A/N: Well, the first part of Tsume's journey is over. As titled in the last chapter, it was the End of the Beginning. She has chosen the path that she wants to follow, and isn't going to let anything or anyone get in her way. Even a young woman who has her heart set on killing Itachi, and is willing to go through anyone to get to him . . . including Kisame. IKU ZE!!
UNSPOKEN
Tsume, Kisame, Itachi, Deidara, and Tobi departed from the boat in silence, each with their own thoughts. Before leaving Kirigakure, Deidara and Tobi had received instructions for another mission to the south-east in Kumogakure. Meanwhile, Itachi and Kisame had been instructed to bring Tsume to one of the several hideouts belonging to the Akatsuki, where her skills would be assessed. This particular information had made Tsume both nervous and excited, knowing that what Leader-sama thought of her would decide nearly everything.
A hand on her shoulder brought Tsume from her thoughts. She looked to see Deidara grinning at her. "We'll see you soon, un," he said with a decisive nod and tone of voice that left absolutely no room for argument. "You'll be part of the Akatsuki in no time, un!"
Tobi nodded in fervent agreement. "Yes! Tsu-chan will be part of the Akatsuki because she trained hard! Tsu-chan is a good girl!"
And then they were gone, vanishing in two puffs of smoke. Tsume stared at where they had been, the mist beginning to creep in as the day drew to a close and temperatures dropped. "Yes," she murmured quietly, "I'll see you soon."
"We must be going," Itachi's voice said, braking Tsume from her trance. She looked up, directing her gaze to the Uchiha. "We'll have to travel through the night," he explained. "We'll rest and then continue on to Konohagakure."
Kisame's brows furrowed. "We aren't going after the Kyuubi, are we?" he asked warily, not looking at all happy about the idea.
Itachi's eyes narrowed slightly. "Unfortunately, yes," he said, looking slightly frustrated. "It seems that the Jounin Selection Exams have just ended, and that the village is quite empty. According to Leader-sama, it is the perfect time to strike." Itachi turned his gaze full on Tsume. "He also believes that it is the perfect opportunity to test Tsume-san's strength."
Tsume had heard of the Kyuubi, the Nine-tailed Demon Fox. The lands that it attacked were ravaged as if by some natural disaster, hundreds of people dying in defense of their homes. The last occurrence had been twenty-three years ago in Konohagakure. Through rumors, Tsume had found out that the Yondaime, the Fourth Hokage, gave his life to seal the Kyuubi in an infant boy, wishing for the child to be seen as nothing less than a hero. When Tsume had first learned this, her heart had gone out to the boy. From what Tsume knew, the Akatsuki were capturing and extracting the Jinchūriki—the tailed beasts—from their human vessels. Tsume's heart tightened at the last detail; extraction of a Jinchūriki always killed the host. If the vessel of the Kyuubi were to be captured for the Jinchūriki to be extracted, he would surely die.
"We are to bring the Kyuubi vessel to Leader-sama?" Tsume asked softly, avoiding both Itachi and Kisame's gaze.
"And extract the Kyuubi, yes," Itachi said.
"All the other Jinchūriki have been captured," Kisame explained. "They have to be extracted in a specific order. If the Kyuubi were extracted and absorbed before any of the others, the statue that holds all of the Jinchūriki would shatter." Kisame made a face. "And that's not at all a happy prospect."
"I've heard about what the Kyuubi did twenty-three years ago," Tsume said, adding quietly, "and what was done about it."
"You must put your emotions aside, Tsume," Itachi said firmly. "As a shinobi, you must carry out your orders without question or emotion."
"I know," Tsume said, lifting her head to look directly into Itachi's eyes, her own amber orbs hard and determined. "I will do as Leader-sama asks. I will prove myself to him and the other members of the Akatsuki."
Kisame gave a toothy grin at the hard look in her amber eyes and at her straight, proud stance. "You've come a long way, Tsume," he said, earning a small, pleased smile in return.
"But you still have a long way to go," Itachi said, brows slightly furrowed.
Tsume's smile faded, lips setting into a firm line. She turned and faced towards the inland, looking to the north-west. "Yes," she said, voice seeming soft and far away. "But I'll get there by my own strength. I don't have to rely on others anymore. I'll walk the path that I've chose, and I'll walk it standing tall."
UNSPOKEN
Itachi, Kisame, and Tsume moved quickly through the trees, leaving Kirigakure far behind, now moving on to Konohagakure. Apparently, a group of shinobi had attempted to sabotage the Jounin Selection Exams during the final stage, setting off explosives throughout the village, injuring both shinobi and civilians alike. Several groups of Jounin and Chunin had chased after the offenders, leaving the village. Those left were busy with repairs and treating the wounded. With their defenses depleted, it was the perfect time to launch an attack.
But the maneuver was not without its risks. The Godaime Hokage, Tsunade, was still as powerful as ever, despite her age. And if rumors were to be believed, her student, Haruno Sakura, had become an even greater medic that the Hokage herself. Itachi was considering their options, considering that the Kyuubi vessel was quite close to both the Hokage and Sakura, and would likely be under their protection. Should they actually encounter Tsunade, Itachi surmised that she would be physically stronger than Kisame, a feat of near impossibility. Though, with his chakra-absorbing sword and Tsume's fierce loyalty, Itachi had little fear for the shark-nin's life. Other than capturing the Jinchūriki, the goal was to do so with as little detection as was possible. Minimum destruction, a difficult task when one was working with Hoshigaki Kisame. However, wielding their massive blades, Tsume and Kisame could easily take out large groups or a single person with ease.
