Another Uzumaki?!: Naruto's Sister?

Chapter 21 - "Oukashou"

It was in the dead of the night.

In contrast to the silence that enveloped the forest in the North, screams of anguish echoed through the tunnels underneath — but it was all short-lived, and only served as a tune to which the devil danced to.

A man sprinted through the seemingly never-ending tunnel. His entire body was covered in wounds but the will to live was more than enough to fuel his escape.

No way, I didn't think it was possible. They really managed to annihilate us without using ninjutsu. He groaned, clasping the wound that rendered his left arm useless.

Nonetheless, the man continued to run. His strength lied in his legs. He was the fastest spy in Akatsuki and was confident that he could outrun anyone — even the devil that was currently on his trail.

As if to reward his determination, a ray of light finally appeared at the end of the tunnel. He wasted no time and lunged forward to his goal.

— However, what awaited him was not salvation but despair.

Blood instantly drained from his face as the man was forced to reunite with the source of his fear.

Illuminated by torches, the devil was standing in the same place where he had left them, along with his comrades who perished from their blade. 

He could almost see them smile beneath the mask that hid their identity.

"Welcome back."

***

"Tch. They got us again."

Another emergency meeting was called within the Akatsuki. Through chakra transmission, all members gathered in a cave near the borders of Iwagakure.

"This is the fourth raid this month," Deidara groaned, crossing his arms against his chest. "Whose spies got killed this time?"

"Mine." Kakuzu answered, the nonchalance in his tone betrayed the predicament they were in. "It's the same as last time. They were killed with the use of a weapon and no evidence of ninjutsu was seen. All of them died, except for one who went missing."

"Hah, we have our killer then!"

Hidan declared proudly and a number of members almost instantly rolled their eyes or blocked out the words that followed. "Whoever disappeared betrayed us and murdered everyone before fleeing!"

"I don't think that's the case," Itachi argued, earning him a glare from the immortal. "They were probably abducted and tortured for information regarding our organization."

While it was doubtful that low-ranking spies would have anything useful against them, it was the lack of information about Akatsuki that put them at a great advantage when encountering enemies. Losing anonymity would reveal weaknesses, thus increasing the risk of defeat.

"Don't worry." It was Kakuzu who broke the ice. "I activated my technique the moment I found him missing. His head should've blown off along with the one who abducted him."

Hidan grimaced. "That's sick, man."

"I don't want to hear that from a freak like you."

Konan sighed before looking at Pain. The man remained stoic, but she knew that the situation troubled him as well.  "I doubt that the bomb worked. If it only were that easy, then that person should be dead a long time ago."

Pain nodded. 

"There's no doubt about it. This is Oukashou we're dealing with."

Everyone agreed in unison, except for the clueless Hidan.