Underneath Her Mask

Konoha

I shifted against the back of the wall, uncomfortable with the cold seeping through the ground. It was night and the village was mostly asleep. I had no money, no food, and no shelter. I'd settled myself into an alley, deciding that it wasn't worth the effort to find a hotel. Although it might have been worth the effort to steal some food.

My stomach grumbled and I groaned. There was a time when I'd been good at staving off hunger. It used to be I could go weeks without food and survive only on water. Now it seemed I'd gotten out of those habits. 

"I wonder if that's a good thing," I thought. "After all...it was him that revived me."

I shook those thoughts off. Better to avoid thinking about him. He would want me dead now anyways. I was a liability thanks to my knowledge. I smirked a little at the thought. Anything that brought him trouble was welcome to me now. 

I turned a little, trying to get comfortable. Tomorrow I would go job searching. I'd need a place to stay and for that, I needed money.

"Of course, I could always steal. But I'd prefer to have a clean slate here. No one knows Natsune Kitsura, the girl. I could have a new life as Natsune Ryosuke...not like they'd be able to tell that I'm a girl either way."

I smiled a little wistfully. My flat-chest was what allowed me to pass for a boy, albeit, a slightly girlish one. It was ironic that it would probably save me now when it had been what condemned me in the first place. If I'd never been so good at disguising myself, Madara never would have taken notice of me.

And then I'd never have fallen for his foolish promises.

Promises of family, of belonging, of safety and stability. So long as I was his lapdog, his servant, his slave. Do what he says and I get a pat on the head, nothing more. I'd been a dog. He'd never carried through with his damn promises and I should have known he never would. 

I fell for it either way. I was desperate enough to leach on that false hope like it was a lifeline. And I suppose, that in a way, it was a lifeline. If he'd never noticed me, I'd still be a pitiful little orphan desperately trying to make it. When he found me, I was close to selling myself for money. I'd been malnourished, dirty, and distrustful. 

That bastard had exploited my every weakness to gain my trust.

I shook my head sharply, a disgusted sneer twisting my expression. I'd been foolish for too many years. Trusting people was only going to get me killed. Madara was proof of that.

"This way! He went this way!"

I growled in annoyance. I'd finally managed to get comfortable. Shifting into a crouch, I glanced around the dumpster, taking in the large man and the smell of blood. Darting after him was a squad of three ANBU. They quickly surrounded him, cutting off all escape. I leaned back against the wall and cosed my eyes. I listened to them as they quickly and quietly detained the man and disappeared, leaving hardly a trace of their presence.

I closed my eyes and settled in for sleep.

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A/N: Soo...a very slow start. A tiny peek into Kitsura's past. And let me tell you, it's a TINY peek. There'll be more next chapter...maybe. Anyways, review, vote, and all that! It's much appreciated! I like to know that people enjoy reading my stories.

See ya next chapter...which may or may not be posted very soon...