The river calmly drifted by, the scent of burning smoke smothered her nose as she peered into the latest Bingo Book that Tamako had snagged from a bandit camp she has spotted just three clicks away where she rested. With a small fire going and her skewered fish cooking, she slowly unbounded her own personal Bingo Book, adding new entries she hadn't had before and froze at her own picture.

Name: Tamako
Sex: Female
DoB: XXXXXX
Affliction: Sunagakure, Unknown
Chakra Affinity: Doton, Suiton, Shouton
Height: 157cm (5'2)
Weight: 54kg
Rank: B-Rank
Taijutsu: 3
Ninjutsu: 3.5
Genjutsu: 1.5
Intelligence: 3
Strength: 2
Speed: 2.5
Stamina: 2.5
Hand-seals: 4
Total: 22
Eyes: Ebony
Hair: Lavender-blue

*Must be Captured Alive*
Bounty: 5,000,000 ryo

At the sight of her old registration picture, the one she took when she finally achieved her genin rank, she sighs. She never got the chance to retake her picture for her chunin promotion due to the council sending the young girl out at every opportunity. Suna's treasury was getting lighter and lighter and no doubt she'd caused them an even great headache.

She grabbed the smoky fish, tearing the smallest piece off before gobbling the rest. Just a little salt goes a long way.

With one hand holding the skewer, the other held the book and her eyes gazed at each picture. Her front, side and full-body profile. She'd changed out outfit by then, no longer adopting that long-sleeved yukata, tied with an obi that was cut by her knees. She's forgone her haori and fishnet thigh-highs, it was impractical now that she was homeless and on the run.

She now adorned a deep purple and lilac two-piece outfit that complimented her periwinkle hair and onyx eyes. She couldn't really give up an obi, it felt secure around her waist and tight enough where she felt grounded, and the two little braided yarn that secured the obi dangled in front looked nice. Her sleeves were nice and long that hid any hand-signs, and she's been practicing signing with one hand so it was a plus rather than a hindrance. The inner piece was a deep purple that cut off at her shoulders and zipped all the way to her neck, with shorts that stopped at the upper half of her mid thigh. At first it felt a little short, but with her outer piece that slightly dangled at her front, it was completely fine. Paired with thigh-high black shinobi-graded and seal improved socks and a little bit of bandages that ensured her kunai holster wouldn't be going anywhere.

At that last thought, she devoured the last of her fish, throwing the skewer into the river before throwing the Bingo Book into the fire and stomping out the campfire. She really doubted that anyone was actively looking for her, so she didn't bother hiding the remnants of her camp.

She adorned the light tan cloak and pulled up the hood, flickering to a nearby branch before leaping to the next with chakra enhanced legs. She was nearing the Hi no Kuni that bordered with Kaze no Kuni, but so far, no one has recognized her.

As she neared a relatively large but hidden building that was sticking out of a dirt hill and froze when hidden killer intent permeated the area.

A man ducked low, kunai in hand.

Tamako pulled her hands up, revealing she had no ill intent. "Calm." Slowly, she reached over to her kunai holster and took out a scroll. "I was told I could cash in bounties here."

"A bit young aren't ya?"

The girl shrugged, "Even the young have to feed themselves."

The man let out a ugly snicker, gesturing to the young girl to follow him. "Ain't that right." With light steps, Tamako followed, keeping an eye around the dark hallways lit lazily by a few torches. They entered a false-medical room and she gently placed the scroll on the examination table. With a single pulse of chakra, the scroll released, revealing Douto's dead body.

He was encased in crystal as a stasis to beat the natural degradation of a dead person. When Tamako released him, blood continued to splurt out of his head like he was nearly five months ago.

"Yuki's old daimyo, hefty price on this fella. I heard he disappeared and the former hime took up the mantle. So this is where he went." The man snickered again, "So how'd you do it?"

"Mission. Seemed like a good cash-grab. Ten million for him, right?"

The man frowned, gazing at the body before pointing at his caved in skull, "He's a bit damaged. Here how about this, since I have a good feeling about you, I'll give you a steal. Nine n' half and I'll update you on our other locations."

