Naruto One Shots

Pein x Reader | Pursuit

Word count: 1,957

Requested by: awkwardraven

*~*~*

Pein closed his eyes, filtering a deep breath through his nostrils in an attempt to contain his anger. His mouth pressed firmly against his clasped hands, and when he finally opened his eyes to glare at the two Akatsuki members, he said, "I see that you have come back empty handed."

Itachi stared calmly back at his leader while Kisame frowned in obvious irritation. He looked beaten and worn, with various scratches and bruises decorating his pale, blue skin. Itachi, though unharmed, looked slightly exhausted himself, and a glimmer of annoyance flickered in his eyes.

"She is quite the clever girl," Itachi replied solemnly after a brief pause. "Though she is small, we were foolish to underestimate her strength in comparison to our own. Despite having her outnumbered, we greatly misjudged her skill, and she managed to escape us."

"I am highly disappointed," Pein murmured, his ringed eyes narrowing in distaste. "I expected much better from the two of you."

"We apologize, Leader-sama," Itachi said, bowing his head slightly. Kisame pressed his lips tightly together and did not speak.

With another sigh, Pein dismissed them, too frustrated to argue the issue any further. After two years and several unsuccessful attempts at retrieving her, he was growing quite wearisome. How is it that one girl has managed, not only to evade the Akatsuki, but to return them all beaten and exhausted each time? He rubbed his temples as he thought back on the previous failed missions.

It was Sasori and Deidara that were the first to attempt recruiting her. The two had been gone nearly a month, returning to the base entirely depleted of chakra and with quite the severe amount of damage dealt to both of their bodies. And the second time that they tried catching her, the girl had nearly blown Deidara up using his own clay.

Pein didn't even want to think about the condition that Hidan had returned in when he and Kakuzu attempted to retrieve her. Somehow, the girl had managed to completely dismember the Jashinist, reassembling him in a very crude and provocative manner before disappearing in a burst of flames.

And for the past two years, the situation was the same for each and every one of his members in the organization – none of them were able to capture her, and each of them returned in less than poor condition.

With her quick wit and a powerful affinity for the element of fire, she had managed to protect herself from his multiple pursuits. And needless to say, she was a force to be reckoned with, judging from the impact that she had on his members.

But regardless of his annoyance with her lack of cooperation, Pein found himself more determined than ever to find her – he wanted her desperately, and he always got what he wanted. (F/n) would be his, one way or another.

A slow smirk spread across his face as he thought of the cunning, (h/c)-haired beauty.

Ah, yes. (F/n) would most definitely be his – he would make sure of it.

Beside him, Konan frowned.

"I do not see why you desire this girl so much," she muttered, directing her amber eyes towards the opposite wall. "She's hardly worth the trouble you are putting in to collect her."

Pulled from his thoughts, Pein rolled his eyes, regarding the blue-haired women with an air of annoyance.

"We have discussed this many times before, Konan," he said with a sigh. "(F/n) would be an excellent asset to our cause."