Chapter 11: Runaway

The group moved into the room Yami originally infiltrated. Hidan's head was sat beside Yami, who was moved into the corner, surrounded by the other three shinobi. A lingering smell caused the girl to cough.

The tall, wild haired man stepped forward, a pale sword emerging from his sleeve, "What do you know about Kimimaro Kaguya?"

"Kaguya? That's the clan with the Dead Bone Pulse Jutsu, if I remember… though the rest of the name sounds unfamiliar…" Yami drew back as the sword lifted. He made a small clicking noise as he noticed the swords origin; the palm of the user.

"I also seem to remember the clan dying out. So you're a survivor?"

"Something like that. You know more then you're letting on, though, don't you?" pressured the wilder man, the tip of the sword tapping against the mask.

"Nothing else."

"You shouldn't lie. I know this location was the home of Kimimaro Kaguya, and to be welcomed into it, you must have some connection to Orochimaru, who was his keeper," growled the white haired man.

"This shithead just broke in today. The one who's really in charge around here is Kabuto Yakushi, but he just died," Hidan called, looking from person to person with a bored look on his face. Hidan stopped on the quiet one, though, noting the Sharingan to himself.

"Damn it! Head, what do you know?"

"Nothing really… I was brought here after Kimi-whatever died," Hidan yawned. "Can we get along with our lives already?"

The one with the Sharingan eyes spoke up, "It appears they have nothing more to contribute… Kosshi, feel free to search the laboratories. Akayuri, I would like you to stand at the exit and look out."

The girl tilted her head, "Are you sure you can keep these two from killing us as we go? You've had only about a week to learn Fire Style Jutsu."

He nodded, "Of course. I copied what I saw, and have the elemental affinity required to use the techniques I was shown."

She nodded and turned, taking a seat at the door. Kosshi had already moved into the laboratory. Yami made a motion to follow, but a kunai thrown a few inches in front of Yami's path deterred that decision. Yami immediately sat back down, "Tell me, Uchiha. Are the rumors true? Is a new Akatsuki really forming?"

The dark haired man nodded, "And it's Takachi, for future reference. Uchiha isn't a name I much care for anymore."

The masked one snickered, "I suppose not. You have his look, that Itachi Uchiha. And those eyes… If the rumor's really are true, then I suppose you'll be needing this?" Yami pulled the ring 'Three' from his pocket and showed it to Takachi. The two Sharingan became fuller as his eyes widened.

"Indeed…" Takachi reached forward to take the ring, but the gloved hand pulled away.

"I have two rings. I will give you this one if you let me keep the other," the man growled, shuffling his feet impatiently.

"Well… The only way I can allow that is if…"

"I were to join your cause, which I shall," finished the cloaked one. Hidan chortled.

"I don't suppose I could rejoin too, could I?" he snickered, "I have a mean bite."

"You're currently useless to our cause," Takachi's answer came.

"I had only a brief moment to analyze, but I believe, with the experiments here in this lair, I'll be able to create a new body for Hidan, though it may take a long time," Yami mused. Hidan blinked, snickering again.

"I already like this bastard more than Kabuto. The four eyes never wanted to do anything but control his own power and resurrect the dead. Never really tried to do shit for me."

Takachi shook his head, "This is all very trivial. We have two more villages we need to infiltrate. Come with us."

Yami responded, "We can't carry Hidan around though, so we must leave him here. I will join you on your journey, only because I wish to meet your leader. Otherwise, I will locate myself here."

Kosshi stepped back into the room, his eyes lowered, "We don't need to go to the Hidden Wave village… I found everything I'm looking for here…"

Takachi look to Akayuri, who simply nodded and rose, walking out. The others followed, Takachi, who took up the irritating job of moving Hidan back to the experiment room (Jackasses! You can't just leave me here!), bringing up the rear.

Yami tapped the front of his mask as he walked, "I know of a most useful character whom resides in the Hidden Cloud Village. She'll do anything for the right price, and I think she would be an asset to the group."

Takachi tilted his head, "What can she do?"

Yami answered, "She's a master of genjutsu of all forms. People come from around the world to see her, since she mostly uses it therapeutically. It's almost like healing… but in the same respect, she can be more dangerous then even Tsunami."

"I hear that name a lot these days…" Takachi quickened his pace to catch up with Yami. "What's his status?"

"He successfully killed off the Mizukage and stole away with Three of the Swords…"

"Of the Seven Mist Shinobi?" Takachi blurted out, remember his conversation with Jinzu.

"Yes. Those are his last known whereabouts, in the Hidden Wave Village."

"It's a long walk to the Hidden Cloud, isn't it?" Akayuri asked.

"Only another two days out."

-

Slowly, those two days passed. The large gate of the Hidden Cloud Village was in view now. Dark clouds filled the sky, surging with electricity. A few drops fell to the ground, and Akayuri stopped, smiling a little, as she lifted her head to the rain.

"Let's keep moving, it's going to be a hell of a storm." Takachi analyzed as he pulled the hood of his traveling cloak over his head.

"Stop!"

"Don't let him get away!"

The group looked to the gate. Two shinobi guards had called out from the watch post at the top of the gate, but a third had leapt to the top of the gate. This silver streak jumped… no, flew from the top of the gate. The two guards leapt from the post and tailed him.

The chase was heading right for the four Akatsuki.

Everything happened at once. A puff of smoke, and the large container puppet of Akayuri's leapt forward, clutching the man fleeing in it's arms. Out from Yami's cloak, the skeleton inside leapt out too, a chain around it's neck, the end of the chain attached to one of Yami's arm braces. The skeleton pounced and clutched one of the guards. Kosshi had leapt through the air and landed before the second guard. His ribs shot out from his cloak, tearing the fabric and scraping the sides of the guard as they wrapped around him. Takachi appeared behind everyone and announced, "You've gotten in our way. This is the end for…"

A burst of electricity sent the guards, Takachi, Kosshi, the skeleton, and the puppet flying. The electricity followed along the metal chain of the skeleton and shocked Yami as well.

Akayuri and the runner were the only ones left standing. She almost froze as he ran past her, but quickly, she attached chakra strings to him, and he stopped dead in his path.

"Damn it! I don't have enough… chakra…" the man moaned, trying to fight the pull of the strings. His silver, spiky hair fell over the back of his neck in messy tuffs. Akayuri turned him around, facing her. He wore a royal blue cloak over his shoulders, and his eyes, an electric blue, stared weakly at her.

"Hello," Akayuri started, slowly approaching him, "Who are you? Why are you trying to run? Why do these men try to stop you?"

The man examined Akayuri for a while before deciding that not answering was just as pointless as answering. "I'm called Raikudo. This village is full of bad memories for me… and they try to stop me because leaving would make me a Rogue Ninja… though after the Electric Field Jutsu I used, that's now guaranteed…

Akayuri nodded, lowering her hands. Raikudo almost collapsed as he regained movement. Behind her, Kosshi cried out, "Don't let him get away with what he did! Kill him!"

"Wait…" Takachi breathed, suddenly less than a foot behind Akayuri, making her jump. "That was very impressive… If you're going to run, run with us."

Kosshi called out again, "I'm really hurt… The puppet's chest cavity was blown open, and the two guards are dead… Yami's unconscious…"

"We'll regroup half a mile back, away from the village," Takachi decided. "I think we now have the best the Cloud Village has to offer…"

Akayuri looked to Raikudo, but noticed, for the first time, a glare on his face. She followed the look back to Takachi, who was returning a glare. I wonder what's p with these two…

Next Chapter: Pairing