Chapter Text
Inside the base was complete darkness, aside from the dimly lit candles that were placed on the rocks which stuck out from the wall. My eyes travel to a large stone statue, appearing to resemble some sort of beast or almighty leader.
It has a set of nine eyes, a hung jaw filled with jagged teeth, and raised hands that are chained together. Under the hands stands a line of other members who look like they’ve been expecting me.
Kisame lets out a low chuckle, but says nothing.
I don’t bother looking up to read his facial expression, knowing any moment I let my guard down could be my last. The extreme amounts of chakra radiating from each individual proving my point.
As we get closer, their features one-by-one begin to show more clearly. “So that’s her, hm?” One asks, a man with a blond ponytail. “Huh?! She’s barely looks eighteen!” Shouts another with a grey slick back and religious looking necklace dangling on his bare chest. The two of them bicker between themselves, talking about me as if I wasn’t there.It seems the others are more on the quiet side, sticking to their own lane.
“Enough.” barks the man in the middle, and suddenly the group goes silent again. My gaze flickers to him, only to meet glowing purple eyes that pierce through my soul.
His face is full of multiple piercings— scattered from his nose, underlip, and to his ears. That must’ve been painful.
Kisame stops a few feet in front of them, urging me further with a light push to my back. Stares linger on my body, taking in my appearance. A whistle comes from the grey-haired one to the right of me. “I’d be lying if I said she wasn’t a looker though...” His voice gets low and he sends me a wink.
My stomach churns at what supposedly meant to be flirting, but I ignore his advances. No one says anything about his actions, so neither do I. Perhaps that was normal and he was naturally a weird person?
Taking a deep breath, I gather my thoughts into one section in my brain before speaking. “I have come here to join the Akatsuki. There is—”
“You gotta be kiddin’! What could a puny little thing like you possibly think you could ever accomplish here!” My gaze snaps back to the same guy who hasn’t shut up since I’ve arrived, and I glare. “There is nothing left for me in the Leaf Village. They’ve treated me with little to no respect since I was just a mere child."
"My own brother, Naruto, hasn’t any need for my protection anymore, leaving me all alone.” I notice the pierced man's eyes flash with interest at the mention of my brother, waiting quietly for me to continue.
My sob story seemed to catch the attention of everyone, now feeling the spotlight directed on me. “With no meaning left, I wish to take part of an organization that will give me it.”
Silence lingers in the air as the group exchanges looks, using their eyes to communicate concerns. It lasts moments until a laugh breaks the tension. “And you think just because of some sorry ass excuse of a reason, you’ll be allowed to join something like this? Jeez, you must be stupider than you look!” Snorts apparently Hidan, whose name is grumbled from another man.
“Do you ever shut up?” I look to the voices direction, not expecting a taller but much more intimidating member. His eyes are colored emerald green, standing out from the dull colored mask that covers his entire head. I don’t stare for long since he’s quick to catch my eyes on his, returning the stare until I break the contact and look ahead.
Kisame— who I forgot was behind me for a split second, puts his large hand on the top of my head, giving it a playful ruffle. I don't flinch or move away, which is odd considering I would’ve never let tolerated this from anyone else. But for some strange reason the gesture puts my mind at slight ease.
“Careful with what you say, Hidan. She may not look like much, but she was able to cross paths with me twice and still live another day.” Followed with a sharp smirk, he lets his hand fall back to his side.
“Oh please! We all know you aren’t exactly the most ruthless guy on the team.” Complains the blond man from earlier. “So what if she managed to run away from a couple of fights like a scaredy cat? Anyone could do that!” Hidan protests in agreement, and the two of them go back to insulting me once more.
The others are still observing me, watching my every move and reaction. Nevertheless, I stand my ground, giving them nothing but an empty act. “I know you’re after the tailed beasts, and considering I myself am one, you’ll need me at some point. Whether it be to extract it from my body and leave me to die, or use my powers to fight.”
Suddenly everyone goes quiet again, taking my words into consideration. The man with swirled purple eyes lets out a hum of approval, earning the notice of his comrades. All noises come to a halt.
Undoubtedly, the room realizes my acceptance might actually be seen through.
No one dares to utter a single word, including me, anxious to hear his final decision. “I see you have no intention of backing down, Nova.” He says flatly. I give him a small nod, assuring that I know what I’ve gotten myself into. He studies me for a split second, searching my eyes for any sign of doubt. When doesn’t find what he’s looking for, he turns around with a one fluid motion.
