Some readers mentioned in their comments that Konan always calls Pein, well…Pein. (The spelling should have been Pain, but I prefer to use Pein because in some other manga translations it spells like that, "Pein.") But since Konan is very stoic and emotionless I wanted to add a little bit of twist and make her call him Yahiko…And I know that it was Nagato who controls Pein, and Konan is very much aware of that….but still, she loved the soul that owns that body in the past…so feelings tend to slip sometimes.
Thanks readers for mentioning this one, it really makes me glad because I can see that you are paying attention to my story. (*bearhugs)
Oh, and one more thing…English is not my first language, so please understand if there are grammatical errors. I am very open to suggestions and useful tidbits that could help me.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto
-o-o-o-
Chapter Fourteen
(f) "That is not good enough for me." Hinata gritted her teeth and her hands turned into fist. After all that they put her through… after the things that they have done to do the village…
That was the only answer that she's going to get?
Pein looks impressed. "Brave and firm. Exactly what we need." The leader smirked at the girl. "Are you sure you could handle the truth if I'm going to share it to you? Sometimes…it is better to disregard knowledge and let the everything flow without questions."
"I don't care. I need to know."
"As you wish." The leader nodded and he took one trembling hand on his own cold ones. Taking out something from his pocket, he placed it carefully on Hinata's middle finger. "A token that you just earned…this now belongs to you."
It was a ring.
"Welcome to the Akatsuki."
That froze her body like ice. Welcome to the Akatsuki? Hinata stared at the taller man with disbelief as everything that he said…everything, sank in with a cold blow.
They are going to take her in into their organization.
They want her to be an Akatsuki.
The realization somehow jerked Hinata back into the present, and her stunned state suddenly turned into fear. When she found a few moments to compose her shocked self, it was then that she felt uncontrollable anger. Staring at the man who calls himself Pein, she removed her hand from his hold and did the next thing that all of them never expected her to do.
She grabbed the forehead protector off Pein's forehead…
And slammed it into his face.
"I would never turn my back to my village!" Hinata took a step back, trying to have a firm footing because she was expecting some sort of comeback or a counter attack.
She watched as Pein staggered in surprise, and his hand shot up to wipe his mouth.
The room was suddenly filled with flying papers, and they began to wrap Hinata starting to her feet. She kicked at them and tried to burn them with her chakra but they were still starting to stick into her body in large numbers. Sooner or later, she's going to be wrapped with parchment from head to toe.
Second by second, Hinata found it harder to move.
"Konan…stop." Pein commanded, looking as if Hinata's attack was more of a confirmation than an insult. The violet haired woman obeyed, and with just one flick of her hand, the papers became suspended in mid-air. Filling the room like white floating tiles.
"I won't be a part of your organization…I am not a missing nin." Hinata hissed, veins popping at the sides of her eyes as she activated her kekkei genkai. She saw the man raised his hand to her direction, and with a quick flick that was oddly similar to Konan's, she yelped when she was pulled into him like a rag doll with the same invisible force he used on her earlier.
Then with another flick of his hand, Hinata found herself thrown into the air, and then straight into the hard, wooden wall. There was a deafening crack, and she rolled into the floor in a crumpled heap along with a few tattered wood.
Hinata coughed and her hand clutched at her stomach.
"The first thing that an Akatsuki has to learn, is obeying the leader. " Pein said, looking down on the heiress. "And you are going to learn that lesson now." (f)
Hinata opened her eyes…
Then looked straight into midnight black ones.
"Itachi…" She said weakly, eyes scanning the dark room that she was in. Currently, she discovered that she was lying on the cold floor with a dark cloak placed over her. When she tried to sit, she winced when her body pains began to attack her at the same time—making her see white lights.
There was no furniture inside the room save for a wooden table and a small lamp. Uchiha Itachi was sitting on the floor opposite from her. He has one knee drawn up and an arm resting over it. He was wearing a netted shirt, so Hinata assumed that he was the one who placed the cloak on her.
"Why am I with you?" Hinata asked, flexing her palms and saw that her knuckles were bruised. Looking closely, she saw that there were a few wooden splinters still embedded on her skin. The ring was still on her middle finger and she tried pulling it off—but it seems they did something to make it stuck.
A sticking jutsu maybe?
"I am ordered to watch over you." The response was stoic.
The heiress bit her lip as what happened with her and the Akatsuki leader replayed inside her head. They are going to make her one of them…they are going to make her betray the hidden leaf. "You should have let me drown on that river Itachi-san…" was all she said as tears began to fell on her face. "You should have strangled me to death back in that forest…you should have—"
Hinata began to shake uncontrollably.
Itachi stared in silence as the girl silently sobbed. Her body trembling and bloody knuckles clenched. There was no sound coming from her, for she bit her lip hard. She slowly bent on the floor and stayed like that as she cried. She never felt so lost before…so trapped.
All she wanted was to go home and be with her family…with her friends…but everything seems so distant now.
So out of her reach.
She stayed in a curled form for a few minutes. Breathing slowly…crying hard…shaking…trembling…
Until Uchiha Itachi picked her up.
