She reached the outskirt of the forest, looking at the huge forest that she used to stay when she was little. She knew every parts of the forest like her home, it was her first home after all.
Would she meet Obito again ? Would she meet Orochimaru or if possible, old man Madara ? She hoped to stay away from Obito and get closer to Orochimaru. She missed both of them but Obito had broke her trust by stabbing her mother.
With a deep breath, she entered the forest and her skins felt again, the familiar cool breeze of the forest grazing across it. She smiled unknowingly before jumping, following the trails of chakra Itachi left.
She wondered why Itachi careless enough to not hide his chakra. Was this a bite for her to follow him ? Itachi wasn't an easy person. He had become an Anbu at young age, that's one of the reason to not underestimate him.
She kept her spear close, fear of being ambushed from any direction. She kept sharp of her surrounding while following Itachi's chakra. She looked around while jumping from tree to tree, reminiscing those days she ever lived in this forest.
Suddenly, she felt something coming towards her. Instinctively, she flipped her spear out and block the attack that was none other than Uchiha Itachi. Her eyes widened, realizing she had been fooled by the chakra she had felt from far away. Something in him anguished the real chakra but she didn't know what was it.
They landed on the ground, Kouri had a protective stance while eyeing Itachi who stood as if there weren't any bad blood in between them.
"I don't want to fight." Itachi said behind his cloak. She gave him an unsure look but she retreated her spear anyway, still giving him a suspicious look.
"Listen, Kouri." In a distance, Itachi decided to tell her the truth.
"I was working with the guy in the mask, Madara." he said. Her eyes widened at the mention of the name.
Madara ? He's like too old to even move now. How can it even possible ?
"He claimed himself as Madara, and well.. his characteristics were also the same. The looked of his eyes, the bloodlust, the summoning." Itachi explained, and the further he talked, she felt more relaxed.
"I have one question, Kouri." he said, and Kouri gave a nod for him to continue.
"What is your relationship with him ?" he asked, and Kouri couldn't answer the question.
So, Obito is the one behind the mask, claiming himself as Madara. He's like a father figure to her, but he's not her father. Her father has been killed but no one knew who did it. She inherited the sharingan from her father, and being a Nohara from her mother.
"You're an Uchiha, and so do him.. are the both of you perhaps.. father and daughter ?" Itachi asked again.
"Absolutely not, Itachi." she denied, "He just came that night and I don't know who he is." she lied.
"Your mother." Itachi mentioned her mother, which made her gave him a full attention.
"She's in danger. I know what he's planning, and it included capturing your mother and bring her to their side." he explained.
"Why didn't you tell me earlier ?!" Kouri got furious at the news. Obito had planned this since long ago. The argument in the cave was about this, but she was still a child to know, but now it make sense.
Her mother is the best weapon to put people into genjutsu. Their plan was to extract the beasts from the jinchuuriki to collect their power for who knows, and it's too powerful for the world. The only way to stop is to reunited people but if her mother captured, who knows what can happen.
"I have to find her." she said urgently before jumping from there, ignoring Itachi who called for her. Her head was full with her mother. All she was thinking to bring her mother to safe place. She was on a mission outside of the village, so she was nowhere near safe.
She tried to sense her mother but she couldn't. She was far away and she vaguely remember where her mother headed. She stopped on a branch and tried to remember the place her mother mentioned.
As soon as she remembered, she jumped from maneuvered and continued jumping towards the destination. Her head felt heavy at the massive thoughts, the repeated "Please be okay" and the thoughts of her dying.
As soon as she reached the last branch, she felt like her heart shattered, her world stopped, her breathing gone.
She just witnessed Uchiha Sasuke stabbing her mother through her heart.
She watched as her mother fell onto the ground limply and the killer stood there, unbothered. His face as dark as ever, and she cursed to herself how can he doesn't even have any guilt.
She prayed for him to show any regrets, but he didn't. His face remained the same.
Her eyes turned red, the patterned shifted and her clenched tighten on her spear. She clenched her teeth and made her way towards the killer.
She screamed bloody murder as she jumped straight towards Sasuke. Sasuke and his new comrades turn towards the scream and jumped away from attack. The ground shattered a bit at the strength she put on her swing.