The only other problem was Tsume's deep aversion to killing and Blood-shed. As Itachi glanced over at the young woman in question, he saw the same fierce look that had been in his younger brother's eyes. But was the only similarity that linked Tsume to Sasuke. Otherwise, the two could hardly have been more different.
"A unique entity," Itachi though, looking away from Tsume. "Unique, and powerful."
Behind her determined mask, troubled thoughts filled Tsume's mind, her hands unconsciously clenching into fists as she leaped from branch to branch. "So the Hokage is one of the three legendary Sannin," she thought, remembering some of what Kisame had told her on the boat ride from Kirigakure. "Just like Orochimaru." Once, Tsunade, the Godaime Hokage, had been on the same Genin team as Orochimaru, as well as the third Sannin, Jiraya. Tsume's fight with Orochimaru had nearly killed her; she couldn't imagine fighting another of the Sannin, let alone two. If such an occasion arose, the only sensible thing to do would be to run. Tsume wouldn't risk her life to prove herself to Kisame or Itachi. And not for Leader-sama. She wouldn't die to prove herself. She knew all too well the pain of those left behind.
UNSPOKEN
The moon was rising, and still they continued on, fighting back what tiredness and fatigue that they felt. There was no time to rest, for they had to reach Konohagakure within the next two days. Tsume had grown used to the weight of her sword, she easily kept up with Kisame and Itachi. Each time she landed on a branch, Tsume pushed off with a bit of chakra in the soles of her feet, giving herself an extra boost of speed. In her ninjutsu training, Itachi had remarked that Tsume had a rather large chakra supply, commenting on how many times she could preform a particular jutsu. Tsume still wore the same determined mask, refusing to let it or herself falter. There was no way that she could turn back now, and there was not way that she wanted to. Tsume would walk the path that she had chosen, and she would not waver.
Suddenly, Itachi stopped, Kisame and Tsume halting on a branch a few yards ahead as they looked quickly back to Itachi, their own senses now on high alert. "We're being followed." Itachi's voice was hardly a whisper, but Kisame and Tsume heard him easily. They strained their senses. there were twelve people, some among the tree branches around them, and some waiting on the ground. Itachi's voice came again. "Take them out."
Tsume dropped like a stone, quickly freeing her sword as her feet hit the ground. She hit the forest floor in the center of a circle of masked figures. By their forehead protectors, Tsume identified them as shinobi from Konohagakure, and by their vests, they were Chunin rank or higher. There was a brief, tense moment while the Konoha shinobi looked at the small young woman, the massive blade resting across her back and the long handle in a firm grip. Indeed, she was an odd sight; such a small frame supporting such a large weapon.
"I'm sorry," Tsume whispered. And then she struck out, hearing Kisame and Itachi do the same above. The first to fall was a small, lean man, frozen in fear by Tsume's sword. He died without a sound, his body crumpling and with a deep wound across his chest. But before he hit the ground, the other shinobi attacked, angered by the death of their comrade. They lunged at Tsume with their own weapons. Tsume spun in a full circle, killing two shinobi who didn't leap away in time. A kunai grazed Tsume's cheek; she caught it and threw it back, returning the gesture and killing a fourth. There were only two left, but Kisame appeared and dispatched them before Tsume could even move.
Straightening, Kisame lifted a hand to Tsume's bleeding cheek. "Are you alright?" he asked.
Nodding, Tsume drew out a rag and wiped the blood from her sword. "Yes," she responded, stowing the rag and returning her sword to her back. "I'm fine. Are there any more?"
Kisame shook his head. "No. Not as many Jounin as we thought."
"So they were mostly Chunin?" Tsume asked, feeling the bite of guilt in her stomach; the Chunin never had a chance.
Kisame nodded, returning the now unbandaged Samehada to his back. "It looks like they were heading in the same direction as us; there'll probably be more of them as we get closer to the village, so stay on your guard."
Tsume nodded, bending her legs slightly as she made to leap back up into the trees to continue on. "Understood.
UNSPOKEN
"Are you sure that allowing her on this mission is a good idea, Pein?" Konan asked, closing the door to Pein's office behind her. "She is still only—"
"She is above Jounin level, Konan," Pein declared. "Were she not, I would not be considering her as a possible member of the Akatsuki."
"How will she be tested?" Konan asked, sounding interested.
"She will fight Hidan and possibly Kakuzu," Pein replied. "Then I will assess her abilities personally. It is possible that she may defeat Hidan and Kakuzu; Itachi is quite confident in her abilities.
"She was unable to beat Orochimaru," Konan pointed out. Then, after a moment of thought, she added, "however, she was not in complete control of herself due to her feelings for Kisame."
"The feelings that they have for each other do not seem to effect their abilities as shinobi," Pein said. Then the slightest of smiles quirked his lips. "If anything, Kisame seems to fight even more fiercely where Tsume is concerned."
UNSPOKEN
A/N: The end of chapter of twenty-seven. I was considering making a new story to finish Tsume's story, but decided against it. It's just the start of the second arc. I think there's only gonna be two arcs. Anyway, I'm gonna introduce Tomo soon. Please don't hate her, she's lovely, she just hates Itachi and those who would protect him, i. e. Tsume and Kisame. I'm kinda stuck on Tomo's story, but anyway. I'll start on twenty-eight soon.