Chapter 14
Kaiya flipped away from the incoming onslaught of lethal water bullets. They all slipped passed to barely graze her, smashing into the wall behind her instead. A final, larger one appeared just as she landed against the wall. Grinning, she pushed back off, slicing straight through the bullet with her sword, droplets of water hitting her face. Except just as her body was continuing through, the liquid came to life; latching onto her closest limb. She yelped when it began pulling, weighing her down until Kaiya was slammed into the concrete. A dust cloud went up into the air sending Kaiya into a coughing fit. Kisame appeared in front of her, shielded slightly by the cloud, chuckling arrogantly with a sharp toothed grin. Perched on her elbows the Uchiha glared at him irritably before letting herself fall back against the ground.
“What on earth was that?” she exclaimed exasperatedly towards the ceiling. From the corner of the room, Itachi was standing there stoically. With just the faintest hint of amusement tugging the corners of his lips he stated evenly, “Be prepared for anything, at any time.” Kaiya groaned loudly in response, “Just ‘cause you’re older doesn’t mean you get to be all wise and poetic, Nii-San!” He raised an eyebrow passively, Kaiya went on, “And I still have burns on my back you know! That hurt!” “Are you done now?” he questioned dryly. The teen paused a moment, sucking in a loud breath, “Yeah, I’m done.” “Then get up, twerp, you’re being really boring for once,” Kisame suddenly chimed in.
Her red eyes narrowed, but Kaiya only blew out heavily, tossing her bangs into the air. The ache in her back still hadn’t faded and Kaiya’s cheek still throbbed. She guessed it would take weeks for the pounding to fade away. When she’d woken up after Itachi brought her here Kaiya found herself bandaged up neatly. But on her cheek the cut she’d received from her senbon was still open. The skin around it was odd and as it slowly began healing she could see the signs of scarring. The scratch would remain on her cheek forever. A sign of the battle…
The rest of the damage she’d received was making headway into being nonexistent, but in future respect; she’d avoid dealing with a lightning nature user for a while. Training with her father, Kaiya had received plenty of burns while learning the Uchiha fire techniques. But somehow they hadn’t hurt nearly as much as those chains had managed. It didn’t matter that they were healing, a single touch and it was like she was on fire all over again. But more than anything, Kaiya hadn’t gotten a single image out of her head. Kusaru; with tears in his lifeless eyes, claw marks stretching across his body. More importantly; the look of pure…joy on his face when he saved that little girl. A little girl Kaiya knew had been nothing more than an illusion.
And it hadn’t stopped there.
Soon afterwards during her floating in-between consciousness Kaiya had seen the world over and over again. Lusio. With a single butterfly that had extra blue tinting its wings, larger than all the others. And according to Itachi every time she was out of it, having these dreams, he’d come into the room and find a butterfly or two perched on her bed. They’d dissolve the second he walked in and it was then he revealed to her; it wasn’t the first time.
When Kaiya was little, it was routine that when Itachi would come home he’d go to his younger siblings’ rooms to check on them. A number of times, before she even began training in the art of Ninjutsu, he’d seen the winged creatures in there. Watching over her had been his only guess, proved even more when she suddenly started using them in her genjutsu as she grew older. So now, the Uchiha was stuck processing all the information, struggling to find a means to it all. The one thing she was stuck on was the how. Since at the time, Kaiya had been too overwhelmed with pain for any concrete memories to surface. She couldn’t even recall forming any hand signs, and Itachi had been distracted with his own opponent. To add to it, it didn’t help the second she’d gotten out of bed Kisame had insisted on a training session. Near death and torture session fit better when it came to him, the sadistic swordsman.
Her attention was pulled back out of her thoughts when she heard rustling. Kaiya turned her head to the side to stare at Kisame, just as he lazily swung his Samehada into the air before striking it at her in a violent arc. A move, if it hit its mark; that would completely slice her in half. Startled Kaiya’s body dispersed and she appeared behind him not a second later. Promptly lunging onto the tall man’s back and clutching his shoulders. “What are you a bug or something now, twerp?” “I’ll give you bug,” she muttered then brought her arm around his neck managing to surprise him and neatly capture Kisame into a choke hold. He cussed at her swiping to knock her off when he began to stumble and Kaiya began laughing. But the moment she did so her grip loosened barely an inch and he grasped hold of the back of her shirt. Kaiya squeaked when the swordsmen pulled her over his head like she weighed nothing more than a pebble and hung her in the air in front of his face.
