Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Third scene is a lemon; skip if mature content isn't suitable for you.

"Speech"

Thoughts


Trapped in the darkness, the darkness that was pressing in, squeezing all around her. Like the walls of a coffin, closing in, death constraining her body. She squirmed around a bit, a little uncomfortably, but found that the more she struggled, the tighter the blackness pressed in on her. Her grave, she supposed it was.

A thought occurred to her - such a cliché situation, so typical, and yet she was still rendered helpless as the walls pushed in. Suffocating, the feeling of being buried. Buried alive, where only the dead should have been. So perhaps she was already cursed. But then, all mortals were doomed to death anyway. And in this world, all mortals doomed to suffer... so her situation was nothing unique.

Still uncomfortable; she felt the bands of earth press against her chest. There was no air to draw breath from, no life to revitalize her aching body. But still, she had to press on. Rather, survive, without anything to help her.

All the life stolen from her dying body. All of her energy taken away - at her stomach gnawed an aching hunger, and in her muscles burned the lethargic fire, but even that was ebbing, ebbing slowly as the darkness continued squeezing in on her body.

And then there was another figure in the dark. Pressed up right beside her, cold and clammy like the recent dead. It probably was, given her current situation, and though she was used to death by now, it was still mildly disturbing to be hugging a corpse... a corpse, stripped bare, its cold skin slick against her own, its hands wrapped around her naked body, as if in the death embrace of two lovers.

She raised a hand, tentatively, tracing the lines of the face, the short, jagged hair that had wilted with death, then over the closed eyes, and the bones in the cheeks.

And suddenly she was able to see again, and her eyes widened as she saw who it was.

The bright, orange hair, his strong, but now dead face - Yahiko!

She closed her eyes, unable to bear the sight, trying to escape from his dead arms, but the darkness around her still pressed down, preventing her from moving at all. She tried to draw breath as she felt her chest crushed into his, but the slight effort of that made her head tilt down, right over his head, and then her eyes flew open of their own accord, gracing her with the sight of his dead - peaceful - but still dead face.

Why? I... know he's dead. I know... it's because of me. I should be here with him. I already know that. Why show it to me?

She closed her eyes again, biting her lip. And the darkness pressed down harder. Crushing her into Yahiko's body... for a moment she felt like laughing - the irony of it was astonishing. How right it was - rather, how right it felt; she had always wanted to be with him, embraced in his arms. Not just as a person he loved, but as a lover. Like now, but not like this. But irony, the irony that now that he was dead, she could get what she wanted. To be taken into his arms as a lover, if she were to die herself. Embraced in the arms of death...

It is right... she acknowledged that fact. It was right that she should die as well, because she had killed him and she had been the cause of so much strife in the world - she had caused so many horrible things to be done; if not directly, she had mediated them. It was right that she should die, especially if she could have taken Yahiko's place in the realm of death, because she should have been the one to die when they had gotten caught by Hanzo. But it hadn't worked out that way and now Yahiko's soul was consigned to oblivion.

Now, however, it seemed that she was to join him. Ironic, that it was in death, but that was the way things worked out in the ninja world. No peace, no fulfillment, except in death.

She wanted to laugh at the irony of it all, but the feeling of bitterness eating at her heart was far too strong for even that. Fortunately, she hoped, it would go away soon when she died, and then she could rest peacefully in his arms, her body as cold and lifeless as his. In some ways, death, a blessing. No more responsibility. No more pain.

Horribly selfish - the thought crossed her mind at her eyes flew open again.

Yes, it was selfish, she knew. Abandoning all the people she was supposed to protect. Abandoning Nagato...

And her silver irises disappeared beneath her eyelids. The debate, a dilemma. So many times, she had considered it. A simple slice of the kunai across her wrists, and it would be done. So many times considered, so many times failed. And this decision, no different. So it's not time, then. I still must live. In that case...

She sensed a bit of light behind her eyelids. Her eyes opened and she squinted as the glare of an intense beam of light shone on her face and began growing larger, slowly swallowing her body whole. Slowly, it grew, almost blinding, but she still did not look away.

And the darkness faded gradually as the world came back into view.


Konan sat up with a gasp.

Another dream...

Just another dream. Just another... she shook her head and got up, wiping the sweat from her face and neck with a towel. Just another dream... yes, it was just another one. After all, almost every day, she had something like that happen. Either it was out seeing her people massacred, or being reminded of what she had lost - being reminded that it was her fault. Nothing out of the ordinary.

She felt her legs shake - her body was still a little weak, strained and aching from her battle with Madara. So I did not sleep for long. Or I am getting old. Perhaps. But she was never a very energetic person, nor did she heal very quickly. Just... used to dealing with pain.

She looked around. It was still raining outside, just a little, carrying with it the sensation of tranquility that pervaded her darkened room. The light pitter patter of water splashing against the side of the building, a soothing rhythm that was at once chaotic and irregular, yet calming and not at all frantic. The light, dimmed from the grey hued clouds, formed the slightly melancholic, but ethereally beautiful veil over the city that she had grown accustomed to over the years.

Someone had made a pot of tea earlier and left it, still steaming, next to her bedside. A smile touched her lips and she poured a cup of it, warming her hands as she sat in front of her window.

The rain in Amegakure had always been pure and soothing, like the world itself was washing away all of the pain, of the past, of the present, and the pain still to come. The rain was endless, the freed souls released from the heavens; for each new death, a new drop of water... another person released from the shackles of life and war.

Drip...drip... she looked up into the sky, now a light grey, occasionally punctuated by areas of a pale cerulean, where the sun was trying to peek through... The color of her eyes, dull on the surface, but filled with so much chaos beneath.

The rain still falling, rippling out as it touched the puddles on the ground, like the waves of the Rinnegan, those eyes once distorted with power, hatred, grief, but now calm and complacent again, if still a bit gloomy.

She looked into the sky for the longest time. From sky to earth, she and him, both there, together, but there was something missing... of course there was. There was no Yahiko. His admittedly gaudy, but very unique glowing, warm color, it was absent from the sky. The naive color of idealism... of course it would be gone from the harsh reality that they live in. Reality... the falling rain, the calm, endless cloud that hangs over Amegakure, it didn't quite represent reality either. The harshness of war, nor the bitter unfulfillment of the shinobi world. A reprieve from everything, though it was not quite the same as Yahiko's arduous color had been. Gloomier, but also less agitated, less violent than reality was.

