Naruto: Akatsuki

The snow piled up on top of the already-existing dune of white. The ferocious and cold wind blew violently, enough to send an average person flying off their feet.

Upon this snow, the blood dripped, painting the canvas red. Some would call it tainted even, as the area began to reek of a metallic stench—even within this heavy blizzard.

Ninjas of different forehead protectors lay on the bed of snow, dead. After the chaotic confrontation, it was the hunter-nins from Kiri who stood victorious. Even the ninjas of Yuki, who were supposed to hold an advantage, didn't stand a chance against them.

"..."

The kunoichi, one who previously spoke to Akashi upon their confrontation, wiped the blood on her cheek with her thumb. With an ice-cold visage, she eyed a shinobi on the side as if asking for a report.

The shinobi, equally emotionless after the gruesome battle, lowered his head in a robot-like fashion. Afterward, said shinobi disintegrated into a puddle of water—indicating that it was a water clone.

As the water froze and formed a thin layer of ice atop the snow, the same shinobi—original for sure this time around—blurred into the scene.

Then, he spoke robotically,

"Terumi Mei, Momochi Zabuza, Ao, and... an unidentified individual in the appearance of a young boy have been sighted. Based on their behaviour, it seems that their goal is to recruit 'Red Blade'... no different from these ninjas whom we just dealt with."

"Terumi clan... the leading clan of the main opposing faction."

Muttering as if recalling the information, the kunoichi immediately made a decision,

"Ignore Red Blade for now. Priority has changed."

Her eyes flashed. Within the hallow gleam entered, the killing intent.

"We will eliminate them first."

__________

Metals clashed and sparks flew.

'What is happening...?'

Gai felt dizzy. Sharp weapons were thrown at him at a speed that he couldn't perceive.

"Tch... stay still, kid!!"

Zabuza, the guy who seemed only a few years older than him, deflected them with his huge greatsword. Gai flinched as the metallic noises rang, then felt his vision shifting as Zabuza pulled him back by the back of his coat.

Right on the patch of snow where he stood just a second ago, a shuriken struck.

'How...'

Mei, facing the kunoichi who was the leading figure of the hunter-nins, bit her lips.

'How were we found out? I swear that we—'

She didn't have the time to think, however, for the kunoichi dashed at her, starting a fast-paced hand-to-hand combat.

Ao faced off multiple hunter-nins by himself. Though he was in a pinch, he also seemed to be dealing with the situation with a surprising calmness like a true veteran.

The problem was Zabuza. Even if he was a talented fellow with the potential to become a high-class shinobi, he at the moment was lacking experience. Facing against the hunter-nins who had numerous deceits to pull off made it tough for him to match them, and this was enough for Zabuza to be unable to protect Gai any longer.

And there was one hunter-nin left, one who was unmarked.

This hunter-nin, spinning a kunai in his grip, assessed the situation before locking his eyes on Gai.

For a second, it seemed to Gai as if the time stopped.

The shinobi began to dash. Gai, with a pale expression, instinctively turned and began to run.

CLANG—!

At the last second, Mei managed to interrupt.

"GAI!!"

Mei, gritting her teeth, shouted urgently,

"RUN!!"

Just as she shouted, the leader kunoichi assaulted her with a powerful kick, sending her flying.

Sliding off the snow, Mei desperately looked at Gai, who woke from his trance, turned around, and ran frantically at his utmost speed.

The kunoichi turned to the shinobi who stood as if asking for an order. The kunoichi nodded, and seeing that, the shinobi left, following the footprint that Gai left as he ran.

"Fuck!!"

Mei cursed as she was bound by the kunoichi.

"Mei, whatever!!"

Zabuza growled,

"Just throw that kid away! Think of how to get out of this situation first if anything!"

As the battle between Kiri ninjas continued within the snowy storm, Gai ran through the snowy woods.

Compared to the places he's been to, the land of snow had a cold air. As Gai ran and rapidly took in the air, he felt as if his lungs were going to freeze. Short of breath and his muscles screaming to stop running, Gai eventually tripped, fell face-first into the snow, and began rolling uncontrollably.

Rolling downhill, he eventually slammed into one tree trunk and groaned in pain. Nonetheless, toughening up, Gai wobbly stood back up and not even aware of his bleeding nose, turned and resumed running, albeit slower and weaker than before.

And the shinobi, simply following the footprints left on the snow before being wiped out, wasn't traveling slowly, but not at his utmost speed either.

Terumi Mei. if anything, her biggest weakness was her morals. Though ninjas must not have emotion, she was anything but emotionless.

Keeping Gai alive was more beneficial for the hunter-nins' victory than death. One would ask, who would give up one's life for a kid whom she barely knows of?

Based on the information, there was a good chance that Terumi Mei would do so.

At the same time, the shinobi couldn't afford to spend too much stamina either. Considering how in the long run, the hunter-nins had a higher chance of victory, the shinobi deduced that the best way to capture Gai would be to let him run out of energy.

And so, the chase continued. Through the snows, Gai ran, directionless.

Numerous thoughts entered his mind.

The face of his deceased mother. Dai, his father, who was imprisoned out of the blue. The stares of the villagers and their alienation and estrangement.

Eventually, after the run that seemed to be never-ending, Gai stopped, unable to move any longer.

"Oh, you don't like this place, of how people look at us?"