“You will be given tests to confirm your alliance to us. If you are unable to complete them, you’ll be vanquished from existence.” He continues,
“Your first test will be to battle against a member of your own choosing. It will be their decision to set how you will win.” And like he was never there; he vanishes into thin air, along with the woman who stood by his side.
Tension that weighed down on my shoulders were released from the carried burden of my mission. With the progress I’d made so far, there would only be a couple more steps to my goal.
I take a breath, grounding myself back into present time. I had convinced them to give me a chance, now all that was left was to prove my worth. Recalling his words, my eyes flow through the options presented in front of me.
Choosing to fight Kisame a second time would take up more time than needed, the only useful thing being he might give me something simple to accomplish. But even then, there's no telling when his animalistic urges to kill could overflow within him.
The next option was Hidan, a reckless idiot with no self-control that’d be no trouble outsmarting. Except, he seems to be the type to go for a death match.
That leaves a limited selection of four people, all of which seem not very fond of me. Biting my inner cheek, I compute each outcome to fighting these men, sectioning out the bad from worst. An annoying voice brings me from my train of thought, along with a slap on my upper back.
“How about it, girly? I might even go easy on ya if you ask nice enough.” Hidan half grins-half smirks, attempting some sort of seductive look. His approach makes me internally cringe, but I play it off as oblivious.
Since he can't seem to take me seriously, maybe I can catch him off guard and take the win easier than needed. And by that, I mean without having to unnecessarily kill anyone.
He raises an eyebrow when I don’t respond immediately, letting his hand fall off my body. Sandals click against the floor until it rests in front of me, where he stands tall. “Eh? You deaf or something? I’m talkin’ to you, sweets.”
Crouching down to level with my height, he tilts his head and stares at me, awaiting an answer. His breathing fans over my face, and I fight back the urge to suggest a breath mint or some kind refresher for his terrible hygiene.
“What do I have to do in order to win?” I ask, earning an even wider grin from the man. He hums with satisfaction, removing himself from my personal space.
There’s a dangerous glint in his distinctly purple orbs that tells me more to his story than he lets on. Nothing short from the fact he’s mentally and emotionally unstable, which is quite obvious itself.
He pretends to think for a moment, looking off to the side in contemplation. “I want you...” he begins, “to stab a kunai straight through my chest.” Gesturing to his partly revealed body, my gazes follow down his build.
He doesn’t appear to have much fat or muscle that could be an issue, so what was the point of this challenge? Even though I should never judge an opponent purely on looks alone, he seemed physically normal compared to the others.
Maybe this was a trick, considering he had left his torso revealed from the beginning I saw him, presenting an opening to effortlessly puncture. However, if this was as simple as he made it sound, it would take no time at all to complete this first step in becoming a part of the Akatsuki. The worst-case scenario being that I take longer than expected and he proves to be more of a challenge than anticipated.
Nodding my head in agreement, he reaches behind him to pull out a triple-bladed scythe. The weapon is colored bright red, attached to some sort of cable that extends from inside his sleeve. Stained wraps reach up to the top of the handle, providing extra grip to hold on to.
He takes a few steps back, putting space between us. I do the same, stretching out the gap as much as possible.
“Don’t go easy on me now.” Hidan smirks, tightening his grip on his weapon. Scanning the room around me, I remember that there was more than just one person to be aware of. Five members stand around, monitoring the fight.
I had been so caught up in my own thoughts, I completely missed the burning peer of the Sharingan watching me from afar, being no other than Itachi Uchiha. He stands mysteriously to the side by himself, eyes boring into mine.
How long was he planning to stare at me? Any longer and I’d get the impression my presence was a nuisance. “Kisame, it is time for us to take our leave.” mutters the Uchiha, averting his gaze to his partner, who cooly chuckles.
“Ah c'mon! Just as this is starting to get good too.” But he doesn’t disagree or argue, only leaving right behind Itachi who uses a jutsu to disperse. I notice a small look of encouragement Kisame shoots me, as well as an unreadable expression from Itachi as they fade away.
Sensing a chakra force coming straight for me, I quickly look ahead and lock eye contact with Hidan. He holds his scythe with two hands, running towards my direction.
When he gets close enough to where I can dodge, I jump up and land behind him. He whirls around, going in for another strike, this time aiming for my waist. I drop to the floor on instinct, catching my balance and sweeping my leg under his.