“You’re a brat you know that, twerp?” In response the teen stuck out her tongue childishly before dispersing away from his grip. “I try especially for you, Sushi” Kaiya replied, safely appearing by Itachi’s side. Kisame rolled his eyes widely at her tossing his sword over his shoulder languidly. Kaiya turned on her heel then, moving away from her brother and out the training room, waving behind her. “I think I’m a little too tired, you guys go ahead and train.”
The partners watched Kaiya walk out in silence. Itachi turned away first and with Kisame studying him; he walked to the opposite side of the training room to face off against the swordsman. When the elder Uchiha faced him again, Kisame spoke, “In our spars that kid’ll fight me ‘till she passes out.” Itachi only waited silently for the man to continue, “What happened in that fight, Itachi?” The room held still with a pregnant pause. Itachi looked away. His voice was cold and barely above a whisper “I wish I could tell you...”
A week later, Kaiya stood stock still in the bathroom adjoined to her room. Her reflection stared back at her, revealing nothing. The cut on Kaiya’s cheek, with the help of chakra, was closed and healed, but a thin silver scar remained in its place. It took a long time–longer than it should have–of her staring in the mirror before she gathered up the nerve. Her chakra shifted and Kaiya slowly closed her eyes, when she re-opened them her onyx blue orbs had changed to Sharingan. Rapidly, to avoid any further hesitation, Kaiya called up what had always been second nature to the Uchiha, a few butterflies appeared fluttering before her. Kaiya’s heartbeat picked up pounding in her chest, the sound thundering in her ears. Then the young teen collapsed like a puppet with its strings detached and her eyes rolled into the back of her head.
When Kaiya opened her eyes the black and white world, Lusio, came into focus around her. At first, looking down, she was in the same kimono from before, then before her eyes it blurred. The outfit and she steadily became concrete again and suddenly came into full colour; revealing her ANBU outfit from four years ago, Kaiya’s mask was still attached onto her belt. And when she looked up Danzo was standing before her again in the center of Root.
“...save your little brother before the coup d’état and then help us eliminate all other Uchiha...” His voice was cold, gruff and stern as always, even when he was talking about their entire clan’s lives. “Will you accept this mission?”
Then everything distorted once more and Kaiya was back on a rooftop in the Uchiha Compound, her body began moving on autopilot. She lunged through the air, slipping into windows and slitting the throats of those asleep in beds. One by one, pieces of her family were killed off as she sped through the compound, never pausing a moment. Not a single kill had a moment to react or scream and cry out. A cousin she’d trained alongside, the uncle who loved teasing her about boyfriends, an aunt who bandaged her up after she cut her hand open. They all died. She could feel their blood spatter on her, but Kaiya kept moving. Until finally she and Itachi met back up, coming to their own home. Itachi’s face...tears streaming down his cheeks endlessly when they stabbed a blade through their parent’s hearts. All over again, Kaiya watching her mother’s brilliant and stunning eyes fade and fog over dully with death. The pain it split into her heart...then Kaiya lost all sense of reality. The only things she could register were pain, a terrorizing guilt and the pounding of her own heart.
There was her brother Sasuke. Passing through streets alone and stoic. Hateful and resentful, he despised them, he despised her; he wanted Itachi dead.
A home long lost to eternity, the home she’d fight and give her life to protect.
What she’d done to survive in the Akatsuki.
Countless victims she placed under genjutsu only to never wake up again. The way she could never again look into their eyes as they died, not after her mother. The goodbye she refused to utter to all of the victims dying by her sword. The blind bounty Kakuzu had killed, who had spoken to her almost...kindly.
Finally Itachi, the way his dark blue eyes frosted over forever into a hard soulless black. Locking himself off from all that could hurt him. Still unable to hide the pain latched onto his heart in the silences the siblings shared. The way soon they lost contact on missions. How every single time she saw him; Itachi looked worse. As though he was dying; drifting away from her, further out of reach every day. Every second that ticked by. She was losing him. Itachi was fading from her sight. Kaiya cried out, tears flying off her face into the abyss swarming around her. She reached out for him, for Sasuke. Her family. But they were already long gone. Fading away from her sight without a trace and leaving her alone in a dark everlasting void. A trembling, petrified scream ripped its way from the young girl’s throat. Only to echo back around her, as a mocking laugh. She continued crying out helplessly searching around frantically but Kaiya had finally become alone. The terrors and crimes she’d committed lashing back at her, the wrongs she’d done. Everything she could have done to stop them, shrieking at her. Consuming her.
