A visit to her home - land

Crunch The ground below, with every step, made the soft crunching noise. A light snowfall seemed to be never ending. The sky above was rather gray and depressing though the villagers seemed content and talked among themselves.

In the distance, a girl sat perched in a tree watching the people below, one hand was placed against the tree trunk to keep herself steadied while the other hand griped the branch she sat one. She had rather short, raven black hair that ruffled as the wind picked up sending the snow to spin around and fall side-ways. She wore a black kimono with the noticeable red clouds plastered throughout the fabric.

They seem so small She thought to herself, her head giving way to a tilt to her left shoulder. Her face was pale and revealed nothing about how she felt the current moment.. Actually her face was blank and seemed monotone and lifeless. Standing, the branch swayed under her weight the she kept perfect balance. Gazing down she watched a small snow hare make it's way through the snow, slowly but surely getting to it's designated area.

Crunch, crunch, crunch With every footstep the sound of snow being compacted under Kotetsu's weight in a manner of a slow metronome keeping pace, while he trecked through the snowy village. He seemed to have something on his mind as he was oblivious to the villagers wary glares, partially do his strange looks of pale skin, white hair, black eyes and the four red dots that looked tattooed on his forehead.

This place is so beautiful, yet not his voice echoed through his head The people are so blind to and by the corrupt government running them. With each word his expressionless face started to fade, instead replaced with a angered countenance.

After his thoughts Kotetsu looked around to notice the unkind and unsettling looks he was recieving from the village folk. "How are you" He replied back to them in exchange of their looks, and instead of getting an answer, he received a cold shoulder as they all turned away from him apprehensively. So it is the same way here? in frustration he started once again to continue through the village while pondering Why must I get these uneasy and weary looks from strangers? Is it because I am not from here, or just of my looks?

There it was.. That sound that awful, horrid sound that snow made when stepped upon groaned against Kunori's ear drums causing her to wrinkle her nose in disgust. Though as if on instant, her eyes narrowed towards the figure that seemed to cause a lot of commotion.

Those stares, the icy stares filled with hatred, fear, and so many more emotions that Kunori didn't understand were all directed towards a male figure that almost instantly caught her attention.

Where is he from? Who is he? questions began to form in her head as she leaned forward in her perch but still seemed to keep her balance as the branch swayed up and down under her weight.

A mysterious sound seemed to catch his attention as he snapped out of his thoughts but continued to proceed forward. Kotetsu's eyes were drawn toward the familiar sound of leaves rustling in the wind, to lock eyes with a young women perched up in a tree a little ways off.

He knew nothing of this girl, yet felt intrigued to go and introduce himself, mainly because of the weird attire she beared. Of the black robe with the strange red clouds. Where have I seen that clothing. was the first thing that popped into his head.

The whole walk up to where the girl was located, he kept wondering to himself about the familiar seeming robe. I know for a fact I have seen or heard of it before, but from where Once arriving at the tree he introduced himself politely with only his first name, as to not reveal him being from the revered or venerate newly formed Kaguya clan. "Hello, my name is Kotetsu." He calmly stated "may I ask what your name is?"

Feeling his gaze the girl tried to duck behind the leaves in the tree but fail miserably and dropped from her perch after hearing your voice.

Her eyes locked onto yours and she remained silent for what seemed to be forever then she spoke.

"Greetings Kotetsu. I'm Kunori" she gave a faint bow, though her eyes remained locked with his. Standing up straight she tilted her head. "you are rather interesting looking" she stated, not knowing that she was actually being rude with her words.

Around her neck was a village headband with a scratch crossing through the village mark, signaling she was from the Village hidden in the mist but no longer lived there.

Acknowledging her bow, he returned one. "It is a pleasure meeting you, even if you are somewhat rude" Kotetsu stated jokingly with a faint smile.

It wasn't until after her bow, did he notice the Missing ninja headband that hang around her neck. He then placed his hand atop is headband whic was worn around his waist, like a belt, to keep the black cloak he wore closed.

