Hi all! Finally my exams are over! Now what I am worried about is finding a job. Anyways, I have plenty of ideas for this story so I hope I can continue this quickly. As always, reviews are welcome!
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
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When we are ash, the world will know.
We made so very much, out of so very little.
- Tyler Knott Gregson
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It was a long day. Chiaki had breakfast with her ex teammates, training with Kurenai, filling out the never ending anbu application form and now, she is dragging her almost dead body to meet Hyuuga Neji. They were supposed to have their night duties today. He had been her team leader in most missions, and they can be considered acquaintances in their formidable team. Being a jounin meant that there were no fixed teams. Most of the time, her team consisted of the same people, but now and then someone would join in or leave, depending on the situation. Just like what the Godaime said, jounins do all the extra work. They have to go on night patrols, take care of the genins and chunins when their senseis are away, be in charge of the various ninja examinations and the list goes on.
As she neared the west gate, she noticed Neji was already there, waiting for her. Standing opposite him, she mumbled a greeting. Any form of conversation with Neji was awkward. Neji is more comfortable with silence, but Chiaki can never find the silence endearing, especially not with Neji around. She is not an extremely talkative person, but it takes the right kind of company to create a calming atmosphere with no awkwardness between the two.
"We have another mission next week." Neji voice broke the tension.
"Details?" Chiaki was glad that he took the hint and started a conversation.
"Find out whether a particular feudal lord is corrupted."
It was a trip to the Hidden Village of mist. The mission is not particularly easy, as Lord Daishinn is a prominent figure in the village and so all investigations have to be done in private. It was unwarranted, after all, that's why the mission required them to go under cover.
"So basically, it's espionage." Chiaki summarized.
And with that, they were back to the silence once again. But this time, she did not harp on the uncomfortable silence. No, she was too busy worrying about the mission. What if she made mistakes? How would it affect her anbu application? Anbu is known to be very strict and selective, which means that every single mission counts. Neji seems to sense her worry, and started to humor her.
"You'll be fine."
Chiaki snorted. "You say that everytime we have a mission together."
"But I mean it this time. Don't complete this mission for the anbu application. Do it for the sake of Konoha."
Chiaki sighed. It's easy to say, but hard to do. Looking up at the starless night, she could only hope that everything would fall into place.
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Sakura was humming as Sasuke and Naruto engaged in another tougue lash. They are like fire and water, she mused. Polar opposites, yet one cannot exist without the other.
She waited patiently for them to stop, but after a good thirty minutes of unrestrained argument, she decided to step in. "Boys-"
"We're not boys!" Somewhere between their argument, one of them threw her words back.
Squeezing her eyes to keep her temper, she tried again. "Okay guys, we are all matu-"
"Sakura, stay out of this! It's between me and teme!"
"As I was sayin- oh fuck it, I don't give a damn anymore. You bunch of pig headed idiots, can you stop you pointless dispute for just a second and listen to me!" Finally, her long awaited silence. Clearing her throat, Sakura continued. "We are supposed to spend this day together, as a team, so just for today, can we be civil towards one another?"
After her little speech, Sakura immediately reverted back to her cheerful self. "Now, where were we supposed to go today?"
She could hear her teammates' silent bickerings as she walked ahead of them. Words like "mood swings" and "control freak" floated into her ears. She knew Sasuke was complaining about her, and Naruto, being Naruto, tried to rationalize with him.
She is not letting that ruin her day. Forcing a smile on her face, she continued on.
The streets were bustling with people; it always was during the weekends. Sakura could see Shikamaru eating with Chouji. As usual, Chouji was stuffing lumps of meat into his mouth. Sometimes, she really wondered how flexible Chouji's mouth is. That guy could swallow a hippopotamus without a second thought!
Turning to point that out to her teammates, she realized they were gone. What is wrong with those two, she thought angrily. They should at least inform her of their disappearance. Sakura traced back their original route, trying to sense their chakra. Sure enough, she found them at a dango shop, chatting happily with Chiaki. She gritted her teeth, obviously unhappy with her findings.
