Chapter 28
The moment Danzo's Root division whore disappeared; Anomie placed her amulet against the third seal that ran up her leg. She felt the marking against her skin and hid the amulet into it with an intricate weave of her Chakra. She ruffled her dress so it covered the three seals that she had recently gotten tattooed onto her right leg.
All that was left now was her left leg. It was certain to hurt as every seal felt like a slow stab wound, ripping and shredding her skin with blades as thin as cherry blossoms. The painful thing would be to cover her body with them. They would surely protect her life and a couple tears would be a small price to pay for security.
She stood straighter, feeling the forest for any trace for Kimimaru's Chakra, but the boy had hid it like a good little soldier. She jumped onto the nearest tree branch that hung above her head and perched against the bark with her hands flat against the wood.
She murmured a small Jutsu, whilst moving her hands into quick seals. Momentarily, she felt her Chakra let out a pained cry as it suctioned her lungs for strength. Momentarily, she wanted to collapse in exhaustion, as her body was still numb from the excessive Chakra she had used in Konoha.
A part of her knew that Kimimaru's prediction of her health was correct. Perhaps she should have rested before taking up yet another mission that was likely to end her life. None of that lamenting could have prepared her for the weakness she felt down to her bones as she masked her body in a henge.
The simple fact was that her white hair didn't offer much in the category of being incognito, and black fit her purpose just fine. It was boring and boring was safe. It would suit her mission, even if it stripped a month from her life. She found she didn't care much for how long she lived anymore.
She jumped from the tree branch, her body turning to smoke before she landed.
The truth is, there isn't a reason for me to live.
It was odd, seeing the group of entertainers from the outside instead of being with them next to one another. It was only once that the Kemuri Oiran had traveled outside the confines of their tiny village to Kaibun. It was a journey that took a week through the border of the land of fire. When they finally arrived, the journey was well worth the hours on the open road. Anomie had never seen such extravagant and beautiful dances in front of such a huge crowd. Dancers from all around the country had come, bringing their skills with them. Anomie still remembered the way they moved so beautifully.
After all, Oiran, while having versatile skills, weren't usually so dedicated in dance. Men would rather lay with a woman than watch her exhibit beautiful talents. Of course, Anomie was never like the other Oiran and neither was Ohashi. She could dance. She could sing. She could fuck.
And of course, she could kill.
Her smoke body drifted to the beautiful flower incrusted carriage, finding a stunning woman inside. Her hair was placed in intricate pins and her tradition dress with long sleeves that were likely double the length of the woman's own body. Anomie's smoke like body entered the compartment, and slowly the smoke took form until she was human once more.
The woman seemed started, and she moved backwards so fast that her head slammed into the compartment. "Who are you?" the woman's question was voiced in a language that Anomie had heard little.
"Ah, a language barrier," Anomie commented. "That could be a problem." With that thought in mind, she leaned forward, stroking her hand over the dancer's cheek. "I take it you're the main act. Your life must be quite tragic and you must have worked hard for that role."
The woman opened her mouth to scream, but Anomie's hand had already turned to smoke, filling the woman's lungs. All that emitted from the woman's lips was a shallow and troubled cough that barely made a sound.
"It's such a troubled life," Anomie whispered. "I sometimes wish that I was born hideous…beautiful people have such difficult lives…short lives…"
"Xiaowei," the voice from outside the carriage rang, causing the woman to attempt to lean back up, but all that came out was another cough.
"Xiaowei?" Anomie asked, as she nonchalantly leaned back into her seat. "Is that your name?" The woman could no longer cough and any sound emitted from her perfect lips was wheezing so low that you'd have to be next to her to hear it. "It's a beautiful name. You will be dying today, Xiaowei. I wanted you to know it's nothing personal—in fact—I love dancers. You are all so lucky. You can be as beautiful as you want…you get to dress in expensive silk and become this beautiful, untouchable flower. Men only get to stare. They can't bend you over and soak in your tears." Anomie briefly wondered if she seemed crazy, rambling to a soon to be dead woman in a language the dead woman didn't understand.
But Anomie didn't quite care.
