Chapter 4

As soon as they arrived at the hideout, Hidan knew he wouldn't see his partner for the rest of the day. He was always in a sour mood after a mission – something Hidan would never be able to understand because they were always hunting down bounties and they always ended up with suitcases full of money. So when a break between two missions was allowed – which it rarely happened – they would go back to the headquarters were each member had got a room to sleep in and leave their belongings. Hidan knew better than to disturb him in moments like these because last time he got bored and he went to ask Kakuzu if he would enjoy a fight to kill time, he ended up with a third-degree burn that even with his healing capacities, it took him a whole day to properly recover.

Of course, this time wasn't any different, if not worse than usual. However, before he would allow the grumpy cat to dive into his sorrow, they needed to figure out what to say to the leader about the failed mission. He'd been assigned the same mission so he would be hold responsible too. He preferred being there and contest any possible punishment they might get for not bringing that stupid tailed-beast rather than having it fall on him without him being the wiser.

"So, what do we tell the boss? The Jinchuriki was actually super cunning and escaped us? Ha! That would be a naughty lie, right? I found the girl a bit stupid."

Kakuzu kept looking straight in front of him. After a few seconds of silence he hummed, but Hidan doubted he listened to him at all, adding much to his initial frustration. He was about to argue that he was tired of being ignored all the time when Kakuzu finally spoke:

"I'll speak to the chief alone" and started walking.

End of the conversation.

In another time, Hidan would have started bickering with him, or fight, even when he knew he had no chance to get what he wanted, just for the pleasure of getting a sort of revenge on the other man's stubbornness. But this time, he just stood there, and watched his partner silently entering the old temple. Today has been a bad day, Hidan thought as he followed him. Dealing with one's past wasn't an easy task, even for the most cold hearted criminal. There were things that were better kept buried inside one's soul, and meeting people who knew these things only added pain to a never-healed wound. But that was his struggle to fight, and Hidan couldn't do anything for him. He would tease him later when he would be in a better mood -for as much as Kakuzu's mood can be - perhaps... "over a tea". Hidan snickered at the thought, replaying the scene in his mind. It was hilariously naive from her to believe Kakuzu would even consider her invitation, not to mention that it was extremely dangerous to do so with anyone with an infamous reputation. In the other hand, he found it somewhat cute. He doubted anyone from his village would see him otherwise than murderer...

Shaking his head to come back to reality, he trotted to catch up with Kakuzu and entered the temple. He had other things to deal with at the moment: he still had to perform his prayers and he wouldn't sneeze at a quick shower either.

If his guesses were right, they would still have to meet the leader in person to discuss the matter, so they would have to leave to Amegakure sooner or later.

"I'll be in the left wing" he shouted to Kakuzu who was walking straight to the giant hall that used to host the ceremonies.

The temple was located at the borders between the Land of Grass and the Land of Fire, in a remote area surrounded by a forest. The hideout was a pivotal point for the members of the Akatsuki as its central location permitted to easily access various country. Plus, it wasn't far from the Headquarters in Amegakure. Although the building was old, the inside seemed to have been renovated as it was quite livable. The left wing hosted the rooms used by the monks who had inhabited the place. They had a minimum of furniture that allowed the passer-byes to rest an get comfortable before continuing their journeys.

The sun was hanging low, and the sun-rays that entered through the arcades were making a show of the dust particles that were dancing in the air. A wave of melancholy was flowing through the late afternoon sky.

While contemplating the scenery, Hidan thought that spending the night there wouldn't be a bad idea after all.

** **

The sound of the breeze playing with the the tree leaves was soothing. Fuu was sitting curled up on the left corner of the porch, watching the other Shinobi summoned by the Head of the Village entering the wooden hut. There was an air of tension in the crowd that had formed in front of the door. They all looked rather upset or annoyed, some shot nasty glances on her direction. She knew she was the one responsible for their mood, and she couldn't help but turn to the other side to avoid another embarrassing eye-meeting. After some time, her stomach started knotting up, so she decided to go for walk around the house while waiting for everyone to be inside.

She tried to distract herself by playing with the grass with the tip of her sandals when she realized that she didn't hear from Chomei ever since their meeting with the two weird men. Chomei was literally the closest creature to her. Not only she considered him her family, but he was also her best friend and mentor. If it wasn't for him in the hardest times, she didn't know how she would have the strength to keep going on and live. Life was too complicated to deal with on her own.

She closed her eyes and tried to concentrate to reach the deeep layers of her mind when a loud thud turned her attention back to the hut. Noises were coming from the room where the meeting was held. With a mixed feeling of curiosity and apprehension, she walked towards the hut and rested her back next to the window where the chatter was coming from. She was involved in what was happening so in her opinion she had every right to eavesdrop. She then let herself slowly slide down to get into a comfortable position. In a matter of seconds, what seemed like a confused chatter started to get clearer as sounds were becoming distinguishable, turning into words, then sentences.

"We can't stand a situation like this Shibuki! Do you realize what you're asking us to do? Even if there are very good Shinobis among us, the majority of the inhabitants are civilians. We can't put them all in danger!" a man shouted, anger tainting his voice.

"He's right my Lord. We don't know when the reinforcements from Konoha will come. We should better give them what they want. We never made any use of the Jinchuriki anyway. We either use her to fight or we try to negotiate with them. Maybe we can conclude a deal and...

"Now stop please, Shibuki said firmly, I understand your concerns but we can't just give her up. The Tailed-Beast is most powerful tool of our village."

Powerful tool, the words stuck in her throat and were now resonating in her head.

Shibuki continued "We are the only Shinobi village outside the great five villages to have a Tailed-Beast. As your leader, I cannot take decisions only according to the present circumstances, I also need to take into account the future of our village, and I have to make sure the next generations won't suffer from the consequences of the surrounding countries belligerence. Giving the Tailed-Beast away is out of question. I know how you feel about Kegon, but it happened to be an accident more than the aftermath of the fight. We actually don't know how powerful they are, but we shouldn't overestimate them either."

"We can't wait for things to happen, my Lord! If we really have to fight, then the Jinchuuriki must come as well. After all, they're coming for her. She could be of use for once, right?"

"Please, watch your words!"

"How can I? Shall I remember you that my brother is incapacitated because of her foolishness?! Do you only know how hard did he work to become a Jonin? Have you the slightest idea of how he feels now?"

She could only guess.

"I can understand your feelings but we need to think logically before we act, Shibuki replied. I have no objections in sending her to fight. She is powerful enough to handle them but she needs to be prepared for the confrontation. I already sent four members of the task force to put traps on a radius of 3 miles around the village. Hopefully it will help us gain some time. So first, we need to think of a strategy. Regarding Fuu, I'll take care of the matter. I know how to manage her so she will listen to what I'll say."

He knows how to "manage" me? Is that how he actually thinks of me? She didn't need to hear more. So, from the very beginning, the only thing that truly ever matters is that I'm a Jinchuuriki? Of course! Otherwise why would he tell me I was born special? She was nothing more than a tool and she would always be. Warm tears were already dampening her cheeks, her chest was tightening, and the urge to fly far away, as fast as she could, was screaming inside her head. She didn't need to think twice, she was already high above the trees. She decided against crossing the village to go back home. Her heart was clenching at the sight of the lights that were coming out of the houses. At least Shibuki valued her for something, because it seemed that the villagers despised even that aspect of her.

Everything makes sense now.

The small hut that served her as a house was in the periphery of the village anyway. Little sobs escaped her mouth as she let the fresh wind dry her eyes.