.
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Hana
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"I still don't get why we need her. We're a great duo. People are practically begging for their lives as soon as their eyes land on us. We're notorious. We don't need a woman."
The silent Uchiha looks at the blue man through his dark locks but doesn't say a word, and Hana is left wondering if he really shares his teammate's view (if they even call themselves that) or if he sees some potential in her, somehow. She awaits his answer, a bowl of steaming rice in her hands, but when the silence stretches for too long, she gets up and plants herself in front of the shark man.
"You're trying to get him for years with no results. I have insights that you clearly don't, and that will help you complete your task. And woman or not, you know I can kick your ass."
The man stands up to align his face with hers.
"I would like to see you try." His hand twitches on the handle of his giant sword, and a deep growl rumbles in his chest, but unmoved, Hana meets his glare dead on, her own hand moving above her shoulder towards her favourite weapon. However, a sudden grip on her forearm halts her movement. She glances at Itachi with a scowl.
"Stop it. Both of you."
Kisame sits back with a grunt, and after one last glance at the Uchiha's stern expression, Hana drops her arm in defeat and walks away from camp, disappearing through the foliage.
"I'm going to the river. No peeping, or I kill you."
She vanishes into darkness without a sound, something that amazes even the genius Uchiha and, upon meeting the shore, strips out of her black ninja gear and enters the lukewarm water. The strong current washes away the blood and sweat coating her body as she lets herself float, face up, with eyes staring at the descending moon.
What is she doing here, with them? Did she choose the right path? Will it all be worth it in the end?
Her eyes close as she lets her worries bubble up to the surface. She cannot decide for the love of God. Someone else should do this for her, make a plan, draw a precise map with a clear path. Someone like the insufferable Uchiha Sasuke, who she misses more than she would like to admit. Three years together against Orochimaru's minions have changed their dynamic quite a lot, and she got used to following the brat wherever he goes.
She remembers when she first joined her present, unconventional team, the foolish thought she had that Itachi could somehow replace the younger Uchiha. A chuckle escapes her lips at the thought because now that she got to know the older brother better, she can confirm they are polar opposites. Something terrible, darker than the Uchiha massacre, must have broken Itachi beyond repair. There are no expressions crossing his handsome features, no emotions at all, just immeasurable fatigue, whereas Sasuke's life is a bundle of emotions, of energy and passion he can never fully tame.
Hana hoists her body on a cold rock and eyes her reflection in the stream. She runs a hand through her short, white locks. Why did she do that to herself? Not just the dye, but the treasons, the naivety, and the whole cocktail of poor decisions?
If only she hadn't let Kabuto purr false hope into her ears, if only she hadn't been so young, perhaps she would have understood nobody needs a family to know who they are.
Hana splashes the water in front of her, blurring her reflection, and steps out of the stream, avoiding looking at her body and its multiple scars.
Back at camp, she reclaims her spot by the fire, where Itachi is waiting with his obsidian eyes lost in the dancing flames. "What can you tell us about them?" he asks as soon as she sits on the fallen tree.
"I've already told you all that I know, Uchiha. They're all damaged goods, some more than others, which brought them all together as one weird, dysfunctional family. Kakashi is to be dealt with first, but Naruto has always been the most unpredictable of the lot. And if nothing has changed, he's still head-over-heels for her, and we can use that to our advantage."
The sudden flash of annoyance that crosses Itachi's features takes Hana off guard. "And what about the girl, Haruno Sakura? You were in her head; you must know more about her."
"Why do you care? She isn't your target. Last time I check she was the weakest link."
Obsidian clashes with her dark pools of black. "Do I have to remind you I've already met her twice? You're withholding information, Nezumi. Haruno Sakura never occurred to me as someone we can easily use as bait."
She cannot hold back a snort and shakes her head. "You and your brother have more in common than I thought. Don't let her pretty face and long pink hair deceive you, Uchiha."
She hears Kisame laugh somewhere in the dark, but Itachi silences him quickly. "I'm not talking about that. What I want to know is the type of kunoichi she is."
Hana drops her gaze, stares at the glowing embers as flashbacks of another time, another life, come rushing back. "She's selfless," she begins after a while, meeting Itachi's stare again. "And she would do anything for the people she loves, perhaps even for her village. She always knows what to say, what to do to make everyone feel better. I guess you could say she's perfect, and I despise her for that."
Kisame lifts his torso up and leans on one elbow, his weird eyes peering at her through the heat of the flames. So that's where he's been all this time.
"She looks boring if you want my opinion. Hope you're not jealous. Looks won't take her very far," he rasps, rubbing his chin.
"Looks are deceiving," Itachi intervenes, getting up, and his words come to Hana with a swirl of wind, cutting through her heart as twigs tangle in her hair, grazing her face. She remembers Sasuke saying the same thing on multiple occasions. He was wearing it like an oath, throwing it in a detached yet assertive way, with a curl of his sensual tongue.
