The sky around them was dreary and cloudy, the once brilliant sun now gone; hidden behind a blanket of thick, gray clouds and the night sky. The rain was almost predictable in its comings, heavy, then light, pause for a day , then a merciless down pour again. Itachi Uchiha sighed, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. He and his partner, Hoshigaki Kisame, was given the assignment to obtain the Sanbi no Kyodaigame. Thus why he and his shark-like partner were crammed up inside a small, run down inn on the outskirts of Kirigakure.
The two men were perched upon a small precipice, looking down at the village of Kirigakure, both having very different feelings about the mission. Itachi, not born of the Mist, could care less of the pitiful publians below. Kisame, on the other hand was looking at his hometown with a malicious smirk on his face. Oh he remembered how they treated him, how they mocked him and shunned him for his appearance. His chakra levels were rising at the thought of thoughtlessly slaying his own kind. Itachi slid his crimson eyes over to Kisame, a frown creasing his lips ever so slightly. His partner's chakra level was rising to the point of recognition.
"Kisame." Itachi murmured, his voice blank, but having an edge to it. The blue skinned man chuckled darkly, waving a hand in a dismissive manner.
"Yeah, yeah. Sorry." he muttered, reaching behind his shoulder to place his semi scaly hand on the hilt of his beloved bandaged sword, Samehada. Reacting to his chakra, the sword trembled and wavered under the bandages, a thin, rasping chuckling escaping Kisame's lips.
"Now?" He asked, tilting his head slightly. There was a pause as Itachi mulled over the quesiton and coming up with several answers. Finally, he allowed a tiny smirk to pull the corner of his mouth up as he turned.
"Hn." was the reply and Kisame nodded his head, an air of business around him. With the final word to go, they both turned, dashing back on the path that they arrived on. Kirigakure wouldn't know what hit them.
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Itamou sighed, laying his chin on his crossed arms as he followed the raindrop with his eyes. Kirigakure, his home, never seemed to see the sunlight. The sixteen year old boy tried to peer through the blinding sheets of rain, trying to catch a glimpse of his father. Where is he.. It doesn't take that long to cross the bridge, does it? he thought. His father had promised to be back, before dinner, on today. He and his squad had left four days ago to deliver a document to Kumogakure's leader, the Raikage. His dark oak eyes were half lidded as he squinted, desperately trying to make out the outline of his father, should he approach.
"Itamou! Itamou!! Are you listening to me?!" a female voice growled. Satako, his younger sister, stood in the kitchen with her hands on her hips. He muttered something under her breath, leaning back away from the window and tilting his head towards her.
"What were you saying, Imoutou?" he teased, a lazy grin crawling over his face. The young girl seethed in anger, her onyx eyes narrowing.
"I said... could you get some water from the well? Ka-chan needs it to boil the potatoes." she snapped, her black bangs falling in front of her left eye.
"Sure, sure.." he mumbled, pushing off the couch and slinking to the back room.
He and his sister were alike, yet different in so many ways. He was on the verge of becoming a Tokubetsu Jōnin, while she was still in the beginning of her Chûnin years. He was lazy, and usually only motivated by his Father, while Satako was encouraged by the whole family. That's not to say that the family didn't motivate him, it was just that he got the most out of it, if it was his Father. They also differed in their skills. Itamou was more of a taijutsu boy then a regular ninjutsu or genjutsu. His sister, on the other hand, was exceptional in genjutsu and ninjutsu.
Sighing as he pulled the door back, listening to the door slide back on the track, Itamou walked inside the dark room. The air was cold, but tolerable and in the center of the dirt-floor room was the well.
"Now why couldn't she have done this.." he asked to no one in particular, walking over to the well and tieing the rope around the handle of the bucket. Tossing it carelessly into the deep opening on the stone figure, the boy listened to the satisfying splash as the wooden bucket hit the water. Turning his eyes back to the little window on the wall, a frown graced his lips. Father.. what in Kami's name is taking you so long? he thought.
Satako worked alongside her mother, chopping up radishes and peppers like she was told. Her hands quickly worked the knife with the fragile hands of a confident kunoichi and slide the bits of radish to the left, while she herded the peppers to the right.
"Satako-chan.. what's got your mind preoccupied?" her mother asked, her hands diligetnly washing off potatoes.
"Oh! N-Nothing, Ka-chan. I just have a small headache..." she lied, feigning a smile to her beloved parent. The young woman, however, was not fooled.
"Satako.." she started, that edge in her voice. She only used that when she wanted answers. A sigh left her daughters lips.
"I'm worried.. Tou-san isn't back yet.." she murmured, voicing her brother's worry as well. A frown worked at her mother's lips and she sighed, turning the water off from the sink.
"Dinner hasn't been started.. so I'm sure your Father will be here soon." she murmured lovingly, wiping her hands on her apron. "Go see whats taking your brother so long.. make sure he hasn't fallen asleep like last time." she instructed, patting Satako gingerly on the back.
"Yes Ka-chan.." she huffed, turning on her heel and padding towards the back room.
