Ch 100!

"I had thought about it, but I chose not to go through with it. You had done me a favour, I thought I might give one to you as well." 

You think too low of me, Sasori. But you thought right, there should be no trust here. And there isn't, yet you still indulge me. And for that, I'm thankful. I'll repay in kind. 

Though, this is the best time because Deidara is gone. Still, I couldn't help a smirk that came across my lips. If it was intentional or not, I'll let you decide for yourselves. 

Sasori immediately noticed it, narrowing his eyes in an unimpressed way. You must not believe me, doesn't matter. I don't care what you believe, Sasori, you won't tie me down much longer. 

"Planning to slip away when my defenses are down?" 

He's asking the same kind of question again. He asked again so I could 'tell' the truth. I sighed slightly, tired of this alright. My expression wasn't mocking him before, but it is now. 

I am not so weak that I need to take advantage of someone, especially when I know Sasori's not any weaker in this form. He is, in fact, stronger. But he doesn't know that I know that. 

He must just want to see where my moral line is, and it's quite high in comparison to many people. Including the person judging me himself. Sasori, you have no right. 

"I'll wait for you, don't worry. I prefer not to toy with the vulnerable." 

I left out the 'unlike you' part. I'm already crossing the line, I don't need to jump over it. But still, I do have dignity. He and Deidara must think I have none. To be honest, since I met with Obito I think that it was an accurate assessment. 

But again, this guy shook the very foundation of the ninja world. So I believe I'm fine on that fact. My revenge is not helping out and escaping from him. He will find me again, but I will be ready for that. 

I will be ready for him. 

"You carry yourself with quite a bit of arrogance for a captive." 

Sasori seemed slightly annoyed with my actions and words, but not outright pissed. A development? Who knows? 

But it's good to see that he understands the hussle. 

"You're very arrogant for a mere follower." 

We are talking calmly even though he knows I'm probably going to make a run for it. Dark eyes locked onto my every move, his posture remained tense, ready for any sudden movement. 

"You speak as if you have all the answers." 

I don't know why, but I got a kick out of it. I could feel the adrenaline coursing through my body. The heat of my skin was uncomfortably calming as my calculating side turned on. 

"Don't I?" 

This isn't just a battle of the mind and wit, but a battle of endurance. Who will be the first to break? They say the first to attack will lose, but the same could be said vice versa. 

Mind games are fun. 

"You seem confident, Ishi. Overly so." 

Sasori's voice was calm but laced with an edge. He watched me like a hawk, studying my body language, waiting for even the slightest hint that I might bolt. 

I, however, stood my ground, an embodiment of defiance. And you know I love being defiant, it's almost what I am most known for. 

Defying death, fate and even God. 

"I could stay here all day, you know." 

I said, casually adjusting my stance. A teasing gesture. 

"It's you who seems impatient." 

He barely seemed impatient right here, but I could see the twitch in his hand. It was amusing, an emotion that was foreign to me but very much welcomed. 

"Patience isn't the issue," Sasori replied, his voice steady. 

"I just want to know how long you plan to toy with me." 

Oh, he knows? But I'm not doing much. Doesn't matter to him I bet, it is all the same. But don't worry, I'll end this soon enough. But until then... 

With a sudden flicker in my expression, my foot tapped lightly against the ground, as if I were contemplating a sprint. Sasori's muscles tensed in response, his focus sharpening. 

I caught the subtle shift in his demeanor and almost laughed. Instead a light, teasing sound echoed off the walls. A chuckle did escape from my lips, but it wasn't what it would've been if I didn't try to stop myself. 

"Not yet," I said, almost playfully. 

I wasn't even hiding my teasing, so in turn, Sasori wasn't hiding his displeasure in my antics. He narrowed his eyes, calculating. The tension hung thick in the air, a silent challenge passing between us. 

I was waiting for the perfect moment, and Sasori was determined not to let me slip away. A power balance was finally in the centre. Time seemed to stretch as we stared each other down, the world around them fading. 