Killing a person had began to feel like a dance. At first it was difficult and made her cry at the end of the night, but now it was easy to become the rushing current.
Xiaowei collapsed in front of her, but Anomie steadied the woman's shoulders before she could get very far. The foreign dancer nearly looked like she was sleeping when Anomie entered the woman's body. It felt odd, as she had never inhabited the form of a dead woman. The skin felt odd and the body nearly rejected Anomie's Chakra.
And it was painful—but it was safe. With no Chakra to fight for control, Anomie could probably stay. She could probably live out the rest of her life as a dancer by the name of Xiaowei. Although, that would be a simple life—and it would inevitably be far more than Anomie deserved.
The sound of the carriage stopping and the crunching of feet against the ground alerted her. "Xiaowei, we heard coughing, are you ill?"
Anomie only straightened her back, the language was distinct and resembled the words of the people near the small Oasis by the Hanguri Gulf, just south of the Wind country in the east. She had gone there briefly as an Anbu ninja, and again on a mission from Orochimaru. She regretted that the language had not interested her, but her memory was fit for song. Words never meant much to her, but a melody she'd remember forever.
"Above, the sun is falling. We must continue this journey," it felt ridiculous to recite a lyric so calmly, but it seemed to calm the man down and he bowed in respect before closing the compartment door.
When Anomie was alone, she raised her palm in front of her face, finding it was thin and nimble. The long sleeves that resembled scarves made it impossible to fully see her hand, so she was stuck gazing at them through the thin material.
"Above, the sun is falling. We must continue this journey for the moon is now calling," Anomie's voice sang out in the Hua dialect, known in south eastern Wind. "She's the beauty of east. The nation crumbles to dust by the eyes of a beast."
Her voice was different, but sometimes, different wasn't always bad.
»»⎯⎯⎯¤⎯⎯⎯««
"Xiaowei," the man's voice was an annoyance, but moving around the stiffening arms of a corpse was even more annoying. Anomie couldn't say it was difficult, but knowing in the back of her mind that she was in a corpse was an odd factor. It had never been something she'd even consider until she had nearly killed Sakura back in Konoha. She had never inhabited a body as long as she had Sakura, so the drain of her abilities was so great that she doubted she'd ever be able to be in a body so long again. "How is your voice?"
Anomie noticed the way he motioned to his throat as he spoke, and she picked apart words she knew so she could understand what he said. "Yes. I sing fine."
The moment she saw the man's expression, she figured she had said the words in a strange way. "Xiaowei…"
"I'm tired," Anomie said, holding out her hand for the man to grab. He did so, helping her out from the carriage. The moment she felt her feet hit the ground of the village, she was bombarded with the beautifully carved statues of the Grass village. She briefly wondered where Kimimaru was lurking, but knowing him, he was somewhere close.
The Grass village was obviously not on her list of favorites, and the last time she had been here it had been with that freak of nature by the name of Tobi. It was odd—entering this village so openly—that she was now greeted with the smiling faces of awe. Behind her was the rest of the entertainers, but Anomie knew—judging by the extravagant dress that fitted her form like the leaves on a tree—that she was to be the main act.
That in itself was a slight problem, as she didn't know the song, but easily she could learn it.
In that moment, her arm was grabbed by one of the handmaidens, "Xiaowei, do you wish to practice?" The dialect rang out, but Anomie didn't know how to answer without outing herself, so she merely settled for a soft nod.
Perhaps sometimes, things do go according to plan.
She was taken through the village, and Xiaowei's beauty attracted the attention of many of the locals. It was an act that was used to ensnare customers for the celebration, but her eyes were set on only one. She cared little for them as her eyes were set on the man with his broad shoulders and giant blade strapped to his back.
Yamamoto the Lightning Spear.
He didn't look much different from his bingo book photo, and she knew enough about him from said book to read him appropriately. He sat on the bar stool of a sake stall, and the moment she walked by, she noticed his eyes dilate her way.
