So this is a bit different! Should all become clear in the later chapters, I hope you enjoy it. Also I don't own any characters from the Naruto series, just Mori. Oh yeah, there's possible spoilers from the beginning so if you haven't seen from Itachi and Sasuke fight onwards, be warned.
Itachi sighed to himself as he patrolled the area surrounding the new Akatsuki base. It had been nearly half a year since he had massacred his clan and the memory of that fateful night still sent a shudder down his spine.
As he walked through the wooded area, he was reminded of the times he used to train with Sasuke in the forest. How his silly little brother tried so hard to be just like him. He chuckled at the memory. Sometimes it was hard to face the fact he could no longer return to his village. His home.
Itachi, however, would then remind himself he was doing this for the safety of his brother. To protect Sasuke. He really did miss him and he was never far from his thoughts.
At the moment he was alone. Kisame Hoshigaki, his new partner, was resting from an injury he had sustained during their previous mission together. Itachi was to spend the rest of the day surveying the range, if he noticed anything that could prove dangerous to the Akatsuki's ambiguity, he had been ordered to kill on site. Shinobi or civilian.
Moving into a small clearing, he decided to take his rest. It was now late afternoon and the sun was at its highest point in the sky. He slouched against the trunk of a tree and relaxed in the warming rays.
Just as Itachi was beginning to feel drowsy a rustle in the bush beside him jolted him up from his hazy fatigue. Kunai in hand he waited for his enemy to approach him.
Several moments passed.
Rustle. Growl. Thump.
Itachi mentally kicked himself as he peered down at one of his injured 'enemies'.
A young wolf whimpered while it licked and nursed a wounded paw, its several siblings growling angrily at Itachi.
"It wasn't my fault," he sighed, "you shouldn't sneak up on humans…"
His words halted. His tongue seemed paralysed from the shock of what he had just witnessed.
At the sound of her wounded offspring the mother had appeared. A large grey wolf its eyes sharp with vengeance. But that wasn't what had astonished him.
Beside the mother, crawling on all fours, was a human girl.
She wore very little, nothing but tattered cloth that managed to cover her only slightly. Her skin was mucky, her ashy hair knotted with leaves and twigs and her skin was covered with cuts, bites and bruises. It looked as though she had been in many a tussle with the wolves.
She joined the concerned wolves that surrounded their sibling. The mother of the pack nudged the girl forward in the direction of Itachi. She looked up, her eyes seemed to be mixed with feral emotions. Curiosity and fury, seemed to take control.
She edged closer to Itachi, her eyes forever returning to the pack. Was this girl a wolf child? Her movements were cautious and as she grew closer her nose twitched, taking in his scent.
Itachi stared at her. His first reaction was whether she was classed as a shinobi or even a civilian and if he would in fact have to eliminate her. However her mannerisms were wild and it seemed she possessed no threat to the Akatsuki.
He lifted his hand up, to allow her to sniff it, however a growl erupted from her throat and she boar her teeth at him. But after he held it there a little longer she realised it was not an attack. She moved closer and smelt his fingertips.
Her large blue eyes gazed up at his. She let out what sounded to be a bark, possibly acknowledgment that he wasn't dangerous as the rest of the pack followed and joined in with the sniffing.
Itachi laughed. They seemed curious, but so was he. It was rare to see a pack of wolves at all, but during the day it really was remarkable. The girl sat beside Itachi, her gaze resting intently on him.
She began to make a grumbling noise, her face contorted with concentration and frustration.
"Mori," she mumbled.
Itachi frowned, "is that your name? Is that what you're called?"
"Mori. Mori."
He sighed. There was one way he could understand her. He looked deep into her eyes and felt the surge of chakra flow rush behind his retinas as he activated his Mangekyō. He didn't wish to hurt her, just glimpse at her memories. Find out how she came to be and what 'Mori' meant.
At first it was difficult, she had very little chakra and he couldn't tap into it to place her under a genjutsu. But after a few minutes of struggling he managed. He was presented with an array of flashbacks.
Darkness. Screaming. There's only fear.
Cling to mother. Safety. What's happening? Why is everyone lying so still?
Terror.
Tears are streaming down her scarlet cheeks, her face contorted with discomfort. Her mother tries desperately to soothe and silence the child but to no avail.
The enemies. The killers. They have found them.
The baby is silenced beneath the weight of her dead mother as she falls to the ground. A blade rips from her chest and the child's skin is now warmed by her mother's blood. Protecting her against the cold bite of the night air.
Brief unconsciousness.
Wake up. Movement.
Her eyes are now wide, an animal is dragging the child by her collar.
Danger. Fear. Cry.
Sudden stillness. Soft warmth.
The beast that had pulled her from the wreckage of her mother's corpse has now taken shelter in a cave. Her tail wrapped securely around the infant, the child sleeps once more.
Itachi paused after the first memory. Such an early time in her life left her thoughts confused as her mind communicated with her solely through emotions. The second memory hastily commenced, however.
Her adoptive mother has just given birth. The cubs have latched and are comfortable feeding. They are her siblings but not. She doesn't look like them. Why?
Her mother paws her head, the sharp nails catching in her hair. She understands her adopted daughter's thoughts and tries her hardest to comfort her. It's not just animal instinct. But care and maternal love.
In their small cave, the outside world is unseen however not unheard. The brash sound of human voices and giggling is loud in the nearby distance. But the sound is foreign to her.
She has never heard this type of animal before. Prey? Or Predator?
With an approving glance from her mother she decides to investigate. Bounding out into the forest she follows the alien noises. As she nears, strange smells fill her twitching nostrils. Sweat, food, unnatural scents.
She is curious.
Behind a tree she observes what appear to be cubs of whatever species, she can tell they're young by their overly large eyes and tiny fingers in comparison to their bodies. But their fur is strange, it is coloured with vibrant shades. In fact, they even shed their first layer. How odd.
Gliding over she sifts through the furs. Exploring the bizarre smells and textures. For some reason an urge comes over her and she takes them with her back to the cave. She wishes to show her mother.
Mother glares at the skin but dismisses it. Her daughter wraps up into her newly acquired bright flesh and sleeps beside her siblings.
Itachi looked away from her, sifting through the information he had just received. The girl however seemed confused by what had happened to her body and how she had suddenly been able to see past happenings. She shook her head in confusion.
"I think I shall come back to visit you," he said, "Mori."