"Maybe you have to know the darkness before you can appreciate the light" - Madeline L'Engle
What does it mean to be a shinobi?
Was it a life destined for despair? Or was suffering necessary for peace, for stability?
Nohara Ryoko certainly wasn't sure anymore. A few months ago, she was taking pride in her abilities as a shinobi, and she went into every mission with headstrong determination – and a certain naivety, as she had truly believed the world was black and white. There was good; which was Konoha, and evil; which was anything against the village. Yet as she sat perched on top of the Hokage Rock, clutching her ANBU mask in her hands, she relayed the earlier events of the day and wondered if what she was doing was truly noble.
Ryoko couldn't get that man's face out of her mind. As an ANBU, she was used to assassinating rouge ninjas who betrayed Konoha. The man that her squad had been assigned to was an S-rank missing-nin from the Bingo Book, a target for assassination. Yet after she and her teammates found him and struck him down, the stubborn shinobi had refused to die instantly. In his last moments, he grabbed Ryoko's collar and pulled her close to him. Panicked, she had drawn her kunai, expecting a counterattack. But he wasn't going in for the kill.
"P-please…" gasped the dying shinobi, blood sputtering out of his mouth, "Just tell my children…that I love them…and that I'm sorry…" And with that, his eyes went blank and his body went cold. And it had left Ryoko traumatized all day. He was a missing-nin, he had betrayed the village, he was supposed to be evil – yet in his last few moments, his only concern was his children. This was the first time Ryoko doubted her position as an ANBU. How could a man who was labelled as a criminal actually have a family that he loved and cared about? Even through all his crimes, he used his last dying breath to convey his love for them. Was she really working for the greater good of the village? Or was she, an ANBU at the young age of thirteen, just a senseless murderer?
Ryoko glanced at the scenery in front of her. The Hokage Rock overlooked the entire village, and she usually went to the top of the rock for tranquility after missions. Yet today, the image of the village was unsettling, and for a fleeting second she considered hurling her mask and letting it fall into oblivion.
A presence casted a shadow over her, his tardiness unusual.
"Itachi-kun! How nice of you to finally make it," mocked the kunoichi, smirking at the fellow ANBU. Uchiha Itachi bowed his head in acknowledgement as he sat down beside her. "Forgive me, Ryoko-san."
"Ryoko-san, Ryoko-san…You don't need to be so formal with me, you know," she grumped back. The light atmosphere dissolved, however, and the two sat in utter silence, staring at the vastness of the village in front of them. The wind howled in the distance.
"What is it, Ryoko-san?" The Uchiha broke the silence. "It's not like you to be so quiet," he inquired, glancing in amusement at his friend. Ryoko stuck her tongue out childishly in response, yet even she couldn't play off the turmoil brewing in her heart. She gripped her ANBU mask tightly in her hands. Even if she could convey her feelings into words, she didn't think Itachi would understand. There was a reason why he was an ANBU captain even though he was her age – Itachi was possibly the best example of an exceptional shinobi. Ryoko herself felt she paled in comparison as an ANBU next to Itachi, which was what fueled her competitiveness towards him in their friendship.
"Itachi-kun…" she began, testing the waters. "Why am I an ANBU? Today, I killed a man…and he had children. He has a family, and he probably had friends, too. And I killed him. Just like that. Just because he was in the Bingo Book."
Itachi turned away from her and looked up at the sky listlessly. "Shinobi must not be emotional. Nor should they question a mission."
"That's easy for you to say! I can't just shut off my feelings like you can! I took a man's life even though he probably meant something to someone! You can't possibly understand!"
"I do." Itachi cut her off, his onyx eyes filled with hardness as he glared back at her. Then, his expression softened. "Ryoko-san…we protect the village, even if we have to do unspeakable things. That is the fate of the shinobi."
"What are you, my sensei?" Ryoko pouted back at him, yet she said no more. There was truth to his words, after all. Ever since they had met and struck up an unlikely friendship, he was always the logical and level-headed half of their duo who tried to keep her brash and passionate personality in check. Even the first time they met, he had saved her ass from her impulsiveness during her first mission as an ANBU.
With her long black hair, blue eyes, and distinctive purple markings on her face signifying her belonging to the Nohara clan, Ryoko never really stood out, but never really fit in either – an ideal ANBU candidate. She was an above competent medic-nin for her age, trained in medical jutsus and anatomy by her clan. This led to her catching the direct attention of the Sandaime Hokage during the Chuunin Exams in the Forest of Death with her healing skills. A year later after her promotion to chuunin when she turned thirteen, the Hokage himself recommended her to the ANBU or the Medical Corps, yet Ryoko hastily accepted his invitation to join the ANBU. After all, she sought to gain strength as a combat shinobi and play a role in more significant missions that solidified the peace of the village.
