Shinju sighs as she dabs at her temple with a clean cloth. Humidity was heavy in the air making it difficult to breathe. To Shinju's dissatisfaction, the overly warm weather makes unruly waves of her hair.

Her mission is to kill a man named Hiro. The man was guilty of stealing from her organization. He was also the protector of the tomb that held the forbidden scroll came for. Once she killed Hiro, Shinju was to retrieve the scroll. It was kept in an ancient temple that was protected with traps. 

Arriving to the temple, Shinju enters the holy place; completely unaware of the hidden eyes that watch her in the distance. 

"Are you sure you can protect me from her?" Uncertainty was heavy in Hiro's voice

"That's what you paid me to do," Kakuzu grumbles

"But Shinju and the members of her organization are ruthless. They're unstoppable," Hiro fearfully responds

This seemed to have struck a nerve in the immortal male.

"They are not greater than me and the organization I work for! I could easily take them all without breaking a sweat!" Kakuzu angrily exclaims

"Well what's the plan? How are you going to stop her from escaping with the scroll?"

Kakuzu grins behind his mask." Don't worry about it; just be ready to do your part."

"M-my part..."

As Hiro ponders what he means; Kakuzu waits impatiently for Shinju to emerge.

Shinju casually moves through the ancient ruins. Every trap she came across, the forenamed woman effortlessly diffused it. Roaming the halls of the temple, the lavender haired shinobi can't spot Hiro anywhere. Vexed, Shinju concludes that she would have to search the village for him. Reaching the room that holds the scroll, Shinju grabs it and exits quickly.

Watching Shinju step outside, Kakuzu readies himself. In all the years that past, she looked the same as the day he met her, she was still just as beautiful too. Being the prideful and selfish man that he was, Kakuzu would never speak this hidden truth. At the very least, he would admit to being curious to just how much Shinju had grown as a rogue ninja.

"It's time." He announces. Hiro turns to face Kakuzu, giving him a questioning look.

"What do we do?" 

"You're going to keep her busy for a bit."

"How am I going to do that?"

Wordlessly, the masked man pushes Hiro out of the bushes; placing him on full view for Shinju to see. Hiro stands frozen in place, too shocked to say or do anything. Shinju releases a relived breath of air.

"Good, you're here. As a token of my gratitude for not making me come look for you, I'll be sure to make your death quick and painless," Shinju informs him as she pulls a kunai

Coming to his senses, Hiro runs into the woods behind him. Trying to stop him, four kunai nearly impale Shinju. Jumping out of the way,  Shinju evades the tendrils that attempt to restrain her. It wasn't hard to surmise who her assailant was. An embittered chuckle escapes the young woman's lips.

"It would be you," Shinju mutters

Stuffing the scroll in her bag, Shinju makes a dash for the forest ahead; devising a plan in the process. Climbing one of the tall trees, Shinju briskly form hands signs to summon her mist jutsu. The mist thickens as quickly as the seconds pass. 

Calm foot steps echo into the clear void. Kakuzu peers through the fog, unsuccessfully locating his target. He knew this jutsu well, if he let his guard down for a mere second; he was done for. On guard, the miser aimlessly navigates his way through the smog. He had to find the target and fast, before she could escape. He was sent by Pein to grab the same scroll and eliminate Shinju. He was also ordered to capture Hiro, bring him back to the hideout where he would be forced to tell all he knows about Shinju's organization.

Sensing something coming at him from behind, Kakuzu uses his tendrils to stop it. It was a kunai. Sensing another coming from a different angle, Kakuzu pulls a kunai of his own to deflect the weapon. He feels a sharp object cut his arm, holding his wounded arm. Shuriken fall from the concealed sky, prompting the cheapskate to run in order to dodge them. When the assault stops; so does Kakuzu's running. A single shuriken whips past his face, cutting part of his mask and cheek. A low growl of annoyance passes Kakuzu's lips.

A familiar laugh holds the man in place. The light sound came from all directions, making it difficult for Kakuzu to pin point the exact placement of the owner. Although he couldn't see the person's face, he knew who the voice belonged to without having to give a second thought to it.

"Shinju," The scrooge grunts, assessing his surroundings, waiting for her next move

"Kakuzu, I'd say it's nice to see you but I'd be lying." Shinju sits on a branch above, coldly staring at the object of her hatred

The older male knew Shinju well, he also knew what buttons to push to set her off. He paid close attention to the mist covered space above him.

"The Shinju I know would've showed herself by now and faced me head on." He taunts

Shinju casts a shuriken at Kakuzu's feet, making the man jump to avoid it. Kakuzu takes note of the direction the projectile weapon came from. He attempts to predict her pattern. Shinju moves to the next branch, casting the next weapon at him; cutting his sleeve.

"I'm not the Shinju you used to know." She informs

"Clearly. Last I heard, you were working on your own for a while. Now, you're working your way up with two other nobodies. Heh, you've grown soft JuJu." 

