I don't own Naruto!
Izumi just wanted to train. Late at night, after a clan meeting. She needed to blow off some steam.
They plan on going ahead with the coup…
What made it even worse was that neither Itachi nor Shisui took part in the meeting. They were nowhere to be found. Two of the Uchiha's protégés missed a very important clan meeting, a crucial one. She had heard whispers about Itachi, some people stopped trusting him, especially after the way he acted out at the last meeting. People grew increasingly suspicious of him, and that did not sit right with Izumi. She knew the boy well, she knew that he only wanted peace. Amongst the clan and with the village.
Why weren't they there…?
As she began walking in the forest, trying to find the most secluded place possible she heard two voices she knew well.
She didn't mean to eavesdrop, but she couldn't help it.
"It's too late to stop the coup d'état. If they go ahead with the plan and a civil war breaks out in the village, other nations will surely attack… As you are aware, Kirigakure shinobi have been trying to infiltrate into the village for a while…" The older of the two spoke sagely.
"Aa," was the only reply that Itachi gave. Of course he knew that other nations would try to infiltrate in Konoha and start a war. Being ANBU gave him access to that type of information. Being best friends with Shisui of the Body Flicker meant more access to that type of information.
Izumi froze in her spot, behind a tree, and listened intently. She had no idea just how badly things could go in case a coup would actually happen. And the probability of that happening was increasing daily. She felt the tension in the air. Uchiha people did not like being accused of something they did not do. It was not fair, but the young girl firmly believed that a civil war was not the answer either. She was sure that there were other, more peaceful ways of reaching an agreement with the Hokage and the council.
"I was going to try to stop the coup d'état with my Kotoamatsukami, but…lord Danzo doesn't trust me." Shisui spoke again.
She couldn't see any of the men, for she was hidden, and preferred to keep it that way, knowing that there was a high chance that they knew she was there. She just hoped that they would be too absorbed by their conversation to notice her there.
"Itachi, this burden now falls on your shoulders, and I apologise that I wasn't strong enough to do it. I trust your judgement, I know that you will do what is best for the clan and the village."
"Are you suggesting that I should go on with lord Danzo's plan?" Izumi could hear the disbelief in Itachi's voice. She could only assume that Shisui nodded because the next thing she heard was Itachi yelling 'no'.
She wasn't a fool, she could understand what that meant. She ran away, and ran, and ran, and cried, and ran until she stumbled on her feet and fell face first on the ground.
She could only imagine what Danzo asked of Itachi, but whatever it was, she was sure that it would bring no good, no good to the clan, at least. So, she decided to distance herself. From Itachi, from practically everyone, and patiently wait for Itachi's next move.
Over the following few days, she started hearing whispers in the Uchiha compound, which wasn't necessarily uncommon, especially with the threat of a civil war hanging over each and every member of the clan. No, these whispers were different, more malicious, carried more venom than the usual ones. And every single one of them was directed towards Itachi.
"Have you heard what Itachi Uchiha did?"
"No, what did he do?"
"He killed his best friend to unlock the mangekyo sharingan!"
"Oh? But he's the son of the head of the clan!"
"Yes, exactly! I wonder how they will deal with this."
"Hmm… He was such a good kid, too!"
"He brought so much shame to his family… Poor Mikoto…"
Izumi couldn't stand to hear what people were saying about her friend anymore. She knew Itachi better than that. She knew that he would never attack a friend, she knew that all Itachi wanted was peace. Then…why…
Did he kill Shisui? What exactly happened after she left? Did they fight? And even if they did, it didn't sound like Itachi to act in such a way in anger.
She wanted to believe in him, she desperately wanted to, but the next day she heard rumours that the police, and his father, Fugaku, included, would be going to their house to prosecute Itachi. So he actually did it… He killed Shisui… And still she didn't want to believe it.
She was expecting Itachi to take action to stop the impending disaster, the coup d'état, but she wasn't expecting him to go inside her house that night.
It had been a normal, peaceful night. Izumi had dinner with her mother, helped her wash the dishes, and retreated to the living room to talk before going to bed. A sound disturbed their silence. It came from the kitchen, which she found strange, she was sure that everything was in order.
