After several minutes of dying on the floor, Deidara and Kisame's laughter finally faltered into large grins. Kakuzu and Itachi went back to their neutral states. "Will you guys just stop laughing already?" Hidan said dejectedly.

"Yeah, yeah, okay." Deidara said, still grinning. "So," he said quite cheerfully, satisfied with the information that came back. "Who'll go next?" The artist looked at the others, "Kakuzu? Itachi? Kisame?"

"I'll go next," Kisame said, giving a toothy smile. "I don't really plan on attacking the poor guy, but I'll get whatever I can out of him."

"Kisame, I think you may need to use Samehada at some point, yeah."

Kisame chuckled at that, causing Deidara to frown. The male must've thought he was joking. "I'm sure I'll do fine, Deidara." Kisame said. His gaze landed onto his partner, Itachi. "I don't know whether I should go tomorrow or today. What do you think, 'tachi?"

"I don't care whether you go tomorrow or today. Just go and get this over with." The Uchiha answered monotonously. It always impressed Kisame at how stoic Itachi was.

Deidara rolled his eyes and scowled. "I see you're very helpful."

"I think I may go tonight," Kisame said. "I'm in a good mood, and Tobi must be tired, making it easier for me to take off his mask. Besides, I can probably do it quickly." He turned to face Deidara, who was giving him a somewhat menacing look. "Not that it means anything." He hastily added.

Deidara shrugged, "Whenever you feel like it, I guess, hm."

At that, Kisame grinned. He turned around to see a defeated and depressed Jashinst, sitting lazily on the ground. "Hey, Hidan, why the gloomy face?"

Hidan looked up and glared. "You know exactly the fuck why!" He yelled, seeing a grin appear on Deidara's face as well. "You're all bastards, I tell you. Bastards."

"Woah, Hidan, calm down. You have such a potty mouth." Deidara said, his grin spreading.

"And today, you literally had one," Kisame added, and both of them snorted. They looked at each other for a few seconds, then burst out laughing.

Hidan flushed — the last few days was the most times he's ever done so — and crossed his arms, letting out a petulant whine. "Kakuzu, why aren't you doing anything? Beat them up or something!"

Kakuzu gave an inward eye roll, ignoring his partner's cries. "Kakuzu!" Hidan screamed once more. "Oi, old fucking man! Answer me! Don't ignore me!"

"I swear, I'll kill you one day," Kakuzu muttered, sick of his partner's grating voice. "Shut up."

Hidan groaned. He was tired of everyone. Everyone was tired of him. People were tired. All Hidan wanted was to take off Tobi's mask… and to tease Deidara when he did. And what did he get? This.

Hidan made an incredibly sad face, puppy eyes and all, and Deidara found that hilarious. Itachi saw the face, and felt a little bad, but he admitted that the situation was funny. His face reminded him of Sasuke, whenever he would point his forehead and tell him, "Maybe next time."

"Okay, okay, hm, we'll stop laughing!" The bomber chuckled.

"That's what you said earlier," The Jashinist muttered. He kept sulking, and Deidara bit back a snort. Kami, he thought. Hidan is such a child!

After a beat, the arsonist let out a lengthy exhale. When he was done, his face was still, and Deidara tried to make it as neutral as he could muster. Kisame knew Deidara was doing that through sheer will power.

"Are you sure you want to go tonight, Kisame?" Deidara said, trying to act normal, and hiding back more snorts with every glance at the big, religious baby giving petulant cries on the floor. "Maybe you should rest, hm."

"No, no, it's fine, Deidara. All of you don't have to wait for me, I'll go and tell you the results tomorrow." The said man replied. He grinned, letting all his pointy teeth show. "I'll be off. Samehada and I are going to have some fun, although I probably won't use him."

"Good luck, yeah," Deidara said before waving. Kakuzu sat down and counted his money, Hidan was still depressed, and Itachi stared at the ground.

Kisame would probably be back by midnight. It was only seven in the evening, after all.

Obito sat in one of the trees. If the Akatsuki were smart, they'd send someone after him at this time, because they'd think he was tired.

He was.

He nearly got sacrificed today, what would one expect? And then after that whole thing, he had a meeting with Pein and Konan.

He frowned as he was reminded that the group of S-rank nin had found out more on his abilities. They barely scratched the surface of Obito, but it was still a little too much for his comfort. That bothered him. And he hated how Hidan, of all people, could find out about his time limit. That completely and utterly confused him. How did he find out, when Obito gave no hints to his time limit at all? How could someone like Hidan find that out? It was a mystery to him.

Nevertheless, he probably knew. They all do, now, if Hidan told them.

Obito's weight shifted, causing a light ruffle in the branch's leaves. He sighed. This game was fun and all, but he was getting tired at the Akatsuki's useless attempts. How many people were left? Three? Obito guessed he'd just go to whoever's next first. He promised to himself nothing would slip up. Nothing else would be revealed — no one would find out anything else about him.

He activated Kamui to teleport to one of the nearby forests surrounding the base.

Kisame walked out of the base, trying to find Zetsu. He believed that Zetsu was his best chance at finding Tobi. He walked two steps, then heard a ruffle in the nearby bushes. He reached for his sword's hilt and grasped his strong hands onto it. "Who's there?" He called out, but his question was answered when he saw a glint of orange, illuminated with the dusk sky's now fading lights.

"Oh, hey, Tobi," Kisame said with a grin, letting his shoulders relax and letting go of Samehada. Tobi let his mask hole peep out from the bush. He put a finger to his lips. Or, well, his mask.

"Shh! You can't see me!" The masked man whisper-shouted, and Kisame chuckled. "Alright," He agreed. He looked around, pretending to be scared. "Who's there?" He asked once more, but with a grin.

"Boo!" Tobi shouted, popping out of his bush. Kisame gasped, feigning surprise. "Did I scare you, Mr. Kisame?" Tobi asked eagerly.

"Yes, Tobi, you did." Kisame joked, and Tobi looked elated. He jumped out of his bush and struck a pose. "I am Tobi, the master at scaring people!" He then proceeded to put a finger to his mask, as if deep in thought. "You know," He said in a matter-of-factly tone. "Tobi also scared Mr. Hidan a lot yesterday, too!"

Kisame bit back a small snort. "Really? How many times?"

"Three," Was the reply, and Kisame couldn't help but give out low chuckles. "So, what were you doing out here, Tobi?" He asked.