Her first mission, Ryoko was assigned to a squad of three shinobi. The other two had introduced themselves to her, but the squad captain kept silent. He never spoke to her besides nodding and hand signals, nor did he ever remove his mask. Ryoko wondered curiously about the captain, who was shorter and slender in build compared to the other teammates. In fact, he seemed to be closer to her age than the others were, yet he was too reserved so she didn't even bother prying.
Their mission required the squad to take down a missing-nin from Kirigakure who had breached the Land of Fire's territory, officially putting his assassination as Konoha's priority. The target was located in the density of the forest, casually sleeping against a tree. The ANBUs took their position in the surrounding trees, their presence concealed. Ryoko waited impatiently for the captain's "go" signal, yet he didn't move a muscle. We have the perfect opportunity! Why aren't we attacking?! Frustrated, Ryoko glanced down at her hand as she built up a chakra scalpel. All she had to do was touch the target and his nerves would sever, rendering him completely immobile. His guard was down and he was completely vulnerable. Without so much as a warning to her teammates, Ryoko leaped out of the trees with the intent to kill.
"Baka! What are you…" Her teammates' hisses grew less audible as she hovered in the air above the target, ready to strike him down as her hand glowed with chakra. All of a sudden, the missing-nin, sensing the threat, jumped up from his slumber and wove signs faster than Ryoko could even commence her attack.
"Suiton: Suidan no Jutsu!" The missing-nin opened his mouth and a powerful stream of water shot her way. Shit! Panicking, Ryoko tried desperately to cling onto a nearby branch yet she was already plummeting towards the ground. The water slammed into her stomach, sending her flying into the trees at lighting speed. I can't break my fall, and if I hit a tree at this speed…I'll die! Ryoko squeezed her eyes shut, bracing herself for the impact, yet all of a sudden she felt two hands clamp around her body and safely place her on the ground. It was her captain.
He removed his mask and glared at the enemy. The missing-nin dropped to the ground, grabbing his head and howling in pain. And then he was dead, struck instantly by kunais. Ryoko hadn't even seen the kunais being thrown, just heard the sound of them whizzing by her ear; it was that swift. She gaped incredulously as she met the eyes of her captain, who unmasked was revealed to be Uchiha Itachi. The long black hair, the Sharingan in his eyes – it was undoubtedly the face of the most prominent ANBU prodigy. She had heard about his skill, and now she had seen that the rumours truly lived up to his reputation. Yet her astonishment quickly turned into embarrassment. Pride wounded, she snarled, "What the hell did you save me for? I had him!"
"The element of surprise is your ally…medic-nin." The Uchiha replied coolly. "You risked your life simply because you revealed yourself to the enemy. Who would treat your teammates' wounds if you were the first to die?" Ryoko's face heated up with humiliation. She didn't need some smug boy-wonder talking down to her as if she was a child even though they were the same age. That exact moment, she vowed that she would never lose to him. Ryoko whipped off her mask as well, so that he could see the face of his challenger. "Uchiha Itachi, is it? If you get in my way again…I'll kick your ass!"
But she never did kick his ass. (She probably couldn't even if she tried, but nobody dared to tell her that.) Somehow, after more missions together, they became close friends, even though they were like night and day. She was an idealist, and he was a realist. She was emphatic and hot-blooded, and he was solemn and detached. Yet somehow, they complemented each other.
"You know, Itachi-kun…" Ryoko mused as she snapped out of her memories, "I wish we were on the same squad this time. Getting bossed around by someone else is truly more annoying than getting bossed around by you."
"No, you don't." The Uchiha smiled gently.
Ryoko laughed in response. "You're right, I don't. I'd be trying to one-up you the entire time."
They sat in comfortable silence together for a few more minutes, until Itachi got up and bid his farewell.
"Wait!" Ryoko called after him tentatively before he could depart. "You must think I'm stupid for letting a missing-nin affect me so much. But honestly, it was just so much easier to pretend that the worst of people couldn't have a shred of good in them…it made it easier for me to kill…and he ruined that for me…"
Itachi stared back at the kunoichi, his stony eyes tinted with an edge of sorrow. He understood. He did. But he could not tell her. "Ryoko-san…You're just human. At the end of the day, we all are…" And with that, he disappeared.
A/N: Itachi is one of my favourite characters, so I was itching to write a fic about him. I chose Nohara for my OC's background simply because I was too lazy to come up with my own clan. I just picked a random one (Rin's) that had never been expanded on. Reviews are appreciated!