Beta: Cyndaquil123

(ง ⌣ ~ ⌣) ง

Calm down girl, why you so mad?

Why's your heart gone

Oh good girl, why you upset?

Guess they have forgotten what they did

-Angry Too by Lola Blanc

(ง ⌣ ~ ⌣) ง

Mei - Start of the Chūnin Exams' Tournament

Mei hummed to herself. The beautiful woman moved with strict purpose, her black boot-heels clicked against the tiled floors of what used to be the water daimyo's palace. The civil war, coupled with the shame of supporting Orochimaru, had brought the once lovely palace to a state of near dilapidation. The lords and ladies that once served faithfully under Hotoro had fled, taking what riches they could. Last week, the servants rebelled and stole what riches remained in the palace.

When Mei was younger she used to admire the golden palace.

What a pathetic turn of events. The Land of Water had fallen into a tragic state all thanks to the previous Mizukage, Yagura, and the cowardly daimyo.

Now Hotoro, the daimyo, was forced between selling the pathetic state of his country to either the Land of Fire or the Land of Lightning. He had been agonizing over it for so terribly long.

He'll be so happy, Mei thought to herself, her grip tightening on the scroll in her right hand. She raised her chin, a sense of pride and accomplishment blooming in her heart.

Her loyalty to the Akatsuki was unquestionable, but she would be lying if she said she didn't care about her homeland at all. Seeing it morph into such a mess was a tragedy.

Maybe in another life, Mei wouldn't have needed to be rescued by Owari and she could have remained.

Perhaps she could have even become the Mizukage.

Yeah, right.

Mei doubted her life would be any better without Owari. He had saved so many... surely, a world without him would be nothing but a tragedy?

She opened the doors to Hotoro's office. The once handsome man had withered away into something barely of a husk. Stress had eaten away at the Land of Water daimyo, devouring what little fat he had to spare. The palace was in shambles—the servants and guards and left—and Hotoro knew it would only be a matter of time before death greeted him.

At least it would bring an end to his shame.

If only he had not ignored Kirigakure.

If only he had not made a deal with Orochimaru.

If only...

Hotoro had passed the point of being able to save his country. One way or another the Land of Water would fall. Earlier that morning he had been given two warnings from the daimyos of the Land of Fire and Land of Lightning.

Mo, the daimyo of the Land of Fire, had demanded restitution in the form of his country.

Tsuzu, the daimyo of the Land of Lightning, demanded that Hotoro not give anything to the Land of Fire.

If he refused either of them, war would break out between Konohagakure and Kumogakure in his country. The citizens that had remained in the country—either due to loyalty or having nowhere else to go—would be caught in the crossfire. What little economy and infrastructure his people had left would be torn asunder.

If he gave in to Mo, Tsuzu would attack. If he agreed with Tsuzu, Mo would attack.

Either way, he was condemning his people to death.

He looked up at her approach, his red and puffy eyes narrowed. "What do you want, woman?"

Mei held up a scroll, eyes shining. "To save the world, my lord."

(ง ⌣ ~ ⌣) ง

Guren

Guren sipped on some odd cactus-juice drink, her eyes narrowed under the sweltering sun. Sunagakure was a special place in hell. The village was nothing but sand, stones, and paranoid villagers.

The hotel she currently stayed in was ugly, dusty, and had a gross smell to it. She and Sasori had been staying in Sunagakure for months by that point, and not a single day went by that she wasn't miserable. She missed Ame's food. She missed the sound of the rain. She missed Owari and Konan.

The crystal-user was beyond envious of Sasori. She wished she could have swapped places with him, but tragically not. Sasori had set off to Konoha to complete a special mission for Owari while Guren was stuck in Sunagakure finishing their mission.

She wished Pein would make it rain there. It sure could use it.

Or a flood, she thought. She glared at the disgruntled civilians from her hotel balcony that gave her a stink eye when they passed her.

She couldn't wholly blame them for their paranoia. Sunagakure had been steadily starved of income because the Land of Wind's daimyo hated them for no apparent reason. One would have figured the Wind daimyo would learn from what happened in Kirigakure and not cruelly abandon their own village, but... well...

