Well, it's definitely been a while. It's been around two months, I think... 0.0 This has literally been the busiest, worst semester of my life. So much stress and pressure from life, since I graduate in three weeks. I'm also having writer's block. But enough excuses. Hope life is going well for all. As always, thanks for the reviews, follows, and favorites.

I'm nauseous, you're wretched

With false power you've gone mad

Unhinged and disgusting, you're gruesome and you're grim

All you do is make me feel exactly what you are

You make me sick.

When they arrived at the large tent used as a substitute for the Hokage Mansion, she stopped. Kakashi should've been the first one nominated for the next Hokage. Something isn't right about this. I can't let my guard down for anything. Wiping any emotion off her face, she stepped inside slowly, following the officer. Danzo was sitting on a makeshift throne, looking no different than the first time she saw him—except for the fact the was giving off even more arrogance than before, if that was possible.

"Kaiya Umachi. It's a pleasure to see you alive." Kaiya's eyebrows furrowed. She was sure he was actually disappointed.

"Wish I could say the same, Danzo," she greeted bitterly. A wry grin slid across her face when he twitched.

"I trust Toga treated you nicely." Toga, the ANBU who'd summoned her, took his place next to Danzo's seat. Kaiya nodded mockingly.

"Oh, yeah. He was a real gentleman," she muttered. Danzo ignored her sardonic tone.

"Do you know why you're here?"

"To be honest, if I'd known why you summoned me, I probably wouldn't have shown up," she told him in a bored tone, crossing her arms. Toga started to move forward, but Danzo held out his arm to stop him. But really, what was he going to do? Throw his scabbard at her?

"I don't have to tell you the extensive lengths Akatsuki will go in order to get what they want." Kaiya mentally rolled her eyes. Ironic, she thought. But she didn't say that out loud. "They've been causing far too much trouble lately, and under Princess Tsunade's leadership, she has allowed them to destroy the village." Kaiya's eyes lowered dangerously. How the hell could he pin Pain's attack on her? She saved everyone! "Naruto Uzumaki killed their leader and is now an even bigger target for them." Kaiya nodded slowly. What was his point? She hated when people beat around the bush, but she resisted the urge to tell Danzo in those exact words.

"If that's what you wanted to tell me, I already know all of that," she pointed out begrudgingly. "I have things to do. Don't waste my time." Danzo's visible eye lowered, but he nodded.

"Very well." He grunted, gripping his cane tightly. Kaiya wondered if he really needed it, or if it was just a trick to fool enemies into believing he was feeble. She didn't know how an old, crippled man like him could've become the Hokage. It shouldn't have surprised her, since she imagined he lied and tricked people all the time. Taking a deep breath, he continued. "The point is that the Akatsuki is growing restless and bold, invading and destroying the village. At this point in time, we need true leadership. We need shinobi who aren't afraid to take the necessary measures needed to protect the Leaf. The village itself may be destroyed, but its people and its fire remain. I will build this village up from the rubble. And I want you to help me."

Kaiya scowled. "Don't use sweet talk like you think highly of me," she snapped. "You tried to have me killed!" she shouted, slashing her arm in front of her. "What the hell makes you think I'd do a damn thing to help you?!" Danzo's eye darkened. "I know a lot about you, Danzo. I know that you'll do anything to get your way, no matter what the cost. But you're just a coward. You hide in the shadows and underground; you're afraid of the sunlight because it'll expose everything you've done. You try to manipulate people into believing you're doing what's best for the village, but you and I both know the truth. You really just want to rule the village. You want to be in control, so you have puppets who do your dirty work for you. You were never able to become Hokage before; someone always stopped you. What makes you think this time will be any different? Cowards like you don't become Hokage. I bet you were hiding underground during Pain's attack, waiting for Tsunade to die so you could take her place—that's the only way that you'd ever gain that title. But I'll never acknowledge you as my leader. And I'll never follow you."

She expected him to order Toga to attack her right there—she was hoping for it, because she needed to beat her stress out of someone, pronto—but he didn't. Instead, Danzo just smirked maliciously, a strange light in his eye, as if her outburst pleased him. "You remind me of your parents," he remarked, making her stiffen. Kaiya's eyes widened, then lowered. Just once I wish bastards like him would keep my parents out of things. She clenched her fists. Come to think of it, Tobi said my mom was in the Foundation, and if this guy is in charge of that organization…

"Yeah, so? What's that got to do with anything?"