Everything tightened around Kaiya something between a sob and cry choked out of her mouth, her throat tightening. Kaiya’s heart clenched. No escape, no forgiveness for what she’d done, the fear that her parents despised her for all of her crimes. Knowledge she should have been able to do anything else. Anything, but what she’d chosen to do. The tormenting abyss suddenly disappeared wiping away along with Kaiya’s pleas.
And Kaiya was on the ground in her bathroom, screaming uncontrollably. The second the world came around her she silenced, choking on nothing. She stared down at her hands as tears steadily dripped onto them from her eyes. Hands coated in blood. Kaiya let out a sob, clenching her eyes shut she pulled her face into her hands. Nothing felt right anymore. Her heart pounded in her chest even when she finally sat up against the wall.
A voice was what startled her out of the trauma. “Kaiya...” For the first time ever, Kisame’s voice was soft, almost hesitant, when he stared at her from the doorway, sword in hand. The large man slowly dropped it to the ground and made his way over to her. He picked Kaiya up as though she were a precious porcelain doll, while she stared blankly into space. Kaiya could feel her sheets slowly tuck around her body. Felt Kisame stay sitting beside her, carefully. But the young Uchiha didn’t fall asleep, not for a long time.
Kaiya woke up bleary eyed, alone in her bedroom. Glancing around wearily the Uchiha shakily made her way out of the bed and into the dark hallways. The corridors were empty and silent as always. Throughout the walk Kaiya’s mind kept flashing into the nightmare of a genjutsu, it made her heart ache with every flash of her brothers’ faces. Eventually she made it to the chakra she was looking for, at one of the side exits where the seals guarding it were already deactivated. She stepped through into the light of dawn where a few feet ahead Itachi sat on the ground. Her brother seemed calm and collected at first glance. But his head was in his hands, his cloak discarded on the ground beside him. Carefully hiding her presence, Kaiya made little noise when she stepped towards him. Still, her brother’s shoulders tensed, just slightly. She lowered down beside Itachi on the damp grass, but the younger Uchiha continued looking straight ahead, over the hill to where the sun was just making its appearance. It lit up the sky in brilliant hues of pink and purple. The golden rays barely touched her face, lightening up her eyes to midnight blue.
For a long time the two siblings sat there in silence, nothing but the sounds of the wildlife around them. The sun had fully risen to the world when either of them moved.
A strong arm wrapped around Kaiya’s shoulders before pulling her tight against Itachi’s chest. The teen sighed, relaxing her body when the rhythm of her brother’s heartbeat quickly chased away the terror and guilt to the back of her mind. She pressed herself against him, just as she had as a five year old girl after a nightmare scared her away from her room.
“You were screaming,” Itachi murmured. “When Kisame found you…even once you fell asleep you kept screaming, Kaiya. You were crying out mine and Sasuke’s names…” Kaiya could hear underlying trepidation in the elder Uchiha’s voice that mimicked what she’d felt that night. She gripped harder onto Itachi’s hand, squeezing her eyes shut, but the images wouldn’t go away. Her eyes shot open to stare up at Itachi, startled, when he spoke again. “I’m sorry Kaiya.” She could only keep staring at him in disbelief, but Itachi only looked to the sky. “I never should’ve brought you into this; I destroyed any life you could’ve had.” “Please stop,” Kaiya whispered abruptly.
“Onii-San, I made my choices. The only other fate I had would’ve been your sword through my heart, end of story. Everything else though… That was my choice, Itachi, never yours. Not everything is always on you, maybe we could have done things differently, I don’t really know. But the Leaf is alright and Sasuke’s alive, can’t that be enough?”