She felt someone approach behind her, then sit next to her. Without looking, she knew who it was. They both sat there for an eternity in silence, looking into the sky, watching the unceasing rainfall fall onto the city below. Silent, a pair of statues, basking in the wondrous heavens and the hell that their world was.

Instinctively, she put a hand over his - usually the most affection she showed any more - and felt his warmth, almost hot against her cold skin.

"Perhaps it would have been better if Yahiko was here as well," he spoke suddenly, his voice smooth, blending in with the rhythm of the rain.

She smiled sadly and took a sip of her tea. Silence again. They sat next to each other, frozen in space, enthralled by the watery skies. Glancing at each other every so often as well, barely reading into each others' emotions. He had always been very emotional when they were still children and was much more apt to showing it as well. He had gotten good at hiding it over the years, but the emotions were still there. Even when he had been Pein, still, it was not hard to tell what he was feeling at any given moment, as long as one read into it. Especially next to her - she was the true enigma. BWhen he looked at her face, it was every little twitch of the eye and mouth, the slightest curve of her lips either up or down, eyes sometimes narrowing just a tiny bit, irregularities in her breathing or blinking, all those little tiny details, and even then he would not know what she was thinking. He could guess - his guesses were usually fairly close, but she was very much a mystery to him still.

However, in this moment, he knew exactly what she was thinking about... judging by that peculiar mix of nostalgia, happiness, and grief in her eyes, it had to have been one thing. There was a slight sense of dreariness and gloom about the rain as they thought about their dead friend. His body, now within a gigantic pit of paper flowers, in a shrine that they both visited as often as possible - usually every day. But it was his soul that was gone... or was it? Now that the ice had melted a little from both their hearts, they felt like perhaps he was still with them. That his dreams had, after all this time, lived on in them.

The clouds outside began to darken, the rain began to fall harder and the wind blew faster. The faint rumble of lightning in the distance disrupted the even flow of the sound of the rain hitting the ground, and flashes of light would burst out, momentarily blinding them. A natural storm, powerful, more powerful than any force the shinobi could muster - it seemed like nature was still king. There was no defying that tempestuous gale; it would tear anything that went out into it to shreds. Odd enough that for them, it was a brief reprieve from constantly trying to protect their people. Brief, just enough time for her to heal and regain some strength. The storm, a momentary time of peace. But after it ended...

Soon, it would be time to act.


Konan stood in front of the mirror in her room. She removed the pin holding her hair into a bun and let it fall around her shoulders. Behind her, a pair of hands came up and undid her robe, then traveled up her back, massaging her shoulders. She closed her eyes, letting Nagato's hands roam across her body, ghosting across her sensitive skin. They stayed there in that position for a minute or two, him embracing her from behind. And then he broke away.

"Lie down," he murmured.

She complied quietly, laying down on her bed, facing down. Nagato's hands pressed into her back, trying to relieve some of the tension in her muscles. From her neck, down to her shoulder blades, then to her lower back... all so tense; he wondered how she wasn't in constant pain. Or perhaps she was and had just gotten used to it. His fingers trailed up and down her pale, smooth skin, over the faint scars on her body from many years of fighting, and then down further.

She always complained about having thighs that seemed too big for how slender the rest of her body was - but of course, all shinobi were like that. No leg strength meant death. Survival over looks, though he still thought she was beautiful.

Trailing down her smooth legs, which were also hardened with tension that her body seemed unable to relieve itself of. It was strange; looking at her, she didn't seem quite so physically strong, but touching her, it was apparent that her body was all firm, sleek muscle whose appearance belied its strength. Just like how she is...

"Turn over."

She felt her face color slightly, even though he had seen her naked many times before. Nagato rolled his eyes, but did not comment, thankfully, as he continued his work.

Pressing into her stomach, gently so that he would not disturb her, across her abdomen, then up.

She always complained that her breasts were too small, that that was unattractive and no man would want a flat-chested woman... well he had no clue about such things. Honestly, he didn't care either way, even if she was a little bit on the small side. But between them, appearance had already become a moot point.

Her breath caught in her throat as he massaged her chest, and her nipples hardened slowly... he raised an eyebrow and she turned a little red again. It's weird... she looked away as he continued. Usually men are supposed to be the perverts... like Jiraiya-sensei was. But in this case, I'm the... wanting one... and that's... quite strange. She glanced back at Nagato. And he doesn't care for such acts. He neither despises nor likes it... he does it for me. She let out a long, low gasp as he deliberately ran over her sensitive nubs several times, pinching them lightly.

And bit her lip as his hand moved across her stomach again, trailing down to her further. Running his hand along her waistline, across the top of her triangle of dense body hair, then down, fingering through her dark curls. For a minute or two, he absentmindedly twirled the dark, silky hair of her nether regions between his fingers, and went further down, rubbing along the insides of her thighs toward the junction of her legs, where her pubic hair was a little sparser and glistening a little with wetness. He combed through the fur on the lips of her secret areas, and felt the slick skin get a little wetter as she began to secrete more fluid - Konan blushed furiously, her breath turning a little ragged as the little nub at the top of her area began to protrude from its hood.

He looked up at her questioningly? "Yes? Or-"

"Yes," she said hurriedly, breathlessly, and he chuckled.

"I wasn't gone for that long."

"It was still too long." Though I might be a little too eager. She turned yet redder and looked away, closing her eyes.

He did his work in silence, following the little noises that she made when he did something right. Inserting a couple of fingers into her, and her breath quickened... he moved his other hand up to her chest and pressed it there for a moment, feeling her rapid heartbeat, then back down to her stomach, putting a little bit of pressure there.

It didn't take long at all - probably only a couple minutes - before she made a quiet, but very telling noise and the walls of her secret place began contracting against his fingers, expelling her fluids outward. Her body spasmed and she bit her lip, trying to keep as quiet as possible, though with everything else completely silent in the room, her moans seemed plenty loud to her own ears.

Tension, tension, but good tension streamed through her for maybe ten seconds, consuming her mind, banishing all thoughts... ten seconds of bliss, and then it was gone... she opened her eyes a sliver and found Nagato staring at his hand, which was covered in a sticky, translucent, white fluid.

