A/N: Ah at last, the our internet line is back! Sorry for the delays. Enjoy!

Whatever It Is…

Chapter V:

Old Acquaintances

The battle had begun. Ren and Akane battled with all their might against the dark power inside Ren. Akane had summoned her boomerang and threw it to the enemy. The impostor made an impenetrable shield around her that all the attacks that the two made would be useless. Ren tried to teleport to the inside of the barrier but she was thrown out as soon as she got near. They also tried to combine their power to destroy the barrier but to no avail.

"Is that all you can do?" the impostor laughed evilly, "I expect that there would be a good fight between us."

"You want a good fight, huh?" Akane said irritably, "Then get out of that damn shell and I'll show you what a good fight is like!"

"Nah-ah-ah, that's what you call strategy, beginner." The impostor said teasingly while poking his tongue out.

Akane got enough of the insult and tugged the boomerang back to her. This time, she positioned herself as if she was going to throw a Frisbee. Ren could see a black, white, and brown glow around her. Ren shivered. It means that Akane was going to put all her energy on to that attack. Worse was…

"Sis," Ren called nervously, "remember, you were inside me. If this attack misses…"

"Chill out." Akane murmured and threw the boomerang with all her might.

The half of the boomerang crashed through the barrier but the impostor quickly reinforced the shield and the boomerang flew out and bounced around. Akane tried to catch it but she missed. Now, the boomerang was going to strike Ren inevitably!

"Ren-san!" Tobi suddenly shrieked and embraced her tightly the boomerang had hit him instead of Ren.

"Oh my gosh, Tobi!" Ren exclaimed while holding Tobi on her arms.

"Don't worry Ren-san, Tobi will be alright…" Tobi said assumingly, "Tobi just got a light scratch."

"THE HELL YOU WERE SAYING!? CAN'T YOU SEE THAT THERE'S A BOOMERANG TOWARDS ME!? WORST OF ALL, YOU GOT INJURED!" Ren said angrily while preventing tears to come out.

"Tobi's glad because Tobi saved Ren-san." Tobi said weakly but there's still a tone of joy.

Akane stared with horror at the two. She felt guilt and anger within her. She tugged again the boomerang back to her and closed her eyes.

"Look what you had made me to do…" Akane whispered then turning to Ren, "Go and heal your comrade. I'll finish this as quickly as possible."

"Sis…"

"Just go and do your thing!"

Ren obeyed and used her chakra to heal Tobi's wound. Akane closed her eyes for a minute. To everybody's surprise, they all saw that Akane had now crimson red eyes with three pupils—Sharingan.

"She has Sharingan!?" Tobi said to himself, "Wait…I think I remember someone who wasn't an Uchiha but had Sharingan, not the Copy Ninja, but could that be possible that it was her!?"

"Aha, now we are getting serious." The impostor said while putting out the barrier and readying to fight, "Better give me a good fight."

Akane made the first move. She jumped and threw a fan of kunai on the mid-air. The enemy side-stepped and threw a single kunai with a paper explosive tied to it. Akane twisted her body and evaded the attack then swiftly threw the boomerang towards the impostor. It almost cut the enemy's left arm if only she countered it by teleporting to another place.

"Dang, why isn't this power working with Tobi's wound?" Ren grumbled uneasily, "If this continues…"

"Tobi can't breathe…" the orange masked boy complained.

Ren started to panic. "W-what d-do you…mean?" she faltered

Tobi did not respond at his fellow Akatsuki member. Ren palpitated at him but he did not utter a single word. This time, Ren could not hide her tears. She didn't want to lose anybody important to her. She stood up without taking her eyes off to Tobi and suddenly, a silver aura enveloped her. Her eyes changed again into raven black iris with a steel gray pupil. She quickly summoned twin katana and dashed towards the undefeated fiend.

Akane suddenly stopped fighting, she can feel the tremendous power within Ren "What the heck!?" she suddenly said then looking at Ren and Tobi, "Hm, the thing I had put at the boomerang was powerful but it could only disarm the one who was hit. It can't really kill the victim. But I think she had no knowledge on this and thought that his comrade was dead. In any case, this could defeat that creep. I'd better hide behind her before I get involved with her wrath." She said to herself then jumping beside Tobi.

"So you've finally shown your capabilities, eh?" the impostor said coolly, "I've been itching to fight you again, Spirit of Light."

"Spirit of Light, what does that creep mean?" Akane said to herself while looking at Ren, "I know she's not human but…I'm very much confused."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Ren replied hastily, "But one thing's for sure—you're DEAD!"

Ren gave a bunch of heavy strikes but the enemy evaded it like she was dancing. Ren got furious and summoned shadow clones to attack her quickly. It took awhile for her plan to work out until one of her attacks scratched the enemy's neck deeply. The impostor roared in pain then she waved her hand and all the clones disappeared and only the original Ren left there.

"Errgh, you like to play that tough." The impostor said haughtily, "I can play that kind of game too!"