Sakura would never admit it, but she was very jealous of Chiaki. The two of them were never good friends. They knew each other through Sasuke. They would exchange words of greetings, but nothing deeper ever transpired between them. She knew Chiaki was making an effort to talk to her, but she did not want to be another one of her minions. She didn't like the way people are attracted to her. She did not like her bloodline limit. She most certainly hated the way she interacts with her teammates. Yes, Haruno Sakura felt threatened by Chiaki. Naruto and Sasuke were her teammates, so why do they spend more time with their beloved Chi?
Controlling her thoughts, she flared her chakra so that the three happy couples could sense her presence.
"Oh hi Sakura chan!"
"Excuse me for interrupting, but I need to drag these two dimwits away." She sneered.
"Well then, I'll leave now. See you guys soon!"
"Ja, Chiaki san!" Sakura waved goodbye in such an exaggerated manner she believe her arms would fall off.
"You talk to Chi like you don't know her." Sasuke pointed out bluntly.
"Is this the first time you listened to our conversation? And truthfully, we are not that close." Sakura lifted her chin, daring them to refute.
"But Sakura chan, you didn't even say goodbye! She's leaving for a mission tomorrow!"
The dark clouds in her head cleared at that statement. "Oh really? Well then, we should get going too."
Naruto chased after her, but Sasuke continued glaring the Sakura. Something is wrong, he just couldn't figure out what.
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She wanted to leave now. Get this whole mission thing over and done with. Admittedly, now was not really a good time for missions. The annual Aomori Nebuta festival was coming up in two weeks, and she really wanted to make it back in time.
Sighing, she zipped up her backpack and sank into her bed. She did not once notice a flicker of shadow outside her window. Hidden in the trees was an anbu member watching her as she read through the mission files again before turning in.
Itachi leaned rigidly against the tree as he analysed their anbu applicant with his blood red eyes. The curtains at her windows were open, making it to easy to spy on her. He was not surprised to see Chiaki Ogiwara's application, but he was honestly intrigued by this kunoichi. What was it about her that catched his attention, he didn't know. Taking one last look at the kunoichi, he disappeared into the night, feeling an almost unnoticeable tug in his heart as he did so.
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She consumed another solder pill as they travelled non stop towards the Rock. The weather was not exactly doing her a favour. It was only mid day, and she already felt severely dehydrated and hungry. Neji, sensing her straining perseverance to keep up, coaxed her take it easy. "It will not do to tire yourself now and become vulnerable later."
"But-"
"We will take a short rest after we reached the edge of this forest." He said firmly.
Sensing no room for argument, Chiaki nodded curtly. She was grateful for Neji's consideration. Should he not bring this up, she would have continued on all the way to Rock, regardless of her physical state. He was indeed an observant leader, and she respected him for that.
Once they reached the outskirts of the forest, Chiaki immediately fell to the ground, trying to catch her breath. Neji passed her his bottle, and she drank greedily. After a few minutes of recovery, they began going through the mission in greater detail.
The rest of the day was spent travelling. The next day was no different. On the third day, they finally reached the mist. Chiaki quickly booked an inn while Neji went to survey the surroundings.
"We will begin tonight." Neji laid out the map of Lord Daishinn's manor and reviewed their roles again. "You will grab his attention during the dinner party later and steal his keys. I will then look for the relevant intel while you hold his interest for as long as possible. Should everything proceed smoothly, we will be able to leave unscathed tomorrow."
"By holding his interest, you mean seducing him." She commented dryly.
"Should you not be dressing up for tonight?" Neji eyed her warily.
"Fine." She huffed as she grabbed her necessities and headed to the bathroom. After changing into her sapphire A line, empire waist evening dress, she set about doing her hair. It was enjoyable, dolling herself up. She was so engrossed in putting on her matching sapphire ear rings that Neji's unexpected knock almost made her prick her ear. "Coming!" Chiaki shouted as she patted her hair and added the finishing touches. "You can come in now!"
