Hey people. I decided to repost this story. This time I added the original chapter 2 into the first chapter so it can feel more complete. I also want to say a couple things I didn't say before.
This story takes place in a slight AU. I mean slight in the sense that some technologies that exist today will appear in the story. (Mp3s, computers, etc.) I won't get over the top with it as most of the aspects in the canon will still exist.
The main pairing will be OC x OC x OC further into the story. Their will be other pairings as well but I don't have them completely thought out yet. When I all have them all, I will let you know.
Also, I want to mention now that some characters will be a little OOC at times throughout the story for different reasons. This story will span over several years and a lot of things will happen so people will change a little bit. Don't fret however; the canon characters will keep the basic personalities unless mentioned otherwise.
Finally this story contains manga spoilers! Just for the people who haven't read it yet, why I don't know. Go read it! It's very good. Also, the rating will rise as the story goes along. The early chapters will probably be T while the later ones will be M for many reasons. You can probably guess why.
I think that's it. Now enjoy the story!
The Akatsuki were lying in wait. The Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, Naruto Uzumaki, had just left on a training trip with Jiraiya, the Toad Sage, a few days ago. The plan was to wait about two years before collecting the tailed beasts. Until then, the members of Akatsuki would just undertake regular missions such as assassinations to build up their reputation and do reconnaissance to help their future goals.
However, something was on Pein's mind the past few days. Although he had some of the most powerful shinobi in the world in his organization, he knew that it was possible that he could suffer losses while collecting the tailed beasts. He knew it was unavoidable and that replacements might be necessary in the future. But to find recruits as valuable as his group of S-rank criminals he had now was as easy as finding a needle in a haystack.
Still, he couldn't leave this issue as is. If he ever lost any members and did not have any viable replacements, it would make it that much harder to capture the biju. So there was only one solution to this little dilemma...
"Konan, send in Itachi and Kisame." Pein said not even looking at Konan, who was leaning on the wall in Pein's office. She just nodded and walked out the office.
She looked the hideout and found Itachi staring out of window and Kisame sitting on the couch, apparently bored.
"Itachi, Kisame, Pein wants to see you two." Konan said. Itachi nodded and started to walk towards while Kisame popped up from the couch.
"Damn, about time we had something hell to do!" Kisame said, complaining from the lack of action in the past weeks. Even Itachi was getting a little bored, which was saying a lot. It was warranted though; the two hadn't had an exciting mission or moment for that matter since they fought Jiraiya.
"So, have any idea of what Leader-sama wants us to do?" Kisame asked Konan. She just shook her head.
"He didn't say anything to me. He just told me to get you two so he must have a personal mission for you."
"Oh." Kisame shrugged. He and Itachi followed Konan to Pein's office. As they walked in, Pein was staring at them with his usual serious look on his face.
"You wanted to see us Leader-sama?" Itachi said in his monotone voice.
"Yes, I have a very important mission for you and Kisame. It's of the utmost importance so listen carefully." Pein said.
Itachi and Kisame glanced at each other for a second. This mission must be big, if he said "of the utmost importance". The only other goal that they thought was that important was captured the tailed demons and that wasn't going to happen for a few years. Nonetheless, they stood at attention, listening intently.
"As you two know, we plan to collect the Biju in about two years." Pein began. The pair nodded. "Well, something crossed my mind the other day. As unlikely as it seems, it's very well possible we may lose some members in the process of capturing the tailed beasts." Pein said. Itachi and Kisame nodded again, remembering their very close encounter with the Toad Sage.
Now Konan was interested in what Pein had in store for Itachi and Kisame. "For as long as I've known him, I always knew Pein always had a soft spot for his friends." She thought, remembering their days with him, her and Yahiko. "But ever since we were with Akatsuki, I've never saw him show any real concern for the other members. For him to say this now, he must've been thinking about this for some time now..."
Pein continued. "As I thought about this, I realized that it would very difficult to find shinobi with the same level of skill as you two and everybody else. Also, the leaf village is getting stronger and their alliance with the sand doesn't make things easier. Plus, Orochimaru has taken Sasuke as his student so I suspect he's trying to build power as well. Those things don't make things any easier for us."
Itachi and Kisame were slightly surprised that their Leader would say something like this now, though their faces didn't show it. Although they both saw the reason for his concern, did he really think that they were just going to die that easily? I mean, they way he said it, Pein made it seem like everybody is going to die while getting the tailed beasts. However, Kisame decided to make his thoughts known...
"Leader-sama, do you really think that any of us is going to go down that easily to some stupid leaf and sand nins or that traitous snake bastard and his personal fuck toy?" Konan held back a laugh and Itachi just smirked from the way Kisame referred to Itachi's younger sibling.
Pein smiled slightly. "Honestly, I don't expect any you to die any time soon. You are some of the strongest shinobi in the land and I don't believe nor do I want any of you to lose to our enemies. Still, I'm just planning for the prospect that if I do in fact lose somebody, I will have somebody more than capable to fill that's person spot. I do not want to suffer any setbacks or slow down just because we lose one of our members. That's why I have this mission for you two."
