"Heal him," Tobi ordered as he threw Sasuke's unconscious body into this dimension. "I'll be back shortly." He finished then disappeared.

"I looked down at Sasuke seeing he was hurt worse than I thought. I hovered my glowing green hands over him using most of my chakra. I could already feel the shackles on me from following Tobi's orders; just thinking about it makes my blood boil. Once again, I was forced into the criminal life. I finished healing him so I worked on my own wounds then scooted away from Sasuke pulling my legs up to my chest wrapping my arms around them.

"I can't work for the Akatsuki. That was one thing, of many. Father warned me about. I barely understood why when I was a child but now I do, they use their members and replace them like nothing, but Father has also done that....even to me. Even the Leaf has done it. When the Third Hokage died they only mourned for the funeral and that's it. Once Tsunade replaced him, no one mentioned him ever since. I guess that's what a shinobi does, move on. Maybe they do think about the Hokage but don't say it out loud. He was the kindest person I knew, even to someone like me who didn't even deserve it."

I started to feel guilty about his death since I did help with the invasion. He welcomed me into his village with open arms and this is how I repaid him. Just thinking about what I've done to that village made me sick to my stomach, especially to my team.

"I can at least help them. If I'm forced to join this organization, I can at least be a spy." I thought then looked up when a portal opened revealing Tobi holding chakra cuffs.

"Good, you healed him. Now, be a good girl and wear these cuffs."

I looked down at the cuffs knowing they suck your chakra away; I couldn't let him do that. "I'm not putting those on." I replied which made him sigh.

He walked over to Sasuke picking him up. "When I come back you better have a different answer. I can trap you in here forever if you disobey me." He said emitting a powerful aura sending shivers up my spine.

When he left, I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. I made hand signs then touched my necklace sealing away the rest of my chakra. When he came back, he appeared right in front of me slapping the cuffs on my wrists right away then pulled me back into the portal. I had to close my eyes from the lighting letting them adjust. I didn't know how long I was in the void but it was good to be back in the real world.

"Ko!" I heard Suigetsu exclaim.

I opened my eyes seeing the group outside close to the water but Sasuke was missing. They came up to me as I still looked around seeing nothing but forest around us.

"What happened to you?" Karin questioned as she attempted to hug me but I crouched down avoiding it. She seemed pretty upset seeing she was holding back tears. "One second you were facing the Leaf ninja then you suddenly disappear! I was so worried!"

"Um I'm fine Karin, no need to get so worked up." I commented feeling a bit uneasy; I wasn't use to someone actually worrying about me but it did feel nice.

"So where did you go?" Suigetsu questioned as he rested his sword on his shoulder shifting his weight onto his left leg.

"Kabuto appeared near us so I took care of it then Tobi brought me to the base." I explained not wanting to tell the whole story.

"Kabuto?!" Suigetsu exclaimed. "What was that four eyed freak doing here?"

"Apparently he's working with our new friends," I said looking down at my cuffs.

"I don't think they're friends if they have you in handcuffs." Jugo commented eying the silver cuffs around my wrists.

"You try being the daughter of the man who betrayed the Akatsuki, honestly I don't blame them." I couldn't shake the sadness away as the images of Father's recent death crossed my mind making me turn away from the team. "I really hope Sasuke knows what he's getting himself into." Tobi finally appeared before us motioning for us to follow which the others did but I hesitated for a moment before following in suit. "This sucks," I said under my breath.

-------------------------------------------

"So you want to destroy Konaha, but do you have an actual plan?" The masked man, who revealed his true identity as Madara, asked Sasuke.

"We eliminate the top tier, that's all I've come up with." Sasuke replied making me raise a brow.

"Why is he going after the Leaf?" I thought as my eyes darted from Sasuke to Madara. "What kind of plan is that? You can't just start with the top."

"When you strike at the top, they shield themselves with the bottom. It's not that easy, you taka kids are still too inexperienced for this." Kisame said but then looked over at me. "Well, Ko is more experienced."

"Don't overlook us, Kisame-senpai. We still haven't finished out little game." Suigetsu exclaimed as he pointed Zabuza's sword towards Kisame.

"Enough, Suigetsu." Jugo warned but it was ignored.

Suigetsu ran at Kisame with his sword ready to swing but Madara blocked it with his arm.

"Sasuke, will you reign in you subordinates, please?" Madara sighed.

Suigetsu looked pissed off as he looked from his sword to Madara.

"Suigetsu are you insane?! This isn't the time-" Karin scolded but stopped when he took a few steps forward.

