CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
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SHE HAD BEEN TOLD MANY TIMES IN THE PAST THAT SHE HAD A FACE THAT WAS beautiful, but that it was a shame her personality was so lacking.
"Holy shit," stated the vibrant voice from behind her. Anomie, always one for nimble and fast reflexes, quickly took out one of the katanas from the seal on the palm of her hand and swung it behind her with timely grace. It was met with a cling of steel, a bit too loud considering she was trying to be incognito. The man's eyes were a vibrant silver, a trademark of the Izana clan, and his lips were curled into a calm smile. "You are just gorgeous."
"That's a bit weird a comment for someone attacking me from behind," Anomie told him, pushing him back and jumping forward so her next blow was much harder. He blocked it by grabbing onto her wrist and pulling her body forward so every inch rubbed against his.
"If you saw yourself you'd understand," he told her and she raised her brow. The wind blew her hair forward until strands cupped her cheeks and his.
"You're giving me a rather rape-y vibe. You know that right?" Anomie attempted to move back but his grip was like iron. She tilted her head to the side as he pulled her closer.
"It's not rape if I make you beg," he said with a grin. "Afterwards, of course, I'll kill you. But let's just focus on the now."
"Wow," Anomie leaned in closer, running her free hand up to his arm and resting it at his hand. "How about I give you a counteroffer." Her voice lowered to one rather husky, leaning forward so her lips rested against his ear. "Let's just chop off the pine needle in between your legs and fuck you with it. How does that sound, love?"
He let out a booming laugh, digging her own blade into her throat. "The foreplay is always my favorite part."
She turned into smoke and slipped past him. "Do we have to fight now? I'm a little busy. Can't I just kill you another time?"
"No. It's a competition for your head. So much money. So little time."
"I can respect that," she said and he laughed, moving his hands for a quick Jutsu. It was a fire type, and a blast of flames rushed towards her. She unleashed the small bird of the Ho'ou and in one flap of its wing, it absorbed the flames before perching on her head.
"Well, that's just annoying. What summoning is that?" The Izana man took an irritated step forward, and she lifted her hand and the Ho'ou jumped on her finger. The heat of its body seared into her skin, but it left no mark as if she were made of steel.
Anomie didn't answer as it flapped its wings one more time and the same fire Jutsu he used shot back at him, only it was concentrated and controlled and when he dodged, it disappeared.
"You're being so careful. You that afraid of Anbu?" He asked, and Anomie sneered.
"I'm not afraid." Her fire clone that he was staring at disappeared and a blade shot through his back, peeking out through his chest as she appeared behind him in all her bitterness. "I'm just busy."
She left his body on the roof, easy prey for crows before she disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Ironically, she promised not to harm anyone else from Konoha and couldn't seem to go a full hour before she broke that promise. However, what Kakashi didn't know was unlikely to hurt him.
A feather of the Ho'ou, beautiful and red landed on the man's steady and still chest. Beautiful cinders of red erupted and the body caught flame until all that was left was the black imprint left behind.
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Anomie wanted to kill them all and go straight for Danzo's head. She didn't though. She kept to her path and her choices, even if her blood screamed in different directions. Blood or vengeance couldn't sway her, and if she was so affected by the little things, then she wouldn't have left Kakashi's arms so long ago. There were a lot of things that she wouldn't have done, but they were all fading along with her consciousness and what made her into a weapon rather than a woman.
She could try to knock the ice from her bones or ignore the cold, but by now her bones were frozen solid. There were moments, small and fleeting, where she felt it all melt and she was able to feel again. However, without fail, she always managed to freeze right back up. So when she saw the young age of the team assigned to such a dangerous mission, she didn't feel much of anything. Itachi and Tsukasa and even Anko were there, so Anomie doubted any of the three kids were going to die.
