Previously on Para Bellum

Rubbing her eyes quickly and shaking her head of her thoughts, she picked up the next file.

Uchiha Itachi.

…Fuck.

The afternoon was grey and overcast as Rizu looked over the city. He had changed out of his bloodstained clothes and showered, and was now clad in his normal officer's outfit as was required of him whenever he had to make an official appearance for the organization. His ensemble boasted varying shades of grey and black, loose enough to allow for freedom of movement but still easily showcasing the product of years of disciplined training. The sleeveless vest he wore did nothing to hide the intricate tattoos on his arms, reminiscent of the sprawling Japanese mural in his father's home. If not for the shaggy pale pink hair blowing in the wind atop his head, he would look every bit the role of a specter come to haunt the wicked. Heaving a long suffering sigh, he double checked his many hidden pockets and readjusted the coil of bullets crossing his chest before pushing off the balcony railing and facing the silent man next to him.

If anyone could call themselves a confidante to Haruno Rizu, it would be one Uchiha Itachi. The two had climbed the ranks of the private security business together, learning the intricacies and skills necessary to thrive in their line of work. For a time, there was no one else Rizu trusted to watch his back in the field, and as teenagers, no one else could challenge his skills any more than Itachi. His separation to join up with Yogen Pein had admittedly come as a surprise, and their friendship had become strained. It wasn't until around three years ago that they had reconnected, crossing paths en route to the same target, of all places.

Rizu had been contracted to deliver a priceless heirloom with rumored links to the reclusive Senju family to a contact miles off the grid from any communication. The intended target was apparently a paranoid hermit of sorts, and despite the reputation of the Red Tears, the squirrely man had seen fit to bolster his package's safe arrival with the help of the Akatsuki's resident elitist. Itachi had been lying in wait when Rizu arrived, to take out who he had then believed would simply be an unfortunate casualty in ensuring the package's delivery. He naturally had no qualms about killing the messenger as it were, so he was quite surprised to recognize the distinctive fighting style of his friend. Needless to say, the package was never delivered and the squirrely client was no longer among the living. It was well known that one did not simply cross contracts between organizations, but his bleak fate had done its part in reuniting the two friends.

Since then, Rizu and Itachi would always find time to catch up over their shared automotive interests and held a silent agreement between them not to talk shop whenever they did meet. Occupations aside, they were simply two young men with affinities for fast vehicles. Now though, things were about to become complicated on more than just a professional level.

"I hear it's been a busy week for you man," Rizu began, eyeing Itachi calmly. No need to bring up anything specific. His friend would speak on his own.

"Hn," Itachi returned. He regarded his friend for a moment, choosing his words carefully. "It would seem that I was mistaken in thinking there was only one pink haired mechanic on the east coast who knows how to properly handle bike modifications."

Ah. Straight to the point, then. Good, that would make this conversation easier.

"I see you've met Sakura. And she appears to have left you without any scars, too," he smirked then. "Guess you weren't your normal dickhead self, huh?"

An amused glint flashed in Itachi's eyes. He raised a silent brow in his friend's direction, waiting for him to continue.

Rizu chuckled to himself. "Well, I suppose you'd have met her sooner or later now that she's home for good." He flicked his eyes up to Itachi as he reached into his pocket for a cigarette. Lighting it and taking a long drag, he started to fill the silence. "Sakura is my baby sister. Dad and I were very protective of her growing up, so she was homeschooled and kept to a strict regimen of extracurricular shit. The brat's really smart, we had her IQ tested and she got a fucking 137. Kinda bit us in the ass though, 'cause she would always give her handlers the slip and start fucking with stuff around the house. She actually altered our security system at home so it wouldn't let dad or me in if we happened to curse on the way up the driveway." He laughed then, thinking back to his sister's earliest attempts at pranking. "We ended up sending her to an apprenticeship of sorts three years ago, just before we met up on that assignment, remember?" At Itachi's nod, he took another drag of the cigarette. "She was almost eighteen back then. I'm glad she's home now though. It's where she belongs. Plus, I need to keep an eye on her," he said, muttering the last bit under his breath.

