A sallow moon hung listlessly in the opaque sky, unaccompanied by stars or city lights. A scarlet pool coated the ground at the edge of a clearing behind two cloaked figures, who strolled calmly away from it. They wore raven cloaks with clouds the color of blood emblazon across them.
The forest was silent as the grave. The figures continued on, an eerie quietness about them. After nearly thirty miles had passed them by, the pair reached their destination.
The cave before them rose up virtually from nowhere, encircled by a vast still pond. Its surface remained undisturbed as the pair crossed its glassy surface. The shorter one raised a purple nailed hand, and the seal on the rock before them began emitting a faint blue glow. As boulder rose, a gaping cave mouth was revealed, stalactites hanging from the ceiling like teeth. No sound greeted them from within the dark cave. A cloud concealed the moon, plunging the earth into an inky blackness. To one, it seemed like a coincidence, but to the other, the loss of light appeared as an omen of events to come.
They removed their woven hats in unison, the bells tied to them emitting a faint jingling noise. The two men looked at each other, nodded, and stepped into the darkness that seemed to drag them in together.
Far away, warm sunlight filtered through a leafy overhang. Lush green grass cushioned the ground beside Shiro Pond, intertwining with reed flowers of exotic colors. Fluorescent colored butterflies fluttered about, careless and free. A girl who could be no older than twenty slumbered in a patch of shade beneath the overhang, a black Waterfall Village headband tied expertly around her neck.
"Mizuumi!" a male's voice called," Mizuumi, wake up! You're gonna be late!"
"Huh?" the girl, Mizuumi, replied groggily. She opened her eyes, blinking away spots formed by the harsh sunlight.
"Your mission to the Leaf Village. Your team leaves in ten minutes!"
"Thanks for waking me up so late, Toshiro," Mizuumi grumbled at the chuunin. She herself was a jonin, and a recent one at that. The head ninja had only promoted her and her brother, Arashi, because they'd lost two jonin on a mission to the same country. Mizuumi had wanted to be in the medical corps, but her late mother had forbidden it.
After the quickest packing job in her life, Mizuumi arrived at the village gate with seconds to spare.
"You're late," a man with a black bandana on his head and an eye patch over his right eye stated sternly.
"Sorry," Mizuumi replied shamefully. Another jonin scoffed.
"Why'd they let a chuunin come on a mission like this?" the way she said the word chuunin made it sound like it was a bad thing.
"Enough, Relena!" the man with the eye patch ordered.
"Whatever you say, Kaiba," Relena replied sweetly, flipping her long black bangs out of her face. She had snakelike blue eyes, with an attitude to match.
"Enough bickering," a woman in her mid thirties with long snowy white hair and silvery blue eyes stepped forward and between the two arguing jonin," it's time to go. Kaiba, brief Mizuumi along the way."
"Yes, Lady Yuki," the two replied respectfully, following their commander as she headed for the pond that protected the village's secret entrance. The squad dove gracefully through its surface as they had for done for years .Soon, they were on dry land again and embarked on their journey to the Hidden Leaf Village.
"I assume your mission was a success?" a shadowy figure asked the two approaching men.
"Yes," the short one with long black hair tied back in a low ponytail and equally dark eyes replied calmly. He wore a Konoha headband on his forehead, a wide line slashed through the center, possibly from a kunai.
"Excellent. Itachi, Kisame, fill out the reports I have left in your rooms."
An hour later, Itachi finally completed his extensive twelve page mission report. He detested Pein's mission reports, which it was rumored he never even read. Itachi felt it was foolish to need to write two pages of an in depth injury summary when he had none. Even as an Anbu, he'd never been required to write such nonsense. As Itachi left his room, Kisame finished his report as well. Itachi noticed Kisame's stack of paperwork was slightly taller than his.
"Tryin' for that bonus ten percent on my pay," Kisame explained, "Gotta seem like I take this seriously, right, Itachi san?"
"You're an imbecile," Itachi stated flatly. Kisame smirked his shark toothed grin,
"What makes you say that?"
"Kisame, we don't get paid."
"Hence the ten percent raise."
"Ten percent of zero is still zero, if you doubt me, take it up with Kakuzu."
"Heh, have to try, don't I?" they continued on in silence. Pein's office was at the far end of a concealed hallway at the back of the cave. A ledge that already held other reports sat to the left of the door. On this ledge, Itachi and Kisame placed their mission reports. Unfortunately, Pein chose that precise moment to come storming out of his office.
"Where's that useless slacker, Deidara?" he yelled. He strode forward briskly; knocking every single mission report on the ground, save for Itachi's. Kisame let loose a stream of curses while he collected his mission report, leaving the other three strewn across the floor. Pein could be heard down the long hallway yelling insults and Deidara's name. Itachi casually walked away, leaving his partner to finish ranting to empty air.
Some time later, when Itachi was falling asleep for the night, he heard a commotion outside his door.
"But is was filled out, hmm!" a male voice protested.
"You skipped half the information," responded Pein
"Yeah, the stupid stuff!"
"Deidara, every detail is important."
"Then get Sasori's report, hmm!"
"Your perspective would still be missing, now finish it." Itachi heard footsteps retreat down the hall and sighed inwardly. Deidara was hopelessly immature, reminiscent of his brother, Sasuke, yet an eternity less tolerable. Just when he was almost asleep, his door creaked open.
"Hey, Itachi, you awake?" Deidara's irritating voice shattered the silence.
"No," was Itachi's emotionless response
"Can you finish my mission report for me?"
"Do it yourself,"
"But he added six extra pages!"
"And this concerns me how?"
"Fine!" Deidara slammed the door behind him. Itachi sighed and once again attempted to fall asleep. He heard Deidara complaining to someone down the hall from his room. The sound of a scythe colliding with the cave wall was enough to tell him Hidan was in a foul mood. He closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.
And was awakened by a pillow to the face.
"Itachi, will you help me now?"
"Ugh, Sasuke, get lost, we had this conversation already." Itachi muttered in his sleep.
"Sasuke? Pft, dream on!" Itachi's eyes snapped open to the sight of Deidara looming over him.
"Hey, you're awake! About that mission report-"a shuriken taking a chunk out of his face and bangs silenced the blonde haired man.
"Get out!" Itachi snapped. Deidara left without another word. Itachi let out an angry sigh, locked his door, put a chair in front of it, and then fell back asleep.