She knew enough from a little bit of light readings and testimony from previous witnesses to know his weakness was women. It was a common fault as most men set aside a girl's true intentions if those same bitches batted their lashes and opened their legs. A beautiful woman could bring an empire to crumbles if she wished it—and a dark part of Anomie did in fact wish to watch men crumble beneath her feet. Maybe the dust and ashes of their broken bodies would fill the hole in her heart—or perhaps it would cut another hole until her blood bubbled from those holes and she died.
Xiaowei was a beauty that was well fit for gathering the attention of any common fool, but Anomie knew that Yamamoto was no fool. She met his gaze straight on and her lips, decorated in a brilliant red, curled up as she dipped her head. Her sandals glided across the ground without delay, and the walk to the brothel district of the village hidden in the Grass was a long one. It was filled with life and the laughter of children as they crowded the streets in beautiful yukata.
Anomie didn't know much about Grass customs, but she knew enough to understand the importance people had on their tradition. The village was decorated in beautiful decorations and lanterns filled the streets, lit with small flames as she walked closer to the Grass village brothel.
Odd again, that she was so close to a brothel and went to dance and sing instead of lie with the highest bidder. The wooden doors towered overhead in a wonderful splendor as the rest of the entertainers followed behind her. The samurai were stationed on all sides of her, their hands near their swords just waiting for an attack.
She paid no heed, as her body was trained and prepped for any attack yet to come.
"Welcome, honored dancers," the lady who spoke was young with her skin pale with white makeup that barely managed to cover her face like porcelain. The veil shadowed Anomie's eyes as she bowed her head in respect.
"The honor is ours, beloved Tayū," the women behind Anomie said in unison while the smoke woman made sure to hold her tongue. She had been around so many of these celebrations, and she had been around so many courtesans that she knew when to hold her tongue.
The Tayū spoke in the tongue of the Wind country, but Anomie could tell that it was a broken speech. She took a step forward and bowed, watching as the Oiran around her stared at her as if she were a cockroach, scurrying on the ground. Envy was a bitter emotion, but she understood the annoyance these women felt. Their livelihoods were built around selling their body. Beauty was everything, and Xiaowei had enough of it to bring a nation to crumbles.
"The honor is all mine. On the road I caught sight of many flowers," Anomie said slowly, putting together the string of words she had learned from her journey on the road. "But none as beautiful as you."
The Tayū's lips curled in an exquisite grin as she hid behind the cover of her fan. "Poetic." Anomie's lips curled as her hands remained flat against the ground at her side. "May I see your dance?"
Anomie could barely understand the Tayū's words, but judging by the whispering of the woman behind her, she knew what she wanted.
"A flower is so much more beautiful after it has bloomed," one of the woman stepped up and spoke, causing Anomie's lips to curl.
"Foreign speech makes me sick," one of the Oiran whispered, likely believing that none of us could understand. The woman next to her made a shushing sound, causing the Oiran who misspoke to immediately silence.
"I suppose I will have to wait until the celebration to watch how this flower blooms," the Tayu said in swift speed. "Fine. I will wait."
Anomie would not bloom for another brothel. Her petals were already wilted at the ground.
»»⎯⎯⎯¤⎯⎯⎯««
"You've taken to that body well," Kimimaru stated as Anomie lifted her hands from the water and ran it through Xiaowei's long black hair. "Do you plan on keeping it?"
"Walking around in the body of corpse?" Anomie said as she turned in the bath, the water was scolding hot, but Anomie couldn't mind the heat. To be honest, her body was numb and dead from those simple plagues.
Kimimaru shielded his eyes as the water dripped down the woman's breast.
"How much lower can I sink?" she asked with a small smile. "Have you located him? I saw his silhouette at a soju stool."
Kimimaru only closed his eyes while he rested his hands behind his back, "he has eluded me. I believe he realized he was being followed."
Anomie's lips curled up again as she ran her fingers through Xiaowei's hair, "I will drag him out. Weaknesses are called weaknesses for a reason."
"You barely know the language. Can you keep up the act?" Kimimaru asked, and he obviously wasn't intending to offend her, but the annoyance ripped through her chest like a falling dagger.
"I can play any part. Any role. Like the wind, I can go anywhere," she retorted in quick haste.
"You picked it up fast…"
"Women love to talk," Anomie repeated.