The words from his father rang in his mind,

"...But you see, Gai, there is no paradise for us to escape to. Outside, what awaits us is anything but easier; our only option is to change what these people think of us."

"...What then?"

Falling to his knees, Gai mumbled in a teary tone.

"You failed, dad. You couldn't make those bastards change their opinions on us!!"

His hands, sunk deep in the snow, began to relay the freezing-cold sensation to him. Gai shivered as the sweat on him froze.

As he felt the presence behind him, Gai squeezed his eyes tight.

"There was no hope there... the only option I had was to come out. If only... if only..."

'...If only I had the strength.'

The shinobi, now standing directly behind Gai, watched as Gai flopped on the snow.

Assuming that Gai has finally ran out of energy went unconscious, the shinobi lifted Gai up—

—only for Gai to bite the shinobi's wrist and catch the latter off-guard.

"...!"

The shinobi lost his grip on Gai as the blood splashed out of his injured wrist.

"As if... as if I would give up!!"

Gai growled with bloody teeth as he spewed out the part of flesh he chewed off of the shinobi.

Watching as the young boy didn't dare to give up, the shinobi, supposedly emotionless, had his left eye twitching.

As he held his damaged wrist and silently gazed at Gai, the shinobi narrowed his eyes.

Gai, although trying to maintain his boldness, couldn't help but gulp as he saw the anger manifesting in the shinobi.

__________

Akashi stopped.

"..."

Turning his head to the side, a peculiar scene entered his sight.

The footprints on the snow, slowly being erased by the snow storm.

There were patches of red alongside those footprints.

Upon a quick glance, Akashi could tell two different footprints—one small and another big.

...A child was being pursued. Judging by the abnormally deep depth of the larger footprints, he could deduce that the pursuing one was a skilled ninja, for the act of leaving footprints was intentional.

'What am I?'

It was the thought which haunted Akashi.

'A killer.'

'A monster.'

'A lost one.'

Negativity. Hollowness.

What to do? Kill again? Run away as he keeps on doing?

After meeting Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato, he dedicated his life to them. Then, through one occasion, he was separated from them. After some time passed, after he finally managed to return... he had changed too much—enough such that no matter how much he tried to adjust, he couldn't fit in with them any longer.

He didn't know. He didn't know anything any longer. And that, being without a purpose, was probably the reason why he felt empty, why he kept on getting these... headaches.

However, just because he no longer valued morality, just because he was a tainted man, didn't mean that he couldn't discern between right and wrong.

"Why would you do this for me, a worthless child?"

"Why, you ask?"

Akashi felt as if the shinobi who saved his life was standing next to him, speaking as he was being carried.

As if being carried, Akashi's feet moved. He began to dash after the footprints, because...

To be remembered?

...because...

To erase the burden in your heart? To be seemed as a good person?

"Heh, 'shinobi-san' is enough for me."

...

There was no need for a reason, Akashi realized.

What reason was needed to save a young child in danger?

He sped up, dashing at a rapid speed within this heavy storm.

__________

"Cough—cough..."

Lying in a frozen pool of blood, Gai coughed more of it. His body was red—bruised, broken, bleeding, and frozen. It was evident that for some time, he was subject to the rage-filled lash-out from the shinobi, one who stood in front of him with a cold look.

And now, once again, Gai was lifted up by the collar of his shirt—for his coat was taken off of him.

Choking as the shirt tightened around his next, Gai looked at the shinobi with fear engraved in his eyes, shaking.

'And it shall continue, again.'

Emotionlessly, the shinobi raised his fist, about to punch once more.

Gai couldn't help but wonder how many times he's been hit.

It wasn't a ninjutsu. There wasn't any sharp weapon involved either.

With his fists and cold environment, the shinobi created a torturous session for Gai. Gai felt his will weakening any longer.

'Dad... I did enough, didn't I?'

Seeing that the fist was flying at him, Gai thought within his drowsy mind,

'I really tried my best. I can now rest—'

There was no fist that made contact with Gai's face.

Instead, said fist was flying in the air, completely detached from the now-stump of the shinobi's arm.

And then, there was the warmth, as Gai found himself in someone else's embrace.

"You..."

The shinobi, while holding his bleeding stump, glared at the one who was now holding Gai,

"Red Blade...!!"

Gai widened his eyes. Slowly raising his head within this warmth, he found a face which he saw many times in the bingo book.

A scar on a closed eye. Lone blue eye with messy brown hair. While holding Gai in his cloak with one of his arms, his other arm was holding onto the black sword, Ryuma, which was now covered in red.

'Akashi of the Red Blade.'

The man whom Gai was seeking for a long time appeared... at the most crucial moment possible.

And the next thing which Gai saw was Akashi throwing Ryuma up and sealing it back into the scroll.

At the same time, the shinobi was sliced into two pieces. The corpse fell without being able to speak anymore.

"...Why?"

That was the first thing that Gai asked. Akashi, as if not having expected to hear that word, had his eye trembling.

"...Why, you ask?"

After stuffing in his torrent of emotions, Akashi managed to mutter out.

"...Have you... heard of peace?"

Akashi remembered the old days when he underwent hardships as a child.

Even if it were to be false... right now, right at this moment... he wanted to give Gai hope—just as how that shinobi did.

In the end, he said,

"...Have you heard of peace?"

And for some reason, Akashi's head felt clear, now free of those thoughts which tormented him.