The sun was beginning to set over the beautiful horizon before him. A small, crystal clear lake within the depths of the forest was all that was seen for miles. The water seemed like glass as the earth almost stood still, quiet and calm. The man drew a breath, taking in the fresh air surrounding him.
He enjoyed moments like these, away from the busy streets of villages and conflicts people started. Grabbing a stone from beside him, he moved it between his fingers, back and forth. He studied the stone, wondering if such a rock was worthy of its purpose within his grasp.
Sighing to himself, he tossed the stone across the water. The stone skipped a few times, causing the stillness of the lake to ripple under each impact the farther out it went. As the stone's movements slowed, he watched it sink to the bottom as the last of the ripples skipped after the one prior.
The shinobi then glances around the area, listening for any noises that may have been stirred by his action. Being an S-class shinobi did that to you I guess. He listened for the smallest noise; no birds, insects or any living creature could be heard. Ah, right, he thought to himself, they think I'm a predator; just like one of them.
Relaxing a little more, the jonin laid his wrapped sword, Samehada beside him on the shore. "Hurry up, Itatchi," he said to no one in particular. Figures he'd pick a place like this to meet; damn pacifist.
As if summoned by hearing his name, Itatchi arrives into the clearing. Kisame turns his head towards him in acknowledgement, giving him a glare upon entering, not approving with his choice of attire. Itatchi shrugs towards his partner, removing his ANBU mask and tying it to the pouch on his hip. "Told you it'd come in handy," he says as he pulls a small pack off of his shoulders.
"Yes, but if one of our brothers saw you in that outfit, they might not hesitate to attack as I did," Kisame says with a grin. His pointed teeth seemed to give his facial expression a much more menacing look.
The Uchiha sighs to himself while setting his pack on the ground. "Well, at least you found this place alright." He kneels down, rummaging through the pack for a few moments before pulling out an all to familiar black cloak with red clouds. He unties the ANBU mask from his hip and shoves it into the bag before rising to his feet. "Now we can start the real mission," he says as he slides the robe over his right arm.
"This mission being one from our leader?" he asks, eyes narrowing a bit.
"Yes and no."
Kisame narrowed his eyes more dangerously, "Don't test me, Itatchi. You know better than most that I have no tolerance for games."
Fully robed, Itatchi walks over to his partner and sits beside him, legs crossed. He remains silent for a few moments, seeming to fidget subconsciously with a few twigs around his legs. He keeps a blank stare forward as he responds, "This mission, Kisame, is unknown to our brothers. You are the only one I can trust with what I'm about to share with you." Itatchi's body language changes, his fidgeting turning towards snapping the twigs in his lap. Whatever this mission was, it clearly was one that had the great Uchiha worked up.
Kisame studies his brother intently, watching every shift in his movements. He raises an eyebrow when his fidgeting changes to one of destruction. He sighs to himself, "Only because I've become quite fond of your company, Itatchi; that's the only reason I even care to listen to what you're offering."
Itatchi narrows his eyes at the surplus of twigs now lying at his feet, as if weighing his options. He closes his eyes a moment, retreating into his head for a form of clarity. His subconscious fidgeting continues, organizing the twigs with his skillful fingers. Opening his eyes again, he stares down at his handy work; a few of the twigs lying in a cross-stitch pattern on the ground before him. "This mission is for the good of the Akatsuki, I can assure you. It will move towards our original goal and speed up the process." He pauses, collecting his thoughts, "The only thing left is to find her."
Kisame never moves his focus from Itatchi when responding, "Who?"
His hand reaches into his back pouch as he pulls out the log he stole the night before. "Her," he replies after handing him the sheet. Kisame snatches the paper in front of him before he quickly but thoroughly scans the mission log.
"There's no report, just the names of…" He pauses after reading it over once more. His demeanor shifts uncomfortably as he sees the first name on the list. He continues over the list of names before turning his gaze over to the Uchiha. "What kind of mission was this, and why do we need to find a dead girl?"
Itatchi's eyes furrowed at his statement, "Who said anything about her being dead?"
Kisame's wicked toothed grin returned to his face, "I was seeing if she was dead; according to your reaction, she's alive." He locks eyes with his partner. "What are you not telling me?" Itatchi shows a brief moment of fear before recomposing himself within the same instant. Kisame being the predator that he was, he caught the slight fault of his emotion. His patience starts to grow thin as the night's chill begins to set in, "Well?"
The Uchiha sits there a moment, focusing on the twigs before him. He fidgets with them once more, building something else. "She was, very close to me;" he says with a trace of guilt in his voice, "and Hatake." He continues his project, giving him something to focus on.
Kisame shifts his eyes back out to the water a moment, deciding what to do or say. He turns back to his brother with a sigh, about to respond before the sound of Itatchi rising to his feet interrupts him. "I'm going to get more wood." Kisame raises an eyebrow; about to ask why when Itatchi's hands move in a flash of signs before the famous Uchiha Great Fireball technique is released. Targeting the twigs before him, the structure turns in a pillar of flames before settling down to a cozy campfire.
Itatchi turns away from the fire in search of more fuel for the fire. Kisame just shakes his head with a smile; that damned Uchiha, everything he does has some reason behind his actions. He laughs heartily to himself.
-o-
Tsunade sits at her new, smaller desk in her oval office. Untouched drink in her left hand states that she's deep in thought about something; something important. She stares down at file before her; the same file that caused one of her best jonin to storm out of her office in a rage just earlier that day. Sighing at the memory, she leans back into her chair and turns towards the window overseeing the village.
Night has settled among the village streets as watches the lights go out one by one, signaling the many shop keepers returning home for the evening. She watches a few jonin casually chatting with one another returning to their beds for the night or maybe starting the next guard shift. A small family walks down another street, a young girl being swung in the middle of her parent's protective hands. They all seem to be happy.
She closes her eyes, pinching the bridge of her nose with her right hand. She recounts over the day's events, moving her right fingers to her lips as she nips at her thumbnail and opens her eyes again.
Damn it, Tsunade; you know better than I do what that log meant! Kakashi's out lash in emotions had definitely taken her off guard.
Of course I do, Hatake. That's exactly why I called you here to discuss it! I need some answers just as much as you do! Now get a hold of yourself already and start acting like an adult about this and think this through! Ok, maybe that did come out a bit harsh, but she had to admit to herself, it got the point across.
She watched the jonin narrow his eye, his inner conflict to snap or obey hidden by his mask, but written all over his eye. He took a deep breath before speaking, Who or why would anyone need to know about that mission. Who else had access to this other than the Third?
She could hear the desperation in his voice, the confusion and old wounds it reopened. She couldn't blame him, with how much this man had been through with his career as a shinobi, it was amazing that he kept his cool even now. Only Danzo, the elders, the Third and myself knew about this, Kakashi. The only others would have been R…
Don't you dare say her name, he snapped back, interrupting her with a dangerous look in his eye.
Tsunade sighed; Well, then that leaves…
Itatchi. The way he said the name sent a chill up her spine. Like a wolf confirming it's target for the great hunt. The moment the word left his lips she knew there was no reaching him; he turned abruptly towards the door, rage radiating of his body with every step.
Coming back to reality, she noticed her left hand griping the sake cup causing the foggy liquid to ripple with her tense form. She took a deep breath before bringing the drink to her lips for the second time today. I really am getting to old for this.
