Sasuke kept his whimpering to himself as he sat on the soggy ground, his hands tied behind him to the dead carcass of the tree that somehow still managed to stand. The fog was too thick to see across the water in these early morning hours. Ken and Amaya decided to make camp in the middle of this no-man's land. The horse's hoof pawed the ground in eagerness to leave this evil place. But like the young raven, he too was tied to a tree and unable to escape the unease that churned inside of their stomachs.
His captors sat beside their small fire, Ken had speared two fishlike creatures whose faces were adorned with long thin tentacles, their fins were long and elegant, but their scales were black and oozing with slime. They did not offer much meat but it was a warm meal to the couple. They were eager to get to the infamous city appropiately called Bounty's End for it was where thousands of the victims of bountyhunters and headhunters alike met their death. Whether it be over a petty squabble with a rich businessman or a desire for precious goods, human life was for sale here.
But for now they had to focus on arriving there alive with their small cargo in tow. He had not given them any trouble thus far but they had a reputation to uphold. There were several other of their party still residing in Kohona to cover up their trail and hamper any attempt at tracking them. When things quieted down they would grab what valuable goods or vulnerable children they could and join them in Bounty's End.
The blonde-haired man gripped his shortsword, his hand molding into the leather wrapping around the handle as he watched the waters churn. There were unforgiving beasts in this swamp, ones who were jealous of man's intrusion on their land. Going through Everain was a risky move in itself but seeing how riled up the villagers would get over the loss of such a valuable bloodline's young, they had to take the quickest route to the city of thieves to get his blood off of their hands.
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Mikoto still refused to eat, they were lucky if she would sip tea. Her fellow women did all they could to console her while the men searched for her missing child. Itachi stood on a rooftop as the sun sank below the horizon. He knew that somewhere out there, Sasuke would be watching the sunset too. He remembered so many times he would take a shortcut through the Uchiha District and find Sasuke sitting on the porch or perched on the roof to watch the sun go down.
He swore in the back of his head that if he ever saw his otouto alive again he would not brush him off so easily, that he would spend more time with him, take the time to train him in the way of the ninja and to teach him the ways of the world. His little brother deserved a life, Kohona needed him, Mikoto needed him, even Itachi admitted, even though it was just a small part of him that agreed so, that he needed little Sasuke.
A final flash of sunlight was seen before the world became a darker place. Just how it belonged in Itachi Uchiha's world.
In a black flash he was gone. The black-haired prodigy left to join his fellow ANBU on their patrols. Though the Hokage felt for the family and their recent loss, he could not allow Itachi to postpone or shirk his duties for the sake of the safety of the village.
"I do not understand this." Fugaku sipped a small amount of well deserved rice wine from a glass with his fellow officers.
"How can a child disappear into thin air? He is standing beside his mother at one moment and is gone without a trace the next! It does not make logical sense! Someone should have noticed something, someone should have seen something!"
"We understand your pain right now Sir, but we've come to the conclusion that he was kidnapped, and not by any novice either." The lower ranking officer took a larger drink of the liquor. They had searched and scoured every inch of Kohona, on the brink of violating the privacy of the citizens of village hidden in the leaves. There were so many terrible, abominable things that could be happening to the child right now. It was no secret that Sasuke was a very beautiful little boy. A porcelain doll even. Fugaku would never forgive himself if it came to light that his little son was being sexually taken advantage of. Then there was his bloodline. How many clans and power-hungry mongols would pay a good price for Uchiha eyes? Either way, they had to find him and soon. There were some who believed that the little Uchiha might still be within Kohona's walls, but Fugaku felt otherwise. Call it father's intuition, but every morning he felt as if his youngest child was farther and farther away, his essence escaping from the house they called home.
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"RUN YOU USELESS BEAST!" Ken screeched as he tore into the horse's side with a leather riding whip, Amaya carrying Sasuke on horseback behind him. A swamp-creature with a mouth full of teeth and an aggressive disposition had found them and decided they were on the menu. Tree's crashed to the ground and murky water went flying as the horses ran through the shallow wetlands, the giant scaled monster following them. Amaya threw smokebombs over her shoulder but they were nothing more than mere annoyances which only fueled the creature's anger.
Their captive openly cried in fear, screaming for his Nii-sama to save his life as felt himself slipping from the saddle. Of course his hands were tied but that would only result in him being dragged. The terrible demon-monster was so close that they raven-haired child could swear that he felt the hot, dank breath of the creature on his body. The monster stood so tall that he parted the ancient trees above him, letting the sacred sunlight pour in and touch the mossy swamp floor that had never felt its warmth. Such devastation to the local scenery all in the name of catching a meal.
Ken turned around on his saddle, his legs gripping the sides of the sweaty horse beneath him as he sat in the awkward position and began to make handsigns at a rapid pace. Water exploded from the ground to try and hamper the monster's pursuit, but this proved futile and difficult. He was draining his chakra when running was the only viable option.
The beast's clawed, scaly foot came down upon the ground, leaving a perfect imprint in the moist dirt and grass that quickly filled with water, making a shallow wading pool. By now dozens of such prints had been made, scarring the land and leaving an obvious trail of where they had been. Its tail swung and blistered at least five of the ancient, hardy trees that stood there. This demon was unstoppable. The small boy just closed his eyes, crying openly, and clung to the saddle horn with all of his small strength.
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The full moon shone over the quiet village as the citizens slept peacefully in their beds. The loss of the stuck-up family's child did nothing to disturb them. They only bothered to keep a closer eye on their own offspring.
The ANBU captain ran around the walls of Kohona engaged in his patrols. He had broken away from the group and was running faster than they could manage. He was trying to wear himself out on purpose, to fill his chest and body with so much pain that he could feel nothing else. Sudden agony over the loss of his little brother had hit him like a truck. It was almost as if he could hear his otouto screaming in small whispers to save him, to come rescue him, pleading for him, begging him…..asking him why he had not already come to his aid….it drove him mad.
Itachi found himself fueling his emotion into his chakra as it became more intense. That coupled with his speed led him to seek an outlet for it. He found it when he hit directly into the trunk of a healthy, vibrant tree and sliced right through it like a knife through warm cream.
Several more trees would fall before the night was over.
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Finally the horses were allowed to rest, their nostrils heaving in large amounts of air to try and catch their breath. They had finally escaped the monster when it decided that such a long walk from its own personal lake was not worth such a small appetizer of a meal. All three of the travelers would be content to never see Everain again. Now was laid before them was a thick forest filled with more manageable dangers followed by navigating the tunnels to get into the unlawful metropolis of Bounty's End. It was, quite literally, and underground city that relied on supplies being brought from the outside world for nourishment. The only light to be found was from fires and torches. It was where the scum of the world came to fester and cultivate as they bartered, drank, and had pleasurable company to their fill. Once they found the safety from persecution in Bounty's End, most criminals and overlords would never leave, establishing their own guilds and minorities which often ended in bloody massacres and turf wars on each other.
It would be wise for the little Uchiha to see as much of the sun and the moon as he could now, for he might die without seeing them again.