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Warning: this chapter contains the yaoi scene.
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Time for more chronology altering. Here, Orochimaru quit his association with Akatsuki just prior to his coup at the Chuunin Finals.
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"Ninjatou": the swords the ANBU Black Ops carry on their backs
"Dora Yaki": a Japanese treat consisting of sweet, red bean paste sandwiched between small, sweet pancakes
"Kanten": a Japanese fruit salad-like dessert consisting of fruit, sweetened beans and chunks of agar-agar (freeze-dried gelatin made from a blend of several red sea algae)
"Shichi Go San": a celebration held on November 15 for children aged seven, five and three. Parents dress the children in fine clothing and take them to shrines to pray for good health, happiness and future success
"Doujutsu": a jutsu utilizing the eyes.
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Arrivals and Reflections
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The afternoon sun blazed down over the land, inciting the cicadas to drone lazily. The endless blue sky gave an auspicious appearance to the expansive Hi no Kuni, but in the Higashi Forest a much darker drama unfolded.
Sasuke bounded to another tree limb, nearly losing his footing. He paused to catch his breath. Two hours after taking flight from Konoha, he found himself in this dense copse; it had to be Higashi Forest. He retrieved a kunai and firmly held it in his grasp, ready. He closed his eyes and listened attentively for any sigh of Itachi nearby. When nothing alerted him, he clasped the kunai in his teeth and leapt to another bough. Again he surveyed, but the cicadas masked any sound. Electing to investigate from the ground, he landed on the moist earth.
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Itachi's heart drummed so loudly he feared the sound would betray his location. He cursed the organ, wishing it would stop; he preferred death to what lay beyond the door mere meters before him. Just moments preceding, he had been sitting on the floor talking with someone he knew in a familiar room; next he was running for his life and sanity. The person with whom he'd been conversing… was it his ANBU captain? He had seen, felt his death.He couldn't understand what elicited the hallucinations; it must have been a genjutsu, one in which he was still ensnared. Heartening himself, he dared a peek around the wooden box serving as his refuge, his fingers clenching the side so tightly his knuckles whitened. He held his breath to catch the sounds of his nightmares.
He was a bird…
… a panicked bird pursued by a voracious snake.
"I don't understand why you run from me, Ita-chin," the predator's voice crooned just beyond the bolted door. "What I'm offering you is the aspiration of many."
Itachi blubbered a soundless curse.
The locked door handle jiggled. "Now now… I've no time for petty games."
There was a protracted hush, when he heard faint clicks emitting from the lock. He crouched lower, glimpsing his ANBU armor in the process; although woven from the strongest silk, it couldn't protect him from this. He searched around the windowless room for means of escape, but the sole egress was the obvious. He'd just recently begun learning the Shunshin no jutsu from Shisui, yet wasn't skilled enough yet to execute it through the stone walls of the storeroom. He cursed his inanity for not studying the escape technique more diligently.
In silence the door creaked open, baring the monster. "Did you think locks would stop me? You really shouldn't be so insubordinate to your captain."
His shaking hands fumbled the kunai he had grabbed from his pouch.
"Poor boy… you can't even defend yourself." He snaked his arm around Itachi's waist. "You're trembling." He swept Itachi's ponytail away from his neck, and he licked his lips with an unnaturally long tongue. "Don't worry, I'll make it all better." He advanced on his prey; all Itachi could do was close his eyes and mutter a prayer.
His surroundings changed. He was ambling down a road in the Uchiha sector, watching people yet unable to process their actions. His perception of reality felt muddled, as if he had a slow poison in his system; his head pounded. People waved at him, but he didn't reciprocate.
"Hey!" He looked behind him where the voice had originated. "Seems like today isn't your day, is it, Itachi?"
He turned to the voice and saw his uncles - Inabi, Yashiro, and Tekka - from the Police Force approaching. "Uncle… Inabi?"
Inabi brandished a single sheet of paper. "We've got watertight evidence against you. We ran more forensics on Shisui's body; turns out the wound was inflicted by a kunai other than his!"
Through his foggy state, Itachi felt ire brewing. "I already told you, I don't know anything about the suicide," he growled. A burning heat pumped through his veins, tingeing his cheeks with anger. "I've had a bad morning – just leave me alone."
"Don't you talk to us that way, you little brat!" Tekka said. He grabbed Itachi's arm. "We're taking you in!"
His mind suddenly sharpened at the touch, and it was then something deep in the crevices in his sanity cracked. Before he knew what he was doing, he ran his ninjatou through Tekka's stomach. "You shouldn't have done that," he whispered. He slid the blade out easily.
