Chapter Sixteen
"Konan-san. We have a situation."
Konan blinked, it was unusual for Zetsu to show up in broad daylight in a crowded area, because for someone who had spent the least amount of time being trained as a shinobi, he was inclined to do things by the book, so whatever it was must be urgent.
"Madara, I thought he was dead but-"
"Well he tasted the way I thought he would." His Darker Half interjected.
"Konan, Zetsu. Surprised to see me?"
She turned around and stretched out with her senses, that wild, manic chakra, indicative of the madness the Mangekyou brought to it's user, was unmistakable. Konan had not seen him without his mask in ages.
Both shinobi bowed.
"I am surprised to see you here of all places Madara-sama." Konan said.
"What? You think I don't know about this place? I'm older than you and Zetsu put together and-" he rubbed his ring. "-I can track my members down anywhere. I'm surprised to see you two lounging around without a care in the world. How pitiful that you, two of the most powerful shinobi I've ever met, fled for your lives as soon as you thought Akatsuki had fallen."
"I thought you were dead Madara-sama." Konan said, by way of explanation. "And the Akatsuki is finished, we were all lucky to be able to cut our losses and make it out alive."
The Uchiha's mood shifted sharply.
"Insubordinate bitch!" He snarled, slamming her head into the table.
Konan felt blood dripping from her nose.
"The Akatsuki started with just two and it was I who gave birth to the most powerful organization the world has ever known! You-are-all-replaceable and you should have started recruiting as soon as you could get back on your feet! You don't throw away years of work just like that!"
Konan's eyes narrowed dangerously. How dare he treat her like a disobedient dog! She stood up and prepared for a fight, keeping her eyes planted on him, but away from the swirling Sharingan. Zetsu settled back to sit and watch.
"Konan-chaan. You don't really think you can take on the greatest ninja in the whole wide world do you?" Tobi giggled and movement caught her eye to the left of. She grabbed a kunai and blocked his only to find herself being drawn into the Mangekyou.
"It only takes a glance."
Konan shot up from her bed, grabbed a kunai and with the help of her clones, searched Grimmauld Place. Only Sirius and the half crazed house elf called Kreacher, were up and about. Kisame was snoring in the next room and slipping outside, she checked the area around the house. When she was satisfied that she and Kisame were the only nin in the area she returned to bed and reflected.
Things had gone well, Konan thought. Orochimaru had come by with a small, elite force from Otogakure and Konan had used a clone disguised as one of his stationed shinobi and initiated the attack. Chaos had broken out and Konan and Kisame, using henged clones fought alongside Oto adding fuel to the flames and confirming the rumors. The Death Eaters' numbers had been greatly reduced and many of Orochimaru's shinobi killed, though there was still a good sized group left and it looked as though Lord Voldemort would not be trusting shinobi anytime soon.
Orochimaru had gotten away, which was disappointing, but not unexpected. The Sannin had not lived to be as old as he was by being a fool, especially as a wanted man by every ninja village and he was going to be back. A fact that she pointed out to the disgruntled Order Members. Soon, she would call on Sasori and start making preparations to go into Oto and kill him. After all, she had promised to help Sasori get the bodies for his new puppets.
Dumbledore had been feeding her information on horcruxes, which she in turn relayed to Sasori. In the meantime, she had sent Zetsu to keep an eye on Orochimaru and relay news, with the help of an ingenious device called a two way mirror.
The other drawback was that now Oto knew the remaining Akatsuki was out for its blood. Then she realized what she'd just thought and began to laugh, a quiet, desperate, hysterical laugh. How she wished Nagato was here to hold her in his comforting arms. And when she was done, she felt drained and hollow, in a painful, but almost good kind of way.
She turned to see Albus behind her, waiting patiently behind her.
"Professor Dumbledore?"
"Well done my dear. You and your friends have pulled things off splendidly and you have more than paid off your debt to us. Though I must confess, you made many people wonder where your loyalties lay."