Kisame was already at Orochimaru's base, likely waiting for her signal, so all Anomie cared about was making sure getting Konoha involved wasn't in vain. Especially since it was very annoying, and the assassins from the Uchiha clan, likely organized by the Izana clan, were getting more frequent.
Anomie thought that most of the time it was humorous, but the Izana clan was clever and they were also known to never let a bounty getaway. Eventually, she knew it would get much more difficult to evade them. However, that was a future problem that Anomie didn't have time to dwell on.
Tsukasa and Itachi left the group of Genin for a moment, escaping into the trees. Before long, the Sharingan of Itachi's eyes connected on Anomie's lazily resting figure on one of the high branches.
"I'm not exactly hiding," Anomie admitted, leaning back so she fell backward and allowed her legs to lock around the thick branch. She hung backward, watching as Tsukasa took a step closer. "Why bring Genin? Seems reckless and that's coming from me."
Tsukasa's head tilted to the side, and her one eye seemed very expressive when she took another step forward. "We're bait...aren't we?" Tsukasa's question was met with an innocent expression in return, as if Anomie was appalled by the insinuation.
Anomie flipped off the branch, landing on her toes as she twirled a finger through her hair. "I just want Orochimaru dead or at least wounded."
"You don't have to lie to us," Itachi reminded her, tilting his head to the side.
"Sure I do," Anomie told him, shaking her head with a steady smile. "You would betray me the first chance you got if it meant protecting those kids or taking down Orochimaru."
"There's such a thing as multitasking," Itachi said, and Anomie shrugged.
"Success or failure, Itachi. There are no maybes or possibilities in a good plan of action. You kill everyone in your way to reach your goal. I taught you that, didn't I?"
"You taught me a lot of brutal things. I stopped listening," Itachi said after a moment of silence. Almost immediately, Anomie let out a soft bout of laughter. "The world is changing, Anomie." Itachi was staring at her as if he were ever her senpai, ever above her, ever knew more than her. "It's not as violent of a place as when you were a kid."
Anomie raised both brows, staring in between Itachi's hopeful expression and Tsukasa's deadpan. "The world didn't change, Itachi," she told him, her smile gentle and ingenuine. "The war may be over, but it could pick up again with even the slightest slip-up. Nothing's changed."
"And in this world, what use is the Akatsuki?" Tsukasa asked the question that Anomie had begun to wonder when she joined, heard of these ideals, this plan of peace, and couldn't help but nearly agree with it. She slipped information of the Akatsuki's plan to Konoha, upholding her initial mission, but her resolve had significantly weakened.
"I don't know. My mission isn't to have thoughts of my own," Anomie said, like the good soldier that tried to be. "I admit, my methods are built on the easier way out," Anomie tapped her pointer finger against her bottom lip. "I would rather a method bloody than a method where I could die."
"And you wonder why so many people want you dead," Tsukasa said with a sigh.
"Give my love to your families, conspiring my untimely death even after my charity," Anomie gave them a mock curtsey, smiling all the while as she turned to walk away.
"Ah," Tsukasa made a sound as if she had forgotten that her clan was the one who was organizing Anomie's death. "Tell you what, I'll make a deal."
Anomie turned her head, catching Tsukasa's eye. "You don't have anything I want."
"I'll have Asa Izana call off the hit if you promise me the information of Orochimaru's remaining bases," Tsukasa took a step forward. "I know you haven't been completely forward. Give them up. After this, you hold no leverage anyway, Orochimaru will figure it out and move out of them to hide from you."
Anomie blinked, not having thought of that. "I can handle the Izana clan."
"You think so?" Tsukasa snorted. "They've sent few assassins, but that's just them sending a message to be funny. Once they get started, really started, I don't think you'll live through it. You aren't as powerful as you think you are."
Anomie's eyes narrowed, "Not yet. But I will be soon."
"Soon." Tsukasa mulled over this for a moment of silence, but before long, she shook her head. "But not now. That doesn't help you now."
