Disclaimer: I do not own anything.

I really want to write this guy, but he doesn't make it easy. I mean from what i've seen in the manga, he's not altogether with it so to speak. So, what's an author to do? Represent him in the way they see fit, which is what I've done here.

Also this is planned as a two-shot only. Or maybe a three-shot. I didn't put up the entire thing because i'm really not sure anybody is gonna read it, so if this first part is liked then I'll go ahead and put up the rest.

Enjoy!! And review!

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'There probably isn't any meaning to life...maybe you can find something interesting to do while you are alive. Like how you found that flower...Like how I found you.'

- Orochimaru

A streak of lightning darted across the skies one moment and was gone in a heartbeat the next, illuminating a single figure seated atop a statue. The downpour of rain increased to a haze of water that blurred all surroundings and he welcomed it, drenching his clothes and flooding his senses with a blissful ease. He had never forgotten the rain, after all.

It was simple and addictive to close his eyes and pretend he didn't see, or feel the cursed world around him. Especially with his otherworldly sight. So much so that he wondered if he had ever skipped a day of solitude, for he couldn't ever remember doing so. In fact there were many things he didn't remember, fear, what he'd done before this position, who he'd been before an ideal swallowed him whole, and what it was like to be ignorant and weak. In his mind there existed a black nothingness but if he really searched then there were a few small memories shoved away which were alien to him. A small blonde boy grinning whom he didn't recognize, the aftermath of a war, the stench of the bodies and a man with a strange hitai-ate. They were inconsequential to him and thus ignored, because no matter how hard he tried he couldn't recall anything more. With the majority of one's existence erased, a comfortable numbness settles in with the loss of identity. Yet he knew who he was, and it was both terribly lonesome and wonderfully euphoric at the same time; to be transcendent of all living things, God on earth.

The rain continued to pelt down in a deafening cacophony, causing strands of orange hair to cling to his forehead, as it swept lovingly across his skin. Yet somewhere in-between it changed, and was replaced by the familiar sensation of chakra, rising and falling against him in waves. Large signature, unknown. Then it was the rain against his skin again and he was frowning. A stranger was approaching the village, alone.

With a grace that whispered of suppressed power, he rose to his feet under the weight of his waterlogged cloak and glared out at the city. Below the streets were empty and yet he could feel that unknown chakra again, beckoning. A clap of thunder roared and the sensation was lost, along with him.

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For one day she'd wondered hopelessly within a rainforest, unknown that she was trapped by a genjutsu and now that she'd shattered the barrier she wasn't quite sure if this wasn't yet another illusion.

Amegakure.

She'd heard the stories of a village so torn apart from countless civil wars, that no one wanted any contact with it due its hostile nature. Then as sudden as they had begun, the wars ceased and as long as there was peace, nobody cared how a nation would thrive in the aftermath of its own destruction. It had been left to its own devices again and isolated from the world. For once, the rumors were true.

And it was both terrible and incredible at once to stand alone before a jungle of mechanical chaos, adorned with metal pipes that ran riot through buildings and spoke of nothing but poverty, feeling the rain drip slowly from heaven. A red lantern hung on a building some way in and Sakura felt somewhat comforted by its soft glow and took a hesitant step forward. No ninja appeared before her like she expected, and the ground beneath did not reveal any traps

Another step. The wave of kunai and senbons directed at her did not come.

And another. Nothing.

Once in, her gaze roamed hastily over everything, taking note of the empty streets and strange buildings, and for a brief moment the rainforest didn't seem so bad compared to this. But her stomach gave an uncomfortable groan and she walked at a quicker pace, eager to find food and leave as soon as possible. Her pink locks, now flattened with water, did not aid in discretion neither, someone was sure to recognize her leaf hitai-ate and strange appearance and then what would she do? From the fleeting rumors she'd heard, this village did not like outsiders, and the appearance of an illusion to hide behind only confirmed that.