"My loyalties are to myself." Konan said with a shrug. After all she no longer had anyone to whom she could be loyal, her heart had been shattered too many times.
"Though things did not go as well as I wanted, too many from Oto escaped. Do you think Orochimaru can be driven off so easily? He was merely testing the strengths and weaknesses of the wizarding's best, he retreated quickly because he was satisfied with the results."
He let the subject go.
"Will you be heading home as well?"
I have no home. She thought bitterly, then closed her eyes for a moment, but did not answer
"Is it possible to break free of-" She stopped, unsure of how to word it. What was it? Her fate? The dream was still fresh in her mind, a warning of things to come.
He seemed, as usual, to understand.
"I know so. After all, our ancestors of wizard-kind and shinobi fought hard to break free from a way of life they did not agree with, a way of life that had been thrust upon them since birth."
And it seems that we must do so again, if we are to survive this upcoming war. He thought.
"There is nothing saying that you cannot leave Otogakure as it is and settle here if you desire Konan."
He paced around the small area.
"But what did our ancestors give up in order to gain their freedom? Power? Yes. Bloodlines greatly weakened, some even disappearing forever? Yes. I am sure you worry about that as well. After all, your own prowess and reputation is hard-earned. The chains of the mind, the strongest chains of all, can be very difficult to break, something which humanity continues to prove time and time again. But you can only give up or gain as much as you choose to Konan. Only fear of change will continue to fetter and weaken us."
Konan nodded. It was good to know and she would certainly be staying around, but she must kill Orochimaru. Kisame and Zetsu did not have to come with her and Sasori to do it and besides, Zetsu and Sasori would probably try to kill each other.
"Now, how about some breakfast? I've discovered it's better to think on a full stomach."
Konan got up and walked with him, vaguely surprised to see bright sunlight peeking through the windows.
Kisame was busy stuffing his face.
"With food this good, I don't think I wanna go home." He greeted.
Konan smiled a little as she sat down and helped herself.
"So, when do we get to take down Orochimaru?" His bloodlust was palpable.
"We must contact Sasori and Zetsu. Though I'm unsure if Zetsu will work with Sasori."
"Zetsu's a professional and besides, he likes seeing Sasori collared." He assured her as he helped himself to pot pie.
"He's loyal to you." He continued with a grin. "If it were anyone else we were talkin' about, I'd swear he was in love."
She shot him a look and his grin grew wider.
"You think I could get a job here? As a Taijutsu teacher?"
"You'd kill more than half of the students here Kisame-san, this is not Kirigakure."
"I'd just be weedin out the weak."
The teachers stopped to stare, not realizing that the two of them were joking.
"Perhaps you should wait and see if we come back alive and intact first." Konan advised.
He chuckled.
"You worried Puppet Boy might get a stray shot in on purpose."
"He'd be a dead nin if he tried Kisame."
"True, figuring out how to combine that magical technique with a sealing and tracking jutsu was a stroke of genius." He bragged.
She shook her head, Kisame had always been pretty good at figuring out new jutsu and since he had the chakra reserves to back him it was not as difficult as it would be for another nin.
After Kisame and Konan had left, Moody cornered Severus.
"I got some information, but not much."
Severus was all ears.
"It turns out they had a weird meeting with that Sasori guy. I couldn't see what they were sayin to each other but, if the Akatsuki treated like their allies like that I'd hate to see how they treat their enemies."
The other man snorted.
"The red head seemed pretty PO'ed from what I could tell and at one point Kisame threw him down and started doin something to him with that weird sword and they did something to him, one of their jutsu and Sasori promised to kill them as soon as he got rid of whatever they cursed him with."
"I recall Arthur saying that Konan had used some kind of jutsu similar to the Imperius Curse on the man she killed and I overheard Kisame talking about how he had managed to combine jutsu with a spell."
"Hmm. I don't think so. The man was pretty lucid, Arthur said that the man who had killed the ninja who targeted his family had a blank look on his face and was totally obedient to Konan. Never heard of an Imperiused person threatening to kill the caster, though I'd sure like to see it." He chuckled.
