First off, apologies for the lack of updates on "6"! I'm working on the next chapter, and definitely haven't given it up. Life has been super exhausting lately (two jobs and two internships will do that to you, I guess XD), but I'm trying to get myself to stick to a writing schedule so I can get my act together. I'm shooting for a pretty long chapter by the end of this month :)
This story is probably going to be a series of one-shots, in mostly chronological order, centering around my Naruto OC, Mayu. Simply because I don't think I have the strength to do another full-out proper fic. I got this idea way back when the Chūnin Exams filler arc was airing and we saw that Konan was in charge of sending out genin participants as spies for the Akatsuki, and it got me thinking - Amegakure was already well under Akatsuki control during the original Chūnin Exams arc, and there were several teams from the Hidden Rain, but we never got to see their jōnin leaders. What if they had been Akatsuki members? And then the current Itachi Shinden arc was the final thing that sucked me back into Naruto and inspired me to sit down and write XD
Hope you enjoy, and let me know what you think!
[Ten days ago.]
"This is a terrible idea."
The sentence had been uttered without any preface, in a matter-of-fact tone that hovered in the still air under the forest branches and hinted at prior conversations left unresolved.
The speaker was a non-descript man of average height – by no means the tallest among their little group – dressed in shinobi attire and with an unruly mop of sandy hair partly obscuring the forehead protector he wore, which identified him as a member of Amegakure.
He had kept his voice relatively light but pitched quite low while addressing his fellow jōnin, to prevent their conversation from reaching the ears of the six genin walking ahead of them. Although, the kids were currently in such a heated argument (the eighth one, was it, since they'd set out?) that it was likely needless concern on his part.
The narrow trail they had been following through these woods had widened into a proper dirt path some time ago, and the gradual thinning of the trees around them indicated that they would soon reach their destination.
"So you've said," his partner commented almost lackadaisically, turning unfamiliar light brown eyes on him.
The irises were so ordinary. Dull. Unnervingly so.
The man looked away, now studying the tree-line with casual interest. With all the preparations that must have been underway by now in Konohagakure, he highly doubted that the Hidden Leaf would have stationed scouts this far out from the village limits – one could never be too careful, however.
Glancing at his companion, he supposed that most people would find being subjected to a piercing red stare far more unsettling of an experience, but, quite frankly, he had grown accustomed to it. Intense and deadly, yes, but also honest, expressive, and more of a homecoming than anything else he'd ever known. Eyes that didn't hold the color of fresh, bright blood had no place gracing his partner's features. He wouldn't even get started on the yellow hair.
There was no doubt in his mind that he looked equally as ridiculous. Which one of those robed idiots chose these guises? He'd been absent on a quick mission during the planning session for this harebrained scheme and had missed all the finer details. I bet I can make the plant-life tell me when we get back.
"And I will continue to say so until someone – anyone – finally listens to me," he sighed. Turning his attention to his hands, briefly, he examined (for what must have been the umpteenth time that day) the foreign light-pink skin that covered them. "Out of all the bad ideas that we have all collectively ever had, this may just be the worst."
A good-humored snort issued softly from his left. "Oh, come now, you're exaggerating."
"Exaggerating?" Kisame frowned, deftly ducking to avoid a low tree branch in his way. Unfortunately, still not quite used to the new, much shorter height afforded to him by his henge no jutsu, he completely overestimated the requisite distance, and the momentum of his sudden motion sent his smaller frame flying.
The former Swordsman of the Mist stood up and dusted off his clothes, muttering darkly under his breath. A silence fell upon the group, broken only by the enthusiastic chirping of birds, as the Ame genin they were escorting paused in their bickering to look back and stare at the sight of one of their instructors tripping over his own feet. He shot them a murderous look, quickly prompting them to resume their walking. The colorful chatter started up again.
"There is a fifty percent chance that we'll end up on the run, with at least two of the five Great Nations hot on our trail," he continued, as though nothing had happened.
Itachi, in a rare moment – Perhaps he finds the borrowed skin more comfortable, Kisame mused – let amusement play on his face. He gave an imperceptible shrug. "It wouldn't be the first time."
"We'll have baggage," Kisame countered, pointing at the kids who had moved even further ahead on the leaf-strewn path.
The brats had seemingly bought the story Konan had put to them: that their regular team leaders had fallen ill after a mission and were in recovery. "Lady Angel" did not wish for them to lose their opportunity to participate in this round of chūnin selections, so she had arranged for a couple of other jōnin to serve as substitute instructors for the duration of the exams. The genin hadn't thought anything of it, or, if they did, they hadn't said a word. In any case, they were far too busy exploring their surroundings at the moment to pay any heed to their new teachers; half were kicking up a dust storm with their antics, while the other half were morose and withdrawn. Even Shigure – the most mature individual out of both teams – had shed his cool, collected attitude and was allowing himself to be easily baited by Kagari.
Kisame supposed it was only natural. This was probably the first time many of these kids had ever left Amegakure.
Pain had always upheld the village's tradition of strict isolationism from the start, for obvious reasons, but he had really come down heavily on who could leave the village as of late. It would appear as though departures were now restricted to jōnin only, who could not only successfully execute the assassination missions frequently asked of the Hidden Rain, but be trusted to perpetuate the belief that the village was still operating under Hanzō. Every time Kisame had dropped by Ame with Itachi to check in personally with their leaders, he'd seen more and more of the new genin teams on missions within the village, running around in the perpetual rain. These guys here were in their late teens already – an age at which he'd already traveled a vast amount – and only ever saw sunlight on Sundays.
He tried to remember the first time he'd left his own village on a mission. He found that he couldn't at all, but a combination of excitement and nerves sounded about right. The Akatsuki's resident monster made a mental note to treat the group to some popsicles or dango once they arrived at Konoha and got settled in. There was no doubt Itachi would be all for the idea, and the thought made Kisame smile slightly.
"Participating in the Chūnin Exams is part of our leader's plan of keeping up appearances, and the students needed jōnin to accompany them," Itachi reasoned, with the air of someone who had repeated this particular statement several times already. "It's the perfect opportunity to infiltrate Konoha."
"No, after the Chūnin Exams is the perfect opportunity,when the village's security won't be at its highest," Kisame argued back halfheartedly. "You do realize they will be conducting background checks, right?"
Itachi raised a brow. "They are nowhere nearly as strict as the ones in Amegakure, trust me. And besides, Kakuzu already took care of that." He offered a small smirk. "Or are you doubting his connections?"
"No comment." Kisame grinned, though the motion made his teeth sit on his lower lip. The feel of flat, perfectly rectangular teeth was thoroughly disturbing and he ignored it. "You know that man has eyes and ears everywhere, and I don't particularly have a death wish."
The pair fell silent as they kept walking, the sunlight filtering down through the leaves more brightly now. It cast ever-changing patterns on the ground, and staring at it for too long almost had the effect of a weak genjutsu. Kisame closed his eyes and breathed deeply, taking in all of the sounds around them – the light breeze, the sway of the grass, the crunch of sticks and dirt underfoot, and the distant voices of their genin. The sun felt pleasantly warm on his skin, and vivid green shadows played under his eyelids. If he didn't know any better, he'd mistake this atmosphere for true, honest peace. Years of experience, however, had honed his already naturally sharp instincts, and he recognized it for the calm before the storm that it was.
The hazy early-summer reverie lasted only a moment longer, before it was broken by the loud cawing of a nearby crow. Kisame opened his eyes in time to see some foliage rustle off to his left. His eyes darted over to his partner, who gave a small shake of his head. It's nothing, it indicated.
So, he's also keeping a lookout for any trouble. As expected of Itachi-san. The former Kiri ninja had long become adept at wordless communication with his Akatsuki companion; if the Uchiha said all was well, then it was.
The group of genin had now passed well beyond their view, though the noise level had not subsided. Increasingly loud complaints that amounted to "Are we there yet?!" and most of them in Oboro's voice prompted Itachi to move quickly and catch up with the kids. Kisame could hear him chastising them on the amount of noise they were making and about straying too far ahead, as he continued his own unhurried pace in their direction. By the time he'd reached them, the genin had settled down and Itachi was assisting Mubi with reapplying the sash that went around his face and covered his right eye.
Kisame chuckled. It looks like a couple of punches were thrown. Hardly surprising with this lot.
After reassuring everyone that they'd be at Konoha's gates within another half hour, Itachi fell back to join his partner again, at the rear of the group.
Kisame, who had been fingering Samehada (disguised as a regular katana hanging on his back; she had been mightily upset about the transformation, too), tried to address the problematic nature of their current mission again. "There is no way we can pass as jōnin."
Itachi let out a heavy sigh, as though he had been expecting the argument to resurface. "Suppress your chakra further," he recommended.
"I am," Kisame insisted. He certainly was not the most proficient at chakra suppression techniques, and was the very first to admit it, but Itachi himself had reinforced it. And even so, they had only managed to cut down the Tailless Tailed Beast's power reserves by, at most, forty percent. "It won't go any lower," he finished sullenly.
Itachi, in an act of supreme assistance, merely bit his lower lip a little and turned his face away, shoulders lightly shaking.
Kisame narrowed his currently unrounded eyes at his partner and half-pouted. Laughing at his predicament, was he?
The former Kiri ninja's features softened, as they tended to do when the two of them were alone and had no need to maintain their public face as comrade-killers. He's still a kid himself, after all, Kisame thought, looking at Itachi who was now clearing his throat in an effort to regain his composure. In fact, he's a year or so younger than some of our genin here, isn't he? Not that Kisame had had a proper childhood himself, but being the older of the two by almost a decade, he felt oddly protective towards his partner. The fact that he was completely slipping on an old promise he'd made to himself – to never bond with any teammates – was one that he pushed firmly out of his mind.
Their argument, though, was a different matter altogether. "I still cannot believe you convinced Pain and Konan to let us come."