Suddenly a deep chuckle made its way out of Itachi, shaking her with vibrations. Kaiya met his onyx eyes in astonishment and Itachi smiled, a full real kind smile she hadn’t seen in what felt like a lifetime. “I thought I was supposed to be the older one here, Imouto-chan?” There was a brief pause and then Kaiya burst into a quiet fit of laughter. Even in the horrors passing in her mind, she began laughing. When she finished enough to speak, the tears filling her eyes from earlier were falling down her face in streams. “Yeah, but remember Nii-San? I’m a girl and I mature faster than you boys!” she exclaimed shakily. Itachi then lifted her, pulling her completely onto his lap, like she was still ten. “Of course, my butterfly. You wouldn’t let it go after mom said that to you.” Kaiya giggled and dug her face into his chest, her tears soaking into his shirt. In a trembling, reminiscent tone she questioned, “Do you think she always moved the cookie jar on purpose?” “I know she did because sometimes before she hid them, she’d give me one.” The kunoichi only continued laughing into her brother along with him. “You liar,” she mumbled disdainfully. So for just a moment she could release what the genjutsu showed her.
They stayed like that together, trading back and forth the memories they’d both buried deep away. Pulling emotions far left behind back up, in pure nostalgia. A few times the siblings would fall back into silence comfortably. It was after one of those moments that Kaiya began.
She explained everything to Itachi then. Well, not everything. She left out all of what she’d seen in what she dubbed, the Regret Technique. But knowing Itachi, he would figure out the bits she left out with ease. They worked through everything that had happened when she attacked Kusaru with the technique. Analyzing every piece, Itachi catching whatever she missed. The pair figured out the major things.
The technique left her in a weakened state in both cases, once when she was nearly depleted of chakra and another when she had full chakra, which meant for now using it as an ace in the whole was her best bet. Also their guess was, that Kaiya couldn’t not watch what happened in the world, even though she was obviously a part of it; somehow the kunoichi also remained separate. But Itachi’s final decision was that she shouldn’t use it. At least, not until she understood it better because otherwise the possible damage was too unpredictable in the end game. The teen agreed wholeheartedly, but for a few added reasons. However the siblings left it at that because then she was being sent away with no more chance to work it out. Kaiya’s anxiety returned immediately upon leaving her brother.
In all truth the pain of the technique had left her in shambles and even now, travelling through the forests Kaiya just didn’t quite feel right. No, that wasn’t it. She didn’t feel the same. She was also left with one crucial mystery to unravel; why was it in her regret scene Kaiya came out alive while the assassin, Kusaru didn’t. There were a number of theories and possibilities there, except considering she’d only used it on herself, it was possible she wouldn’t be able to die from it, no matter what she saw.
Either way, Kaiya didn’t plan on using it for awhile longer, at least not until she figured it out. The toll both uses of it had taken, not directly physically, but mentally, let her know that it could be far too risky. Instead the kunoichi would set herself to work again in the Akatsuki and do her best to lift Itachi’s new found worry about her sanity. It had taken an hour stare down between the siblings before he let her leave the hideout for the mission Pein sent her on. Even then, Kaiya was fairly sure for the first mile one of his clones was following her, although she never looked back to check. Eventually the feeling lifted and Kaiya was alone.
So she was off to Iwagakure again, but this time not for anything about jinchuriki. This mission was for a new rogue Iwa Nin who had made himself a well known arsonist, known enough that he caught the Akatsuki leader’s attention. So Kaiya was left to turn over all her thoughts for days until she arrived in the rocky terrain nation. A part of her, wanted to simply throw all of it aside and forget, much like she’d initially tried to do at the time of the massacre. But Kaiya knew deep inside that wouldn’t be able to happen. Already her heart throbbed when she thought back to all she’d seen in the Regret, blocking it out would undeniably make that pain worse. She forced herself to face it all; slowly the images began making sense to her. She could see which regret each and every scene derived from. Kaiya understood herself better somehow.
And she’d carry on her mission, for her brothers; otherwise she would never be able to look Itachi in the eye again, not if she let this destroy her.
Thus, Kaiya’s search for Deidara of Iwagakure, formerly of the explosion corps division, began.
Kaiya sat against the tree high up in the air, watching the long haired blond teen beneath her. Her presence remained carefully hidden from the Iwa rogue. She made careful work of that. All the details Leader-Sama had given to her proved correct and obviously the Akatsuki leader deemed him strong enough after her reports. Now it would be time to wait.
