Assassin of the Rose.
An Itachi-Ino Story.
Itachi Uchiha is a deadly ninja who slaughtered his clan. Ino Yamanaka was a girly, girl with only one thought on her mind-Sasuke. What has happened to dramatically change Ino's life and bring these two closer together? And what is Deidara's part in all of this?
-x-x-x-x-
Uchiha Itachi extended a long thin finger and poked the corpse on the head. The corpse did not move or make any sound. Senbon were embedded all over his body, he looked like a porcupine. Itachi put his head on one side trying to analyze how the man, their contact had died.
He couldn't have died just from being hit with a lot of senbon. The senbon would have to be poison dipped. As if confirming his theory a ghastly smell filled Itachi's nostrils and he knew instantly that it was the same poison as before. The blood red rose that lay on the victim's chest, the killer's calling card also confirmed it.
Itachi frowned. The same sort of symptoms had been shown on two of the Akatsuki's other leads to the container of five tailed demon. Clearly someone didn't want them to find the five tailed demon. It was those kinds of people that greatly frustrated the older Uchiha. The ones that got in the way, the ones that wouldn't take a hint.
"This is just perfect" Hoshigaki Kisame snarled quietly.
Itachi said nothing but merely stood and folded his arms. Kisame's anger was plain on his blue face, and his grip on the large sword he wielded tightened. Itachi made a noise of warning and bent to pick up the rose. He examined it, a grimace set on his features.
Freshly cut, he thought.
"What do we do now?" Kisame hissed.
"You contact the assassin of the rose" came a withered voice from the shadows.
Kisame and Itachi focused their attention on the spot where the voice had come from and tensed for battle. An old man with a walking stick stumbled forward into the light from the street lamp. The two S-rank ninja relaxed and watched the man warily.
"Contact who?" Kisame asked.
"The assassin of the rose. That is her calling card, I have seen it many times before" the old man croaked. "You have to go to the rose field on the edge of town at midnight and . . ."
The old man did not get to finish his sentence. Kisame had lunged at him and removed his head with one clean sweep of his sword. The man keeled over and crimson blood seeped from his now severed neck. Itachi turned away, shaking his head.
"Really Kisame. Could you have conducted yourself with a bit more patience?" Itachi asked, in his usual devoid-of-any-emotion tone.
"Hn, we got the information we needed" Kisame replied and stowed his sword away. "So are we going to check out this assassin of the rose?"
Itachi closed his eyes and paused. "I believe so" he said and opened his eyes, his blood red Sharingan echoing in the darkness.
-x-x-x-x-
I, the assassin of the rose, sat on the thick branch of a tree, the warm autumn breeze playing with my mid-length blonde hair. I frowned and put a hand up to my head and pushed it back behind my ears. I cast my sea blue eyes around the rose fields, taking in all the blood red buds.
Of a few things I was sure. One was that I would have to kill again very soon, if I wanted my client to come up with the payment. It was the way he worked: work done first, payment later. I hated doing it that way but he was a powerful man and could expose me quickly.
Secondly was that the only name I had and wanted to remember was Ino. I was no longer of the Yamanaka clan; my "father" had made sure of that. How could I not have noticed the differences between my family and myself? It was so obvious!
I sighed and looked up at the sky, midnight was approaching. I smirked, my employer would be here with my payment hopefully, either that or another target for me to take out. I got up and stretched yawning.
Then a rustling met my well trained ears. I whirled around and leaned back into my stance. Who was there watching in the bushes? A bounty hunter? Hell there where plenty of them looking for me. Every bounty hunter in the area wanted a chance at the massive reward they were offering for the so called "Assassin of the Rose".
I found the name amusing, I must be really annoying people in order for them to give me a name. I found it so funny in fact that I had gotten a rose tattooed on my left wrist. Yet still no one had caught me.
"Show yourself, I am the assassin of the rose" I called.
No sound. I frowned, was she hearing things? No she couldn't be. The bushes rustled again. I took a small step back.