"You have your mother's tenacity and your father's passion. Because of Yasuo, your mother left my side for Sarutobi's," he continued. I knew it. Bastard. Kaiya wanted to knock him out, but she didn't figure getting thrown in prison for decking the Hokage was the brightest idea at this point. "He was very powerful, very persuasive. I valued him as an ally, simply because I didn't want him as an enemy. I sent several assassins after him, but he defeated every one of them—without killing them, no less. It was a test, and he passed. You also passed my test."

"Test?" she repeated angrily. "What the hell are you talking about?" To think that he'd actually tried to kill her father. That was unthinkable, unforgivable. Is there a possibility that he had something to do with my father's death?

"I gave Sai the order to kill you, along with Sasuke Uchiha, when you were placed on Team Kakashi, like you said," he confessed. "I figured if you were worth having as an ally, you'd avoid death—and you did. You faced Orochimaru and Sasuke Uchiha. You faced Pain. You defied Tsunade and went after Itachi Uchiha. That's the kind of perseverance I want on my side." Kaiya knew he wasn't telling her everything. Most likely, he wanted to keep an eye on her. "So, I have an offer for you, Kaiya Umachi. One that I believe will benefit us both, as well as keep the village—and the Jinchuriki—safe."

Kaiya was going to refuse whatever it was, no matter how much it 'benefited' her. Danzo was a conniving, double-crossing, manipulative liar who disguised his own interests in the interest of preserving the village. But it sounded like Naruto was a part of this, and if Danzo had his eyes set on him, there was no way she could leave him to his own devices.

"Let's hear it already," she demanded, crossing her arms. Danzo nodded, turning to Toga, who bowed and disappeared in a flash. He reappeared a second later holding out a bundle of clothes to Kaiya, who raised an eyebrow in question. Sure, her clothes had been ripped to shreds when she faced Pain, but it's not like she couldn't find a spare outfit herself. She peered at the clothes again. He'd given her a uniform, complete with a katana, metal plates, gloves, grey flak jacket, and a porcelain wolf mask. Kaiya's eyes widened. It could only mean one thing:

Danzo wanted her to join the ANBU Black Ops.

"If you were allowed to use your powers to their greatest extent, you would be a tremendous asset to this village," Danzo said. "But because of Hiruzen's and Tsunade's cautious and foolish nature, you were sheltered from the world, and it wasn't until the very last second that you were told the truth of your great strength. They were too careful with you, Kaiya, but I intend to give you complete freedom in using the phoenix's abilities. You have been trained by great shinobi all of your life; you were born from the blood of a prestigious clan. I have been monitoring you for the past ten years, and the progress you've made is astounding. If I didn't see a bright future for you back then, you would be dead by now."

"Wow, thanks," Kaiya murmured, rolling her eyes. It didn't faze Danzo in the least. "You're still beating around the bush."

"I want you to have a specific task as my underling: hunt down all of the Leaf's rogues and dispose of them." Kaiya's eyebrows creased. "Among others there's Kabuto Yakushi, and of course, Sasuke Uchiha."

"You think that I—"

"Did I mention that I once tasked your father with this job, but Sarutobi believed it to be too risky, too taxing? The truth was, he didn't want Yasuo to go after Orochimaru, his precious student. That decision cost your father his life. It was Hiruzen's foolish judgment that ultimately led to your family's destruction. Who's to say that your decision now won't end with the death of someone else close to you? Specifically a hotheaded Jinchuriki being targeted by a terrorist organization."

Her jaw slacked. "I…" What was she supposed to do?

…

Sasuke couldn't help himself. As he and his team rested for a moment after traveling all day, he thought about Itachi and all the pain the Leaf had caused him. But…he also thought about Kaiya. Not just about the last couple of times he'd seen her—well, he wasn't sure the last time was even real. He remembered a blurred vision of her, but he couldn't be sure if that was a dream or if she had really been there. She couldn't have possibly been at the warehouse, or else he was sure he'd be in a Konoha prison when he woke up instead of a cave talking with Tobi. Or perhaps he'd be dead, since she was so adamant on killing him. Unless in the end she decided that she couldn't do it after all, as he suspected.