Watching him steadily leave the temple again a few hours later, on call for bombs evidently, she summoned a butterfly to her fingertip. The kunoichi had to shove away an initial flinch as her memory shot back into Lusio, but she brushed it off just as quickly as it came. It perched on her skin gently while she whispered a brief message before sending it off, towards Itachi, whom Leader had deemed in charge of the recruiting along with Kisame and Sasori. Senpai had already been messaged and she imagined he’d be here within no time at all. Hopefully her brother would arrive soon enough that Sasori wouldn’t decide to take his impatience out on her today. The newbie would have to survive his temper.
The pulse of blue chakra made itself known to Kaiya’s eyesight and she flashed down to stand beside Sasori, arms crossed. “Congrats Senpai, you get a partner again.” “Will he be as irritating as you?” Kaiya shot the gruff Hiruko puppet a grin letting out a chiming laugh, “No one can match me, Senpai, you know that.” The ex-Suna Nin snorted loudly in response, his exasperation making his head shake. With the woods quiet around them, the pair soon fell into silence.
It took less time than she’d thought it would.
Before long, her brother and Kisame appeared in front of Kaiya and Sasori, cloaks falling behind them. Kaiya tilted her head towards the temple ahead of them and lead the way leisurely. On the way she briefed them all that Pein had told her to explain regarding the new member. Everyone stayed silent when she finished, and they entered the large temple. The walls to both of her sides were lined up with odd statues, carved with careful precision and delicately manoeuvred. Each chisel performed with the utmost care. Thanks to Sasori, Kaiya could recognize that much. Standing in front of the largest statue the group turned back to face the entrance in line, Kisame, Sasori, Kaiya and Itachi. The wait wasn’t long at all, before the blue-grey eyed shinobi stepped into the room.
His gaze swept over them all in one careless swoop before the teen demanded what they wanted. It was Kisame who replied blithely “You are to join the Akatsuki.” The shinobi, otherwise known as Deidara, scoffed, “The Akatsuki? Don’t know don’t care, now get lost, un. You’re keeping me from my art appreciation time.”
Kaiya shifted her indigo eyes towards Sasori, who grumbled to her, “And I have to take this brat on as my partner,” he turned his head towards her slightly. “Sure, he’s full of energy, but he seems like the early death type.” It was Itachi who replied to him impassively, “It’s our leader’s orders, his talent will be very useful.”
At that, Deidara’s interest seemed to spark. “You know about my talent? How? Who are you? Talk,” he questioned. Kisame gave him a full reply, “We know you’re aiding anti-government factions with terrorist bombings.” The swordsmen now had Deidara’s full attention as he continued, “And we are also aware that you’re a rogue ninja, so what exactly is your purpose?” “Purpose?” the blonde questioned faintly piqued. “I don’t need a purpose. I take commissions to make explosions; using my art, hmm.”
“Your,” Kaiya could almost feel Sasori’s attention shift completely when he paused, “art?” “Yeah,” in front of them Deidara began to visibly increase in excitement. He poised his hands together carefully before with a popping sound they separated and revealed an abnormally shaped white object. Kaiya tilted her head when he held it out for them to see. “Look, well? Such refined lines and a form that pursues two-dimensional deformé. This is true art,” his fervour only continued to grow. “But my art goes far beyond this as well. My pieces are versatile; while they hold shape, they are merely objects. But they can also explode,” his hand raised revealing a tongue coming out of a mouth in his palm, “And when it does explode, it makes its existence more sublime and it finally comes fully into its own. I feel that true art lives, only in that flash of sublimation. True art: is an explosion!”
In the silence that followed his proclamation Kaiya brought her hand to her mouth, choking on a laugh. As she calmed herself down Sasori said disgustedly, “Disgusting.” “Is he finished?” Kisame questioned impassively. She could see Deidara’s eyes tighten in anger directed firmly at them all. But it was then, as her eyes shifted towards Itachi, her brother seemed to grow tired of the charade. “Who knows…who cares,” shifting his head down, Itachi’s eyes shut, “I’ll handle this.” He looked back up again and when his eyelids opening they revealed blazing red Sharingan, centered on Deidara.
When the Iwa rogue stared at the orbs, perplexed, Kaiya could feel the world shift around as Itachi’s chakra altered. “You want to fight, un?” the blonde demanded. Itachi’s reply was coolly collected, “If I win, you’ll become a member of the Akatsuki.”
