03
The walk felt unusually long. The two Akatsuki members and their companion strolled silently through the dark forest. The only kunoichi of the group looked around at the giant mushrooms growing on the thick tree trunks, figuring that they were now in Kusagakure. This could only mean that they were getting closer to Konoha. Her eyes trailed over to the two men walking in front of her, stopping at the smaller man's right arm.
Did the wound heal?
Sakura frowned at her thoughts, knowing that she shouldn't be worrying about him, especially after their confrontation several days ago. He proved himself, once again, to be a cold-blooded murderer. To test his capabilities? She wanted to snort at the thought.
How can anyone with an ounce of sanity kill their whole clan just to prove that he can?
What confused her was the fact that after three years with him, Itachi did not seem to be that kind of person. Although his words were short and his face was emotionless, there was an unexplained warmth beneath his cold exterior.
Despite the harsh training, he never seized to protect her and care for her, albeit in his expressionless way. She could vividly remember all those times that he carried her in his thin yet toned arms after she pushed herself to her limits. The times when she would come back from training and find a cup of warm tea on her desk. Ah, and of course she can't forget how he never once forgets to bring her anko dumplings and other treats when he comes back from a mission. Sometimes, he would even show the slightest smile.
So why are his words so different from his acts?
"There is a river nearby. Let's stop there for the day." Speaking of the devil. His words brought Sakura out of her trance. The group turned and followed their unofficial leader, stopping near a clear stream with the sound of waterfall not far away.
The kunoichi looked at the sky, its usual blue turning shades of orange. She bent down next to the stream, splashing the refreshing water onto her face. Seeing the fish squirming away from her, a growl from her stomach told her that it was time for dinner. Taking several kunais from her pouch, Sakura was about to throw them, but got cut off by a gigantic sword swinging down in front of her. She looked over at the shark nin and saw him giving her a trademark sinister smirk.
"Leave this to the master, girl." He made seals with his rough blue hands and a tornado-like swirl formed on top of the water. The kunoichi watched intently as the fish were swung out of the water and landed next to the shark nin. A small pile of fish jumped desperately next to his feet by the time the jutsu ended. She turned away when the fish were ruthlessly killed, seeing that the silent Sharingan user already made a fire. "Why don't you cook them." Sakura watched as the cleanly gutted fish were dumped in front of her. Without another word, she poked sticks through them and set them neatly over the fire. "It's not so bad to have a girl around."
The rest of the night was spent in silence, with occasional small talk initiated by the shark nin. After a while, he seemed to have leaned against a tree and fell into a light slumber. The remaining two stayed awake, one keeping watch of their surroundings while the other simply plagued by a case of insomnia.
Finally reaching a point of frustration with her inability to sleep, the kunoichi stood up from her resting spot and sat down next to the clear river. She slipped her slender fingers into the stream, a small shiver running down her spine when the chilled water ran past her hand like silk. The weather was foggy and cold, adding to the iciness of her feelings at this moment.
Cautiously, Sakura turned her head and looked up at the tree several feet away, where the object of her thoughts sat on a thick lone branch. His black locks wavered in the breeze, framing his small face. She quickly turned her head to another direction when he suddenly jumped down and began walking upstream. She guessed that he was going to bathe and shook away the inappropriate thoughts that came to mind.
Did she just fantasize him shirtless, bathing under a waterfall? No way.
"It seems like they're early." She flinched in surprise when Kisame suddenly stood up from his slumber and wrapped a large hand around the hilt of his Samehada, his lips curling into an excited and sinister smirk. Sakura was confused for a bit, before sensing the very faint chakras in the distance. She stood up and glanced at the shark nin, knowing that she had underestimated his abilities.
From the other side, she saw Itachi calmly walk back, his hair slightly damp while water still dripped from his bangs. Even behind his emotionless mask, she could tell that he was mildly irritated by the incoming intruders.
"Sakura." His smooth voice called out to her for the first time since their last conversation. She gave him her attention. "Stand back."
"…I'm not weak…" She mumbled, strangely offended by his command. He gave her a stern look in reply, but that didn't mean she would back off. Sakura sent him a look of her own.
