Zaraki Kita did not actually have any fixed missions. She was not the type to casually wander into the mission hall to pick up tasks, nor would she stay in one place waiting for assignments to come to her. Ordinary S-, A-, B-, C-, or D-rank missions were things she stopped taking long ago. Not because she could not handle them, but because using her strength on such missions was simply a waste.
That was why truly troublesome matters were handed to her instead. Of course, an equally important reason was that Pain and Konan both trusted her deeply. This trust was not only because of her relationship with Konan, but more importantly because she was among the earliest group to join Akatsuki. Well, to be precise, she was an external member.
Back when Pain, or rather Nagato, killed Hanzō of the Salamander, Zaraki Kita had already integrated herself into the new Amegakure. If one had to pinpoint it, she was likely the first person to carve a slash across her forehead protector.
It was still a rainy day. After exchanging blows with Pain, Zaraki Kita collapsed to the ground, gravely injured. Yet she was also one of the few who survived. Being able to trade even a few moves with Pain was rare in this world, let alone for an unknown junior. And so, Pain extended an olive branch.
—Surrender, or die.
Zaraki Kita chose to live. From the few survivors, Pain learned that the first person to betray Hanzō of the Salamander was a non-human. Between strength and loyalty, Pain chose the former, while warning Konan to remain vigilant.
Later, Pain had to admit that Zaraki Kita's requirements for "living" were astonishingly low. As long as she was alive, that was enough. If one set aside her non-human nature, she was actually a very easy person to satisfy. Give her even the slightest bit of kindness, and she would return everything she had.
As the saying goes, a drop of water should be repaid with a gushing spring.
Pain gave her a drop of water. Zaraki Kita returned him an entire sea.
That was why Madara feared her. Not because of her strength, but because of her unwavering will, which left him helpless. She was like a machine. Once a program was set, it would stubbornly run until the machine itself broke down. Unfortunately, the ones who programmed this machine were Akatsuki, not Uchiha Madara.
So after Zetsu was driven out of Akatsuki, Madara was both mentally and physically exhausted.
"If it is not necessary, do not provoke that person," Madara said, addressing Itachi and Kisame.
"That person?" Kisame raised an eyebrow, looking puzzled.
"Though I do not like to say it, the one who lost to her was you, Kisame. Bear with it for now. I do not want to break this delicate balance."
"If that is also part of the mission," Itachi said tactfully, neither showing strong disgust nor clear resistance.
"Speaking of which, with your abilities, why tolerate her existence at all?" Kisame asked bluntly. He implicitly agreed with Itachi. If it was for the mission, it was not unbearable. He had seen far worse in Kirigakure. He did not have a moral obsession, so he only asked what he truly wanted to know.
Because right now, I can only fight her to a draw. If I had another Sharingan, she would not exist anymore.
"Is it because of Konan?" Itachi said calmly.
"There is no need to tear things apart yet," Madara replied casually.
So Akatsuki was not solely Uchiha Madara's possession. Itachi thought. That single sentence made the current situation clear. The masked man seemed to realize his slip of the tongue. After a moment of silence, he decided to skip past his mistake.
"Learn some sign language. Keeping up appearances is still necessary."
"That is rare. An external member is making you this wary," Kisame said honestly again. Itachi did not bother reminding his partner how foolish that question was. There was no benefit in doing so.
Behind the mask, Madara truly felt some difficulty, though none of it showed. He did not want to explain his values, nor reveal too much of his assessment of Zaraki Kita, but he felt a brief explanation was necessary.
"In fact, there are occasional group dinners. Pain believes that as rogue ninja, you all lack team bonding. I think it is unnecessary, but if he believes such activities improve mission efficiency, I do not mind."
"You look like you enjoy it," Kisame said bluntly once more.
Madara fell silent for several seconds, then let the remark sink into silence before continuing, "What I mean is, next time we meet, Zaraki Kita will still be there. So at least act like you are integrating into Akatsuki."
"I understand," Itachi said, accepting it quickly.
Madara recalled the lie he once told about Itachi and could not suppress his curiosity.
"Honestly, do you really find non-humans that unacceptable?" He did not think there was much difference between humans and non-humans. His irritation toward Zaraki Kita was mainly because she kept ruining his plans.
Itachi felt an odd sense of relief. Finally, someone asked him this question. He did not mind saying it aloud, just as his capacity had never been limited to a single clan.
"Generally speaking, I do mind," Kisame said, spreading his hands. "We do not interact much, but anyone would find it unlucky. I really do not understand what the organization is thinking, letting non-humans live like humans in Amegakure."
"Why?" Madara replied bluntly. "The one who lost to her in three seconds was you."