Tamako shook his hand.

"Deal"

. . .

From her months of travel on the road, she's figured out the minimum amount of sleep to fully recover her body to top form. With her combined skills of [Gamer's Mind] and [Gamer's Body], she only needed an hour. What she wasn't expecting was to get kidnapped in that single hour.

She had a standard procedure that she'd been working on since she fled from Yuki no Kuni. A few traps around her area, a rudimentary barrier seal that she'd been working on and a clone for look out.

So when her clone popped, she scrambled out of her bedroll, eyes peeled at the darkness around her with a tanto in her grasp. "Who's there? I know you're out there." Her voice echoed through the dark forest.

She gripped her tanto harder, before stomping hard onto the ground, crystal erupting. "This won't be pretty!"

The sounds of light feet danced through the forest, dodging the crystal that skewered the forest. If Konoha didn't know she was around here, they definitely will find out once back-up patrol rolls by. She had to finish this quickly.

Her chakra chased that sound, her feet pattering against the forest floor as she gave chase. Whoever it was, they couldn't be allowed to report back, less she want ANBU chasing her out of the country.

It was obvious it was a Konoha shinobi, they ran through the top of the forest with familiarity and skill. But before she could encase that particular tree of crystal, her eyes met red. It was so red with three stupid tomoe swirling about.

"Fuck—"

And she blacked out.

When she came to, she was tied out in front of a throne. Her ankles tied to each other, her wrist behind her back. And a peculiar pain coursed through her back. She tried to form chakra to send a diagnostic jutsu, but couldn't call upon her chakra.

She waited for her eyes to adjust to the darkness of this room, and someone was sitting on that throne. Bright hair, orange really.

This was Pein.

Her blood ran cold, that would explain why I can't form chakra. One of his Chakra Receivers was currently lodged into her back and through her chest. She heaved, blood dripping down the hole.

At least the receiver helped her not bleed out, and her Gamer's Mind was slowly numbing the pain into an afterthought.

"You must be Pein." Her voice was hoarse. "The people of Ame believe you to be God." She paused, trying to form the right words before ultimately creating a save here. This was her chance. It's not everyday Uchiha Itachi kidnaps you and delivers you front row tickets to Nagato and be alive at the same time.

So clearly, Pein is curious.

"How do you know of my name?" He speaks, his voice low and reverberates through this empty room.

"I know many things. I must know, or else I'll be taking advantage of. This world is not kind to orphans."

He listens to her words, "Then let me rephrase my question that is more suitable." His Rinnegan stares deep into her eyes, almost as if he were reading her soul. "What do you know of me."

Tamako pauses, this conversation was heading into strange territory. She was fully ready to convince why she would be useful to his cause, but spilling what she knows of him? Too much and he'll finish her. Too little and he'll dispose of her.

This was a fine-line of death that she danced with Rasa so many years back.

She grinned, "Shall I call you Nagato from now on?"

Before she could add on, paper slithered around her form, her body rising into the air into a choke hold. The Chakra Receiver on her back buzzed dangerously and pain coerced through her body.

"How do you know of that name!?" A woman's voice sounded out, and a blue-haired woman stepped down from behind the throne. Tamako didn't notice her until she spoke, her eyes finally adjusted. "Would you believe me if I said I was a fan of the original Akatsuki in the Third Shinobi War?"

The paper lessened its hold.

"The deeds of Akatsuki were well-known within the Shinobi World, and many who were fed-up with fighting joined you." She coughed. "Imagine my surprise when I discovered the heroes I idolized, the Akatsuki of back then who preached to attain peace, were now a terrorist group who jumped from village to village doing their dirty work to attain money." She paused to see if the two would react, before continuing. "I looked underneath the underneath." Her eyes met his. "You want to threaten the world into peace using the Bijuu."

"You know a lot, for someone as young as you."

She shrugged, "It's not everyday that Orochimaru assassins your Kage, breaks into the Chunin Exams, disguises himself as a exam-goer and tells Uzumaki Naruto that his Kyuubi was looking a bit delicious before launching an invasion on the, arguably, strongest Village while roping your village into it." With a pause and trying her best to shrug, "It opens your eyes quite a bit."