She heard the door open and naturally turned to face him, her dress twirling around her waist. "What do you think?"
Neji was beyond words. Chiaki looked entirely different with the evening gown. The deep blue colour complemented her skin while the shinning beads at her chest made her face more radiant than before. "You look...adequate."
Chiaki's smile immediately dropped when she heard that word slip from his mouth. "Excuse me? I spent my three months' savings on this dress and all you can say is adequate?"
"Stunning. You look stunning." His lips curled into a rare smile as he watched her face lit up again. "This will definitely grab his attention."
"You mean seducing him."
"Where did you hide your weapon?" He avoided her unnecessary comment.
"In my heels." He heard her mutter something about Uchiha taking her kanzashi. "Let's go."
If there was any saving grace about Lord Daishinn, it would be his ability to throw such a grand evening ball. The entire manor was transformed into an extravagant ballroom, with elaborate designs of dragons covering every corner of the wall. Chiaki momentarily forgot about her mission until Neji nudged her shoulder, pushing her to follow the crowd. Lord Daishinn was easy to spot. He was greeting every single guest and had gold draped all over him. Signalling Neji to take her leave, Chiaki grabbed two cocktails and waltzed over to her target. She gave him a sickening smile as she took a sip of the cocktail. "Hajimemashite, my lord. You hold such great parties."
"It is nothing compared to how stunning you look, my lady." She watched in disgust as he gave her an once-over. "What is your name? I have never seen you around before."
"Rika. I came with Lord Yamamoto's son." She lied smoothly. Lord Yamamoto's son was a well known playboy. So notorious was he with women that it would be virtually impossible to trace Chiaki to him. She draped her left arm on Lord Daishinn's shoulder and pouted. "He was flirting with all the other women and I got jealous. So here I am, greeting the owner of this amazing place."
The two bodyguards behind the lord was about to reprimand her for touching the lord, but he silenced them. "It's alright. You can leave me now."
"But my lord," one of them argued. "Your safety is of utmost importance!"
"Am I not safe in my own house? You don't need me to repeat again. Leave."
Chiaki watched the scene in high spirits. The bodyguards would only serve as a hindrance later. Her eyes sweeped around to locate Neji. "Rika, was it? There is this room I want to show you. How about you follow me there now." The target wrapped his arms around her waist and slowly moved it down her curves. Chiaki grimaced but covered it by pulling him closer and used the other hand to swipe his kimono, looking for pockets. Fortunately, she found one bulging with her object of interest.
Immediately, she dived into a kiss with her target, trying to distract him while she steals the keys from his pocket. "Mmm, so eager. I love your passion."
"Where is that room you wanted to show me?" Chiaki pushed him towards the hallway where she knew Neji would be hidden. As they staggered up the stairs in a heated lip lock, she arcanely handed over the keys to Neji. Now the only thing left is to seduce Lord Daishinn long enough for Neji to grab the relevant information. It's going to be a long night.
They were exhausted by the time they reached the inn. The night was successful, but Neji did not retrieve enough evidence against the village magnate. Chiaki was having an even worse time.
"He don't even shave! He has hair everywhere! I hate that!"
"Chiaki..."
"His skin is flabby and old with wrinkles!"
"You need to..."
"I hate him!"
"Chiaki Ogiwara!" She whipped her head towards Neji angrily. "What? You are not the one sharing saliva with this disgusting, pathetic excuse of a man!"
"This is your first attempt at missions of such nature. You did a fairly good job." Neji assured her, not at all deterred by her crude words. "You need to calm down. Hundreds of kunoichis have to do that."
"I know." Chiaki sighed. "But why can't they send me after a young and handsome lord instead?"
Neji smiled slightly at her innocence, but quickly covered it. Their mission was not exactly a success, and they have to find further evidences of Lord Daishinn's corruption. "Go take a bath. We have much to discuss."
