I turned and saw Itachi rushing towards me. I refused to acknowledge him and walked towards the forest, my pace unwavering.

"Deidara," his hand gripped my shoulder but I shrugged it off. "Deidara!" He grabbed me harder.

"Go away!" I tried to pull away but he was trying equally hard to turn me towards him.

"Deidara, what the hell are you doing?"

"I said get off!" I turned, my hand raised. His hand on my wrist, stopping me, his cold eyes glaring at mine.

That's what I expected.

Instead I felt the heel of my hand hit him across the face.

We both froze. Itachi's eyes were half closed, averted from me. My own eyes were wide and my throat tight.

After a moment I took a quick step back. "I'm leaving, Itachi." I turned and continued to advance towards to woods.

I wanted him to stop me, to try and fight me. After I had walked a few feet into the forest I turned back and he was still just standing there.

There was a different hand on my shoulder. I turned…it was just Tobi.

"Good…let's get out-"

"What is Itachi doing here?" It was that voice again.

"Nothing. He was just trying to stop me, he shouldn't be any trouble."

He was silent. I could feel the change; it was as if an ancient malice emanated from his very being, extremely different from the Tobi I had grown accustomed to.

Abruptly, he reached out and grabbed my arm, yanking me closer. "You told him nothing? You never mentioned our meeting to anyone?"

"Yea, get the hell off of me," I tried to pull my arm away but he held it tight. I shouldn't have trusted him; this had been a bad idea. "I swear Tobi, if you don't let go…" my free hand was reaching into the pouch at my belt, containing the explosive clay that is my signature assault.

Just as my finger brushed the material, he grabbed my wrist.

"Deidara, you were always quick to fight weren't you?"

"Madara," I turned and Tobi looked past me at the man who had spoken. Itachi stood tranquilly just inside the woods, his face heavily shadowed in the diminished light beneath the trees. "Leave Konoha, you have no place here."

"And you do Itachi?" Tobi released me casually, which possibly pissed me off more than him grabbing me in the first place. Why did Itachi have to butt into everything? "Did the Land of Fire not turn on you as fast as it did on me? Were you not wronged, and yet here you are?"

"That was the past Madara. I did nothing illicit and they have acknowledged that. But that is no matter of yours, Madara. You left the village in shame, betraying your nation and your clan."

"And you have not, Itachi? Our past becomes one do you follow it far enough, or do you so lightly put such things from your mind, child?"

Itachi was silent. I watched him, though it would appear he were a statue, completely still but for a raging blaze in his eyes.

Madara? The name sounds familiar, but why he is calling Tobi by it and referring to him so familiarly is beyond me. Whatever it was, I have decided I just do not care. "We've chatted long enough, come on let's get out of here." I turned and began walking away, lifting me hand and pressing my palm on Tobi's shoulder as I did so, hoping he would leave without further exchange.

Tobi's hand moved faster than I could have possibly foreseen. He stopped me in my tracks, his hand painfully gripping my face, palm over my mouth.

"Be silent Deidara, let the grownups talk."

That was it; I reached into the small bag at my side and grabbed some clay, my hand doing the rest naturally. Tobi released me, reaching around in a flash and grabbing me bay the back of my hair. I had never seen his demonstration of speed nor strength before, but now I was thrown faster than I could have realized what happened.

There was a loud crunching sound, stars flew before my eyes and pain split across my face, centering on the bridge of my nose. I fell to my knees in front of the tree I was thrust into while my vision faded back in, I heard movement behind me. When I turned Itachi was standing where Tobi once was, holding a kunai and glaring up into the trees. I stood immediately, the injury out of my mind instantly, a perfectly molded clay bomb in my hand. Almost as soon as I stood, Itachi shoved me, I fell instantly.

I glowered up at him. "What the fuck Itachi?"

"Don't move, he's far beyond your skills…beyond my own as well. Just-"

"Well, well, well, Itachi, you-"

I didn't hear what he was saying; I sent the bomb in the direction of his voice and began making a second.

"Stop it," Itachi dove down and grabbed my wrists.

"Get off!"

"Stop!" He grabbed my wrists with his right hand and tried to shove me on my back with the other.

"Itachi, get off or I'll kill you…damn it." I struggled with him, only able to get one hand free for a moment before he grabbed it again. Finally he grabbed my head and pushed my face into his chest, smothering me and sending a fresh shot of pain through my face. I tried pushing away but he held me fast.

"Itachi, Konoha will not be so accepting of you forever…it is in their history, their nature. You may think this is right but it will fail you in the end."

Itachi was silent. After a minute it was obvious Tobi…or Madara had left. I had stopped struggling; I just lay quietly against him. I turned my head to get the pressure off of my face. When I did so Itachi released my hands and placed his own on my shoulder, the other still holding my head to his chest.

