For a smile: A Naruto Fanfiction
Disclaimer: I do not own Misashi Kishimoto's 'Naruto'. If I did, I would ensure that Itachi lived to see a world without violence. If only for a day he would gaze upon a world which he had envisioned. I'm not too sure if you can tell, but one of my favourite anime characters of all time is Uchiha Itachi.
Note: This was written years ago and I've decided to just upload it how it is. I apologise. This was the original story of 'Thicker Than Blood'.
She was making progress. At least, that's what the doctors had told him. He was sceptical about trusting the word of any of the medic ninja in regards to the monitoring of Kojin's health. It didn't help that he had walked into the room at one point only to find various doctors trying to bleed the young girl dry. 'All in the name of science.' That was what they had told him. They then had the audacity to call the unconscious girl selfish! Apparently, not offering your life and body to the advancement of science, of the human race, was a ridiculously selfish notion and Kojin should be ashamed of herself. Needless to say that was the last time the doctors were seen. Itachi was almost over a cliff's edge at the moment and would not tolerate any nonsense from anybody. Of course Sasuke was the exception.
"Why would someone hurt Jin? She's not even a ninja. Who would do that to her Nii-san?"
Itachi wanted the answer to those questions himself. He knew that Kojin had broken laws, in fact she did that on a regular basis, but she was careful, skilled and there was no way to that she would have left something behind that could incriminate her. In the two years he had gotten to know the girl, there was not one time when he was able to track her, not one piece of evidence to say that she had ever visited his house, not even a strand of hair. No, this was no unfortunate accident, this was deliberate. Maybe not planned, but whatever happened to her was because somebody must have found out about her and her unique attributes.
"I don't know Imouto-chan. I don't know. But I will find out."
Sasuke nodded his head, a determined expression on his face.
"I'll help you find him, Nii-san. I won't let him get away with hurting my Princess!"
Him? Why does he think it's a him?
"Imouto-chan, why do you keep saying 'him'?"
Sasuke shrugged his shoulders.
"It's always a bad guy who hurts people in the stories but the good guys always get him in the end."
Itachi was taken aback by the simplistic answer. It's always a bad guy. The unfortunate thing was though, that this bad guy might just be able to get away with it and with the help of the good guys.
''
"Thank you, again, Ketsyuu-sensei. I didn't want to bother anyone but they refused to let me leave without adult consent."
"You needn't thank me, Kojin-chan. I'm just glad you're alright."
He took the back pack off the girls shoulders, being mindful of her arm, and continued on to the orphanage. He didn't like the fact that she lived there. He knew what the Matron was like. She was a bitter woman whose views on children had been warped and shaped by her inability to have any. Instead of cherishing the lives of the youthful innocents, she despised them.
"Are you sure you want to go back there? I have a spare room. My wife absolutely adores you. It would be no problem whatsoever, Kojin-chan."
"You know that I'll feel like nothing but a burden to you, no matter what you say. I've lived here long enough; I'm a big girl, Ketsyuu-Sensei, I can look after myself."
"Just because you can doesn't mean you should have to do it. I've not seen you, not once, behave like a child should: running around with others, laughing, having fun and not worrying about adult problems."
"I do have fun and I do run around with others."
"But you are still weighed down with whatever burdens have been placed upon your shoulders." He knelt down, bending on one knee, resting one arm upon his leg and placing the other on Kojin's shoulder. "I want you to answer me honestly, no half-truths or ambiguous answers okay? Are you happy here? Is this where you want to be?"
It was loaded question, especially for a seven year old. He knew though, that this girl understood him perfectly clear. How many times before this had he asked her and how many times had the girl looked him the eyes and told him what he wanted to hear without actually lying?
"This is where I am; this is the only place I can be. Am I happy here? No. A young man has died; a young man who I looked up to and called brother is gone. I am forbidden to enter the grounds where his remains are buried. I am forbidden to make contact with two others who I call family. I have stood before Death and returned only to find that Life itself is a crueller mistress than Death could ever be. This isn't where I want to be. This is where I have to be and where I will remain."
Ketsyuu watched as tears began to gather in the eyes of the young girl. He wished for nothing more than to be able to take her away from all the pain she felt and give her the life she deserved. His wife, Kirune, had grown attached to her as well; thought of her as a daughter. They had, just as Uchiha Mikoto, tried to adopt the girl but were met with an immediate no. There was definitely something bigger going on where this girl was concerned and he knew it would not end well.
"It's childish, and I know it could never happen, but I wish that everyone could just be happy. For one day, even for one hour, I wish that everyone could feel true happiness. The world would be a better place, even if we lost that happiness straight afterwards because we would have that memory and we would cherish it. It would give us all a reason to live, a reason to fight….that's not the right word; it would give us all a purpose and a dream that we would all want to achieve."
"What more could anyone possibly want for. That is fine dream, Kojin-chan. If anyone were able to achieve this dream, it would be you. You've already begun. You've brought happiness to me, to Kirune-chan and to Uchiha-san." He ruffled her hair and stood. He was reluctant to leave her here. Then again, it was the same each and every time he walked her back to the old run-down building. "Now, I'd rather leave on a happier note and with a smile from you so," he pulled a box from his back pack and handed it to her, "here you go. Go on, open it."
She opened the box and pulled out a wolf. It was a pure white plush toy with a collar and inscribed name tag. Ghost? She read. What a perfect name. She dropped the box and, still holding onto the plush toy, wrapped her arms around her former sensei's middle.
"Now I hope you're not too old for toys. I thought you might like her. They had a hard time selling her. Her fur is pure white; people were scared that they'd ruin her, get her dirty so they put her in the storage room and she'd been forgotten. I remember seeing her on display many years ago. I'd always wondered what had happened to that wolf." He smiled down at her; she took a step back and grinned up at him.
"What stupid people."
"My thoughts exactly, Kojin-chan. Do you like her?"
"I love her already. She will be cherished, for all eternity if I can manage it." She gave the man one last hug and beamed up at him. "Thank you. Thank you for your kindness and please give Kirune-sama a hug for me. I…I know I haven't said it before, but, you and Kirune-sama, I think of you as my family and I am grateful for everyday that I have with you."
Ketsyuu could feel his traitorous eyes starting swell with unshed tears and gave Kojin's shoulder a pat before he shook his head and scratched the back of his neck. Dammit, she's going to make me cry if I hang around any longer.
"I…..I best be off now. You are a blessing, to both my wife and me. We wish for nothing but your happiness and, seeing as you are family, we do hope that you will come over one day and stay with us."
They stood for a moment and nodded at each other. Kojin turned her gaze to the beautiful wolf plush that she'd been given and slowly made her way into the building.
''
Itachi had explained, very clearly to Sasuke, that he mustn't breathe a word of their secret meeting. Not one word to anybody; not even to their mother.
"Who are we meeting with anyway? Is it a King or a Prince or-" He stopped, eyes wide as he looked at the girl in the middle of the forest. "Princess?" He looked up to Itachi, waiting for confirmation that it was indeed Kojin and not some imposter. Itachi nodded and Sasuke went flying through the undergrowth.
"Sasu-chan!" The two fiercely embraced each other as Itachi calmly walked to them.
She pulled back and ran to Itachi, launching herself into the air as Itachi held his arms out and caught her mid-fall.
"Ita-kun!"
The boy held her to him just as fiercely as his younger brother had. He'd not been able to see her for the better part of four months due to the new shadow he had acquired. That, and he had been warned by the Uchiha Council, as well as the High Council of Konohagakure, if he continued his involvement with the odd orphan girl, misfortune would befall her. He knew that his father had suspicions about her, in fact, his father had named her a suspect in the death of Shisui, something about supernatural powers of persuasion and trying to become an Uchiha to take over the Clan, and he knew Danzō was the driving force behind the High Council's threat.
"You need not worry about shadows, Kojin-hime."
She let out a relived sigh and visibly relaxed.
"Hey! What's that?" Sasuke questioned, pointing to her pack. There was a ball of fur poking out of the top.
"Oh this? This is Ghost. She's a wolf. Super cool, isn't she?" She pulled the plushie from her pack and handed her to Sasuke.
"Whoa. She looks so real! Nii-san! I want one! I want an awesome, scary wolf!"