"Tobi was looking for Mr. Zetsu to play!" Was his answer. "But then I saw someone coming out of the base and decided to hide behind a bush." He explained in a matter-of-factly tone. He shifted his body onto one foot and leaned sideways to look behind Kisame, "Who's that?" He asked curiously.

Kisame turned around to see a figure looming in the shadows, walking towards them. Hands reached for the sword hilt once more, but he immediately faltered in his actions and grinned when he saw that it was no other than the blonde arsonist, Deidara.

"Deidara," said Kisame, "What're you doing out here?"

"Just decided to take a walk, yeah," said man replied casually. He gestured at the clay he was holding with a small grin, "I also wanted to try and experiment with my clay." His eyes dawned onto a neon orange mask, its holder waving his hand vigorously.

"Hi, senpai!" Tobi greeted with glee. Deidara sighed, "Hey," He greeted back, but not with the same grin he gave Kisame. He then shifted his gaze back onto Kisame, "May I join you guys?" He offered.

"Mr. Kisame, will you please, please, let Deidara-senpai join?" The masked man begged him, putting his hands together in a prayer-like position.

Kisame gave a side smile, and the artist rolled his eyes. "Alright, he can join us." Kisame said. To this, Tobi fell onto his knees, and started to sob. "Thank you, Mr. Kisame!" He looked up at him, a glimmer in his eye-hole. He sniffed loudly, wiping a finger under his mask-hole, as if wiping a tear, even though none were there.

Deidara tried his hardest not to face palm, but Kisame just gave a little smile, somewhat concerned. He turned towards Deidara, "Let's go grab a bite. Maybe later you can show me that clay stuff you planned on experimenting."

The arsonist gave another grin, same one from earlier when he greeted the man. "Let's," He agreed.

Tobi clapped his hands excitedly and started to jump and down, screaming, "Hooray!" He then proceeded to skip away happily down the forest's path. Deidara sighed and looked at Kisame with drooping eyelids. All Kisame could do was grin at the expression as they began to trail after him.

As soon as Tobi skipped away, the arsonist made sure that there was enough distance between both him, Kisame, and the masked man. Once he was certain Tobi probably couldn't hear him, as he had skipped ahead, he got closer to Kisame and bowed his head, murmuring under his breath, "So, what's your plan going to be?"

Kisame gave him a little smile, "Not sure yet, but I'm sure I'll think of one soon." Deidara frowned at that, but chose to stay quiet and shrug. It all depended on Kisame, as he – though he fails to admit it – was unsuccessful at taking off the man's mask. The more people failed, the less of a chance that he'll ever have his satisfaction fulfilled, which upset him. Deidara did not like mysteries.

"What did you do when it was your turn?" Kisame asked, turning to Deidara. The smaller man looked up, a bit surprised at the question. "Well," he started, trying to recall the memory, as it was a few days ago, "I tried to trick him by saying we were going to play a game, yeah." the arsonist smiled when he began to remember the other details, "I put minefields in the area we were 'playing' in," he put two fingers up and down to quote the word, "and made a clay bird, hm, then I flew up and blew him up."

Kisame chuckled at that, "Did you really think that would've taken his mask off, Deidara?"

"Well, it wasn't exactly my intention, yeah. I blew up the area so that I could hide in the aftermath of the explosions – you know, the dust." He explained, beginning to mold his clay, "and when he was confused, I swooped down and tried to take off his mask."

"But then you couldn't, because your arm went through him, right?"

"Yeah," Deidara frowned, "For years, I've been his partner, yet I never knew he had that ability, hm." He looked down, his usually clear eyes somewhat cloudy, "And then Hidan said that he could actually have the ability to activate that – that…" He paused, trying to look for the correct words. His eyes brightened when he found it, "Intangibility."

"Thanks," Kisame gave a toothy grin. "Having the information refreshed in my head really helps." At that, Deidara smiled and returned to his clay.

They walked around for a while, Tobi humming soundly as Deidara played with his clay and Kisame observed the soon-to-be night skies. "So, where are we going, Mr. Kisame and Deidara-senpai?" Tobi asked, turning around but continuing to skip.

How the fuck is he skipping backwards? Deidara pondered, his eyes narrowing. He made a weird face, one mixed with irritation and confusion. Nevertheless, he answered with an idle, "To a space where I can practice. I was looking for a clear area, be on the lookout, Tobi."

Tobi nodded vigorously and turned back around. Almost immediately after, he yelled, "There's one!" with a pointed finger. The artist turned towards the direction he was pointing at, but Tobi's definition of a 'clear space' was a mere gap in the forest's trees. He was about to snap back, saying that Tobi was an idiot and that what he meant was an actual clear area, when the man struck again. "And there!" Tobi said, whipping around and pointing at another area in the trees. "And there, and there, and th –"

"Never mind, Tobi, it's okay." Deidara said with a forced smile, but the masked-man refused to stop, saying, "No! Tobi wants to help his senpai!" Deidara kept trying to convince him that it was okay, and the two went back and forth. The more Tobi spoke, the more irritated Deidara got. By the fourth time, he was about to snap. He could hear Kisame's soft chuckles in the background, and didn't want to lose his cool in front of him, so he inwardly raged and kept to himself. They soon came to a halt, to a large area in the forest, and Deidara said, "Here. This is where I'll practice with my clay, yeah." To this, Kisame frowned.

"But I thought you said you wanted a clear space?" To that, the arsonist grinned, blue eyes illuminating the dark, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "I realized there's no need, hm. I'll have one soon enough."

And with that, he took out his clay and started to mold them into tiny balls. He threw them into the air, spreading them around the area. His grinned broadened as he put his hands together and yelled, "Katsu!"

This lead to there being a decent amount of space for then to settle down in, and a decent amount for Deidara to practice with. Although Deidara would've preferred a much bigger bomb for larger amounts of areas, it was night, so it wasn't really his first priority at the moment. He would just be practicing with tiny bombs tonight, as bigger ones may attract people to them. Not that he and Kisame couldn't fight off whoever came, but this was just in case.

"Oh," Deidara smiled, dragging the vowel as he got an idea. "Kisame," He turned towards the man, "Can you help me with your water clones?"

"How so?" Was Kisame's answer.

"Oh, oh!" Said Tobi, jumping up and down, "Can Tobi help, too? Tobi would love to help his senpai!" To that, the arsonist rolled his eyes with a scowl. "No, Tobi, it's fine. Just sit there and be quiet." He turned back to Kisame, "Try making a water clone. I want to put one of my bombs into it and see what happens."

Kisame grinned, "Alright."