Anomie's brow twitched, but her calm smile didn't depart and slowly she held out her wrist and tapped a seal that was held intimately against her veins. Her Chakra was potent and slowly an eye with the unmistakable Sharingan became visible. "Perhaps I can just replace my own eye with this." Her cruel gaze snapped to Itachi, whose eyes had frozen on the sight. "Then, just maybe, you can always have your father's watchful gaze, looking out for you from the grave, Itachi."
Itachi didn't react, but Tsukasa stepped in front of him to block the sight. "You kept them?"
Anomie looked appalled, "not all of them. Do you have any idea how hard preserving flesh is? I realize that I make Fūinjutsu look effortless, but I've dealt with many sleepless nights and broken tendons in my attempts to perfect it."
"Hand it over," Tsukasa stated, taking a step forward. This caused Anomie to chuckle, using her other hand to cover her fingers over the seal on her wrist. She performed a couple of symbols with her fingers, dancing her Chakra in intricate loops with motions that looked complicated and hard to follow. In moments the eye disappeared into the seal.
"After all the work I did, don't I deserve a reward?" Anomie said with a quick smile as she took a step back. Underneath all the bravado, Anomie did feel a twinge of nervous jitters when she mocked them and taunted them. Fighting was not something she needed, and something told her that fighting against them was a battle that Anomie couldn't win. Tsukasa was strong, but Itachi was another level of power that frustrated Anomie to no end.
Even back in Anbu, she watched the kid rise above at record speed, proving that things were just so much simpler when one is born with the right genetics and prodigy-like strength. It didn't matter how she sold her body and her life, there would always be someone stronger and she couldn't stand it.
"Anomie, I think you've been wrapped up in playing the villain so long that it has consumed you," Itachi told her and Anomie paused. Something in his words had managed to strike and severe a nerve. She could feel the severed piece with absolute clarity and it burned to touch it.
"A villain?" Anomie scoffed, glancing towards Tsukasa. "The world isn't so black and white, babes. If it was, you would have joined your psycho family on their mission to completely dominate the underworld." Her eyes snapped over to Itachi. "And you would have murdered all of yours, including your whiny little brother. You're welcome. Now, let's take down this snake. Prove yourself useful and I'll consider sharing more of what I know."
"Koneko," Tsukasa's voice stopped Anomie from walking away, if only for a moment. "If a single one of my students dies because of you and your indecisive allegiances, I will be the Izana who kills you."
"Then you shouldn't have brought them," Anomie snapped, her eyes harsh as she glanced over both Tsukasa and Itachi. "See, the world hasn't changed a damn bit. Still using kids to do your dirty work." Anomie's cold gaze moved to Itachi without a second thought. "You gonna let your girlfriend talk to your former captain like that, Itachi?"
"You used to be so passionate about helping Konoha, I can never tell when you will change your mind." The disappointment in Itachi's voice somehow stung. Anomie didn't let that show when she gave a wry smile in return.
"I never cared a thing for Konoha. Only the memory of people I used to know," Anomie said with a simper. "Where are they now, I wonder? Where is your father? Your precious council members and their precious eyes?" Anomie was furious. "See, the world hasn't changed a god damned bit, and it never will."
Both Itachi and Tsukasa went silent.
"See you on the other side, and give my love to Anko. I hear Orochimaru threw her away like trash and nabbed me instead. Hopefully, there are no hard feelings." Anomie gave them a sly smile before the fire clone went up in flames. It was an intricate switch that made both Leaf shinobi annoyed that they didn't catch onto the fact they had been speaking to a clone for the majority of the time. Likely, while they were distracted by the Uchiha eye, she had performed a switch as a safety precaution.
Itachi couldn't imagine someone like her being able to live properly whilst trusting no one. Perhaps, he too would have been in her predicament if she wasn't there to lend a helping hand. However, he doubted he would be quite the same level of bitch that she masterly crafted herself.