"So what is a missing Kiri shinobi doing back in the country?" He asked, curiously wanting to learn her story if given one. Kotetsu was also weary of the girl and remained on guard at the same time, mainly because of his past being a great hunter ninja. Not knowing if his reputation grew or spread to the point where missing ninja would openly attack him in fear of him trying to hunt them.

She watched him and returned the smile, trying to mimic it as if she didn't know how to on her own.

"In all honesty, I am not sure why I return to the wretched place Kirigakure was never home to me." she let her eyes scan the few people who remained watching the male.

"These people.. they all look at you with that same look... what is it in their eyes?" she asked the rhetorical question as she let her arms swing down beside her. Looking back to you. "I suppose you belong to Kirigakure then?" her eyes gestured down to his headband. "Are you currently living there or are you a missing-nin?"

He chuchkled softly at her question, not knowing it was rhetorical, and answered "I do not know exactly" pausing briefly "Fear, curiosity, or even maybe something else but only they will know"

Kotetsu then removed his hand from his headband to reveal that he was in fact a missing ninja from Kirigakure. "Yes, I am from Kirigajure yet no longer belong to them" was all he said on the topic at the moment before trying to switch the subject."May I ask of the robes you exhibit ?" Once again seeming more curious "They seem familiar as if I have seen them before or heard of them, but it must have been a while ago"

"Fear, curiosity...?" she echoed the words in awe. Before turning her attention to his question, looking down at her robe. She ran her fingers along it.

"The Akatuski wear these robes" she responded. "Are you planning on joining or remaining a rogue ninja to rejoin a village?"

He felt somewhat disappointed that he couldn't remember the akatsuki's robe even after being a hunter-ninja. "I am not sure as of yet" Kotetsu started to have conflicting thoughts. I was once a hunter ninja, ordered to kill missing ninja on site. Even though that is my past it still haunts me that I have become what I wa s entrusted to kill on sight .

"I have my own goals now.." He stated as his voice seemed to trail off. Then it hit him on how to answer her question "I will go to where my ideals are respected and listened to, while at the same time, a place in which to help me fulfill my own goals." He then quoted one of his favorite poems "The pleasure of a dream, is that it's a fantasy. And it is my destiny to turn it into a reality"

"May I ask what your goals are Kotetsu?" she asked the question, her voice was softening as she seemed to relax around the other figure.

"Sometimes goals cannot be completed without the help of others that is why I have no goals.. I was raised and trained never to ask for the help of others, I was raised to be a weapon." she tilted her head, her eyes were monotone. "Maybe in order to complete what you're heart desires.. you need to accept the help of those you once thought to be in the wrong"

He was hesitant to answer at first, but realized there would or should be no harm in letting her know his goal, due to the fact that she is a missing ninja as well. "My goal is to bring down the tyrannical reign of the current Mizukage"

Kotetsu seemed to relax as well around the friendly girl, who mentioned her name to be Kunori, up until she mentioned of accepting help from those who he thought was in the wrong. His muscles tensed ready for any type of altercation. "And what makes you think I thought of you being in the wrong?" Reason for him acting in such a manor, was he didn't know if she knew of him or his past as a hunter.

"Ah, so you wish to rid of the kage. If only the people could govern themselves."

She continued to watch you. "you just tensed at my words.. I meant no harm by what I said, what I meant was sometimes you will believe one thing to be right then your eyes are opened and you need the help of the others you once believed to have done something wrong... I believed my clan to be in the right and those who opposed us to be wrong but once I broke free from them I realized it was they who were wrong."

She then plopped onto the ground with her legs crossed. "Do you understand?"

"My thoughts exactly" he agreed with her "The people should be able to govern themselves instead of being continuously lied to and oppressed"

Kotetsu then bows once again in apology. "I am terribly sorry, that I mistook what you said" by this time he felt pretty bad for being over paranoid about his past. "But yes I understand exactly what you are saying now. I have had first hand experience such as you"

She blinked in surprise as he said sorry. "No need to apologize, it was a simple misunderstanding and part of it was on how I worded what I wanted to speak"

Leaning back on her hands she pulled her lips back into a smile. "So why did you leave your village if you wish to take the Kage's life?"