Tobi watched as the two had fun and experimented, the sun getting low. Kisame laughed when the bomb blew the water clone apart and splashed into both their faces. Deidara didn't look too happy, but he snorted at it. It went back and forth for a while, Tobi staying quiet as Deidara told him to. It wasn't that hard – at this point, Obito was just naturally quiet.

"Tobi," Deidara said several minutes later, still experimenting with Kisame. "Why're you so quiet, hm?" He said while grinning, as he had been having fun with Kisame. His smile faltered when Tobi didn't answer, "Hey, I told you that you could be quiet, but not too quiet. Are you trying to be cool?"

When Tobi still didn't answer, Deidara frowned. He stopped what he was doing with Kisame and walked up to the masked man, who was sitting down, not saying a word. "Oi," He said, shaking his shoulder. He took note that Tobi wasn't intangible at the moment, and continued, "Are you okay?"

A loud snore came from under the mask, and Tobi murmured, "No, senpai, don't touch that…!" Deidara's face contorted into that of irritated and disgusted. Who the hell sleeps while sitting? He sighed and turned back to Kisame, saying, "He's asleep."

Kisame's mouth twisted into a toothy grin. "If he's asleep," He started, "Then we can take his mask off."

Deidara's eyes brightened. And the fact that Tobi wasn't intangible at the moment made it all the more better. "Kisame, yeah," Deidara grinned, "You are a fucking genius!"

To that, Kisame chuckled. "What're you waiting for, then?" To that, Deidara lit up, but he faltered when he realized that it was probably Kisame who should take off Tobi's mask. "You should do it, hm. I already had my turn."

"Nah, it's fine," Kisame said with a smile, "You should do the honours. You're the one who made this mission, after all." He chuckled, "Plus, I think you're the most curious out of all of us."

Deidara grinned and thanked him, before walking up to the man and bending down to take his mask off. Obito opened an eye, although he had already heard the entire conversation. They were fools to think he was actually asleep. But, then again, he was Tobi, so… anyways, bottomline is that he heard the entire conversation. The Uchiha gave a small smile, watching the scene play out. Deidara was reaching for his mask, and Obito could sense the anticipation. He activated his intangibility as soon as he saw Deidara's fingers reach for him. When he saw Deidara's face as his hand went through him, Obito couldn't hold back his snort. He looked so shocked and disappointed, Obito couldn't help it.

"Pfft –" Was what came out of the Uchiha's lips. Deidara face twisted into that of confusion and rage. "Tobi," He said with clenched teeth, "Were you awake the entire time?"

"Y-yeah," Tobi stuttered, trying to hold back his laughter, "Sorry, senpai!"

"I'll kill you, hm!" Deidara yelled, and blew the masked man up.

"Uwaah!" Tobi yelled as flew across the air.

Kisame sighed, but grinned. "You're too hard on him sometimes, Deidara." The arsonist dusted off his hands and casually answered, "He'll come back, don't worry."

And, of course, the man had come back shortly after. Deidara had wiped invisible tears off of his face, as his peace hadn't lasted for long. Sooner or later, he decided to leave for the two and practice on his own. Kisame and Tobi waved him a goodbye, and Deidara walked off.

The remaining two continued to walk for a while, and the sky got darker and darker each few minutes. Obito was tired, yes, but was still able to manage keeping up his act.

"Mr. Kisame," Tobi asked while skipping, "Why did you come to hang out with Tobi tonight?"

Kisame looked at the smaller man and answered with a toothy grin, "Well, I never actually wanted to hang out with you tonight. I just found you outside the base. Deidara tagged along, so it all just kind of happened."

Yeah, right, Obito thought, but Tobi accepted the answer by nodding. "I see," Said Tobi casually. He then asked, "Ne, Mr. Kisame, what time is it?" To that, Kisame looked at the sky, which was now getting dark, only an incredibly small portion of the sun showing, the light's orange, red, and yellow fading into dark blue with hints of purple, the air beginning to turn cooler. "Maybe around eight," Kisame answered for him after a little while.

"Aren't you tired, Mr. Kisame?" Tobi asked again. Kisame shook his head and casually protruded his lip, "No, not really. You?"

"Tobi is rarely ever tired," Was the masked man's answer. He wanted to add, "Now is one of those rare times where I am," But stayed quiet. Kisame chuckled at that, saying, "Not that surprising. You always seem to be hyper."

"That's because Tobi's always high on sugar."

Kisame snorted at the reply, and continued to walk. They decided to stop by a place in the forest, and Tobi wanted a fire because he was getting cold, so Kisame went to go and grab some sticks. By the time he got back, he was carrying heaps of sticks on the top of his shoulders.

"Woah, Mr. Kisame! You're really strong!" The masked man said, twinkles in his eyes. Kisame gave a toothy grin in return, "Thanks, Tobi."

Tobi hummed as his response as Kisame dropped the pile of stick onto the ground. He stared at it for a few seconds before asking, "How will we start the fire, Mr. Kisame?" Of course; Obito could've started it right there and then with ease, but why would he do that? It would reveal too much, anyways. He wondered how they would even be able to start the fire – he doesn't think fire is the other's specialty.

The other male looked at him and snorted. "Easy, Tobi," He started. Obito was surprised, and a brow raised underneath a neon orange mask. Was he about to pull a fire jutsu on him? Was he even able to do so? He had never thought of the possibility, but only because he had never seen Kisame display any type of jutsu related to that. Instead of making hand signs, Obito watched the other male bend down and pick up some sticks.

Oh.

"Why, we do it the old fashioned way!"

Oh.

So that's what he meant. A crease formed between his two brows; Kami, were these the people he associated himself with?

Kisame crouched and began to rub the sticks against one another, trying to ignite a fire. Obito plopped down onto the ground. Great. This would take ages, and it was pretty chilly out, too. Actually… you know what?

"Mr. Kisame," Tobi started, approaching him. "Tobi will try to do it."

In reply, the other male chuckled. "Are you sure you can do it, Tobi?" And to that, the masked man nodded.

"Tobi needs you to get flowers!" He said. "I want to make a flower necklace for the two of us."

Kisame considered it for a little, before handing the Uchiha the sticks and walking off. Obito smiled underneath his mask. Good. He watched as Kisame left, still rubbing the sticks together absently. Once he was finally gone – Obito made sure he was with the use of his Sharingan – he slid his mask off to the side, feeling the cool air against his bare skin. He positioned himself over the pile of sticks they had gathered. He pulled out a few hand signs, puffing out a small ball of fire to ignite it, immediately beginning a flame.

