to the shinobi standing next to him, but they barely heard him thanks to the unbearable noise. - Watch out!
The chakra monster attacked them: its legs swept away everything within its reach. Due to its size it was quite slow, and most of the shinobi were able to jump away. Some of them were low on chakra or couldn't react in time. Choujuurou feared he would lose them too, but was relieved to see someone helping them out of there. However, those strange hooded men looking exactly the same were swept away and turned into smoke.
The jounin couldn't believe his eyes. – Whose clones were those? – he heard from behind him.
The chakra monster shrieked in pain and despair. The noise disappeared and it was lying on the ground motionless. They didn't know what had happened until they noticed the golden chains binding it and its limbs and wings. Those chains disappeared under the monster, and emerged from the ground to end in a kneeling hooded man.
- Fuuga, what are you doing here? – Choujuurou shouted at him.
- You're damn welcome. – Fuuga snarled. His fingers were locked in a hand-seal, his body was shaking from his efforts to keep the monster immobile. – Now, would you do your job?
The hooded man watched as a few mist shinobi gathered around the chakra monster and began sealing its chakra into scrolls. 'So you that's why you are capturing them. You need their chakra to keep on being shinobi...' Fuuga chuckled in his mind. 'I keep forgetting others' resources aren't like mine. Guess I'll take my part from the "reward".' He changed his hand-seal and sucked some of the monster's chakra into his body through the chains.
The image of a six winged gigantic insect flashed into his mind. It was looking right at him, its mouth moving somehow. Fuuga shook his head to clear his thoughts.
- You shouldn't be here. – Choujuurou landed next to him.
- You're right. I shouldn't be in this damned village at all, yet here I am.
- ... You've changed. – his voice sounded sad. - When I met you-
- Friendly reminder: the "me" you met has been tortured several times and turned into your blood drawing machine. – he glared at him from under his hood's dark shadow. The blue-haired jounin turned away with an expression soaked with guilt. The blonde changed the topic. – Kirishichi didn't show up at our meeting point in time, again. Did you all happen to have a strategical meeting with this... giant cockroach?
- He's... busy.
- Nice. – Fuuga murmured on his annoyed tone. He was retracting his chains while the other shinobi were busy sealing away the tired and weak chakra monster.
Choujuurou didn't leave him alone. - Do you know any seal that can silence space? For example, making a room soundproof so nobody could hear what's going on inside?
He stood up and stared into the jounin's eyes with an unfriendly expression.
- Well?
The blacksmith turned his gaze away from him. – I don't know any seal that could do that.
- That's unfortunate. The shinobi capable of using such seal are away on mission or injured. Kirishichi was to interrogate someone later today, but… there's… something with him and he can't perform the seal right now. But I'm sure he would gladly lend you his scrolls if I ask him.
Fuuga chuckled at the word "gladly". – I doubt it. – he crossed his arms, not looking at the jounin, only at the shrinking creature. - I don't want to do it. Find someone else.
– ... Do I really need to remind you again of our deal?
Fuuga took a deep breath and let it out between his teeth.
- Are you able to learn such Fuuin jutsu in a few hours or not?
- This seal is fucking easy, you dipshit! Did you have to overcomplicate the manual, or were you just feeling sadistic like usual when you wrote it down? - Fuuga shouted in frustration as he successfully sealed the sixth room in a row. – Hey, I'm talking to you, you idiot!
No answer. – Oh, wait. It's a silencing technique... – he opened the door, poked his head out and glanced at Kirishichi. – Did you hear that?
- I wasn't paying attention. Try it again.
Fuuga slammed the door. – Go to fucking hell!
- Heard that! – the Kiri shinobi shouted back at him. - Every time you leave the sealed space, the formula weakens! Even if it's only your dumb head.
The blond grimaced, pushed his chakra into the seal which found and fixed the broken parts right away. Then he reactivated the technique. – You god damned bastard, I will kick your ass one day! I hate you, and I hate all of this! Why couldn't you just let me fix my problem with the pirates and then leave me be?! Why did you have to do this to me? Why are you still doing this to me? I hate this, I fucking hate this! I hate you and I hate this place, and I hate that damned woman, but you, you are the worst! You disgust me!
He stopped to catch his breath. He didn't realize he was shouting with all the air and force his lungs could provide him. His eyes were fixated on the door, waiting for Kirishichi to step in with his angriest glare.
But he didn't. The jutsu was definitely worth it.
Fuuga calmed down. Shouting out his rage cleared his mind and cooled his emotions. When he regained control over his breathing, he stepped to the door again and found Kirishichi on the other side. – Well? – he asked. – I'm waiting for you to say anything, to test you. Don't try to fool me.
The blond smiled under his hood. 'This seal is good. Very good.'
There was only one problem with that technique: the user had to stay inside the silenced space. This time a flat in the middle of Kirigakure. Fuuga didn't have other choice but listening to a certain sadist's torture. All he could do was turning away and crossing his arms: he was shaking from the memories popping in his head from the time when he was the victim of Kirishichi's playing. His legs could barely hold him up when the cries, coughing and especially that familiar whistled melody reached his ears. Not even the gritting of his teeth could silence it.