Itachi took all of this new information in, calmly assessing what he knew of Rizu and Jiraiya. Both were usually very open and friendly, almost to the point of obnoxiousness. So why then all the secrecy surrounding this girl of theirs? Something told him not to push too far, but curiosity made him ask, "Why didn't you tell me you had a sister before now?"

At this, Rizu tossed the cigarette over the balcony, and became serious. "Look at the life we live, Itachi. Dad and I never wanted that for Sakura, so we kept her away from it as much as we could. Never brought her around HQ if anything crazy was going on, didn't talk shop at home, nada." He smiled bitterly before speaking his next words, "Mom told us before she left that she didn't want Sakura in this life. But that kid – she's too smart for her own good. We taught her enough martial arts to defend herself, and she blackmailed her babysitter into teaching her how to handle weaponry. We had her instructed in cooking, and she wanted to know how to poison food without it being traced. We bought her dolls and girly shit, but she was always in my room, taking apart a laptop or a radio." He shook his head. "I guess it didn't help that at the time, she was growing up around organization kids. We don't trust outsiders much, so she'd be allowed playdates with the kids whose parents' were active. That never ended well, org kids don't usually care to filter out anything they've learned from their parents when their playing. It's why most of them end up becoming operatives, too. That's how their training starts. Sakura learned everything she could from them before demanding to be properly trained herself." Placing a hand on his friend's shoulder, Rizu sighed. He knew his friend was sensitive about what he was about to say.

"She was born into this. And try as we might to push her away from it, this was in her blood. She always found a way in," he eyed Itachi cautiously. "Kind of like you, with Sasuke."

Jaw clenching at the mention of his little brother and the current issues surrounding him at the moment, Itachi let out a deep exhale. "I understand, Oni," he said, referring to the codename Rizu used whenever he was out on assignment. "However, is it fair to assume that she is now an active part of the Red Tears as well?"

Rizu couldn't help but smile at the observation. Nothing Got past Itachi.

But that didn't mean he couldn't keep the other male in suspense for a little while longer. He did still have to gauge Itachi's interaction with his baby sister, after all.

"Well now, my dear weasel," he laughed openly at the dark scowl that crossed Itachi's features. "You'll just have to wait and see. We've gotta report for roll call in a bit anyway."

Eyes narrowing slightly at the blatant sidestep of his question, Itachi decided to simply move on to the next topic. "Hn," he replied. "I suppose we do. Should be interesting, to say the least."

Smirking, Rizu readjusted his coil of bullets again. You have no idea, Uchiha.

Outwardly, he turned and walked off the balcony and into the room that Rizu used as his base of operations within HQ. Grabbing a sheet of paper from the printer, he handed it to Itachi, who had followed him inside.

"This is the info you requested on that pharmacist," he said as Itachi's eyes scanned the details of the report. "It's a little weird." Itachi blinked at him, clearly expecting an explanation. Rolling his eyes at the man, Rizu continued, "Fujiora Kai. His credentials all check out. Technically. Graduated Magna Cum Laude from Suna's pharmacology program and has a Master's of Business Arts." Leaning back against the wall, he fixed his eyes on Itachi. "Problem is, according to the sealed police records regarding this identity, this guy died. Six years ago."

At this, Itachi frowned. Fuck. I hate it when they do this. "So why can't we find who the imposter is?"

Grimly, Rizu shook his head. "That's just the thing," he began uncertainly. "Fingerprints, facial recognition, hell, even bone structure and blood composition are exactly the same."

Itachi blinked. What? "Excuse me?"

"Yeah," Rizu said. "That's what I'm trying to tell you. It's clearly not Fujiora, he's officially dead. Coroner's report confirmed it. But this guy is walking around with his face, documents, and statistics, and for the life of me, I can't add it up."

"Any relatives?"

"Not a one. Single parent household, no siblings. Mother died while he was finishing his Masters."

Itachi shook his head. This was not going to be good. "This has Orochimaru's mark written all over it."

"I know, man."

The sound of tinkling bells interrupted the uneasy silence that had begun to smother the room.

Oh, hell, thought Itachi. "Jiraiya is still using these unseemly bells for fall in?"