As soon as Kisame came back, Tobi was sitting near the fire, humming softly to himself. The masked man turned to look at him, waving. "Hello, Mr. Kisame!" He motioned at the fire excitedly, "Look, look! Tobi did it!"

A look of shock crossed the other man's eyes. Obito was grinning.

"How'd you…?" Kisame started, mouth agape. Tobi shrugged, "I just did it the old fashioned way."

Kisame had handed Tobi the flowers he had asked for. A pair of fish-like stared at neon swirls that were placed upon the other's mask as he twiddled with the flower stems in his hands. A crease formed between his brows; how is it that the likes of someone like Tobi – a man of no talent, it seemed – was capable of making a fire like that under five minutes or so? It made no sense whatsoever. He was supposed to believe that Tobi rubbed two sticks together and ignited a spark big enough to ignite a fire which spread to all the sticks and was a decent size in under five minutes?

"Mr. Kisame," Tobi's voice interrupted his thoughts, "I know I'm handsome, but there's no need to stare."

The taller man blinked for a few seconds before letting out a laugh. "Sorry about that, I'm just thinking."

Tobi stood silent, and in those moments, Kisame thought he saw something pass in the pitch black void of that mask hole. He caught a glint of… something. His smile faltered a little at that, but he averted his gaze. There had to be some type of jutsu involved; there just had to be. But Tobi… he couldn't have. So then what other explanation was there? That he actually was able to rub the two sticks together and ignite a fire that way?

Interesting.

The masked man's humming broke his train of thought. It sounded somewhat nostalgic… familiar, actually. His gaze shifted down to the flower necklace Tobi was weaving, and before he even registered the words coming out he heard the faint, soft whisper escape Tobi's lips. He hadn't heard what it said, but it was definitely… a name?

"What song is that?" Kisame asked him.

Tobi, who was usually so hyperactive, was quiet for once. "Just… an old lullaby."

And to this, Kisame replied right after. "Itachi's sung that before." He watched as the gloved hands that were so delicately tying together the flowers stopped in their tracks.

"Really?" Tobi asked, looking up at him. The other nodded, now shifting his gaze to meet eye level. Kisame wondered where the masked man had heard it; see, Itachi rarely ever hummed the song, but when he did, Kisame remembered it. He usually only heard the first or the last few parts, as the Uchiha only sung it when he was alone, so Kisame had only been able to catch the endings or the beginnings. When Kisame asked about it, he got the vague answer: "Just an old Uchiha lullaby." Which was interesting, since Tobi's answer was eerily similar – it just didn't include the word 'Uchiha'.

"How do you know of it?" the shark-like man continued, hints of skepticism in his tones. Tobi paused for a second, before rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.

"Hah," Tobi started, as if he was embarrassed to admit something. "Sometimes Tobi sits around in his free time and spies on the other members. So Tobi's heard Mr. Itachi sing before," He suddenly sprung up, facing the other man and pointing at him. "You can't tell anyone about this, Mr. Kisame! This is Tobi's secret!"

Kisame's lips curled into a small smile, yet his expression was still somewhat serious; he believed he was going somewhere with this. "So you… you memorized it? How many times have you heard him sing or hum the tune to be able to memorize it so well? And to be able to fill in the gaps of the song…" Kisame paused, narrowing his eyes at the other for a few seconds, before bursting into laughter. "You must be one hell of a spy, Tobi!"

Tobi looked like he just let out a breath of air he was holding the entire time. It looked like he deflated. Was it out of relief? Or because he was nervous about something? "Yeah, Tobi really is! I learned it from Zetsu!"

"As expected, haha. But seriously. How were you able to memorize it?"

"Tobi has good memory!" was his simple reply.

Still, Kisame felt as if something was way off here. Wouldn't Itachi sense his chakra and immediately stop singing? Or was Tobi just that good at hiding from someone like the Uchiha? His gaze stayed on Tobi for a good three more seconds, before turning away again. Could it be? Kisame snorted out loud. No way.

Tobi, an Uchiha?

No was, the thought was absurd. Yeah, he was overthinking. What a funny thought that was; Uchiha… Tobi?

Obito knew he should've chosen his words carefully. That was way too close for comfort. Way. Too. Close.

He couldn't believe himself sometimes.

He was glad Kisame seemed to have just took it off as Tobi just being a really good hider, but did he really? Obito observed that snort. He caught that slight narrow in his eyes. The Uchiha knew it; Kisame got suspicious in those moments, though they were only in the split second. Still, he hoped the afterthought was Kisame just deciding that the thought of him being an Uchiha was rather preposterous, because it really was.

He was a failure.

Actually, no. He takes that back; he is not the failure here. It was the world that failed him.

That sounded a bit better. He wanted to laugh.

He had finished making the flower necklace, motioning it towards the other. "Mr. Kisame," Tobi started, holding it out to the other. It was beautiful; Obito could tell Kisame was somewhat impressed with the outcome. Maybe he had thought it would look messy and unkempt, but it looked like it was made with care. "Here."

Kisame leaned forward as Tobi proceeded to place the necklace around the other's neck collar. It was a little hard, as he didn't want to break the necklace. Colourful arrays of dark blue mixed with hues of purple were tied together neatly; it was vibrant. "Thanks," the taller man said, his lips curling into a grin. Underneath the mask, Obito's face was stoic. This was rather pathetic; a waste of time. Yet here he was, anyways. A soft sigh escaped from his mouth.

"You're welcome, Mr. Kisame," Tobi replied with hints of weariness. If Kisame had noticed it, he didn't say anything. Obito was growing really tired, which was unusual, but… this was one of the rare times he yearned for sleep. It was silent for a while, only the sounds of crackles every now and then filling up his ears.

"Tobi, I want to know how to make a flower necklace," Kisame suddenly said, which surprised Obito. Was he going to make one for him? How… sweet.

How pathetic.

Tobi looked down, only seeing scattered petals on the floor. "There's no more flowers, though, Mr. Kisame."

"Then I'll go and get some more."

Why would he take the effort to do such a thing? To return the favour? Kisame was somewhat kind, sure, but Obito didn't expect his heart to be that… giving.

"Okay!" Tobi said cheerfully, clapping two hands together brightly. He watched as the taller man stood himself upwards. Onyx eyes met the dark mask-hole for a few seconds, before he turned his heel and walked off into the forest, the shadows consuming his figure until Tobi could see him no more.

Strange, Obito had thought. Was even was kindness, anymore?