The response was quick, Deidara’s body shifted, tensing and his arm moving behind his back, right hand still held in the air. “That’s fine,” he answered. “Just don’t mock my art. That’s what my Ninjutsu is; a noble and refined art, hmm. Now! Feel my art!” And he launched the white object from his palm towards Itachi. Her brother moved back with it, keeping out of reach. A pleased grunt escaped the blonde’s lips, his hand formed into a sign and it exploded into a charcoal cloud in front of Itachi. Kaiya could hear the crack and smashing of the wall exploding, chunks of plaster falling to the ground. The smoke cloud rose through the air. They all watched the teens eyes shifted towards the corner of the room, just as a white centipede-like form of his ‘art’ wrapped up and around Deidara’s own body.
Kaiya raised an eyebrow watching him smirk and laugh in cocky triumph. He continued relaxing his body for a moment without pause, ‘You talk big, but it looks like that’s all you’ve got.” Leaning forward his smirk widened while he formed a single hand-sign. The younger Uchiha flashed a look at Kisame who shrugged indifferently. “You’re done, hum!” Kaiya felt another surge of Itachi’s chakra and the blonde was released from the genjutsu, staring down at himself in disbelief.
“How?” he exclaimed. Kisame sneered amusedly, “That was close, a little later and you’d’ve blown yourself up. “I told you he was the type who was gonna die an early death.” Sasori rumbled out irritably. Kaiya let out a light laugh, “I remember you saying the same ‘bout me, Senpai. Then again, he does seem to lack…survival instincts.” She smirked at Deidara while her mind flashed back to Kankuro back in the sand, irritating him truly had been a kick.
Still in shock Deidara stared at them incredulity, “Genjutsu? Since when?” “Right from the beginning,” Kisame grinned, “When you saw Itachi’s Sharingan; you were already under his genjutsu then. A gasp escaped the blonde. He winced as light began shining through the hole he’d created in the wall. Itachi appeared, standing there stoically. For a moment they watched as the Iwa rogue could only stare with something akin to awe in his eyes. Until, he seemed to break away from it covering his eye with a hand, his white jutsu slowly falling from his body to the ground. She could see the wheels turning in his head, anger filtered through his greyed eyes. When Deidara refocused, Itachi announced coldly, “You just lost.”
Kaiya’s wry voice carried through the temple, “Welcome to the Akatsuki, Deidara-San.” The older teen met her gaze and she grinned, her eyes flashing over to Sharingan, before she turned away from him to face her brother instead. Their crimson gazes met and Itachi jumped down from the gaping hole to stand beside her.
Staring up at him she said, “Leader-Sama’s orders are for you and Kisame to return to your regular mission. I’ll be going with Sasori-Senpai to escort Deidara to the base.” Itachi nodded, face still impassive. She scowled at that puffing her cheeks slightly before rolling her eyes. Kisame reached out quickly to ruffle her hair, making Kaiya dodge out of the way, continuing towards the exit. Sasori followed behind her, but she paused before the entrance to turn back towards the stunned blonde.
“C’mon Deidara-San, no reason to keep Leader-Sama waiting,” she beamed.
Everything followed just as planned, although the blonde continually shifted from glaring at either Kaiya or Sasori the entire trip to Pein. Repeatedly, Kaiya was left biting back the laughter fighting to come out. She knew Itachi had been rather cruel to the teen, but it was expected of him now. Besides, Deidara had fallen into all too easily without any prior knowledge of his opponent, while Itachi had Kaiya’s full report. There’d been no chance in hell, since he also seemed to lack in knowledge of the Sharingan. Although he proved that himself in the middle of their travels.
“What was wrong with that...guys eyes, yeah?” he shot out into the silence, feigning flippancy. Sasori shot a look over towards Kaiya and she shrugged. To her it didn’t matter if he knew. She’d suspected him to start questioning it sooner or later. Her Senpai spoke, “Stupid brats, have no knowledge of anything these days.” The blonde ninja visibly balked drawing himself up for a rant the same way he had in the temple. Kaiya rolled her eyes and laughed, letting it darken as her eyes flashed dangerously towards Deidara.