Groaning, Rizu straightened from the wall, sheepishly running his hand through his hair. "Yeah, something about maintaining the Zen. I think he does it just to piss us off," he grouched, heading for the door. "Let's go witness how volatile this roll call is gonna be, shall we?"

Resignedly, Itachi followed his friend out the door. "Let's go."

Orochimaru could wait. It was time to be reintroduced to the organization that had made him lethal.

Sakura couldn't remember ever having been kissed this lazily.

She had just finished a lengthy conversation with Pein to get his opinion on the operatives she had selected for her team, when Shikamaru slinked into the computer lab with an easy smile adorning his features. He'd come baring food, bless his soul, and they'd enjoyed the meal together, joking and catching up now that they had a bit of time to themselves. It was just like nothing had changed between them, and so there was no hesitation or surprise when Shikamaru titled her head up from where it rested on his chest, and kissed her slowly, the same way he had when they were teens.

It was the kind of kiss that was sweet, but just passionate enough to cause a low smoldering heat to pool in her stomach. She turned, so that they were laying chest to chest, and sighed into the kiss when Shikamaru reached up to thread a hand through her hair. Their tongues danced and fell into a soothing rhythm. Everything about the moment was relaxing, calm . . . comfortable. And despite everything else, innocent. Sakura knew that she could be safe in these arms forever, and always respected, but something about forever just seemed lackluster.

For now though, this would do. This was wonderful, like she was floating on a cloud, with fluffy little cherubs ringing little bells as they fluttered through the air-

Wait, bells?

"SHIT!" she exclaimed, springing up and off the couch.

Eyes widened comically, Shikamaru seemed to have finally come back to reality, and with a murmured, "Troublesome," set about straightening his clothes and reaching up to restore his hair to its perfectly spiked, pineapple imitation. "We gotta go, hun."

Scrambling to grab her list of names and attach it to a clipboard whilst nudging her feet into her boots, Sakura took a moment to shoot a glare towards the reason she was running late in the first place. Choosing not to dignify him with an answer she twisted around and promptly fell back onto the couch as the throw blanket tangled her feet.

Blowing a strand of pink hair out of her face in frustration, she growled out, "Fucking fuck. Why does the universe always do this to me?" Shikamaru's muffled laughter reached her ears and without hesitation, she grabbed the untouched soda can that came with their meal and lobbed it straight at his head. Deftly avoiding the projectile and refocusing his attention on the girl still trying to untangle her foot, he chuckled again. "Sorry, sorry," he drawled, gently taking a hold of her foot and undoing the blanket from around it. He allowed is fingers to dance along her calf as he zipped up her boot and bending to lay a kiss on her thigh, he smirked up at her. "Maybe when we're all done upstairs, I can beg for your forgiveness, ne?"

Startled, Sakura blinked down at him. I guess three years does change a person. We're not kids anymore.

Leaning towards him with a sultry smile, she flicked his nose and said, "Something tells me you'd much rather be punished than forgiven, Shika." Glancing quickly at the glaring time on her phone, she chuckled. "But I guarantee you that if we do not get upstairs for roll call, Dad won't leave us alive long enough to enjoy a thing." Grabbing his hand and picking up her clipboard, she began pulling them towards the door. "Let's go."

Allowing himself to be dragged, Shikamaru leaned down just enough for her to hear him say in a low voice, "Be careful little Sakura, you have no idea what words like that can do to a man."

Rolling her eyes, she muttered, "Pervert," under her breath affectionately, and continued marching through the hallway and up the staircase until they arrived at the doors leading to the sprawling training area where roll call was to be held. Ignoring Shikamaru – "Troublesome woman, why couldn't we have just taken the elevator?" – Sakura pushed through the doors and made her way through the mass of grey and black. She paid no attention to where Shikamaru wandered off to, knowing that he would be in his assigned position before the roll began.

