"They were planning this," Fugaku commented angrily, watching as Itachi checked Izumi.

"Is she injured?" Mikoto asked, and her son shook his head.

"No,"

The female Uchiha stirred, her eyes opening and meeting his. He was holding her hand, and she couldn't help but smile. He was always terrible with expressing any romantic feelings, especially when they were in public or near his parents.

"Izumi," Itachi called her name, "Are you OK?"

She nodded, placing her free hand on her forehead. "Y-Yeah… Feels like I took a deep nap…"

"Who did this to you? Did any of the men hurt you?"

"No," she replied, and her eyes suddenly narrowed, "Rin… Rin did this to me,"

They were well into the forest by the time they decided to stop running and take a break. Rin's body felt extremely weak, mostly due to the fact that she had used all of her energy to make the Uchiha girl unconscious. She felt guilty doing that; hurting another female was something she never wanted to do. But had she not done that, she wouldn't have been able to escape.

"Do you think they'll follow us?" one of the men asked, panting loudly as he sat on the ground.

The other man shrugged, "I don't know. I think we're far away from the village, so they shouldn't waste manpower chasing us three….right?"

He looked at his partner and Rin, but neither said anything to console his fear. Rin hoped that they weren't followed, but also knew that they had to keep moving. Something about the area didn't feel...right.

Her brown eyes scanned the area, noting how the trees looked nearly dead. The branches barely had leaves, the roots looking dark. As if they had been burned. The entire area made her uncomfortable.

"Should we keep moving?"

"Yes,"

The men stood and continued walking, deeper into the forest. Knowing that she had no choice (and personally didn't want to stay alone), she stood up and followed them.

XxXxX

Slithering against the ground, it analyzed the small group. It could sense their weaknesses, their fear. They were tired. Good. That meant that they wouldn't be able to run away once it decided to attack.

Afterall, the master needed a new body…

XxXxX

It was the hissing sound that had her stopping in her tracks.

"Did you hear that?" she asked. The men didn't respond. She couldn't tell if they were ignoring her on purpose or if maybe her voice was too low. "Did you guys hear that?!" she asked much louder.

They finally stopped and turned around, acknowledging her question.

"Huh? I didn't hear anything-"

"No, wait she's right…" the other man added, "It sounds like...someone's hissing…"

Rin turned around, surveying the area.

"Feels like we're being watched," one of them said, and Rin agreed with a nod.

"Do you think it's the Uchihas playing a game? Legends say that they're experts when it comes to hallucinations,"

"But this doesn't feel like one," the other man replied, having first hand experience in being placed under a Genjutsu.

There was a movement to their left, and they turned. But just as they did, another sound was heard right behind them. They turned around again, but nothing.

"I think we should turn back-"

"And have the Uchihas kill us on the spot!? Don't you remember that we had escaped!?"

"There is something sinister watching us! Don't you feel it?"

"You're just letting shit get to you! There's-"

"There's something watching us for sure," Rin said, both men turning to her.

"See! She senses it too!"

"And you believe this little skank?"

Rin narrowed her eyes at him. But yet again, did she expect any different? Just a couple of days ago, these two men and their friends wanted to sexually abuse her.

"I'm turning around,"

"You fucking coward," the friend said, and the man turned around angrily to him.

"I am not fucking dying in this pla-AAAAAAH!"

Everything happened so sudden, and Rin tripped backwards as the ground underneath their feet had ripped open and a large serpent came out. The serpent was more than fifty feet long. It grabbed the male by his neck and dragged him across the ground before pinning him against a tree. The man's neck was bleeding profusely, and he stared wide-eyed at the yellow evil eyes of the snake.

"F-Fuck this," the other man said, turning around and running back from where they come from.

The snake began to crush the other man's neck, the sound of bones causing Rin to stand on trembling legs and run away as well.

She wasn't sure where she was going, but one thing for sure was that she knew that she had to get away. There was no way she could fight or avoid something like that. The fact that a serpent that large could even exist confused her. But right now, she had no choice but to run despite her slow speed and decreasing energy.

She tripped over something, but balanced herself to stop from falling. Nonetheless, it caused her to slow down and turn her head.

There was nothing behind her, but Rin knew that she was far from being safe. Her body suddenly flinched as hissing sounds were heard, and she looked around to find several snakes slowly approaching her. They were much smaller than the serpent from before, but that didn't change the fact that they looked at her with intent to kill.