She sat up, face completely red, not willing to look at him. Part of her always felt dirty, lusting for things like that, but part of it was an obsession too, with needing to feel the powerful physical sensations that would maybe help calm her emotional state a little. It still didn't help the feeling of guilt, however, or the feeling that somehow she was some sort of subhuman, sex-thirsty whore.

She shook her head and looked down between her legs, at her hair that was matted with the sticky, somewhat whitish liquid, then shifted uncomfortably when he touched her.

"There is no need to be embarrassed," he said quietly. "Everyone has needs."

"You never ask. I'm the one... and so frequently."

"There is nothing wrong with it."

"There is..."

"How so?"

"I don't know. It's just so... so weird. Besides, I'm wasting our time here when we should be protecting everyone-"

"You can't fight endlessly, Konan. You must relax sometime. And if this is the way, so be it."

She frowned. "You don't even-"

Nagato closed his eyes and smiled a little. "Just because I don't need it like you do doesn't mean I don't enjoy it. Every so often."

Konan raised an eyebrow. "Is that an invitation?"

No reply. In this case, that meant a yes. She rolled her eyes. "If you're okay with it, then fine..." I'll sate this hunger inside of me. Fulfill at least this desire... she pushed him down, putting her arms on his chest for balance.

"So quickly? Aren't you still... sensitive?"

"One of the perks of being a woman is..." she breathed out raggedly, "being able to go at it several times in a row before it gets to be too much."

She pushed her hips down against his. He closed his eyes - that was always his only reaction to whatever bodily stimulation she gave him, and it was infuriating, but she knew he still felt the sensations strongly.

Funny... she couldn't help but smirk a little. Funny that normally, she was the one who displayed the restrained, unreadable emotions, but when it came to this sort of act, she was the one who made all the noise and she was the one who wore the pleasure much more plainly on her face.

She tore his clothes off him and pushed down hard, perhaps a little unexpectedly because Nagato's eyes opened, just a little, before they closed again. And he smirked as well.

Ah yes, I forgot. As much as she seems so gentle normally, she likes doing this a little more... roughly. Well, I can deal with that. As long as it does not hurt her...

Again, she thrust down. In rhythm... she was wet enough that despite her small size, they moved smoothly together. Thrusting down faster and faster, for a few minutes, no sound of anything, except for their bodies colliding and her soft grunts as she pushed down. And even when the muscles of her nether regions began contracting again, spilling more fluid down onto him, the pace did not slow. It was only after the second time that she paused for a moment, catching her breath.

Konan wiped the sweat from her brow and pressed her body against his, breasts crushed against his chest.

Nagato turned, looking at her glistening face. "You look tired."

"I'm the one doing all the work," she murmured back.

"No more, then?"

She breathed out once, a little sharply, then raised herself again, smiling a little. "No. Not until you have your... moment too."

Nagato laughed lightly. "By the looks of it, that's not happening. You'll have to orgasm a few more times before I will. And you look pretty deadbeat already."

Konan frowned, though not unkindly. "That's because you're not helping!"

The red haired man smirked again and moved out from under her, grabbing a hold of her waist. "Very well. If you insist, I will help you."

She rolled her eyes as he pushed into her, slowly at first, then a little faster. "And this is why I end up doing all the work. You do it like an old man. So slow..."

He pushed into her hard, and, surprised, she forgot to restrain her voice, eliciting a louder noise this time - a cross between a gasp and a moan. "Better?"

"Finally," she breathed out, face red. "Don't slow down on me now."

"I won't," he replied smoothly, and it was not long before he drove her over the edge again.


A grey haired man wearing a red cloak with a large hood pulled up over his face walked toward a large pit in the ground, which was filled with the bones of giant, long dead creatures. Two snake-like eyes shifted back and forth, searching for his target. And then he found it, a figure dressed in all black with a mask that had an swirl pattern on it, now with two eye holes, instead of the usual one.

"Madara. I take it your trip to Amegakure went well?"

The Uchiha did not even turn. "Kabuto," he greeted the other man curtly. "You have some sense of humor."

The snake-like man smirked. "Apologies. So the kyuubi got away. I assume there was some form of intervention."

"Konan," Madara grumbled.

"She is powerful."

"She should not be this much of a problem. Neither should Nagato."

"I fear you are sorely underestimating them."

"Perhaps," Madara muttered. "Yes. Maybe that is the whole issue, but I will have time to think about it later. How did your talk with Sasuke go?"

"Not too poorly. Surprising, considering his previous... relations with Orochimaru. And mine, of course."

"He agreed to do the task?"

"Oh yes. I did have to give him one piece of information for that to happen, but yes. He agreed."

Madara turned sharply. "And that information... Itachi's current location. Kabuto, the boy is-"

"Not stupid. He wouldn't go rushing into Amegakure while both Nagato and Konan are still there. Even he agreed to bide his time for now. Test his skills against the eight tails first."

The Uchiha turned away again, shrugging."The eight tails is powerful, but I doubt Sasuke will lose."

"He does not even have the Mangekyo."

"No, but he has another attack that makes him quite nearly as powerful. I have been following him for quite some time; I was able to witness it once."

"And that is?"

The Uchiha's sharingan gleamed. "An attack that harnesses natural energy. Not like senjutsu - he creates natural storm clouds by manipulating heat and air currents, and then directs the energy created toward a point on the ground. In other words, he can call down bolts of true lightning instead of the usual stuff shinobi create."

"That would do the trick. And against a bijuu it would not be hard to hit."

"Indeed. But just in case, I will go watch the fight. Meanwhile, we have a little issue on our hands as well."

"And that is?"

"I've basically come out into the open. Nagato and Konan will not keep quiet about me for long, especially not since Jiraiya also knows."

"You were careless-"

"No, no," Madara replied quickly, "I can use this to my advantage. It will already be difficult enough for them to get the great nations to stop their fighting, even with the threat of us holding eight bijuu. We have some time."

Counting his chickens before they hatch... we have not even caught the hachibi yet. "To do what?"

"You see," Madara beckoned for Kabuto to follow, and already the snake-like man knew where they were going - he had seen it before. They traveled down a little way underground and arrived at a platform overlooking a large chamber, where the Gedo Mazo stood above a horde of zetsus. "We'll create a war. Wage it with these zetsus."