"Orochimaru told the Kyuubi-container of our goals?"

What were they gonna do, fact check the two?

"In a way, yes." She replies.

He frowns.

. . .

After copious amounts of saves, many ending up in death in ways she would rather not describe, she ends up kicked out like a disobedient puppy into the Ame rain. There, she feels Nagato's chakra-infused rain on her cheeks. Her sandy-cloak is useless against the rain and clings to her skin.

Blowing a wet strand of hair away from her face, she treads on, away from this godforsaken country as hidden chakra signatures watch her every move. She may have won the protection of the Akatsuki, but now she was under a contract. A verbal one, but no less severe if she were to break it.

She's proven herself to be resourceful, able to dig up lost information and connect the hidden dots. Now, she has to provide service to the group, for free and as long as she doesn't blab about them, they'll mostly ignore her.

Great.

In this world alone, drenched like an unloved kitten, she desperately mourns the sandy dunes of Kaze. The sweet treat of dango with anko filling, a sweet soy coat and a cup of hot tea. Maybe Sasuke would be nice enough to treat her, perhaps they should have a get-together now that they were traitors in arms.

The thought puts a smile on her face, and her stride increases to a run, then to a sprint before launching herself to a nearby tree.

Yes, she'll go do that.

With an eye on her minimap, she quickly exits Ame, and honestly maybe it was a good thing the Uchiha kidnapped her. He brought a quarter-across the continent, making her trek to an Orochimaru hideout by Kusa just a few hours travel.

Her cloak, now dry from all her running, flowed behind her back and froze when she dug her feet into the ground. She'd marked her map a few months prior after playing around with her little spy-networking, marking bandit camps, a few of Orochimaru's hideouts that were scattered across the continent and keeping tabs on Konoha and Sasuke.

The last time her clone sent her anything useful of Konoha was the Sasuke Retrieval mission, which surprisingly had an additional member of Sakura who's presence didn't really impact Sasuke leaving, probably because she stayed behind each battle, engaged before healing up the genin just enough for them live until real back-up arrived before heading towards the next set of genin battles to do it all over again.

Maybe this butterfly effect wasn't working as intended.

Tamako shook her head at those thoughts, nearing an unsuspicious tree and dragged a finger across the bark. This was where her network saw Sasuke enter last month, and unless the boy left through a different exit, he was still here.

With her hands on her hips, "Crosschecking the data with most of my network disappearing in this area, that means there's a strong enough chakra signature that's strong enough to disperse them. And its lingering, so..." She trailed off, walking up to the tree with a fist fused with chakra before freezing.

Maybe it wasn't so much of a smart idea to anger a base full of experiments.

So after walking around the tree thrice, she decided to flare her chakra in the way Kakashi taught them during the Yuki no Kuni mission. Surely the boy would get her message.

She stood back, hands on her hips with a stupid grin, waiting for her come up n' greet me message to be received. With lo' and behold. After taking his sweet sweet time, the Uchiha Sasuke exited from the hidden entrance that was very well hidden and glared.

Tamako waved, "Hello, dear Sasuke-chan."

His nose wrinkled.

"So sorry our last meeting ended so abruptly. But enough of me, how about you!" She splayed out her arms in a hugging gesture, "How's being a missing-nin? The freedom is quite nice, isn't it?"

Sasuke eyes narrow at her, not liking her buddy buddy attitude, "You did not just come to an S-rank's hidden base, flare your chakra so that even Konoha can feel you. Spill it, what do you want?"

She pouted, hands dropping to her side and sagged, "Is that sarcasm I hear? So much for a reunion. What's so bad about former comrades in arms meeting like this?"

He crossed his arms, "If you don't have anything important to say, you'll get chased out."

Tamako blew a raspberry at him, "Bleh! Boring!" Then sighed, "Fine, I'm here because it's important. Is it safe to converse here?"

The Uchiha glanced around, Sharingan activated before his eyes bled back to black. "Yes."

She took a few steps closer, "I've made contact with Itachi."

