Bittersweet Revenge

Enough

The silence didn't diminish the monster raging on in her mind, demanding one thing: death.

Her job led her to scour lands and villages, towns and taverns, to collect information about him.

Granted, she didn't cross the world, just a few places - three years were not long enough to advance in training, bounty hunting and traveling all together - but her travels did point her in the right direction: Konoha.

There, bits and pieces of information arranged themselves in her mind, but still, she lacked plenty more to complete the puzzle, especially since her search was cut short and she met him face to face.

Sasuke Uchiha.

The Sasuke Uchiha. Prodigy. Survivor. Rogue.

Murderer.

He was everything her mind painted him to be.

Wicked, merciless, insane!

The only difference is his looks that had grown up with his age. Yes, it was a mere three years, but the first time she saw him, he looked barely a teenager - around 13, 14 years? - but with an old evil buried deep down. Now, he's still as evil as he was - if not more - but his body had grown up to accommodate his age making his evil show true.

It was a shock to her system. Her tormenter standing a few feet from her. She trained hard, but deep down she knew that her earned skills were no match for someone like him and yet, she had no choice but to engage in a battle against him. Her lust for revenge more powerful than her logic...leading to this moment.

Her stupid decision flipped everything off of its axis. Trapping her.

If she didn't reveal her identity to him, kept herself hidden, stayed in the leaf and gathered more information about him and trained harder, then she would've been able to kill him from the first try.

Damn her impatience and impetuousness!

She robbed herself of that opportunity. Instead, she revealed her bounty hunting identity - now, the rumors will circle far and wide and she'll have people coming after her and challenging her, trying to make a name for themselves by defeating the black beast. She doesn't care, she'll fight all those who intend her harm, but she hates vain killing. And killing in the name of becoming popular and feared is a vain goal in her opinion.

Her life hardened her, stripping away the girl she used to be - Emiko - and giving birth to a new girl, who lacks sympathy and is much more knowledgable about the cruelty of the world. Yet, some things are hard to change.

Like her ingrained morals.

Her first kill had poured every single emotion out of her; stripping her of her old skin. She cried and wailed to the silent night and from then she hated the life of a ninja, where shedding blood is a must. Facade becoming the norm.

After that, the guilt eased away a little bit. Its nagging, vicious voice diminishing little by little as she mastered the power of blocking her consciousness. However, the struggle between right and wrong commenced. it relented sometimes giving her a few moments of peace but other times, it ate at her heart and mind, driving her insane.

What would her mother think of her now?

Well, she's dead, she can't think or speak. She would retort.

Her sister?

She urged me to avenge her, so she's okay with it.

Her father?

I barely know him and he barely knows me...I don't care.

Her home village?

Which one? I never belonged anywhere.