Anomie's presence was cloaked from there on out, and that made Tsukasa slightly nervous. Despite the times of truce, the girl was still unpredictable and had a tendency to destroy everything she touched.
That being said, Anomie made it to the base half an hour earlier than Tsukasa's group considering she didn't have a group of whiny tweens begging for a break every twenty minutes. The pink-haired one didn't complain as much, but she still had a voice that grated on Anomie's ears as if she had just shoved her head into a blender.
"Going well I see," Kisame asked with a smirk as he jumped down next to where Anomie stood near their meet-up point, a meter from the detection barrier.
Anomie glanced towards him, her body tense and high-strung but relaxing once he was close. "Can you breathe underwater?"
Kisame shrugged. "Random, but yeah."
"Just trying to figure out your anatomy."
"You sound like my mother," Kisame said with a chuckle as he handed her the Akatsuki robe she had given him for safekeeping. She slipped it on over her kimono, tying her hair up into a heavy bun.
"I have a hard time imagining baby Kisame," Anomie admitted in a deadpan.
"Have you ever tried being nice for a day?" Kisame asked with a sharp grin as he readied his weapons.
"Sounds fake," she replied smoothly. "Ready?"
"I was waiting for you," Kisame shrugged as he spoke.
She rolled her eyes, "Stay alive or whatever."
Anomie weaved her Chakra into the air as an initial scout. She spent the next minutes scanning around the parameter. She already had a suitable guess where Itachi would plan to infiltrate, and she doubted he would appreciate the fact that his tactics were rather predictable considering she helped hone them.
She possessed the five stationed patrol teams and had them scout the area she believed Tsukasa or Itachi would emerge from. The multiple possession of her Kekkei Genkai was not an easy feat, so the moment she spotted Tsukasa and allowed her possessed subjects free to see her for themselves, Anomie escaped and regrouped into one form.
She doubted Tsukasa would allow her students or herself to come into fatal harm, so Anomie didn't feel particularly guilty. With that in mind, Anomie watched the explosion successfully bring chaos throughout the base, giving both Anomie and likely Kisame a way in, undetected.
Anomie paused as she remained surrounded by the dimly lit entrance that she had created for herself back before she realized what an idiot she was for ever following Orochimaru. Many would be dead if she had made a different decision, but perhaps she might have been happy.
Unlikely. Anomie was a greedy and cruel girl with a taste for blood. She tried to fight it, but it was difficult to constantly battle her own nature. She wanted peace but had a thrill for violence.
She ran her hand over the tunnels of the caves, lifting her right hand and performing a quick Jutsu, placing her thumb against the summoning scroll from her pouch. From the summoning arose a beautiful bird with red wings and bits of fire shooting off between individual feathers. She placed her hand out, and slowly it flapped its wings and floated down until it perched on her finger.
"Hello precious," Anomie greeted as bits of flares heated her skin, but she was coated in their same Chakra in a layer too thick for it to burn. "Do me a favor," she whispered and the bird tilted its head but didn't fight her when she launched him into the air and it flapped its wings and disappeared down the long and narrow hallway. She waited for him to scout out the tunnels since his life was expendable and hers was not.
Of course, she'd never tell that to her summons, and she'd protect them when she could, but if it became a question of them or her, she'd sacrifice them all in a heartbeat.
The Ho'ou, Kokoa, came back to her hand. He was her go-to summons due to his agility and strength in flame. Also, most of the others didn't really care for her and wouldn't come out when she called. No one had ever told her how picky a summons was, and the giant Ho'ou, much taller than her, thought she hadn't earned their power so only Kokoa, the runt of them all, would ever come to fight at her side.
"Give me the best path to follow," Anomie said and she glanced down to see the trail of burnt ground. She stroked Kokoa's feather and he disappeared from her fingers.