Sasuke drew out a kunai, an inch from shoving it down the Shouton User's throat. She let him get that close, as an act of trust. "I know how much you want to kill him. Let me help—" Before she could let the boy grumble about I'm gonna do it alone, I don't need help! spew, she held a finger to his mouth, effectively silencing the boy. "—with information."

She took a step back, away from the kunai and held out her hands in surrender, "I don't want to dirty myself with too much of the Uchiha's dirty laundry." He growled at her wording, "But I have enough sense to understand that this is a bit bigger than I'd like." She paused, "Almost as big as the world."

Before the boy could ask what she meant about Itachi being world-alteringly important, she continued with a tired grin. "Believe it or not, but Itachi kidnapped me."

Sasuke froze before he was able to mutter out, "Why?"

"He's apart of the national terrorist group, Akatsuki. They were a little bit interested in my skills, and that alone warranted my kidnapping. Had a nice talk with his leader, though he skewered me as a warning that I got a little too close to the sun." She turned around, ripping off the cloak and gestured at the bloody mess that was her back.

Tamako sighed, shoving the cloak back on. "But I won't sugar-coat it. Itachi's strong, he took me out with a single glance in the dark." The girl crossed her arms with a bitter look, "I literally did not see it coming."

He stood in silence before breaking it after gathering his thoughts, "What do you gain from this?" Then, more quietly, "Why are you helping me?"

She gave him a sad look. He was only thirteen, manipulated by Itachi to hate, manipulated by Orochimaru to hate even harder, and that seal will change his psyche for years to come. "Not all of us have someone to rely on out there." She handed him a scroll, "Use this if you need me. I expect you to help me when I need it as well."

With a final glance back, she waved once more and flickered away.

. . .

Her little hideout on the side of the mountain was too cramped, and obviously too close to the borders of Hi no Kuni. As much as she liked the convenience of its location, any shinobi walking by could stumble upon the lack of chakra in the area and investigate. Her seals were average, it did the job but not amazingly well.

So she had to relocate.

With her mini-map now maximized to look at each and every country, her eyes naturally trailed down to Land of the Waves. It wasn't a very popular spot where shinobi would visit because of how out of the way it was. It was also a perfect spot to hide and plain sight.

At the most, genin teams may have the occasional mission to escort a caravan of merchants, but the Jounin sensei wouldn't stray too far from the main village. If she set up base on one of the minor islands, it should stay nearly invisible.

With her course of action in mind, she disabled her net-work temporarily and sealed her two clones into a scroll. She'll be needing to add another clone to the mix now that the scale of her net-work was increasing.

In just a few days, she reached the main island, and perched onto a tree. Below her were a few shinobi fighting, and to her astonishment, Zabuza and Haku. It was strange, really. Why would these two still be in the Land of the Waves?

The two pairs were an absolute force, annihilating their enemies and blood pooled to the ground. With two precisely aimed senbon, Tamako sent the remaining enemy tumbling to the ground, clutching his knee that had given out.

With a well timed flicker, she crouched down low and held the man's head with a firm grip onto his hair. She nodded at Zabuza, whom's eyes widened at her. Then she glanced at Haku, "Hello, Haku."

She'd been getting better at hiding her presence, and clearly, her efforts have been paid.

"What is your name?" She asked a man, who's lower half body was now encased in crystal.

"Fuma Kent-Kentaro." He stammered.

Fuma.

She's heard of that name. Just exactly where? With wide eyes, she snapped her neck back at the man.

"Otogakure?" She questioned. The man shook his head. "Amegakure." She spoke in more of a statement rather than a question. "The Fuma clan is distantly related to the Uchiha. I remember now."

She lets go of her hold on his head, patting it carefully. "We have some who originated from Amegakure. Please, spare them. We have young— we were just trying to get money for food, water and medicine."

So they were trying to cash in Zabuza's bounty.

Both Fuma Clans were united? Or, to some degree they were. Curious.

She glanced at Zabuza who had similar thoughts.

"Are you seeking refuge?" Tamako asks, releasing the crystal.

"Y-yes. Do you..?"

Tamako smirked, "The Resistance could use them."

