Chapter One: Discovery
The cool chill air that surrounded Sakura kept her awake, even as the mist covering every visible inch was lulling her, the chill told her to keep going. She had gone this far, she just needed a few more miles to get to Stone.
She still had enough food for another day, but as Shizune-san had always told her "Leave not for tomorrow what you can complete today." Tsunade-sama's motto was more like: "Do not today what you can leave off until tomorrow."
Sakura chuckled.
She had enough money to stay a week in a nice inn, and she would let it be known that there was an assassin, body-guard, or even mercenary available. She hoped it would be an assassin or body-guard, but she would need to be able to pay her bills, no matter what. Survival is necessary, no exceptions.
Though she may have already broken rules One and Two, Sakura fully intended to continue following the others. She may have betrayed her country, and she may have betrayed her Team, but she still intended to keep herself alive. Who knows, maybe someday she would finally be able to return to the Leaf Village. Lord knows that if they were under attack, she would return to help them fight off the offender, and stay a little while to help clean up.
She would go back, she promised herself. She would return, she would see her friends, her mentors, again.
She came back to herself from her thoughts and realized she was only just outside the village hidden in the Stones. She looked up at the two guards at the gate, smiling as she walked through. It looked as if it had just opened. It was rather early in the morning, she had to admit to herself.
There weren't many Inns on the Main Street, Sakura soon realized. She didn't want to be in one on the Main Street anyways, it would probably have to much hustle and bustle. She didn't know anyone here.
She kept walking, and took a left down a smaller street, passing by a man dressed all in black, who glared at her as she went by.
Sakura turned. What was that all about, she thought, then she shrugged, turning on her heel and continuing to walk.
There was a nice looking inn next to a small, traditional house. She would stay there, if there was a room open, at least for the time being.
Itachi leaned against a wall, watching as the girl he recognized as his former target's friend travel down the street and stop in front of an inn next to their "base." She had seemed perplexed that he had glared at her. Did he really look that different in Civillian clothes? Or maybe it was the fact that his hair was down for once.
He watched as she walked into the inn.
She wasn't wearing a headband, or any obvious weapons. Was it possible that she was on vacation leave? No, even then, you were required to wear your headband, just in case there was a person in need nearby. That way, they would be able to contact you in some manner.
Itachi sighed. Well, as long as she didn't bother him, he wasn't going to bother her. It's not like he really cared.
He kept waiting, knowing Kisame would be back soon with their food.
He almost killed Kisame this morning. The idiot could have warned him that he was going to use an illusion to cover the blue skin and gills. Itachi had awoken this morning thinking he was being attacked by a rather loud, happy stranger. Honestly, could Kisame have been more stupid?
He had finally gotten a few hours of sleep last night, and Kisame the idiot had ruined it. He shouldn't have been losing sleep because of how fast he was thinking anymore, he should be used to it. But the nightmares kept coming.
He sighed, and soon heard the giant's unmistakable footsteps. "Oy, Itachi, I got the food," Kisame told him. "Why are you standing out here."
"I was bored," Itachi replied. "Let's go."
Sakura looked around the room the Inn keeper had given her. It was a soft peach color, and would undoubtedly be absolutely breathtaking in the dawn, when she would be waking up. There was a desk in the corner with a computer on it. The bed was a Queen size, plush, and had pure white bedding spread over it. Sakura looked at the dresser, then put all of her clothes and other things in it, and put the pictures across the top.
She stared at the picture of the original Rookie nine, and sighed. She traced the faces of Naruto and Sasuke, a single tear sliding down her face.
She pulled back.
No reasons for regrets now, she told herself.
Itachi sighed as he looked down at the note that had accompanied Deidara and, much to his annoyance, "Tobi."
Itachi glared at the diminutive man, thinking of how annoying he was then thought better of it. He would never use that word, Sasuke did. The man was thoroughly irritating.
Tobi stared back at Itachi then smirked behind his mask, letting an innocent little voice say "Tobi is a good boy!"
Itachi growled lowly at Tobi. He mustn't tell though. He couldn't. That "man" may be play acting, but he was damn good at it, and Itachi wouldn't be able to come up with enough evidence, especially not so....Spontaneously.
Itachi looked back down at the note in his hand. "So we have to guard this politician?" He asked Deidara.
"Yes, un." Deidara replied. "He's high ranking, a bit eccentric, and completely paranoid, an easy enough job for you two."
"You didn't finish reading the letter, did you?" Itachi asked.
"I skimmed," Deidara mumbled, growing suspicious.
"You are also part of our 'job,'" Itachi explained. "You must stay as well."
Deidara's eyes bugged out. "WHAT?"
"You have to stay," Itachi reiterated, smirking.
"Ah, man!"
"That's what you get for not paying attention," Itachi chided. He enjoyed annoying his little toys.
"Yeah, whatever," Deidara mumbled.
