Satsuki, the blind ninja

Chapter One

-All characters aside from Satsuki and Masami belong to Masashi Kishimoto. Flashbacks will be contained within forward-slashes (/)-

The wind felt warm and soothing as it weaved through Satsuki's long, dark red hair. Her pale, light blue, pupil-less eyes stared out upon a vast clearing of healthy, bright green grass, though no sight was visible to Satsuki, even as she stood barefoot in the large oak tree sheltering a small hut. She didn't even glance down as an ant crawled across her toes. The blind ninja stood in silence, turning her head only to let the wind blow hair out of her face, the motion of the hair swaying over her eyelids and nose beginning to bother her.

Despite not being able to see, she pointed her eyes in the direction of a grave, marked by a young plant at the base of the tree, in recognition of the person buried there. She could remember its location clearly, and all the time she had spent feeling the gravemarker, and burying the man there, left her with a vivid mental image of how it looked.

"Sensei.." she said quietly before instantly silencing herself once more as she perked her head up. Satsuki crouched, hiding among the leaves of the tree, her long black kimono distorting her figure among the shadows.

Below, she could hear two male voices, and their footsteps, very clearly, despite them being yards away. Although it was not visible to Satsuki, both were wearing large black overcoats with high collars. The coats were lined with red, and had red clouds outlined in white.

"Nee, Sasori-dana.." a slightly deep male voice said, coming from a feminine blond man that Satsuki could not see. Had it not been for his voice, anyone who saw him would likely mistake him for a woman, for his long blond hair was kept high in a ponytail, with only some combed forward to cover half his face. "What are we supposed to be looking for, anyway, un?" He looked at his partner with a gray-blue eye.

The other person, with a dark body, balding black hair, and blackened eyes, glanced at the blond man. He almost didn't look human. "You fool, we're trying to find the spy that was supposed to be working for us." His voice held spite and annoyance. It too sounded almost inhuman.

"Oh, right... The one that was really working for that Orochimaru bastard all along, un?" the blond asked.

Satsuki tensed at the mention of Orochimaru's name, though she tensed more when she noticed one set of footsteps stop.

"Deidara, look there." The man called Sasori said, looking at the hut beneath the oak tree.

"Hmm?" The other set of footsteps stopped as the blond stopped walking, allowing Satsuki to match footsteps with a name and voice for both men.

"Look there," Sasori repeated. "That hut. Perhaps our man is hiding in there."

Satsuki remained still as the two approached. She knew they weren't there to rob her of her things, but simply to know if a particular person was residing within the hut. There was no need for her to act, whether offensively or defensively. But as she heard one, Deidara, stop almost directly below her, she began to worry a little.

"Hey, Sasori..." Deidara said, dropping the honorifics he had used before. "Look, a grave.."

Sasori ignored Deidara and walked inside, but the curious blond crouched and looked at the name carved into the tree.

"...'Masami-sensei'...?" He blinked, looking confused. "That name sounds familiar..."

Satsuki remained still and silent, hearing Deidara's hand stroke the trunk of the tree to brush the ant from before away. He then stood and walked inside. She could hear the two strangers speaking: