MAJOR SPOILERS: This fic contains massive spoilers of the events up to Chapter 404 (ie; a few releases after the conclusion to the Hugely Epic Truth About Itachi chapters). So, if you haven't read up to there, then go catch up on Naruto now, yes now, because it's pure awesome.
Disclaimer: All characters and trademarks (as well as the canon events from the manga that I've built this fanfic around) in Naruto are © Kishimoto Masashi and the mighty empire SHUEISHA Publishing Inc.
The rest of the fic is mine. Ye who take from it any more than idle inspiration for works entirely your own shall face retribution from the Black Path of general doujinshi, in the form of a switching, then an embarassingly naggy and mothering lecture over unreasonably awful-tasting tea, about if you're going to plagiarize, don't plagiarize something of tiny significance and no profit like fanfiction. Ah- matte, matte... let me rephrase that... Don't plagiarize, folks.
The Slow Death of Enmity
Chapter I
Wax-Winged Weasel, part i
Weary, so weary. Day by grinding day, Itachi felt more and more, then more still, the weariness gnawing through his bones to the pit of his soul. He was aware, and embittered by it, that the crawl of his exhaustion no longer even moved with urgency, or any purpose at all, had not done so for a long time. Though why should it, when it had already reached its goal all those years ago? Now it simply moved back and forth, - as if pacing for lack of any meaningful task to perform - through to his core, then meandering outward again to seep out through his skin, only to invade it once more for its next journey inward. Young though he was, Uchiha Itachi felt old as the sun. Vaguely he wondered if Hidan could relate to this sensation. No, the zealot would probably just hoot at that, and berate him for being carefree. Too much spare time, indeed. I contemplate as if I've all the time in the world.
His partner had stopped, and was eyeing him warily. Itachi realized he had thought aloud. "Frivolous." The clipped word seemed to him something hastily shoved into the silence, and he added more smoothly, "When idle thoughts come to me, I begin to wonder if Akatsuki is dawdling."
His gills all that moved, those unnerving, unblinking eyes studied him for a few more moments, then - satisfied that nothing was off, Itachi supposed - Kisame gave a short grunt and continued jumping. Itachi followed. In long loping strides from branch to branch high as the two were in the canopy of Konoha's bordering forests, footing was still more than sure on tree limbs thicker than a grown man's body, even for someone with slightly blurred vision.
The Uchiha found it irritating that he'd felt obligated to explain himself to that oaf. Explain myself! Hah! That he had called it that almost angered him. It succeeded after a moment, and he felt the familiar disgust with himself wash over him anew. His foot slipped short of a branch. Another fine example that the air Uchiha Itachi breathes is exhaled as lies, his revulsion bantered like an old comrade, in a tone that was theatrically grandiose. He realized then that he was falling through air, and at that moment, hit the ground. A choked gasp of "Spleen!" escaped him before the impact tore breath from his lungs, and he dimly imagined a girl's trilling laughter that quickly cut off.
Kisame had stopped again, well ahead, and was looking around. While his partner's search remained horizontal, Itachi took the opportunity to cover up his blunder. Still waiting for respiration to come back, he scrambled haphazardly to his feet, mercilessly stilling legs that shook like gel from the shock. Itachi wheezed his lungs back into working order, again imagining someone giggling at it. Then, looking around to see if anyone had witnessed the mighty Uchiha in his vulnerable moment, he discovered Kisame was already in front of him, grinning like an idiot. A snide remark always seemed to wait behind that lipless smile, but it never came out. Itachi wanted to cuff the bastard. He felt like an old man just then, the kind that stubbornly pretends he's still limber as a youth. That grin seemed to be saying, "Give up and go die, ojii-chan." He wanted to box Kisame's ears, but the goddamned shark-man probably didn't even have any. Pale gold and purple flitted briefly in his peripheral vision, among the slowly dwindling kaleidoscopic motes that had flooded his sight after the fall. Aching like something ancient and knees still wobbly, Itachi snapped a most irritable "I'm fine!"
His colleague had caught him in moments of weakness often enough before, but even though - for some reason Itachi never understood, yet was nonetheless eternally grateful for - Kisame had never told a soul in the syndicate of this frailty, what must have been Uchiha pride still rankled every time at even one person knowing he was not infallible. It was his dirty secret from Akatsuki: that he was stretching himself past his limits for a purpose of his own, and hoping it was fulfilled before he ended up killing himself. It was a race against time, and his time was growing short.
***
Haruno Sakura gathered herbs growing between the great roots of a colossal tree with a will. She did everything with a will, and this most especially. Tsunade's teachings she had been drinking like life water, and she already had an encyclopaedic knowledge of plants - medicines and poisons alike - along with the proper way to grow and gather each of them, and to prepare medicines: the most effective method of intake varied from plant to plant. But huge as it was on its own, the botanical aspect was just one facet of an iryonin's curriculum, with the others just as extensive and meticulously detailed or more. She was learning so fast; faster than Tsunade, she had heard some senior medinin and hospital staff say- words not intended to reach her ears, most likely. But it wasn't fast enough for Sakura. The need became greater with every day that passed. A need to heal, and to learn more, so that she could heal better and faster than those she cared for could become hurt.