She followed the trail, using a small amount of Chakra to create light in the dimly lit area. She could just barely hear the sound of fighting in the distance, but she ignored it all as she navigated the path. She used her Chakra to scout out the area, but instead, she felt someone running towards her. She could recognize Kabuto's familiar chi from a mile away, and she had more than enough time to escape, but she held her ground.
The fastest way to Orochimaru was through Kabuto. She'd take it.
"Here I thought to find the Akatsuki, but instead I just found a dead girl playing ninja," Kabuto's voice was harsh, proving once again his animosity towards her.
"I'm sorry, but this is coming from a subordinate who lacks potential so greatly that Orochimaru would rather take the body of a 6-year-old than said subordinate." Anomie gave him a sweet smile and a sizzling sound with her tongue.
Kabuto's eyes flashed with a twinge of rage, which was something that only Anomie could really get out of the surprisingly angry 13-year-old boy. "I'll kill you this time around."
"How threatening," Anomie said in a deadpan. She didn't deny that Kabuto was powerful, but he was still a couple of years from being stronger than her, and by then she would be stronger as well.
She felt Kabuto begin to gather Chakra into his hands and she almost immediately laughed.
"I take it you're not going to be at all forthcoming about the snake's whereabouts, are you?" Anomie asked before raising her voice slightly. "I can imagine that Orochimaru has never shit a day in his life with how far up your lips are wedged up his asshole."
Kabuto looked visibly offended and just as he went to strike her down, Anomie's gaze wandered a bit behind him where she felt the Chakra of two children. She wondered what luck she must have to already spot the Konoha Shinobi. She promised Kakashi to not hurt a single Leaf ninja, and she wasn't breaking the said promise. However, she never said she would go out of her way to help the Leaf either.
"Seems like some of the test tube babies have gotten free with all this commotion," Anomie said and she watched as the Chakra in Kabuto's hands grew as sharp as blades.
"No doubt thanks to your information. I doubt it's a coincidence that Konoha Shinobi showed up just as you arrived. I'm shocked at how quickly you lie and manipulate."
Anomie raised her brow, taking a small step back. "Really? Now in what way does that seem out of character for me?" Anomie asked, and she saw Kabuto ready to lunge towards her but her words were much quicker and far more prepared. "Boy and girl, about 6 years old. They look like Orochimaru's normal subjects. Tell me I'm wrong." Anomie's voice lowered into a whisper. "Oh, the boy looks familiar. It's hard to tell, they grow so fast, but how valuable is a boy who can transform the chemical construction of his own molecules?"
Kabuto's face was obviously conflicted before he sneered at her and went after the escaping test subject. "I'll kill you another time, Anomie."
Anomie felt a twinge of guilt, briefly wondering if she sent those kids to die. She turned to walk away, her heels echoing against the ground. She only walked a couple of seconds before she looked up at the ceiling and cursed. She forced it down and continued down the familiar path that she had walked dozens of times before. Orochimaru, as he always made a habit to do, overestimated just how much he meant to her. He likely didn't change his familiar routine just as he hadn't done away with this base.
Just as she figured, she caught sight of him waiting for her in the middle of the lab. He was packing a couple of items casually, in no rush. She ran her finger against the glass tubes, and he glanced at her. She took notice that Itachi had arrived there not long after her.
"Going straight for Orochimaru, how predictable," Itachi told her, his Sharingan already activated. She let out a sigh, watching as Orochimaru still regarded them both with casual disdain.
"Which one of you am I going to have to fight?" Orochimaru's raspy voice filled the tension. "I'm in a bit of a hurry."
"Itachi, leave this to me," Anomie said, not taking her eyes off of her pale old mentor.
"Can't do that. You'll let him go. If it were his life you were after, you would not have needed a distraction quite like this one," Itachi said, and Anomie's lips twitched into a frown as Orochimaru regarded the two with a raised brow.
"Your students are in danger."
Itachi looked rather annoyed, "what did you do?"