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The world around them became a blur. Black cloaks blended in with the night, their footsteps quieted by the chakra that each accumulated to the soles of their feet. Their straw hats stayed in place, hardly moving at all. Kisame grinned as he felt the familiar rain pelt down on the hat, his face staying dry as they ran. He couldn't wait to see the look on the vessels face, when they made their presence known. Leaping from one rooftop to the next, the Akatsuki members neared the house of the Sanbi no Kyodaigame.
Itachi landed stealthily on the shingled roof, masking his chakra so no one would detect him. The Uchiha felt Kisame doing it too, and breathed a silent sigh of relief. He figured the shark-esque man would be too excited about carnage and being back in his home village.
Inside, they could hear a conversation going on and silently, they counted. Three people in the house. It was going to be easy. Swift and possibly the cleanest mission they've ever had. Focusing his energy, the Uchiha disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Kisame pouted slightly, not liking the idea of stealth and becoming the shadows. He'd much rather just barge in, slice and dice, then get out. Though, Itachi was skilled and knew what he was doing, so without complaint, the blue-skinned man followed suit.
The room itself was small and damp, having cold dirt as the only carpet. In the center was a medium sized stone well, with a little wooden roof and a pulley system for the bucket. Hidden amongst the shadows, the two members watched. There was a boy, no older than sixteen hunched over the well , tugging up on the rope. Apparently, the pulley system was just for show.
Muttering to himself, Itamou hoisted the bucket up onto the ledge of the well and started to untie the knot he had made. Something in the room didn't feel right, but he couldn't put his finger on it. Frustrated, he yanked the rope off, tossing it to the far corner of the room where it made an awkward slumping noise. Freezing, Itamou replayed the sound in his head and swallowed the up coming fear in his throat. Someone else was in the room with him. Cursing under his breath, he slowly rose from his crouched position, hand gracing over his kunia holster on his right leg. Whoever it is must have masked their chakra.. clever. Itamou set his jaw tight, tensing his body and equally distributing his weight throughout his body. Being a taijutsu boy, he didn't really have to use chakra.
A grin crawled over Kisame's face as the Jinchūriki noticed their presence. His beady black eyes slithered over to Itachi, waiting for the signal. The kid already knew someone was in the room with him, he just didn't know who he was up against. Itachi nodded his head, tossing off the straw hat and getting right down to business. Kisame laughed lightly, mimicking his partner and rushing forward.
"Hey there." Kisame greeted, grinning and showing off his rows of jagged, sharpened teeth to the boy. He took a step forward, hand still poised around the hilt of Samehada. The sword itself was eager for the fight. Kisame saw the teens hand lingering around the kunia holster and tutted. "Wouldn't do that if I were you. Our boss wants us to bring you back in one piece.. so.. if you try to fight us, that wont be likely." he warned. Itamou stopped, his onyx eyes widened slightly. They.. wanted to take him? Tough chance! The teens hand gripped the kunia tighter, his body becoming more tense.
"..Ah! Y-You're Hoshigaki Kisame! The traitor of our village!" Itamou stuttered out, his face painted with shock. The blue skinned man grinned, chuckling as he looked over to the second man, clad in the same outfit.
"Hear that, Itachi-san? I'm still known..." he gloated, resting Samehada on his shoulder blade. Itachi made no move nor response to Kisame's remark. His scarlet eyes honed in on the vessel, his body tensing.
"Kisame. Enough fooling around. Let us finish this." he ordered, his tone bored and resigned. The man had shed his straw hat a while ago, and now his raven locks were tied securely at the nape of his neck. Itamou growled, preparing himself for an attack.
Within a blink of an eye, Kisame had lunged foreward, swinging his sword down to absorb the boys chakra. Itamou smirked, leaping away from the blow, but felt the tug as his chakra was sucked away. A frown creased the man's lips.
"Seems that you don't use chakra, eh boy? Pity.. I would have gone easier on you than Itachi.." Kisame tutted, shaking his head. Lifting an eyebrow in confusion, the young Jinchūriki barely had time to evade the sharpened knife that the other man aimed to jab into his shoulder.
"Gah!" Falling back, Itamou tripped over the rope, falling back on his rear and wincing at the pain that slid up his back. Raising his own kunia to counter the other, the young boy glared into the red orbs of his attacker. W-What are they after me for!? he thought. Itamou scrambled back, leaping to his feet and looking around wildly. The blue-skinned man was just leaning against his sword, but the other male had seemed to disappear.
"N-Nan--!" Itamou choked out, feeling the air leave his lungs. Itachi ground his knuckles into the Jinchūriki's stomach for good measure, listening to the oxygen leave the boy's system. Face as stoic as ever, the S-rank criminal let his body fall, nudging him over with his sandaled foot.
The sound of a the door sliding brought everyone's attention to the enterance.
Alright everyone; First chapter is up! So.. is it going too fast? Too slow? Just right?
Tell me.. No flames. This is my first Itachi attempt. Ahah.. so feedback, please?!