"We only have ten thousand right now. Not even enough to fight one great nation."

"Patience. We can begin breeding more of them. Focus on that for the moment, while you go prepare your things, for the reanimation jutsu. When the time comes, I will use this army and invade Konoha and its allies, whoever they happen to be at the time. They will be forced to bring out the kyuubi to defend, and when they do that, I will be able to take him easily. And after we put him in the Mazo, we can begin the final stage of project Tsuki no Me."

"Certainly, if Konan and Nagato are not there. You are possibly stronger than either of them alone, but the two of them put together will overwhelm you."

"If I choose to fight." And once I learn the secrets of the Rinnegan, I may be able to fight the both of them at once. But you don't need to know about that, Kabuto. Not yet, at the very least. You'll get to know it once the word comes out with the rest of the world. "The space time jutsu is all about choosing the correct moment to go in. There are bound to be openings."

"Hn. If you say so."

Madara folded his arms over his chest. "Still, I find it odd that you would be willing to cooperate with me on this. You know that I could easily subject you to the Infinite Tsukuyomi along with everyone else if I so chose to."

Kabuto grinned. "Of course. But you see, you would be creating the perfect world for me in that case, so why should I care about stopping that? And even if you do not, you promised to let me continue my experiments afterwards. Which, the rest of the shinobi world does not allow. So, why should I not join you?"

"So you say," Madara said slowly.

"I have no ulterior motives. There would be no point to having any. You did not detect anything when you scanned me with your Sharingan, did you?"

"No, I did not."

"Then it should be fine."

"I suppose so." Madara turned. "In the meantime, we need to get some information on what Nagato and Konan are going to do. I am sure they will go to Konoha first, but the question is what move after that?"

"Diplomacy, of course. They will use Jiraiya as a medium. Though, if word gets out that they are originally from Akatsuki, the reaction may be a bit... drastic."

"Oh, I am sure it will get out. But I, too, wonder what the reaction will be. If they are forced into the war because of that, it makes our lives easier. However, there is no way of knowing at the moment. I will simply have Zetsu keep an eye on them to see how it turns out," the Uchiha glanced to the side, where he knew Zetsu was watching.

Kabuto nodded. "In that case, I'm going off to search for more... ingredients. For the Edo Tensei. I'll be back in a few days."

"Very well."


"I see," Konan murmured. "So that's how it turned out. Jiraiya is willing to help. Better than I could have hoped for..." her voice trailed off.

"Surprised? I was too. There is still hope for us, it seems."

Konan nodded, taking a deep breath. "And Sakura... what should we do with her?"

"Well... how much did you tell her?"

"Nothing of our abilities or our past. She knows Itachi, Kisami, Sasori, and Deidara are here. And obviously she knows where we are. And who we are. No hiding that. Listen, we're not going to kill her-"

"Of course not. I was thinking, it might actually be time to send her back to Konoha. As a gesture of goodwill, but also to get things moving. With the information that Madara is back, the great nations might actually agree to a temporary truce, especially if the information comes from Jiraiya."

"I - maybe."

"Why, is there some reason you want to keep her here?"

"No. Well, yes..." Konan bit her lip. "We don't exactly have a medical nin around here. At least not one nearly as capable as her. She's saved a lot of lives."

Nagato nodded. "True. But sending her back could save a lot more."

The blue haired woman sighed. "I know. That's why I didn't want to bring it up. I just had that feeling... never mind. Just... ignore me."

"No, you should go with how you feel-"

"I feel like we should send her back with a message for Jiraiya. That's the right way."

"Konan..."

"It's fine. I'll go talk to her. This is the better way to do it for now."

Nagato took a deep breath, knowing that arguing with her was useless. No matter how she felt, she usually thought his way was better and put aside her own feelings for it. Always doubtful of her own decisions... but she was ridiculously stubborn as well, he knew that too.

She gave him a brief smile, knowing what he was thinking about, and touched his hand. "This time it's not like that. I'm not that uncertain."

Nagato nodded. "Alright. Do you want me to come too?"

"No, she hasn't met you yet. It's best if it stays this way."

"Very well."

Konan let go of his hand and turned, leaving the room.


She knocked gently at the door and after a moment, it opened. The pink haired girl tilted her head questioningly.

"Sakura," Konan said quietly, fidgeting with her fingers. "We've... decided that it's time for you to go back."

The pinkette took a moment to process the words. "Who's we? And go back?"

"Na - my partner and I. And yes. Back to Konoha."

"I thought you said-"

Konan shook her head, bringing up a scroll in her hand. "There is a message for Jiraiya written in here. We'd like you to give it to him. We... have a plan to hopefully end this war, and want to enact it as quickly as possible. There is no longer any reason for us to keep you here."

"And you trust me? To keep your secrets?"

"What secrets?"

"Well I could totally blab about you guys being Akatsuki and where you are and stuff-"

Konan bit her lip. "Yes. We know. That's not something we mean to hide, actually. But it would be better if you didn't randomly talk about that before the time is ripe for that revelation. If you do-"

"Don't worry, I won't." Sakura took the scroll from Konan's hand and ran her finger along the seal. "I suppose I'm not supposed to read the contents of the letter?"

"You can if you want to. It doesn't really pertain to you, however. Not yet."

"Okay. Um, out of curiosity, why now? What happened to bring this about?"

"Stuff," Konan murmured. "I could give you the details, but it would be better if it waited. The less you know, the less dangerous it will be for you."

"I... okay. Okay," she breathed out. "Anything else?"

"It will be dangerous. Be ready. Be safe, stay hidden-"

"I know, I know."

"Ah and yes," Konan reached into her pocket and pulled out a small, finely crafted paper flower. "Take this with you. It'll allow me to sense where you are while you travel. In case you run into danger, I'll be able to tell and hopefully get there in time to help you. If nothing happens, it will dissipate when you reach Konoha."

Sakura nodded, accepting the gift silently, then looked back toward Konan's face. She twisted her mouth for a moment, then smiled, pressing her hands together and bowing her head.

"Thank you for your hospitality."

Konan turned slightly red, but returned the gesture in silence before leaving.


"Madara. A girl has just left Amegakure. Can we eat her?" The two halves of zetsu spoke together.

"Anything particularly special about her?"

"She is Tsunade's pupil. She must have been doing some naughty things there..."