The training area could almost be mistaken for a high school gymnasium, except that its sheer size negated any notion that simple games of dodgeball were played here. The hall took up the entire second floor of the headquarters' warehouse structure and boasted a weights area, training mats for hand to hand training, an agility course, various fitness machines, and a basketball court in one corner. A door to the left of the basketball court led to a studio of sorts which bisected about a quarter of the floor, with mirrors lining three walls of the room. It was still fairly new and unused, as it had been constructed as a gift for Sakura's dancing whenever she spent time at the building. It also doubled as a boxing studio, and hooks hung from the ceiling to support punching bags whenever necessary.

For the moment, the gym was crawling with uniformed operatives waiting to be addressed by Jiraiya. Said man was currently standing atop one of the balance beams on the agility course, completely unbothered that he was twenty feet from the ground. Next to him, Rizu sat, feet dangling on either side of the bar, sharp eyes surveying the crowd. Leaning languidly against the post holding the beam up and addressing a small circle of characters clad in red and black stood Pein. Raising an eyebrow, Sakura assessed them quickly. Those must be the Akatsuki. They certainly look weirder in person than on paper. Her eyes slid over them, not searching for anyone in particular, until she happened to lock gazes the one person she had been anxious about seeing in this setting. His eyes are red again. Is that just like a condition? Are they contacts or something? Blinking as his eyes slid smoothly back to the onyx depths she recognized, she shook her head and returned her attention to the task at hand. There would be time to worry about Itachi later. Strange though, I thought he'd be a little more surprised to see me here.

Having finally weaved her way to the front of the crowd, Sakura stopped to consider the easiest way up to her father. Behind her, she heard the murmurs of the operatives dull down, some of them having obviously realized her presence among them. It has only been a couple of days since I've been back, she mused as she put the clipboard in her mouth and jumped up to wrap her legs around the post opposite where Pein was leaning. I guess the news that I'm home has been under wraps until now.

Shimmying up the post and hooking her knees onto the beam to hang upside down next to Rizu's feet as she reached the top, Sakura scanned the crowd once more. Her eyes quickly found Shino, Kotetsu, and Izumo, Rizu's current team, who smirked up at her antics. She smiled back at them around the clipboard in her mouth, recalling a time when they would challenge each other to this very agility course for fun. Nova hung near the back of the crowd, conversing quietly with Shikamaru. There were many familiar faces in the crowd, but it surprised her how many she did not know. It was clear that there would need to be a reintroduction to the masses today. Hopefully it would be pleasant.

Suddenly Jiraiya's voice boomed out over the noise in the stadium, "Sakura if you would be so kind as to stop playing, I would like to get started." Glancing up at her father and quickly noting that Rizu was no longer next to her, but on his other side, Sakura swung herself up and over the beam in an aerial somersault, landing in a crouch. Straightening, she dropped the clipboard to lay at her feet, crossed her arms in a mirror image of her brother and waited for the show to begin.

Looking to his right and left, satisfied to see his children standing at attention, Jiraiya took control of the crowd. "Kasen, to the front," he barked. Immediately, four people separated themselves from the mass and took position in front of the makeshift podium. To Sakura's inward surprise, Shikamaru moved forward as well. He's moved up to Kasen? she thought incredulously. Bewildered, she continued watching as they faced the crowd and awaited the next command. "Hajime." In quick succession, each of the four operatives let out a series of low whistles, and in front of them formed groups of four or five uniformed agents. Once each group was situated, the four operatives leading the lineup turned to face the podium once again. At this, all of the Red Tears members dropped to one knee, heads bowed. "Kumitate ga kanryō shimashita," they chorused.

Jiraiya looked out over the operatives that had pledged their loyalties to the progress of this organization. Inwardly he sighed. There were so many young lives down there that he was responsible for. A subtle glance to his right brought his gaze to his daughter. And my own little girl a part of the mayhem, he thought to himself. Eyes hardening as he averted his attention back onto his people, his determination showed through. He would keep them all safe. Such was the oath he had taken. "Assembly rise."

