Scarlet Kunai

By Ginta and Hakakku Fangirl

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, or any of the characters

A/N: Original Character's name is Kyoko, female, only a few months older than Uchiha Sasuke, no Kekki Genkai, ANBU-ranked kinoichi, more info in story.

Rated M for violence, language, and lime.

*I may have to "rearrange" some events, in order for this fic to make sense.

So, has anyone else noticed that a lot of the older shinobi who aren't sensei don't wear regulation ninja forehead protectors? Anywhere? Inuzuka Hana and Tsume. Nara Shikaku. Shizune. Tsunade. Jiraya. Chiyo. Baki may have stopped wearing his in Shippuuden…A lot of people don't wear them…It's kinda weird, don't cha think?

Okay, when Zetsu is speaking: White Side = "Aloe Vera?" Black side = "Just ignore him." (Lolz, quote. Naruto calls him Aloe Vera.) And if both sides are speaking together, it will be in italics.

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Chapter Thirty-Eight: Followed! Back to the Stone Continued: Two Spies Meet and Kisame's Complaints! (IMPORTANT!!! THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS TOBI'S TRUE IDENTITY!!!!!)

Previously:

…Kyoko bit her lip… So many people cared. And she was involved intimately with their greatest enemy, the very enemy she had been assigned to observe and help destroy…

…Itachi had checked. There was nothing in Kyoko's body that shouldn't be there. It hadn't been Zetsu's suspicions. There was no child…

…Blue eyes glared at yellow, then at white.
"Don't hurt her," Deidara growled before jumping onto his clay bird and flying off.
Zetsu and Kisame laughed. Zetsu because he found now reason to cross Kyoko. Kisame because that was his every intention.

XXX

Itachi glanced over at Pein. He had just told him that Kisame would be on a solo mission for two weeks. Other than Zetsu, it had never been done before; Akatsuki always stayed with their partners, no matter the mission. There were no solo assignments.

What was worse, Itachi was to be partnered with Tobi for the next three days, who just so happened to be a Mizukage. And his uncle. An Uchiha. And an Uchiha who had made it perfectly clear when Itachi was only thirteen just who he was to answer to.

Itachi was quite sure that he knew why Pein, who knew who Tobi was as well, had assigned Itachi to be partnered with Tobi for the two weeks Kisame would be gone.

It was all about Kyoko. Konan and Pein weren't happy, and neither was Madera. Itachi wasn't sure if it was because Kyoko was failing when it came to Pein's expectations, if it was because someone besides Deidara had finally discovered that he and Kyoko had a history, or if Pein himself had discovered that Itachi had gone to Suna without permission…or if it was because Pein knew what had happened after Itachi had arrived there.

XXX

Kyoko glanced at Sai, who shook his head. Nothing. The dark was showing nothing to them at all.

Kyoko stood from her stooped position and began to form hand signs, whispering for Sai to watch closely.

Inu, Hebi, Inu, Neki…

Kyoko stopped with her hands clasped, index and middle fingers pressed together and whispered, "Ninjutsu. Ninja art, See in the Dark Jutsu!"

Kyoko opened her eyes again, this time able to see the outline of the trees; Sai made the same hand signs, soon able to see the trees as well.

"I'm still not seeing anything," Kyoko whispered. "Nothing looks suspicious."

"Iie…" Sai glanced up at the tiny curve of light in the sky that was all that remained of the moon. "It's getting cloudy. We should go back soon; it may rain. The Kazekage needs to know."

Kyoko nodded. Even without the One Tail sealed inside him, Gaara still wasn't fond of being wet. As Kankuro had commented, it really did seem that Gaara would bathe in sand he could have. Glancing around one more time, she sighed. It had been a long three days. Naruto still suspected she and Sai were dating. Sakura kept shooting the both of them strange looks. And the route they were taking to the Stone was hidden, through the woods, and hard to follow.