"Haruno Sakura? What would she be doing in Amegakure?" Madara frowned, mulling through several possibilities in his head. Spying. Sending a message from Jiraiya to Nagato. Or perhaps the other way. Perhaps transferring something important. Or maybe a diplomatic mission. In any case, better to be rid of her. Well...

"She's worth more alive than dead."

"Aww, but - you gluttonous fool! There are plenty of other bodies to eat. But she looks so juicy-"

"Can you or can you not?" Madara interrupted their conversation.

"We can," Black Zetsu replied curtly. "Though it may be a bit tough. She is Tsunade's student... her punches hurt."

"Hmm..." It would not be good of me to show myself too much. And there is no guarantee that she knows anything. It'd be best if Kabuto were here to take care of this, but he is gone for the moment and I have no way of contacting him. "Wait for the right moment, then. Perhaps while she is sleeping or something."

"Okay - As you wish." Zetsu burrowed into the ground, disappearing.

Madara stared at the spot where Zetsu had vanished. I should assume they are making a move. Even if they are not, there is no real reason to wait on this any longer. The more of their pieces I can remove, the better. Sasuke should be getting there soon. After he finishes his fight, we'll have to have another conversation. Oh. And perhaps I should send a message to Itachi sometime. After I talk to Sasuke, of course. Now, what is the best way to go about this...


War - through the endless rain, unending war.

Naruto glanced up at the sky momentarily, then back toward the ground, balling his hands into fists. And then laid back, putting his arms behind his head. That lady... she said she was from Akatsuki. Wait, not just from Akatsuki, but a leader of Akatsuki. They're the ones who killed Asuma-sensei! They tried to kill me! And that bastard Orochimaru was once a part of them... but she also saved my ass. Why? She really seemed like she was trying to help me. And keep me safe. Isn't that because she just wants to get... this? He rested a hand on his stomach. Well, wouldn't she just have tried to take me out there, then? No, I'm pretty sure she was trying to help me. She seemed nice. Kind of weird, I guess. And she was really strong too.

He frowned. She is from Akatsuki... but I don't remember Jiraiya-sensei saying anything about her doing anything bad. Or even seeing her before at all. Those other bastards - yeah, they were assholes, but I dunno. Do they deserve another chance?

Of course, right? Jiraiya-sensei... he was talking about something like that cycle of hatred, how when people never forgive each other, they just end up trying to get revenge. And then when they do something bad again, the other side wants revenge and it just keeps going. Eventually someone has to forgive the other person. Doesn't it start with us?

Can I really forgive them? They tried to kidnap Gaara. They even would have killed him if not for Granny Chiyo. But maybe... maybe if they're actually better now, maybe... I mean, Sasuke has done plenty of bad stuff too, right? But he's still my friend. If I can forgive him so easily, why can't I forgive them? Why are they any different?

They're not. Yes. Everyone deserves a second chance. Anyone can mess up. Right?

Naruto looked up as the flap to his tent opened and Kakashi walked in.

"Kaka-sensei, if this is about that lady-"

"I need to know if she did anything to you. This isn't the time to act tough, Naruto-"

"She didn't do anything. I keep telling you she's not evil! She saved me, and that's it! She even stayed a bit afterwards to make sure I was safe."

"She's from Akatsuki, Naruto. They always have ulterior motives."

"She didn't. I swear."

Kakashi stuck his hands in his pockets. "Fine. Assuming she was just trying to protect you, that still leaves the matter of that other guy. Supposedly Madara. You got hit a couple times and we still have no idea what he's capable of. Or if he even is the real deal. Whatever the case, you still need to go get checked up, which you haven't done yet."

"I feel fine. I heal really fast, remember?"

"I was more thinking if he somehow planted something on you. Some hidden jutsu, or something."

"Wouldn't I feel it?"

"Not necessarily."

Naruto frowned. Kakashi folded his arms over his chest.

"Besides, it's not like you're doing anything right now anyway."

"I was thinking."

"About?"

"How everyone deserves a second chance. You didn't argue when I decided I was going to keep pursuing Sasuke, did you? They're not any different. They might have just messed up and are trying to make up for it."

Kakashi was silent for a moment. He stared up at the roof of the tent, then looked away. "We can leave this discussion for later. At the moment, we don't really know them very well anyway, so it is hard to say anything. Regardless, go get yourself checked up. We need to head back to Konoha soon. Tsunade-sama needs us for something."

"Hai, hai," Naruto got off the ground, brushing his knees off and passed the older man on his way out of the tent.


Tsunade leaned back in her chair. Jiraiya continued looking out of the window, waiting for her response. Waiting, waiting for a couple minutes - still none, but it was not necessarily that out of the ordinary; he had given her a lot of information to process, and making a decision about it was not going to be easy. Any decision at all, much less the one that she thought would be the best. But another couple minutes without a sound and he thought it was a little strange, so he looked back at her-

"Hey, Tsunade..." he shook her gently and smirked as she opened her eyes - evidently she had dozed off in that comfortable postion.

"Huh. What were we talking about?"

"You fell asleep."

"What, no, I merely zoned out-"

"Whatever, it's fine," Jiraiya laughed. "You must have been working really hard lately."

Tsunade frowned, pouring herself a cup of sake and downing it in a single gulp. "So, what were we talking about?"

"Akatsuki."

"Right. Them." She closed her eyes again, this time thinking deeply. "You say you can trust them?"

"I believe so. And even if you don't, at least the information is. There is another Uchiha in possession of seven bijuu, and he is very powerful. And he possesses the Rinnegan. Not that unlikely that it is Madara, now that I think about it. But the name means nothing. In reality, he is some very powerful Uchiha that we have to deal with, and with that kind of weapon in his possession, he poses a threat to all of us."

"Very well. Let's start with the assumption that the information is accurate. What do you want to do with it?"

"I was thinking that we would first notify the other Kage about it."

"Do you think they will believe you? Knowing that you had contact with Akatsuki. Even with your reputation, they will think you are biased if they know that those were your two students."

"True," Jiraiya frowned, putting a hand to his chin. "And deceiving them by not giving them that information would be bad too. If they find out later, it would cause trouble. But nevertheless, they need to know."

"We also need to consider the possibility that they may attack you. It is probably unlikely, if you come merely as a diplomat, but it doesn't hurt to be safe."

