Prologue – Clouds
It was eerily dark when Sasuke stepped out of the manor gates. Then again, London was called the City of Fog for a reason. The clouds lay low, the menacing gray blocking any sunshine above the cover from reaching the crowded, glum streets below. Although Sasuke should have been accustomed to the gloom, something terrifying gripped at his heart, filling him with apprehension and fear.
Briskly, he strode down the cobble stone roads, wrapping his cloak more tightly about his frame. Wind whipped at his pallid flesh, into his eyes, making him tear up, but he kept trotting, almost running. People stared at him as he passed by, and he rudely shoved aside anyone slow enough to encumber his advance. It was clear on his face – he meant business.
Finally, the once crowded streets began to empty, until he was alone all together. Rain began to pour down on his shoulders, and back, as he arrived at a moldy-brick tavern, The Core. Impatiently, Sasuke knocked. The door finally swung open after a few minutes of standing in the rain.
The contrast between the silence of the streets and the chatter of the tavern was almost amusing. But Sasuke had no time for pleasantries; he skirted his way towards the back, being careful not to meet the gaze of anybody inside. The bartender, an odd man resembling a shark, waved at him and jerked his head towards a hallway to the left. Sasuke nodded in gratitude. Quietly, he slipped down the corridor and through a thick wooden door, and once it closed, the conversation of the adjacent room faded away into the background.
He took a deep breath, and closed his eyes, going over his lines again and again. You can do this. You've done this a million times.
"Sasuke."
He jolted up and swiveled around to face the speaker, almost embarrassed. "Yes, Orochimaru?" he said, his voice to soft and weak for his liking.
Orochimaru smiled sinisterly, twiddling several sheets of parchment in his right hand. He leaned back into the leather recliner, extending his long legs. He stared straight at the soaking wet younger boy, whose back was pressed against the door, and whose eyes kept shifting, looking everywhere but at him. The posture said scared, fearful, and apprehensive. For him, it was a good sign. It meant he had the control. Just like always, hm? "I take it you found something, then?"
The adolescent frowned. "We had a deal, remember?"
Orochimaru cut right to the chase. "Let's not have a repeat of your brother's mistakes, now shall we?" To anyone with a less perceptive eye, it would've appeared that Sasuke had no reaction to this statement at all. His mask fell slightly; eyes cast downward Sorrow, fear, and pain. A beautiful combination…The snake-like man's grin grew bigger, and confidence oozed from his pores. "Well? Report, then."
Now…now…Sasuke's mind went blank, and he felt sweat trickle down his forehead. He clutched the doorknob behind him tightly, wishing he could escape from everything. He closed his eyes for one moment, took a deep breath and said, "Nothing."
"Liar."
It happened so quickly. Sasuke could barely even register what occurred, nor could he even fully recall it later. But the scars were all he needed to remind him of the pain. Suddenly, he was blasted through the thick door, across the hallway, and into the other room. His body slammed against the hard stone, and he fell to the ground limply like a rag doll. Fire blazed around him, blocking all routes of escape.
The gash in the back of his neck bled harshly, but the ache in his bones clouded the thought of the wound. It hurt so badly to crane his head up and gaze upon the merciless face of his attacker, whose hand was ablaze with powerful magic. Orochimaru squatted, and lifted Sasuke's head by the hair, pulling the strands until the boy cringed and gasped in pain.
He chuckled quietly, and dropped the boy, amusing himself with the tortured expression on Sasuke's face. "I warned you. Now, tell me the truth."
Defiantly, Sasuke repeated, "Nothing." He clamped his eyelids shut, clenching his fists, preparing for the next onslaught of pain.
It never came.
***
The shadow meandered his way through the unconscious bodies. Fire grappled at his flesh, wishing to consume him, but with a wave of his hand, the flames vanished into thin air. Child's play. It was ridiculously easy. But now was not the time for carelessness. Circumspect, the shadow walked soundlessly past the bar and into a smoking corridor on the other side.
Inside the blazing hallway, the bartender was spewing water from his fingertips, dousing the flames. He didn't notice the shadow until it spoke; voice was completely commanding and serious.
"Kisame."
The shark-man jolted slightly, but quickly regained his composure. He turned slowly to face his partner, his smile revealing rows of sharp and dangerous teeth. "Itachi. Finally. You're always late."
"Hn," the shadow – Itachi, briskly said, again waving his hand. The flames dissipated, as if the were never there to begin with.
"I thought Deidara was to be on this mission."
"The idiot nearly blew himself up last time, experimenting with his weapons," Itachi coolly commented, brushing past Kisame. He headed towards another pathway. The shark-man followed, and pointed out a charred black door on their right. Or, more accurately, what was left of the door. A huge, melting hole had been blasted right through it. Itachi didn't know whether to reach for the doorknob, or step into the opening made.
The young man opted for the latter. Cautiously, he ambled through, and peered through the smoke. Two silhouettes, one laying, and one crouched above it, could be seen, their shadows dancing in the light cast by the few flames that sparked around them. That was all he needed. He lifted his hand. "Kisame," Itachi ordered.
Skillfully, the man procured a sword from thin air and charged straight at the figures. One turned and sent a spiraling blast of flame at them, and Itachi conjured a barrier with a flick of his fingers, dispelling the blow.