"So, what is it?" Kisame said, getting impatient.
Pein smirked for a second, and then his face turned dead serious.
"I want you two... to find subordinates." He stated.
Subordinates?" Kisame asked, slightly confused
"Yes, subordinates. I want you two to find two new recruits for Akatsuki. I want them to be powerful but young so that they can be trained and molded in our image." Pein answered.
Itachi and Kisame glanced at each other for a second. While they couldn't disagree with the reason for their leaders plan, there were a few questions that nagged the both of them in the back of their minds.
"While I can't argue with the logic of your plan Leader-sama, why do you want to do something like this now?" Itachi asked.
"And more importantly, why did you pick us to do this mission?" Kisame said.
"Well, to answer your question Itachi, it's like I said before. I'm only doing this in the event that I lose one or more of my members. I don't want to suffer any kind of setbacks in our plan for world domination just because of causalities. If anything, my plan attests to your and the other members' value to the organization." Pein explained.
"And to answer your question Kisame, you two are the only ones I feel that's capable of doing this mission for two reasons. One is because you two are more level-headed and "normal" than some of the other members and will be better suited to teach and train young shinobi than someone like Hidan or Sasori. The second reason ties in with the first. The new recruits will need to learn teamwork with their partner and honestly, you two are the only pair that actually gets along with each other, sad as it is.
Every reason for accepting this mission made sense to Itachi and Kisame the way leader put it. Kisame seemed to be pondering something while some apprehension still surfaced in Itachi, although he didn't show it, being the emotionless doorknob he is.
"So do you, Itachi and Kisame, accept this mission? It will be a huge contribution to Akatsuki in the future. I know it doesn't sound too exciting to train young shinobi but there is personal gain in this, I assure you. You have a chance to train and mold two young minds in not only Akatsuki's image, but your owns as well and pass down techniques and secrets to your charges to help carry on your legacies." Pein added.
This little speech caught Itachi's attention. "I don't really care about my own legacy but I still want the Uchiha name to live on. Sasuke is seems determined to rebuild the clan but I'm not completely sure if he can rebuild as strong as I want it to be at his current level. I guess it would be good to mold someone in my image so if Sasuke fails, I have someone I can rely on. Maybe I can even…" Itachi thoughts trailed off as Kisame spoke up.
"We accept the mission Leader. Now I have a question for you Leader, exactly how young do you want these new recruits to be?" Kisame asked, a plan already forming in his head.
"I don't want them to be too young. I would prefer they be around the same age as the Kyuubi container." Pein said.
"Which will make them around 13 years old" Itachi interjected.
"Right, give or take a year or so. I think that is the perfect age because they would've have already developed some basic survival skills but they are still young enough to be molded." Pein said.
"Perfect" Kisame thought. "Leader, I already have the perfect kid in mind." Kisame said confidently.
"Kisame thinking ahead? Wow, this is a big day in history. Next thing I know, Orochimaru is going to go straight. Humph, like that will happen. Let's see what Kisame got in mind." Itachi thought sarcastically. For as long as Itachi was partnered with Kisame, he never thought things ahead. He was all about the here and now, so this was surprise to Itachi.
"Oh? Tell me about him." Pein said, quite interested in what young ninja Kisame is so confident in.
"The kid's name is Kaito Hayashi. I think he's around 14 now. Before I left the Hidden Mist Village, I used to train him and look after him. I fought with his parents and I knew the family quite well. After his parents were executed for treason, I looked after the kid until I left the village." Kisame said.
"Treason?" Konan asked.
"Yeah. The mizukage was paranoid and began to execute shinobi he felt were plotting to overthrow him. Funny he didn't catch me right? Well, Kaito's parents were two of those shinobi that got executed. After that, I pretty much took care of the kid as I was his unofficial godfather in way." Kisame explained.
"Anyway, his parents were very skilled and the kid is no different. The village considered him a genius and the next coming of Raiga Kurosuki. However, I think the kid will far surpass Raiga and myself and will become a very powerful shinobi. Kaito not only possesses the physical skills but he possesses an even greater mind. He also has a silver tongue and he is very good at persuading and manipulating people at his young age."
"However, he has one glaring weakness, his emotions. The kid is very level-headed most of the time and doesn't really let pressure get to him. Sometimes he even smiled at me at times when he was on the verge of death during a few training sessions. But if someone insults or hurts people he cares about, he loses his temper and that can affect his effectiveness. That's something I will work on. Still, Kaito is very loyal to me and to other people who take care of him. After he finds out that I work for you, I'm sure he will swear allegiance to you, Leader." Kisame finished.
Pein let all this sink in for a moment. "Well, I'm impressed with this Kaito kid you told me about Kisame. If he's everything you say he is, he would become invaluable to this organization. Do you know where Kaito is?" Pein said.
"Yes, I know exactly where he lives and he'll come with me the moment I get there." Kisame replied.
"Good. Itachi, do you have anybody already in mind?" Pein asked
Itachi was impressed that Kisame already had a recruit ready before the mission even started. Still Itachi, being a Uchiha, didn't want to be outdone by his blue-skinned partner and someone popped in his mind as Kisame was telling the leader about Kaito.