She let her spear fell by her side as she looked down to her mother's lifeless state. Tears fell down rapidly on both of her cheeks as she kneeled onto the floor and collected her mother into her arms. She buried her face into her mother's to catch the last scent she could. She muttered a few words for her to come back, but all of them were for naught.
Sasuke watched as Kouri mourned over her mother. He didn't regret killing her. He was doing a good thing. It was her mother's request for her to be stabbed straight into her heart.
"Uchiha... Sasuke..." he heard Kouri said his name. He felt an ache in his heart, witnessing her state in front of him. He told himself that he didn't like her like he used to anymore. His main purpose was to seek revenge, so liking people was a weakness.
But .. his heart still soften when he saw her.
"I'll kill you.." she muttered again. Sasuke gripped onto his katana as he felt something weird came out from Kouri. An unknown, yet familiar aura that came radiating off of her.
"I'll kill you!" she raised her head and glare straight into Sasuke. Sasuke raised his brows at the sight. It was mangekyou sharingan that formed in her eyes and it got him off-guarded.
She grabbed her mother's spear as she sprinted towards Sasuke, holding both of the disattached parts. She attached them back as she got closer and swung it with monstrous strength that came from her eyes.
Sasuke was saved by the orange-haired companion since he was still taken aback by the new profound power came from Kouri.
"Sasuke, what are you standing still for ?!" Karin shouted as she saw Sasuke still freezing. He snapped out of his thoughts as she saw Kouri charged towards him again with murderous intented.
She screamed again with tears fell down her cheeks as she charged towards Sasuke with her new, more powerful spear that went down through inheritance.
Sasuke blocked her attack with his katana but she was still persistent to cut it through. Their face stood close as she clenched her teeth with Sasuke took in her expression.
He made that. He made the girl he loved cried and suffered. He felt his heart ached at the fact.
"I'm sorry." he said as he kicked her by her stomach so she flew back about a few meters. She still cried as she laid hopelessly on the ground. Sasuke gave her a last glance before he told his comrades to retreat and they did.
She cried hopelessly while the dark sky started raining, mourning together with her of the lost of the loved ones. Kouri then sat up and made her way towards her mother.
She gently pulled her into her arms and cried again, her scream parring with the thunder that kept on going in the dark sky.
---
She crouched in front of her mother's grave that she made. It was in the middle of a field that suitable for burying a dead person.
She doesn't have any will to cry anymore. She collected petals she found around the field and scatters them onto the grave. She had put a stone that similar to a tombstone, and wrapped a cloth that her mother always brought it with her around the stone.
She stared the grave motionlessly before standing up and left. She decided to wander around the forest for awhile. She didn't know where to go anymore. She felt so empty without her mother. She felt emptier to know Sasuke was the one who killed her.
Wanders aimlessly into the forest, she then saw two people talking to each other. One of them had white locks while the other had silky black, long hair. She hid behind a tree but the one with long hair looked rather similar. Suddenly, her mind clicked.
"Orochii!" she shouted carelessly as she jumped out of her hidden spot and ran towards Orochimaru. Orochimaru reacted to the nickname as he turned and saw a female with red lockes ran toward him. He didn't recognize at first but the smile had immediately reminded him of someone.
"Kouri ?" he said before he was engulfed into a hug. Kabuto who had his kunai readies, watched then confusedly. How come his master had this kind of relationship with someone ?
The hug went longer than he expected. Orochimaru brought his hand onto her head and caressed it softly.
"Kouri ?" he questioned, and soon he heard sniffles. His eyes widened and broke the hug to see Kouri crying.
"Orichii.." she called the nickname. She wiped her tears away but they kept on coming.
"Mother... mother has been killed." she went louder at the mentioned of her mother and hugged Orochimaru again. Orochimaru eyes widened at the news, he felt part of his heart shattered.
"S-She was killed b-by S-Sasuke .. Uchiha Sasuke." she cried again, getting worst by second. Orochimaru felt a his heart burning hearing his own disciple killed his best friend.
"Darling.. let's get inside." he said and looked at Kabuto who looked at him weirdly. That was the first time he saw his master being sweet and caring, especially the 'darling' word which he almost puked hearing that.