"I'm after his sword, the samehada! That's the only reason I went with Sasuke!" Suigetsu yelled.

"Well Sasuke?" Jugo asked.

"Right...Suigetsu, do what you want. You can't beat him yet, anyways." Sasuke said.

"Whatever, Sasuke. You'll apologize when I'm treating you to shark fin soup later." Suigetsu said.

"Sasuke you lack discipline and I've noticed it while traveling with you." I interjected catching everyone's attention. "Being the head of the Uchiha now, you need to learn how to lead your subordinates." I could tell that got on Sasuke's nerves but he had to hear it. "Leading us into battle requires leadership. If we run into battle with no plan and everyone does their own thing, it'll set us up for disaster."

"I don't need advice from you," Sasuke growled as he sat up in his seat staring at me with his Sharingan.

"You should listen to her Sasuke." Madara agreed. "At any rate, Akatsuki is currently lacking in numbers and capability."

"Uh huh....you're not so hot, either." Suigetsu replied.

My eyes shifted to Suigetsu who still had his sword ready for another attack. "Suigetsu," I said catching his attention. "Put the sword down and listen." I ordered but only got an eye roll as a reply.

Obviously, I was no threat without my chakra but I didn't need it to scare him a bit. I swiftly used my speed to get in front of him and used my leg to kick the sword from his grasp making his gasp then look over at me.

"See, if they disobey, you take care of the problem yourself followed by a punishment." I then finished with a kick to his stomach making him land on the table sliding towards Sasuke.

"Hmph should learn something from her Sasuke, she obviously has experience dealing with subordinates." Kisame commented flashing me a tooth grin.

I reached up with both cuffed hands pushing my hair out of my eyes replying, "I learned from the best," then sat back down.

"We share the same goals. From now on, Taka and Akatsuki move as one." Madara continued once the ruckus was over.

"What's in it for us?" Sasuke questioned leaning forward in his seat.

"The bijuu." Madara said.

"Bijuu?" Sasuke questioned raising a brow.

Madara was about to explain but I interjected.

"Basically Naruto, they are host to one of the nine tailed beasts. You probably remember the immense chakra he had when fighting Haku and even during your own battle. Generations before us used them as weapons and traded them for power. The first Hokage had most of them but gave them to the other villages to even out the power struggle."

"You could call them the ultimate chakra weapons...not a bad trade, right?" Madara finished.

"That's pretty generous of you." Sasuke said.

"However," Madara looked at me. "Betray the Akatsuki, I'll see to it you all die."

I looked away from him directing my attention to the wall next to me automatically thinking about Kitty.

"I wonder how he's doing...hopefully he's alright and made it back home safely. Ugh stop it Ko, this is no time to think about him."

"There are nine Bijuu in our world. We've gathered seven so far, just two to go." Kisame smirked as his eyes looked over each of us.

"Akatsuki and Taka will split up to hunt the remaining two. That's our present goal." Madara said still eyeing me.

"So you haven't got the Kyuubi yet," Sasuke mused.

"Akatsuki will take care of Naruto. Taka will get the other target. But first, I want you to train for a few days. Suigetsu will train with Kisame, Ko train Karin in medical ninjutsu, and Sasuke will train Ko to control her curse mark."

"How did you know what we needed to work on?" I questioned getting up from my seat.

"I must know the weaknesses of all my subordinates. I know of Karin's abilities but it seems like a handicap when she uses all of her strength just to heal one person. Suigetsu is a skilled swordsman but lacks strategy. I know you've had trouble with the curse mark since I watched your battle with Itachi." He explained which made Sasuke raise to his feet glaring down at me.

My eyes darted away from his but I could feel the Uchiha's glare as I paid attention to Madara. Thankfully, Madara took Karin and I before Sasuke could approach me. He led us through a maze leading us to a room with various medical supplies.

"This is our late member's medical lab, you can practice in here." He said before disappearing, so I turned to Karin.

"Do you have any medical training?" I questioned her hoping she would say yes.

"Um just what we learned at the academy." She admitted as her voice wavered with worry.

"Okay so first aid. Are you good at chakra control? I assume so since you're an Uzumaki."

She nodded in response.

"Usually, you start off healing an animal but I guess I'll have to do for now." I said as I tried to reach for my kunai but with these cuffs, I couldn't reach. "Get a kunai and cut me." I ordered which made her almost choke on air.

"W-what?"

