The Willow Maiden [Naruto]

{41} You're Either With Us Or Against Us!

After the assemble of Team Taka was complete, they were off to locate the Akatsuki hideouts and find Itachi. Ruka was skipping ahead of the group while humming, but with an emotionless expression. 

"I don't get it. What's with this girl? So what, she can sing and control thorns. No big whoop." Karin mutters while eyeing Ruka. 

"She doesn't just sing and control thorns. She also possess Wood Style and control the Green around her. Trees, roots, the vines, grass; basically all nature." Sasuke replies. 

"What I want to know is how you two know each other. Was she also with Orochimaru?" 

"No. She's never heard of Orochimaru." 

"Huh?!" Karin's jaw drops as she adjusts her glasses. 

"Ruka is from the Willow Forest, located near the Hidden Grass Village. Her mother was the former Willow Maiden, but had died upon the earth. Ruka was alone for years, scared, and could only defend herself by killing." 

"K-Killing?" 

"Yes." Sasuke nods his head. 

"Sasuke! I found a route to one of the hideouts!" Ruka hollers and regroups with the team. 

"Good work." Sasuke gently strokes the top of her head. "Have located the other hideouts?" 

"I was not able to, unfortunately." Ruka shakes her head. "My communication with the roots are disconnected. I cannot locate any further hideouts. Gomen." {Sorry} 

"It's fine. Suigetsu, Jugo, and Karin will locate the other hideouts from here on out. You and I will keep going." 

"Hai!" 

'What!? I won't be going with Sasuke!?' Karin thought while biting her thumbnail and pouts, then being on her way as Sasuke instructed. 

"How far is the hideout, Ruka?" Sasuke questioned the maiden. 

"It is pretty far from where we are right now. Honestly, I am not sure if there is anybody there or not. The roots connect me to the surface since it is beneath the hideout." Ruka replies, then frowns. "Why are we going after Itachi?" 

"To avenge my clan." 

"Sōdesu..." {That is right...} 'Because Itachi told me what he did. . . But Sasuke does not know the truth. . .and I do not think he wants me to tell Sasuke.' She thought.  "Sasuke?" Ruka looks up at him when she noticed that he had stopped walking. 

"So, you're Sasuke? Wow, you really do look like Itachi." Tobi walked over to them from the forest. Sasuke glares at him, causing Tobi to scurry away. "Scary! Oh, is that you, Ruka?" 

"Huh?" Ruka blinks at the man because she's never met him before. 

"You know him, Ruka?" Sasuke asks her as he get in front of her. 

"No, I do not." Ruka shakes her head, then looks ups up at the sky. "Above us!" She alarms Sasuke, who quickly grabs Ruka and covers her. 

Deidara came crashing down with his clay bird, and he had moved out the way the moment the bird detonated. "You killed Ruka!? Leader, or the others isn't going to be happy with what you did, Deidara!?" Tobi panicked. 

"No worries. Considering how strong Ruka is, a blast like that isn't enough to kill her, hn. What matters is that I defeated Sasuke Uchiha, hn!" Deidara smirks in victory as the smoke clears. 

Sasuke survived the blast with a snake wrapped around him and Ruka. He had his arms around her protectively while glaring at Deidara with the sharingan activated. "Or maybe you didn't defeat him." Tobi snickers. 

"Shut up, Tobi!" Deidara glares back at Sasuke. "If you know what's good for you, you'll release your hands from her. She doesn't belong to you. Ruka belongs in the Akatsuki with us. You know that yourself, Ruka." 

"Deidara. . ." Ruka frowns. She could never forget the kindness that the Akatsuki had showed her. They did protect her for a long time and she didn't want to abandon them. But now that her memories are coming back to her, piece by piece, she doesn't know which side she should be on. 

With her friends, 

or with the people who has brought her back from death and made her strong. 

She didn't want to rely on others. Ruka wanted to prove that she was strong and that she could protect herself. She had the Akatsuki to thank for that. But, most importantly, Naruto was her light. . .

"Ruka belongs to nobody." Sasuke holds Ruka closer to him, making her blush a bit as she blinked. 

"Don't talk like you know her, hn! You're either with us or against us, Ruka! That's just how it is!" 

"I-I. . ." Ruka frowns, shutting her eyes while tightening her fist. 

"Everything will be okay, Ruka. Just come back to us." Tobi steps forward. "If you stay with Sasuke, you will only get hurt." 

'His eyes. . .' Ruka saw the sharingan through the hole that Tobi was wearing. 'Another Uchiha? But I thought-' Ruka's thoughts were interrupted when Sasuke zipped pass her, taking out his katana, and sliced through Tobi, but Deidara managed to get out of the way. 

"1 down. Now, chatter box, you're going to tell me where Itachi is." Sasuke glares once more. 

"What do you think you're doing, Tobi!? Don't let your guard down just because he's a kid!" Deidara shouts down at Tobi. 

"He is not dead." Ruka notified Sasuke. 

"Sorry! His Teleportation Jutsu makes it too fast for both of us." Tobi whines. 

"Ruka, go and hide." Sasuke ordered the maiden.

"H-Hai!" Ruka nodded as thorns wrapped around her, transporting her to a temporally location.

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