Guren wasn't going to complain. It'd make her mission significantly easier.

There was a knock at her hotel door. Guren had been leaning over the railing of her balcony, watching people below go about their day with a nervous air. Guren did not respond to the knock. It didn't matter, since the door opened up and Deidara stepped inside.

"Fucking hot," he muttered petulantly.

"Did you set everything up?" she asked him.

"Yeah."

Guren smiled blithely. "Good. I'm eager to leave this shithole."

Deidara snickered. "Didn't like spending the last few months here?"

She gave him a dry look. "Would you?"

"Nope. It's hot, dusty, and everyone glares at you. Worse than Iwa, yeah."

Guren chortled. "Wow. Says a lot coming from you."

Deidara shrugged. "Call it like I see it. Where's Sasori, yeah?"

"Konoha. Owari called him."

"Do I detect jealousy?"

Guren glared. "I'm not threatened by Sasori."

"But you are threatened by Mei," he mocked.

"My mission is infinitely more important than hers," Guren spat. "Owari trusted me to lead this. Mei's a glorified messenger."

"Right, right," dismissed Deidara. "When do we get started?"

Guren glanced at the clock. "Three more hours until the moon rises."

"We waiting for night?"

Guren scoffed. "We're waiting for their jinchūriki to eat his laced dinner and go to sleep."

"Oh." Deidara's brow furrowed. "Why does he need to go to sleep?"

Guren's eyes narrowed. "Did you read the mission brief at all?"

"Nope."

She sighed. "Just prepare your clay and double check all the mines set outside the village are prepped. Not a single survivor must escape."

"Yeah, yeah."

(ง ⌣ ~ ⌣) ง

Sasori - Day before the tournament

Konoha was a dull village. Sasori tapped his right index finger impatiently on a table situated outside a bakery. His youthful appearance caused some stares, and he felt twinges of irritation every time their eyes fell on him. He hated not being able to use Hiruko, but Owari was right. Something not-human-looking would draw attention. There were too many pretty people in Konoha.

Such a thing would normally appeal to Sasori. His honeypot dolls rarely lasted long enough to be of good use, so he was always looking for pretty faces.

What a pity the prettiest one so far was unobtainable.

Sasori's eyes flickered up to Naasica Senju who took a seat across from him. She had a sweet smile on her face that he knew was a perfectly crafted mask. Everything about her oozed subtle seduction; from the way her eyes glittered, to how she carefully presented her body in a way to show off her womanly attributes.

She was someone Sasori wouldn't mind turning into a puppet. Rather, he would adore the idea. She was lovely to look at, and had an assortment of nasty abilities.

He knew, though, laying a hand on Owari was a one-way ticket to hell.

He, like Kisame, was one of the few people in the Akatsuki to know her identity. Sasori pieced together the truth through his spy network. Owari was a decent enough disguise, but her chakra was impossible to hide. Sending a sensor from Amegakure to Konohagakure to confirm was laughably easy.

It didn't do him much good. Owari was not someone to be crossed, and revealing their identity would prove counterproductive to Sasori's ultimate goal.

Contrary, Sasori was rather fond of Naasica/Owari. Well, fond as one could get. She was an exceptionally talented fūinjutsu master. She assisted him in crafting his current perfect body. In part to earn his favor to keep his secret—Sasori was a valuable member—and out of pure scientific curiosity. Indeed, Sasori would not have thought to recreate more of the nervous system through the fūinjutsu seals had it not been for her.

It was important to be able to change puppet bodies at a moment's notice, but if it came at the cost of losing all senses but sight and sound? She was right, it would have been terribly unpleasant and painfully boring.

The new design allowed him to "feel" with his chakra. He could even "smell" although it wasn't as potent as his previous fleshy body. "Tasting" was hard, but they were working on it. It wasn't a high priority by any means of the imagination, so it was done sparingly.

He shuddered to think how dull his life would have been if he had sacrificed so many of his senses. He was already struggling to find inspiration as of late, and he knew if he didn't have the simple ability to smell the comforting scent of his favorite woods, or feel the soft spring of leaves belonging to his favorite plants, he'd be in a world of misery. Or certainly terribly bored.

