XIII
━━━━━━┓༻❁༺┏━━━━━━
Arc XIII Chapter 1
━━━━━━┛༻❁༺┗━━━━━━
Another eting. Another gathering. Pain had summoned all of them from far and wide, following their most recent operation. Konan, Deidara, Itachi, Kisa, Kakuzu, Hidan, Zetsu, and for so inexplicable reasons, also Tobi, not to ntion her, Asami. Their incorporeal figures stood together, their shadows suspended in the dark void.
Pain stood in the centre, his Rinnegan surveying everything. His projection flickered, and his voice crackled, flat and dispassionate as usual. “I will be short. As you are aware by now, we have lost one of ours. Sasori has been killed in action. He has been defeated by a combined Konoha and Suna team. While his death might be regrettable, his loss will not impede our further operations. We will proceed as planned. Our priority remains to collect the Bijuu and to accumulate further capital.”
“...” A collective nod passed through their ranks.
“...” Pain eventually turned his attention to her. “As discussed, your observations have rit, Asami. While Orochimaru does not pose much of a threat, his actions cannot be ignored. He betrayed the Akatsuki. He managed to amass sufficient forces to attack Konoha openly. And took Uchiha Sasuke under his tutelage. With the resources available to him, Orochimaru might indeed be capable of interfering with our operations. Hence, you shall deal accordingly with Orochimaru and remind him of his position, Asami. Deidara will be at your disposal for the purpose of the operation.”
Asami offered a polite bow, a vindictive grin crossing her lips. “As you wish.” It had been three years. Three years she had been working tirelessly to raise Agakure from ignominy, to turn the entire village into an instrunt of her will and power. Now she had an army at her command. All this ti, Orochimaru and his vast network had always been a thorn in her side, obstructing her efforts at subversion and manipulation, ti and ti again.
Hideouts. Laboratories. Prisons. Bases. Agents. Spies. Corruption. Daimyos, nobles, officials, all under his control. Whether it was the Land of Sound, the Land of Waterfalls, the Land of Grass, the Land of Rivers, the Sannin wielded considerable influence. Now the ti had co to teach him a little lesson and liquidate his assets.
“Hey! Hey! At her disposal?! Wait a mont!” Deidara spoke up in protest. “You’re telling I’m supposed to take orders from our little doll princess here? You know, I’m at least three years her senior, un!”
“...” Pain directed his gaze at him, his voice uncompromising, leaving no room for further discussion. “You will do as ordered, Deidara.” His words were final.
“Hmm ...” Deidara grumbled in his corner, his discontent patent.
“Hehehe ...” Kisa smirked, flashing his shark like teeth. “Deidara, don’t be like that. Look at , I’m eleven years Itachi’s senior. And still, he’s still the guy calling the shots, right?” The swordsman glanced at his partner, hoping for a response that never ca.
“... ... ...” Itachi remained stoically silent, completely disinterested in their mundane affairs.
“Never much of a talker, were you?” Kisa chuckled amused. “Anyway, let give you a small piece of advice, Deidara, there’s no sha in taking orders from your juniors. Especially, for soone as reckless and hot headed as yourself.”
“Reckless and hot headed, you say ...” Deidara snorted, his tongue clicking. “Tsk, whatever, un.” In the end, their dostic explosive expert relented, albeit only grudgingly.
“...” Pain approved of his display of obedience. Deidara ultimately complied with his orders. “With this matter having been settled, it is ti for us to proceed with our plans. The target will be the Two Tails. According to our information, the Two Tails is sealed inside a highly skilled and powerful Kumogakure kunoichi. Her na is Nii Yugito. Do not underestimate her.”
“...” Asami listened. Nii Yugito ... It was a na of so renown. It was a na that she had heard before. The woman was a kunoichi of considerable strength and skill, not to ntion a prominent entry in her old ANBU bingo book.
Pain continued, “Her whereabouts are unknown, but we suspect that she is currently located in the Land of Clouds.”
The Land of Clouds ... Truly, who would have thought ... A Kumogakure kunoichi residing in the Land of Clouds ... What a useful piece of information ... Not to ntion, the Land of Clouds ... It was a vast land. Looking for her would be like looking for a needle in a haystack. Not the most encouraging affair. Not that their glorious leader cared.
“Your primary task will be thus to locate her and collect further information. Do not engage without my prior permission. That is all.” Pain disappeared, flickering out of existence as abruptly as he had appeared. No greetings. No farewells. Nothing. No sense for manners or etiquette. Konan followed his example.
━━━━━━┛༻❁༺┗━━━━━━
Thunder roared in the distance. Dark clouds clouded the sky. The gathering had ended. A single droplet struck the arid ground. Then another. And another. A single droplet turned into a hundred. A hundred into a thousand. A thousand into a million. The clouds gave way as heaven opened its gates. At last, it had begun to rain. The rain enshrouded the forests, the hills, the land.
“... ... ...” Itachi opened his eyes, his figure sitting cross legged atop a rock. The rain was pouring down on him, his black coat already drenched wet. He quietly rose.
“...” Kisa was sitting nearby, cross legged, his trusted sword Sahada leaning over one of his broad shoulders. His partner smirked, baring his shark like teeth. “Hehehe, you know, Itachi, no matter when, no matter where, sohow the rain always keeps following you. Isn’t that curious? Heaven must share your pain.”
...
...
...
“... ... ...” Itachi preferred his silence, his black eyes turning skywards. His gaze lingered, relishing the sight. Rain ... It was an old friend. Cold. Dark. Bleak. Miserable. Uncaring. Bound by duty. It was a fitting companion of his. The only companion that a man like him deserved, a man tainted by sin, unworthy of redemption, unworthy of salvation. Neither in this life, nor in the life beyond. Not after what he had done. Not after the blood of his family, his beloved, his kin stained his hands forever.
...
...
...
“... ... ...” Itachi turned his back, prepared to set out.
His partner noticed his intentions, grinning. “We’re leaving? Where are we going?”
...
“... ... ...” Itachi deigned to respond, “Agakure ... ... ... I need to talk with soone.” It was a matter that had already been on his mind for a while. Sothing that had been troubling him ever since the girl had joined the Akatsuki. Now the ti had co.
“Hehehe, Agakure. How interesting.” Kisa chuckled amused, a knowing grin spreading across his lips. “It’s our little princess, Itachi, isn’t it? You want to talk with ‘her’, don’t you?”
...
...
...
“... ... ...” Itachi did not deign to reply. His silence alone was a sufficient answer. “...”
━━━━━━┛༻❁༺┗━━━━━━
Check out my other novel and give it a try! =^.^=
Villainess, noble girl, princess.
Reincarnation is a fickle matter, unpredictable and capricious, uncaring and unforgiving in nature. Stranded in unknown lands, in a different ti and age by the mysterious forces of magic, Aurora is reborn as the sole heiress of the ancient noble House von Schwarz, destined to enter the ga of kings and queens, ard with pride, deceit, and an adorable doll.
User Comments
0 comments from readers