"Deidara…" He trailed off, probably changing his mind mid-sentence. "Deidara, I know what I said was cruel, but it is true. At least most of it…I think you know where I was just speaking out of aggravation."

I closed my eyes and resting my hand on his chest, noticing for the first time that blood was streaming from my most likely broken nose and had soiled a large area of his shirt. Is it so hard for him to just say he is sorry?

…

I opened my eyes and the first thing I saw was a child I didn't recognize staring at me.

"Are you awake now?"

"Fuyu, why don't you come in here and help me?"

Fuyu…that's right, this is Zabuza-senpai's home.

"But he's awake now."

"Yea I'm up," I sat up and looked around. I hardly remembered getting here, my head had still been full of everything Itachi and I had discussed. I had been sleeping on the couch, other than that there was a chair and a small table with a lamp on it in this room. I looked into the kitchen where Zabuza was making breakfast.

I grabbed the blanket he gave me and pulled it back over my head and laid down. I was still very tired.

"Hey, no!" I could feel Fuyu pushing my arm. "Get up!"

"Fuyu, come here," the little boy mumbled something as he went into the kitchen.

Just when I thought I might fall back to sleep a baby started crying. THERE'S A BABY HERE?

Wait I heard about that. Konan was staying here with her daughter. Sure enough, I soon heard her voice soothing the child from a room down the hall. And just when the baby had quieted down there was a knock at the door.

I sat up. Obviously I wasn't going to sleep any more. Zabuza answered the door and let Kisame in. I nodded when he looked my way; he smiled toothily then turned back to Zabuza.

"Kakashi has asked us to come to a meeting…he says it's really important."

"Isn't it always?" Zabuza crossed his arms. "Okay, I suppose he wants us there immediately?"

"Yes, Itachi is waiting outside."

"Right."

"Daddy, no!" Fuyu sounded like he was about to cry as he tugged Zabuza's pants leg.

"I'll be right back…you can wait here with Konan."

"Actually he wants Konan too."

"Alright…" he turned to me.

Great… "Yea, I can stay here."

"Just let me get dressed real quick." Konan, without me noticing, had been standing at the end of the hall listening in. She was wearing a mid-thigh length light purple nightgown.

"Yea, I am going to meet up with Itachi. I'll see you there."

Zabuza nodded then turned and picked up his son.

"I'll see you around as well, Suigetsu-kun."

"Yea," I got up stretched my arms casually as Kisame left.

"Okay," Kona came out putting her hair up in a bun. "Suigetsu, Reimei just fell back to sleep. She shouldn't wake back up before I get back, but if she does just try holding her for a little bit, I just fed her so she shouldn't be hungry too soon."

"Uh huh…" crap…do I really have to watch a couple of kids?

"Yea, I have some hot cereal on the stove, it should be done now. You two can have some breakfast then just wait around for us to get back." He turned to Fuyu, "you can stay here with Suigetsu. Remember Suigetsu?"

Fuyu nodded, but still didn't look too happy about being left.

"Alright, I'll see you later." Zabuza kissed his forehead then set him on the chair before leaving.

After the door shut Fuyu looked over at me…we just stared at each other. This was going to be a long day.

…

Kakashi's face was serious yet unreadable. Itachi, Kisame, Hiayashi, Inoiochi, Shikaku, Chouza, and Choukichi-san sat in silence. When Zabuza and Konan were let in and took their seats, Kakashi stood.

"I am going to lead this meeting in the place of the Hokage since one has not yet been chosen. I have called everyone here, clan leaders who will take the places of the deceased elders, former Akatsuki members who have agreed to provide as much information to Konoha as they know, the leader of our ANBU Black Ops, and Yamato, an ANBU who I have placed complete trust in personally assisting me in pulling the village back together, to address what is the most pressing issue at hand. And that concern is the abduction of our own jinchuriki host, Naruto Uzumaki." He was silent for a moment, looking at all shinobi assembled. "While retrieving him would be ideal, we have to acknowledge that our village may not be able to dismiss enough ninja to complete this mission…plus there is the chance that it is already too late and the Akatsuki has already extracted the jinchuriki."

Everyone silently accredited these circumstances. I hated to think that Naruto may be dead, Sakura as well, she is still missing after all.

"In my reasoning, there is but one reasonable solution to this state of affairs. If we work on securing the remaining jinchuriki hosts, the Akatsuki will not be able to move foreword in their foul design."

"Secure the jinchuriki hosts?" Shikaku narrowed his brow, "you are a smart man, but I do not see how even you can figure this working. We do not even know how many remain, do we?"