"I'll go check!" Izumi said as she stood up and walked to investigate the cause of the noise. The trash can had been knocked down.
"Mother, the trash can fell over," she called to her mother, turning in that direction. What the young girl saw instead, however, was enough to make her faint. Her mother was on the floor, unconscious, Itachi towering over her. The scene in front of her made her feel sick, stupefied.
"Itachi-kun…?" She asked in disbelief. She couldn't comprehend what was happening, it was too much for her at that moment. "Wh-why? Itachi-kun, why?" She was starting to sound desperate, she was clearly distraught.
The last thing she saw was Itachi turning to face her, wearing an expression she couldn't quite understand on his face. His sharingan looked…different somehow. It swirled around as he prepared for whatever attack he prepared for her.
Next thing she saw was…Itachi. But it was different. Much different.
They were both older, she somehow knew that she was sixteen. She somehow knew that her mother was alive and well. She somehow knew that the coup d'état never happened. She somehow knew that she was a chunin and she somehow knew that Itachi was a jounin.
It was a beautiful, sunny day, and they were sitting in the park they often went to. Itachi looked nervous. It wasn't a sight that she had ever seen, but uncertainty somehow looked good on the Uchiha protégé.
"What did you want to talk to me about, Itachi-kun?" She asked joyfully.
"I…" He hesitated for a moment, not meeting her eyes. He eventually set them on her brown ones, and she could see his resolution in them. "Izumi, I-"
"I know, Itachi-kun," she smiled brightly, gently taking his hand in hers. "I have known for a while, I was just wondering when you would tell me," she chuckled, and he couldn't help chuckling along.
It had become somewhat of a myth around the Uchiha compound. She knew very well the rumours about them, and none of them had been true, until that moment. They weren't a couple…until now.
They married two years later in an extravagant wedding, courtesy of her mother-in-law, Mikoto Uchiha. Their kimonos had been made from the finest silks, all of their friends had been present. Except for Shisui. But, again, she got that odd feeling of knowing that he was dead. Had been since Itachi and her were thirteen.
After the wedding, they moved into their own house in the Uchiha compound, and the morning following the wedding, the newly wedded couple set off to their honeymoon. A whole week spent at a very luxurious ryokan in the Land of Fire, the type that had their own private onsen in the rooms. It looked breath-taking. But Izumi couldn't help feeling a little nervous about what was about to happen that night. It would be their first proper night as husband and wife.
"Shall we take a bath first?" Itachi asked softly, a beautiful smile on his face. He looked even more breath-taking than the scenery surrounding their ryokan or onsen.
Izumi flushed brightly and nodded shyly, not being able to meet Itachi's eyes.
"I will let you go there first." Itachi's velvety smooth voice rang in her ears again and she could only nod dumbly in approval.
Itachi, then left her alone in their room, probably going to the bathroom. She found herself looking around their room. She saw their luggage, their bed, two bedside tables with small lamps on them and sliding doors that lead to the onsen. She set her eyes on the two towels there and picked up the smaller one. She sighed as she looked back to the bathroom door, which was closed, then looked to the mirror that hung above the dresser. She slowly took off her clothes, took the face towel with her, and went outside to their private hot springs. She sat the towel on the edge, and stepped in, letting the hot water warm up and relax her body.
It wasn't long until Itachi came too, his face towel covering his most private parts, but it did not matter, for Izumi was turned away from him when she heard the door open and close.
"You are allowed to look. All of me belongs to you, after all." Itachi spoke again in that sinful smooth voice, and Izumi could feel the blood rising to her head again. She could also hear a hint of amusement in his voice.
"I-I know that…" She murmured, slowly turning to him, but not meeting his intoxicating obsidian eyes.
"Then why are you so shy, my love?" He asked, visibly amused. But he already knew the answer.
They soaked in the hot water for a while, until it was time for dinner. They both dressed in their yukatas and had dinner in their room, that had a living room section, as it was an apartment type of hotel room.
Later that night, Itachi was undressing her slowly, kissing her body and touching her gently. That was the moment she had allowed herself to dream about a few times when they were younger. She was about to make love with the only man she had ever loved.