"These weak ones?" Zabuza shook his head, "We need fighters, not more people to babysit. We're already stretched out in terms of supplies, we can't spare anymore."

"The Fuma Clan's weaponry is well-known. Their craftsmanship of projectiles is second to none, they could be an asset."

Zabuza stood silent, the older man in cow print was definitely pondering. The Fuma clan member's eyes widened.

"Boy, this could be your chance." Tamako crouched back down, her eyes piercing his. "The Kiri Resistance could use your clan's expertise and fighting power, and in return, they'll shelter and warm you. Once they win, you'll have a place in the village. A clan standing." She stood back up, dusting her knees, "Favorable, no?"

"I-i have to discuss this with the leader."

Zabuza and Tamako shared a glance, then the younger girl spoke, "Go."

And the boy ran.

. . .

"So, I heard down the pipeline that you'd taken out Yuki's old daimyo."

The Shouton User shrugged, "Only nine n' half. Got a proper introduction to the mass, they let me have a heads-up of their various locations. Not a bad deal."

"Well, what happened? A missing-nin now? Got a little bored?"

Tamako laughed at the older man's remark, crossing her legs before sipping some tea Haku had offered with a gentle smile. "I did a little too much digging, got me kicked out. But get this—" She leaned forward with a smirk, "Akatsuki's tryna capture all the Bijuu and take over the world, if you didn't know but here's the kicker. They doing it for world peace." She leaned back, kicking her feet onto the table, "Sounds like my kinda group."

Zabuza crackled with Haku sharing a similar grin. "They strong?"

"They got Kisame in their ranks."

Zabuza paused.

"Well shit."

The younger girl nodded sagely, "I'm also eighty-percent sure that the Akatsuki was the one controlling your ex-Mizukage."

The two share a glance. "How is that possible?" Then with doubt, "There's no way. It's not simple to control a kage-leveled shinobi, let alone the container for the Yonbi."

Tamako pointed a skewer at the two, chewing slowly on the dango she had saved from Cha no Kuni, "How did you think Uchiha Madara controlled the Kyuubi back then?" She chewed a little faster and swallowed, pushing the rest towards Haku who daintily picked one up. "What I'm trying to get at, is that there's either a rogue Uchiha who had genjutsu-ed Yagura back then, or someone stole the Uchiha's Sharingan during the Massacre. Take your pick."

"That's mighty generous of you telling us this, for free." Zabuza slowly sounded out, but he seemed pleased.

"Anything for a fellow missing-nin. Though..." She trailed off, "The Kiri Resistance will make you fully fledged so..." She swatted at the air, "Well, you know what I mean."

Haku nodded, tying his hair into a knot, "We're thinking about raising our funds with the civil war effort." He added, words redacted but Tamako understood the hidden nuance.

"And you want me to take part in that?"

"Essentially, yes. Physically, no. An info-broker at best. We're looking for some bounties." Haku paused when Zabuza leaned in before dropping the latest Bingo Book with a few marks on it.

Carefully taking the book off the table, Tamako flipped through the marked pages, taking notes on the newly marked X and read the highlighted bounty— "Woah, eighteen million for this one guy? The hell he do?"

"Stole some secret scroll, you know, the usual. Village wants his head, and the scroll back." Zabuza supplied, before pointing at the face, "Seen him around? Rumors have it that he's hanging around Cha no Kuni."

Dammit, she's just had to put her net-work on hold. With a rat sign, she closed her eyes and concentrated, forcing a connection. Beads of sweat trailed down her temple as she was overloaded with the most mundane information to the color of Naruto's underwear. She spread her search wide, dividing each round of information into separate piles before snapping shut the connection.

Panting, she pointed at the map on the table, "Rumor is wrong, he's in Kawa no Kuni, west of Tanigakure." She leaned back onto her chair, feeling more drained than ever.

"Land of Rivers? That's quite far from the initial Land of Tea..."

Rolling her shoulders, Tamako began to address far more important information. "Back to Kirigakure, the winning opposition seems to be Terumī Mei, I'm sure you've heard of her."

"Mei..?" Zabuza said, his eyes widening. "You mean Terumī Mei, my genin teammate?"