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It took them four days to steal the scroll, much longer than what Neji intended. Lord Daishinn has apparently top notch security and highly proficient shinobis following him around, rendering it hard to make any move. The only time they could come in contact with him again was the party on the third day, celebrating his tenth year as the village magnate. Honestly, that man could hold a party for any trivial reason and people would flock to attend. Chiaki disguised herself as Rika after much persuasion from Neji, and proceeded to act her role again. Fortunately, they were successful this time and Neji found the information he needed. As quietly as they came, they left the hidden village of Rock.
However, luck did not follow them all the way back to Konoha. Chiaki and Neji found themselves stuck in the same predicament again. Lord Daishinn discovered their little acts pretty fast, and sent his best men after them.
"Finish this quickly." Neji whispered into her ear. Nodding, she narrowed her eyes and went for a red haired shinobi. She threw a punch at him, which he blocked easily, and proceeded to swipe his feet off. Neji had immediately activates his Byakugan and went straight for the kill. He did not hesitate once as he took the enemies down, one at a time. By the time he was done, Chiaki had most of them blown miles away with her wind jutsu. "That was easy. What happened to 'top shinobis of rock'?"
"There are still more coming." Neji warned as he observed using his Byakugan. "Do you still have enough chakra?"
Chiaki nodded, though she knew it would not last long. She discreetly reached for her weapons pouch, preparing herself for the onslaught.
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Five years ago, when anyone asked her why her daughter was not yet sent for marriage, Yuuko Ogiwara would have proudly stated that her daughter was a strong kunoichi who would make independent decisions. That was why she felt so impeccably terrible when she gave her daughter away to a man that she may never love.
She knew how clans work, being an unfortunate victim to many of the clan laws. Females, especially those in the head family, were taught from young that their sole existence was to bear children to ensure the clan's survival. Who they marry, that decision would be upon their parents. Most marriages had political motives behind them, which means the participating female had little or no choice in deciding their other half. Many of her female friends thought it was unfair, how females were discriminated and looked upon as objects to be traded, but none of them had the guts to stand up and question the clan law. No one dared to refute the clan heads. That was until Yuuko was married to Tadashi, the son of their then clan head. Tadashi had picked her amongst all the other women in their clan, and her parents were willing to do whatever they can to please the clan head.
No one asked for her opinion about the arranged marriage. No one cared that she did not love Tadashi Ogiwara. And of course, no one knew about her boyfriend at that time too. He was a rather handsome chunin that she became acquainted with in the ramen shop. They started out as friends, but soon, both of them knew this relationship meant something more. It started with Yuuko sneaking out every night to see him, until her parents discovered her "midnight walks", and they resorted to sending letters via his summoning animal to communicate. It was tiring, having to maintain this secret relationship of theirs, but Yuuko was happy. He was her first love. She thought about him every night before she fell asleep; she giggled like a seven year old everytime she received her letter; her heart thumps wildly when she saw him on the streets but pretended they were strangers.
This wondrous feeling that kept her head in the air had her hoping, hoping that maybe, just maybe, she could marry the man she loved one day.
But fate was cruel and gave her to Tadashi. She had to break off all contacts with the chunin she loved. She took a long time to recover from her heartbreak, three years, to be exact. She came to accept her role as the wife of the clan head eventually. She realised that she could never love Tadashi, nor could he love her. They had formed a strange kind of companionship with one another, but that's about it. They were more than friends, but never lovers. But when she gave birth to Chiaki, she solemnly declared to herself, never let her daughter experience what she had gone through. She argued with Tadashi to give their daughter ninja training, and always did her best to scare away any potential suitors. She had hoped that by becoming a kunoichi, her daughter can be stronger than her, and choose her own path instead of the one chosen for her.