Then out of nowhere a body was flung into her field. I jumped and nearly fell off my branch. I leapt down from the tree, anger boiling in my blood. Who did this guy think he was? Throwing himself on my precious roses, the ones that I worked so hard to grow? Then I caught a look of him, he was dead. His neck had been slit.
Oh brilliant, he was my employer too. Just fucking perfect!
"It seems that you are the one to blame for our troubles then"
The smooth vice wrapped around me, engulfing me like a drug. I took a step back and drew a handful of senbon. Dipped in a poison made from my roses and the poisonous wild fire flower.
"Who are you?" I called.
"Me? Hn, maybe you should be asking who we are?" the voice murmured, like he was laughing.
My eyes widened as her two opponents stepped out of the shadows. My voice caught in her throat. It couldn't be! This was bad, very, very bad. Two tall men, both dark haired and both wearing Akatsuki cloaks.
"Uchiha Itachi. . . ." I whispered.
"Can we just cut this little bitch's neck and be done with it?" the other guy asked.
"Come and try it!" I snapped, trying to conceal her fear. I ran at him, throwing the senbon as she did so. The other guy, who I now realized was Hoshigaki Kisame, dodged my entire arsenal. He landed and frowned at me.
"Itachi, does Deidara have a sister?" he asked.
Ok who the fuck is Deidara? Seriously!
"The resemblance is uncanny but I don't recall Deidara mentioning a sister" the Uchiha murmured.
"What do you want?" I snapped.
"To talk, you have been killing off our sources" Itachi said smoothly.
"Sources?"
"To lead us to the five tailed demon, Blondie" Kisame snapped.
"My name is Ino!"
Itachi stepped forward into the light and stared me down. My heat was thudding against my chest, so loud I was sure he could hear it. He was good looking, easily better looking than Sasuke. Long hair pulled into a ponytail, deep Sharingan red eyes, thickly lined face. He looked serious and he made my heart do flip flops.
Brilliant Ino, fall for a guy who is about to either torture you or let his blue skinned buddy slit your neck. God I had the worst taste in men…..
"So are you going to kill me?" I asked calmly.
I didn't really care if I did or not. I had nobody waiting for me back Konoha, all my real family is dead and I didn't really want to live any more.
"No" Itachi said.
"What?! Itachi you can't be serious?" Kisame hissed.
"Not yet anyway" Itachi continued. "Now tell me Ino Yamanka, why are you so far from Konoha?"
"Why would I tell you and don't mention the name Yamanka. I am no longer of that name, I never was!" I snapped, my voice struggling to maintain a grip on itself. I felt tears pricking at the corner of my eyes.
"Because I am deciding whether or not you live or die" Itachi hissed.
I shut my mouth, seething. "Fine, I am not a Yamanaka. Why I am not one is none of your business. Put it this way: I am no longer wanted in Konoha because of something that is not my fault. My so-called friends no longer want anything to do with me and I was sick of the same old shit day in and day out. So I left and I don't plan on going back" I explained.
Itachi looked at me, a weird look in his eyes. Kisame was looking from Itachi to me and back again. I held my breath, watching Itachi for a sign.
"And now you are an assassin for hire?" Itachi asked calmly.
"Yes that's right"
"It seems that you are the person we are looking for in the Akatsuki. We don't have a poison specialist. Or a medic ninja for that matter"
I opened my mouth to ask how the hell he knew I was a medic ninja but I was cut off by Kisame, whose expression had changed from neutral to fury in about 0.5 seconds.
"What did you just say Itachi!?!" he asked.
"You heard me Kisame"
"But . . . she's a girl!"
"Will you grow up? This is the type of person Hatafuri-san has been looking for, and besides Zetsu needs a partner"
"Hey! Do I get a say in this?" I cried.
Itachi and Kisame looked at me. "No" they both said.
I clenched my fists angrily, but another part of me was cheering. This was my chance to get stronger, mentally and physically. I could learn from S-Rank ninja, the best of the best. Okay yeah they were crazy murderers but hey! This could be my chance to move on.
"Unless you'd rather we'd turn you in" Itachi asked politely.