"Well, not just yet. But soon. That Mei, she'll rise to the front of the Resistance. Statistics show that if the civil war is won within the next five months, she has an 87% chance to become the next Mizukage."

"How are you sure? Statistics don't show if people even approve of her. Politics is much finer than mere statistics."

"I got intel that the Council are considering Mei to succeed Yagura as she symbolizes a change in Kiri's autocracy. Yagura's been dead for months, and the Mizukage position empty since. Kiri needs a Mizukage, and Mei's got the best shot out of all the resistance groups. Her ratio of supporters outweighs the majority of the runners ups." She lied through her teeth, smiling at Zabuza without giving away anything, not even a twitch.

"You got an inside in the council? How corrupt is Kiri?"

"Very, with Yagura gone and the Council scrambling. I'm sure once someone takes power, they'll definitely be a purge. I'll probably have to pull out my spies by then so I can at least recover them. That bounty, if you manage to find him, would speed up the calculation."

"Any little amount of money can speed the production, I don't mind getting my hands a little dirty." Zabuza responded in a drawl, leaning against the chair. "Anyway, what do you propose we do with them?" He pointed behind them lazily, roughly forty people, all members of the Fuma Clan, dining on some food that Tamako stole and kept in her inventory for later use. It was awkward to barge in after the boy had ran and basically showed the trio where the base was, but after convincing, and lots of food, they got their way.

"I dunno, we could make our own group or something, go wild." Then with a grin, "Better yet, convince Mei to take them in."

. . .

Tamako lounged on the couch of the room, currently in the Akatsuki 'meet up' base in an unknown location. It was newly erected which meant they didn't trust her just enough to tell her of their real base locations, but just enough where they'll tolerate her presence in a throwaway. It reminded her of Orochimaru's base, cold, damp and dark as fuck.

Why was she here?

After all her social callings with the Akatsuki, Sasuke, Zabuza and by association, Kiri Resistance Group (who she did not plan to meet, she just wanted to move her base!), she's finally moving on to her next plan.

To catch a weasel.

Her kidnapping was one thing, something she wasn't expecting but it reminded her of a lot of things. She needed him alive.

He's strong and would be a viable asset in the Fourth Shinobi War and beyond. Keeping him alive? That would be the challenge. If anything, this man was probably the most suicidal idiot in this world and he needed therapy and fast.

Was she qualified? No. She'll just let Sakura deal with that, whenever that girl starts up her Mental Health Hospital in the later future.

For now, she'll keep the Uchiha alive and that'll basically let her finish this game with hundred-percent completion. At the creak of the door, she sprung up, her eyes meeting onyx and she solemnly nodded at the boy. Yes that's right, this Itachi was only seventeen year's old. He's still a kid, by her standards. Not yet an adult, but not just quite a teen.

She slowly approached and quickly created a new save, "Uchiha Itachi. Let's talk."

He stared at the periwinkle haired girl emotionlessly, his eyebrows narrowing when he glanced over her hair, her eyes and finally her slashed Suna hitaiate bound around her neck. Then, he finally looked at Tamako, young, gifted, prodigy, before he quietly agreed. He followed her to a private training room that was void of any other presence. But to be sure that Zetsu wasn't around to peek, she stuck a few privacy seals and silence seals around the two, slowly enough where the boy didn't get agitated.

"What is it that you need from me?" Itachi spoke carefully, guard fully on and even staring at her hitaiate with ease, probably preparing himself for a conversation of something. But he knew deep down, if Tamako had any ill will, he'd kill her without hesitation.

So, he gave her a chance. Surely, this girl wasn't foolish enough to tempt destiny.

Internally, the girl activated her Manipulation Skill and a few other skills that affected how people perceived her and her words. "I have no ill will against you, Itachi." She paused, her mouth opening and closing as she struggled to find the right sentences. "In fact, I wish to aid you." She sighed, "When I was younger, I got too curious with my Kekkei Genkai, as all children do." She raised a palm to her chest, watching as crystal slowly solidified into a butterfly, floating into the air and danced to her chakra's rhythm.