Itachi gave his younger brother a dead-panned look and sighed in exasperation.
"Imouto-chan, you need to stop that. What did I tell you? You're a big boy now aren't you?"
Kojin snickered at that. Oh how she loved to do what Itachi was doing. 'Now aren't you?' was a very well-known line, almost trademarked by the Uchiha prodigy and was a guaranteed way to get Sasuke to listen. Sasuke pouted before he remembered something.
"Jin-hime! Check this out!"
Without warning, the boy made two clones of himself and started throwing shuriken at the trees around them. Kojin immediately threw herself at the ground, covering her head with her arms as Itachi moved to stop his baby brother.
"Sasuke! You can't do something like that without knowing your surroundings. You could have seriously injured Kojin-hime. She's only been out of hospital for a week and a half. You must be careful."
"I'm so-"
"That was so cool! You made copies of yourself! There were three of you! When did you learn this?"
Itachi smacked his forehead. She was supposed to be mature, smart and right now should have been reprimanding his younger brother for potentially almost killing her. Instead she was encouraging him. He caught her eye and he sent her a look that clearly said, 'Really?' as she replied with a smile and a laugh.
They talked for hours, the Uchiha boy and her. Sasuke showed off everything he'd been learning in the Ninja Academy and told her all about the new friends he'd made. She listened and asked questions enthusiastically, knowing that the boy loved to talk once he got going. She shared a good few looks with Itachi that told him they'd meet at a later time that night to speak.
"We must leave now, Imouto-chan."
"But Nii-san," Sasuke whined, looking at the ground. "Do we have to?"
"It's getting late Sasu-chan. The sun will start to set in less than an hour. Plus, you've been training really hard today. You need rest and eat a good, yummy dinner. Besides, I need to get back as well."
He nodded his head in defeat and went to say a proper goodbye to the girl.
"We'll see you later, Jin-hime. Bye!"
"See you Sasu-chan! Learn some awesome jutsu for me, 'kay?!"
Sasuke and Itachi soon disappeared from sight and Kojin made her way further into the forest, looking for a rock formation within the dense bush. She lowered herself carefully down the hole, ensuring to take her time with climbing. Her foot finally hit solid ground and she took three steps to the right, keeping close to the wall before her hand found a pressure plate. Placing her hand against it, she pushed. In a few seconds time her surrounding were completely illuminated, revealing an underground lake. She sat herself down on the ground and waited.
"I apologise."
"You needn't. It's alright Ita-kun. I imagine the Uchiha and the High Councils' talked to you?"
"Yes."
"So why do you feel the need to apologise? You're here now."
"I will be leaving soon."
"I know."
"I won't return."
"I know."
"You know what I will do."
She nodded.
"I know what you must do. I will ask you, as I did with Shi-sama. Is there any other way?"
"There isn't. The Clan will not listen to reason. They are intent on their attack on the village."
"Danzō would have been the one to suggest the annihilation of the Clan. That man is as evil as they come, hiding behind the excuse of trying to protect the village. He wants to be the Kage and he will stop at nothing until he gains that title, and the power that comes with it." She faced him now, turning her attention away from the lake. "When will you do this?"
"Tuesday week."
"That soon? What of Sasu-chan? Your plans, are you going to-"
"Yes. This is for the best."
"Itachi-sama, you know I respect you and your decisions but I cannot allow you to ruin that boy. Please? I can promise you that he will become everything you want him to be, everything he wants to be, but you do not have to do thi-"
"My brother will grow to be a strong shinobi; one who overcame such horrors as seeing his family be slaughtered by his hero, by his big brother, and he will hate me and draw upon those feelings to become the best."
"And then he will come after you and he will kill you. I know what you have planned. I must apologise now because I cannot let you do that."
"What would you do, if our roles were reversed?"
"You've given him the skills, the knowledge, to become a great shinobi. You're always preaching to me that love is the strongest bond people can share; that's it's the only true thing that we should fight for, that we should protect, that we should hold in the highest regards. Why can't Sasuke know that his brother is doing this out of love? Why can't you allow him to know the true reasons behind all this? Danzō will draw upon your betrayal to isolate you brother and turn him into nothing more than an expendable tool used to protect the village and, more importantly himself, to the bitter end. Is this what you wan-"
"I want my brother to grow up surrounded by his family. I want him to be exactly what he wants to be; a legendary shinobi. I want him to achieve whatever goals he creates in life and above all else, I want him to be happy. Life, however, is a cruel mistress," he made sure she was looking at him as he repeated the words that she had once said to him, words she used to excuse the hand she had been dealt, "and nothing, in Life, is fair."