Rage mixes with a concealed emotion that Shinju refused to acknowledge. She recalled the first time Kakuzu called her that, things were so peaceful then; they were beautiful until he ruined them. The memory she once held fondly was now covered in bitterness and pain.

"Don't call me that," She snaps, throwing another shuriken at his feet, forcing Kakuzu to move again to avoid it

"Seems like I've struck a nerve. Maybe that's not the only thing bothering you." Catching the pattern, Kakuzu blocks the next shuriken with a weapon of his own

"Shut up!" Moving her spot again, the heated beauty sends a group of shuriken flying this time

Kakuzu is barely able to block them but manages. Grinning to himself, he looks up, unknowingly locking eyes with Shinju's.

"You haven't changed a bit, you're still too easy to anger." He mocks

"Neither has our paths; every time we meet, there's a guarantee that blood will spill." Shinju speaks resentfully as she tightens her grip on her kunai

"That's how it will end here as well; you on the ground beneath my feet bleeding out. And I'll be strolling out of here with the scroll you're clinging to. I will admit, you and your group are becoming prominent figures in the underworld. So much so that you're costing me money; I can't have that."

It was hard to fathom that someone who holds five hearts could ever be this sinister. Shinju often wondered what the man before her had to endure in order to have become this unfeeling to everyone around him. After all he had done to her; did it really matter?

Shinju laughs sullenly, "You selfish son of bitch, nothing about you has changed except for one thing; you've grown colder."

"In life, you must do whatever it takes to survive. Those who shy away from this truth are weaklings who get their lives cut short. I thought that our encounter all those years ago taught you that." Kakuzu sneers

Shinju could never forget that night, he destroyed her life. Those unforgettable moments replayed in her mind over and over again, haunting her in everyday life. She remembered everything: The blood curdling screams, her tear filled pleas, the metallic taste of her blood she choked on, and the withdrawn discolored eyes of the one she believed she could trust. What hurt most of all was being left for dead; like she was nothing...

After that night, almost every waking moment of Shinju's life was dedicated to devising many ways to torture Kakuzu; until she joined the organization. It was the only thing she could think about. She wanted him to suffer just as she had, to know the pain that was imposed on her.

  Although her heart bled for him, literally and figuratively, the lavender haired rogue decides to exact her revenge another time. The satisfaction of what comes next would be enough to hold her over until their next twisted yet fated encounter.

"You're right. Which is why I feel bad for you."

"Why is that," The man inquires defensively

"Because, you'll leave here with neither my blood on your hands or the scroll you're after."

"You're a fool to think that I'll let you walk out of here breathing." 

"Spew your empty threats elsewhere old man. How will you succeed in killing me when you can't even find me?"

"Seeing as you have to find Hiro; I've got some time."

"You and I both know that it won't be that easy. As far as Hiro goes; that'll be a piece of cake finding him. Let's see who gets who first," She challenges

Shinju stands up, preparing to leave.

"Consider yourself lucky, I'm sparring you; for now. Make no mistake, I will one day claim your pathetic life, the same as you did his..." Before dissipating into the smoke, Shinju takes one last look at Kakuzu 

Kakuzu descends into the fog in hopes of catching Shinju before she can get to Hiro.

Racing through the forest, the impatient man keeps eye out for shadowy figures and possible traps. Shinju was right; it wasn't as easy as he previously thought. It felt as if Kakuzu was running in circles. He may have been caught in Shinju's jutsu before, but he was as clueless as ever to figuring out its weak spot. Kakuzu trips over something; a body. The mist begins to slowly clear up.

Approaching the body, Kakuzu ascertains the person as Hiro. Staring at the man's pale corpse, Kakuzu became irate at himself for being too late. The angered man's fist comes in contact with a tree to the right of him; a dent formed from his forceful action.

"Another failure?" Kuro, the dark half of zetsu questions

Kakuzu turns to him, throwing a fist at his face; Zetsu disappears before Kakuzu's fist connects with his face. The creature reappears behind him. Kakuzu turns to face him.

"You're not the only one; Kisame did as well." Shiro the lighter half reports

"That has nothing to do with me." Kakuzu remarks as he walks past zetsu

"You're both in the same boat. I can't see how it wouldn't." Kuro retorts

"You're to check in with Pein. Then be on stand by for further instructions," Shiro explains

"Whatever." Kakuzu scoffs as he continues walking away

"They both failed. Pein is not going to be happy about this." Shiro speaks, his usual upbeat tone absent from his voice

"We still have to wait to hear from Obito about the final mission. If he can't stop her, then we're really screwed." Kuro replies in a grumpy tone

"What do we do about the body?"

"What do you think? We eat it. He was useful alive not dead." Kuro hungrily licks his lips

While waiting for Obito and the final scenario to play out, the creature feasts upon the flesh of the Hiro's dead body.