"Why do you assume I had something to do with it?" Anomie's retort was met with silence and she nodded. "Fair point. They're on the east side of the base, near the main entrance." Itachi looked towards Orochimaru's amused expression with a moment of silence before he disappeared.
"If you wanted this alone time so badly, you could have just asked. I would have organized a meet-up," Orochimaru informed her.
"What can I say? I am a complicated girl. I wanted to work for it." Anomie activated the seal on her neck, and Orochimaru watched with amusement as it covered her body in black markings.
"You've gotten good at that," Orochimaru praised her, but his eyes were absent from any warmth. Anomie doubted he ever truly felt such a thing for anyone. His blood ran cold and his eyes were empty. She, more than anyone, knew that all he cared about was immortality and discovery. It didn't matter who suffered or who died in the process.
Anomie had doubts that he was ever human, and that was what led Anomie down the path she had gone. She chose him as a mentor, and he poisoned her and appealed to a side of her that was just like him. That was her own fault.
"This is nice. Is it important?" Anomie glanced towards a vial of green liquid and watched as his eyes narrowed on her hand as she casually knocked it on the ground. It shattered and the green spread out into a puddle below her feet. "Oops. Clumsy me."
"I'll make more," Orochimaru said, taking a step forward.
"Yes. One can only hope that none of this is irreplaceable. I'd hate for your research to go," her Chakra filtered into the air, drawing on the Ho'ou that still remained perched on her shoulder. In moments, all the stacks of paper and vials of liquid caught fire. "Up in flames."
She admired how composed Orochimaru managed to make his face, considering she could read him well enough to know that he was livid. Her eyes scanned the Akatsuki ring on his finger and she smiled. She briefly wondered if she could actually kill him, but she knew the likelihood of such a thing was abysmal at best. He was much older than her, more experienced and knowledgable of Jutsu she couldn't even begin to comprehend. One such example was the reanimation Jutsu that she was unable to master, despite watching him do it over and over again.
"Sorry," Anomie's voice was a husky whisper, glancing around at the fire before she snapped her fingers and the flames went out. "I just can't control how hot I get sometimes. I'll work on it, sensei."
Orochimaru chuckled, but his eyes were cold. "After I am through with you, you'll have no more body heat left."
She barely managed to dash out of the way from his well-timed Jutsu that caused his long tongue that she had always thought reminded her of a snake, to actually turn into a snake. She watched it lodge itself in the fire clone she left behind. Said clone grabbed onto the snake and went up in flames, and the snake flared up like paper before Orochimaru cut it out from his mouth.
"Kinky. Do you use that Jutsu in the bedroom?" Anomie made a snake sound with her tongue, letting out a laugh. She raised her hands and tossed shuriken in the air before she quickly performed a well-timed fire Jutsu, causing the shuriken to light on fire and flare at him like a bolt of lightning. However, he did something she hadn't expected and could prepare herself to face.
"Summoning Jutsu: Reanimation." Orochimaru was always quick with his hands, and a coffin raised from the ground causing the shuriken to burn off the lid.
Anomie didn't know who she was expecting to be standing in front of her, but of all people, she never suspected Rin.
Author's Note
Did anyone see that coming? I know I pulled it out of my ass. Orochimaru is a serious piece of shit. I love him though. Anomie is bound to hate him plenty...
Ironically, Anomie wanted to bring Rin back to life but never had the power.
Daisies originated from North and Central Europe and have fast become a favourite in the UK. Whilst there are many types of daisies available around the world, they each have one thing in common – they symbolise that of a new beginning. In general the daisy means purity, innocence and loyal love.
They are ideal for that of a new beginning, especially if the new beginning involves that of a new baby being born. They evoke happiness, joy and prosperity.
The language of the flower is important when using them to send a message to a friend or loved one and therefore it is important to do some research into their meaning. The New Year is approaching – send your loved ones a beautiful gift of yellow flowers to wish them good luck in their new beginnings.
Thank you all for reading. I seriously love every one of you! ^_^