"I suppose I should let you know that I caught site of Konoha scouts. It is likely they are after you," Kimimaru stated and Anomie stood so quickly that he barely had time to shield his eyes.
"Kill them. Every last one of them," she ordered. "No interruptions. No failures. There is no room."
"I would like to know how they found us so quickly," Kimimaru said, and Anomie only shook her head.
"Scouts have been increasing day by day in this area. Orochimaru seems to be a threat that has grown…" Anomie closed her eyes as she rung out her hair. "My looks are rather distinct and my face is well known…perhaps I should just become Xiaowei."
Kimimaru blinked, "how long can you stay in there?"
"Her body is dead and her Chakra was never much regardless. It's all me in here and I am keeping her organs alive. If I wished it, I don't think it would be too hard to never leave."
"Would you become a dancer in the Wind country and leave it all behind," Kimimaru asked and she grabbed her silk robes as she stepped out from the bath. She placed them over her shoulders without another thought.
"If I said yes, would you stop me?" she asked, and when the robes covered her body, he met her gaze.
"I would have to kill you," Kimimaru replied.
"Perhaps you'd win," she whispered, and in a flash of speed she was behind the child, placing a dagger to his throat. "But I don't think you have what it takes quite yet."
Another wilted petal of her heart fell to the ground when he glanced at her from over his shoulder, "maybe not today, but if ordered, I'd scourer the country for you."
She laughed as she dropped her hand, "I have no intention of making it easy, but if I were to die, it would not be by the hands of a trained dog."
»»⎯⎯⎯¤⎯⎯⎯««
"A glance from her eyes,
A moment of lies…
Tucked in her gaze
Set this country ablaze….
Another smile turns this nation to ash
No city can stand the lash
A doubt a beauty like her
Will ever be seen again,"
"Yama-kun, isn't she beautiful," Karin Uzumaki's voice ran like a harp as Yamamoto watched the beautiful woman perform a dance he had never before seen. He listened to the song that he couldn't understand, but even so, he eyes were drawn to every move she made. He had never understood the purpose of brothel entertainers, and he'd much prefer the company of a willing woman. "What do you think she's saying?"
"I do not know," Yamamoto answered, and in the crowd, her eyes met his as her song ended. It couldn't have been more than a few seconds, but to him a winter passed by the time she bowed her head.
Takeshi scoffed from next to him, "have you fallen for another one? Need I remind you that we're just passing through? We can't stop for some whore who smiles your way."
Yamamoto glanced at his comrade with a slight smirk, "you think she was smiling at me?"
Takeshi let out a sigh of exasperation as he ruffled Karin's hair, "lets go before someone recognizes us."
"I'd like to think my face has matured since they wrote me into the Bingo book."
"It hasn't," Takeshi retorted as he ushered Karin away.
"Good luck, Yama-kun," Karin said with a parting smile as she adjusted her glasses and disappeared in the crowd.
By the time he glanced back towards the stage, the woman had already disappeared. His eyes searched for her, but he couldn't see the slightest glimmer of her dark hair.
"Disappointment leaves behind a dry taste," a voice said from behind him. He turned around and saw a woman, clad in white silk robes.
"You changed clothes fast," he said slowly when he noticed it was the dancer. "I'm afraid I do not know your language."
"Idiots rarely do," he noticed her lips curled when she spoke, and he briefly wondered what sweet words had escaped. "You stare so intently I was beginning to think your eyes would roll at my feet."
"Are you insulting me?" He asked, and the woman laughed.
"Xiaowei," she greeted, bowing her head.
"Yamamoto," he greeted in return. He made motions with his hands as he spoke. "I liked your song."
Anomie was slightly amused that he spoke so slowly, as if the speed of his speech would aid a person who did not know the language. She bowed her head and smiled as she said, "I am sure the song is not all you enjoyed."
"It's kind of awkward speaking to someone who can't understand you," he admitted with a frown. "But I suppose it must be uncomfortable for you as well."
"And yet you continue to speak? Stupid people are quite strange," Anomie replied, and she noticed him frown.
"Did you just call me stupid?" his question caused her to let out a genuine smile as she covered her mouth with the back of her hand.