"You heard me, come on and do it. I've been hurt worse, trust me." I told her as memories flashed through my mind. I could tell she was hesitant but after a few moments, she got a kunai cutting my forearm making me wince. "See, barely flinched. Now, focus your chakra to your hands with a clear mind."

"Clear my mind?"

"Just do it." She nodded and focused on her hands which started to glow green. "There you go, now hover them over my cut." She followed my instructions trying to heal my wound, but it was taking a while. I couldn't blame her though, I remember that on my first try it took me a few days. After a few minutes, I could see it slowly healing. "Great, keep it up." I encouraged which I knew would work with her confidence since I could see a small smile forming on her lips. Finally, the wound was healed. "Great, now let's keep trying."

-------------------------------

Once Karin got the hang of it, Madara led me through the hideout towards the exit where I'd train with Sasuke. He was waiting in a clearing close to the water with his back towards us.

"So are these cuffs coming off?" I questioned once we were close to Sasuke who turned around automatically giving me a glare.

"Yes but don't get any ideas, Zetsu will be watching."

"Tsk, where else would I go?" I sneered, "don't need more people trying to kill me." I finished as I held up my arms ready for these cuffs to be removed. Once they were off, I rubbed my sore wrists as he disappeared. "Let's get this over with." I said as I cracked my knuckles.

I looked over at Sasuke seeing his apathetic expression as he eyed my curse mark. "Why are you staring at it? We've been traveling together for months."

"I'm curious on why he used the last of his strength and chakra to give you that." He said putting emphasis on that.

"Because I've always wanted one ever since we recruited Jugo and he developed the mark." I said as I grinded my teeth in frustration to Sasuke's tone.

"Why would you want it?" He scoffed making my frustration turn into anger.

"I'm devoted to my Father wanting to do everything for him. I wanted to be perfect but it still felt like I was a disappointment." I growled feeling my anger spike not only because of Sasuke, also because I felt like a failure.

Talking about him made me think about everything I wanted to say to him and how my dream will never be achieved. All I've wanted in life was to hear that he was proud of me.

"When has the mark been activated?" Sasuke questioned pulling me from my thoughts.

"When I'm angry, like when I woke up after you murdered my Father," I said putting emphasis on murder, "and when I faced Itachi."

"Why didn't you mention Itachi?!" He was different this time. Any mention of Itachi he would have scowled but he looked pained.

"Because it was irrelevant. It was only a few weeks after the murder so when I saw you months after, the info would've been useless." He was silent knowing I was right. "I need to control it, when I fight, anger blinds me so I'm sloppy and can't think rationally."

"Try focusing on it, imagine it spreading." He sighed.

I did as he said picturing the snakes coiling around my body but it only moved outward to my hand up my elbow.

"Seems like you can't do it," Sasuke commented making me glare at him.

"Yes I can, just give me some time." I snapped feeling frustrated.

"I expected more from Orochimaru's daughter. He gave that to you for no reason."

"Shut up!" I shouted feeling my anger spike which made the mark spread more to my neck.

"He tossed you away when I came into the picture."

"No," I denied, "he needed to train you then he'd steal your eyes and give them to me!" I yelled which caught Sasuke off guard.

"He said you'd get my eyes?" He scoffed sounded like he didn't believe me. "It was a trick; he went after me not you."

I don't think I've ever been this angry since traveling with Hikaru but Sasuke was really pushing my buttons. "Because I wasn't there!" I growled as I felt an overwhelming power take over me.

"Try to calm down," Sasuke suggested but I just wanted to rip his head off. "Control your anger Ko, that was the whole point in this."

It was easier said than done. The bloodlust was too overwhelming; it felt as if it were taking over. My body had moved by itself attacking Sasuke then everything started to go dark.

My main priority was to kill my enemy which was the man in front of me. I was angry and he was the cause of it. When I lunged at him, he stepped to the right but I landed on my hands and swung my leg hitting his side. He stumbled a little but stood his ground. I lunged again preparing to slash him with my claws but he avoided it.

"Ko, calm down and focus." He said from behind me.

"Who is he talking to? My name isn't Ko, its....I don't know what it is." I thought as I continued to attack the man.

The name Ko kept repeating in my head until a memory flashed before my eyes.

~~~~~

"Daddy," a small voice called. "Why did you name me Ko?" She questioned a tall man with pale skin.

"It means daughterly devotion. You're my daughter and I know you'll always be at my side right?" He explained crouching down to her level.

"Of course Daddy,"

~~~~~~

Was this my memory? It has to be...The man was right...I am Ko. I looked up at him seeing more memories. Sasuke, I know him...the academy, team seven, even at Father's hideout. He's been with me almost my whole life. I stopped attacking him finally able to clear my mind.

