Imi knew it must have seemed strange. She was a Konoha ninja, and she hadn’t done anything to get the ANBU after her. She wasn’t about to go against her village, and yet still she went with the Akatsuki willingly—having offered to help them from the start when she saw them. Being a missing nin wasn’t exactly the ideal prospect, but because of her abilities, Imi often knew the direction her life would go in. When she sensed a change and felt something when going to a place or meeting a person…she had never been one to dismiss it. It had led her well so far—she trusted her power, knowing what it could do. This situation was no different.
It was simply something she had to do.
She said nothing as they led her into the hideout, merely focusing on what was in front of her. The building wasn’t much to look at anyway; just a plain building that served a purpose. If it hadn’t been in the middle of nowhere, it would have blended in like any other building in a village. Imi didn’t attempt to look into any rooms or gaze in wonder at what was around her—nothing particularly surprised her anymore with her abilities. She could make her way around the hideout without their help because of them, too. But she wasn’t about to break away from the group; they had allowed her into the hideout even when she was a stranger. Staying on their good side was the best option for her right now, and as such Imi followed on behind Kakuzu as he strode down the hallway and, as far as Imi could guess, to see Pein.
The others didn’t leave and head into the kitchen or to their rooms, instead choosing to remain with her, Imi gathering they wanted to see what would happen when she met Pein. It didn’t bother her, and the silence remained as they went on, Imi’s gaze only changing as she sensed Itachi's presence—that was the lounge…and he was right behind that door. But she quickly averted her eyes a second later; she had other things to be focusing on right now—she would see Itachi soon enough, and there was no need to get wound up about it; or at least, not quite yet.
Imi’s focus was brought back to the present, however, as another presence demanded her attention. From this, Imi could sense the Rinnegan and a lot of power—no doubt this was Pein. A moment later and they reached a doorway right at the back of the hideout, and coming to a halt, Kakuzu glanced over his shoulder and ordered,
“Stay here,” before knocking firmly on the door.
A second or so later and Imi heard a faint voice calling confirmation to go in, and Kakuzu did so, closing the door behind him. The rest waited outside, straining their ears to try and hear the conversation going on inside—but there was nothing. Silence took over the hallway, and using her abilities instead, Imi sensed a mix of emotions, before they began to get closer. Standing a little straighter, Imi didn’t move her gaze as the door opened again, this time facing Pein. Seeing her there, he narrowed his eyes, contemplating her presence—she didn’t look away, meeting his gaze firmly, but not overconfidently.
But the result was the same. Just like it had been with Kakuzu and the others, Pein was caught short by what he saw in Imi’s eyes. He saw a knowledge that others didn’t—no; couldn’t—share, and a maturity beyond her years. Though he had been slightly angry to begin with upon hearing Kakuzu had brought a strange kunoichi into the hideout, abruptly all he had said came back to him—and he knew he was right. There was no way this girl was one of those ninjas; simply looking at her he knew she was stronger and more intelligent. Whereas before the possibility of having a random ninja suddenly offering to help them out had appeared ridiculous, now…Now it was utterly feasible. And all because of her.
“Imi Kanjiru…you offered to help us. Why?”
“Why not? I’m not with my village anymore, and I’ve just been working jobs alone. But I’ve heard of you; and I knew I could help you. It’s better than anything else I could do.”
Pein paused, but couldn’t sense any deceit in her words. He didn’t like the idea of agreeing so readily to this girl who had shown up out of nowhere…but he just knew he could trust her to help. Ultimately he made his decision, not about to pass up help, even with how strange it all felt. It took him only a moment to nod in agreement, and inviting Imi in, he told her more about the mission and what she could help with, along with a little information about the Akatsuki, before she was shown to her room by Kakuzu once again. She stopped the tour before it began, knowing she wouldn’t need it, and raising an eyebrow at her words, Kakuzu brushed it off and led the way back to the lounge after she said she wanted to mix with everyone.
It was now that Imi found her senses going into overdrive. She’d gotten Pein to agree to let her help, and with that out of the way, there was only one thing left: meeting Itachi again. She knew he would be confused—well, he’d be a lot of things. But fully explaining everything would have to be done elsewhere; there were a lot of things that the Akatsuki couldn’t hear, and they were both very private people in general. Though Imi could guess a part of him would be angry at what she’d done, somehow it wasn’t significant anymore. She knew she was here, and would be around him for at least a few days. He could throw whatever he wanted at her—she wasn’t going anywhere.
A thought that became ever stronger as the door appeared ahead.
Excited wasn’t quite the word Imi would have described her feelings with as Kakuzu entered and—in a way—announced her arrival. Imi always sensed everything that was almost like seeing the future; she could prepare for most things, and she was almost always calm. But this was about the closest she could get, greeting everyone as she saw them again, meeting Kisame for the first time, and then turning to see Itachi in a position she should have expected: reading a book off to the side, not truly conversing with anyone. To begin with he didn’t move, not recognizing that anyone important was there. But as Imi had introduced herself to Kisame, Itachi had heard her voice—and something inside of him had clicked, and a sense of recognition washed over him.
Because he knew Imi’s voice; it was something he’d never forget. He just hadn’t expected to hear it here, of all places. A part of him wanted to ignore it—he didn’t want Imi to be around the Akatsuki. But at the same time he wanted to see her again; wanted her to be here. No matter how hard he could try to tell himself that it was better that he never saw Imi again, there was always something in the back of his mind that told him otherwise. That constantly pointed out he could dismiss the situation if it meant seeing her again—and it was that that caused him to look up and see what was going on.
His hopes—and fears—were simultaneously proved right, seeing her standing there now looking across at him, his book automatically lowering as it disappeared from his mind. She was different. Imi had always been pretty, but now…years had passed, and considering they were the same age, she was almost 18. Puberty had happened to them both during his time away, and she wasn’t a little girl anymore—she was a woman. Her amber eyes still seemed to glow with an inner fire, her hair just as dark and just as long. Imi hadn’t changed—she had developed, and she was beautiful…in an almost haunting way. For once he was speechless, not knowing where to start in talking to her, and so Itachi did the only thing he could do, calling out softly,
“Imi?”