"Sake?" Anomie motioned with her hand as a drink for extra emphasis.
"You want me to treat you to sake after you called me stupid?" He asked and took extra notice to the beautiful glint in her eyes as she nodded. "Okay." He held out his hand, which she took with nimble grace.
It was odd. She knew that his hand was against hers, and yet she wasn't able to feel the brush of his skin against hers. Whatever warmth emanated from his body was absent from his touch. Maybe in her own form, she might have felt something from the way he so obviously smiled at her with his heart written on his face.
How strange it was to her that someone as renown as him would give his heart away to a passing face.
"I know you can't understand me," Yamamoto said as he walked the girl to one of the sake stands and sat down, simultaneously ordering a bottle from the man behind the counter. It took him a moment longer to realize that the veiled woman hadn't sat down. "What? You forgot how to sit?"
Anomie only stared before he laughed and pulled out a chair before offering his hand to her. She bowed her head as she took it and sat down.
"I didn't realize you were so wrapped up in manners," he said, pouring her some sake from the glass bottle. She only stared at it with mild interest.
"You, who looks like a mountain, and yet bends over for a pretty face," she whispered, uncovering the veil that shadowed her eyes.
"To tell you the truth," Yamamoto's voice caused her eyes to dart to examine his face as he spoke to a woman who supposedly knew nothing of his language. It was rather cute that he continued to ramble to a foreign stranger. "I never experienced how difficult it was to be in the presence of a beauty and yet not be able to communicate to her how beautiful she is…"
Anomie examined the sake slosh in her round cup before meeting his gaze. She didn't bother with a response, as her minimal knowledge of the language didn't have an appropriate reply without it ending up as gibberish. To be honest, all she really knew were insults and the occasional proverbs that she heard while seducing clients in Kemuri and Konoha.
"I suppose I have to rely on my charm," he said, taking a sip while he finally caught her gaze. She smiled slightly, taking a sip from her own sake. In mere moments she was coughing in disgust. She used her silk dress's sleeve to cover her mouth as Yamamoto lightly patted her back. "Have you never drunk sake before?"
Anomie was an avid drinker, so hearing this response to her act was ridiculous, but of course, for the sake of being the fragile girl that men seemed to idolize…she continued to cough. His hand smacked against her back and yet she still couldn't feel the tapping against this body. It was odd, being in Xiaowei's body was numb and when she closed her eyes she couldn't even feel the wind against her cheeks or the Chakra that was running in her veins. That complete absence of feeling was perhaps the best she had been since Rin died…if not even better.
"Are you alright now?" He asked and she met his gaze.
"Burn," she said in their language and he smiled.
"You have no idea what your face could do," he murmured, and Anomie wanted to scoff.
I know exactly what beauty has brought me. It brought upon my mother's death, being raped and sold to a brothel when I was eight, it brought about isolation and loneliness, and it brought about men loving me until they realized that beauty was all there was to this piece of flesh.
But still, it was rather nice to be called beautiful when she inhabited the body of a corpse. If only they knew the rotten heart that filled this chest, maybe they wouldn't be so keen on bedding her.
"It isn't just your body that's beautiful…but the way you danced," Yamamoto stated. "I've never felt so enchanted."
He speaks a lot of nonsense, Anomie thought with a smile that felt so forced that she thought he was moments from seeing the false curve of her lips.
"I suppose I'm rather easy to enchant considering I've been in the travel of men and children these last couple weeks," he admitted, and she tilted her head to the side, a moment of interest passing through her spine. "To be honest, protecting people has never been my thing, but I've gotten quite used to their faces. It was difficult to find a hotel that would hold so many people in this village. I shouldn't have gone through the trouble if some still wanted to camp in the forest."
Anomie's lips curled upwards at the information, "People talk more freely when they think the person can't understand them."
Yamamoto only stared at her before scooting back, "Y-You understood."
"Quite fluently," Anomie replied simply, watching as Yamamoto did something amazing. He laughed.
"Where have you been my entire life?" his question brought upon an unfamiliar skip in her heart that she hadn't felt until Kakashi had kissed her. "You understood everything I said?"