"But what I saw changed my entire outlook of the world." Her open palm closed into a fist, her butterfly shattering into dust. "A man who adorned an orange mark that had particular markings of a whirlpool. That day, he insinuated a man with blond hair that wielded a particular three-prong kunai." Slowly, Tamako closed her eyes and recounted the words she had uttered.

She could feel the curiosity of Itachi, feeling his chakra prod at my own to continue. "The Masked was able to faze through attacks, able to teleport away and he captured a lady with long flowing red hair. He unleashed a monster from her body that wreaked havoc."

"The Kyuubi." Itachi whispered silently.

"Yes. The Masked wielded a familiar eye-technique, yet unfamiliar. A single eye that reflected that of a Sharingan, yet not, wielding a unique pattern, something I'd had never seen before." Her voice wavered in fake hesitation, only continued strong when Itachi had sat on the chair she had formed, intrigue in his eyes.

He did not speak of what he knew, he merely listened.

"The Blond Man had noticed the eye, called it a... Sharingan. At his dying breath, he informed an old man, a man that I know had died a few months from today, the Sandaime Hokage. It was from then, suspicions on those who wielded this eye. The clan were told to move far away from the heart of their Village."

"You are speaking of the... Uchiha Clan."

Nodding slowly, "Correct."

Itachi remained silent, and she took that as a silent, continue your story.

"The Clan was submitted to isolation, higher ups of the village deemed the clan untrustworthy and denied them the rights they deserved... discontentment brewed in the Clan until a catalyst was born. A young boy, born in the Main Family was thought to be unparalleled. He had the qualities that people would whisper in fear and awe, prodigy..!"

Her eyes glanced at Itachi, before looking away. She fixed her posture to be non threatening as possible, using her age and small size as an advantage, adding on to the fact Itachi was sitting, and Tamako was standing. She knew succeeded when Itachi still hadn't beheaded her yet.

"However, this young boy grew up with scrutiny, every action analyzed, his peers delirious with jealousy. He grew up with his father holding unbearable weight, witnessing a war that scarred his mind and painted his eyes crimson. However, what came from his scarred mind was an ideal of peace, the ideal of pacifism."

She moved her body slowly towards a chair and sat down, eyes stared at the table before reaching up to his. "The boy grew, but didn't grow up enough to be thrown into the merciless world. Meeting The Masked who..." She paused, squinting her eyes shut and deliberately glazed over this detail and continued, "...his teammate did not make it back from that particular mission. But the young boy wasn't alone, he had a friend, a clans-mate. A boy who was faster than light and renounced for the Shunshin."

"The boy, pushed by his father, joined the wet-works of the village, the darkest part of the Shinobi World, where he was soon told to become a spy. The Clan's brewing of discontent had spilled, they called for a civil war. The young boy and his friend knew the repercussions of this war, informing their current Kage."

Slowly, one tear slid out of her eye, but her face stayed emotionless, voice once strong but wavered with pure, fake, emotion. "It was not enough, an even darker part of the tree. The Roots, came into contact and began their plotting. The young boy's friend was... he said with his dying words to the young boy, and gifted him something irreplaceable. A single eye of the Sharingan, developed to become strong that branched into something new. However, the Root and claimed the other."

Silently, her bandaged wrist wiped the single tear as she continued her tale, "Tensions in the clan rose, their prodigy was held with suspicion. The Roots came forward with a solution. The young boy understood, and took upon the task. He spared his most beloved person and tainted his hands. He branded himself as a killer, and forgone his headband with a new slit."

She paused and looked up.

"I've done my own digging. I know what I saw and I know for certain what that orange-masked man is planning. What that one-eyed bandaged fossil is planning. It's not pretty. And he's planning to use your brother." She hissed out, "I haven't met Sasuke for long, but seeing how these men plan like he's a shogi piece—"

Itachi cuts her off with one look. "You must have been just born when the Kyuubi broke out."

"I was born with a fully conscious and mature mind. My boredom had fostered my Kekkei Genkai to seek out a world I wasn't able to reach just yet." She crossed her arms, "You understand it, don't you? To see pain, war and suffering so young?" She leaned against the table, "I just want a world in peace. So I dug, and dug."