A jet black aura rose from the ground. Her hair became silvery white. A strong gust of wind blew from the east that Akane and Ren must summon a pillar to hold on to. The wind blew stronger and stronger that it eventually turned into a hurricane. It whirled around and around then their enemy jumped in the middle of the hurricane then and the wind ceased.

"I am Kokoro, the Spirit of Blight." Kokoro said darkly followed by a horrifying echo, "The only way to dominate this body is to annihilate the two people who has the same power—you!"

"R-Ren-chan," Akane called out, "this is getting more serious. We have to combine our powers to defeat this thing."

Ren shook her head, "No sis, only I could defeat her, remember?" she said with determination.

Akane pouted, "I know that you are her half. But you had just returned to your senses! I don't think we should take that risk!"

"We have to… now that your power was weakened." Ren said sully as she prepared to attack.

Meanwhile outside Ren's room, Deidara was pacing back and forth impatiently while Zetsu sat on the sofa, talking to himself. It's been an hour and a half ever since Akane had entered Ren's consciousness but still then there was not single news.

"We shouldn't have trusted that stranger." Zetsu's white side said bitterly.

"Don't doubt our decision, fool. I'm pretty sure we were right on our choice." Zetsu's dark side confidently said.

"But there's not single news on what's happening!" Zetsu's white side argued.

"That just mean that their enemy wasn't just an ordinary one," the darker side explained, "Let's just hope for the best."

Deidara sighed. He's disappointed of himself that he could not help Ren. Absentmindedly, he went in front of the door of Ren's room and pushed it a little. He was surprised that the door didn't open. He pushed it a little harder but it didn't budge a bit.

"What could be wrong, un?" Deidara wondered to himself.

Suddenly, a black glare appeared quickly at the gap between the door and the wall. After that, a thick, black smoke escaped from the space. Panicking, Deidara pounded on the wall but the door did not open. He quickly made five clay spiders to open the door and attached it. Zetsu was about to inquire what's happening but Deidara quickly grabbed him and dragged him outside the hideout. Deidara made the seal and in no time, a small explosion commenced.

"And just what the heck are YOU doing!?" Zetsu asked furiously, "Have you lost your mind, trying to express your art sense inside the headquarters?"

Deidara advanced inside the hideout as if he had heard nothing. Zetsu shrugged his shoulders and followed him through the thick smoke.

"Ren, what happened, un?" Deidara asked as soon as he got a hold of her arm.

He heard several coughing before the smoke disappeared in a flash. Then, Deidara saw Ren, leaning weakly against the wall. Ren passed out but Deidara caught her and placed her onto her bed.

"What just happened?" Zetsu asked, losing track of events.

"The culprit escaped, that's all." Akane said half sarcastically, half bitterly, "Oh and about your com—!"

She was about to tell about Tobi's condition but she saw Tobi, standing at the bedside as if nothing happened. Akane froze. She knew that kind of genjutsu that accidentally hit Tobi had a long lasting effect that the victim could regain consciousness after two weeks or so.

"There's only one person I know in this world who did counter that thing." Akane thought, "Could it be…no, no, he's not him. I know he's already dead. But why do I feel that it was him?"

"Akane-san," Tobi suddenly asked, "would Ren-san be alright?"

Akane stared at him keenly, "Y-yeah, she would be alright." She said coolly then turning to Deidara who was shaking Ren, "She just needs fresh air so move over, ma'am."

Deidara looked sharply at her, "What did you say, un!?" he whispered furiously.

"I said move over so Ren-chan could breathe more fresh air, ma'am."

"I'm not a girl!" Deidara shouted.

Akane chuckled, "Honestly, the first time I saw you, I thought you were a gay."

Deidara already lost his temper and almost threw all the clay bombs that he had made the whole day but Tobi and Zetsu managed to calm him down.

"Oh, sorry if I have offended you I am just so confused at your gender, sir." Akane said frankly. Then she grabbed Tobi by the collar and dragged him outside.

"And what do you think you are doing?" Zetsu asked sternly.

Akane turned back, "I just want to talk to him." She said then went outside with Tobi.

"There's only one thing to confirm my suspicions." Akane thought.

"What do you want with Tobi?" Tobi whimpered when she released him.

Akane said nothing. She stretched her arms and breathed deeply. Tobi wondered if she would beat him up. But his fears slightly vanished when Akane flashed a friendly smile at him. Tobi sat down on the ground beneath the shade of a huge tree as Akane paced back and forth like a prisoner freed after long years of imprisonment.

"Ah, it's good to be back into my old self again. But frankly, I'm a bit afraid of going back into this world." Akane quipped, "Tell me, uh, Tobi right? How could you get into a person's consciousness?"

"Tobi doesn't know anything." Tobi said but when he saw Akane staring at him stonily she quivered, "T-Tobi is a g-good boy, Tobi doesn't l-lie." He stammered.

Akane sighed, "Don't you remember me?" she said seriously as she looked directly Tobi in the eye, "…Madara-sensei. I am Akane, the five year old kid you had taught many years ago."

A/N: I'll try to submit the other chapters sooner or later .Reviews are welcome.