He didn't know how long he sat there for; hours, it felt like. Years. Decades. Centuries. But only a mere five minutes had passed by.

Life was too long. He just wanted to see the world in peace before he died. To see everyone living happy, though their lives would only be in a genjutsu. Complete and utter silence rung through his ears; a beautiful sound it was. Oh, how he wished to sit here forever, the world burning as he burned along with it.

Then, and only then, would the quiet be heard by everyone else. Apart from the screams of agony as others went through excruciating pain, it would all pass, and then there would be silence.

Pure silence.

Lost in his thoughts, he didn't notice the slight brush of leaves from behind him. It only took a second rustle for him to snap out of his little trance, perking up suddenly. "Who's there?" Tobi asked, his shrill voice breaking the beautiful silence that he had cherished. In the black void of his eye-hole, an eye flashes red, narrowing.

No one answered. Obito's back straightened, his ears perking at whatever minimal sounds he could catch. He could see a figure of chakra heading towards him.

"Hello?" He asked again, this time a little more firmly as the shadow neared him. He thought this person would emerge from the shadows that overcasted them. But no, they didn't move. Tobi stood up.

Suddenly, "Water Style: Exploding Water Shock Wave!" came into Obito's ears. He knew exactly who it was and what was happening as soon as he heard that. He jumped from his position, a rush of water coming from the dark shadows of the forest. Obito narrowed his eyes from under his mask as he landed on the branch of a tree on the opposite side.

He had to get away; water was where Kisame was strongest. He could have escaped, right here, right now, but he chose not to for reasons that even he didn't know of. Kisame didn't hesitate to make his next move. He rode on the water naturally, heading towards where Tobi was.

"Water Style: Water Clone Jutsu!" Kisame roared, and Obito looked down as the thee other Kisame's emerged from the water he was standing on. Sharp teeth glinted in the moonlight as the shark-like man grinned at the Uchiha. His water clones dashed into the forest and into the trees Obito was standing on. Obito knew that water clones could only go so far, as they couldn't travel too far from the user. He held his mask as he ran through the trees whilst screaming, "Uwaah! Tobi's being attacked!"

Soon, the presence of the water clones were gone, and Obito stopped in his tracks. The rush of water moved to where his area was. But... where was Kisame?

Suddenly, water formed around him. Without warning, Tobi found himself trapped in a bubble of water. He didn't even have the time to take a breath of air beforehand. Where was Kisame? Where did he come from? He tilted his head to the side, only to see the man behind him, an arm extended into the water. How?

It seemed Kisame knew what Tobi was thinking. "While you kept trying to run from my water clones, your focus was more on them." He explained, "The moment you turned your back on me, I sped underneath you as you hopped from branch to branch. And when you paused, that is when I leaped from my position and placed you into my Water Prison." He explained simply.

So that's how he did it. How did he not notice? The Uchiha was in trouble here; he needed to somehow keep his act up while trying to find ways out of this mess. He could have an entire freak-out session, but that'd lose him a lot of air. Moving more in the water wouldn't help, but it's what Tobi would do. Obito could hold his breath for… a good amount of time, but it wouldn't be enough. Well, no matter, he could find a way out of this somehow… he had to. Or else he'd risk getting his mask taken off. There were a ton of ways to get out of this which were going through his mind, but none of them could guarantee that he wouldn't get figured out on something else.

How troublesome.

How irritating.

Tobi's hands gripped his hair as he began to go into hysterics, and even that little action in itself caused Obito's lungs to rage for the need to breathe. Kisame displayed his sharp, pointy teeth. "How's it like it there?" He asked, letting out a satisfied chuckle. Obito's teeth clenched. He could not answer. "You'll pass out" Kisame continued, stating the obvious. The Uchiha's teeth began to grit. He knew that. And he knew exactly what the taller man was thinking; he'd wait until the Uchiha lost his breath, and then let him out of the water prison. From there, he'd unmask Obito.

Dammit. His mind, which would usually be racing with several ideas on how to get out, only had one thing in mind:

Kamui.

But… no. He couldn't risk that. He couldn't. That was something that was out of bounds – something that simply just wasn't allowed. Obito knew he could get out of this… somehow, yes, he could. Why, oh, why, did it have to be something as important as Kamui? Every single piece of information about Obito was crucial to the other Akatsuki members. Anything. Even his age, something that he didn't care about anymore, was important. And Kamui was an ability he relied on quite a bit, which made it all the more worse. How was he to do this?

There was nothing coming to mind.

No, wait. There was one, but it was risky. And he didn't know if he'd be able to pull it off.

Tobi's actions became more frantic, and Kisame laughed as the masked man suffered intensely. The Uchiha's lungs felt shriveled as he moved more, feeling that he'd lose his breath fairly soon. He knew he'd have to fake it soon... just a few more seconds to make it believable. He clutched his throat dramatically, his body then going limp as he seemingly lost all air. Obito's eyes closed, but he did not feel the bubble of water go away. A few more seconds and he'd actually pass out.

Fortunately, a moment later, he was released as he fell onto the branch with a loud thud, hanging over it. A rush of air went into Obito's nose and he breathed, but he couldn't make it obvious. He needed to cough and hack all the water that was in his throat due to his actions from earlier. But he had to keep it down. His breaths were small and slow, which pained him. He was suddenly picked up and thrown over Kisame's back. The shark-like man's grip was strong — a little too strong. If the Uchiha inhaled, his chest would heave upwards, and due to Kisame's tight grip on him, it was impossible for him not to notice.

He was then thrown onto the ground — yes, thrown. He wasn't set down very gently — his back hitting a sharp rock in the process. He felt it pierce his lower back, but not a sound escaped him. This was absolute torture. But living in this world was worse, so he'd endure it. Obito could hear Kisame bend down, his feet shifting in the dark. The Uchiha stood still and prepared to activate his intangibility, but he realized that if he did so, Kisame would know he was awake, since the taller man had carried him just mere seconds ago. And he didn't know if Kisame was aware he could do this whenever he deemed he needed to, but if he were to activate it, it would become clear that he could.

He was stuck in quite the pickle here. He felt the presence of Kisame's hand nearing his mask, and Obito almost shivered; both because he was cold from the water and because he was desperately trying to find ways out of this problem. To activate or to not activate his ability?

Kisame couldn't help but grin in amusement as he felt the anticipation get to him — the desire to just rip off Tobi's mask was there. But he'd do it slowly, just for the small dramatic effect.

