"What's someone like you doing at a place like this?" Peering down at a figure wearing a white cloak, Sasuke gripped onto his sword from the side, holding a stoic expression.
Sasuke's day couldn't have been any worse. Encountering someone familiar was not what he had expected upon searching for something of value in his mission. A mission given to him by Pain.
"I-I'm looking for Naruto." The figure stood their ground attempting to utter their words through the softness of their own voice. "I-if it's anyone else who would know, I-it has to be you."
They couldn't let the man's intimidating aura break their focus. It already took them enough courage to break away from the team and find Naruto themselves.
They've also gone this far on their own mission so turning back now was not an option, especially now that they've encountered someone of interest.
"Hm, Naruto huh? And what makes you think I would know where that brat is? If you're looking for Naruto, you're looking in the wrong place." Sasuke's expression hardened as he pulled out his sword from the side.
He immediately picked up his feet and jumped down the rocky terrain inside the cave that surrounded them, aiming his sword at the figure below.
A strike of lightning hugged his sword as he extended his chakra across, directly shooting right at the figure's body incapacitating them on the spot.
Their body immediately fell to the ground, growing stiff, unable to move or utter any sound.
As he landed close to his target, Sasuke examined the figure. Their eyes slightly flickered as they tried to keep their gaze on him.
A slight bit of tears made their way across their eyes trailing from their lids to the side of their cheeks and eventually to the dirt ground beneath them.
"You made the mistake of breaking away from those fools and that good-for-nothing village. Did you really think that idiot could find me?" Sasuke scoffed kneeling down on one knee. His low voice made its way through their ears as he put away his sword.
"I wouldn't be moving around if I were you." Seeing the slight struggle between their arms and their legs, Sasuke took one last glance at the figure before lifting them up and cradling them against his chest.
"Oh, Sasuke you're finally back! Don't you ever leave me by myself with these idiots again!" A young lady with red glasses and sharp red hair had blocked Sasuke's path at the entrance of the door to the Akatsuki hideout inside a concealed cave.
Still holding on to the figure against his chest, he realized that his Jutsu was beginning to wear off by how normal the pace of their breathing was now.
Conveniently for him, they had fallen asleep in his arms, inevitably exhausted from the earlier struggles.
"Wha—! H-hey! Who's that?!" Angry and provoked by the sight of the figure sleeping in Sasuke's arms, the red-haired girl was ready to fight them off and push them aside.
"Karin, move." Under a stern voice, Sasuke stepped forward attempting to scare her away from his path.
"I'm not moving unless you tell me who that woman is in your arms! Those arms are supposed to be for me!" Enraged and frustrated, Karin maintained her stubbornness and kept her body in front of Sasuke and the sleeping figure.
"Karin...I said move it." With a low and a little more of a frightening tone, Sasuke deepened his glare at Karin. He wasn't at all in the mood for other people's foolish and annoying acts.
Taken back by Sasuke's darkened aura, Karin immediately shifted her body out of the way biting her nails and trembling from the mixed emotions of jealousy, sadness, and anger.
"Sasuke, who's that on your arms? Did you snag a woman unconscious? Didn't take it you'd be the type to bring home a girl without their consent." Suigetsu laughed as he sat on the couch sipping on a straw from a bottle of water to keep himself hydrated.
"Where's Pain?" With a stoic expression and a slight irritation in his expression, Sasuke walked over to the living room where he noticed Suigetsu and Jugo sitting on the couch together playing checkers.
"At the conference room. He and Konan are in a meeting. I'd say wait for another 10 minutes before going in." Jugo answered trying to multitask while coming up with a strategy to beat Suigetsu.
After Jugo's words, Sasuke immediately headed in the direction of the conference room down the hall, with no care whether the leaders were in a meeting, important or not.
Taking a glance at the figure sleeping soundly in his arms, Sasuke pushed wide open the doors of the conference room.
Walking inside, Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the orange-haired man standing in front of the room. His intimidating expression averted in Sasuke's direction from the sudden interruption.
A rectangular table was situated at the center of the room. Konan and Pain were strategizing for their next move with the Jinchuriki while the rest of the members were dispersed to find them.
"I brought someone who might be of use to you." Still holding on to the figure in front of him, Sasuke could feel them shifting their arms as if they were now finally waking up.
"How surprising. A Byakugan user would be a great addition to the team." Pain stepped forward slowly making his way closer to Sasuke and observing the figure being held in his arms.
"Now that I brought you something of value, tell me where I can find Itachi." Getting straight to the point, Sasuke couldn't wait any longer. Finding Itachi was all he cared about, and no one knew where he was except for Pain.
"Sasuke. You may have brought me someone of valuable asset, but this isn't enough to bargain. I say you must keep watch of them, and force them to submit to this organization. That's not too much of a problem, is it?" With his deep voice traveling across the room, Pain then turned his body around to face Konan.
"What? Wouldn't this be your responsibility? I'm not going to babysit her, let alone force her to join." Sasuke narrowed his brows and kept a harsh expression on the man whose back was turned away from him.
"What's the difference when you've already taken her here against her will." Pain glanced at the side as he paused his steps.
Sasuke could feel the burst of anger and frustration taking over him. This only meant that it would take longer for him to find Itachi.
He felt like this mission of finding special people to recruit was all a waste of time and energy. But only Pain knew where he was, and it would take a fool to go against someone like him.
"Fine." Too exhausted to really argue any further with Pain, Sasuke stormed out of the room and headed down the hall until he made his way to the kitchen, slowly dropping the figure's body on a chair next to the table.
"Hyuga. Wake up and listen closely." Slightly whispering with a cold tone in her ears, Sasuke leaned forward, his arms spread holding on to the armchair with the figure sitting up in between them.
The figure immediately jolted in place; eyes wide open to the sight of Sasuke leaning closely in her ears. Their heart palpitated from his sudden voice and from the sudden unfamiliar surroundings.