"As a matter of fact I do." Itachi said rather smugly. "I don't know everything about her but I do know her name is Shizuma Himura. She looked around 14 to 15 years old. I came across her one day while doing espionage outside of the sound village. I saw two sound shinobi attempt to sexually assault her and needless to say, she killed them in a most brutal fashion."
"How exactly did she kill these two shinobi?" Pein asked, his interest now piqued.
"I don't know exactly what she did, but I all remember is seeing a very intense chakra surround her and she dismembered the men with a few slashes of her sword. The chakra felt very hot, almost as if it was burning and it swirled very violently around her. The most interesting thing about it was, when that chakra appeared, her eyes turned from black to yellow. I suspect it's some kind kekkei genkai." Itachi said.
"A kekkei genkai with yellow eyes and a swirling, burning chakra? I wonder…" Pein thought. "Itachi, did you see what headband the girl was wearing?" Pein asked.
"It was black with a symbol that looked like a flame. She had a slash through it so I assume she's a missing-nin. I'm not sure what village that represents." Itachi replied.
"As I thought…" Pein muttered. "The girl you spoke of Itachi, Shizuma, I want you two to pursue her as soon as you get Kaito. It is essential that you recruit her." Pein said
"Ok, but why the sudden interest in her?" Kisame asked.
"Well, I just figured out from Itachi's description that the girl has a very powerful bloodline. I don't know the true name of the bloodline, but it was nicknamed tempest." Pein explained.
"Storm? Why would a bloodline be called that?" Kisame asked.
"Well, it grants the user a natural affinity to fire and wind elements and also makes it possible to mix them together, explaining the swirling, burning chakra Itachi felt. Also, it boosts the user's speed, strength, and instincts considerably. However, there are two side effects of the bloodline. One is that it unlocks a very savage bloodlust within the person that comes with use of the bloodline abilities and the bloodlust would not go away until their enemies or they themselves were dead. Often times, the bloodlust would be triggered by emotions or under severe mental distress, which can also explain why it appeared on the girl. The true masters of the bloodline could control this bloodlust when need be and use abilities when they had to."
"The other side effect is that it is very hard to control. In the past, many clan members who possessed the bloodline often destroyed themselves in attempt to fully control it. There were only a few throughout the history of the clan who could fully master it. Because of the violent and destructive nature of the fire and wind elements, the kekkei genkai often did as much damage to the user as to their enemies. The five major villages teamed up to wipe out the clan some years ago because of its massive destructive power so I assumed the clan didn't exist anymore but, apparently someone survived…" Pein said.
"So basically, we have a 14 year old girl running around with a powerful kekkei genkai she can barely control and you want us to persuade her to come with us." Kisame said sarcastically.
"Right. You two have your targets. I would advise to get Kaito first since we know where he is and assured he will come with us. I want you two to do this as fast as possible. Once you get both them, return here and I will give you further directions. Any other questions?" Itachi and Kisame shook their heads. "Good. You two are dismissed." Pein stated.
"Hai." Itachi and Kisame said before leaving his office.
The two gathered their supplies before setting out to the Wave country so they can take a boat to Kiri. It would take about a day traveling at full speed without stopping to reach Wave from the Akatsuki hideout in Ame.
Itachi and Kisame left Ame and began to travel as fast as possible to Wave without stopping. They figured they could rest on the boat to Kiri. They wanted to hurry up and get Kaito so they could spend more time searching for Shizuma, as they didn't know where she was.
The two flew through the fire country, tree hopping at incredible speeds, not even stopping once to eat or rest. As the sun went down and rose back up again, they reached the Wave. Akatsuki still had some connections in Wave; therefore, they spoke with their contact and got a boat to Kiri for no charge.
The two set sail for Kiri. Itachi and Kisame ate and rested up the whole trip, doing neither for over a day. The boat ported in Water country several hours later, but there was still one matter to be discussed…
"Kisame, we're not the most popular people in Kiri, especially you. How strong are Kiri's defenses? Is it possible to sneak in the village without much trouble or is fighting going to be unavoidable." Itachi asked. He wanted to avoid as much fighting as possible here, even more so since they are isolated on an island.
"I think sneaking in will be pretty easy, Kiri never had the greatest perimeter defenses. However, it will be a little more difficult getting out; especially if they find out we're taking one of their shinobi with us. ANBU constantly prowl the village, even at night. I say, the faster we do this, the better, although I wouldn't mind fighting a couple of my old comrades…" Kisame said with a smirk.
"You forget the fact that we would never make off the island if you decide to have fun with your comrades." Itachi said.
"Meh, you're no fun Itachi." Kisame said.
"But that's what saves your ass sometimes." The elder uchiha retorted.
"Good point." The shark-skinned swordsman replied with a smile.
With that little matter settled, the two set out to the Hidden Mist Village.
That chapter felt more complete than the original one. The next chapter will introduce Kaito Hayashi and cover his escape from Kiri. It's already in progress.
Til' next time!