-o-o-o-
Tsunade stared at the crow that just flew away from the tower window. Her mouth was gaping and her face stunned. Slowly, her hand rose to press a throbbing nerve point on her forehead—fearing that if she doesn't compose herself, she was going to break her desk into two.
So the message from Itachi was crystal clear…
Akatsuki wants the Hyuga heiress to be their new member—a replacement in fact, for the puppet wielder Sasori who was killed by the Sakura and the sand's lady Chiyo a few months back.
How would she solve all this? Tsunade wondered. What was the right step to take?
Itachi suggested letting it be, and he promised that he would be watching the Hyuga closely for her safety. It would not be an easy task but it could be done. He never failed on any of his missions yet after all—even though everyone thought that he was a traitor.
Tsunade trusts the Uchiha, for there was no greater sacrifice any Shinobi has done like he did…but everything was just too risky.
"If I am going to order Itachi into letting Hinata get away from Akatsuki…he would be compromising his position and all years of spying." Tsunade muttered as she shook her head. "But how could I pull Kakashi and his unit back? Not to mention Hiashi and the Hyuga clan. Damn…damn Akatsuki."
-o-o-o-
Maybe it was the aching body and bruises, that Hinata did not say anything when she felt Itachi lifted her up from the floor…or maybe she was just too distressed for her current state to care. She continued to sob as the Uchiha carried her silently out of the room. The house was dark except for a few lamps hanging on the wall. The old house was large and has many doors—or they passed on many doors anyway, and that was just half of the whole house.
Itachi stopped on one of the doors, kicked it open and stepped in. He put the girl down—who obviously was not aware of anything around her since she was covering her face with her hands. She was just silent and her whole body was shaking like a leaf as silent sobs racked her frame.
Hinata felt a surge of cool air whipped past her and for a moment, her mind wondered why she could hear night insects and surging water. She was inside another dark room wasn't she?
She brought down her hands from her tear soaked face and became stunned at what she saw in front of her.
No…Itachi did not bring her into a room.
He brought her into a terrace…A terrace with a magnificent view of a small waterfall and beautiful flowery shrubs. The moon was high and it provided them with a faint light that was enough to make them see.
Hinata looked at the Itachi with a gaping mouth.
"You might drown us both with your tears in that room." He told her, handsome face ever so stoic. There was no hint of concern on his voice—for it was still death cold. He was not even looking at her now, for he was staring at the moon like he was in a deep thought.
"I'll never join the Akatsuki…" She suddenly said. "I'll die before that."
"The leader knows…and I think they put me in charge of you to keep you alive while they try to…persuade you."
Hinata clenched her fists together, tears still falling from her now swollen eyes. "I…I won't become like you."
"I don't want anyone to become like me…Hinata-san." Itachi answered, head titling slowly to the side as he looked at her.
-o-o-o-
Yamanaka Ino adjusted the pack attached behind her as Shikamaru silently observed the surroundings around them. He was trying to find whatever small clue that could help him track Asuma's killers. Choji was chewing into something edible that he brought with him on a shiny foil container as he silently scanned the area too.
"Did you smell that?" Ino wrinkled her nose and her beautiful face contorted in disgust. "That really smells bad." The forest wind blew into their direction and carried a very foul odor that smells of unmistakable decay. "Maybe a dead animal or something."
"A very big animal." Choji added.
"The wind blew this way." The Nara pointed at the east. "So the smell came this way." His other hand pointed at the opposite side. He has his nose wrinkled too because the odor was overpowering. Straightening up, he began to follow where the foul smell came from.
"Hey Shikamaru…Should we get going instead of finding out the source of that disgusting smell?" Ino complained. Leave it to the laziest one of the group to suddenly investigate. Pinching her nose, she rolled her eyes when Choji followed the Nara without question, leaving her no choice.
The trio continued to walk for a few seconds when they stopped. There was a large bush that obstructs their way and it was very thick. Shikamaru and Choji have to help each other into pushing the leaves to the side to give them a small space for passing.
Ino gasped and she pointed with a horror-stricken face at the small clearing just a few steps away from them. She was the first one to pass between the thick leaves and emerged into the other side. "Look."
A few meters away from them, on a small open space were dead bodies.
It littered the clearing—bodies that were unmercifully lacerated while some were burned beyond distinction. Flies were buzzing everywhere, and the stench just plain unbearable.
"D-dead people." Ino covered her mouth at the gruesome sight.
"They are nins…from the mist." Shikamaru picked up a broken forehead protector on the ground. He too covered his nose as he edged nearer, eyes flickering from side to side just in case there are some traps laid around to catch them unaware.
"An ambush?"
Shikamaru dropped the forehead protector and gestured to his teammates not to edge closer like he did. "No…they were not ambushed. There are no signs of traps, or any kunai. To kill a large group like this by ambush…The attackers would need an attack that would catch them unexpectedly…but it seems like they fought something head on. Most of their wounds are because of close combat."
"And there was someone who used bombs…" Ino kneeled and studied the small crater-like holes on the ground. The grass was burned and the soil cracked and scorched. "It must have been thrown from the air…the holes are deep."