Her chakra was fading. She couldn't control it anymore…the Sharingan came forth in her eyes and began to spin…

XXX

Itachi sat beneath a tree, concentrating his chakra. Just before Kisame had left, Itachi had infused a small amount of his chakra into the hem of Kisame's sleeve. That had been three days ago. Now all he had to do was search for it…

There!

Itachi's eyes snapped open. His partner was headed towards the Village Hidden in the Stones. Itachi wasn't sure just what the blue man was after, but if it was a solo mission, it could not bode well for either him or Kyoko.

Being with his uncle, Madara, had only fueled Itachi's concern for Kyoko. Though he had never removed his mask, Itachi could feel the glare coming from him, every now and then a sharp hint of crimson flashing from the tiny opening allowing Tobi to see. It was unnerving. Unsettling.

But Tobi had never asked a single question about her. And that was the most upsetting of all.

Itachi stood. Now that Deidara was back from whatever mission he had been on, Tobi was back with him. Zetsu, however, had yet to return. Itachi wasn't worried about him, though. The spy himself had once expressed his slight respect for Kyoko--or rather, his lack of disrespect towards her--and had praised her sparring abilities.

But it was Deidara whose words Itachi was most concerned about. He had returned only hours ago, entering Itachi's room without permission. He had placed a small clay bird on the floor, ignoring Itachi's raised eyebrow. At the door, the bomber turned back slightly, raised his hand, and murmured, "Katsu." As he left, the bomb detonated, with only a slight noise, leaving only a scroll of paper.

Five words only: Leader sent Kisame for her.

It would take fast words, but if Itachi could convince him, Pein would think that Itachi had heard word of the Six Tails in the Land of Lightning. In the same exact direction as the Land of Earth and the Village Hidden in the Stones. Three days since Deidara had left. Six since Kisame had. That meant that Kyoko would be sure to be in the Wind Country still. It was five days to the Stone running, if one was lucky. For as many people as Kyoko was with, two weeks. With any luck she would be reaching the Earth Country in just two days.

XXX

Letting go was such a relief. There in the dark there was no one to see, no one to know. No one to realize just how far she had descended.

Turning to Sai, Kyoko touched his arm.

"Go back without me," she said softly. "Tell Gaara-kun about the rain, then check the other side of camp. I'll finish up here and meet you there."

"Right."

In the dark, Kyoko heard Sai turn and head back towards camp. Sighing, she turned towards what she had heard but he had not.

"Zetsu-san?"

"Hello, Kyoko-san."

Kyoko turned towards the voice.

"Did Leader-sama send you?"

"Hai. Of course. You think we came on our own?"

"Iie." Kyoko sighed before calling softly, "Kisame-san, come out."

Smirking, the blue man came out from the trees; Kyoko didn't like the look in his eyes.

"Why the two of you?" Kyoko asked.

"Leader sent us both," Kisame growled.

"What?" Kyoko narrowed her eyes. She didn't trust Kisame any more than she trusted Pein. She turned to Zetsu.

"Pein sent us both. He wants us to keep an eye on you. He's upset you haven't been in touch for a while. I told him to leave you alone, that you were only trying to keep the suspicions down. He didn't believe me, even though I've been watching. Congratulations on the removal of all that poison, by the way."

"Thanks, Zetsu-san." Kyoko frowned. "Leader didn't believe you? But he trusts you almost as much as he trusts Konan-san."

Zetsu nodded, about to speak, but Kisame cut across him.

"What poison?" he rasped.

"Orochimaru. Just before he joined us."

Kyoko nodded, turning away from Kisame.

"That's not the point," she said. "The point is that Deidara-kun told me I would be working with you, though he didn't tell me it would be the two of you. I had expected Kakazu and Hidan."

Zetsu laughed lowly.

"Hidan's a little caught up," he said. "Caught the bad end of a kunai. Kakazu will fix him up."

Kyoko nodded, not bothering to ask what had happened. Nowadays, she simply assumed that Hidan had done something to annoy his partner. It was simpler than to ask.