Oh, wait, no. Tobi had passed out. He wasn't breathing. He'd die if Kisame took any longer. Oops. He'd probably perform CPR on Tobi...

...Ah. Kisame couldn't hold back as his grin broadened. It was perfect. In order to perform CPR, he'd need to take off Tobi's mask. And if the masked man wanted to live... he couldn't do anything about it.

He had bent down, the gap between his fingers and Tobi's mask closing. If Tobi made himself intangible, then Kisame would know he was awake — though it was very unlikely, since Kisame hadn't felt that the other breathing — and could confirm that he could control his ability at will. If so... Tobi was more than what he came off as, and Hidan would have really been telling the truth.

He remembered the conversation he and Deidara had earlier.

"Kisame, hm," Deidara started. Tobi hadn't been around; he had just been blown a few miles away by the arsonist. Deidara would usually either have a look of satisfaction on his face, or he'd be flushed with rage. But his expression was... different.

A crease had formed in between both his now furrowed brows as he stared in the direction Tobi had flown, a frown on his face. Kisame had raised a brow at him.

"What's wrong?" He had asked.

"Hidan was right," the arsonist had murmured, "He's able to activate it at his will... his intangibility. I had actually noticed quite a while ago, I think the day I found out he even had such an ability, yeah. But it's not that that gets me, hm. His fists clench, "It's the fact that it's as if he enjoys making a fool out of us."

"Hm," Kisame had said, thinking to himself. That was plausible. "But we need to somehow make a final confirmation... Hidan didn't really provide us too much information, other than—"

"—'he can't stay like that all the time' and 'he's able to be like that whenever he fucking wants'." Deidara finished for him. "Yes, I know, hm. And even then, it's still a big piece of information. I didn't realize how important it was until now... I guess we were too busy focusing on Hidan's bird-shit situation, yeah."

They both cracked a small smile at the mention of that, but it slowly disappeared from Deidara's lips. Whatever hint of of a smile that was there beforehand had now transformed into utter fury. "But we still need more... dammit! We all don't even know what he did with Tobi, other than the fact that he performed a ritual on him. But that's it, hm! Even when he's not here, he irritates me!"

Before the blond bomber began to heat up again, Kisame put a hand on the smaller man's shoulder. "Don't overthink too much, Deidara. I'll find out — since Hidan didn't exactly give us too many details — for you."

The arsonist took a deep breath, and his shoulders relaxed. "Yeah," he said quietly. He looked at Kisame with a smile, a blue orb sparkling radiantly, even in the darkness of the night. "Thanks, hm."

Kisame smiled a little. Deidara may be a brat sometimes, but he really did have a passion for this mission. He must despise unanswered questions.

The tip of his fingers had finally touched Tobi's mask. So he was tangible — it made sense. He had passed out. It felt rough under his skin, and rather bumpy. He grinned as he went down to the masked man's chin, ready to lift up the bottom of his mask.

He held his breath.

Suddenly, Tobi coughed. Kisame kind of jumped up, somewhat startled. Kisame's hand went through Tobi's head. After a series of coughing and hacking came from the masked man, Kisame blinked. What? He was... confused. "Were you awake this entire time?" He asked. Tobi did not answer, exaggerating his movements and his struggle to breathe. Kisame put two hands onto his shoulders, "Quick, I need to perform CPR on you—"

"No need, no need!" Tobi said in the most cheerful voice he could muster, though he sounded rather strained. "Tobi is A-okay!"

Kisame couldn't understand. "How are you okay? I thought you had passed out!"

"Why, did Mr. Kisame want Tobi to pass out?"

"No," Kisame said, "I'm just... wondering... how did you...?"

"How did Tobi what, Mr. Kisame?"

For some strange reason, Kisame felt a chill go down his spine when he looked down at the black void which was Tobi's mask hole. Something... unsettling was behind that. He couldn't place a finger on what it felt like, though. His question was so simple, so innocent... but it held something.He didn't know what. He felt somewhat different all of a sudden. The way it was said was so unlike Tobi. Almost rude, like Tobi was tired of whatever this was and just wanted everything to get over with.

It was probably just his imagination though, because the next thing he knew, Tobi was waving his hands vigorously over Kisame's face. He blinked.

"Hello? Mr. Kisame? Are you there?" Tobi asked, and Kisame proceeded to force out a small chuckle. "Yes, yes, just fine..." He replied absently. He focused more on Tobi, though. He saw that the masked man's chest was heaving up and down, hearing ragged breaths coming from behind the mask. As if he had held his breath for a long period of time...

Ah, so that was it. Kisame had gotten it. So Tobi had held his breath? But how was he able to hold it for so long? It was an incredibly lengthy amount of time.

It went quiet for a moment.

Tobi then shivered as a breeze of wind came to them. He was soaking wet in the cool air. "Mr. Kisame," Tobi said, "I'm cold."

For some reason, Kisame tackled him. He didn't know why or where it came from. Was he just that desperate to feed his and Deidara's curiousity? The shark-like man landed on top of him, and Tobi shrieked, "Mr. Kisame! What are you doing?!" To which the shark-like man did not reply. The masked man wriggled and squirmed underneath him, desperately trying to get away.

Kisame began to attempt at landing punches onto Tobi's mask, as if he thought that breaking it would be the best decision if he couldn't take it off. But his attempts were futile; Obito simply sent the area of where he was getting attacked into the Kamui dimension, stopping him from getting harmed in any way. Kisame's fists went through his head, to which Obito observed the other's teeth clench.

He kept trying to hit, but it wasn't working. Obito finally got out of Kisame's grasp, lightly getting up onto his feet while still trying to avoid Kisame's attacks. "Olé!" he exclaimed cheerfully as a punch missed him. He kept stepping backwards as Kisame approached him more, swinging his fists. Obito decided to become tangible, just as Kisame brought his leg up to Tobi's face. With his fast reflexes, Obito dodged it by blocking it with a hand. The taller man's eyes locked with the Uchiha's once more, and behind the mask, an eye flashed red. The ebony haired male could sense the other's momentary surprise, so he quickly moved his feet and used his knee to kick into Kisame's jaw. It wasn't powerful, no, but it wasn't weak, either.

Kisame couldn't help but huff out a laugh, wiping the blood that was dripping from his lips from that one kick. "Ne, Tobi," he started, "I didn't know you knew taijutsu."

"What's taijutsu?" Tobi asked innocently, before Kisame charged at him once again. And then, the masked man vanished. Obito had disappeared into the ground. Kisame looked around for him, only to see the man with the swirly, orange mask behind him. The Uchiha's expression under the mask hardened. He was cold, and this was a waste of time. Kisame wouldn't achieve anything.