Tekka stared at the blade. When he realized what had happened his eyes bulged with terror and he fell dead.
Itachi heard the commotion around him and felt other arms grabbing him, forcing him to the ground. A rage of madness blistered his skin, muscles, and nerves; his neck burned with the heat of fire, and the agony spread to his face. He threw the others off him with unrestrained strength; a cacophony of snapping bones hitting the building fronts filled his ears like beautiful music. He heard screams from other people, but it only agitated him.
"He just killed those men!"
"What are those marks on his skin?"
He swiveled his head towards a group of passersby who had witnessed the killing, blood dripping off his face. "Who's next?" he whispered.
They scrambled away, but it was too late. With a blood-curdling shriek, he began the systemic extermination of his clan.
Another shift in scenery. This place, too, stirred his memories - his home, perhaps? Why was it so dark? In the blackness he paced as anxiety hacked at his psyche – something was wrong. His palms were slick with sweat and he compulsively wiped them on his pants. He reeked of blood. Turning, he spied a man and woman kneeling before him, but the shadows obscured their faces.
"Itachi! Please don't do this!" the woman bawled.
"Stop this madness now!" the man shouted, but his voice trembled with fear. "Turn yourself into the Military Police! You have to!"
"Shut up!" he shrieked. He slammed his fist into the wall, dislodging a few chunks of plaster. "Just shut up!" His thoughts were warped in feverish volatility; everything seemed distorted to him… sights, sound, smells, and reason. A burning pulsed though every cell in his body, corroding his mind in intoxicating rapture. The past hours had escaped him, a hazy sea of blood and blades.
"What instigated this insanity?! Answer me!"
"What will Sasuke think?!"
The name cleared his mind a bit before the feverdream-like state overpowered him again. No more… he would end this now. He unsheathed the ninjatou from his back and prepared to strike. He caught his twisted reflection in the rippled pits of the blade and knew the deranged visage mirrored his corrupted soul's true appearance.
"Forgive me… Mother and Father."
The sword fell, as did silence.
Itachi woke to his own scream, but the nightmare had already flitted from his brain. He wiped away his tears, unable to recall what it was that had brought about the unconscious sobbing and shriek, as had been the weekly case back at the Akatsuki headquarters. He thought no more on it and settled back against the tree, his lids dropping.
He opened his eyes when he detected the sound of something hitting the forest floor. It had tumbled from the treetops, accompanied with the rustle of falling twigs. He focused on the direction from whence it originated, surprised by who he saw.
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Sasuke soundlessly slid through the foliage, his heart drumming. Where are you, Itachi? he thought, prepared to strike at any noise.
He caught a flash out of his peripheral vision, followed by a dull 'shunk' near his left ear. He whirled back and discovered a kunai lodged in a tree trunk millimeters from him. A second later a pain seared his left cheek; touching it, he found blood on his fingertips. Quick as a flash, he activated his Sharingan and crouched in attack position.
"I missed intentionally," a composed voice stated from above.
Sasuke snapped his head up and saw him:
Itachi.
Itachi stood on a swaying limb, kunai poised between each of his clenched fingers like metal claws. "I'm glad you could make it." He dove at him, launching the blades all at once.
Sasuke's mind shut off. He dodged the weapons by hurtling his body to the ground. Grabbing a shuriken from his weapons pouch, he flung it at Itachi, but right as it was about to make impact he performed the Shunshin no jutsu and disappeared; the shuriken flew harmlessly through nothing.
Something hard struck the side of Sasuke's head. He staggered back to see his brother behind him, his fist having delivered the blow. In a blur, Itachi rushed forward with another kunai aimed at Sasuke's heart. Sasuke's fingers extracted a carbon kunai from the pouch in time and he managed to block the attack.
Itachi eyed Sasuke's weapon. "Ah… you've kept it all these years. I'm touched."
For a wordless moment they stared into each other's eyes, struggling against each other. Sasuke noticed Itachi hadn't activated his Sharingan yet. Without warning, Itachi started bearing down adamantly. Sasuke had to use both hands to stave off the onslaught and dug his feet into the moss-covered ground. Itachi sneered. "You're as weak as ever," and he pressed down harder still with one hand.
"No! I'm not going to lose to you again!" He threw off Itachi's arms, nicking his sibling's hand with the kunai; he swept out his foot and knocked Itachi off his feet. He slammed his arm against Itachi's trachea then plowed his heel into his abdomen with a Shishi Rendan attack.