XxXxX

The man ran fast, the images of his dying friend replaying through his mind. He was not going to die. Especially by some serpent! The fact that the thing had just come out of the ground only proved that it wasn't natural. Someone, someone sinister, was behind that thing.

He stumbled as a sharp pain suddenly erupted near his thigh, and he fell onto the ground. The presence of others was suddenly felt, and his eyes widened while looking up and staring at the cold eyes of the Uchihas.

"Pl-Please...d-don't UGH!"

He was kicked on the face, blood erupting from his nose and mouth.

"Where are the others?" one of them asked.

The man looked up, "I-I don't know! I swear! S-Something attacked us! A-And I ran!"

"What attacked you?"

"I-It was a snake! But a really large one!" he answered frantically, but the Uchihas didn't look convinced. Either that, or they didn't care. One of them pulled a sword, and the man screamed. "Pl-Please don't kill me! I swear I'm telling the truth! It just came out of the ground and attacked my friend! It was following us for some time before it decided to attack!"

"What about the girl?" the Uchiha with spiky hair asked.

He remembered him as the one who had carried the girl the first day they were all captured. "I-I don't know! I ran away! She's probably dead by now! She seemed weak before we even got attacked,"

The Uchiha said nothing else as he turned around. Were they going to let him go? For a moment, the man was about to feel relieved. But suddenly something sharp was felt by his neck, and before he knew it he was unable to breath. Blood trickled from his throat, and he looked up at the other male Uchiha who stood there with the bloodied sword. His vision began to darken as his body struggled to stay upright. And before he knew it, his body fell to the side as the last breath of life escaped.

"We should head back," Itachi said, watching the lifeless body of the man he just killed, "The girl is probably dead by now,"

While the other two males nodded, Itachi noticed how Obito seemed to hesitate. Izumi had clued him in on the fact that Obito had been visiting the prisoner and providing her with things.

"Obito," Itachi called.

"I will scout the area," Obito replied, leaping onto the trees and disappearing.

Rin grabbed the only thing that she could use as a weapon - a branch with a sharp edge. She swung it back and forth, managing to hit one snake. But there were more and more coming, and from different directions. Looking back occasionally, she continued her tactic of swinging the branch until one of the snakes caught it with its mouth.

Rin shrieked and let go, turning around and running as fast as she could. After a couple of minutes of running and feeling breathless, she stopped and turned around. Her eyebrows rose as there was nothing behind her. Nothing but rocks and trees. There was no indication that there had been snakes following her.

But instead of feeling relieved, she knew that she wasn't out of harm's way just yet. They were toying with her. They could come out from within the ground, or from top-

Rin looked up and gasped as she saw them hanging from the tree branches, all of them looking down at her. There had to be hundreds of them, and she knew that no matter where she ran to, they would catch her. Two of them fell, one landing just a foot away from her and the other one right on her left arm. Rin shrieked and frantically pulled it away. She had never been a fan of snakes.

A third snake dropped in front of her, and she nearly fell back. A fourth snake fell, landing right on her head and she screamed while desperately trying to get it off. Eventually it did, and Rin looked at the snakes on the ground and above the trees. The fifth dropped next to her, and it almost bit her ankle.

The ones still hanging from the trees began to hiss at the same time, and Rin saw how they suddenly began to drop around her simultaneously. Hundreds of them, three landing by her feet and one on her shoulder. She screamed while kicking the two off her feet, but the one on her shoulder began to wrap itself around her arm tightly. With her attention distracted, she didn't notice another one wrapping itself around her ankle until it was too late. The thing began to travel up her leg, and Rin felt herself become immobilized as her body fell to the ground and another snake landed on her stomach, its head facing hers.

"Katon! Blast Wave Wild Dance!"

Rin felt heat emitting from nearby, and suddenly the majority of the snakes were set on fire as a wave of fire swirled around. They wiggled against the trees and ground before dying. The area was engulfed immediately, causing trees to burn and heavy smoke to arise.

Obito quickly appeared next to her just as the area began to burn down. He knelt in front of her and removed the couple of snakes that had started to wrap themselves around her. And once she was free of them, he carried her out of there.

She watched the burning area from over his shoulder as he took her away. She could not have been more relieved by his presence. Once again, he was there for her. If it wasn't saving her from drowning or giving her a blanket to keep warm, it was rescuing her from a herd of snakes. She also remembered the flower he had left for her, a suspicion growing in the back of her head.

