Hardened Hearts(Kakuzu fanfiction)

Chapter 33

The night had somehow made it's way into daylight. I haven't stopped crying since I left and hour ago. It was hard for me to get out of the warm bed and part ways with the only man I had ever loved. I knew he would wake up this morning wondering where I was. I knew he would be panicking, begging Hidan or Kisame or somebody else to help find me. I knew Pain wouldn't take the time to send out a search party just yet because they were nearly done with there tailed beast conquest. I knew very well to all of this as I walked past the dead trees. The feeling of guilt was nearly overwhelming. I heard a voice speak up inside of me. It was a voice that I hadn't heard from in quite some time now. 

Nami, don't be discouraged. You're doing a very good job at the mission that was assigned to you. All you need to do is make it over the leaf border and into the village with enough time to warn them that the akatsuki is coming for Naruto. Matatabi spoke to me. I froze in my steps as my eyes welled up with tears. "But just what do I do without Kakuzu?!" I asked him in desperation. I could hear him sigh deeply. Nami, I know you care greatly for that man. I can see that he changed quite a bit from your first encounter, but you have no business with him now. This thing between the two of you is over and there's no way to work it out. Matatabi explained to me as if it would help me feel better. "You have no idea how I feel about him! He was perfect to me!" I nearly screamed in the open woods. I could hear Matatabi growl at me from the inside. Why would I have any NEED to know about that terrible man!?!?! Sure people change Nami, but they have a tendency to keep their ways. I suppose nobody told you about the bounty those two men went on without you a few days ago? Do you not remember Kakuzu and Hidan return at a late hour that day. They had a long and hard day because they ran into leaf ninja. They never told you as you sealed another tails that they both KILLED A FELLOW LEAF NINJA. Matatabi said quickly. I gasped and dropped to my knees. A million faces passed through my head as Matatabi's voice softened. I didn't want to be the one to tell you that I heard it in them as you were sealing the tailed beast away. Asuma Saratobi is dead. 

As soon as Matatabi told me this, my head started to spin. I couldn't imagine the grief that Shikamaru, Choji, and Ino had to go through. Hell, even I would say Asuma meant a lot to me. ALL of the sensei in my village did. Now he was dead. Kurenai sensei was going to have to raise the child alone. She was so far along the pregnancy that if this hadn't happened, Asuma would have surely gotten to see his child in another month or so. All of that was thrown down the drain now. Words couldn't express how much sorrow I was forced to endure these past months, and now this? How much more was I going to take!?!?! As I sobbed silently on the forrest floor, Matatabi spoke up to me. Kakuzu wasn't the one who killed him, it was Hidan. But Kakuzu wanted him dead after realizing it could've aided him in another large bounty reward. Now given I understand that he might have not done this knowing if the man had meaning to you...but he didn't know that. He didn't know it of course because of your fake alias. Asuma was nothing more than a simple leaf ninja worth a fortune.

I nodded my head in understanding and wiped my tears away. I listened for Matatabi but he seemed to have retreated in the midst of my tears and sorrow. I couldn't blame him. It must have been difficult for him to see me bear so much in the past months. I sucked up my emotions, and continued on my path home. Luckily with my early start in travel last night, I made it with record time. I was welcomed back by a few who recognized me but I tried to keep my appearance under wraps as I made my way to the hokage's office. Tsunade gasped when she saw my face and ordered Shizune to close the door behind me for privacy. TonTon oinked excitedly having recognized my returning scent after so long. I smiled lightly and picked up the sweet pig. "Nami, you have done exceptionally well with this mission. i admit there were times when I really wanted to send Paccun to retrieve you, but you did exactly as told. In the time you've been away, there were some incidents with the akatsuki. Luckily, one of which was fixed by Naruto, that is the returning of Gaara." I  nodded and looked around at the unchanged office, taking all the familiar sights I loved very much. Despite my longing for my makeshift akatsuki family, I was overwhelmed with the happiness of being home. I interrupted Tsunade to tell her what I needed to say. "Lady hokage, there are some akatsuki members on their way here to retrieve Naruto and extract his tailed beast." I said while Hidan and Kakuzu were on my mind. I knew it couldn't be too bad because they were sure to retreat if this mission was too much for them to handle. "Nami, we are well aware of that. Shikamaru and his team have recently dealt with the death of-"

"Asuma, m'lady." I interrupted her. "I didn't learn it from the members that killed him, I learned it from my tailed beast you all hid from me." I said with a hint of annoyance tagged onto the end of my voice. Tsunade looked down and Shizune looked away. "It's all fine now. I learned all about everything I needed to know from my very own tailed beast. Even by now I have learned to control the flow of our chakra combined. I've never felt so much stronger than i do now. I also have to tell you about my recent run in with Itachi Uchiha, as I need to tell you about my new found ability...the sharingan." As I said this Tsunade gasped in surprise. In all honesty, I had a lot to tell her about my experiences before I realized an important aspect I missed. 

SHIKAMARU AND THE OTHERS WERE ON THEIR WAY TO CONFRONT KAKUZU AND HIDAN.

"I have to go. There's something very important I need to handle!" With haste and no explanation, I handed TonTon to Shizune and rushed out of the village. I ran as quickly as possible, taking up some of Matatabi's chakra to give me a large boost.