“He’s right, if you were smart you’d have some kind of knowledge. It’s nothing wrong with his eyes, they’re called the Sharingan. It’s a Kekkei Genkai.” He latched quickly onto her words. Kaiya could see the wheels spinning in his mind, about him until something finally clicked. “Wait, the Uchiha Clan? Aren’t they supposed to be extinct, they were slaughtered some years back.” Shaking her head, Kaiya’s hair flew about the breeze and her lips formed into a venomous smirk. The young Uchiha’s voice was as sharp as her steel blades, “Somebody had to have killed them, wouldn’t they?”
Deidara finally seemed to catch on and paled, turning away sharply to hide his fear. The faintest of chuckles made its way to Kaiya’s ears from Sasori walking beside her. Obviously Deidara hadn’t fully noticed her own eye change back in the temple, either that or he figured he’d imagined it. Oh well, she’d just let him think what he wanted for now. Kaiya had no need for him to be sending his anger at being humiliated in her direction so quickly. Already the shinobi had fallen silent and once more she could almost see where his thoughts were heading now that he knew what precisely had defeated him so brutally.
A soft fluttering sounded from above, cutting Kaiya off from her scrutinizing of the Iwa rogue. Stopping in the middle of the trail, causing her companions to follow suit, she glanced up to the sky. There, coming from the East, was a paper butterfly, flapping steadily towards her. Holding out her hand, the origami paper landed directly in her palm before unfolding at a pulse of her chakra. Revealing Konan’s familiar black-inked script. Deidara studied her as she read the note, her eyes scanning over it quickly, when with a flick of her wrist the paper was in flames. And then there were nothing but ashes in her palm.
Sighing the kunoichi turned on her heel away from them. She could hear Sasori automatically continue opposite from her, towards the base, to Pein. But Deidara came up behind her, “Hey! Where are you goin’ un?” A delicate black brow climbed its way up her forehead as Kaiya met his blue-eyed gaze dubiously. “Does it matter, Blondie? You’re heading for Leader-Sama and I’ve just been directed on my next mission.”
The Nin snorted, but made no move to get in her way when she stepped around him. “See ya around, Senpai. Kakuzu killed another partner.” Then with a lofty salute she jumped away into the trees, darting off the trail and through the woods.
Pein had recently been compiling a list of people he thought could be more durable as Kakuzu’s partner. It wasn’t complete yet since he hadn’t narrowed it down. But Kaiya had a copy of the list so she’d just take a random pick, meet up with Kakuzu and they’d collect his newest partner. It had become a routine between the pair, the main time when they met up these days. Afterwards Konan’s message had claimed she had a top-secret assassination where the Rock had called in for their services. One of the biggest secrets she’d learned these past years, Iwa had a number of quiet dealings with the Akatsuki in place of using their own forces. The only of the five Kage Nations to truly utilize them so freely. Kaiya would bet a lot that Deidara had no idea what his Tsuchikage had been up to. Then again, he didn’t seem to know a lot.
That would change.
She had seen it in his eyes. When defeat had clouded over him, the way a dangerous spark had lit into his eyes. He was one who wouldn’t take what had been done to him. Deidara was sure to become plenty more interesting when he undoubtedly fought to become strong enough to beat genjutsu. Genjutsu of the Sharingan to boot. Not to mention Pein had just paired together two people who were incredibly conflicting on the way they believed in things. Sasori was going to be irritated with her along with Leader for quite some time... Unless of course he ended up finding decent partnership with the blond ninja. Kaiya chuckled, Sasori could always use someone around to mess with him, especially since she couldn’t do so herself full time.
Absentmindedly Kaiya pulled a scroll with a list of names from her pocket. Unrolling it she focused in front of her while randomly running her finger across the smooth surface. Sounds of people to her left made Kaiya veer off quickly, flashing away and out of sight, before there was any possibility of her being spotted. Her finger stopped moving and Kaiya glanced down at the name idly. Reading it over she shrugged and replaced her scroll. Another dead man most likely, but that wasn’t a change or anything. Just another person she sentenced to death.
Kaiya shook her head, ripping her thoughts away from a dark path that it seemed to drift towards more and more these days. A path that scared her infinitely. Maybe more so because that path, full of cloudy hatred and darkness, was a part of her mind. And every day it seemed to edge closer and closer to her.