"To what do I owe the pleasure?" asked Sasori, his voice low and gentle. His body was designed to be attractive, even his voice modified for that soft sultry tone that clients and nobles so adored. While he would never, ever, allow them to touch his perfect puppet, he wasn't so stupid to not take advantage of people who were susceptible to a handsome boy. As a spymaster, it made his job easier if people relaxed their guard around him.

Everyone loved a good-looking face. And if he had the voice to match it? Some people would willingly divulge whatever he wanted from them just to hear him tell them lies. A lot more cost-effective than using mind-control seals, since those things not only took an abundance of time and chakra to make but were difficult to draw.

Thankfully, Owari, Kisame, and Guren were chakra monsters and for his mission the three had donated plenty of chakra. Owari even helped draw a good chunk of them in their spare time.

"I hope you don't mind my intrusion. There were no more seats," she demurred. Which was true, but Sasori would bet a pretty penny she used a genjutsu to compel the civilians to fill up the other tables around them. It would explain the hazy look in their eyes.

"Not at all," returned Sasori.

Naasica smiled. It was the type of smile that would turn most men into putty. Thankfully Sasori didn't have to worry about that.

He wondered how many honeypots she had been on. Her standing was prestigious enough it was possible she hadn't gone on any, but someone so... talented had not gotten that way through intuition but rather experience.

How many men and women did you kill in bed? Sasori thought in amusement. The spymaster wondered how it would compare to the amount his own dolls had assassinated. Kisame was right, she'd be the type to need a safe word.

She tapped her finger on the table, once, twice—

Ah.

"Here for the tournament?" asked Sasori.

"I actually live here," she giggled flirtatiously, her eyes coyly assessing him. A normal man would have believed those eyes were luring him. "Are you visiting?"

"Yes. I'm a traveling artist," he answered softly.

Her orange eyes flickered behind him toward the stadium used for the tournament.

A message about the exams then.

"I'm sure you'll find a lovely muse at the tournament."

Will I now?

"My own students surprise me every day. There's one, in particular, I'm terribly fond of."

And which one will that be?

"I do hope you'll get a chance to watch her."

Sasori inclined his head, the action purposefully done to make him look more human. He had to consciously blink every few seconds, too. What a pain. "I'll keep an eye out for her."

"You might want to head out earlier," she said. She reached across the table and took a dainty sip from the tea Sasori had ordered for himself. "It'd be such a shame to have a late start."

Sasori forced his face into a smile as he tapped his finger on the table once, then twice. "Thank you. I'll be sure to do exactly that."

Message received.

Her smile was sharper than a knife, and lovelier than a bloody sunset.

(ง ⌣ ~ ⌣) ง

Naasica - morning of the Chūnin Exams Tournament

The day of the Chūnin Exams tournament was a sunny one. The sky was clear, the birds were singing, and our students were excited. The past month of training had considerably improved their moods after the forest.

Even I could not help but get caught up in their joyful atmosphere, despite the fact that Tsunade lingered in the village. The woman had repeatedly tried to meet with me, but she was rebuffed at every opportunity. She was certainly angry with me, more than that I could see she was filled with utter self-loathing. That dark look in her eyes sang of misery and guilt.

It was satisfying to see.

The day of the tournament, the students left early to meet at the stadium.

The stadium was grand. It was tall—almost as tall as the Hokage tower—and filled to the brim with tourists, civilians, and visiting shinobi. It was divided into sections. Konoha shinobi were allowed to perch at the top of the stadium free of charge—they doubled as guards—whereas visiting shinobi had to be placed together in one area. Only Amegakure, Sunagakure, and Konohagakure had Genin who made it to the tournament.

Kisame was the only shinobi to officially attend on behalf of Amegakure. Sunagakure had an oddly large amount of shinobi packed into the stadium. A strange situation, given how few of their Genin made it to the tournament. It drew Minato's suspicion. Sunagakure had no reason to attack Konoha. Everyone knew they were destitute and weak. Attacking Konoha would be suicide. Yet, why else would they bring so many of their shinobi and kunoichi to watch a single tournament?