"Did Leader send an assignment."

"Hai." Zetsu sat. "I'm to gather all information you have to give me. Everything. He wants to know about your surgery. Your assignments. Why you're so often with the Kazekage. New abilities. Who you are partnered with. Their abilities. Their weaknesses. Everything."

"No."

"No?" Kisame growled. "What do you mean--"

"I mean no," Kyoko said firmly. "The number one rule for shinobi: 'Never show your Jutsu in front of an enemy.' I'm not going to show my jutsu to anyone. Deidara doesn't know all my jutsu. The Hokage, the Kazekage, my team, none of them know all my jutsu either. I doubt that Leader knows everything that all of you are capable of as well."

Kisame glared, though Zetsu nodded.

"That's fair. Next question."

"The surgery went as expected," Kyoko lied. "I recovered quickly, and am now stronger than before, higher than my usual caliber."

Zetsu nodded; he winked and Kyoko smirked inside. He knew she was lying, just like she had expected. But out of the two of them, she trusted Zetsu.

"Sharingan?"

"Fine. It requires less and less chakra everyday to conceal."

"Assignments?"

"This is the first since the surgery."

"Give us some detail!" Kisame snapped, but Zetsu shook his head.

"Our leader doesn't want detail. He just wants to know how many missions she's had." Zetsu turned back to Kyoko, asking, "Teammates?"

"It varies from mission to mission."

"What the Hell kind of answer is that?" Kisame growled, but the two spies ignored him.

"Why are you with the Kazekage so often?"

"He's my friend and he trusts in my abilities and skills in battle," Kyoko said shortly. "Next question."

"Weaknesses of friends, as well as you."

"The same rule applying to jutsu applies to this question."

Kisame stood up angrily, but the two continued to ignore him.

"My turn to ask questions," Kyoko said, as Kisame began to pace. At this point, he would never gain any information to use against her!

"Ask away."

"How is Leader-sama?"

"Fine."

"Dei-dei?"

"Missions with Tobi."

"I'll bet he's enjoying that," Kyoko commented dryly. "Itachi-sama?"

"He's silent these days."

"He's always silent," Kyoko said.

"More so than usual. Kisame's not happy about it."

"I hadn't noticed. Hidan and Kakazu?"

"Searching for bounty. I'd be careful if I were you."

"Why?" Kyoko asked sharply. "I've not done anything to offend Kakazu, have I?"

"Iie. But you do have a price on your head. Saw it in a bingo book. Ten thousand ryou."

"That's not much," Kyoko said, "Compared to who Kakazu normally goes after for bounty. I doubt he'd come after me for so small a price."

Zetsu nodded his agreement.

"Any other questions?"

"Hai. Any messages from anyone in Akatsuki? New assignments?"

"Iie. Just lie low." Zetsu stood up. "We're leaving. I have the answers the leader wants."

"What?" Kisame snapped. "I thought we were supposed to stay with her!"

"No." Zetsu began to make hand signs, then sank into the earth.

Kisame swore, glaring at Kyoko before heading out into the darkness.

XXX

Four nights later, only half a week from the Village Hidden in the Stones, the moon had finally disappeared completely. Sai and Kyoko had once again headed out into the night to scout out the area, Sai to the North and West, Kyoko to the South and East.

"Mmph!" Kyoko gasped and struggled as a hand clamped down over her mouth and she was dragged further away from her comrades and their camp. Caught. An ANBU. How had this happened, when she had been able to sense the chakra of even three of the most notorious of all S-ranked enemies, Deidara, Zetsu, and Kisame of the infamous Akatsuki?

"Don't scream," came a familiar voice then, and Kyoko gasped, turning as the hand released her.

"Itachi-sama!"

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It was short, I know, I'm sorry. But the next chapter is one that I'm quite sure you've all been waiting for! (Though it may be a bit before I can publish it, so be patient, please!)

Review!!!

-Fangirl