I could sense that he was ready to pounce, and I relished the thrill of it. With a swift motion, I took a step back, a feint that made Sasori's instincts kick in. 

But I didn't run—yet. 

Instead, I held my ground, my gaze unwavering. Sasori remained poised, calculating his next move. 

He knew this dance well; the chase was just as much a part of their game as the standoff itself. In that moment, it was all about who would make the first move, and I was ready to keep him guessing. 

"Are you just going to stand there, or are you actually going to try to catch me?" I challenged, my tone light, as if we were merely engaged in playful banter rather than a standoff. 

"Seriously? You think I'm just going to stand here while you gloat? If you're done with the theatrics, maybe I'll actually start chasing you." 

There was no playfulness in his voice, yet he wouldn't take the first step. It was only then that I got why he was so still yet ready to bounce anytime. 

He was stalling. Waiting for Deidara to come back. 

"Speed isn't on your side, were you hoping that an aerial shot would come in handy?" 

I'll let him know that I know, no harm in that. 

"Clever girl." 

The moment I felt Deidara's chakra in the vicinity I smirked. Looks like he won in that regard, I played a little too long here. Well, it's no matter, I was going to have to deal with both of them at the same time anyways. It's better this way, at least I know where he is. 

Sasori also felt his chakra and chuckled in response, "you do have potential, but you may not live long enough to live up to it. You will ride out your use, and what then?" 

True words, but that exact scenario is the exact reason I am not going back with you two. 

"I won't be put in that position, not by you, or anyone else." 

The moment I feel Deidara walking up the stairs to our floor to come to our room is the moment I make my move. 

I turn and jump out the window, shielding my face as glass shades that were flying everywhere. I don't even waste a millisecond as I run like my life depended on it, which it does. 

This little headstart I had was very useful, but it was only a matter of time before they caught up. It didn't take them too long, but it was enough. 

I just had to get away from this village and into the forest, I could lose them then. The real objective wasn't to outrun them, but to hide out until I was far enough away to run without them chasing me. 

I sprinted down a narrow alley, my breath steady, my eyes sharp. The late afternoon sun cast long shadows, and I could hear the unmistakable footfalls behind me—Sasori and Deidara, relentless as ever. 

I didn't bother turning back, horror movie logic would say I don't deserve to live if I did. 

But one pair of feet suddenly disappeared and the flapping of wings were they're replacement. Just great, now Deidara was flying. 

"You can't keep running forever, Ishi!" 

Deidara called out, his voice teasing, as if this was a game. Why is he enjoying this? The real question before would be why was I enjoying it but this isn't about me. 

I ducked beneath a low-hanging awning, not even breaking my pace. I twisted to the left, darting down another alley, a quick left turn that I haven't memorized but knew abstractly. Sasori was gaining, his legs eating up the distance. 

"You know, this is getting boring," he said, frustration creeping into his tone. 

Is everything about being fun? Actually, why am I even against it? Of course it should be. 

Entertainment is life! 

"Oh, come on! You've got to admit it's a bit entertaining!" Deidara chimed in, his enthusiasm undeterred. 

Ok, Deidara is either high, or was bored out of his mind for the past few days. I'm more on the latter but the former is fun to imagine. 

I want what he's on. 

I rolled my eyes, a smirk creeping onto my lips. 

"Entertaining? More like tedious," I shot back, picking up speed. 

You could tell I was lying but that's not for anyone to call out. My eyes shined as I was finally out of the dreadfully boring village and only a few meters from the forest. 

While my plan was perfect, the only thing that was not up to my standards was that the forest for the first 300 meters the trees gave no hiding space. I need to be faster. 

With a burst of energy, I leaped into the forest, scrambling around the trees with agility. I heard Sasori's curse as he caught onto what I was thinking, slightly caught off guard by my sudden move. 

Deidara, however, was undeterred, flying over without much trouble. The trees were slightly out of my range of motion and I did have some difficulty moving through them. 

My experiences were left at just running in a straight line with no obstacles. I now know a weakness I need to deal with, some good came from this. Sasori though, with his many years on the battlefield, quickly caught up and used a puppet to attack me. 