There was an excuse of them trying to steal Konoha clients. It was believable, yet Minato did not wholly buy it.

Konoha was on high alert, and all Suna shinobi and kunoichi were flagged to be watched by Konoha's own shinobi during the tournament.

"Sensei?" came the soft voice of Itachi.

I finished tying my hair into a neat bun, pulling my bangs free to frame my face. "Yes?"

"Did Obito and Kakashi go ahead?"

"Yes, they went to secure our seats," I said. "Are you feeling any better?"

Itachi smiled fleetingly. "My fever from last night is gone."

"Maybe you should stay here."

"Sasuke would be disappointed."

"Sasuke would understand," I said. I reached forward and placed a hand over his forehead. Canonically, Itachi had a terminal illness. It was never specified what was wrong with him. I could only assume it was something minor that he let progress to something dangerous because none of us had found anything wrong with him. He had a weak constitution for a shinobi, but his new lifestyle as a chef made things easier on him.

He didn't feel warm, which was good. However, there was definitely a touch of fatigue in his gaze. I gently cupped his face. "Itachi, stay home."

"I—"

"Stay home," I encouraged him. "I'll leave a clone here for you. I'm sure the children would be more than happy to recreate their favorite moments in a genjutsu for you. You need to take better care of yourself."

"So do you," he mumbled tiredly, his dark eyes closing as he leaned into my hand.

"I'll be fine," I said. "Come on, I'll tuck you into bed."

Itachi shifted his weight uneasily. I would have been happier if Shisui had been home to tend to him. The other Uchiha had a shift at the hospital that he couldn't get out of. At a small shove, he relented. I led him back to his bedroom, tucked him in, and left a clone at his bedside.

Raion was on duty guarding Minato, so only the clone would keep Itachi company during the tournament.

I wasn't concerned.

Sasori wouldn't allow any of them to come near my home.

With Itachi settled in, I finished getting ready by applying my makeup, then headed off to the stadium. Even from so far away, I could hear the loud screams of excited onlookers chatting and hyping themselves up for the tournament. I leapt through the streets, careful not to draw attention to myself. I wasn't in the mood to make small talk with the civilians.

Arriving at the stadium I quickly found Obito and Kakashi. I took a seat in between the two, a touch displeased to be around so many other loud contenders.

Obito stretched an arm back, resting it on the back of my seat. "Everyone sure is excited today."

"We have a lot of our own Genin in the tournament," Kakashi pointed out. "It looks good on us."

"Everything looks good on us," I chuckled, peering down at the arena below. It was nothing but dirt and rocks. The contestants stood proudly. There was my team, Obito's team, one Suna team, Kisame's team, and surprisingly enough Kurenai's entirely civilian-born team that I would bet a pretty penny would be nothing but fodder for my students to climb over.

Thanks for raising your pigs to slaughter, I thought, my eyes flickering over to where Kurenai sat beside Asuma.

At exactly ten hundred, Minato stood up from his seat in the kage box and said, "Welcome, everyone!"

The crowd went absolutely ballistic, screaming, chanting, and stomping. Minato was a popular Hokage: everyone loved him. He held up his hands for everyone to quiet down and they did so after a couple more minutes of cheering.

Minato went on to address them, "Everyone, thank you so much for coming to Konohagakure for the Chūnin Exams. These exams, created by our own Nidaime Hokage, were made for fellow villages to host a friendly competition among our budding youths. This year, Konoha is delighted for not only Suna to be joining our talented Genin, but a younger village known as Amegakure. Konoha welcomes Suna and Ame, and we hope to nurture a prosperous relationship from this tournament. Now, let us be—"

It was then that the Kazekage leaped at Minato, blade drawn, in an attempt to assassinate him in broad daylight.

And all hell broke loose.

(ง ⌣ ~ ⌣) ง

Cut this chapter because it flowed better that way. Multi updates instead.

Answer: Earth if it covers druids because druids are love. Darkness for everything else.

Question: Favorite Akatsuki member? (can pick members from this story if you prefer Owari/ Mei over the canonical)

Reviews are love!