"That brings me to the next step," Kakashi turned to Itachi and the rest of the former Akatsuki members. "Do you know which of the jinchuriki remain? I know our own data files hold very little information on them."

"Most of the remaining jinchuriki have been located; the Akatsuki was merely devising ways of getting to them."

"Which ones have NOT been located?"

"The eight tails we know is protected by Kumogakure, but even they hardly ever know his exact whereabouts. Then the six tails we tracked to being imprisoned within Kirigakure. Surely if we send word to the two villages to tighten security on their jinchuriki hosts, the issue you have brought up should no longer be relevant."

"Yes," Choukichi spoke now. "With the six tails in Kiri, imprisoned there no less, we should be more than insured."

"That is true; I guess there really is no problem after all Kakashi!" Chozou slapped the table. "We should just focus on naming a Hokage. Even if the eight tails is captured, Kiri would pose a formidable obstacle for the Akatsuki to overcome in retrieving the six tails."

Kakashi nodded, "I suppose this is true. We will need to contact both villages to verify-"

"You do not need to." Everyone turned to Zabuza.

"Zabuza?"

"The six tails jinchuriki is not in Kiri. The former mizukage released the false information that after the host had attempted to kill the man in charge of seeing over him he was caught and imprisoned."

"False information?"

"I had never heard of this Zabuza," Kisame looked quizzically at him.

"It was after you left, after I left in fact."

"Zabuza, are you sure they have not caught him since?"

"I am positive…it was one of the matters I kept an eye on even after leaving the Mist. It holds a significant importance to me. Thus, I have learned where Kirigakure has centered his location to."

"So if we can beat the Akatsuki to the six tails and bring him here, Konoha will once again have insurance that they will not succeed in their plans?" Shikaku looked to Kakashi who nodded as he thought all of this through.

"Right…Zabuza, Yamato, Choukichi; I will need to speak to you. As for the rest of you, the meeting is adjourned."

Choukichi, Zabuza, and I watched the others leave. Zabuza muttered something to Konan who nodded, resting a gentle hand on his shoulder before leaving. When the room was cleared, Kakashi addressed us.

"Choukichi, I will need you to file a mission to relocate the six tails jinchuriki to Konoha. I will send Yamato and Zabuza."

"Yes," Choukichi-san nodded and took his immediate leave.

"Zabuza, Yamato…you are to leave immediately. Find the six tails and do what you can to bring him back to Konoha."

"Right," I turned to Zabuza who merely nodded. He didn't look particularly pleased, but didn't appear to pose any opposition. Besides this was practically his idea.

"Well, I will see you two when you return."

We both left, Zabuza saying he would meet me at the end of the village after getting some things together. I agreed and left to the village entrance. Zabuza didn't leave me waiting for very long.

"Sorry, I needed to grab my sword and say goodbye to my son."

"Yea," we started sprinting, Zabuza slightly ahead so I could follow his lead. "Where exactly are we going?"

"Not far, thankfully. It is a small inhabited area in the foothills on the border of the land of fire. It is where the jinchuriki host, Utakata, was last seen."

"So he was seen there? Why was he never captured?"

"He makes it difficult. He doesn't trust Kiri, with good reason. He was only ever meant to be a weapon anyways."

I nodded; I know Zabuza despised the Mist, which was common knowledge. Obviously he would sympathize with a fellow rogue ninja who shared the same hate. "Zabuza, why is it that you 'kept an eye' on the jinchuriki? Was he one of your…followers from the attempted Mizukage assassination?"

"No, he was too young at the time." He remained silent for a moment. We ran in silence for a while, I was convinced that he was not going to answer me completely. "Back when I was the leader of ANBU I was given access to covert information. I found out some things about my own family I would have never known otherwise. Like every village, Kiri has its dirty secrets…probably more than all of the others combined. When my father was killed, I was ten. My mother was taken away the same day the news reached us, I never saw her again. In the files I uncovered I found out that my father was never on a mission when he was killed, he was taken out because he opposed the Mizukage's decision concerning containing the six tails. Because all jinchuriki hosts have to be direct relations to the village's kage and the mizukage had no children of his own, he chose the child of his sister's son as the host."

I nodded; it was the same in all villages. Having the jinchuriki hosts related to the village's leader made it easier to control them, it was also meant to prevent using them for wrongful ends though this has not worked in all of the villages.

"Anyways, my father, the Mizukage's nephew and my mother opposed their second son being used for his malicious purposes so they were taken out of the picture. This was the breaking point in my decision to revolt against the Mizukage. I never bothered finding Utakata; I just made sure the Kiri ANBU unit never got too close to him. He's my brother after all."