But the main thing he was thinking about now was before he left the village, back when things seemed just a little bit brighter, for just a moment.

"When I was six, a very important person came into my life. He taught me a lot of things; he was like my big brother, almost. Then two years later, he disappeared. I don't know where he went, or why he left without saying goodbye. All I know is that he was there one moment, and then the next he was gone. I thought he left because of me, and I'm always hoping I'll see him again someday to ask him the real reason…I was just thinking…that you and I were similar. We both feel the same pain."

"We've been forced to suffer for something that wasn't our fault. We're forced to carry the overbearing weight of regret on our shoulders. You and I…we both share the same burden of pain… Itachi. It hurt when he left, and when I discovered the reason why, it hurt even more. I can only imagine what it must be like for you. Itachi was the first person to approach me after my father's death—I mean without orders from the Hokage. I was crying, and he comforted me. From that day on, he treated me like a little sister, and he even trained me. I loved him, and for a while…I thought he loved me too."

"As for right now, I don't know if I hate Itachi or not. Pain as deep as ours isn't something that just goes away. It stays in your mind and eats at you until you die. If you're not careful, it'll overtake you and devour you. But I've found that if you focus on other things, like love, you can overcome it. I don't know a lot about you, Sasuke, but I can tell that you want that void in your heart to be filled, just like I do."

The question, though, was why he was remembering all of that. It had happened so long ago. Those moments were so insignificant to him now. Or…at least he wanted to believe that. All those things she said about Itachi—that she loved him, that he cared for her like a sister…now more than ever, he felt connected to her—no matter how much he hated it.

"Look, you just need to hang on. If I lost you…I'd lose everything. You're the only one alive that I couldn't stand losing more than anything in the world."

"It looks like I've developed strong feelings for you against my will, Sasuke. And because of that, I'm willing to follow you anywhere if you ask me to, no matter where it is…I…I don't know if I can have my heart broken a second time, Sasuke. I loved Itachi, and…I love you. Please, don't make me feel that pain again. I'm tired of losing the people I love…I know I'm an idiot, but…I'd be suffering if you left, Sasuke. I'd rather be dead than have you turn your back on me forever. I can't live without you. I can't."

"If that's the case, then you should just forget about me, because I intend to forget about you. I have to walk this path on my own. This…this is our fate… Kaiya, you're someone I could love, and that's why I have to walk away from you. I need only hatred to reach my goal."

"I guess I'm just a coward, because even after everything, I…I can't find the courage to kill you. But things won't always be this way. I won't always be this weak… You broke my heart, Sasuke… Be honest…did I—us—did that mean anything to you?"

"In order for me to gain more power, I must completely sever our bond. I can't dwell on things like 'us.' None of that matters now—no matter what I felt before… I want you to be happy and love someone who will take care of you. I'm not that person…I'll never love you in return."

Sasuke opened his eyes slowly, blinking. She had changed so much, and yet she was still Kaiya. She still had the essence that he'd been drawn to in the beginning. That's why he had to kill her first. And then after her, Naruto; after the two of them were out of the way, he'd move on to the rest of the Leaf Village.

…

Naruto grabbed Sai's sword and swung at the two invading ninjas, blocking the female's blade. Everyone else jumped into the fight. The male swung his sword out as well, at the same time attempting to kick Sakura away, who was charging him. But before his leg could connect, something hard and fast stopped him.

"Tsk, tsk… Now, what kind of man would go and kick a lady like that?" A masked ANBU appeared out of nowhere using her metal arm plate to block the male's foot, simultaneously knocking the red-headed female off her feet and sending her crashing to the ground. Before the others could figure out what was going on, the male was kneed in the ribs, flying backwards several feet. When both foreign ninjas were down, the masked girl pulled out her black sword. A moment later, the two shinobi jumped up, both aiming their blades at her. Before they could blink, she swiped her sword, severing both blades from their hilts. The two shinobi halted in shock.