I took out one of my katanas and blocked the attack. His puppet also held one, so they clanged as they met with force. The clashing of steel rang out as Sasori and I faced off. 

I lunged forward, my blade slicing through the air, but Sasori's puppet sidestepped, countering with a swift slash aimed at my side. I barely managed to pivot, the blade grazing my arm. 

Looks like I'm rusty. 

"Is that all you've got?" 

I taunted, my eyes flashing with determination. With a swift spin, I brought my katana down in an arc, forcing Sasori's puppet to block. 

The impact reverberated through the puppet's arms, but it countered with a low sweep, trying to knock me off balance. I jumped back, my footwork precise. 

"Nice try," I shot back, launching myself at it again, feinting left before striking right. 

Our blades met in a flurry of movement, each parry and thrust a testament to our skill. As we locked eyes, I smirked in victory as I finally cut off its arms. For the slit second as they were falling onto the ground I sliced its legs off too. 

Sasori could put it back together with his chakra threads, but it wouldn't be as powerful anymore. But it was useless anyways, as I already defeated it. 

I quickly ran away, deeper into the forest. Sasori did give chase but as we got deeper he started to slow down. 

I could hear him and Deidara yell at each other in communication on what to do as Sasori joined Deidara on the bird. 

After a while, I finally hid. I was in a bush that was extra thick and bushy. 

Sasori and Deidara seemed extra calm from where they were. 

"So, did you do it?" Deidara asked, his excitement died down but an amused smirk on his face. 

Sasori nodded his head, "it was expected that this would happen." 

Deidara shrugged his shoulders, not too upset, "I would run if I was in her situation." 

Sasori hummed in acknowledgment then glanced at him, "You were, yet you didn't run." 

Deidara chuckled in response, "no, no, we're different. She wasn't asked to join, just to be useful." 

Sasori silently agreed with him, "If you say so." 

Sasori raised his hand, a single chakra thread pointing out towards the forest below them. 

"She wouldn't have gone far, especially since she stopped moving." 

Deidara smirked, controlling his bird to fly to where the chakra thread was, "hiding are we, how fun." 

Sasori had connected a chakra thread onto Ishi's katana when she had clashed with Sasori's puppet. 

A smart move on his part. 

Both of them landed on the ground and got off the bird as they made quick time to the tree that the thread was in. 

"Hiding in the tree, what are we playing, hide and go seek?" Deidara's mocking voice rang out. 

He jumped up into the tree and grabbed at where the thread led them too. 

His mocking expression quickly disappeared as he turned to Sasori in confusion. 

"What's going on?" Sasori raised a brow as Deidara jumped down from the tree without Ishi, but with a squirrel. 

"Sasori my man, we've been duped." 

I have been running for a few minutes by the time they probably would've found out I tricked them. I would've loved to see the looks on their faces. I ran for another many hours as the sky turned dark and my mind grew impatient. 

I was going back to Orochimru's hideout to hide for awhile, and also give him a piece of my mind. He sold me out, and that was a cheap move. 

I made it to the one that I knew he was at with Sasuke and quickly made my way down. Finding Kabuto easily, I immediately grabbed the front of his shirt in annoyance. 

"Where is he?" 

Kabuto looked tired, probably from all that's happened with Sasuke. He didn't even bother with me as he pointed to the room he just came out of. 

I stormed in, not wasting a second more. 

His hair was a light blue but his skin was still very pale. His eyes remained the same, piercing me with a gaze of excitement. While he did look a little different, the man in front of me was still Orochimaru. 

Honestly, he was better to look at in this form. But even the thought of him being visually appealing made my face scrunch up in disgust. 

"You old snake, that shit you pulled almost got me killed!"A/n Thank you all so much for being with me for 100 chapters!!! I am glad you were all on this journey with me as my writing improved and my plot got thicker! For being here with me for so long, I made this chapter extra extra long for you to enjoy! So have fun! Enjoy~