"I did no such thing," Itachi answered quietly, his calm exterior returned. "It simply made perfect sense. We were going to come here in about a month's time anyway; might as well kill two birds with one stone."
"Just as long as we're not the birds," Kisame joked, in his usual morbid fashion. He made it a point to try and be lighthearted about most things – their line of work was serious enough as it was – and had been delighted to discover that his partner seemed to appreciate his sense of humor, even if he did not usually contribute any wisecracks himself. "I just don't think we were the best option, given your past history."
"Would you have rather they had sent Hidan? Or Deidara, perhaps?" Itachi asked, a small smile on his lips.
That drew a loud laugh from Kisame, echoing through the small clearing they were crossing. A few small birds flew off, startled, from overhead, and a couple of the genin threw surprised looks over their shoulders, but continued to mind their own business. Heaven help us – and the world – if those two are ever paired together, he thought.
"At any rate, why are you so worried?" Itachi asked, frowning slightly, sweeping back his bangs with a hand. "It is unlike you. With the exception of the Hokage, who we will likely not happen upon, and the Sannin, who are dispersed and no longer affiliate with Konoha, you could quite possibly take on the whole village yourself, unscathed."
"I don't know," Kisame replied honestly, scratching the back of his neck. "I've just got a bad feeling about this. Call it instinct, if you will."
"Well, if it is of any comfort, this should prove to be a simple mission," Itachi reasoned. "Barring any horribly unforeseen circumstances, of course. We keep a low profile throughout the exams, gather information on the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki, and then leave. There is no need to even engage anyone."
Kisame glanced over at his temporarily-blond partner out corner of his eye. "And check up on your little brother," he added nonchalantly.
"He is of no concern to me." The reply was smooth, even, and ostensibly unaffected. But it came a little too quickly to be an honest dismissal, and Kisame's keen ears easily picked up on it.
He closed his eyes briefly and shook his head. "Whatever you say, Itachi-san."
One sharp turn of Itachi's head and a selective flickering of the transformation technique later, and Kisame found two sharp red eyes boring into his own. "Are you questioning me?"
"Of course not." The former Kiri ninja effortlessly waved his partner off. "I'm merely pointing out that for a pair of shinobi based on the border between the Wind, Earth, and Fire Countries and with assignments that range even further abroad, we sure do happen to pass by this particular area a fair amount."
Itachi, still looking displeased, reapplied the transformation and firmly stared in front of him, effectively ending the conversation.
Kisame chuckled quietly under his breath. He had absolutely no problem with however Itachi wanted to handle his remaining family. It was none of his business, after all, and he had said as much to the Uchiha on several occasions. So what if they passed by Konoha a little too often for it to be coincidence? They still got their missions completed and worked well with each other; Kisame had no complaints. The amiable partnership they shared was far more than most of the other members of the Akatsuki could boast and, in any case, he had never been one to pass judgment. He did wish Itachi would stop trying to feign indifference, especially after Kisame had told him explicitly that he did not care, but the former Hidden Mist shinobi suspected that that had far more to do with his partner's mental state than with him and any doubts Itachi may have harbored about his sincerity.
He was, however, insatiably curious as to what Itachi's little brother was like. He supposed he would find out soon enough, as they were apparently going ahead with this foolish plan.
Kisame stretched his arms above his head, and decided to enjoy the precious few moments of freedom left.
The talking whittled down gradually, and finally the genin grew too tired to even complain. The lush forest scenery melted into a small open field of tall grass, exchanging the smell of wood and moss for that of smoke and the promise of hot food.
The large gates of Konohagakure came into view – solidly built and slightly more imposing the closer one got, but nothing that a skilled shinobi would let stand in his way. Kisame ran an appraising eye over them. This was the first time he'd be entering the Hidden Leaf, and the trepidation he'd been experiencing up until now gave way to eagerness to see the place Itachi grew up in.
As expected, a crowd had formed around the entrance to the village, overwhelming the small kiosk that had been set up for, presumably, check in purposes. A number of Konoha chūnin were trying to herd the visitors into some semblance of a line, and got snapped at by several of them for their efforts. It appears many colorful personalities have gathered for this round of exams.
Kisame felt a light tap on his arm from Itachi. Redirecting his attention, he saw that his partner had spotted the other genin teams that Amegakure had sent. Kakuzu had wanted all seven teams to travel together, to cut down on expenses, but both he and Itachi had put their foot down. It was difficult enough to constantly maintain a transformation and keep up pretenses in front of their students without having to worry about twenty other people sharing the same space. Kisame raised a hand in quick acknowledgment of the other Ame jōnin, a gesture that was immediately returned.
"You can still sit this one out, if you wish," Itachi said suddenly, reaching for his identification papers as the line moved slowly along.
"And let you run around Konoha alone, completely unsupervised?" Not even sparing a glance, Kisame reached out an arm to his right and firmly grabbed the head of one of his genin who had started straying from their group. Keeping a tight hold on the boy, he grinned at his partner. "I haven't lost my mind quite yet."