Kirishichi was cruel like ever, though he wasn't allowed or able to use his chakra. He was good without it anyway. His commitment, passion and expertise formed a remarkable efficiency in his field, aside from how disgusting and inhuman it was.
Fuuga pressed his hand onto his mouth when he heard the gurgling noises again. One of Kirishichi's favourites was happening in that living room. The victim was a former ninja, believed to be involved in the attack against the Mizukage. He was trying to breathe; his hands were tied back, his head and upper torso wet. There was a bucket of water in front of him, and puddles all around it.
Kirishichi pushed as far as the victim's body let him, and even more, until the man didn't move anymore. The shinobi finished his work. – Clean up the water!
- What about him?
- Leave him here. The others will take him out later. –, and with that he stepped out, leaving Fuuga and the still ex-ninja behind. He waited for the blond outside, but he took too long and the sudden sound of coughing was too suspicious. He went back to check him; and when he did, he couldn't decide whether to beat or to kill him.
- Are you feeling better? – Fuuga spoke. - Good. Go to the hospital and let a doctor see your lungs.
Kirishichi watched Fuuga help the man he had just resuscitated up to his feet. – What the fuck are you doing?! – he snarled. The blond winced and turned towards him, his body covering the sight of the victim of his torture. – I said what the fuck are you doing?! – Kirishichi shouted and they began circling around the room.
- Not getting satisfying answers makes you even madder? – Fuuga guided the ex-ninja behind his back towards the exit. – This man didn't do anything wrong to your village! Why letting him die then?
- Guilty or not, I can't let him stay alive after what I've done to him.
- You let me stay alive after doing the same and even worse things to me!
- Because you were useful! – he shouted again. – He is nothing but burden to us now! If you let him go…
Fuuga did. He was already in front of the door. He stood there protectively, giving the opportunity to the man to slip out of the room. The mist shinobi watched it with growing frustration and killing intent, and the blond was amused by his reaction. He smirked as he closed the door behind him. Markings appeared on the walls, then vanished as something dark glinted in his eyes. - Then what, you cunt?
Kirishichi jumped at him. Fuuga caught his arm and pressed him to the wall. – Not so fast, eh? Let's see what you can do without chakra! – he growled into the man's ear and threw him to the ground hard. He wouldn't miss this chance: he took a knife and sat on the shinobi's stomach, holding him down. He led his blade to the man's face and it stopped every motion of Kirishichi's body. Fuuga smirked again. – Scream as loud as you want. The seal's on, you won't be heard.
- Neither will you.
His breath froze in his throat. 'God fucking damn it.'
- Get off him.
He watched the sadist's growing grin. He felt his own turn into a scowl. His gaze and knife decided to mock the skin on his neck.
- Get off him, Fuuga!
- Your life…
- I'm warning you!
- … does not worth mine. – he stood up and put his weapon away. He walked to the curtains covering the windows while an Anbu helped Kirishichi out of the flat. Then, the door was shut.
Fuuga crossed his arms and took deep breaths. He was so fucking close. He couldn't control himself, and he didn't mind it. And now, he was forcing himself not to turn back and look into the Mizukage's eyes to receive a lecture from her. He was in no mood for that, and he was way too motivated to do the same with her, but that would only result in him losing his head. Literally.
Then he felt something, like some fluid, landing on his shoulder. He noticed a strange smell and looked over there. Then came the pain.
He ripped his shirt off and prepared a Water technique to wash the acid off his skin. But he was not allowed to do that. He found himself lying on the hard floor, his face and his body pressed down and his arm twisted.
- You're getting too much of a problem.
He heard a quiet splash and more pain came. He smelt the chemical stench of his skin burning; and when his face was forced to turn, he saw blisters forming and vapour rising from under the liquid. His arm and eyes twitched from the pain, and he tried hard keeping his cries inside his lungs. In contrast, he felt a pair of soft lips on his earlobe, and an even softer voice leaving them. – Such a shame to your healthy skin.
His eyes were shut tightly. He snarled, his breathing became irregular and his muffled groans grew. Oh, how much he wanted to kill her.
She slightly rose from his back, and a second later salvation arrived. A shinobi poured water onto his arm from the bucket Kirishichi had used previously for a different purpose.
Mei leaned to his ear again. – We're warning you, Fuuga. You are binded by our deal. Keep your mind to it, else-
- I am lending you my abilities, not myself! I will never be yours! – he snapped.
He had never known how much a fresh acid-burnt skin could hurt when pressed onto. The lesson was more excruciating than the Mizukage's lava in her illusion, and more lasting. – You don't have a word in our land. You are nothing but a criminal. And you are ours. – she leaned down to him, pressed her lips to his ear and hissed like a cat. – Behave yourself, or there will be severe consequences.
She stood up and walked out of the door. A shinobi rushed in to her order and started tending to Fuuga's skin, but he shook the medic off. He slowly rose to his feet and staggered out of the room, his face mirroring the storm of anger in his soul.
Oh, how much he wanted to kill both of them.