But Rin suddenly realized that he was most likely taking her back to his small village, and she panicked.

"Put me down," she said, and he turned his head to her. She avoided eye contact, "Please...put me down for a moment,"

Obito obliged, jumping from the tree and back onto the ground. And once he put her down, Rin took several steps away from him. The Uchiha seemed surprised by her sudden decision, and she felt guilty for it. He did just save her from being killed by a bunch of snakes. But she did not want to be locked up again.

"Thank you for saving me. But I don't want to go back to your village,"

"They will not hurt you," he said.

"I don't want to be locked up again," she said quickly, and he seemed to better understand her. "I escaped for a reason...and that was to be free. I am not going back just to be locked up,"

"You will not be locked up,"

"I helped them escape," she admitted, "I put the girl to sleep. I didn't want to harm her. It's a harmless technique I used. But I did not want to stay locked in there anymore,"

Obito began to walk over to her, and Rin automatically stepped back. He paused at her reaction. "Rin, I promise that you will not be locked again,"

"Then I should be able to go wherever I want,"

That seemed to bother him. She could tell with the way his brows furrowed just a bit and he frowned.

"You will run into danger,"

"I'll make sure avoid the deep forest,"

He still wasn't satisfied. And neither was she.

"Stay with us," he offered, "You will not be made a prisoner, and you won't be locked up again. I promise,"

She thought about it, just as he continued, "You can live in our village, and no longer need to keep running. You can stay with us,"

'You can stay with me…'

Despite wanting to say yes, she was very hesitant. What if she wanted to leave in the near future? Would they stop her? And how would they treat her during her short stay? To her, freedom meant more than just not being jailed.

"Will I have the freedom to leave whenever I want?" Rin asked, observing how Obito looked down for a moment before replying.

"Yes. You can leave whenever you wish,"

"And no one will stop me?"

"No one will stop you,"

She took a deep breath, "Very well…. I'll return to your village. But only for a few days, until I have enough strength to leave,"

The corner of his lips raised, which surprised her. The idea of Obito smiling (even if it's a small one) seemed foreign to her. But now that she witnessed it, she had to admit that his smile made him look more charming. It made her smile as well.

He extended his hand, and she took it. And then he picked her up again, which she was grateful for. She was still exhausted from everything.

The sun was slowly setting on them, and a crazy idea popped in her head. But who would blame her for it, considering the long days and nights she had in the cellar?

"Wait," she said, and he stopped. "Instead of going back to your village tonight… I would like to sleep outside and enjoy the fresh air,"

At first he looked at her with a confused look, but then remembered what she had told him. She did not want to be locked up. Considering she had been locked in the dark for days with no fresh air coming in, he understood where she was coming from.

She looked up at him, feeling his grip on her body tighten. "Please?"

His smile then returned, and Rin knew that she had to be careful. She could already feel those butterflies in her stomach.

"I know the perfect location,"

Before she had time to ask, his eyes turned a deep red and wind started to pick up from all directions. And suddenly everything around her went from gray to black, causing her to bury her face against his shoulder. A couple of seconds later, she heard the sound of a waterfall.

She looked around at the small area - it was situated at the bottom of a waterfall. Obito put her down as she continued to survey everything. The grass underneath them was green, several patches of flowers around them. The waterfall itself was small, but the water was very blue and clear.

"Wow, this is beautiful. Is this area still part of your village?"

"Yes," he said, "But not many come here."

"This is amazing… Exactly what I was thinking about," she said while eyeing the small body of water.

"I can bring some food,"

Rin's smile widened. "Yes!" The thought of food already had her stomach growling.

"I'll be back in a few minutes then," he said, pulling out a Kunai and giving it to her. "Here… Just in case,"

"OK," she said, grabbing the weapon.

Rin saw how the same windy swirl returned, and he disappeared into thin air.

"So that's how he does it… Very cool,"

Wanting to take advantage of the alone time, she placed the weapon on the ground and proceeded with taking off her clothes. She hid behind bushes to do her business before sprinting across and jumping into the water.

"Ugh! Cold!"

But despite the water's temperature, Rin swam around as the water removed the dirt and grime off her body. She scrubbed herself quickly, anxious that Obito would pop out of nowhere any moment.

