Daybreak | Kakashi Hatake

16

She thanked Kazahana for his hospitality before leaving Hyougagakure. He asked her to stay longer to enjoy the aurora, but she kindly declined. She had already left Kirigakure without permission, and if the Mizukage was anyone but her best friend, she would already be listed as rogue.

Mare didn't necessarily have a destination. She wandered south, through the Land of Earth, sneaking around Iwagakure to avoid a confrontation with the village's shinobi. There was still bad blood between the Hidden Stone and the Hidden Mist and Mare wasn't in the mood to deal with any unnecessary fighting.

The days melted together. It had been three? No, four? Definitely not more than five. She used this solitude to reestablish control over her thoughts. She had been so careless before... Never again.

Nuibari began to grow warm on her back. She had only felt this sensation once before, whenever she had recovered the sword Hiramekarei. She became very still, listening for any movement in the trees. The needle on her back grew warmer, and she could almost feel her sword crying out for its brother.

There was one of the Seven Swords near, that was unmistakable, but which one? Most had been taken away from Kirigakure whenever their owners became rogues. She had no way of knowing where or who they ended up with.

She could feel the yearning from her blade growing stronger with every passing second. The air around her began to thicken and twist into a menacing miasma.

Genjutsu.

She immediately drew Kiribari and slung the needle's wire around the heavy chakra, binding it and releasing the pressure in the air.

"Impressive," a gravelly voice called from behind her.

She pulled Nuibari's wire taut and crushed the chakra before replying, "Long time, no see, Kisame."

Turning slowly, Mare avoided Itachi's Sharingan by only looking at Kisame. They stood beside one another, cloaked in their signature robes, the village symbols on their headbands scratched through by kunai.

"Long time indeed," Kisame answered. His shark-like eyes remained fixed on her, and she could see his sword Samehada growing with excitement. She grimaced at the blade's shivering scales. Kisame noticed her look and asked, "Do you not feel your Nuibari crying out for his brother? Samehada is begging to be reunited with him in combat."

"They will all be reunited soon."

"And you are the one who is going to see to that, Mare?"

Her grip strengthened on Nuibari. The sword was calling to her chakra, pleading for a battle with its long lost brother. She replied in a cold tone, "It's my mission."

A cruel, knowing grin played on Kisame's mouth. He chuckled darkly, "You always were so good at completing your missions. Following the orders they gave you, no matter who you had to kill."

"I am a shinobi. I serve my village."

"We were shinobi too," Kisame purred. "We just got sick of the lies... the corruption... the evil."

"You took pleasure in killing your superior and taking Samehada for yourself."

He smiled and laughed, "Of course I did. The lying, traitorous son of a bitch deserved it..." His face sobered and he added, "But do you think I took pleasure in killing the Cypher Divison–my comrades?"

Mare was silent. There were so many lies and half truths surrounding the events of the past. She didn't know what to believe unless she saw it with her own eyes or Ao was the one who told her. The Fourth Mizukage had caused such chaos and destruction within the village. There were no simple answers when it came to Kirigakure's past.

"From what I heard, you've taken pleasure in killing before as well."

"You were lied to."

"I heard there was a smile on your face when you slaughtered your best friend and your–"

"Shut the fuck up," she ordered in a strong voice.

Itachi stood quietly as the two quarreled. He was intrigued by this shinobi. She carried a heavy sorrow within her that limited the strength of her chakra. She was very powerful, more so than Kisame, but she was distracted and held back by grief and anger. He knew this of her because he carried the same sorrow within him.

The two Swordsmen began their battle, brother blades burning with chakra. Itachi watched Kisame's first move, a jutsu parried easily by Mare. She returned with a sharp, clever strike that Kisame was able to counter, but just barely. Mare was far more agile than Kisame, and her Nuibari had that strange wire that could bind and destroy chakra. These two combined gave her a slight upper hand. Kisame, however, was cold-blooded. He would kill her if given even the slightest opportunity.

The battle lulled for a moment and Kisame taunted, "Is this it? This is the power of the great Mare Nakagawa of the Bloody Mist?"

"Your arrogance will be your undoing, Kisame."

"And that stupid, blind allegiance will be yours!"

He struck quickly, Samehada catching the quickest nip of Nuibari. The sword silently screamed in Mare's hands as Kisame's sentient blade devoured her sword's chakra. Mare quickly wrapped the wire around her own hands, binding Nuibari's chakra within itself and stopping Samehada's feast.

"Very clever," Itachi whispered to himself. She was a skilled shinobi. Her intelligence was profound. Perhaps even rivaling his own. He didn't want Kisame to kill Mare, so he knew he had to intervene quickly. He spoke, "Kisame, let's go."

"Go? You want me to leave now? When Samehada has only had a taste of his meal?"

"Yes," the rogue ninja replied shortly. "Killing her here would be a waste, especially when the world is about to become so much more exciting. She will be a more worthy opponent in the future, after she learns the truth, don't you think?"

Mare didn't like that Itachi was convincing Kisame to spare her, but she was more piqued by his choice of words. "What truth?" she asked carefully.

Kisame assessed Mare for a moment before nodding and sheathing Samehada, deciding Itachi was right. Itachi ignored Mare's question. He didn't know what truth she had to learn, he could only tell from her chakra that something heavy was weighing on her soul.

"What truth?!" she snapped, impatiently this time.

Itachi disappeared into a murder of crows, leaving Kisame and Mare alone. The shark-like man kept his cold eyes trained onto her, daring her to make a wrong move. She only stood in silence, her blade nursing itself in her hand.

"In the end, you'll abandon that village you love so dearly," he lectured her. "After you see how they have used you and lied to you... I know you think you are suffering already, but when you learn the reality of things... You will curse them all to hell and what you are now will become your own worst nightmare."

"Tell me now then!" she shouted.

Kisame did not answer her. Instead, he sank into a pool of water and disappeared. As he lowered into the portal, the face he wore was bemusing, and if she believed he was capable of it, she would have sworn there was a shade of sadness across his features. 

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Two chapters in two days, whaaaaaaaat

Also, Ramadan Mubarak for all who celebrate :)