He crouched down before saying, "I left the village for many reasons concerning the Kage" his eyes seemed to shift all around them as if to see if anyone else was around or listening. "Mainly the cruel and unjust orders he had carried out under his orders" pausing briefly, once again to examine the area around them. "He ripped families apart, had innocents murdered just because he could and to cover up a plot unknown to most of the village. He also is somewhat of a paranoid, and has had people who could be a threat to him eliminated"

She frowned as she listened. "I don't like the sounds of the government that spreads throughout the countries.. I suppose not all are the same though."

Biting down on her lip, she wrinkled her nose. "You were smart to leave... but what about family?" Kunori tried her best to seem 'normal' as she asked the questions someone that actually had feelings towards those kinds of things would ask. "Do you miss them?"

Kotetsu eyes wandered away from Kunori as she questioned of his family and if he missed them. "Honestly, I know very little of them" he was hesitant at first to continue on "They were killed and I was abducted shortly after birth, never able to really be able be with them nor remember them"

He momentarily sat there, shocked that he even opened up and was telling his story to nearly a complete stranger. Then his attention turned back on Kunori. "May I ask of your family? And what caused you to defect and become a missing ninja?"

"I see" she lowered her eyes before looking back up. "My family? I wouldn't call them one though I had them regardless. Some of them live here while others reside in the village, I had the luck of being more into the village but from birth I had been selected to hold all the secrets that ran in my family.. Those things you call emotions, I'm not sure what each of them is or what they stand for. I was raised and trained to be a weapon and that is exactly what I am.. "

She paused, wrinkling her nose in thought. "I left when I was eighteen because I figured I could be of use to someone else." ending with her story she smiled brightly.

After telling herr story, he couldn't help but to slightly smile even after the depressing stories that have been told. Reason being was they were alike more than they both knew. "I was also raised to be a personal weapon of the Mizukage"

"Under his orders I was experimented on to be created as an ultimate weapon, and sent on falsified missions to cover up his Wrong doings, in order to keep me a secret from the world" While speaking of this Kotetsu's anger slightly grew, mainly because of the horrible and painful experiments along with the wrongful killings he was forced to do.

Sensing something was wrong, Kunori placed her hand over yours.

"It's amazing how alike we are, we come from the same village and stem from the same training we are both meant to be tools for others but we have our own minds and we can use it against those who tried to control us.. You don't have to let him rule your life, your free to do as you wish and lead the life that you want."

Her actions and words seemed to have a soothing and calming effect on him as his anger subsided. "I completely agree with you." Thinking briefly "together, we can topple the Kiri government and bring down anyone who tries to oppress the villagers."

Kotetsu stood from his crouching position. "The people who have hurt us most, will pay for their actions, no matter how long it takes or how dangerous it will be, they will be accountable for the actions they chose to take" He then turned his attention towards the snowy village. "It is such a shame that a beautiful village such as this is living in the shadows of lies and false promises"

kunori watched the male stand up and listened carefully to each of his words then she too stood up and stepped beside you, her eyes scanning the village.

"It is a shame.. The people here are unaware of what's going on in the village they are a shadow to they believe everything to be fine." after she finished speaking she stood in silence for a moment then cocked her head to the side.

"Together then.. Together we can bring this village and anyone else who opposes us down."

A smile spread across Kotetsu's face at the agreement in they both needing to work together to accomplish similar goals. "I have no doubt we will be able to fulfill our goals, especially together"

He then turned back towards Kunori. "This is going against everything that I used to believe in but" stated Kotetsu with a brief pause. "But I would like to join the Akatsuki to help further my goal. We could rebuild it to its former glory, yet with different motives. Instead of taking over the taiked beasts, our goal could be to bring peace to the land by suppressing and eliminating the oppressors of this world"

Kunori grinned at his words. "Then, by your request you are accepted into the Akatsuki, we will lead the Akatsuki together and use it to wipe out all the tyrants"