The streets were narrow as she hurried through, wondering where everyone was and why there were no signs of any ninja. The only footsteps she could hear were her own and it was enough to drive her insane, so she threw a web of chakra within a reasonable radius of herself and kept one hand close to her kunai pouch. If anyone were to approach at least she'd be prepared.

Another lantern swung into view and she took them to symbolize the entrance of a restaurant, or a hotel of some sort. With a sigh of relief she paused before the black doors and hesitated for a heartbeat. That's all it took for a spark of chakra to flare alive behind her, large and purposeful, and the cold metal of her kunai was a fleeting sensation in her hand as she flung it towards her target.

Its flight was interrupted by a hand snatching it seconds before impact. The action caused a ripple in clothing and red clouds on a black canvas stirred.

Akatsuki was her first thought as she raised both hands together to form seals in silent terror. He disappeared in a flicker and reappeared directly in front of her, before her fingertips had even brushed against each other and she found she couldn't breath. Whether that was from her chakra exploding out of control for no reason and altering between seconds to cause excruciating pain, or from those terrible eyes, coils of liquid flame that gave no indication of humanity, she did not know.

But he continued to shred her open with his gaze and she registered his hand approaching her head with her kunai, deliberate and slow, yet her chakra was not her own to grasp. Burning and imploding all at once, Sakura watched in paralysis as he turned the hilt towards her, watching her the entire time with a blank expression.

Monster.

And when it slammed viciously with her temple; she was almost glad for the oblivion that followed.

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The kunoichi crumpled to the ground like paper and he released the technique, noting how her chakra stabilized itself. Her pink hair was splayed around her head, matted with rain, like a halo of sorts and those hands were curled together as if in prayer. He frowned at the sight and twirled her kunai between three fingers.

It would be so easy to kill her, whether she were conscious or not, so simple to press the kunai in his hand to her throat and let the blade kiss her skin as he drew it across. Only that hitai-ate halted his hand from doing do. The emblem of Konoha glared back at him, no scratch defiling it like his own, and he thought of one last jinchuuruki in particular. One last goal that could be closer to his reach than ever or the same distance apart as it was now. It all depended on who she was.

He stopped twirling the kunai and pocketed it, opting instead to bend down to her level. The pale skin of her neck looked so inviting to slice open then and there, but he refrained and scooped her up into his arms instead. Her head lolled on his arm as he rose to his feet and the contact roused a deep rage within. When was the last time he'd touched somebody without the intent killing? Only the prospect of her being somebody of status within her village prevented him from snapping her thin frame in half. Rather, he readjusted his grip on the kunoichi and threw her over his left shoulder, taking off through the rain.

Each step fell back to another in a familiar rapid pattern that caused the kunoichi on his shoulder to jostle randomly as if she were a toy he'd stolen. Well she might've been one for all he cared, especially with that hair that screamed for attention and that naïve way of composing herself. How fragile and incompetent. Then again there wasn't anyone he knew of that could match his abilities, nor parry his attacks or resist his techniques so maybe the entire world was like her now. Dainty and weak, following rose-tinted dreams.

Pein frowned, an ugly look that made him appear as if he were a sulking child with a monster's eyes, and changed course a degree or two towards a burned out building. It acted as a landmark to an undeveloped part of Ame, where nobody questioned anybody as long as you had money or a kunai. Or if you were God. Which he was, and that thought alone extended his patience if only by an inch.

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She stirred, a thousand fists slamming against her head with strength to match her own. Her limbs felt heavy and she barely registered that she was seated.

Chains, she was in chains and sat in some cold and dark place and when she screwed her eyes shut to blink away the nausea, he was there, imprinted in her mind. The steady drip of water somewhere to her right echoed and she sniffed dryly.

Well, at least you're not dead.

The cool edge of something sharp pressed eagerly against her throat and she could've laughed at the irony of it all if she wasn't too busy wondering where the hell he had emerged from. One minute she was alone and the next he had materialized out of the darkness to stand before her.