"Who said I was saying no?" I asked and smiled.
-x-x-x-x-
The sun was starting to rise as Itachi, Kisame and I leapt from tree to tree. The wind was fresh and it whistled past my ears. I bit my lip and shot a side long glance at Itachi. His expression was neutral as he leapt from tree to tree, but he must have felt me looking at him because he focused his now onyx coloured eyes on my eyes. He didn't smile, but merely inclined his head.
Kisame, who was in the lead, held up a hand and we landed silently and gracefully on separate branches. Kisame was standing very still, an odd expression on his face.
"I smell something. Stay here" he said and disappeared in a flash.
I frowned and sighed. Clearly he did not like me at all. I sat down and leaned against the trunk of the tree on which I had landed. Itachi, who had landed next to me, was still standing and staring off into the distance.
"He hates me right?" I asked and eyed him.
"If you want to put it that way, yes." he replied.
I furrowed my eyebrows. "I'm afraid I don't understand" I said.
"Kisame has trouble accepting female ninja. He believes they are weak"
"Weak!" I spluttered. "Let him say that when he's on the receiving end of my poison"
Itachi smirked. "Don't say that until you've had a bit more training" he said.
"So if your leader accepts me what happens then?" I asked, closing my eyes.
"You'll probably be paired with Zetsu. You will undergo training with either Deidara or myself. Then you will begin your life as a member of the Akatsuki"
"Whose Zetsu and Deidara?" I asked, opening my eyes.
"Deidara is an arsonist. He uses bombs and is a long range attacker."
"He looks like me right?" I asked, not wanting to hear the answer.
"Yes"
You have a brother who is an arsonist. He is a member of the Akatsuki. He is a pathetic excuse for a person. Looks like you are just the same.
I shuddered and put my head in my hands. Don't' cry, don't you dare cry, I told myself. Itachi looked at me and sat down beside me.
"What about Zetsu?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.
"Hn, he is . . . different. He's hard to describe. You have to see him to understand"
" . . . "
"Deidara looks uncannily like you. You said you were no longer a Yamanaka" Itachi said, his tone skeptical.
"Sorry but I don't trust you enough to explain" I said defiantly.
Itachi's eyes flashed angrily and he stood up, and leapt onto the next branch. I groaned and put my head in my hands. I opened my mouth to say something but was cut off by the reappearance of Kisame.
"False alarm. But some of those bloody Konoha Ninja brats are crawling around" he stated.
"Which ones?" I asked warily.
"A pink haired girl dressed like a slut, a guy with a high ponytail and a Chunin vest and a boy of the Inuzuka clan"
Sakura, Shikamaru and Kiba. How long has it been since I saw you guys?
"We should keep moving, if we want to reach the base by tomorrow" Itachi said, his usual devoid of any emotion tone.
-x-x-x-x-
Haruno Sakura walked through the forrest ahead of her squad mates, Nara Shikamaru and Inuzuka Kiba. It was dark so the trio had lit torches so they could see where they were going. The morning was cold and it made Sakura's teeth chatter. However the torches were providing some warmth.
"Man are we getting nearer to this place or what?" Kiba asked, sounding very much like a whiny dog.
"Kiba! For the last time, we are a few hours a way okay!" Sakura snapped.
"Troublesome woman" Shikamaru muttered.
Sakura growled under her breath when suddenly her sharp ears caught a sound. Three people, moving their way and quickly. Kiba and Shikamaru must have heard it too because they both drew kunais and prepared themselves for battle.
Sakura clicked her tongue; they had not experienced any trouble on the way so far. It would be totally annoying if they got trouble now. Three blurs whizzed over her head and she gasped. Shikamaru threw his kunai but the blurs dodged it. One of them turned and Sakura caught a glimpse of ocean blue eyes and blonde hair. Sakura's mouth fell open.
"Ino . . .?"
-x-x-x-x-
Author Note:
So what do you all think? Sorry it's so long! I had to include all of it because I wanted to make the second chapter about the Akatsuki base. Please R & R!!