"That much and more," she replied,
She noticed Yamamoto's brows twitch in interest and she poured him a drink with the same etiquette that she had been trained as an Oiran during a tea ceremony. He watched her so carefully that it was a wonder he didn't see right through her. "You are quite the deceptive woman," he finally admitted.
"I have spent most my life with deceptive people," Anomie said, and it felt strange to speak outside of her act. "I have figured out ways to learn about the inner workings of people's hearts."
"And why were you so curious to learn about my inner workings?" he asked and she felt her heart steady.
It's the easiest way to get you to trust me.
"I liked the way you stared at me," she said, and she noticed his lips curl.
"I do not like being lied to," he admitted in return.
"I did not lie if you did not ask," she replied.
"To tell a half of the truth is to give breath to a new lie," he replied, causing her to smile.
"Perhaps I wish to make you fall for me so I can slit your throat in your sleep," she whispered as she tapped her fingers against the table. He laughed in return, as if she had just told a joke.
Never does a woman lie in a more cunning way than when she tells the truth to someone who doesn't believe her.
She couldn't remember where she had heard that proverb, but she deemed it true. She lifted the clay cup that she had poured the sake into, and she held it near his face.
"What do you say honored customer? Do you wish to take a sip?" She asked in a lull while her lips quirked up. Slowly, she noticed his eyes dilate as they ran over her face and over her neck before stopping at the indent in her breasts.
She pressed her fingertips against his arm, noticing the heat of his skin against hers. "Are you flirting with me?" His question was asked in a husky lull and it caused her cheeks to redden in false embarrassment.
"Was it that obvious?" She asked and she noticed his lips quirk up as he grabbed the glass of clear liquor from her palm. His eyes stayed connected with hers as he raised it to his lips.
Her heart, for an instant, beat a second faster and she found herself smiling along with him. "You're quite the flirt, aren't you?" He asked slowly into Anomie's ear.
"What can I say?" Anomie cursed her emotions to a dark pit inside her chest so she could continue the act. "I see what I want and I obtain it."
"Do you?" He asked slowly, and her eyes nearly widened as she thought back to Kakashi's smile and his touch against her face.
No. I suppose I don't, Anomie didn't voice this truth, but she felt it in her veins.
"Of course, and right now I want to drink with you," she murmured as she took his hand and brought the half full cup of sake to her lips, her fingers wrapping around the back of his hand.
Her eyes stayed connected with his as she brought the liquid to her tongue. It probably would have burned down her throat, but luckily alcohol didn't affect her with her years fucking and drinking. That and the fact that this body was dead.
But I want to serve Orochimaru faithfully and true much more than I want to drink with you.
It took two bottles of sake and three glasses of sake for Anomie to let out a genuine laugh as she continued the game of konpira fune fune. Her hand shook as she handed him the glass to drink.
"Why are you so good at this?" He questioned, causing her shrug
"It was my favorite part of being a courtesan," she said so casually that she instantly knew the man didn't believe her. "Drink."
"No one has ever gotten me to drink so much so soon." He commented and Anomie glanced at his lips as he raised the sake cup to his lips.
"It's a secret talent of mine," she whispered with a smile.
He leaned close, "you're different from other people I've talked to."
Obviously you hadn't been to any brothels in Kemuri. I am sure the ashes and dust on the ground of my room resemble me quite well.
"Wanna know a secret?" She whispered into his ear.
She felt his jaw move as he smiled. "Enlighten me."
"I'm not wearing anything under these robes," she whispered, blowing a kiss against his ear lobe.
If only you could see past my beautiful face and straight to the traitorous blood covering every inch of my body.
But men never mind the horns of a demon just so long as it was a beautiful demon.
»»⎯⎯⎯¤⎯⎯⎯««
She glanced over at Yamamoto's naked back near her form, covered with sheets while she was left cold and naked. She rolled her eyes and stood up in one quick motion, not bothering to cover her form as she walked around the bed and gathered her kimono from the ground.