She couldn't quite comprehend that she was his wife until that moment, until all her garments were off and scattered on the floor. She couldn't comprehend that her dreams were coming true until Itachi was over her, kissing her lips, touching her body. His scent, his kisses, the feeling of him on top of her, it was all intoxicating and it left Izumi embarrassed by the sounds she was emitting.
However, nothing could be compared to the feeling of becoming one with the man she loved. It was painful, Itachi let her know that her blood stained the sheets. But his gentleness, his feather-like touches, his kissed, his voice, it all combined and made her feel breathless. It was a feeling that she could not describe. He was graceful in his every move, though he was awkward and uncertain in the beginning, but as they both learned more about their own bodies, as well as the other's, he became more confident of his every move, of his every touch.
He caressed her body lovingly until she fell asleep in his arms, with the biggest, happiest smile on her lips.
The news of a pregnancy in the main family spread around like wide fire and with that came numerous people congratulating them and giving them advice. Upon finding out that they would be parents, Itachi made his wife quit the shinobi life. It was too dangerous, especially for a pregnant woman.
Itachi, however, joined the police force and quickly advanced through the ranks, much like he did when he was a shinobi, but it happened only after their second child was born, four years after their wedding. Their first child was born a year after their wedding. Two boys.
Their third child had been a girl, that looked like the perfect combination of her parents. She possessed Itachi's aura of mystery and both their parents' beauty. Izumi was beyond happy when she found out that their third child was a girl, and their boys swore to protect their little sister.
Life was perfect, better than Izumi imagined it could ever be. She was married to the man she always loved and had three beautiful, smart and polite children. They were well respected in their clan and village and their children were on their paths towards greatness.
However, something never seemed right. Everything was too perfect. It was like her life had been ripped out of a fairy tale book, and no one's life was that perfect.
That was when it dawned on her: it was all an illusion. It was all Itachi's illusion. She was actually thirteen, and Itachi just killed her mother. That knowledge contributed to nothing, however. Her life still played out just as Itachi planned it.
Itachi took over as the head of the Uchiha clan, their children grew up, got married and moved away with their partners.
Before she knew it, she had met Itachi seventy years prior. They were both old, their faces were wrinkly, their hair was completely white. She fell ill, but Itachi took care of her until she took her last breath.
She heard his ragged breath. Whatever this was, it must put a lot of strain on him, she thought. Izumi smiled and tried to move but fell to her knees. Itachi was there to catch her and held her to his chest, one of his hands was caressing her cheek gently.
"Thank you…" she tried to speak, but her voice was hoarse, as if she was much older than she actually was. She opened her eyes for a second, to take in his face one last time. What she saw, however, left her speechless. Itachi had tears in his eyes. He appeared to be crying. She closed them again, but never stopped smiling.
"I should be the one thanking you, Izumi…"
Activating her own sharingan behind her closed eyes and putting herself in genjutsu had been an impulsive decision as she felt her life flow out of her, as she felt her spirit leave her body. But it worked.
She fainted, but Itachi, not knowing exactly what she did, thought that she died peacefully.
Izumi woke up after some time, feeling confused, until… Until she saw her mother laying lifeless on the ground. She screamed, she yelled, she begged for her mother to wake up, but it was all in vain.
She somehow walked outside on wobbly feet and saw her next-door neighbour's door wide open. She walked in, but nothing could have prepared her for the sight in front of her: both the husband and the wife were laying on the ground in a pool of what she assumed was their own blood.
She kept running, trying to find another survivor. All she saw, however, were lifeless bodies and pools of blood.
Izumi's vision got blurry, so she closed her eyes, but she felt something wet on her cheeks. Tears. Am I crying…? That was the moment where she fell to the ground on the main street of the Uchiha compound with her cheeks stained from the blood that was coming out of her eyes.
So, what did you guys think of the genjutsu Itachi put Izumi in? Did I make it justice? I'd love to hear your thoughts! I would also like to thank you for taking the time to read my story! I hope that you enjoyed it.
I really appreciate every follow, favourite and review, keep them coming, haha! But really, thank you!
The next chapter will pick up where the second one finished, so, in the 'present' time. The action is starting soon!
Until next time~