Fate is a weird thing. Not over thirty minutes ago, she had hoped to find a bit of her old teammate in Itachi. But now that she has, she wishes it had never happened. If it weren't for the sight of white spiders walking into the fire, Hana would have probably thrown a kunai at something with the need to break, to splint trees in two, hearts in pieces. Instead, she jumps as sparks erupt from the flames.
"It's time," Itachi states as Kisame extinguishes the fire.
Fifteen minutes later, there is no sign of any camp, no remnant of Hana's sorrow. An explosion resounds nearby, quickly followed by another that brings a cloud of smoke in its wake. At the first sounds of a chase, the three cloaked rogues run towards the mayhem.
When Hana reaches Danzo's troop, she's overwhelmed by the bright colours illuminating the path. She counts the number of pink-haired girls in front of her, ignoring the pang in her chest. She's still too small, too pretty. Her hair is reaching her waist again, evokes the colour of spring. And again, two taller guys flank her, one who reminds her greatly of a giant sunbeam, and the other grim, grey. After some time, the crowd of silver, blond and pink scatters in every direction, and only one trio stays on the road to Suna. Hana glances at her two teammates with a mocking smirk. Kisame's face mirrors her expression, but as usual, the Uchiha doesn't even blink. Her attention snaps back forward at a sudden, distant shout. Something stirs in her belly, but before she can dwell on what it means, the tree she's about to land on topples forward. With widening eyes, Hana redirects her course to another branch, her heart beating fast. That wasn't Naruto's voice; it was female; it was her.
"Half of you, follow this path." Hana jerks her head back to eye the stern Uchiha. "We stay focused," he adds, eyes locking with hers. "The jinchūriki is right in front of us."
She frowns but still returns her gaze forward as Kisame's chuckle reaches her ears and welcomes the crowds of charging clones with discomfort. When the last of Sakura's copies appears to her left and punches the man next to her, it reminds Hana that the real pink-haired girl isn't here, that once again, the martyr has been willing to sacrifice everything for the sake of that yellow hair brat.
After slicing through the last of the Narutos, Hana notices the disappearance of Danzō's troop, the only people remaining being two men wearing Akatsuki cloaks. Panic settles in when she realizes that the masked men left to assist their other teammates against the pink-haired kunoichi.
"You know it's a lure," she mutters through gritted teeth. "So why send them after her?"
Her question remains unanswered for a while, but then Itachi appears right in front of her, halting their course with one hand to her shoulder that roots her to the spot. Sharingan peers at her narrowed eyes through long eyelashes.
"We don't need them, and they obviously prefer chasing after a pretty girl than a loud jinchūriki." He pauses to bite his thumb. "Why do you care?"
Hana remains silent as the Uchiha summons a pair of giant crows. But while both men jump on them, the young woman stays behind, arms crossed, eyes piercing holes through Itachi's skull.
"What are you waiting for?"
When her glare meets two annoyed, crimson eyes, she jumps behind Kisame, and the birds take flight. In only two or three flapping of wings, they catch up with the target and land in a tree as the two running men emerge from the foliage.
"I have to say I'm not surprised at all, senpai."
Kakashi halts, yanks Naruto back by his shirt. His mismatched eyes trail down the row of cloaked rogues, but do a double take when they reach her form.
"Wolf?"
She smirks in answer.
"You knew it was a suicidal move, and yet, you let her go." The silver-haired man tenses, and Hana glances at her new captain, trying to read through his stern expression. "The mission comes first. Am I not right, senpai? The village comes first. No matter the cost. Such a waste of talent. I heard a lot of great things about her."
"Bastard! She's not dead, so don't talk about her that way. You don't know her. She's stronger than those stupid traitors!" The blue man bursts out laughing, but before Naruto lunges at him, Kakashi stretches an arm. "Naruto, relax, don't fall into his trap. Stay calm and keep your emotions in check. We cannot risk letting Kyūbi take control. Not now."
A nod, then Naruto's eyes return to Itachi's feet. From her perch, Hana can see the pulsing of a vein on his forehead.
"I guess you know a thing or two about sacrifices and the village coming first, Uchiha," Kakashi spits back then, and Hana senses a change in Itachi's posture. Before someone else notices the weakness, she steps forward, chin up.
"She always gives, with nothing in return, and after all those years, you all still take advantage of that."
Kakashi's attention snaps to her, his eyes dissecting her from head to toe, stopping on her short silver hair, her bushy eyebrows, and then her dark, dark eyes in which she tries to convey all the hatred in the world.
"Is it really Wolf?"
Naruto's voice wavers, distracts her attention from the silver-haired man. The blond is wearing a clear frown on his handsome features. He's changed so much, she notices with a tugging at her heart.