She tilted her head backwards to try and relieve some of the pressure of the kunai and his hand followed. The broken metal of the chains felt cracked and rusty against her wrists, chaffing the skin when she attempted to shift her hands and feet.

"Who are you."

That caused her eyes to fly open and meet a gaze that promised to tear her apart with a cold fury. She hadn't heard him speak before, but found his angry silence much more preferable than the cold demanding baritones of his voice.

You kidnapped me and you don't even know who I am? But if she said that his hand would stop restraining the kunai and it would slice clean through her jugular vein, spinal column and all. Not even Tsunade could heal that.

"Haruno Sakura".

Something akin to amusement flickered through his eyes but it was incredibly dark and she wasn't sure she was seeing all that well. Apparently he seemed satisfied with her answer and the blade of the kunai was pulled away from her throat.

"Apprentice of the Godaime Hokage."

She nodded once and allowed her head to slump forward, glaring at the hem of his cloak as he calmly walked to the side.

"How standards have slipped I see." Mocking and calculating all at once.

She contemplated snapping through the chains with her bestial strength but there were too many odds against her. What if her chakra imploded again? And if not how would she get through him? Worse yet was the prospect of even more Akatsuki beyond this cell.

The feet approached her and the tip of the kunai was used swiftly to push her chin up to meet his stare. She drank in the sight of his face from a close vantage, and even in the lack of light she could make out beads of metal lining his face and ears. Piercings that gave him a primitive air despite his graceful movements.

"How is the jinchuuruki?"

She failed to refrain from widening her eyes and when he smiled she knew any attempt at a façade would be futile.

"Stay away from him!" She snarled and the chains clanked loudly at her movements.

Somewhere in the dark he was smiling clearly, and she could feel it. Anger fueled by fear had her trembling on the edge of her seat and clenching her jaws so much they hurt. This is what he was looking for, a reaction, and she was the fool to give him one.

"I have no need for him. It's the demon I want."

Simple, flat, emotionless. She wanted to grab each piercing and rip it out of his skin just so he would scream to confirm he was something beyond an emotionless killing machine.

"You'll have to go through nations to get a hold of him." She shot back, thirsty for a glimmer of anger in his face. Come on, she was saying, it's your turn to give me a reaction.

He merely returned to gaze at her with those soulless eyes and caressed a spot on her neck with the flat of the kunai's blade. Then he leaned in and spoke as if talking to a child.

"What are nations and armies compared to a God?"

She flicked a dry tongue over even dryer lips and sneered.

"Get over yourself."

His expression darkened and before she could even comprehend what was happening, he'd drawn his hand back sharply and slashed her deeply across the neck, watching the blood cascade down her neck like a curtain and over the dip of her collarbone to soak her clothes.

The pain registered immediately but she didn't waver in her glare, and he only stared back at her. Perhaps it was the hysteria that she had been kidnapped by someone she couldn't even react against that had her feeling like a caged animal, or maybe it was the fact that he'd just confirmed he was after Naruto that had her riled up. Whatever it was, Sakura was certain that if she managed to escape from these chains she was going to snatch that kunai from his hand and gouge those eyes out.

"What a shame." Even though his voice implied it was anything but. "Naruto-kun will be upset."

She sucked in air harshly through her teeth and winced at the warm blood pouring out still.

"How do you know his name?"

It was an effort to talk and simultaneously concentrate on forcing small amounts of chakra to the wound. After all, it wouldn't do to reveal the neon glow of her healing chakra and prompt him to flat out kill her the second time.

He was already walking away from her, that dark cloak rippling with his movement when he halted and turned partially, his hitai-ate maimed with a horizontal gash across it but nevertheless twinkling back at her in the dark.

"It'd be rude to kidnap him and not even know who he is, don't you think?"

Then he was gone and Sakura shook alone in her blood and cold sweat and green chakra, wondering why he was such a monster and had no partner and how he knew Naruto's name. Then there was bile rising in her throat, because she was presented with a horrible prospect.

'What are nations and armies compared to a God?' A god.

A Leader.

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