"What…what the hell is that sword?" the dark-skinned, red-headed girl asked, taking a few steps back. The officer stared out behind her wolf mask. Her long, brown hair was pulled up in a tight bun with a black ribbon, the ANBU Leaf symbol tattooed on her right shoulder. She looked different, so Team Kakashi didn't recognize her at first. But at the sight of her sword, they all knew.

"Kaiya…?" Naruto blinked, confused. She ignored him, turning towards the two intruders.

"Cloud shinobi…I don't know what you're doing in this village, but you attacked an ANBU Black Op…there's a pretty heavy penalty for that, ya know. If you haven't noticed, our village was attacked by Akatsuki and destroyed; our Hokage is in a coma. So what exactly do you think you're doing, causing a commotion in someone else's village at a time like this?" They growled at her.

"They were talking about Sasuke!" the girl yelled, as if that justified her actions. "We want information on him now!" Kaiya's eyes lowered. She'd been eavesdropping when the Kumo team arrived and went looking for the Hokage. Unfortunately, she didn't get to hear much, including the specific reason they were there.

"Do you think I give a damn about what you want?" Kaiya snapped. The Cloud shinobi gritted their teeth.

"Sasuke Uchiha attacked our village and kidnapped our master!" they protested, pointing at the Leaf shinobi. "We don't even know if he's alive or dead."

"Sasuke is a member of the Akatsuki!"

That shocked even Kaiya. Her eyebrows furrowed. That bastard Tobi must've gotten to him, then. Damn…I should've seen this coming. Itachi, forgive me. I let this go too far.

"The Raikage sent us here because you let your rogue ninja run free. We have permission from the Hokage to kill him now!" Kaiya's eyes widened. If he put me in charge of assassinating all of our rogues, then why wasn't I assigned this mission? Why let another country do it? She gnashed her teeth in realization. He doesn't trust me at all. He wants to control both me and Naruto as much as he can. Screw him.

Naruto and Sakura didn't like that very much. First of all, the shock that Sasuke was in Akatsuki was almost too much to deal with. And then they hear that the new Hokage has given another country permission to kill their former teammate. That had to sting. Of course, it didn't go over much better with Kaiya.

"Tell us everything you know about Sasuke," the girl, Karui, demanded. Kaiya didn't like her tone. If she wasn't in the ANBU, she would've knocked her out by now. But she had to behave in front of their guests, unless she wanted to stir even greater tension between the Cloud and Leaf that was already present. After Karui continued to berate Sakura, the latter began crying. Kaiya watched Naruto's remorseful expression as he turned from his teammate to the intruders. Sai decided to step in, which surprised and even impressed Kaiya.

Naruto somehow figured out that Killer Bee, Karui's and Omoi's master, was a Jinchuriki. Kaiya frowned, remembering him from her few days in the Cloud with the Arashi brothers. Bee had come bursting into the sushi stand with his terrible rapping. She wondered what Yoshi would think about his capture.

Naruto gave them hope that their master could still be alive. He went off to speak with the two alone, to tell them about Akatsuki. When he passed by Kaiya, she stopped him, resting a hand on his shoulder. He turned to look at her, a determined expression on his face. She knew that look. And she didn't like it.

"Naruto, you don't have to answer to these clowns," she said. "Let me handle it." He couldn't read her because of the mask, and he figured that's what she wanted. He had no idea what was going on, why she would be serving in the ANBU under Danzo. Either Danzo was using her, or she was using him. Possibly both. But that didn't matter. Despite everything that'd happened since she returned to the village, she was still his best friend. They protected each other, no matter what. This was no exception.

"It's ok, Kaiya," he assured her. "I don't need your help with this." He took hold of her hand, gently lifting it off his shoulder, trudging on. Kaiya didn't know what to say to him, so she turned to Karui.

"If I see you lay a hand on one of my friends again…I'll kill you." With that warning, she disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

…

"So it's true, then. You are in the ANBU." Kakashi's eyebrows furrowed, though he kept his eye on the pages of his novel. Kaiya, still in her uniform but disregarding the mask, sat on a high tree branch overlooking the lake in the middle of the village. She closed her eyes.

