CHAPTER ONE (PROLOGUE)
A SACRIFICE OF PRIDE
"You cannot simply dip your hand in darkness and expect it to come out as polished and clean as before it slipped. No, once you touch the darkness, it pulls you in. And when you come out of it, you will carry the stains of all your sins with you, forever."
. . . . . . .
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She wished she could plug her ears. But how ridiculous would it be for a shinobi to be wearing ear plugs? Not that she needed any help looking any less intimidating than she already did. But Suzumi really wanted to hear anything but the pained screams of the man writhing on the floor in front of her.
That, and her fathers constant outbursts were hindering her concentration. Or maybe she wasn't really concentrated to begin with. It was hard to tell when her nerves were threatening to consume her whole.
"Suzumi" Her father's harsh voice causes her to flinch, "Do it like I taught you."
And Suzumi is, her palms are held out over the man, and she's concentrating her chakra in all the necessary areas, but nothing is happening. And if Suzumi felt embarrassed with the entire interrogation team staring at with looks of pure boredom, then she was sure her father was livid. And he was, he made it known by hovering over her and breathing rather harshly in her vicinity.
"Sadachi-San, perhaps you could take a step back? It appears you are making her nervous." One of the interrogation nin speak up, only to shrink back at the glare her father gives them.
"You think I care whether she is nervous or not? You think an enemy will care if she's nervous or not?" Her father retorts, frustration evident in his voice. It was no secret in Konoha that Sadao Sadachi had a bad temperament, and that even his own clansmen were afraid of him because of it. Still, he was their leader and they put up with him as best as they could.
Being his daughter, Suzumi received the worst of his impatience and cruel nature. He scared her to extent, and that in itself frightened her even more, because how could she be afraid of her own father? But it wasn't like Sadao was making it any easier not to fear him.
"I will not stand this embarrassment any longer." Sadao states firmly, shoving Suzumi aside to move in front of the writhing criminal, "You have done enough, Suzumi."
Suzumi stumbles off to the side, keeping her gaze locked on the floor. She felt embarrassed. The investigation team was giving her looks of pity and sympathy that made her feel even worse. She did not want them to pity her. She had wanted them to be impressed by her. But it seemed she couldn't even do the basics of her own clans jutsu.
Suzumi felt like a failure.
And she hated the feeling and every pitying gaze it brought her. But wouldn't mope about it. She was a Sadachi, and they were taught that when they were knocked down, they were expected to get back up ten times stronger. She had embarrassed herself and failed her father all in one. And so, there would no mercy for her in their next training session, or for many to come.
Suzumi proved that she was capable of failure and embarrassment. So Sadao would would train her so that such possibilities would never become options. That was the Sadachi way of life. And while it seemed favorable in theory, every way of living had it's flaws.
The Sadachi favored fate. They thought everything in life was necessary, including pain. If someone suffered, then surely something good would come of it. But they did not believe in unnecessary suffering either. If blood was not meant to be shed, then they would avoid it at all cost.
Suzumi thought the entire system was flawed. She didn't see the point of suffering at all. But when she had brought her opinion up to her father, she had received one of the most chilling glares in response.
"You think you know anything about suffering? What do you know about death and it's companion? You know nothing, Suzumi. Unless you have had to cut your own legs to survive or you have had to put a blade through the heart of your beloved to live, then you know nothing. So how can you speak on something you know nothing of? The answer if that you cannot. So be quiet, and wait for your suffering to come. Because when it does, you will surely regret questioning it to begin with." He had told her, eyes boring into her five year old face with the weariness of a man who'd lived to see too much. And then he had sent her away, and hadn't spoken to her again for the rest of that day.
Suzmi never questioned fate and suffering again. But Sadao was not pleased.
He made it his personal mission to ingrain his beliefs into her. And because she was a Sadachi, she was expected to adhere to them. The Sadachi were a special clan after all. Pain and suffering were essential to them for this very reason.
The Sadachi possessed certain abilities that made them both feared in Konoha and the other nations as well. They were deemed unnatural to some, and unearthly to many. Which is why their clan lived in the land bordering the outside of Konoha, only sealed off and only accessible by clan members. And in dire situations, the Hokage and certain Anbu.
In such a closed off area, they could practice their craft away from prying and judgmental eyes.
Suzumi finally pulls her gaze from the floor when the criminal lets out a final strangled grunt. Now, he was finally dead. She watches as her father then forms a series of hand signs before chakra begins to pool from his open palms to the deceased man before him in a steady stream. From Sadao's chakra forms a silhouette of a man, in a haze of dusky purple and null synergy.
It was his spirit. And it stood there, awaiting Sadao's very command.
"What do you wish to know?" Sadao asks one of the interrogation nin. They stand there, awed for the briefest of seconds before they snap back to attention. One of them goes to talk personally with Sadao about what they wish to learn from the criminal.
And Suzumi watches it all, feeling the faintest hint of bitterness swell within her. She should have been the one to summon the spirit. But she failed. And it hurt.
"Don't worry so much, Suzumi-Chan. You are still young. You have plenty of time to master your clans abilities. They are very special, so don't feel down about a failure or two." One of the interrogation nin places a comforting hand on her shoulder and gives her an assuring smile.
Suzumi returns it with a forced smile of her own. All the the while she couldn't help but think that he was wrong.
The Sadachi's functioned differently from the average clan. From a very young age, you were expected to begin mastering your craft. And once your time started, it didn't stop for anything. Because there was a deadline, a certain age by which you should have successfully mastered spirit manipulation. And if you didn't, you were no longer considered a Sadachi. You were kicked out of the compound, considered incompetent, a defect.
Suzumi's time had started a year ago, and while she still had plenty of time left, she was still afraid.
After all, time stopped for no one.
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Hello, this is my first Itachi x OC fanfiction. I am going to try to make it as realistic as possible? Meaning, the romance will develop v slowly and most likely be v subtle. I am going to do my best to follow cannon. But if something is done in the wrong order, please let me know. I also don't want to make my character op or anything, so please let me know if you get that vibe from her. Other than that, reviews are always appreciated! : )
+ This story is also on wattpad under the user: SH1NOBIS