In tandem, the operatives stood and looked up to the podium as their leader began. "Welcome. This is the third roll call under my leadership and the forty seventh since the establishment of this organization. These are not convened lightly, and I'm sure you are all burning with a desire to know what is going on. Firstly," he gestured to the group gathered at the base of the support beam. "We have guests. Pein." Nodding, Pein neatly ascended the support beam to stand between Rizu and Jiraiya. Grasping the other man's forearm in a sign of trust, Jiraiya turned to face the crowd again. "Yogen Pein, leader of the Akatsuki is here today with his agents. I'm sure you have all been briefed on their organization at some point or another. From this point on, the Akatsuki is to be considered a sister organization to our own."

A murmur rippled through crowd at this announcement, many of the faces in the crowd turning to appraise the group at the front. Raising his voice over the rising noise, Jiraiya continued. "The Akatsuki will train alongside you, share in missions, and be granted access to both our facilities and databases. This is a mutual partnership. Anything that may be needed that can be provided by the Akatsuki or their resources will be readily provided, without complaint or question." Sliding a glance over to Pein, who nodded his assent, Jiraiya grinned suddenly. Those in his immediate vicinity tensed, knowing the conniving old man was about to stir up some sort of trouble. "Effective immediately, the Kasen will also be required to select which Akatsuki members will be padding their ranks."

"Fuck that! What the hell boss?"

With a smirk, Jiraiya released Pein and vaulted off the beam to land in front of the operative furthest to the right of the beam. Grinning darkly, Jiraiya spoke in a low voice that still echoed throughout the room, "What's this? It seems one of my operatives, a Kasen, no less, is questioning my authority." Now standing toe to toe with the speaker, Jiraiya growled out in a low voice. "Remember your place. You were neither granted permission to speak freely, nor were you asked a direct question warranting your commentary. Now, shut the fuck up before I throw you out of my ranks. Or have you forgotten that you are just a stand-in until Hatake returns from his mission?"

Thoroughly scolded, the operative bowed her head in apology. A new voice broke the silence then, a silver haired Akatsuki member with as foul a mouth as the operative who had spoken. "I'm sorry, but can we just- what the fuck is a Kasen? Are they housebroken? I ain't trying to be in any pussy squad," he said loudly enough for the entire room to hear. With a smirk, he continued his train of thought. "Actually I wouldn't mind being in some pus-"

"That is quite enough, Hidan," Pein interjected before things went from bad to worse. "I believe Jiraiya was about to get to that particular topic."

"That's quite alright, Pein," Jiraiya replied with a smirk of his own in Hidan's direction. "Can't say I wouldn't prefer to be surrounded by beautiful women instead of here myself." On the support beam, Sakura and Rizu both let out aggravated sighs at this particular development, praying that their father would just get back on track. Jiraiya's weakness for the fairer sex was well known and infamously documented thanks to his best-selling Icha Icha book series – a hobby turned lucrative conglomerate that began before Rizu was even born. Today, it boasted not only books, but also several movies, graphic novel adaptations, and an extensive merchandise line. Aside from the money brought in from missions carried out by the organization, Jiraiya's precious franchise also served as sizable income for both the RTO and his family's personal use.

Forcibly reminding himself that now was not the moment to long for female companionship, Jiraiya began to pace up and down the front of his gathered ranks. "Kasen is a term thatrefers to the heads of our individual squadrons here at the Ref Tears. It means 'rivers,' and traditionally, these positions were fought for and won in an annual battle royale held amongst the group." Smirking as the thought of the way things were once decided, he elaborated. "Unfortunately, it came to the attention of several previous leaders that this practice caused a deviation of sorts from the atmosphere we sought to foster." At Hidan's befuddled stare, he prompted, "Following me still, champ?"

"What he means is that it got too bloody, you moron," Sasori interjected when it was clear that Hidan was going to continue being dense. "A competition like that would mean that there would be too much rivalry overshadowing the trust. Plus, winning something like that doesn't mean you can lead someone to the fridge, much less through a mission."

Eyebrow twitching at being interrupted, Jiraiya refocused the conversation. "Exactly right. Now, each Kasen is hand-picked by the head of the organization, i.e.: my gorgeous mug," he said, flexing his muscles the slightest bit at his own praise. Before he could get lost in himself, however, Rizu's voice washed across the room.