"I hate it when you do that, Copycat." Kakashi grinned, joining her in the tree; he sat on the branch next to hers, resting his back against the trunk.

"Let me guess: you don't want to talk about it," he figured. Kaiya sighed, unable to resist the tiny smirk that appeared across her lips. She scoffed, crossing her arms.

"You were in the ANBU once, remember? Shouldn't you be proud that I'm following in your footsteps or something cheesy like that?" she wondered. Kakashi's eye lowered. He closed his book and put it back in his weapons pouch, giving Kaiya his undivided attention. That made her nervous, because she knew how serious he felt about something when he stopped reading.

"I'll be honest with you, Kaiya. I don't like the fact that Danzo is the Hokage. He's done a lot of things that I can't talk about, but none of it is good. He's dangerous, and to think that you're working underneath him now…" Kaiya sighed.

"That bastard. I know plenty about him, and I hate his guts. If I could, I'd…" She trailed off, but Kakashi got the message: I'd kill him. Avoiding eye contact with her former guardian, she continued. "He tried to have me assassinated," she admitted, clenching her fists. She didn't want to tell him, but she thought that she should, especially now. "Back in Orochimaru's lair, Sai had the mission of assassinating both Sasuke and me, by Danzo's orders." Kakashi's eye widened. It's just like him to try and pull something like that…I should've known. Biting her bottom lip, Kaiya sighed again. She wanted to tell him about what Danzo made Itachi do, but she remembered that she promised not to tell anyone. It killed her inside.

"He put me in charge of hunting down and assassinating the Leaf's rogue ninjas. Kabuto and Sasuke were on his list, but I didn't really take him seriously, since Sasuke has never threatened the village itself. But then a couple of Cloud clowns appeared out of nowhere and said that Danzo gave their village permission to kill Sasuke. I mean, how is that even fair? If Haru and Yoshi knew about this, I'm sure they'd…"

Well, there wasn't a lot they could've done. Maybe their influence in the village would've been enough to sway most shinobi, but then again, they might seem like traitors. And the Raikage? Well, Yoshi told her stories about the man. He wasn't the easiest to persuade or get along with. Even Raiden seemed easier to negotiate with than him. Besides, Akatsuki kidnapped his brother. What kind of person would just let that slide? Kaiya knew she wouldn't. Not to mention that the twins, along with Ronin, were still out searching for her and Usagi's mothers. It had been a while since anyone had heard from them.

Oh, and then there was the fact that Yoshi absolutely despised Sasuke.

"What's the story, then?" Kakashi asked, crossing his arms. "How in the world did someone like Danzo get you to join the ANBU Black Ops? I know they're not exactly your favorite people in the world." Kaiya nodded.

"Heh, you're tellin' me. Well, Danzo tried goading me into it by telling me I was finishing my parents' work and protecting Naruto. That still wouldn't have been enough to convince me, but I figured I might as well try to remain as close to him as possible so I could keep an eye on him instead of the other way around. But he doesn't seem to trust me—and I doubt he ever will—because he gave my alleged job to the Cloud and didn't even tell me. I have a feeling he doesn't think I'll remain loyal to the Leaf should I face Sasuke again."

Kakashi sighed, closing his eye as he tilted his head upwards. She wondered if he would do anything about Danzo ordering her to be killed. Knowing him, he knew better not to. "My guess is, Danzo is distracting you," he said a few seconds later. "He doesn't trust you, and you don't trust him—that much is obvious on both sides. I know that he wants to keep Naruto in the village as much as possible, since he considers him a weapon as the Jinchuriki of the Leaf. He might try to use you to keep him here, where he can watch both of you." Kaiya's eyebrows furrowed. Naruto was a person who had a monster inside of him; he wasn't born a monster, and he shouldn't be treated like one. Most of the villagers had come around in the past few years—especially recently—but some—like Danzo—still looked at him like a weapon of mass destruction. She hated that. As for her, well…she'd like to see him try to make her do anything against her will.

"Well, in any case, I'm going to see to it that those Cloud shinobi stay far away from Sasuke. I don't care what they say…I'm not believing Sasuke is in Akatsuki until I see it for myself."

I try to make it through my life

In my way, there's you

I try to make it through these lies, and that's all I do.