"Get ahold of yourself Ko, don't let it take over." I said to myself taking in deep breaths.

"Now focus on keeping calm and what you're feeling now." Sasuke said when he saw that I was myself. "It'll be easier to transform back into this state once you know how it feels."

I nodded and closed my eyes taking a deep breath. I could feel a foreign chakra coursing through my veins. The power I felt was starting to decrease making me feel weaker. As much as I tried, it kept depleting until I was back to my normal self.

"Seems like now I have to learn how to maintain it." I said looking over at Sasuke. He had a strange expression on his facing looking as if he were conflicted. "What's wrong?"

"I want to show you something," he said stepping closer to me.

"Um show me what?"

"A genjutsu," he answered as he activated his Sharingan.

~~~~~

Before I knew it, I was in the genjutsu. I looked around seeing we were at an old hideout then as I looked to my left, I saw Sasuke resting on his bed when smoke appeared. He quickly got up ready for an attack but lowered his defense when he saw my snake, Athena.

"Masster Ssasuke," She bowed, "I want you to ssummon me in five minutess, Masster Ko iss closse to death." She finished which made my heart stop. I remembered this situation clear as day

She disappeared leaving him to count the minutes. I looked over at the past Sasuke seeing his concerned expressions as he patiently waited.

"Why is he showing me this?" I thought as he looked at the clock only seeing a minute had passed.

He looked over at the clock again seeing it had almost been five minutes. He bit his thumb making the proper hand signs summoning Athena.

Smoke filled the air and when it cleared, he saw me lying on Athena. I gasped at the condition I was in. I never knew how much of a beating I took but it was terrible. My whole body was covered in blood with holes in my body still bleeding out. He quickly scooped me into his arms rushing to Kabuto's lab. He didn't hesitate to kick the door down which startled Kabuto but quickly got up when he saw me in Sasuke's arms. He cleared off his medical table motioning for Sasuke to place me on it.

"What happened?" He questioned as his hands started to glow.

"I don't know, Athena appeared saying Ko was close to death and to summon her within a few minutes...how bad is it?" He said trying to hide his emotions, but he was failing.

Kabuto hovered his hands over her body a few times before sighing.

"It doesn't look good but I'll try my best." He admitted. "Go inform Lord Orochimaru."

Sasuke looked at me one last time before heading towards Orochimaru's office. He didn't bother knocking on the door and let himself in.

"What is it Sasuke?" Father questioned turning towards his star pupil.

"Ko has been attacked badly." He informed him. "Kabuto is working on her as we speak."

Orochimaru was silent but stood up from his chair passing Sasuke and made his way to Kabuto's lab. Sasuke stood at the opposite side of the table of Father watching his expression when he finally saw me. A flash of concern was shown on his face before quickly disappearing but I could still see it in his eyes.

"What happened?" He questioned frantically looking at Kabuto.

"We're not sure, Athena brought her here. Her left arm is broken, almost all of her ribs as well, her back has third degree burns, her ankle has a minor burn, lots of shuriken were embedded in her, her lung has been punctured, she really took a beating, and her chakra is extremely low...she went through hell." Kabuto explained.

I could see Father's hand clench as he also looked at my injuries. His face twisted with emotion as he tried to hide it from his subordinates but he wasn't fooling me. I knew he was worried and it honestly made me happy.

"Will she live?" He questioned Kabuto without looking away from my body.

"I might have to work on her for a few hours, but she will."

"Athena!" Orochimaru called which the snake immediately responded to quickly slithering towards him.

"Yess Massster?"

"What happened to my daughter?!" He questioned looking straight at the snake.

"His daughter...I'm...his daughter." I thought as a smile crept onto my face.

"I'm not exactly sssure Masster but there were about four bodiess sscattered around her."

"Four against one," he scoffed looking at me, "She's never fought that many at once...she never had to...Athena, you're dismissed."

Athena bowed before disappearing. Orochimaru looked back at me then turned his gaze to Kabuto.

"Let me know when she wakes up." He said before turning away and headed out the door.

~~~~

I was released from the genjutsu feeling a few tears escape from my eyes. He did care, he really did. I looked up at Sasuke seeing him staring at me with his usual blank look.

"Thank you Sasuke," I said with a smile.

"No problem, now let's get back to work."

Edited: 2/25/2021