"If he was so obedient than why did he attack her? I wonder." Severus murmured.
"I don't know." Moody replied.
He seemed lost in thought for a moment and then said.
"Forgive me for cutting this short but I'm late for a meeting with Dumbledore."
As it turned out, Konan was already there, explaining that her spies had confirmed that Tonks was in Oto.
Kisame seemed to find something funny about that.
That made Severus wonder who this mysterious contact was and how they could travel from one place to another so quickly. Kisame also had a telling grin on his face. One of those I-know-something-you-don't-know kinds and Severus' suspicions only deepened as did his curiosity.
After the pair were dismissed Severus stepped in.
"Good day Severus, you said you had some news for me?"
"Indeed I do. I've received news from the Dark Lord that he will try and tempt your ninja to his side tonight."
"Is that so?" Albus was surprised.
"That at least dispels the rumor that they were working for Tom at least."
"That is the least of our worries."
"You are worried that one of them will accept?"
"They have no morals Dumbledore and if the price is right, they'll likely turn on us."
Albus sighed. "We can only wait then."
"Hmm."
Konan was out for some late night training when she felt a presence behind her. She turned around and looked at Lord Voldemort.
"So you are the kunoichi I've heard so much about. You've made things very difficult for me these past months."
He looked into her eyes, admiring the fact that she had mastered the crudest, most difficult form of Occlumency; to be completely blank and not give away anything.
She waited patiently for him to speak, while he mentally assessed her traits, this one could go from leader to follower and back again. She was patient, calculating and ruthless.
"But if you worked for me, I could give you what Dumbledore could not."
"Such as?"
He began pacing as he worked his pitch, the pitch that brought the powerful and talented under his command.
"Putting your considerable talents to use for me, would grant you a high position over any army you choose, you would gain power and glory, your name would be synonymous with infamy all across the land. What say you?"
He saw the answer in her eyes.
"You must be very loyal to Dumbledore to throw away what I'm offering so casually." He hissed.
"As I told Dumbledore-san, I am loyal to no one but myself. I'm refusing you because you have nothing to offer me. I've worked alongside the powerful before. You offer me glory and infamy Voldemort-san? I have that, my name and deeds are known all across my homeland and I am beginning to gain a reputation as a formidable opponent in yours. If I die of old age, my infamy will live on as a ninja who was unable to be captured and killed, if someone kills me, my glory will be intertwined with theirs."
She was self-assured and unafraid, something Voldemort cherished and disliked, because there were only two types of people like that, egotistical braggarts, and people who had seen enough to carry themselves through any situation.
"Besides I've worked with people like you most of my adult life."
"And how would you classify people like me?" Voldemort asked archly.
"As a powerful madman who knows how to play chess with the whole world."
Voldemort was momentarily taken aback by her frankness, then he laughed a little.
"I think I like the sound of that."
That did not surprise her, Nagato had once told Madara the same thing and he'd taken it as a compliment.
"So you'll be taking part of this war on the Order's behalf?"
"I've seen enough war to last me a lifetime and I'm tired of always being involved in other peoples' wars. My protection extends only as far as I deem necessary Voldemort-san."
Her answer would have satisfied some people, but it was just vague enough to keep Voldemort wondering.
"I'm eager to test those boundaries." He said, only to find himself to talking to empty air.
Her wand had been broken and she was chained to the wall of this dank hellhole, every hour a guard came in to check on her, bring her water and let her use the bathroom. She took one shower a day with a female guard posted inside of it and she ate at the same times everyday. She hadn't been outside she'd been dragged here and no one understand her language. At night they allowed her to sleep on a small, hard cot with a thin blanket by extending her chains.
She didn't know why she had been brought here and wondered if there were other Aurors here as well. Perhaps You-Know-Who had ordered them all to be brought here, wherever here was, Oto she supposed, until he could figure out what to do with them.
At least that's what she thought until he came in. The man had long black hair, an abnormally white face and golden eyes. His hands formed signs and she could feel a strange type of magic buzzing around her head and throat and that was when she learned why she was here.