"I can get out if needed. I know that Gaara will believe me, and the Mizukage will, at the very least, listen. I don't know about the other two. The Raikage is a little... edgy. As you know. And the Tsuchikage has become old."

"If you can win Terumi Mei over, those two will be much more likely to listen. You should go to her and Gaara first."

"That seems fine. I'll notify you of the results as soon as possible."

Tsunade nodded. "Be safe, Jiraiya."

"Do you always have to say that?"

The golden haired woman stood. "Well what do you want me to say? I hope you die? That seems like a terrible way to send you off."

Jiraiya grinned. "True. In the meantime, you try to get some sleep."

Tsunade grunted in response, but after he left, she smiled to herself before looking back through the mountain of papers on her desk.


Two figures stood atop the fingers of a pair of enormous hands, placed directly in front of an even larger statue. Slowly, slowly, one of the eyes was opening as a stream of energy entered the statue's mouth from the figure floating in front of it. The Hachibi's chakra.

It was mostly silent, but from the younger of the two men, a sense of tension radiated outward, chaotic thoughts and emotions disturbing the stillness of the room.

Not that Madara could blame him, of course. Learning the truth behind his brother's slaughter of the Uchiha clan was not something easy to stomach. Learning that it had been Danzo orchestrating those events, and that the apparent reason he had been spared was that Itachi actually loved him too much to kill him. Learning that everything he had ever been told - or, in fact, seen, had been a lie.

Not that he was a fool either - the lack of understanding was at the heart of the problem, if what the other Uchiha had told him were true. If... is it? Sasuke's brows furrowed. It was too complex of a story just to be made up, unless the other man had spent quite some time figuring out all the nuances of it. Which was not terribly unlikely; he seemed like a crafty, dangerous person, and especially since Sasuke did not know his name, the younger Uchiha was less likely to trust him. But still, from the story, there also were other ways of getting at the truth. From Itachi himself, but also the other few who knew about it - the advisors, and Danzo.

"I need proof," Sasuke said slowly. "You can't possibly expect me to believe that-"

"I don't. I knew you would ask for a second source. Which is why I've already sent Itachi a message."

Sasuke scowled. "And what makes you think I'm going to just calmly talk to him? For all I know, you could be working with him. For all I know-"

"If I were working with him, wouldn't you be dead already? Or do you think you can take on the two of us together?"

Sasuke paused, staring at the other man darkly. No. He's right about that. I can fight Itachi, but I have this feeling... I wouldn't be able to take on both of them at once. This guy... there's something about him...

"He could simply lie to me, then."

"Well," the older Uchiha said slowly, "the other three are harder to reach. But that is doable as well. First, however, we will talk to Itachi."

It was silent for a moment, but as the light streaming into the Gedo Mazo's mouth faded, Sasuke sighed. "Fine. I did your dirty work for you. You better make this worth my time."

"Yes, of course," Madara said silkily. "If it comes to it and you still don't believe me, by all means, you can fight Itachi."

Sasuke nodded. "I'll keep that in mind." He glanced down. "What do we do with this guy?"

"I don't care. I got what I needed from him."

"From what I understand, the Raikage's really angry-"

"All the better," the older Uchiha muttered. "You got spotted too; they'll go after Konoha's heads for that."

"I cut ties with Konoha long ago."

"Ah, yes, but you're still a Konoha missing-nin. You're young, so you don't quite understand how the minds of these old men work."

Sasuke remained silent to that. So he's not young either, I presume. But then who could he be? He seems like he's older than Itachi, so he's not Shisui. Then who could he be?

"Regardless," Madara continued on, "you don't need to worry about that. We'll take care of this stuff first. I told Itachi to meet us at the Valley of the End in two days. That gives you a bit of time to do... whatever."

"And you?"

"I have some things to take care of. In the meantime, take it easy. Maybe play a game of chess with Kabuto when he gets back-"

"Yeah, right." Sasuke grumbled. "If you need me, I'll be training."

He hopped off of the giant pair of hands and left the giant cavern. Madara watched his retreating back, then chuckled softly to himself before dispelling the summoning jutsu. He took a glance down at Killer Bee's body for a moment, then looked up, making sure that Sasuke was gone.

And removed his mask, revealing a pair of violet, rippled eyes. The Rinnegan.

"Well, now, I'd love to just get rid of you, but..." he shook his head. "I think I can actually make your body useful. No hard feelings, but can't let you get your proper rest just yet. But don't worry. Once they find you, I'm sure they'll know what to do."

Madara put his mask back on before slinging the body over his shoulder, leaving quietly.


Silence, in everything but the falling rain. Stillness, calm, in everything but the cascading water. Tension, in everything but the storming skies.

A lone figure sat atop an oddly shaped statue head, in her usual position, with water streaming down her body as it soaked through her clothes. Looking up into the sky.

Where the sun never shines. Where there is only rain and snow. Where war sends the souls of the fallen...

There, sitting, staring at the sky. For once, she felt calm. Nothing to bother her, not even the lightning crackling in the clouds, nor the heavy rains pouring down onto her. The cold, the momentary blazes of heat as the lightning flashed down toward the ground, not even the thunderous noise that followed it, somehow, she felt calm. Nothing disturbing her storm-filled meditation.

They have been with her all of her life, after all. Amegakure had particularly stormy weather; if not the standard rains, then often there were vicious thunderstorms, or in winter, the glacial blizzards; both lethal to ordinary people and still harmful to skilled shinobi, usually. Usually not something people tended to stay out in, but she was different.

She had always known she was different. Loving the rain... attracted, obsessively, to the violent storms... maybe I'm a masochist. Highly possible... she wasn't sure if she enjoyed pain, but certainly she had gotten used to it. Certainly, she thought, she was able to bear it. Even if she did not want to. Maybe, after all this time, it had simply become a part of who she was. Pain... just like it was a part of him. Nagato - Pein. It had been his name, after all, and not without reason. Pain, something integrated deeply into both of their lives, to the point that it was a part of them and they had been irrevocably changed by it.

With it, of course, they suffered. Without it, however, they would not feel right.

He sat beside her.

He was always beside her. But he could never help her. Because it was impossible for him to help her without helping everyone else first. To save them from their suffering, to stop the war... it was not the work of a single man. Or woman. They tried to help each other, but it was not that simple. But they could still be at each others' side, however little that meant.