Again and again, the shark-like man charged to no avail. Obito kept dodging and dodging, and it came to the point where Kisame was starting to get irritated. He pulled out a kunai, this time, and charged, but Tobi vanished once more, appearing atop of Kisame. He then balled both of his fists and put them together, smashing Kisame down forcefully.

The taller man went down, a look of surprise on his face as his body met the ground. Tobi hummed as he sat on top of the other, as if everything that has just happened was the norm. "Tobi is cold, Mr. Kisame... can we go home now?"

Obito had no intention of getting off until Kisame agreed. He was very weary.

"Fine," Kisame said after a while, and now, it was his turn to cough. "Get off of me, Tobi."

"Okay!" Tobi exclaimed happily, suddenly jumping up and doing just that. He acted as if nothing had happened at all; as if he hadn't almost drowned, as if he hadn't just been freezing in the cool, Summer air, as if he hadn't just performed taijutsu, as if he hadn't done anything. Kisame was ultimately befuddled. He was stunned, so to say.

As Tobi skipped off into the distance, Kisame got up and brushed himself off, staring at the other male with narrowed eyes.

"I think," Obito could hear Kisame say, even though he had skipped a few feet away already, "Something is off, here, Samehada."

Sooner or later, the pair had arrive back at the base. Tobi had burst into the base, ignoring the fact that the rest of the Akatsuki were there, patiently waiting for Kisame, as he ran off towards one of the halls, trying to find Zetsu. All eyes were on him until he left the room. Then, those eyes turned towards the man with blue skin.

"So," Kisame started, breaking the silence. "I was right. I didn't get to use Samehada."

"Kisame, hm," Deidara said, seeing how Tobi left behind puddle of water and how dirty Kisame looked. "What happened? You look like you just got into a fistfight. Did you find anything?"

"I don't know," The said man admitted sheepishly. "I guess I found... a lot about Tobi and I'm still trying to think things through."

"Explain?" the arsonist said. Kisame didn't meet his eyes, instead looking at his partner, Itachi. A pair of red, beady orbs stared back at him. He then averted his gaze.

"Well... it's a long story."

From the corner of the room, Kisame heard a groan. He turned in the direction he had heard it from, seeing Hidan sitting lazily on the ground. "Long stories can suck my dick. Give us the short version."

"Fine," Kisame said, turning back towards the others. "Soon after you had left, Deidara," He eyed the bomber, "Tobi suggested that we make a fire. So, for fun, I agreed to it. And then—"

"Why would you agree to it? That's a waste of time..." Kakuzu said, going through bills in his hand.

"I know, I know, but hear me out. I just wanted to spend a little time with him before I did anything else. I was planning to get close to him, or form a bond or something—"

From a distance, Kisame heard Itachi sigh.

"—Before asking him a few questions, if he'd let me." Kisame continued, "You know... slip of the tongue."

"I see," Deidara said, frowning. "But trust me, I've done that one too many times... and it really doesn't work out, yeah. The idiot never knows when to watch his words, but whenever it has anything remotely close to having to do with him, he's as mute as a dead man. He avoids the topic and just talks about butterflies and shit, hm."

"I know. But I wasn't even able to get too much out of him, anyways. He was unusually quiet." Kisame said, mirroring Deidara's expression. "He just sat there and made me a flower necklace when we sat around the fire."

Hidan snorted, "That reminds me. Oi, barbie," the Jashinist turned his head to look at Deidara, "You never told me that swirly fucker made you a flower crown!"

"He told you about that?" The blond bomber exasperated. "I'll kill him, hm!"

"You probably looked like a Princess!" Hidan snorted out loud, "Princess Deidara!"

"Silence," Itachi said, voice dark and serious. A pair of eyes flashed red. "Now is not the time for idle chatter. Kisame, continue."

Deidara and Hidan let out a scowl, but stayed silent. Itachi seemed to have ruined their little moment. Deidara would usually reply back with a retort, but he chose not to, knowing that he should be letting Kisame say what he needed to. Kisame looked at Deidara, hints of appreciation in his eyes.

"Anyways," Kisame continued, "I went elsewhere to go get some flowers Tobi had requested, and I left him to make the fire by himself. I told him to do it the old fashioned way — you know, rubbing two sticks together and all that. Of course, I never thought I'd come back with the fire all ready and set... I was only away for five minutes or so and the flames were already so strong."

Deidara's eyebrows furrowed. "Are you trying to tell me," He started, an obvious look of disbelief crossing his face. "That he started that fire with two sticks in under five minutes?"

"That's what I was surprised about too!" Kisame told the younger male. "I was just as surprised as you were. And when I asked him about it, he told me that he, 'did it the old fashioned way'."

"Was he trying to mock you?" Deidara asked, and to this, Kisame shrugged. "I don't know. But after that he just went quiet, kind of. "

"What else did you find?"

"Well... fast forwarding, I trapped him in a Water Prison afterwards. And he started freaking out, and sooner or later, he went limp. I had assumed he had passed out..." His eyebrows furrowed, "But it seemed he hadn't."

"What do you mean?" the same bomber asked.

"When he passed out, I heaved him over my shoulder and brought him down to some level grounds. I put him onto the floor and then reached to take his mask off, and I was so close. His intangibility wasn't activated... I could touch him. I was about to take off his mask, but then my fingers went through him and he started coughing. Since I hadn't felt him breathing, I thought that he had passed out. And if he was conscious even in the slightest — though I found it unlikely that he would be — he wouldn't allow himself to die, right? He'd need CPR, and he'd allow me to do it if he wanted to live."

Deidara's nose wrinkled into to that of disgust, "I see what you did there, Kisame, hm. But seriously, that's a big leap to take — to go as far as offering to do CPR on Tobi? His breath probably smells like rotten dangos!"

Kisame couldn't help but let out a laugh, "I know, but it was one way to go at things! Anyways, he began to cough, as I said. And yes, Deidara, he can control his intangibility at will, I fully realized that as well. He wouldn't have done it — honestly, he would've been more focused on living, but he didn't let me take off his mask."

"I told you guys that part already! The fucker can do that shit as his own will!" Hidan yelled. Kisame, who made no sign of hearing him, continued, "So I offered to do CPR on him, but... he claimed he was perfectly fine. Though I noticed he was breathing quite heavily... other than that, it was as if none of that ever happened. I don't know, I just found it... strange. I was trying to think everything out on what Tobi did and ended on the conclusion that he pretended to pass out. But by doing so, he held his breath for so long. And I was wondering how he did so."