She was lying through her teeth, but her explanation is the only possible answer that would explain how she saw all of these events take place. If Itachi wasn't fooled by her, then she doesn't know what she'll do.

The room was in complete silence before Itachi finally broke it, with a soft voice, "What of my brother?"

"Sasuke— The Masked plans to manipulate him in the future. With you out of the picture." She turns to him this time, "I cannot let you go through with your plan in letting Sasuke free you. He will lay the webs of deception and Sasuke's mentality is already so weak. Anymore and he'll break."

The room is so silent. Even her words are not echoed throughout the room thanks to her seals but that just adds to the silence. Slowly, Tamako takes out a small diary and places it softly on the table. "I have thought long and hard from as a child to today to... counter these. Your input would be... favorable."

. . .

Itachi was on board, however, he didn't not trust Tamako fully, not just yet. He trusted her views that she displayed that day. The two talked for days without sleep, reciting the plans that Obito and Danzo had, what possible futures to prepare against even the stoic Itachi accepted that some parts should not be revised, "Sasuke will not be strong enough for himself if he doesn't do this..."

Tamako agrees.

Sasuke must receive his Mangekyou Sharingan.

But after they had discussed a good chunk, she unraveled a scroll with a pill dispenser. "I already know that you have been taking medicine to prolong your life, from what you had said before." She tapped the dispenser on the table, "I've... been trying to find a cure."

"Terminal illness, I won't make it past the war."

Shaking her head, "It's possible." Tamako's fingers slowly made its way to her own temple before pointing at her eyes, "A Sharingan grows stronger with each experience of despair, that is why your Sharingan has been one of the strongest to ever appear. However, what comes with a powerful Sharingan is rebound."

Tracing her fingers down her temple to near the lungs, "You're rebound seems to be a chronic disease that affects your lungs. Build-up of mucus that irritates your lungs, and finally, forces blood to be coughed up."

Tamako's fingers gently circled her chest before placing them back on her lap, "Uchiha Madara's Sharingan is known to be the most powerful in recorded history, his rebound was equally harsh. To combat, he took the eyes of his younger brother and transplanted into himself, unlocking a new path of Sharingan. I believed it was called..."

"...Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan."

"Yes, no matter how much you exert your Mangekyou abilities, it will not affect your vision in the long-term. However, this was not enough for Madara. To further combat the repercussions, he implanted Senju Hashirama's cells into his body, letting him gain the Rinnegan. The very same eyes that Pein has."

"...Pein's Rinnegan has been something I've been keeping an eye on for the past years... to think that acquiring the famed eyes were to be a union of Uchiha and Senju cells..."

Nodding, "You're not wrong. However, there's a little more to that. Originally, having a fully developed Sharingan, meaning the Eternal Sharingan with Senju cells seemed to be the solution, but there's something more. I'm not sure yet, and if it was simple as an union between the two clans, well, there would be at least a few more Rinnegan users roaming around. The Senju and Uchiha were on good terms during the first Hokage reign." She paused and pointed at her eyes.

"Nonetheless, I am one-hundred percent sure that The Masked manipulated Pein into this ideal. The Pein that we see is not the true Pein, but one of the paths, an ability of the Rinnegan that we'll discuss in further detail. The true Pein is Uzumaki Nagato."

Pausing to allow Itachi to digest the information,

"Shall we continue?"

Character Status

Name: Tamako

Class: The Gamer

Age: 13 Years Old

Title: Momma's Little Gem

Status: Happiness overflows, dazed

Level: 124

HP: 5,592- HP Regen: 3.5 per 5 seconds

CP: 5,975- CP Regen: 3.5 per 5 seconds

Strength: 140

Vitality: 141

Wisdom: 136

Intelligence: 136

Dexterity: 144

Agility: 142

Luck: 125

Fame/Infamy: -2600

Sunagakure no Sato acknowledges you and hunting you

Konohagakure Genin acknowledges you and hunting you

Yukigakure no Sato Appreciate you

Money: 9,673,290 ryo (17,329 USD)

Unspent Points: 156