IMPORTANT: Due to computer failer, it is now more difficult for me to type. This chapter was typed at a close friend's house. I will be much more active on Deviantart than I am on this site.

Both this story and Akatsuki 2.0 will have longer delays. I'm so sorry to disappoint any excited, super loyal readers (I'll be really surprised if I have any XD)

Also, no quote this chapter. Sorry

Kitai finished his sacrifice as quickly and cleanly as possible. The only hard part was finding the criminal to kill. Missing nin were a challenge to find for obvious reasons, but Kitai managed after hours of searching. The kill was easy, a simple strike to the heart. He spread himself out on the bloody symbol in the ground. He closed his eyes and prayed to god.

When the eyes opened, there was someone looking down on him. Light blue eyes met his pupil-less, red ones. It was just a kid. His eyes snapped and he panicked. His hand shot up and he stared in horror at it. The skin was still black with the white skeletal pattern! He knew!

"Hey..." The kid looked down at the pendent hanging from his neck. "Are you a Jashinist?"

"Yeah..." There was something about this kid...something about this kid. He remembered those large eyes. His hair stood out, spiked in the front with a ponytail hanging over his shoulder. He wore a red jacket that hadn't seemed to change from-

"Sora?"

"Kitai-san?" Sora grinned widely.

"Is it really you Sora!" Kitai grinned back. "Damn, it's been-"

"-almost three years." Sora finished, reaching down and pulling him up.

Kitai's skin changed to it's normal pale color. He pulled Sora closer into a hug, wrapping his arms tightly around him. Of course he hadn't forgotten Sora. He had heard of other Jashinists, but Sora was the only one he had met in person. They had become friends instantly too. With the precious few friends he had in life, it was impossible to forget.

Sora remembered him too, very clearly. He had idolized him when he knew him and still did. But...

"Kitai..."

"Hmm?"

"Do guys normally hug each other?" Sora asked. He remembered his brother hugging him when he was little, but that mainly to kiss up to girls and Sora started refusing Ichigo's hugs when he grew up. There was a better chance of Sora wearing a dress than his senpai hugging him.

Kitai pulled back. "What do you mean...you've never one?"

"I have...just..."

"Oh..." Kitai scratched the back of his head and explained, "Well...I'm pretty sure it's normal if they're like siblings or best friends. Something like that."

"So...it's normal for us. We're friends?"

"Of course we are dude."

Sora stared at him for a moment. Then wrapped his arms around him, holding the hug. Somehow, it felt right. Kitai accepted his hug and pulled him closer so Sora's head was pressed to his chest.

They finally pulled away for good. "What brings you here, kid?"

"I was looking for you." Sora replied.

"Looking...for me!"

"Yeah." Sora said, "I missed you and I need your help."

"Help? With what?"

"My sempai. I...He's gone. Brom-sempai's gone."

"...why? How'd he-"

"I dunno..." Sora thought back, "We...we got into a fight...ANBU for sure. Leaf village...yeah they were definitely from Konoha. We were fighting them and I blacked out. When I woke up, my senpai was gone. I looked everywhere but no sign of him. Then I found one of the ANBU. He said...said they captured him. They were ordered to capture him."

"So, Konoha ANBU captured your senpai?"

"I'm not sure." Sora said. "Senpai's too powerful for that."

"How powerful are we talking?"

"He's an immortal like us. And a hell lot older. Much more experience too." He smirked a little. "No one can defeat a Jashinist, especially one that powerful."

Kitai stared for a moment in disbelieve. Then he said, "I think I know how to get in Konoha."

"I can't believe you." Yuu snarled. "You let him off on his own mission!"

"With a teammate." Her partner replied flattly.

"That's even worse!" She snapped. "What is the point! He's a dangerous felon who you have to keep a goddamn eye on and you're just letting him go with his little buddy!"

"Think about it for a moment, Yuu." Mitsukai said calmly. "Whenever Kitai spoke of his religion, this Sora was brought into the conversation some way or another."

"...what's your point?"

"We know very little about the Jashinists now. Imagine how much he'll learn after spending the time with Sora. Besides, you know Kitai. Can't keep his stupid mouth shut."

Yuu was silent for a moment, then said, "I see your point, Mitsukai-san.

"So the plan is he goes on his own with this kid. Doesn't that make us a little odd? We're very critical of Kitai-kun. Just letting him do what he wants looks out of place."

"Agreed." Mitsukai replied, "However, he had an excuse and it was simply the truth. We have a bounty we can go after in the other direction away from Konoha. The bounty Kitai said he's going after is supposedly a powerful zealot like himself. We would slow him down and he would slow us down on the mission we're going on. It's simply a matter of restrictions."

"You don't really think he's after a 'bounty' do you." Yuu raised an eyebrow.

"Of course he isn't. But suppose it is another Jashinist. Just more for us to learn about in the organization."

"Then we should be keeping a closer eye on them and going with them!"

"No." He said sharply, making her flinch a little. "Too risky and we have other things we can do. We'll do it next time to ensure our safety, but for now let it be."

"So, lemme get this straight." Sora said as they walked. "You have two senseis, Yuu and Mitsukai, both bounty hunters. Yuu uses genjutsu, Mitsukai...just about everything else."