''
She'd stolen the mission documents, replacing them with a folder full of origami instructions. No one would know because no one would look through the folder before it was destroyed. She wasn't certain that she'd gotten in and out without notice but at that moment in time, she didn't care; not at all. She'd place the documents within the Uchiha compound after the massacre. Danzō would pay for trying to take Shisui's life, for forcing Itachi's hand and for ordering the death of innocent Sasuke.
"You best enjoy the show, Danzō. I'll burn this village to the ground just to spite you old man. You aren't going to like what I have in store for you."
''
Itachi was ready. He would do this. For his brother. For their Princess. He would do this.
"I need you to stay within the sights of the Matron, of Ketsyuu-san; somebody must be able to verify your whereabouts tonight. Promise me you will stay." He held his hand out, pinky finger extended. She linked her little finger around his own.
"I promise to stay." Upon noticing his stern face, she continued. "I promise not to interfere, meddle or otherwise involve myself with your mission. I will stay within the Southern Districts."
He nodded, returning his arm by his side.
"I still think it was a stupid idea to involve the masked man."
He turned sharply.
"You don't know who he is. How can you trust someone who refuses to show his face?"
"You know who he is." It was never a question with Itachi. He accepted long ago that this child had knowledge of the beyond. Somehow this strange, chakraless civilian received visions of the future, was fed information from an unidentifiable source.
"Would you like to know who it is, Itachi-sama?"
"I must go."
"If you must. I will meet with you in a months' time. Our usual place?"
He nodded.
"Ita-kun, I know you're perfectly capable of looking after yourself but, be careful out there. Losing one of you was bad enough. If you do something stupid and get yourself killed, I will have you resurrected just to kill you myself, do you understand?"
He smiled gently, amused by what she had said. He knew she was completely serious and that there was a good chance she'd be able to do just that but he couldn't take her seriously. She barely reached his shoulders and was absolutely adorable when she got like this.
"I will see you in a month's time. Our place. I know you are perfectly capable of looking after yourself, but I want you to avoid any and all interactions with Danzō and his associates. It may be best to break bonds with Sasuke, as much as it pains me to suggest."
"I'll watch over him, as you will be. I will try my best to stay below Danzō's radar."
They remained there, watching the water until the early morning.
He shook himself out of his memories and readied himself for the attack.
''
"Ketsyuu-Sensei? What are you doing here? What's the matter?"
Ketsyuu looked at Kojin. He didn't want to be the bearer of bad news but he didn't want her kept in the dark. She loved that Clan and some members of that Clan loved her. Now they were no more, slaughtered by one of their own.
"There's….The Uchiha…..Kojin-chan, they're all dead."
Kojin widened her eyes and held Ghost tight to her chest. She'd been waiting since seven in the morning for news of the massacre to reach her and she had perfected her reaction. Her mouth was open in disbelief, she looked passed Ketsyuu's shoulder and she started to tremble. Ketsyuu slid forward on his knees and caught Kojin as she fainted.
"Kojin-chan? Kojin-chan?! Come on, answer me sweetie. Kojin-chan?!"
''
She 'awoke' a while later to see Kirune wringing out a piece of cloth. She let out a relieved breath when she noticed Kojin had finally opened her eyes.
"You gave me a right scare, Kojin-chan, and you just about gave Ketsyuu-kun a heart attack! How are you feeling?"
"What happ….." She didn't finish her sentence before she let out a choked sob. "Please tell me it's not true? Please tell me I imagined it?"
Kirune sat down on the side of the bed and drew Kojin to her.
"I'm sorry sweetie. It wasn't a dream."
"They're all dead? Who…who could have….?"
"They know who did it. I….I don't know how to say this but the person who did this was, it was Uchiha Itachi."