At heart, it was hard to tell what kind of people they might have been, had they not grown up where they did. Perhaps he might have been somewhat cheery, not like Yahiko had been, but maybe he would have been generally happy, if still emotional and somewhat shy. That part of him, it was not hard to figure out, even the way he was now, twisted by many years of battle. He was the optimistic one, and the active one in a lot of regards. Perhaps not completely confident, but he had matured enough that his natural shyness did not hamper his ability to do things.

With Konan... all of that went out the window. Neither of them... nobody she knew could really describe her well. Certain traits, but even those were vague. Shy, stoic, but not unwilling to show emotion either. Or affection, or sympathy... just... not expressed in ordinary terms. She was just Konan. Perhaps, if she had to try, she would have described herself as very uncertain. After all, in their world, nothing was cast in certainty at all, and the best any shinobi could hope to do was do what felt right at any given moment. It was a matter of pride to ignore that uncertainty and go forth, doing what one believed was right - and a matter of a lack of confidence, to hold back and doubt. Which she did, more often than not, but she was not hampered by it to be completely inactive either.

How the storm had molded both of them...

In Nagato's case, it was a little clearer. In hers, not so much. Chaotic, emotional, difficult to describe... but then again, he loved her dearly because of that. Even though he was not quite sure who she was.

"Who are we?" He murmured into the pouring rain.

She bowed her head. "A god and his angel."

"A fool and his guardian."

"I'm the idiot," she said softly. "Don't speak that way about yourself."

"I would say the same to you."

"Mmm," she hummed quietly. "We are who we are. Though I guess we always need to question ourselves. In case we follow the path to screwing up... again."

"Our goal has always been peace. The motivations behind our actions, however, have changed. And with them, how we have operated."

"Can we say for sure that the way we work now is better?"

"No. But it feels better."

Konan bit her lip and nodded. "That's true. But sometimes..." she sighed. "Sometimes I still wonder... if we had enough power, I wonder if it would be better if we could just eliminate the people in charge of the five great nations. Purge the corrupt lords and Kages from their positions, raze the world down and build it anew..."

"It would be more efficient, perhaps. Easier, if we had the power."

"It was basically what Madara wanted to do. I... don't know. It's just... seeing what they do to us. Our people... it makes me so angry," she hissed on the last word. "It makes me furious, Nagato. When I see those shinobi from these 'great' nations, I have to fight down the urge to kill them on sight."

"It would be bad if we did that to everyone we saw."

"I... know. It's just..." she closed her eyes. "They also have lives too. And many of them truly do not wish suffering upon us. Of course, there are many who also do not care..."

"The younger generation is better. They are more sympathetic toward each other. You have heard of the Kazekage and Naruto's friendship, correct?"

"I know about that. But the older generation still holds a lot of power, and with them come these vile, decrepit actions. If we could just be rid of them..."

Nagato turned away. "But we cannot. And it is they who we have to work with. For the moment."

"I... know. I just wonder-" abruptly, Konan looked up sharply, feeling something a little odd.

The red haired man looked at her, concerned. "What is it?"

"Sakura," the blue haired woman breathed out. "Something is near her. Something - Zetsu!" She clenched her teeth together, brows furrowing.

"We have to go."

"I have to go," she corrected him swiftly. "I'm faster. And someone still needs to stay here in the village. To protect everyone."

"Then let me go instead. You are the one who usually-"

"No," she repeated. "I'm faster. You might not make it in time."

Nagato frowned, but there was reason in her statement this time - unlike how she was often reckless and rushed into things without thinking. "Very well," he said quietly. "I won't keep you. But if you don't come back within half a day, I will go looking for you."

"I... okay," Konan's voice disappeared into a breath as her body began dissipating. I'll be back as fast as I can, Nagato.

He nodded and watched as the flock of paper flew off through the storming rains, propelled to unnatural speeds by her wind jutsu. Staring, until they were completely gone out of sight, and only then did he show any sign of irritation, that he could not be there to make sure she was safe while fighting. That they had to be apart again, even if just for a little bit... calm down. She will be fine. She is strong as well. He took a deep breath, then turned and went back inside.


Hidden in the shadows... he spotted his quarry; rather, they spotted their quarry, but she was still wide awake, still alert.

Zetsu continued watching. He was fairly certain he could take her on alone, but they were rather close to Konoha and he was not entirely sure who else was still around. If they made too much of a ruckus, perhaps someone else would come, and the mission would be void.

Besides, it was almost night. Almost time for her to sleep; she already seemed like she was getting ready to do just that. And once that happened, it would be too easy to give her a drug to keep her asleep until he could relocate her to a more... suitable location.

Patience...

Patience, as the sun went down and night fell over the forests near Konoha. He waited and waited, and finally, the pink haired girl laid her head down, closing her eyes. But still, patience... another ten minutes, until her breathing was slower and more even - it seemed like she was finally asleep, and only then did he emerge from his hiding place, moving slowly toward her.

Cautiously, stepping slowly so that the leaves would not rustle, completely silently - suddenly he stepped on something and there was a loud, sizzling noise beneath him.

A trap! Zetsu leapt aside as an explosive tag went off, blowing up the area immediately around it, creating a cloud of darkened smoke. He frowned, slinking back into the shadows, but before he could do that, someone came charging out of the smoke, rushing straight toward him.

He dodged a powerful punch and took a few steps back, looking at the pink haired girl with a blank stare.

I told you we shouldn't have underestimated her. You were the one who stepped on the trap! Because you decided to move so slowly and not check beforehand. This isn't my fault!

He dodged aside again as Sakura charged forward, trying to land a punch on him. But this time, as she missed, Zetsu moved to strike down with a kunai. She twisted in mid air and kicked at him, catching the flat of the knife with her foot and sending it flying away. Zetsu leapt back again, not wanting to engage her too long with just taijutsu.

The pink haired girl looked at him cautiously for a moment, tense and wary. An Akatsuki! But... I thought that Konan and her partner - wait. His cloak is different. It doesn't have the red clouds. Indeed, the cloak was noticeably missing the signature Akatsuki red clouds - instead, it had an odd spiral pattern that she didn't recognize, but seemed to represent something.

"Who are you?" She asked slowly.

"Well, now, come with me, and all your questions will be answered."

