☆Kyuubi Of The Akatsuki☆

Both Sides of a Deal

- Hinata POV - 

Deidara lingered in eye contact with Naruto---as if his scarlet eyes were a comfortable place to be---and reluctantly released his sleeve to let Naruto return to the village. A stone dropped in my stomach at the sight of him leaving again. Someone coughed from below me, and my mind dragged to blurry memories of the people in front of me. I didn't know what Ino and Tenten did, but Kiba is the only person who matters to me. I needed to take him with my own hands; I could barely hear the sound of my wishes. His jaw was ground in my hands as mine used to. He never made me feel the wave of blood, but I tasted the iron. His wickedness all misted from his mouth like a demon.

A rasp tinted Deidara's voice as he ordered his messenger hawk. Sasuke flicked his eyes to me in search of support, which he wanted from me a dumbfounding number of times. He grew to look to help in others, while I could find it in myself.

"We're leaving," murmured Deidara. "Naruto will meet us along the way."

"Where did Naruto go?" I asked.

"To go kill Danzo." His impatient answer pierced into Sasuke, making him flinch. The oversaturated lanterns set a pallid light onto our faces; we almost looked sick. "He'll meet up with us later. We're going."

I missed many aspects of Konoha as I turned my back on it. No other region harbored the same lakes or gently crafted buildings, but monsters lived in those houses anyway. When Deidara skipped into the trees, I trailed behind him, promising myself not to return to this village

- Naruto POV - 

I enjoyed my side of the deal. Every available light doused Konoha, all for my sake. To remain out of sight, I skipped around the outskirts of the village, searching for the R.O.O.T. base. Considering Konoha is in crisis, I didn't expect Danzo to be anywhere other than his fortress. The streetlights dwindled as I drew closer to the ANBU's building. On the towers, I saw the pale masks watching, unmoving. 

None of them noticed me until my feet tapped against the stale grass, setting off a chakra alarm that alerted them all to my presence.  Kunai rained down, precisely stabbing into the ground at the same angles each time. I spun through the air in spirals and whistled through as quickly as a zephyr of wind itself. After a performance of spins, I floated down to the gates of the buildings, kicking the first person to intercept my path. 

Repetitive bursts of power allowed me to drive my way into the main building, where I suspect the stronger guards protect Danzo. Black bricks dashed past me and shrouded any intersections in shadows. 

"STOP!" I heard from ahead. "If you continue, your family will pay for it."

That was an unlucky choice of words; I doubted that soldier knew who I was. Slipping past him took longer than the others. His earth style filled up the narrow space of the room, so I expended extra energy to dispel it.

The hallway widened into a cuneate shape with a towering ceiling. Three R.O.O.T members, I assume the best Danzo has to offer, deployed themselves in each corner. I blow all of them away with a Kashina; they can't fight me if they're not here. The walls rumbled and fell into a mess as they plowed through them.

I pried open the last gate, finding Danzo hunched between ANBU soldiers, hauling his luggage on their backs.

"Wow," I muttered. "You truly are a coward."