"Just about."

"Because they were bounty hunters, you told them that we were only going after Brom because there was a bounty on his head and this wasn't a search and rescue. After saying that, they gave you permission to leave and continue training you or whatever when we're done. Right?"

"Mm-hm."

"I don't get it, Kitai-san. You're powerful enough already. Why do you need a sensei? You have two and you don't even need one! They aren't even Jashinists!"

"I do. I really do." Kitai argued. "I have absolutely no genjutsu control and my nin-jutsu is lame. I only know a couple of jutsu. Also my sword skill his nothing compared to Mitsauki-sensei's. Religion isn't exactly something we talk about ether. We just ignore it."

"Blah, you don't need them."

Kitai looked down at his friend. "You really think so?"

"Of course I do." Sora grinned up at him. "You're the most powerful person I know. After Brom-senpai of course."

Kitai smiled. "Thanks kid. It means a lot." They walked a little longer and Kitai spoke up. "You know that name...you never told me when you first met your senpai's name was Brom."

"Well yeah. Technically it is. I just always call him 'senpai'."

"Well, Raye-sensei always talked about a Brom in her life."

Sora blinked. Brom wasn't exactly a common name. Also, "Who's Raye-sensei? Don't tell me you have a third idiot you don't need."

"Oh no. She...well...she was my squad leader as a genin." He fiddled with the black Hidden Mist headband wrapped awkwardly around his head, partly hidden by the red hair. "I was a normal shinobi at one point you know."

"Oh yeah..." Sora said, "If that's the case...she was...Chunin-?"

"-Jonin."

"Right, Jonin. She was probably one of the ones who hunted Brom senpai. Yah know, like the Konoha ANBU."

"Not really. Actually..." Kitai paused, wondering how to say it. "...she spoke of him kinda as a lover."

"Lover? Like...married?" Sora burst out laughing for a few moments. The idea of Brom being in a romantic relationship was too hard for him to imagine. Sora respected Brom, but he was tough and mean, not exactly a friendly guy.

"No, I don't think so. But she spoke of him a lot. I think they dated, maybe got a little serious, maybe not, but definitely dated."

"Whatever. That doesn't sound like senpai."

"No one out there named 'Brom'. You sure?"

Sora thought for a little bit. "...Maybe he was leading her on. Like he wanted to sacrifice her, but it was heard. So he made her fall for him. Tricked her."

Kitai simply shrugged.

"Hey Kitai-san?"

"What?"

"You've never really told me about your time as a shinobi.. Like, before you became a missing nin."

Kitai blinked. "I didn't?"

"No. You didn't. I told you all about me, but you never really wanted to talk about your past."

"Oh...oh yeah." Kitai looked down for a moment, the back at Sora. "Well... I went to the academy like all kids to become a shinobi. I started a little late and graduated with my class as a genin a few days before I turned fourteen. I was assigned to squad four."

Squad four was an idol genin team that was together as often as possible for them. They were best friends. At charge of the team was Raye, a strong jonin as well as a genjutsu master. She kept careful watch of her team, keeping them out of trouble and discovering their strengths and weaknesses. It all was going well. Team four had a bright future.

At least, they did. Until that one day when they had a mission...

"I killed them." Kitai said darkly. "I killed each of them. Yuna was the only one who got away. I killed my family and most of my team." He twitched a little. "I was sad. It was purely insanity. I was upset enough to try and kill myself.

"But then..." He wrapped his fingers around the rosary. "He offered salvation. He said he loved me and I had promise. He promised immortality and saved me. He saved me and I owe him. So I'm going to kill everything in my way to repay him."

A short insane laugh escaped his throat and he flashed a wide grin at Sora. Sora only grinned back.

Once they got closer to the great village, Kitai explained the plan further.

"Konoha's defense system is a little strange. The entire place I surrounded by a spherical detection field...I think that's what they call it. Basically, without a code word, you can't get in. They'll know instantly there are two intruders with we try."

"So, you know the password to get us in."

"Nope. You have to have lived in Konoha to know it. The other way is to be escorted in by someone from the village."

"Damn."

"No worries." Kitai smiled. "I happened to do know someone from the village."

"Huh? There are Jashinists in Konoha?"

"No. She's not a Jashinsit."

"Eh?"

Kitai sighed. "Do all your allies have to be Jashinists?"

"Pretty much." Sora shrugged. "I worked with ones who weren't before. It was a pain in the ass."

They arrived on the edge of a forest. "We're about five minutes away from the village walls now." He sat down. "And now we wait."

"Wait?" Sora sat next to him.

"This is our meeting spot." Kitai explained. He looked into the distance. You could see the huge walls over the edge of the trees. "She'll come soon."

They stayed in that same spot for a long time, talking, catching up on life, cracking jokes. Finally, as the sun started to set, a figure appeared in the distance. Sora looked worried at Kitai, who still had his missing-nin headband on his head. Kitai, however, was smiling.

The person came closer and Sora realized it was a girl. She looked Kitai's age, about eighteen or nineteen. She had long dark hair and bright eyes. She smiled at them.

"Hi Kitai."

"Hi Kiyo."

This new character just introduced belongs to PandaMoko on DeviantArt