"The Kasen position can be challenged if the group sees the leader as unfit for their position, but an officer challenge can only be issued under a specific set of circumstances," he explained. "Typically, there are four Kasen, one for each of the squadrons. In very rare occurrences, one Kasen can command two platoons at once. This has only happened twice."

"And who the hell are you, yeah?" called out Deidara. "Heir apparent, hm?"

"Not exactly the way you should be addressing me if I was, now is it?" Rizu snapped back, casually spinning a butterfly knife around his knuckle to pick at his cuticles without sparing a glance towards the other man.

Kisame's laugh boomed at the exchange. "Pink one has spunk," he managed to get out between breaths. "What about Pink two-"

The gathered Akatsuki, and not a few of the newer members of the RTO let out a gasp as the aforementioned pinkette appeared suddenly in front of the large man. She held the barrel of her pistol against his kidney and spoke lowly up at him, "While we're on the subject of colors, blue, why don't you wait for me to properly introduce myself?"

Blinking down at the deceptively slender female in front of him, Kisame slowly allowed a toothy grin to cross his features. "Oh, I like you, kid," he said. "This move might just be worth it after all."

"Sakura."

"Kisame."

Pein and Jiraiya called simultaneously, halting Kisame's hand that had lazily reached back to grip his signature weapon, the massive Samehada. The gun was barely still recognizable: it looked equal parts bazooka and automatic handgun, but carefully modified to operate as a high-powered Gatling. It was Kisame's pride and joy, and he almost pouted at his leader's reprimand for bringing his baby out to play. "Another time then, Pinky," he sulked.

"Looking forward to it," Sakura returned with a careless backwards wave, already traipsing back up the support beam.

Fixing his daughter with a disapproving glance, Jiraiya managed to get back to the topic at hand. "As we were discussing, four squadrons make up this organization, headed by their individual Kasen. Berserkers, Symbiotes, Vines and Shadows. Introduce yourselves, before this gets anymore out of hand."

The first to step forward was the tall, hulking form of a man around Rizu's age. His orange hair flamed away from his head in utter disarray, but his intimidating figure was waylaid by the softness of his eyes. "Sakaguchi Juugo," he said, bowing formally to Pein and then to the Akatsuki. "Vine Kasen. Should there be any need to contact our allies or enemies, I see to the politics. My squad is quite adept at relations and assuming various identities when need be."

"Next," called Jiraiya.

No one moved.

"Next," came the slightly irritated call once again.

Still nothing.

"Nara, move your ass!"

"Yeah, yeah, sorry. I'm coming," Shikamaru said as he stepped forward. "Yo. Nara Shikamaru, Symbiote Kasen. Tactical shit. Don't come to me to plan anything unless you have a direct order."

"Belay that," came Jiraiya's still aggravated voice. "He may be a lazy ass, almost as bad as my Berserker Kasen, but he's outstanding. Use him whenever necessary."

"Fuck," muttered Shikamaru under his breath.

"What'd you say, you little-"

"I am Mitarashi Anko," came the voice of the Kasen who had questioned Jiraiya earlier. Her purple hair bobbed in acknowledgement of Shikamaru's nodded thanks before she fixed her smirk on the Akatsuki again. She was covered in an impressive clash of mesh and nylon, managing to be completely covered yet still borderline indecent. Her tongue darted out to run across her teeth as she crossed her arms across her chest confidently. "Interim Berserker head. Fuck going to the kid, I'll take care of whatever you need."

"I got something I need you to take care of," Hidan called out before any of his comrades could stop him. Kisame grinned at his side, bumping fists in support.

"Oh yeah, pretty boy?" Anko taunted. "I'm not sure even I'm skilled enough to find your little . . . problem."

"Oi, bitch-!"

"For fuck's sake Hidan, shut up," came the, until now, unheard voice of Kakuzu. "You're wasting time, and therefore money. We need to move this along."

"If you're such a fucking monk, you bitch ass-"

Swifter than the eye could see, a small needle embedded itself in the neck of the platinum haired man. Hidan's eyes had just enough time to widen in shock before he slumped to the ground in front of a suspiciously relaxed Itachi.