"Not that you would care," Kakashi answers her, ignoring Naruto's question. "If I remember correctly, you despised her and her civilian heritage."
Hana returns her eyes on Kakashi to notice his own frown, his gaze lost somewhere else, in a time where children were flowing through his fingers, running like water. She wants to help him remember, needs him to remember.
"Oh, no. You're mistaken. You did kill Wolf," Hana answers, picking at her nails. "And I couldn't care less about that clan supremacy bullshit."
"Who are you, then?" Naruto asks, but she knows Kakashi already connected the dots.
"You are Nezumi Hana."
Naruto's gasp almost makes her laugh. "I am, Kakashi-sensei," she answers, a smirk gracing her lips.
The element of surprise, the only signal Kisame needs before lunging at the silver-haired man. A wince escapes Hana's lips as she fetches her weapon of predilection, a sharp bone that pierces through the skin of her back as drops of blood roll down her spine. She braces herself for the pain, then pulls on the white, long vertebra. Her heart swells with pride upon noticing Kakashi's and Naruto's widened eyes.
"Forgive me," she whispers to no one, everyone, but mostly to the sunny blond boy.
She hurls herself onward, and Naruto responds to her challenge when she drops a few feet down on the forest floor.
She crouches, hands flat on the ground. "Jigoku Sōsō!" Bones emerge from the earth to trap the blond in a prison of femurs and ribs, but he escapes it with impressive speed. A growl escapes his lips when a sharp bone scratches his thigh as he slips through the white bars. He applies pressure to the wound and glares at her through blond locks of dripping sweat.
"Why are you doing this? I thought we were friends!"
She cocks her head to the side, trying to ignore the jolts those words brought to her decaying heart. "Friends? Naruto, you don't know me. How can you consider me a friend?"
Kakashi lands on Naruto's side, mismatched eyes glued to the prison of bones. "She's right, you don't know –"
He avoids Kisame's giant sword as the blue man lands in front of him.
"You missed your target, mouse." Her teammate redirects his shark eyes on her. "I told you it was different being outside the trap."
She narrows her eyes, but Naruto regains her attention when he steps forward. "Alright, maybe I don't know you, or not as much as you wish I would, but is this a reason to kill me? Why would you do that to me, to Sakura? What good will it do to you?"
Possibly nothing, but perhaps she would get closer to finding answers as well. How to know?
She turns two lost eyes towards Itachi upon his landing, trying to find answers through the line of his so damn tired face.
"Sakura told me all about the letters you two exchanged during that time," Kakashi steps in, attracting her attention. "She cared about you, forgave you for what you did to Sasuke. But she lost him, and then her parents. Don't take us away from her too."
"What happened to her parents?"
"Danzō's vacation house," Naruto answers with a fire in his eyes.
She cocks her head to the side, but at the sound of Kisame's sigh, steels herself for the upcoming words. "I lost mine too, just like you, Naruto, and you, Kakashi. Why do we have to treat her differently? And what if I learn more about my family if I stay with them, help them? I'm sorry, guys, but I need this. And I don't mind being selfish. She would understand."
She lifts her weapon in front of her, widening her stance, but stops when Kakashi redirects his eyes on the Uchiha behind her. "Itachi chose the wrong family once, and look where it got him. Don't make the same mistake, Hana-chan."
He waves some hand signs and applies his hands to the ground.
"Doton, Tsuchi Nami No Jutsu!"
She gasps when the earth underneath her feet quiver, making her lose her balance. The forest floor turns into waves of mud under her widening eyes, concealing Naruto and Kakashi from the Akatsuki members. Hana glances back at the Uchiha, biting her bottom lip as only a true Haruna Sakura would do. The man answers her query by closing his eyes, and she doesn't know if it's in annoyance, but she takes it as a sign that he doesn't care and turns to the people that, for an unknown reason, seem to do.
Her hands move by themselves, her feet push her over the growing pile of mud, and she lets her estranged chakra course through her veins.
"Kokkaku, Hari Nezumi No Jutsu!"
She stops mid air, body swirling on itself at an increasing pace, a loud scream escaping her mouth. Bones protrude from her callous skin, then get expelled when she reaches the perfect speed, the perfect circumference. Itachi avoids the projectiles by disappearing in a cloud of crows, and Kisame uses water to slow them down and find shelter.
Hana's eyes have closed under the pain, her brain temporarily shut, but the reality comes rushing back when she lands on someone's back. Her hands wrap around broad shoulders of their own accord.
"I'm sorry, sensei, but I don't think we'll be fast enough," she hears Naruto say in front of her, and she opens her eyes to realize her head lies on Kakashi's back.
"I know where we can hide," it's just a whisper, but they both hear her. "I'm healing fast, drop me." Not waiting for Kakashi to obey, Hana jumps to the ground to take the lead, ignoring the pain brought with each step.