Itachi chuckled lowly, getting up to go get dressed and sharpen some of his favorite weapons.
Sakura was sitting in a bar just down the street from her newly acquired room at the inn. She had expected to get a job quickly, but never this quickly. Maybe her putting: "Able to prove former enrollment in Leaf Ninja ANBU BlackOps as Captain" on her resume had something to do with it. This was the third job she had gotten, and it had only been two days since she even got here. The first she refused because they wanted her to train a boy, and she didn't want to let Leaf Fighting Styles fall into the hands of those below her standards, the second she refused because they wanted her to whore herself off.
She didn't know what this one was about yet, but she hoped it would be better than the last two.
A man walked in the door. Sakura didn't turn around, just listened to his footsteps as he approached. By the space between one footstep and the next, and the loud volume of the sound, she would say he was tall, nicely muscled, and that he was determined and self-assured.
When he sat in front of her, she realized how right her assumptions were. He was about six feet tall, with broad shoulders, and a rather arrogant air. She could clearly see the muscles that his nice clothes did nothing to hide.
"Hello," She told him politely. He grunted in reply. "Are you going to tell me why you called me, or should I just shoot you down and leave?" She asked.
The man looked up at her. "You are smaller, younger, and are less scarred than I expected." He told her.
"I am smaller because I can get into places large males cannot. I am younger because I learn faster. I am less scarred because I know how not to get hit, and how to heal myself. If that's all you came here to say, you have wasted your time," She told him.
The man looked her in the eyes, raised an eyebrow, and chuckled. "You are also able to turn someone's words against them. But can you fight?" He asked.
"I was trained by Lady Tsunade, Hatake Kakashi, and various other people." Sakura said. "I can fight."
"Can you kill?" He asked.
"If I put 'assassin' on my ad, it usually insinuates that I can, and will, kill," Sakura told him.
The man studied her for a moment, then handed her a file. "I need that man dead by the end of the week." He told her.
"I don't want to know about his family life, and I don't want to know why you want him dead," Sakura told him. "I also do not want your name."
"You weren't going to get one."
"Good," Sakura told him. "Bye."
Sakura stood up from the table and out the door, putting the file under one arm. She sighed. I hope I can kill him at the office, she said. I don't want to look into the eyes of a loved one while I kill him
Itachi looked out his window as the girl walked up to the Inn, a file under her left arm.
She isn't part of Konoha anymore. He thought. All their files are given by the Hokage, and I would have recognized Tsunade-sama's power anywhere.
He watched as a light right across the alley from his came on, giving him a brief glimpse of the girl before she closed the blinds.
Sighing, he went to his bed and lied down. Tomorrow was going to be a long day.
Sakura looked at the file in front of her, reading through the man's addresses, jobs, responsibilities, but never his name, whether he was married, or if he had any children.
She would kill him tomorrow, at night, she decided. He would still be at the office, according to his habits, and a day would be enough for her to decide, with the information she already had, how it would be best to kill him.
She read for about ten minutes before getting up to get ready for tomorrow, setting out her uniform, sharpening weapons, etc.
Finally, she turned out the lights, and went to sleep.
The next morning was rather uneventful. Sakura, wearing a genjutsu to make herself invisible, followed the man as he went to breakfast and then to the office. She never noticed the "bodyguards" who were using much the same strategy as herself.
She followed him through the day, and waited until he was just about to leave. He had just turned off the lights in the office and was about to open the door when she snuck up behind him, pressed her hand to his mouth, released her genjutsu, and pressed a blade to his neck. She was about to finish the job when she was yanked back and punched in the gut.
She looked up into a pair of red, blazing eyes, and quickly looked back down. She drew a sword and began to fight him, watching his every movement, but refusing to meet his eyes, meeting his own drawn blade blow for blow. She noticed that the target had shrunken into a corner on the far side of the room, then began focusing on the man she was fighting right now.
Just his luck, Itachi thought to himself. It was his day to be on guard duty and the girl from the inn next door happens to decide to try and assassinate the politician. He continued to fight her, noticing that she kept her eyes any where but on his own. He smirked. She was good, and smart too.
He was busy fighting her when her charka began to spike, and barely had enough time to brace himself when her other hand came up to punch him in the face, temporarily stunning him.
Sakura turned around as soon as she brought her hand back, and threw four kunai at the man in the corner, one hitting him in the head, one in the heart, one in the gut, and the last one hit the floor between his legs. As the man slumped, she turned back to her opponent, and took a stance again.
Itachi cursed himself as he got up, and looked in the corner to find his charge dead. He should have been paying better attention instead of just playing with the girl. Obviously, he had underestimated her.
He glared at the girl before him and began to fight her again, intent on capturing her for the Leader to deal with.
He punched her once, and she disappeared in a puff of smoke. A shadow clone.
Itachi turned around and punched the desk behind him, snapping the offending furniture in two, then began his way to the base, intent on killing the girl before she had the chance to run.
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