"Kisame, yeah," Deidara rubbed his temples, "Did you seriously let him go just because you were impressed by how long he could hold his breath for?"

"No!" Kisame immediately said defensively. "I didn't. I was just confused, I guess."

"So you just trapped him in a Water Prison and that was that?"

"The stronger my opponent, Deidara, the stronger I become. Tobi is not that strong... so I only did what I thought necessary. But no, that's not all. I... physically attacked him."

Deidara blinked. "Don't tell me you accidentally knocked him out, hm. Is that what took you so long?"

"I didn't. I tackled him down and tried to punch his face so that his mask would break, but I wasn't able to do anything. I just phased through him, which I expected, but I still tried. And he eventually escaped from underneath me—"

"Oh, that sounds wrong—"

"—And then he got up onto his feet and I attempted to kick his mask off, but he blocked it with his hand. I was surprised, of course, so I paused for a second. And in that moment, he took that opportunity to ram his knee into my jaw." Kisame touched the area he had gotten hit in.

The others looked at him incredulously. "Tobi blocked your attack?"

"Yes, he did." Kisame replied, frowning. It was extremely out of character for Tobi to do so, so that was one of the factors to his discombobulation. "And I kept trying to hit him but he continuously dodged me. I was... starting to get rather annoyed, so without thinking, I pulled out a kunai and—"

"Did you throw it at him?!"

"No, I attacked him with it. And he did something I never expected he'd do..." Kisame trailed off, eyebrows furrowing. He could remember the moment so vividly, and something about Tobi's demeanor had changed... how come he just kept getting these weird shivers? The feeling of being unnerved?

"What'd he do, hm?" Deidara asked, listening intently with his eyebrows cocked down. To this, Kisame replied with, "He... disappeared. He vanished completely from my sight, and the next thing I knew, he was on top of me while I was heading for him. And then I felt him push me into the ground, which is why I look like a mess. And then... and then he acted normal. Like nothing ever happened."

The room went silent.

What was up with Tobi? What caused him to act that way? Everyone became lost into their thoughts. It was just the thought of the masked man doing anything remotely skillful that got to all of them.

"I think," Kisame continued, "He's kind of good at taijutsu. I wouldn't say he's a proficient at it, but he has potential. I just don't know where it came from."

Tobi, who had never shown any skill nor talent in anything, was suddenly potentially good at taijutsu? The idea was simply laughable. From across the room, a certain silver haired male burst out laughing.

"This is fucking hilarious," Hidan said, "Are you sure you weren't seeing things, Kisame?"

"I wasn't."

"How did he disappear, Kisame?" Itachi's voice suddenly filled the room. "Do you know how he did it?"

To this, Kisame replied, "No, I don't."

It was quite obvious that these pieces of information were new to all of them, and that they were all trying to wrap their heads around it. So maybe there was a good reason Leader had recruited him. But why was he only showing this skill now? Why not before?

"And his voice... had something to it. There's this unsettling demeanor I find about him. I keep seeing things in his mask-hole, too. Like a flash of... something." Kisame added. Deidara's eyes immediately lit up, looking right at the taller male. "That happened to me too, hm! He has this certain aura to him. This certain voice that I just can't place my tongue on. He sounds exactly the same, and the tone of his voice is still like it has always been, yeah, but there's just something there. It's hard to explain."

"Really?" Hidan raised a brow, still amused. "I've never heard it."

"I'm sure you would have been just as unsettled, Hidan." Deidara said, to which the Jashinist scoffed, "Yeah, no. You guys are just pussies."

Kisame didn't say anything, and Deidara's eye twitched in annoyance. "I swear... I'll blow you up someday!"

"Try it, bitch!"

"Shut up, you brats," Kakuzu stepped in, sighing wearily. He put his money into his pocket neatly, glancing at the others before walking away. "I'm going off to sleep. Don't disturb me. And if I hear any of you, I'll stitch your lips together."

Whilst still bickering, Hidan and Deidara walked off to their beds, their loud voices filling up the base. It soon faded into nothing, though. Now, it was only Itachi and Kisame left.

"I'm going," Itachi said flatly, but just as he was about to leave, Kisame said, "Itachi."

The Uchiha paused to glance back at the other. "What?"

"Tobi... Tobi knows the lullaby."

"...What?"

"Well... I forgot to mention this, but I heard him humming it. And when I asked him, he gave me an answer that was suspiciously similar to yours."

"What'd he say?"

"He said, 'Just an old lullaby.'"

Kisame could basically feel that something had hit Itachi when he said that. There was something in Itachi's eyes that had changed. The Uchiha turned his head, looking away. "Is that all?"

"Yeah," Kisame answered.

"Then I'll take my leave."

Kisame watched as Itachi walked off, and though Itachi tried to hide it, Kisame could see a burning red illuminating the darkness of his surroundings.

A/N: Hello, hello! I am surprisingly alive. I would just like to apologize to you all for the long wait. A lot of things happened, and some are extremely personal. I won't get too much into detail, but let's just say some... life-changing stuff happened and I've been trying to recover. I've been doing well so far, though!

Thanks for all the support you guys grant me, I really do appreciate it. And I'm glad you're all patient. I kind of dislike yet like this chapter at the same time; it's rushed at certain parts, yet I spent so much time and poured my heart into other ones. It's strange. I've been trying my best to write but I've honestly lost my passion for writing. Or, well, until recently. I've been wanting to finish this up. There'll only be about three chapters left!

Next chapter: Kakuzu.

I apologize for any grammatical/spelling errors. I absolutely despise those, yet I make so many of them. I honestly need a beta reader, hah. But I'm insecure when it comes to that stuff. I'll also be rewriting all of this. The previous chapters are a mess. I wrote them last year, and my writing style has kind of changed. I'm sorry about how I keep going back and forth on who's perspective I'm writing in. I've been using the lines as my way of separating them.

I hope you've all been smiling and doing well. Just know that I love each and every one of you.

(Also the chapter I'm the most excited to write out is Itachi's. I have so much in mind! The real stuff's gonna go down when it's his turn. Don't worry, you'll see when it happens.)

Sincerely, MK.

P.S. ! I've also recently gotten into Hunter x Hunter and I'm writing out a HisoIllu fanfic on it... tell me if you'd be interested in reading it, to any of those who are also HisoIllu trash. 3