"As if I would trust someone like you. You tried to sneak up on me-"

"An accident." An accident?! That's the best excuse you could come up with?!

"Yeah, right," Sakura snorted, tensing again.

This time, as she ran at him, she kept her center of gravity low and tried to kick at his legs, hoping to send him off balance. But instead, he burrowed into the ground and reappeared above her a second later, stabbing down with another kunai.

It grazed her arm and she winced, but it was not a serious wound and did not even slow her down as she tried to counter attack.

Again, he disappeared into the tree trunk before her kick could land, then to her side, he appeared once more. She was a little more ready this time and deflected the blow, slashing up with her own kunai.

Zetsu's other hand came up, stopping her momentarily, but as she began to force her knife up, he disengaged again, disappearing into the forest. Sakura made a noise of frustration.

"What do you want with me?"

"None of your business."

"Uh, yeah, it is-"

"Like I said. Come with me-"

"In your dreams," she grumbled, eyes darting around. "I'm just a normal shinobi; what use could I be to you?"

"Haruno Sakura... we know who you are."

Shit. That didn't work as well as I thought it would. Figures he'd know who I am. I don't know how important this message is that Konan gave me, but I shouldn't let him find out about it. He probably doesn't know - he probably just wants me as a hostage or something. If it comes down to it, I can just destroy this letter if I can't beat him.

But then again, she wasn't going to give up without a fight. At least in her mind, she was the stronger one, at least for the moment.

Which proved itself again, as they engaged once more. No wounds traded, but she was the one who pushed harder, pressuring Zetsu into running away again. Not that he minded; neither side was necessarily a frontline fighter, and what he excelled at was mobility instead.

Though, it was tough. If he could not land a powerful blow to slow her down, there was no way he could fight her with her skill at taijutsu. Getting hit directly by one blow would knock him out instantly, and only grazing her with weapons would do no good since she could just heal herself.

But we do have another method. It takes some time to activate. Then we just need to stall her.

Fighting back and forth; as Sakura pressured him back further and further, she tore a path through the trees. And as she struck down another one, she grimaced, glancing around.

I'm close to Konoha. Maybe half a day away, no more than that. But that means that there won't be very many people around here. They'll all be closer to Amegakure, fighting those other people. Looks like I'm on my own then. And judging by his weird jutsu thing, he's faster than I am. Running won't work too well. I need to somehow land a punch on him. But how?

Trading blows, again, neither of them hurt, but stalling worked out better for Zetsu - though she did not know that. So for the moment, she felt content, just waiting for some sort of opportunity.

Her eyes darted around again, and slowly she began to detect where he was - it was subtle, but there was a slight ripple in the ground where he entered, but more importantly, where he was travelling and where he was going to exit. As I thought. He moves damn fast in the ground. But maybe if I land a lucky hit...

They disengaged again and as usual, Zetsu slunk into a tree trunk, but she caught the direction of his movement and the tiny ripples in the ground as he began moving. This time, she was too slow; already as she responded, he was away and emerged from a tree branch high in the air.

Attempt number two.

She went after him - he disappeared again, but she followed him faster. Pumping as much chakra as she could into a single blow, she struck the ground, hard, and the rocks began flying up, creating a long fissure, almost striking Zetsu as he went through the area. But he was a tad faster, and it missed him by a hair.

And as he emerged, he retreated warily behind a tree, not willing to go into the ground again, not for the moment. Lucky hit? Or can she actually see - How much longer? Couple more minutes. Then dodge, you fool!

He melded into the ground as Sakura came charging at him, breaking straight through the tree. She looked around wildly for the ripple pattern in the ground, then turned swiftly as he emerged behind her, a kunai flying straight for her stomach...

With an intense cry, she shifted slightly, letting it cut into an area with no organs, then grabbed onto his wrist and charged up for a punch.

Shit! Zetsu tried to move back but she was stronger than he was.

"Take this, you damn plant!" Sakura yelled and thrust her fist straight at him.

And she drove his body straight into the ground, making a cloud of smoke in the process, but then frowned, moving back immediately - the contact had not been as clean as she would have liked; he must have shifted at the last second.

But I still got him! That should slow him down a bit-

Suddenly, she stopped as something began growing off of her skin. Her eyes widened as enormous, white, mushroom-like things began spread outward, straight off of her body.

"What the-" she tried pulling one of them off, but it would not budge.

"Not that easy, you bitch," Zetsu's voice came out from the smoke - he sounded a little hurt, but more than that, a little smug as well. "Got'cha now."

"What are you talking... about..."

For a moment, it seemed like the spores were doing nothing to her, but then she began to feel tired, and then rapidly after that, exhausted... they're draining my chakra! Have to... get them off...

She pulled at them again, but she felt her strength fading fast, and as Zetsu approached her, she tried to hit him. But there was no force behind her blow and he took it easily - with just a slight grunt, before smacking her hand aside and letting her slump down toward his feet.

"Silly girl. Just get on with it. Hey, I'm trying to- I don't care. We need to finish the job. Make sure she's unconscious, then get her back. Hai, hai."

The letter! I have to somehow... get rid of it... she continued struggling, gritting her teeth as she felt her arm wrenched back. But another couple seconds and her chakra had been drained further, to dangerously low levels, and she felt all of her strength leave her body. Darkness began to encroach on the edges of her mind, but she fought it still and kicked at Zetsu again.

The plant-man made a noise of annoyance and drew out another kunai, driving it into her leg. She made a small noise - it would have been a cry of pain had she not been so depleted of energy, but even that did not stop her from struggling more. And then a second kunai into her side, and a third one on her other leg, and then finally the darkness was on the doorstep of her consciousness.

"Stupid brat," Zetsu muttered, kicking her once.

Sakura opened her mouth, but found herself unable to speak. Even the pain of her wounds was only a slight prickle as she felt her chakra levels drop further... and then her consciousness was fading, fading quickly as everything disappeared into the darkness... the trees, the ground rushing up to meet her falling body, Zetsu standing above her, and the flock of paper sheets tearing through the sky toward her...

The paper sheets, whirling around as they stormed down, separating her body from Zetsu, but even that thought was lost upon her as everything went dark.


A/N: Just making sure nobody is confused... Killer Bee is actually gone (sorry Killer Bee fans). And Madara is actually Madara (not Obito).