"Hn," he said, focusing now on the last of the four to introduce themselves as a leader. "Speak."

Inclining his head at the other man, the last of the Kasen stepped forward silently. "Sai. Interim Shadows Kasen. We kill. Cleanly." Having clearly decided that there was nothing else to say, the man stepped back. He seemed to be around the same age as Shikamaru, and his lack of participation intrigued the Uchiha who initially spoke to him. Raising an eyebrow, Itachi regarded the other man, as if to say is that all?

Waving a hand in front of himself carelessly, Sai shifted his eyes back to Jiraiya. Said leader was dumbfounded for a moment, and then laughed heartily. "Of course," he said. "If anyone could speak Sai's language, it would be you, Itachi."

"This has been nice and all, yeah, but the last two," Deidara started, eyeing Sai and Anko warily. "They creep me the out. Who are the actual leaders of their groups, if they're the interim?"

Nodding, Jiraiya gestured to Anko and the group standing behind her. "Hatake Kakashi is the Kasen of the Berserkers," he stated. "As for the Shadows . . ."

"That would be me," came Sakura's voice for the second time during the meeting.

"No way, yeah!"

"Fuck, another girl?"

"Not bad, Pinky."

These exclamations were only a few from the stunned Akatsuki, interspersed with a ripple of comments from the operatives lined up in accordance with the Red Tears protocols. Itachi, for one, couldn't help but to be silently impressed. She leads the assassins? He thought to himself. What else about this girl aren't they telling us?

He had not been terribly surprised to see her enter the gymnasium, albeit alongside another Kasen that she seemed friendly with. His eyes had narrowed in on her appraisal when she first noticed his group, but his curiosity peaked when she ambled up the support beam as though she'd done so a hundred times before. He certainly hadn't questioned her stance next to Jiraiya, as he'd correctly assumed that she would be reintroduced to the ranks in some form today.

But to be a Kasen already, he thought to himself. Her display with Kisame earlier seemed effortless. Perhaps she truly is worthy of her position.

"Jiraiya, I must object," came a voice from within the ranks of the Vines. "She is unfit to be a Kasen of any squadron, much less the Shadows."

"Now, now, there is no need for such -" a chillingly sweet voice cut Jiraiya's placating tone off before he could complete his sentence.

"Is that a challenge for my position or are you simply requesting a demonstration?"

Sakura had already dropped to the floor yet again, and was calmly pulling on a pair of fingerless gloves. "Regardless of your answer," she said, voice just above a whisper. "You are out of your league." Balling her hand into a fist at her side, she called out more clearly: "Identify yourself."

From the Vines came a lanky, graceful brunette with silver eyes. His long hair was pulled back into a low ponytail, and unlike the majority around him, there were discernable accents of ivory on his person. What could be seen of his body was unblemished by tattoos or piercings, and he carried himself with an air of utter importance. "Hyuuga Neji," he said tightly, purposefully neglecting to bow to Sakura.

Eyes bleeding to red, a recessive family mutation that allowed him track movement more quickly, Itachi noted Sakura's completely relaxed posture. She's barely looking at him, he thought with intrigue. Does she plan to take him by surprise? No. She's insane, his thoughts abruptly turned as he observed the female begin to slowly walk towards the character that had questioned her. His eyes never left her form, even as Kisame poked him in the side.

"Isn't she a badass?" he chuckled. "This is gonna be great!"

"Hn," Itachi said quietly.

"Oh, come on. You're interested too," Kisame pressed.

"Hn."

"Okay, sorry. Sheesh. Don't you get snippy with me, mister."

At this point, Sakura had come toe to toe with Neji. She slowly lifted a leg to hook around his hip, causing his eyes to widen, her father and brother's eyes to narrow in consternation, and many in the room to gawk at what appeared to be an intimate and compromising scene. Then, in one sharply executed move, she bent herself backwards after locking her other leg around Neji's waist as well, and sent him sprawling to the floor as she caught herself on her palms.

With his eyes, Itachi had been able to closely monitor the scene. Most of the rest of the room however, erupted into a cacophony of noise at the display of skill they had just witnessed – truly nothing more than a blur of movement. My, oh my, Itachi thought with a smirk that only grew larger as he happened to glance over at his longtime friend, Rizu. He would certainly make it a point to get to know this young woman very well.