But there was only so much she could do. Her daughter was now in danger – being affiliated with the legendary phoenix meant that she was vulnerable to attacks. Many would stop at nothing to capture and use her to their advantage. The Hokage had warned Tadashi that the anbus found enemy shinobis at the borders of Konoha, all trying to find a way to kidnap her daughter. The clan elders argued that Chiaki was a valuable asset to the Ogiwara clan, and should anything happen to her, it would not only destroy their reputation, but also put Konoha in danger. Yuuko, however, could care less about tarnishing the clan's reputation, but her daughter's safety must always be first. If allying with the Uchihas could protect Chiaki, she would do it with no second thoughts.
She knew her daughter would be furious when she learned of this forced marriage. She could only hope that Chiaki would be strong enough to do what she failed to do all these years. Love her husband.
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Chiaki watched Neji kill the last shinobi using his gentle fist technique. She had always been amazed by how someone could annihilate by pinpointing the exact position of the chrakra points alone. It would be such an efficient way of defeating enemies. She was knocked out of her trance when Neji turned and glared at her.
"What are you doing? We need to leave, now. There are more coming."
Although the ninjas sent by Lord Daishinn were not skilled, the fight did drain their chakra. It didn't take much for Chiaki to figure out that they would be severely outnumbered and tired if they continue to fight. Neji must have figured out that the possibility of them making it back alive in this condition was not pretty, thus the rush. Chiaki knew she was already on autopilot. Her body was in pain from the injuries of the previous battle, and the wound on her left leg was slowing her down. She could only feel the numbness of her body as she pushed herself to escape from this predicament. She barely heard Neji's warning and bumped into his back as he skidded to a halt.
"You need to focus here, Chiaki. There's another chakra signature in front of us." Neji murmured to her harshly as he scanned the surroundings with his byakugan. "It is much stronger than those previous ninjas that we've fought. Do not be a liability now."
Just as Chiaki reached for a kunai in her pouch, the enemy stepped out of the bushes. Her eyes widened at the sight of red clouds. Akatsuki. Could Lord Daishinn have such power that he could even command the Akatsuki?
"What brings you here, Akasuna no Sasori?" Neji gritted out.
"Stay away from this, Byakugan brat. We are here for the Phoenix user." The red head criminal responded blandly. "If you step away from her now, we may give you a chance of survival."
Both leaf ninjas heard the double meaning in his words. We? As if answering their unspoken question, another Akatsuki member jumped right next to Sasori, from a big clay bird in the sky, quite literally.
"What did I miss, yeah?"
"Deidara of Iwagakure." Chiaki stared at the blonde who reminded her of Ino. He had a giant tongue on his hand, for God's sake! She had never encountered these two Akatsuki members, but from her previous experience with Kisame, she did not doubt their abilities at all. She frowned as she thought of what the red head – Sasori said. They were here because of her summoning animal, so there was no doubt the Akatsuki wanted to use her. However, they had previously focused their attention on Naruto and this was the first time Akatsuki expressed their interest in her. She was warned that this could happen, but now to actually experience it, to know that s classed criminals was after her, that was, simply put, terrifying. Her injuries were temporarily forgotten as she grabbed her kunai tighter, trying to find comfort in her weapon. She glanced at Neji, but immediately wished she didn't. He had a perplexed look plastered on his face, as he mentally calculated there chances of defeating two Akatsuki members in their current condition and escape unscathed. He was hesitating, she noted, which never meant anything good.
"Do you really think I would willingly hand over a teammate to the Akatsuki?"
"Your loss then, Hyuuga." The blonde guy grinned manically. "At least you would be able to witness my art."
Neji untied his ponytail and got into his battle stance. Chiaki widened at their secret signal.
"If we encounter any difficult situations, any situation at all, that I think we could not handle, I would let down my hair. When you see that, I want you to escape. I would create a diversion so that you could run, do you understand?"
"What do you mean by that? We are a team, Neji! I can't just abandon you like that! You don't need to protect me or anything, I can hold off on my own."