It wasn't just about Sasuke anymore either. In fact, Sakura wondered how much about him it was at all these days. That moment, the one that had frozen her blood, and held her eyes open against the sun, despite it. That eternity that had sped by in a second, where he had gazed down at them from the outcrop where the rocks had caved. From atop a mountain, it had seemed, and with such a way about him that he'd be a god and known as one were he in robes or rags. Such a way as to make the distance between them more palpable than infinity. That moment, and the moments that had followed, all were still clear as life in her mind, but lately it seemed his features were blurred.
It should have shaken Sakura that her reason to become stronger was becoming indistinct, but it just... didn't. He had ceased to be the sole reason she advanced. There was Naruto now. And the patients she tended to at the hospital, whether they were war-wounded ANBU, or fool chuunin full of sake, fallen from trees, and still in loud, raucous song after they'd been hauled onto a litter- including that pack of tokubetsu jounin who should know better. However they got themselves injured though, they were still her patients, Sakura knew, busied as she was cleaning away the remains of a stalk she had crushed to pulp in her fist. She even found herself smiling at the academy's new generation, proud to be part of what kept them safe and well as they grew tall and strong like she finally was. Everyone in Konohagakure was her reason now, Haruno Sakura realized, and for their sake it never seemed she was learning fast enough.
Ino popped out from behind a tree just then. She had tagged along with Sakura, but mostly all she had done so far was idly pluck wildflowers, arranging them into an attractive bouquet within her hand as she gathered them one by one. She appeared to have finished the one she carried, as the flowers had been tied off at the stems with a thin piece of vine. "I never believed your stories about drunks climbing trees until now! I just saw two of them! Well, only one fell, but the other guy's face looks totally sickly. I think you should come check them out." Ino looked more excited as she spoke than concerned. Sakura gave her a blank stare. "Maybe they'll spar with us after you heal them!~" Ino chirped, with the beginnings of a mischievous smile.
"I might decide to skip the healing part." Sakura grated, standing up and only somewhat carefully stuffing the herbs she'd collected into her pouch. "Who is it this time?"
"No one I know."
"Ah, well. Can't be helped either way, I guess. Take me to them. Hopefully nothing's broken and I can heal the guy without having to admit him. I'll dose the other one for his stomach: to make him throw up all that alcohol, that is."
Ino laughed delightedly. "That's sooo devious! You know, you actually make this medic-nin stuff look kinda cool sometimes."
Sakura looked the other way to hide her small smile, making it look like she was scanning the surroundings. There was no way she could allow Ino see how much it meant to feel she measured up to her girlhood rival. "That's not the point." she mumbled.
Once they arrived at the scene under the cover of a distant tree, Sakura was surprised to say the least when she peeked out from behind it. "Ino-pig, you're an airhead! Don't you know what those coats mean!?"
"The hell did you ju-" Ino's squawking ceased to register. A quick glance at the blue skin - "Sickly" definitely fell far short of describing it - of one of those heavily dressed men had just told Sakura all she needed to know who the other one was. In that instant, it became all about Sasuke once again.
Her tone became dangerously tranquil. "Ino. Go home."
"Whaa?"
Sakura didn't turn her gaze away from the two Akatsuki- the one. Run back to the village as fast as you can and tell Tsunade-shishou to come here herself, with Shizune-san too if she's in the room."
In an explosion of flowers, Ino ran. Like the wind, Sakura was relieved to see, ponytail an arrow behind her. Half her words had been unspoken, but Ino's haste and the mess of petals said she'd heard them all. Bicker though they did, a friend like that was a great help in situations like these. The other half had been, "They're dangerous Ino, so pull one away. But I've got a bone to pick with the other. Lead Hokage-sama astray for a little, so I can rough this guy up some first." She damn well hoped Ino had heard that last part. Sakura was almost certain her target would be the one to stay behind, and as the last of the petals touched earth, she left hiding and rushed at Uchiha Itachi, fist full of chakra.
***
"SHANNARO!!"
Kisame made to draw Samehada against the attacker, but Itachi stilled him with a slight shake of the head. Sure enough, the girl paid him and his monstrous sword no mind. Itachi sidestepped her with little effort. He heard the ground behind him being torn apart. If that had hit him.... Quick for her age. Very. Eyes still on her - she was slashing at him with a kunai now - he addressed his partner, "I'll handle this one. She hid her satisfaction poorly, and he almost changed his mind. Discretion should be observed to keep the identity of one's targets ambiguous, and in this case, maintained even after successfully engaging them. He almost chuckled; she hadn't hidden that from the start. "You go kill the messenger." The flash of fear across her features was brief, and miniscule besides, but Itachi caught it. Solemn confidence was what replaced it. Unlimbering the sword from his back, Kisame complied, and Itachi found himself alone with the fierce girl, now blocking her kunai jabs with a knife of his own.
-END CHAPTER I-
Please review it! I'm eager to find out how my first submission was received!~