She didn't feel Kimimaru's Chakra anywhere near, but she knew he couldn't be far. She slipped on her clothes and walked closer to Yamamoto, finding that he was out cold with no chance of waking for a long while considering the amount of sleeping poison she slipped in his shochu.
She leaned down, brushing her lips over his cheek before she slowly used her other hand to unsheathe his Kunai from his weapons pouch. She raised it over his neck.
Once slice and she would be free.
Just one and she could complete her mission. It shouldn't be so hard. She had killed so many before that she didn't want to so this wouldn't be any different.
How would she ever be able to kill Kakashi if she felt so reluctant to slit some ninja stranger that she fucked once? It didn't mean anything.
She laid her forehead against the mattress and her hand fell against his neck.
"You mean to let him live?" Kimimaru's voice echoes from behind her and she swiftly stood.
"Is that so wrong?" She asked in a monotone. "He's obviously not a very good ninja if he fell for a ploy such as ours. He is no threat."
Kimimaru shrugged his shoulders and he closed the window behind him. "I can see you've convinced yourself of that completely."
"Is that so wrong?" She repeated.
"You always told me that you didn't believe in maybes and possibilities and chances." Kimimaru stated simply.
"I said that?" It sounded like the kind of heartless words that I would say. "You're right."
"Do you want me to do it?" He asked and she hissed a curse his way. He smirked and motioned to the clock as he walked over to the scrolls all over the desk and grabbed them with a mild look of interest.
"Leave I'll take care of this mess."
"As you wish."
And he left, leaving Anomie to kill her heart once more.
»»⎯⎯⎯¤⎯⎯⎯««
"What are these scrolls?" She asked and Kimimaru opened one in a swift motion.
It was the scribbles that Anomie noticed first, as they were a deep shade of red. It took her a moment longer to realize that they were markings of names written in blood. The very last one was Yamamoto's name and seal, causing Anomie to furrow her brows together.
"This is a summoning scroll," she whispered, and Kimimaru glanced up from it to look her way.
"Summon what?" He asked and she shook her head.
"We can find out later. Summoning rituals are dangerous and it requires a lot of Chakra. We don't want to deal with an angry and unknown animal."
"We did kill its former master," Kimimaru added in agreement and Anomie shook her head as she rolled it back up, feeling the grass on her palms when she did.
"For now, let's find that refuge. We have a Uzumaki to obtain."
"We know it's in the west. He had recent currency of the Mizugahara district."
"The Uzumaki are a conspicuous bunch," she murmured, patting Kimimaru's back. "We will find them in no time."
"How many do you think this Lightning ninja had under his command?"
"We just need one. Kill the rest."
She didn't care if they were children or adults. The weak would die in this world regardless of any mercy she showed. To put it simply, she no longer cared about anything in this world anymore.
"Do you plan to stay in that body?" Kimimaru asked, and she glanced his way. "It has no further use."
"He stated that many under his command are staying in a hotel in the Grass village," Anomie said, ignoring his comment. Kimimaru sighed. "And the others are in the forest."
"All that was there were Lightning ninja. It seems like they fled. Perhaps we weren't as careful as we thought," Kimimaru replied, to which Anomie shrugged off.
"We killed their leader…much like a bear, the cubs won't live long without their mother to protect them."
Author's Note
チューリップ or Chūrippu means a one-sided love. In English it is a yellow tullip.
For the most part, this a longer chapter in my attempts to make up for that long ass hiatus from writing that I took. To be honest, my writing ideas have diminished this year, mostly because of stress and money problems, but I'm getting them back.
This chapter was incredibly dark this time around, and I feel kind of bad because I'm putting Anomie through so much crap, but things go wrong before getting better. Kakashi is in the next chapter and they will be reuniting soon enough, hopefully she doesn't stab it this time. Maybe. Maybe not.
Ohh and of course, she did have a brief fling with this ninja in this chapter, and I based the eastern Wind country off feudal China, just cause all Japanese is kind of boring. And as a girl who knows Japanese fluently, it's gotten kind of old. What can I say, China's just much better .
And the song is loosely based off of all the beautiful women that drove Chinese emperors to fucking up their country. Concubines and empresses alike.
Thank you for reading and see you next tim! .
