Hardened Heart |Sequel to The Strength of the Weak|

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Exhaustion clawed at Satomi's conscious, but she couldn't bring herself to succumb herself to the safety of sleep. Worry about what happened to Ryouichi tugged at the corners of her mind, bringing a constant onslaught of anxiety she just couldn't get rid of. It had only been a few hours since she was brought here, but Orochimaru had yet to summon her, or do anything to her for that matter.

The room she was in had a single torch, the flame slowly but surely dying out as time passed on. There was not a single piece of furniture in the room, leaving Satomi only the cold, hard ground to sit on. She complied, in fear that her sensei would end up getting the brunt of the punishment for her disobedience.

Her back laid flat against the wall, her dark eyes not once leaving the door directly in front of her. A scowl was set on her lips, the failure of her personal mission haunting her conscious. Another reason she couldn't sleep.

Satomi exhales sharply through her nostrils when she hears the echoing of footsteps coming towards her room, fear taking hold of her without permission and keeping her tied to her distressed mind.

The door to her room jostles a bit before opening, revealing a head of silver hair paired with circular glasses. Satomi blinks slowly at the boy in front of her, her burning eyes not looking forward to dealing with the obnoxious pet of the snake.

"So you finally caved? It was only a matter of time, really. You Konoha shinobi are so easily to manipulate," Kabuto announces upon his arrival, standing over the drained Uchiha with a cocky smirk, as if he were her superior, able to beckon the teenager to his call and demand.

"You're one to talk, you scumbag. Like a dog, you follow Orochimaru's every command. You don't have a mind of your own, Kabuto, your whole life has been you being manipulated-" Satomi replies, stopping when Kabuto whips out his leg and sends a kick to Satomi's jaw, the hit replying with a sickening crunch.

"I'd be careful what you say, you're not the one in control right now," Kabuto declares, spitting on Satomi's face as she glares up at the boy, her jaw slack and most definitely broken from the impact. A tiny stream of blood escapes her nose, trailing down her swollen lips until it stops at the tip of her chin and drips harmlessly to the ground.

"We need you able to speak, so I guess I should repair this," Kabuto casually mentions, leaning down with a smirk and healing her jaw with an ominous green hue to his hands, trying to prove to Satomi that he was the one with the power, while she nothing more than the cockroach who should be begging for her life.

After fifteen minutes, Kabuto takes a step back from the girl as she sits up, opening her mouth repeatedly to unstiffen her newly healed joints. Kabuto adjusts his glasses, his hands poised on his hips as he holds his chin high over Satomi's weak form.

"Can you speak?"

"What, did Orochimaru order you to keep me uninjured? Looks like you're the one being controlled, as always," Satomi declares mockingly. She knows that she won't have this attitude for very long because sooner or later Orochimaru was going to give Satomi a run for her money, but right now she just needed a way to let out her frustrations. Kabuto was the first person to walk in, so he would be the outlet of her insults.

Much like before, Kabuto whips his leg out to deliver the kick, the crack of Satomi's jaw breaking meeting his eager ears once again. Unlike before, though, he turns his back and walks to the door, turning his head to address her just before he leaves for good.

"I assure you, that feisty spirit of yours won't be there for very long at this rate. Speak like that to Lord Orochimaru and you'll receive far worse tha a broken jaw," Kabuto threatens, slamming the door behind him like a child as he exits.