Let It Burn: Death [Sasuke Uchiha]

Chapter 52

Tsunade was rather stunned to find Mai sitting in the frame of a window behind her desk upon returning from a meeting. There had been no word on the Be Fong's whereabouts in the near five months she had been gone. As the days continued on the Hokage was beginning to worry. Obviously, it was unneeded as the older teen's head turned to address her mask free.

"Has something happened?" the woman wondered.

What a question to ask. The Be Fong could tell her everything. That Sasuke was the serial killer hunting down the rogues. That it was his way of testing his strength. How even though rogues on some radars were being executed, he was murdering innocents as well. No Face did not deserve to die for his cause.

"No Face is not what we were led to believe," Mai reported. "For now, they do not pose a threat."

"What took you so long?" the Hokage questioned.

"I had to be sure of my findings. I thought you like when I am thorough."

The woman didn't respond. Mai turned away to stare out the window over the Village.

"Their members are very skilled," she continued. "I would have been seen sneaking off so I couldn't chance anything. Needed to blend in."

"Is that why there was never any word from you?"

She nodded.

Tsunade watched the Phantom Ninja carefully for a few moments. Something was off. Not that the Be Fong was talkative in the past, but she almost seemed... detached, not as alert when reporting in.

"Were you beginning to grow attached?" the Hokage asked.

Mai hesitated. Attachments were not allowed. It was not acceptable, especially so with rogues when allied with a Village. A ninja was there to do their job and nothing more. Infiltrate and complete the mission. Feelings, emotional attachments – this was why it was drilled into their heads back in the Academy that no matter the situation a shinobi must keep their emotions in check. The mission was the top priority. In a way Mai had broken that rule.

"In some ways... yes," she admitted.

The fact the ninja even told the truth surprised Tsunade. No Face were exactly what the Be Fong was looking for. They were free, not held down to one specific place. No longer having to worry about their hardships in their former Villages. They truly were happy. To experience such a thing would have been nice.

"And what is their current location?" Tsunade continued. "With you abandoning the mission without warning, the council will most likely not be pleased."

"The northern forest near border of Earth Country. It's too dense up there to send a task force. They'll spot you easily if you send someone else in."

Not that they would need to look for them long when the bodies would begin to pile up.

"Is there anything else to report?"

The older teen's head turned to watch the Hokage as she began organizing files on her desk.

"No Face are peaceful. They aren't like Akatsuki. The members offer rescue efforts to those in need, stopping blood thirsty rogues from destroying unprotected towns, and completing simple missions for money when need be. No Face picks up the slack where Kage Villages aren't assigned. They aren't like the others... But for some reason it still attracted the serial killer."

The Hokage nearly choked on her own spit at the news. Her eyes were wide as she looked to the ninja in utter shock.

"You came face to face with them?" she breathed. Mai nodded. "Did you see who it was? Did they have aid?"

"No," the Be Fong said. "Their face was covered the entire time, but it was indeed a man. And he wasn't alone. There are three of them in total."

That explained why rogues traveling in large groups were still eliminated.

"How did you manage to escape?"

Flashbacks of the fight came to mind. Remembering the terrible outcome with dread. "The leader of No Face was killed. Decapitated. We managed to retreat and go off the radar to hide. I slipped away in the cover of night when they... split up in the forest."

"Split up?"

"They took Beon's death hard... and coming face to face with the serial killer freaked them all out. All of them are panicking, scared..." Mai didn't try to rally them. She left them to die. "They are all on edge. If you want to oversee any of their movements... I wouldn't try approaching them. They could be deadly now fighting for their lives."

Tsunade was troubled by this news, thinking long and quietly in her chair. They had finally managed to locate the serial killer – killers – but if the threat was great enough force Mai to return from the mission... than these individuals weren't someone to take lightly. It obviously bothered the Be Fong. Even if she was undercover and not seen having donned the No Face mask, the Hokage wasn't going to take any chances.

"You're to stay in the Village indefinitely until we discover what to do about this," Tsunade ordered. "I will need to speak with Ibiki. But for your own safety do not leave the gates."

Because the serial killers never left any of their targets alive. The group could be hunting the Phantom Ninja as they spoke. Only none realized what her true status was. That Mai wasn't actually a rogue herself. The serial killers were growing more and more dangerous with each kill. Once Mai left, the woman immediately set out to find Ibiki.

The Phantom Ninja walked through the streets of Konoha, keeping to the less traveled areas. She didn't want to be bothered. She could've said something to Tsunade, about the true identity of the killers. Yet kept her mouth shut at the last minute. Something she rarely did because a well-trained ninja left out no details. All of this could be over sooner now that Sasuke's intentions had been discovered. Maybe even save No Face–

No. There was no helping them unfortunately. No Village would take them in even if she asked. She'd take away their freedom permanently by dragging them through the gates of Konoha. None would ever trust her once it was revealed that Sena wasn't real. No Face were all alone. Fumi. Akihiro. Takashi–

Thinking of them made Mai sick to her stomach.

Still, a part of the Be Fong was in denial as to what she'd witnessed. Why did Sasuke think that killing rogues without orders would be a good way to get stronger? And with the old members of Taka? Why go through all the trouble of hunting rouges down no matter their personal missions? There were other ways to test strength, so why?

If Mai turned in Sasuke to Ibiki, she wouldn't get any answers. She doubted the Uchiha would tell the truth if put on trial, or in fact deny it. Then the Be Fong would have to testify against him. She didn't have the courage to do so. For the first time she felt cowardly.

It wasn't a good feeling as she stood in the hot shower and allowed the water to cascade over her. At least here no one could see her tears. Her happiness had been snatched away by the one person she didn't think could do such a thing to her again. Not after all they had been through. The Be Fong sat on the tile, arms curling around both legs that had been pulled into her chest before letting out a sob. She didn't stop – couldn't – for a long while. Even when the water turned cold.