"Judging by the looks of it, these Kiri nins have been dead for days." Choji commented, eyeing a body with a missing head and leg. Even though he was trained to be tough in situations like these, Choji still can't help himself not to feel sick at the sight of death and gore "Uhm…do we need to send a message to Hokoge-sama about this? Let her tell the Mizukage or something?"
"We can send a message…" Shikamaru said, mind gears running as he tried to picture out the events that happened on the place by patching the small clues together. Taking closer steps, the Nara saw something that made him cursed and grit his teeth.
"What?" Ino gave Shikamaru a questioning look. She saw his expression changed from curiosity to anger and she wondered what the problem was. "Shikamaru…"
The Nara picked something on the ground and raised it up for them to see.
A forehead protector with a roughly engraved line on the middle.
"Akatsuki…the Kiri nins were attacked by the Akatsuki."
-o-o-o-
Hinata grimaced as she was knocked into the soft ground. Rolling into her back, she avoided a large quantity of flying papers as it was controlled into her direction. She stood back in a hurry, trying not to get caught into the flood of chakra-sucking parchments.
Hinata doesn't know why, but Konan suddenly attacked her. Itachi brought her outside the house and there Konan was, waiting for her with a stoic look on her eyes. Good heavens! Are the Akatsuki really this twisted? They would just attack you for the plain fun of it?
Or was it because she gave their leader a smack on the face?
"Fight back." The woman commanded. Hands moving as she controlled her jutsu papers.
Hinata leaped back and activated her Byakugan. It would be easier for her to detect Konan's attacks if she could see from all sides. The woman's fighting style was like Shino-kun's. They are better in long range attacks…
And luckily, she has trained with the Aburame heir all her life.
Itachi watched in silence as Hinata avoided Konan's attacks. She was fast and her speed was something to be noted of—although he noticed that she was not giving off any counters. Hinata looked as if she can read the older woman's movements, for she can manage to avoid them before it could hit her and produce damage.
Unknown to Hinata, Konan was not just picking a fight with her. The Akatsuki pioneer was actually testing her capabilities and strengths, the things she needs to improve, and her weaknesses. He did not inform her, but Itachi actually brought her out of the house because of that purpose.
The Uchiha also studied her movements. It's been years since he saw a Hyuga using the Byakugan in action—and he was actually interested on how she can handle the test.
Although his eyes tends to slip and he found himself staring at her blue hair.
"Tsk." Hinata clicked her tongue and side-stepped, only to lost a firm footing when she stepped on a rock, making her hesitate for a second for her next move.
That second was long enough for Konan to bring the heiress down.
With a simple wave of her hand, Konan finished the "test fight" by wrapping the girl with her papers from head to toe, only leaving her eyes free. Hinata tried to break loose, but the older woman's jutsu was stronger.
"You might suck all of her chakra." Itachi reminded, stepping out of the shadows and kneeled beside the now immobilized Hyuga. He looked into her eyes, which was looking back at him without a flicker. She was really angry…he could tell.
"She is good in defense." Konan commented. "But she won't stand a chance against anyone on her offense attacks. She hesitates every time she counters."
Hinata saw Itachi looked at her, and his dark eyes sent chills down her spine. Somehow, watching him in broad daylight on her unmoving state, and Konan standing behind him looking as regal and stoic as ever— she suddenly realized how powerless she was against these kinds of people.
People who are so dangerous and so deadly.
And it looks like they are going to do their best to make her one of them…
Her eyes flickered wearily when Itachi pulled out a kunai—and with a graceful move of his hand; he cut the papers that binds her body with a few sure strokes.
Hinata gasped for air as soon as she was released. After just a few seconds of being wrapped by Konan's papers, she felt like her body lost its strength. Itachi was right…the papers are sucking her chakra out from her body, leaving her weak and a little dizzy.
"Itachi." It was Konan. "Pein and I will leave the hideout tonight. Pein suggests that you follow with the Hyuga and Kisame a day after. We will stay at our hideout near Suna…just to prevent anyone from knowing our secret places. It is best that no Akatsuki stays for a long time in one place."
Itachi took Hinata's shoulder and raised her up, one hand placed on her waist to prevent her from sagging down. "We never stick as a group before. We work in pairs."
"But we have an additional member and she needs a little…supervision." Konan looked at Hinata who was standing limply beside the sharingan user. Somehow, Konan's intelligent eyes caught the way one of Itachi's arms was holding the girl by the waist.
It made her raise an eyebrow.
She was actually expecting that Itachi would just drag the Hyuga, not carry her like that. As far as she knew, Itachi was never that considerate to anyone. Even to his own assigned partner, the Uchiha never showed any signs of concern.
And Konan knew that big things always start small…
"You looked a little…attached." Konan commented as she turned her back into the pair. "Be careful Itachi. Attachments can be…dangerous."
-o-o-o-
End of chapter.
-Wee! A two week semetral break for me. Lol…It seems like I am going to have a lot of time writing for this fanfic.
Please review guys. (puppy eyes.)
-crazygurl12