Their attackers were coming closer. Whoever they were, it seems like they weren't extremely skilled. Their chakras were not well-masked, and their heavy footsteps gave them away immediately.
"You're a burden." The words shot through her like a bullet. Sakura stood there, frozen in confusion. She watched dumbfounded as the fight already started.
There were four… medical nins? They bore no headband to show what village they were from, and their faces were covered with surgical masks. Soon, one collapsed onto the ground, followed by another. She guessed they must've looked into those scarlet eyes. On the other hand, Kisame easily blocked the weapons thrown at him and knocked down the other two. Itachi turned away from the scene, without sparing her a glance, while his partner tied their attackers to a tree.
"Let's leave after I wash off this blood. Seems like my Samehada had too much fun." The shark nin walked upstream, preparing for a bath of his own.
Sakura, hurt by the harsh words, walked towards the Uchiha with an angry expression, letting her blank mask slip now that Kisame was gone. "What you said earlier. You know my abilities better than anyone. I could've taken down those guys as well."
"Never underestimate your opponents." Was his reply. The usual reply. It only fueled her anger.
He didn't even bother to look at her. His eyes were fixed on their unconscious intruders.
"If you think I'm a burden, for three whole years, why did you keep me around? Why didn't you just kill me? Shouldn't make a difference since you're a cold-blooded murderer who killed your whole clan." His gaze hardened at her words. If anything, she would've thought that there was a tint of sadness in his eyes. Sakura shook it off as a figment of her imagination. After all, a person like him wouldn't know what the word 'remorse' means.
"That's enough, Sakura." He halted her outburst. "You are causing unnecessary commotion. A shinobi should never reveal his emotions."
"Why? Did I hit a sore spot? I guess at least you know that you're a monster. Someone like you doesn't deserve to live." She spat out, then immediately regretted the words that came out of her mouth. She didn't know how their conversation turned into this, but it was too late to take back her words now. Plus, it wasn't like she was wrong.
So why does she feel so guilty?
Sakura's eyes widened when she heard a sound from their tied up intruders. She turned and saw a senbon inches away from her face. It was too late to dodge. Within a blink, the senbon was gone and a blood-curdling scream filled the area, before the attacker dropped his head, dead. The kunoichi shakily looked over to Itachi, his eyes reverting from Mangekyou Sharingan to his pools of ebony.
He used Tsukuyomi.
If she didn't know his character, she would have guessed that he attacked on impulse.
But Uchiha Itachi never does anything impulsively. It simply did not match his personality.
"What happened?" Kisame came back into the clearing, looking between his partner and the attackers. He walked over to the limp body, and checked his breath. "You killed him. We weren't suppose to kill them, Itachi-san."
"The senbon…" She mumbled in confusion, looking at the thin needle stuck in his shoulder. "It's probably poisonous. Hurry and take it ou-"
"Go." Itachi said, ignoring both their words. She gave him a confused look. "Go back to Konoha."
"W-What…"
"Why did you think I did not allow you to follow us on missions? You are a burden to us. You have proven again and again that you are useless. Under the conditions that you will not give away any information regarding Akatsuki, I will allow you leave." He sent her a stern look when she didn't move an inch. "Leave now, or die by my hands."
What was he saying? She was no longer of use to him? So he is going to throw her away like trash?
"Kill me then." Sakura challenged with a glare, not believing a word that he was saying.
He was making excuses and hiding something from her, and she was sure of it. She hasn't spent the past three years analyzing this man for nothing. He was, in fact, a peaceful shinobi. He did not participate in battles on a normal basis, and made sure his partner did not cause too much bloodshed.
Before she had the time to react, a kunai came at lightning speed. Had it been anyone else, death was guaranteed. However, with her speed training in the past three years, the shark knife only managed to pierce her shoulder, leaving a nasty gash that soon covered her red top with equally red blood.
That kunai attack held the intent to kill.
Itachi wasn't joking when he said he will kill her.
Without moving from his position the slightest, Itachi sent shurikens in her direction. Sakura smirked at his naivete, dodging the shurikens with ease. However, her ears picked up the sounds of the twirling weapons and saw a glint of the wires under the moonlight. She cursed and turned around, managing to dodge some of the shurikens while the rest left cuts on her arms and legs.