It turned out that Metamorphmagi were actually descendants of the Sukinshifuta clan of a place called Yuugakure. She had been captured because he intended to use her to create more of them. In other words she was to bred like a dog in a puppy mill. Of course, the black haired man assured her, as long as she cooperated she would be treated well. Tonks didn't believe him for an instant, but decided that for now she had to do whatever it took to survive until she could be rescued or find a way to return home on her own.
There were no more visits from the man for a time and her daily routine continued, while she plotted her escape. She desperately needed to get out before she got pregnant, because that would make it far more difficult to escape in a strange land where no one spoke her language, since translation spells had to be renewed once a month.
Then another man visited her, this one had whitish gray hair and wore glasses, he was an odd combination between doctor and healer and he began to do regular checkups on her and even though he had a pleasant manner, Tonks was beginning to get nervous.
Several weeks after one of her checkups another man came into her cell, this one was tall and muscular, with dark brown hair and blue-green eyes and at first Tonks thought nothing of it, it wasn't unusual for her to see a new guard after one got injured or killed but as she studied him, a prickling instinct of fear began in her gut and grew heavier. Something was wrong, something had changed and she began fighting desperately as the man threw her on the bed.
The next morning found the Auror red-faced and tearful as Kabuto came in. He scowled at the bruises and fat lip and healed them quickly.
"Kawataro did this?" Kabuto asked her.
Tonks scowled in response, but refused to answer otherwise.
After her check-up Kabuto stalked out of the room and summoned Kawataro.
"You were supposed to be gentle." He informed him coolly.
"Tch. You didn't see what the little hellcat did to me. Got me in the eye with a chain and tried to strangle me. She wasn't exactly gentle either."
"You have been assigned a mission to impregnate the Sukinshifuta woman and Orochimaru-sama would be displeased if his prize miscarried or was damaged irreparably Kawataro." He fixed him with a harsh stare. "Since he is away on business at this time it is my right to discipline people anyway I see fit."
The big man shivered inwardly at the implications and promised to be more gentle. Kabuto had a reputation for being as sadistic as Orochimaru-sama.
After several weeks, Tonks found herself in the worst situation possible, she was pregnant and her chances of escape were slimmer than ever. Pregnancy was supposed to be a happy time, but she could only sit and stew in her misery and her anger, but at least she had no more visits from her attacker.
The way she was treated had also changed, she was no longer chained to the wall and only female guards were assigned to her from that point on. She was taken on walks for exercise outside, the quality of her food changed for the better and she was allowed to socialize with some of Oto's more temperate ninja.
She had made a friend with one in particular, a pretty young teenager who was a missing nin from Mizu no Kuni named Aoidori, for her bright blue hair. She was a Bird Summoner and had a lot of talent with Water based Jutsu and unbeknownst to Tonks or anyone else, she was really a spy for Takigakure and had taken pity on the other woman and the predicament she was in.
The plucky fifteen year old wanted to help Tonks out, but that would be difficult to do, considering her situation. One, she couldn't leave her post until she had been ordered too, for another there was the constant possibility of getting caught and trying to smuggle a pregnant woman out of any ninja village would only increase her chances of a failed mission. There was really only one option for Tonks and while Taki was a lot better than Oto, in the grand scheme of things her village would still want Tonks for her valuable bloodline and she was pretty sure that Tonks wouldn't be too pleased to land back into the same situation. But Aoidori Niigata was a very determined and sneaky girl and that was when she had an idea.
Author's Note:
Man this chapter took forever to do! I wasn't sure if I should include Tonks' back story at first, or if I should make it separate
but I'm sure some of you wanted to know what was going on.
And I might be adding more of it later. Or should I leave it alone for now?
And who would like to see Kisame as a Taijutsu instructor? *cackles* those poor kids wouldn't know what hit them! I'm just curious. Feel free to let me know. Next chapter Konan and the crew will go after Orochimaru. Won't that be a barrel of laughs?