Telling herself that it would probably take him some time to grab the food, she swam towards the bottom of the waterfall and placed her head underneath the water. She sighed in relief, turning around in order for the water to grab all areas of her scalp. She later swam back to the area and got out, the evening wind making her body tremble. She put her underwear and bra on first just as the wind became heavier.

And as she grabbed her shirt, she felt his presence there and shrieked. Obito immediately noticed her state of undress and turned around, doing his best with keeping inappropriate images and thoughts out of his mind.

"Sorry," he said, his voice sounding more hoarse than usual.

"It's OK," Rin replied, watching his back as she finished getting dressed. "I assumed you would take longer. You can turn around now. I'm done,"

He did, his eyes roaming her now covered body before setting the food down. He made a small fire and sat next to her, occasionally looking at her from the corner of his eyes. She was leaning over the fire with a smile, the light making her angelic face stand out. He fought the urge to hold her hand again.

"What did you bring?" she asked, biting her bottom lip.

"A couple of rice balls, and some sweet tea,"

Rin's eyes widened as he opened the box, revealing five rice balls. He grabbed one and handed it to her, smiling as she ate it immediately. Her inner self did a happy dance. But upon feeling a pair of eyes on her, Rin opened hers and saw Obito smiling. She suddenly realized how foolish she must've looked.

"Sorry… I haven't eaten in a while...and was really hungry,"

"Take another," he said, and she grabbed it after finishing the first.

In the end, she ate three of them while Obito finished the last two. Feeling satisfied, she laid down on the soft grass and looked up at the night sky and shining bright stars. He laid down as well with his arms crossed behind his head, looking at her as she kept her gaze at the sky.

"The stars over Konoha aren't this bright…."

"How are Konoha's skies?" he asked, and she remembered how the Uchihas once lived in Konoha. Many...many years ago.

"Not as beautiful," she replied softly, "As a matter of fact, it feels as if the sun doesn't shine as bright anymore. I think that the low morale in the village has also affected our environment,"

"Is that why you escaped?"

Rin paused for a moment, knowing that she had to pick her next words carefully. She still had to see if Obito would be keeping his promise to her.

"You can say that… I was charged for something I wasn't supposed to be doing, but did it anyway. I did it because it needed to be done. I couldn't let those women go through a forced pregnancy without a say,"

"Forced pregnancy?"

"Yes… Our ANBU soldiers would rape our women, or force women of a certain age to marry that soldier and bear his children. As of recent, every woman of childbearing age needed to produce at least three children,"

"So what Fugaku said was true after all…"

"Who?"

"Our leader… He told us a few weeks ago that Danzo had implemented more restrictions, especially on women. I thought he was exaggerating things. Some of us think about Konoha and what our lives could've been like had our clan stayed…"

"The villagers are afraid," Rin told him, "even myself, right now. I fear for my father and sister. I escaped in a hurry, so I don't know what has happened to them. But I pray that they're OK…"

"Has your family thought of escaping before?"

She turned to her side, facing him but keeping her gaze on the grass. "Yes, but we were afraid. More and more people were getting caught. And with my father being old, it's not easy crossing the border." She finally turned her gaze to him "Has anyone arrived to your village as refugees?"

"Some have… Our village also has members of smaller clans. There is a second village not too far from ours, and that's where refugees mostly go. We have a peace treaty with them,"

"Because of previous battles?"

"No," he shook his head slightly, "Because they're afraid of us…"

Rin yawned, "That doesn't surprise me… Danzo did install a lot of fear in us about the Uchiha clan… Almost like it's ingrained to our brains,"

Obito smirked, "Yet he can't talk to Fugaku face to face… Coward,"

Rin giggled before letting out another yawn and she closed her eyes, "Mhmm… Thank you for this moment, Obito…"

The Uchiha smiled as she fell asleep. And in a bold move, he gently stroked her soft cheek. Seeing her sleeping underneath the stars truly made her look angelic. It still shocked him that a beautiful woman like her suddenly appeared in his life, and he looked forward to spending more time with her.

It slithered across the room, towards its master. The man, whose skin was peeling off, sat up as the snake wrapped around his arm. The man closed his eyes and snarled as he saw how close he had the girl, but the Uchiha man had arrived and saved her.

"I need a new body!" he yelled, "that Uchiha ruined it…"

He then smirked and looked at the snake, "So I'll make him pay. I'll show him that no Uchiha should ever mess with me, Orochimaru…"

Author's Note: Thank you all for reading! Let me know what you thought of this chapter in a review down below!