Gracefully dismounting from her handstand, Sakura turned to make her way back to the front of the room. She stopped briefly as she passed Neji, looking down long enough to offer a hand and a few whispered words: "I assure you, sweetheart, I'm a big girl." Proceeding to the front, she waved off her father's attempts to control the crowd while reprimanding her. Eyes hardening, she spoke. "I am Haruno Sakura, second born of your leader, and the true Shadows Kasen," she called out authoritatively. "Yes, I am young, female, and for quite a few years, absent. But this is my position. And as all of you have undoubtedly paid your oath in blood, so too have I." Her gaze scanned the room again, lingering on the faces of those she did not recognize. "Some of you do not know me as yet, but you will. And I will earn your loyalty, as I did with everyone else here who knows my name. I will command your respect, or I can show you exactly why I call the Shadows my own."

A beat of silence passed as her emerald eyes bore down upon them all, as if she could reach out somehow and order them all to her bidding without lifting a finger.

Rizu appeared on her right, just as her father stepped up on her other side. "As tears flow into rivers, to the oceans, into the clouds and down as raindrops, the tears of the gods themselves, the return is always inevitable," Jiraiya spoke. "We welcome you home, Haruno Sakura. May you forever cry rivulets of blood."

Cheers erupted throughout the hall with cries of "Welcome back!," and chants of "Shadow Kasen!" echoing throughout the gym. Finally smiling widely, Sakura allowed herself a quick sigh of relief. That could've gone a lot worse, she mused. Thankful that the worst was over, she nudged Rizu to move on with the last leg of the roll call quickly.

Clearing his throat, Rizu gestured to the Akatsuki and Pein. "We welcome you, as well, agents of Akatsuki," he saluted with his index and middle finger pressed vertically against his right eye. "May all the tears you henceforth cry or cause be those of blood." Another round of welcoming cheers erupted, and Pein took his cue to introduce his group to the electrified crowd. "The Akatsuki is small, but we began here, as a part of the RTO." Nodding to Jiraiya, he said, "Your leader just reminded you that the cycle always begins again. We are home here, with the Red Tears Organization. Akatsuki, introduce yourselves."

"Deidara."

"Sasori."

"Kisame."

"Fucking God to you puny mortals-"

"His name is Hidan, and he will wake up once this is all over. Kakuzu."

"Zetsu"

("When did you get here, yeah?")

"Uchiha Itachi."

The Akatsuki sound off was efficient, if not chaotic, and was over quickly. Sakura nodded to herself, only one thing left on the agenda at this point.

Standing up on the support beam one last time, she reached down to retrieve the clipboard with names that she had discarded earlier. Fixing her gaze on the now silent crowd, she began unwaveringly, praying that she showed no weakness in what she was about to say.

"Firstly, operatives thank you for welcoming me home. Akatsuki, welcome to the family," she started. "We absolutely are a family here, some of us through blood, yes. But all of us through this lifestyle. We put our lives on the line for the people in this room without question or hesitation, and sometimes that costs us. Currently, there are a few of our key members missing. Hatake Kakashi. Inuzuka Kiba. Uzumaki Naruto," her breath caught slightly at the last name. Dammit, she thought. Keep it together! "These three operatives are officially M.I.A." Raising her voice at the outrage filling the hall, she continued on. "My first mission back is to restore order to our home. I am heading an elite team to retrieve my friends. My family. But I will need all of you to complete this. Will you help me?"

Not a voice could be discerned among the uproar that followed her question. Everyone was moved by her heartfelt speech.

She had her cavalry. And now she had two weeks.

A/N: I can't even begin to adequately express how ashamed I am that this post took two years. I won't lie, I stopped writing for a time, but even when I began again, coming back to this story was almost painful for me. That said, I need to do some serious proofreading of the first five chapters of this story. However, from this point forward, I hope to be posting a chapter at least once every other week.

I hope that I lived up to expectation and made the wait worthwhile. Thank you for reading, bless.