Satsuki, the blind ninja

Chapter One

"Sasori, there's a-"

"I know, Deidara." Sasori cut Deidara's sentence short. "There's a girl in the tree outside. She was obviously trying to hide, but she may as well be standing in front of the door, with how pathetic her attempt was."

Satsuki wrinkled her nose angrily at herself. 'How foolish of me,' she thought to herself. 'To think I could hide so easily. Clearly, they're skilled trackers.'

"What do you think we should do?" Deidara asked Sasori, looking out the window at the tree.

"She's not a danger to us, her chakra isn't as strong as ours. If this is her house, it would explain why she was hiding in the tree instead of attacking. She knows she's no match for us and wisely got out of our way." Sasori thought for a moment. "There's also the possibility that she may have seen our traitorous informant..."

With that thought, the two men stepped outside and stood on either side of the large oak tree, Deidara taking polite care to step around the gravesite. Normally he wouldn't care, but something in his gut practically forced him to walk around it instead of over it. Standing below the tree, Deidara and Sasori looked up at the girl.

"Hey." Sasori said. "Girl. We have some questions for you, come down now and we won't have to force you."

Satsuki frowned. "I'll answer your questions from up here. There is no need for me to lower myself."

"It'd be polite, un." Deidara crossed his arms. "Just get down here."

Satsuki sighed and climbed down, refusing to jump all the way down from her branch that would be simple for any other ninja. When she was on the ground, she kept her head turned toward the tree, her palm placed against it. "What is your question?"

"We're looking for someone, un." Deidara said, looking at her with a raised eyebrow. "Have you seen a man come by here recently?"

"I don't believe I have seen anything." She said, turning her head toward him.

Seeing her pale, hazy eyes, Deidara's eyes widened with surprise.

"Wait a second, un... you're blind..."

"Indeed I am." Satsuki nodded. "As I was the day I was born."

Deidara frowned and looked at Sasori. "What now, un?"

"Isn't it obvious? We leave." Sasori began to walk away.

With a shrug, Deidara turned and began to follow Sasori, walking past Satsuki. As he did so, the girl's nose twitched.

"Wait..." she said gently. "what's that smell? It's... like dirt, but it's different..."

Deidara stopped and looked at her curiously, then he suddenly realized what he meant. He looked at the pouch at his waist, unzipping it and reaching in. He pulled out a chunk of clay and held it by her nose.

"Is this what you smell, un?" he asked, intrigued by the girl's sense of smell and lack of vision.

She sniffed. "It is... What is that?"

"It's clay, un." Deidara said.

"Clay...? What is that?"

Deidara frowned, bothered by her lack of knowledge. "It's a type of fine soil or rock that's easily molded into any shape, un."

"Like sand that's been dampened by water?" she asked, curious now.

"Even easier than that, un." He said, grabbing her wrist and placing the lump in her hand. "Try it."

The feeling made her jump a little. "It's... different..." she said, moving it around in her hands, still facing directly ahead.

Sasori stopped walking and looked back, a bit annoyed by Deidara attempting to, in Sasori's mind, teach the girl how to use clay.

"I have another question, un..." Deidara said, watching the girl fumble with the clay in her hands. "If you're blind... Shouldn't you have someone living here to help you, un?"

Satsuki stopped toying with the clay suddenly, frowning. "I did... once."

This made Deidara look at the grave they were standing beside. "hm." He thought for a moment, then got an idea. "Why don't you come with Sasori and I, un? We're on our way home and I'm sure you'd be better off there with us than you would be here on your own, un."

Sasori shot Deidara a glare, frowning greatly when Saksuki accepted his offer.

"Alright." The girl nodded. "Just let me get a couple of things. She went inside, giving Sasori and Deidara a chance to start arguing over whether or not it was a good idea to bring her along.

When she came back out, she frowned at them. "I can hear you, you know." She said, carrying a red bag on her back.

"Oh.. sorry, un.." Deidara said before he could stop himself. "Well.. let's go." He grabbed her shoulder, leading her to the Akatsuki hideout.