Kisame shrugged calmly. "You do not need to remind me of that fact. I admit she is strong, but that does not mean I am not bothered by her. Do not worry though. I will not sneak attack her like Suigetsu. If I ever kill her, it will be out in the open."
It had nothing to do with what she had done, only with what she was. Kisame's mindset was easy to understand. No one wanted to stand on equal footing with livestock. To him, Zaraki Kita was nothing more than a beast wearing clothes.
Uchiha Madara shrugged, giving up on correcting Kisame's worldview. To be fair, his own worldview was not much better. But when it came to non-humans, he believed himself to be sufficiently fair.
"Enough. Be careful on your next mission. You broke a vase last time, and Akatsuki paid quite a lot in compensation," Madara said.
Kisame looked surprised. "You actually care about that?"
"Of course. This money was earned with great effort by all of us," Madara said matter-of-factly.
Kisame spoke honestly again. "From what Pain said, you messed up quite a few missions. I thought you did not care."
"That was an accident!" Madara snapped. His figure gradually faded, and by the time his voice fell, he was already gone.
In the end, Itachi never said it aloud.
He did not discriminate against non-humans.
After Madara's interruption, their journey resumed. Kisame walked ahead, Itachi behind. After walking a little over a hundred meters, Uchiha Itachi spoke. His tone was calm, serious, and sincere.
"I do not mind non-humans."
Kisame did not stop walking. Neither did Itachi.
"And then…?"
"There is no 'then.' I just wanted to say it. You do not have to worry about me," Itachi said, feeling inexplicably lighter. Next time we meet, I should apologize to her. No matter the reason.
"Oh right, Kisame. Want to earn some extra money to pay the organization back?"
"That would mean a long time of unpaid labor."
"Sounds like redeeming ourselves."
"That description fits. I am anyway. Nothing better to do."
"That is true."
Compared to Kisame, Itachi truly did not mind. At first, he felt a slight discomfort, but after interacting more, he did not dislike Zaraki Kita. On the contrary, he genuinely admired her. Much like her appearance, Zaraki Kita was someone who made others feel at ease.
She was not exactly interesting, but she had a habit of viewing the same matter from many different angles. More importantly, she was strong. Perhaps because of what she had experienced, Itachi could sometimes see things through her that he had previously overlooked.
Setting aside her non-human identity, Zaraki Kita was outstanding in a way that left no room for jealousy.
"Uncle, did Sister Kita go through those things too?" Deidara asked with lingering fear after cramming knowledge about non-humans. He directed the question at Sasori, who was repairing a puppet.
Without lifting his head, Sasori shook it slightly. "Not exactly the same, but largely similar. I am showing you this so you do not ask stupid questions in front of Konan later. She will find it annoying."
"Why? Sister Konan did not get angry," Deidara said.
"If she were not angry, our team would not have gone on two missions within one week," Sasori replied calmly. He paused his work. The maintenance should have been done two days ago, but with back-to-back missions, there had been no time.
Deidara seemed to understand something, yet also seemed not to. Sasori thought that, since Zaraki Kita was Deidara's friend, it was better to hammer this into him now to avoid trouble later.
"Then tell me, what do you think about non-humans?"
Deidara froze. He did not understand the purpose of the question. He had only learned about the existence of non-humans recently. In his thirteen years of life, he thought being an illegitimate child was already bad enough.
"I do not know," Deidara answered honestly, then asked honestly as well, "Um, Uncle, what is the difference between non-humans and humans?"
That was a damn good question. Sasori thought carefully before answering.
"There is no difference. That is why a difference exists."
Deidara did not understand such a profound statement. Question marks filled his head. Sasori genuinely did not know how to explain it further. He felt that explanation was already simple enough, but Deidara still did not get it. If he brushes it off with 'you are too young', Deidara would probably ask even stupider questions later and drag him into trouble.
"What do you think of Zaraki Kita?"
"She is great. Sister Kita is very strong. I cannot beat her, hmm."
"Then treat her the way you would treat a strong person. Deidara, one day you will understand the kind of situation she is trapped in."
"Oh. I am almost done learning sign language anyway, hmm."
Sasori nodded in approval and continued maintaining the puppet. After a moment of thought, he added, "Zaraki Kita has a very strong heart. Because her heart is strong, she has achieved what she has today. In that regard, Deidara, I acknowledge her."
As he spoke, the barrier outside the small house showed signs of being disturbed. Deidara smiled apologetically.
"Sorry, Uncle. Iwagakure pursuers are here. I will let them witness what art truly is, hmm."
"Forget it. Pain said to keep a low profile lately. Retreat through the side path," Sasori said.
"Ah? Oh… sorry, Uncle. This place is ruined again, hmm."
"It does not matter."
He said that, but his hands moved swiftly to pack everything away. By the time the pursuers broke through the barrier, the place was already empty.
━━━━ ❖ ━━━
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