"You are weak." The Sharingan user commented. "You are no match against these eyes."
The kunoichi sent him a hateful glare. It was unusually that he would boast about his eyes, but she figured that these weren't usual circumstances. She winced as she moved her limbs, seeing the nasty wounds and blood staining her clothes. He didn't even move from his position, yet she was already all cut up.
In a fit of anger, she pulled out kunais and threw them in different directions simultaneously. She stared at his feet to predict his next movement while her hand rested on a poisonous kunai in her holster. However, the kunais never hit their target and his feet never left their place. Instead, they changed direction and came at her instead. She bit back a scream and let out a whimper as the kunais embedded themselves into her body.
How was this possible?
"KAI!" The kunoichi yelled when she realized what went wrong at that moment. She was caught in his genjutsu. The knives on her body disappeared, but the stinging pain remained and the blood dripped from her previous wounds. Still standing in the same location, he looked at her with distaste.
"Your anger and frustration blinded your judgments." He muttered boredly. "If you want to kill me, then run. At this level, you are pathetic, Sakura. Seems like I have wasted my time all these years."
Was it hurt? Anger? Betrayal? The kunoichi looked at the man with such emotions in her large emerald eyes. Why was he being so cruel? Why was he chasing her away?
But most of all, why was she hesitating his offer? Shouldn't she grasp this opportunity?
With one last glance towards the person she spent the past three years of her life with, Sakura forced herself to her feet and took off. The drops of her blood stained the ground, evidence of her anger and betrayal.
Why was she reluctant to leave that cold-blooded murderer?
"That was oddly out of character of you." The shark nin finally commented after Sakura left, witnessing the whole ordeal silently. He looked up at the pitch black sky. "If you want to go after her, you should soon. I heard that this forest is pretty dangerous, especially at night." He looked back at his partner, whose eyes stared in the direction that she left.
"I will report to the leader about the failed mission." The Sharingan user seemed to have finally snapped out of his trance. He looked down at his shoulder and carelessly pulled out the senbon, throwing it to the ground. A pang of nausea hit his senses, worse than anything he's felt before. An unstoppable cough escaped his lips, and the metallic taste of blood filled his mouth.
"Seems like the senbon was poisoned. I never thought I'd live to see you getting hurt, Itachi-san." Kisame commented with a snicker, but inwardly confused at how he could've been injured. In their time together as partners, even S-class criminals couldn't make a scratch on him. Yet, a mere rogue nin managed to hit him so precisely? There was no explanation other than that he deliberately took the hit.
To protect that little kunoichi, perhaps?
Despite his curiosity, the shark nin didn't question.
The young girl could still remember the first time she met Itachi's temporary partner. His extremely white skin matched with his pitch black hair reminded her of the ghosts you see in your nightmares. A chill ran down her spine when she saw his elongated tongue stick out to lick his lips. Unconsciously, her small hands clutched Itachi's cloak, and her body inched behind him.
This person reminded her of a snake.
"Seems like you keep a little toy around. She seems cute enough to eat." The man who identified himself as Orochimaru said. He gazed at her with a sinister smile, and licked his lips once again.
That night, at training, Itachi was extra harsh.
"Never reveal your emotions to your enemies. If the enemy is frightening, you will not show that you are frightened. If you are low on chakra, you will stand as if you are perfectly fine. A battle is not all about physical abilities, but also mental. Your emotions will become your weakness." He said. In less than a blink, the young girl saw kunais heading her direction. Her eyes widened, thinking of how to dodge them. "Even if you are surprised, act calmly." The kunais disappeared from her sight and ended up in the hands of her teacher. She let out a sigh of relief.
Was he angry at her for being so scared earlier?
"A slip of emotion can lead to your death, or your comrade's death. Don't ever let your guard down."
A/N: From this point on, you'll realize that the story will follow closely to the events of the actual manga/anime. Before you continue, I highly recommend that you've read up to Chapter 403 of the manga or Episode 141 of Naruto Shippuden!
Thank you for reading!
:)