"You don't seem to understand, Chiaki. We are on mission. We need to report everything to the Hokage. If both of us stayed and didn't make it, it would also mean that the mission is a failure. That is why it is imperative that one of us needs to reach Konoha, alive."
"Even if it means…?"
"…yes….But don't worry. I won't use the secret signal unless I absolutely have no choice."
"I understand your reasoning, but still…"
"Do you promise me?"
"But…"
"For the sake of Konoha."
"…Fine."
They had this discussion right after they were paired together a few years ago. He had never used his signal during previous battles, and this being his first time using it proved how grave the situation was. Chiaki felt the sick for what she was about to do, even though it may be the right thing. Abandoning her teammates was never her nature, but she knew she had to run. That was her best chance of escaping Akatsuki. If they ever got their hands on the Phoenix, Konaha would be destroyed. Her home, her family and friends, would all die in vain.
Resigned, she looked at her teammate's back once more as he threw a smoke bomb, before dashing in the direction of her village. She could hear explosions and curses as she prayed for the safety of Neji. A hundred more miles, Chiaki repeated mentally. She could see the familiar trees surrounding Konoha already. A little more, a little more, she mentally encouraged herself. However, her concentration was broken when a small clay bird hit her on the back and immdediately exploded, sending her to the ground. She winced as she felt her raw flesh being exposed to air.
"Caught you! Still want to run, yeah?"
It took all of her resolve to stand up and make the hand signs for a wind barrier. She could only go on defensive now, and hope that it would give her a few extra minutes to escape. Her chakra levels are edging to borderline low, which means that she could only use two more jutsus left before she completely run out of chakra. Chiaki pushed herself even more, now seeing the Hokage tower at the distance.
"You think you could just run away from me, you weakling? I would catch you anyway, yeah!"
This time, Chiaki was prepared for any little clay animals. She used her kunai to deflect some of the clay animals, while using the other hand to perform another wind jutsu. "Spinning tornado!" She shouted, as a gargantuan tornado appeared behind her, sucking away all the irritating clay animals. Of course, she also had to use the last of her chakra to anchor herself more firmly to the ground as she ran. "Kuso!" She cursed, knowing that she would not be able to reach Konoha in time. "Summoning jutsu!"
A flaming red bird the size of a crow appeared out of the blue. "You called for me, Chiaki san?"
"Hai. I need you to pass this scroll to Tsunade sama. Ask her to send me backup, the Akatsuki is coming for me." She watched as Deidara negated her wind jutsu with another one of his bombs. "There's another Akatsuki member, Sasori I believe, fighting with Neji. I'm not sure how long Neji can hold, we are both out of chakra."
"I could restore your chakra, Chiaki san. It's the least I can do. They are here for me, after all." The phoenix spoke solemnly.
"That would be great, thanks." Chiaki smirked as she accepted a feather that the bird plucked from her wings. "Now go."
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Sasori watched as the kunoichi glowed red, completely engulfed in the phoenix's chakra. She looked ethereal, like a fallen angel, and for a moment, he forgot about being Akatsuki, being an s ranked criminal who killed hundreds in cold blood. The legendary power of the phoenix, able to purify all sins and removes evil from the world; he could see what Pein sama was talking about now. However, the phoenix is tied to its master, and they could not wield its power without the kunoichi. Unlike the tailed beasts, summoning animals could not be extracted, and especially the phoenix, known to be only loyal to one master. He did not know how Pein sama is going to control the phoenix if they were to obtain it, but for now, he was determined to complete his mission. "Deidara, you couldn't even handle a little minx like her?"
"Oi, Sasori danna, I wasn't even serious just now! Heh, now that I am, I'll show you the true meaning of art, yeah!"
Chiaki couldn't stop fear lumping in her throat when she saw Sasori walk out of the bushes with barely a scratch on him. This only means…"Kunoichi, it is in your best interests to stop this foolishness and surrender now. Your teammate is already dead. Don't overestimate yourself and think that you could beat two Akatsuki members all by yourself."
