The training ground was right next to a stream and located fairly far away from any shops or housing. In short, she doubted anyone would spot her here.

She did a run through of her basic skills, taijutsu openings and attacks, kodachi, ninjutsu, and she even practiced a bit with her purple appendages. Kana pinballed around the field, testing her skills and speed as she took off at weird angles and pivoted on her toes or fingers quickly.

"Hello there."

The voice cut through the silence like a knife, instantly making her go ramrod straight. She froze, feeling a sense of fear well up inside her.

A tall teenaged boy walked into the moonlight, a cloak covering most of his body. His face peeked out from under the cloak, along with a few strands of white hair. Kana searched his figure with her eyes for anything that could link him as an ally or a threat. She found nothing.

"Who are you?" Kana barked at him. "What do you want?"

His face morphed into a grin, and Kana's hand tensed. She reached for her pouch.

"No need to attack me," He replied. "I'm not here for a fight, I was just curious about your scent."

"My scent?" Kana asked. "What about it?"

"It's strange..." He mumbled. "You smell human, yet also something else. And the smell of blood is stuck to you, as it is to me."

Kana's nose twitched and her eyes widened slightly.

He reeked of human blood, and he too had a peculiar scent. Human, yet not.

"What the hell?" Kana asked.

"So you smell it too on me, don't you?" He asked.

"Well yeah, but why?" Kana asked. "How is it possible?"

"It's quite simple actually," He grinned. "We are one and the same."

Kana took a step back and drew a kunai, she gripped it tightly in her hand and shook her head.

"There is no one like me!" She cried. "I'm just a monster!"

The kunai whizzed through the air, straight towards his neck, however, he didn't move. A metallic 'CLANG' rang through the air, and the kunai bounced off his neck. His cloak fell to the floor, ripped open at his neck.

Kana watched in disbelief, watching him as he stepped closer, completely unharmed.

"You're not the only one that Orochimaru has fucked with." He said, looking blank-faced. "I'm here to kill him."

Kana had heard that name. The Akatsuki always called him a traitor and said that they must hunt him down and kill him. But if she could do that... They'd all thank her and love her even more than they do.

"You want to kill Orochimaru?" Kana asked.

"That's right." He nodded.

"How can I help?"

He smiled at her and placed a hand on her head, ruffling her hair.

"That's the spirit," He smiled. "Now as for introductions, my name is Kaneki."

"Kana," She replied, holding out a hand. "My name is Kana."

~~~~~

"Anything to report, Zetsu?" Pein asked.

"Kana and the possible new recruit have met," White Zetsu chirped. "Also, we now know that his name is Kaneki."

"Does Kana know that 'Kaneki' is the new recruit?" Pein inquired.

"No, should we let her know?" Zetsu asked.

"Yes, that way she can convince him to come back with her." Pein smirked. "He knew Orochimaru, he's bound to have information on him."

"That's another thing," Black Zetsu grumbled. "He wants Kana to help him destroy Orochimaru, apparently he will be at the Chunin Exams."

"Wonderful, we can kill two birds with one stone." Pein said. "Inform Kana of the new mission adjectives, and tell her that she can tell Haku, but not Tsubaki or Azumi."

"Got it." Zetsu replied.

Zetsu sank into the floor and vanished, leaving Pein semi-alone in his office.

"Why are you gathering more members, Nagato?" A deep voice growled. "We only need ten."

"I have my reasons." Pein replied.

"You're lucky I didn't just kill the girl."

Pein scowled. He didn't like him at all, not one bit.

~~~~~

"Haku, wake up."

Haku's eyes flew open in a moment and he was on his feet in an instant. Being a shinobi simply made you more aware. His eyes locked onto Kana and his stance relaxed a bit.

"What is it?" Haku whispered, stepping over Azumi and Tsubaki, who were both peacefully sleeping.

"Zetsu came to see me, I have something important to tell you." Kana replied, glancing around the room to ensure that the windows were shut.

"Come with me to the bathroom, we can talk alone there." Haku said. "I have some sound dampening seals I can put up just in case."

"Good, because this is important," Kana whispered. "It's about a new member, and possibly a new target."

"I see," Haku nodded. "Come on, let's talk more in private."

The two slipped over to the bathroom, shutting the door and locking it from the inside. Some chatter slipped out from under the door, but soon it was silent, meaning Haku had put up his seals.

Unbeknownst to Haku and Kana, Azumi silently sat up, wide awake and staring at the door with narrowed eyes. She was a bad insomniac, and she tended to not sleep much around other people, but past trauma and paranoia do that to you. A secretive and almost absent father never helped.

Whatever Haku and Kana were talking about was clearly not Chunin Exams related, or they wouldn't be so secretive. She also doubted that it had to do with the well-being of Ame, otherwise they would share the information with Tsubaki and herself. Her analysis leads her to the conclusion that it was related to the group that ran Ame from the shadows, the group so secretive that almost no one had heard of it.

Almost...

~~~~~

The next morning Kana took off very early, she didn't bother to stay for breakfast, she didn't even wait for Tsubaki to get up. She simply got ready and left. Haku had just gotten up and watched her leave, although he only smiled and gave her a polite nod before she left.

Kaneki wasn't hard to track, just look for something that was sort of similar to her own scent, along with bleach and a bit of old blood.

Eventually the scent lead her to a small coffee shop, where she could see people inside eating, drinking, and some reading. A boy with short black hair had his face tucked into a book, but as she approached he lifted his head. Very subtlety, he pointed to one eye and nodded, cleary looking at her. She took that as a sign, and after she entered the shop, she sat across from him.

He placed the book face down on the table, folding his hands and putting them in his lap neatly.

"What's with the hair?" Kana asked, referring to the wig.

"It's just a precaution." He replied calmly. "Now then, I would like to start by discussing our plan."

"Hold on," Kana interupted. "I need to say something first."

"Alright, get on with it." He scoffed.

"I'll put this bluntly," Kana sighed. "I would like you to join a group I am a part of."

"What is this group?" Kaneki asked.

Kana leaned forward, lowering her voice as much as possible.

"We are the Akatsuki," She mumbled. "Our goal is peace, and we'd like your help."

"Why should I join?" Kaneki huffed. "I quite like my freedom, I don't know if I want to be leashed again."

"Because we also want Orochimaru gone, we have a common enemy." Kana said, then sucking in a deep breath. "And also because we will accept you as you are."

"How do I know they will accept me?" He grumbled.

"Because they accept me, they practically raised me, they are my family and they love me," Kana smiled. "Eating habits and all."

She hadn't noticed it, but her hands found their way to her Jashinist necklace and held it tightly.

For the first time he could remember, he smiled. He looked across at the cheery girl before him and smiled. She wasn't lying he could see that.

She was treated as a monster, same as him. But somehow, someway, she still managed to be so optimistic and charming.

"Ah what the hell," He chuckled. "I'll join, especially since Orochimaru is on the hit-list."

Kana grinned and started chattering in excitement. Kaneki chuckled, he just agreed to join a group a girl no older than thirteen had told him about.

Eh, what the hell?

A/N

I really liked that chapter, I hope y'all enjoyed it too! My first exam is in a little less than four days, wish me luck!