Toppling over with a grunt, his weapon flies out of his grasp and slides across the ground. Now that he was completely vulnerable, I kick myself back up and pounce, aiming my kunai directly for his chest.
Panic rises in his eyes, and he brings his foot up kick me in my gut. The bottom of his sandal sends me the same direction I came, but I catch myself before hitting the floor.
“Hah— you’re good.” He groans, using the back of his hand to wipe the forming sweat off his forehead.
I don’t give him a second to breathe, dashing towards him to try and puncture his chest once more. He attempts to dodge my every move, twisting around my attacks sloppily as he struggles to keep up. The more strikes I miss, the higher I crank up my speed.
I was hoping to store some energy and stamina for later since I might have needed it, but this man is rather persistent in winning. Gritting my teeth, I reach for his arm, yanking him towards me. And finally, we close in on each other, meeting headfirst.
The look on his face tells me he wasn’t expecting such a quickly ended match, given his pupils constricted shakily. “H-hey wait a second, I—” Right when he tries to pull away from my hold, I take the chance to stab into his chest, purposely avoiding any vitals spots. Hidan coughs out a spurt of blood that lands on my cheek, a warm feeling dripping down my skin.
After waiting a few moments to let the moment sink in, I smoothy tug the kunai out of his skin, watching as his hand reaches up to clutch at the wound.
“Fuck!” he seethes, balancing himself in place while he takes a breath. I take a few steps back to give him space, letting the red stained kunai drop to the ground. “That hurt, you little fucker.” Jeering the last word, he rolls his eyes and slowly straightens his body up, inhaling in pain as he does.
“She totally kicked your ass, yeah!” Yells the blonde-haired man somewhere off on the side. Hidan growls and twists his head to look in his direction, barking out curses that slur together. The boy's bicker each other's ears off, and I watch silently. Would this be what I would have to deal with from now on?
“Shut it, Deidara! Why don’t you and your little boyfriend take your asses outside before you give me a headache. And when I get a headache, I get angry, and you do not want to see me angry!” The one he called Deidara rolls his eyes at the cringe statement but leaves regardless. His partner, the short and large hunchback man, follows along behind him, the sound of wood hitting itself as they walk off.
Hidan mumbles an insult under his breath as he straightens himself up, leaving the punctured wound in chest on full display. “I guess you got me, or whatever. But next time I won’t be so easy on ya just cause you’re a woman!” Ignoring his obvious show of sexism, I nod, before asking a question. “What do I have to do next?”
He scoffs at me before turning around, walking up to his companion who I had failed to notice earlier. “Hell if I know. Now c’mon, Kakuzu, let's go.” And like nothing had ever happened he was fleeing the scene, leaving me alone with zero instruction.
Standing there with a blank look, I watch as my surroundings go quiet.
Some arguing can be heard from further away, but it fades away in seconds. Now that I was alone, I could have the chance to dig up any kind of information or material on the Akatsuki.
The only issue is what might happen if I were caught. Doing an act this early on wouldn’t be such a great idea since it’ll only cause unwanted suspicion. Mainly meaning I’ll most likely be watched 24/7 from the shadows if they don’t trust me.
I ball my left hand into a fist by my side and internally hope for direction to be given to me. And like it was on cue, plain paper slips begin forming in the spot in front of me, warping into what seems to be a person.
Who is unwrapped from the paper is none other than the purple haired girl from the previous meeting. Her tangerine-colored eyes meet mine, and she hums in delight. “I see you have completed your first act. Very well done.” The tone in her voice is laced with calmness as she studies me.
“The leader has asked me to come here in place of him to give you your last show of promise. Once that is achieved, you will be a part of us.” I nod, and she takes a small breath to continue.
“You will be sent to a small town not too far from here to gather intel on a certain man who wishes to interfere with our plans within the organization. Since you are not officially one of us, you will be sent alone. Is that alright?”
Giving her another nod of understanding, she softly smiles. She holds out her hand as papers flow to it, forming a small map for my travels. “Take this and be on your way. You don’t have very long until the leader becomes impatient.” With the final word, the map flies closer to me, floating in front of my face.
The hand that was once curled up loosens and reaches from the piece of paper, bringing it up close to read. Marked on the sheet are the guidelines to my destination, which bring me to what appears to be a sliver of land not too far away.
I had been sent there a couple times, and it had been nothing short from average villages. Estimating the time to get there and back would most likely be two days or so depending on how quick I travel. Thought the sooner I get it done, the sooner I can reach joining the Akatsuki.