"Don't try to work on my guilt, Sasori san. Shinobis do not need emotions." Chiaki said tonelessly as she fell into her battle position. "I've already called for backup, they would arrive any minute now. In fact, I'm not so sure that I'm the one being at a disadvantage."
Sasori frowned. He did not expect the kunoichi to exhibit such perceptiveness and maturity. "Deidara, we only have a few minutes at best. Finish this quickly."
"Katsu!"
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They were closing in on the unknown chakra signatures fifty miles from the village. The hokage sent his team to protect Chiaki Ogiwara, and capture the Akatsuki, if possible. His sharingan surveyed the area before landing on the tense kunoichi attacking endlessly with wind jutsu. A gust of wind blew past him, and it almost felt as though someone was caressing his face, literally. 'Wind laced with chakras' he thought, 'She is not just any wind user. She is the wind.'
"Anbu san, you're here. That's good." Her melancholic voice rang in his ears. The wind stopped and the forest became still once again. The kunoichi swayed slightly, finally feeling the effects of her sudden chakra loss.
He felt his hands twitching at Ogiwara's unsteadiness, wanting to reach out and hold her close so that she would never fall. However, the red head Akatsuki disrupted his thoughts. "What a pleasant surprise, Itachi. The hokage would never sent your team if she didn't deem this an emergency."
He stiffened slightly, unwilling to admit that the Akatuski could recognise him so easily, even when he was wearing his mask. "Indeed, Sasori. You should know that you and your partner are no match to three anbus at your current state." He saw the kunoichi turn to regard him with wary eyes. "Tch, do you wish to explode artistically, un?" The blonde snarled at him irately.
"Stop, Deidara. Our mission is to capture the Ogiwara, we do not have time for games." Sasori turned to address him tonelessly. "Itachi, while your previous statement holds little truth in it, we still have other missions to complete. I am sure your purpose today is not only to protect the Ogiwara, but to capture us. Unfortunately, this ends here."
Gemma tensed beside him, ready to attack the Akatsuki before they leave, but Itachi knew going after them was a lost cause. He placed a hand in front of Gemma just as he witnessed Deidara's sadistic smile. "Katsu!" He felt a jolt in his heart as a piercing scream escaped the kunoichi's mouth the next second. How could he not notice the small bug on the kunoichi's left shoulder was made of clay?
"That's our parting gift, Chiaki Ogiwara, yeah. See you next time!"
Gemma and Shisui jumped forward into the smoke, trying to locate the two Akatsuki members, but to no avail. Itachi's sharingan sensed another waning chakra signature, which he immediately identified as Chiaki's, and proceeded to aid her. Her left side was entirely covered in blood and he could see the flesh and bones on her left shoulder. He gritted his teeth at the sight, unable to brush off his anger towards the Akatsuki for hurting her. "Are you alright?" He asked as he kneeled beside her, one arm lifting her body up and the other brushing her side to check the extent of the injuries. He felt her move her head closer to his shoulder as she replied him weakly. "I'm fine. Go…go tend to Neji…he's hurt."
He briefly wondered why she is seeking comfort in him. Perhaps she did it unconsciously, but her actions brought a twinge of happiness to him. Itachi stared at the messy bundle of dark brown hair lying against his shoulder, and lifted her up bridal style without second thought. "Genma, Shisui, go search the area for Hyuuga Neji. He must be here somewhere. I will bring the kunoichi back with me."
"Something feels wrong, Genma." Shisui turned to his partner after Itachi left pronto.
"You mean Itachi carrying Chiaki back?"
"He's not actually worried about her, right?"
Genma snorted at that idea. "This is Itachi we are talking about. He's about as asexual as komodo dragons."
"Yeah. Let's scout the area for Hyuuga san." As Shisui tried to identify Neji's chakra signature, he couldn't shake off the feeling that something was off with Itachi. He saw Itachi's eyes just before he left with Chiaki. There was something lurking behind the usual emotionless sharingan – worry.