Cursing inwardly, Orochimaru jumped towards his left, barely dodging Kisame's powerful slash. The man wielded the huge, shark-skin sword as if it weighed nothing at all. Kisame flicked his grip and twisted the blade, slashing it upright at his target. The snake-like man was sure that he missed, but the blood pouring from his chest and arm proved otherwise. Another spew of swears flowed from his colorless lips.
Itachi stood indifferent, arms crossed, and watched, with rising satisfaction, as the target slumped against the wall. It was a pleasurable sight to see the most hated man, wincing and suffering, so vulnerable. He crossed the room, and kneeled in front of Orochimaru, scarcely containing his elation, anger and thirst for revenge. "Where is he?" he demanded, almost shocking himself with the sheer rancor in his tone.
"Itachi," Kisame called, motioning his beefy hand to the other figure, which still lay motionless on the ground. "I think I found him."
The young man rose elegantly, but glared at his captive. "If you move, I swear I will hunt you down and kill you in a way a thousand times worse than what I will do today." He treaded across the room.
Orochimaru shuddered. The way Itachi's eyes flickered from deep, cold black, to bloodthirsty merciless red was seductive and predatory. He was pretty sure that the young Magi was very capable of carrying out his threat.
Kisame propped the small adolescent up against the wall and then turned to quickly search for any other witnesses. His partner set about to healing the boy's wounds. Glancing up with a small frown of worry, Itachi placed two fingers at the boy's chest and neck, the areas of injury. Every so often, he sent sideways warnings at Orochimaru, who didn't move one inch. In fact, it didn't even look like he was breathing. After a few moments of pressing silence, the boy stirred, his eyes fluttering open and then shutting again.
Good, he's alive. Itachi set him down on the ground carefully, and then turned to his captive, eyes changing color yet again. "Kisame, take Sasuke and the papers, and stand guard outside," he charged. The shark-man shrugged and lifted Sasuke up from the ground like a dummy and slung him over his shoulder. Itachi yet again turned his piercing gaze to Orochimaru.
It's rare that he'd ever be caught off guard. But the rage that was building up inside him probably clouded his usually perceptive self. The glass from the window shattered, sending shards everywhere. Other Magi leapt into the room through the windows. Immediately, the flame throwing began anew. Kisame managed to hear Itachi ordering him to leave with Sasuke. Somewhere in the commotion, Orochimaru had attempted to slip away.
Attempted.
Another explosion sent debris diffusing, bouncing against walls. Itachi ducked beneath the smoke, searching wildly for the snake-man. When he found him, Orochimaru was already dead.
There was a mixture of disappointment and elation in his heart, but Itachi was more concerned on escaping. He ran low, throwing up shields around him, and wound his way toward the exit. Just as he was about to dash down the corridor and back to the main pub, he stopped abruptly.
Kisame was unconscious. The parchment and Sasuke were no where to be found.
Itachi was usually a calm man. Right now, he cursed like hell.
***
Uzumaki Naruto, Tsunade reasoned, was an effective idiot.
Effective, powerful, reckless, and stupid. A dangerous combination. All rolled into one boyishly handsome package. As each day progressed, Naruto was reminding Tsunade more and more of his father. Minus the reckless endangerment of anything in a five foot radius, but still.
Steepling her fingers, the busty blond leader scanned with amber eyes over her young charge. At eighteen, Uzumaki Naruto was already well on his way of becoming one of the most powerful Magi any of the Six Houses had ever seen. And the reason, the origin of his power, still remained unknown to the masses.
For inside the young man's stomach, a demon resigned, just itching to break free of its cage and wreck havoc. But now was not the time to worry about such things. She needed a report on his findings.
"Well, we broke into the tavern, like you asked, but Akatsuki members were already there," Naruto stated, scratching the back of his head, as if trying to remember exactly what occurred.
"Which ones?" she asked, afraid of the answer.
"Uchiha Itachi, and his partner, that shark guy…"
"Hoshigaki Kisame," Tsunade irritably corrected. Of course, it wasn't just Naruto's forgetfulness, but also the fact that these two men had an outstanding reputation for getting their jobs done. Naruto was lucky to have gotten away scott free. "Who else?"
"I think that was it. Orochimaru was there, too. But the Examiners proclaimed him dead." The blue eyed eighteen year old watched Tsunade's face carefully. He saw the surprise and sorrow glittering beneath those cold amber orbs. But he said nothing. "The parchment, however, is still missing. But we did find something else."
Tsunade looked up from her hands and leaned back into her comfortable seat. "Yes?"
"Orochimaru had the parchment last, but from one of the subordinates that we captured and interrogated, it seems like he made a deal to hand it over to someone."
"What?"
Naruto continued, "Yes. The Akatsuki members looked like they were there to rescue him."
Another sigh escaped Tsunade's lips. Tiredly, she gazed out of the large tinted windows at the large mountain side forest village of Konoha. People bustled about the streets, exchanging laughter and smiles. It seemed like a normal day. No body knew what terrible fate awaited them beyond the horizon. And they would never know, not if Tsunade could help it. She turned back to Naruto, and asked, "Who is he?"
The answer disappointed her. Naruto shrugged. But he knew what she was going to say next.
"Find him."