Kirune's heart almost broke as she watched disbelief, confusion, hurt and betrayal colour the young girls' face. She watched as tears started to flow down her cheeks and witnessed the moment the young girl's spirit broke.
''
She'd been told that no visitors were allowed in. Like that was going to stop her. She snuck through the hospital, careful not to make any sudden movements and to keep within the shadows. She only needed to worry about the cameras that monitored the hallways and the stairwells. This would be easy as pie. She oiled the hinges of the door before she even dared to begin opening it. Once that task was complete she edged the door open and slipped inside.
He lay eerily still. His eyes moved frantically beneath their lids and his chest rose and fell erratically but the rest of his body remained perfectly still. She had no idea how long it would take for the medic ninja to bring Sasuke out of the genjutsu but she hoped it would be within the fortnight.
She placed Ghost in the cupboard beside the bed, knowing that, at some point, the boy would open it up and find her plushie.
''
"Your charts indicate that you should be able to pump chakra through his system to break the genjutsu without any negative repercussions. When are you going to do this?"
The doctor was lost for words at that moment. Read the charts? Pump chakra into the boys system? Wait a moment. He grabbed up the chart and read over the statistics himself and looked to the girl again.
"Who are you? How did you even get in here?"
"Kojin, Doctor. I am a good friend of Uchiha Sasuke. Now, will you please answer my question? It is apparent that you have allowed him to remain 9 days too long in this genjutsu coma. His chakra system has been working perfectly fine so why has nothing been done?"
"You. You're the little ghost girl, aren't you?"
"Does it matter? Your inadequate treatment and inability to properly read and interpret the medical information has me rather concerned. Are you sure you are qualified? I mean no disrespect, sir, but I would like my friend to be treated by the best in the medical field."
The doctor shook his head, his mind still trying to get passed the initial information that the child was sprouting.
"What do you know about chakra? Look, kid, get out. Now!"
She left, knowing that the doctor would immediately call in medic staff and perform the necessary procedure to unblock the chakra passages behind the Uchiha's eyes. Yes, the incompetent fool would take all the credit but Sasuke would be awake.
''
"I see you found Ghost. I hope she's been looking after you." She said in greeting, walking up to the bedside and placing a container on the table. "I made it myself. Ketsyuu-Sensei and Kirune-sama allowed me to use their kitchen. I hope you will enjoy it."
Sasuke remained silent; his eyes focused solely on his lap. She ran her eyes over his form and moved to his charts.
"I knew you'd wake up soon; it was only a matter of time." She smiled a small, sad and gentle smile at the boy. "I won't ask if you're okay because that's a stupid question and I know the answer. I won't bother asking how you are because it's the same thing. I do want to tell you something though, so if you'd rather not hear what I have to say, tell me now and I will leave."
There was silence so she continued.
"It's terrible; awful, but it has come to pass and now, you need to accept it. Mourn for those you've loved and lost, keep them in your heart but Sasu-chan, do not throw your life away to get revenge." He turned to her suddenly, eyes locking and he glared at her. "I know that is what you've been contemplating this last week."
"Don't tell me what to do. You haven't lost your entire family. You haven't lost people that love you! You've never had anyone to lose or anyone to love you so shut up and leave! Leave and never come back!"
She nodded her head and made her way to the door. She paused before she entered the hall.
"I'm glad you're alive, Uchiha Sasuke. I wish for nothing but your health and happiness. Please get well soon, Uchiha-sama."
When she was out of his view he felt the emptiness. It was prominent as ever now. The little piece of comfort, of friendship and love he had, he'd just sent away for good. He cast his eyes to Ghost and then to the food she'd left. He fell asleep that night, the hurt expression that crossed over Kojin's face before morphing into a sad acceptance was the last thing he saw as he slipped into unconsciousness, the slaughter of his clan replaying as his subconscious took over, but with a slight difference. He could see the lifeless body of Kojin amongst the many others Itachi had left carelessly strewn about the Uchiha complex.
''
Authors Note: I'm going to leave it at that. These first two chapters have been quite lengthy haven't they? I've had no trouble writing so far. In fact, I have to make sure to look down at the word count every now and then to make sure I'm not writing chapters that I won't be able to upload! I hope you enjoyed this chapter.