Itachi crashed on the ground; the limp figure evaporated in a scattering of noisy crows.
"Marginally impressive," Itachi's voice sounded above. Sasuke looked up and discovered him standing upside down on a limb, examining the blood dripping from his wounded hand. "Now it's my turn." He performed the hand signs of snake, sheep, monkey, boar, horse, and tiger in quick succession.
Sasuke straight away recognized the sequence and scrambled behind a tree for shelter.
"Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu," Itachi calmly uttered. He placed his index and middle fingers before his mouth and lightly blew against them. A wave of scorching fire erupted from his breath and swelled into an immense wall of flames. Sasuke pressed his back to the trunk and protected his head while the deadly storm of heat blasted around him. The temperature was blistering - he couldn't tell if his skin was ablaze of if it was the acute radiant heat. He couldn't breathe – the maelstrom was consuming too much oxygen. The attack seemed to have no end – if he endured a few more moments of it, he would succumb to the fieriness or die from suffocation.
It subsided. Sasuke remained rooted, dizzy and gulping sweltering, sooty air into his lungs. The trees in the area were blackened, their leaves aflame and curling. Mixed within the scent of burnt wood he detected that of singed hair and discovered the tips of his bangs charred. He's going all-out. He's fighting with the intent to kill – he's not toying with me. He was already exhausted. The journey to the Higashi Forest had depleted much of his energy, and his brother's crushing assaults were taking their toll on him so early in the onslaught. He squeezed his eyes. He couldn't let it end like this… not now.
He remembered the Fire Blossom. Seizing it from his pouch, he stealthily sprinted up the tree. Spotting Itachi, he took aim. "Die!" and he hurled the papers at him.
Itachi was blasé. "Hmm… a Fire Blossom. That can easily be rectified." He withdrew a half dozen shuriken and threw them, not at the papers, but between them. The resulting shift in air current forced the sheets to follow the direction of the shuriken right back at Sasuke. He leapt out of the way before the pieces exploded on impact against the limb, tearing it off the tree. Barely having time to regain his footing, he spun back when he heard Itachi say his name. "If you must use Fire Blossoms, at least utilize more than one at a time," he reproached as he fanned out five packets in his hand.
Sasuke's mind blanked.
Itachi heaved them at him and watched as the sticky papers clung to Sasuke and blew holes in his flesh before a fiery grave enveloped him. Just then, a burning log tumbled to the ground from inside the inferno. Itachi frowned and whipped his head back towards a sound behind him.
"All right… I'm through with these games," Sasuke panted as he wove an intricate set of hand sighs. "See why Orochimaru called me his most promising disciple ever!" Chakra began crackling around his left hand, brightening in intensity until his arm was hidden beneath the undulating mass of screeching, hot-white energy. He withdrew the chokuto swiftly, and the length of the blade pulsed with chakra. "Katana Chidori Nagashi!" He bolted headlong at Itachi and the electric-blue charge streamed through the sword and towards him like a lance.
He merely looked at the weapon, not bothering to flee. "Chakra shape manipulation… I'm impressed. Now let me put a stop to it!" He activated the Mangekyou Sharingan and his eye color changed from ebony to hot scarlet.
Sasuke knew it was futile for Itachi to counter– he was as good as dead. "Writhe in Hell!" and he projected a convulsing surge forth.
Itachi bounded into the air and missed the attack, keeping his focus on the other. "Amaterasu!"
No hands signs – he was performing a doujutsu. In a blink Sasuke switched from offensive to defensive and canceled his jutsu. He dashed from where he stood, trying to break Itachi's line of vision. A wall of black flames flared to life from thin air where he'd been moments before, incinerating the ground and surrounding trees in a rampant conflagration. He couldn't afford to touch it; didn't know what it would do to him. His chakra and body were exhausted, and Itachi wasn't letting up – he had to retreat. He threw a smoke bomb and fled into the foliage.
Itachi chortled coldly. "Is that really the best you can do? You trained with Orochimaru for over two years and your trump card is to run away?" He winced and pressed his palm against his left eye. "You coward!"
Sasuke crouched low in the bushes, daring not to breathe and attract his brother's attention. His exhausted chakra and body meant no defense, and going at Itachi just then would be suicide. He noticed Itachi covering his left eye. Had he injured it?
Itachi scanned his surroundings, still nursing his left eye, trying to pinpoint Sasuke. His ears locked on a patch of shrubs. He dashed to the bushes and slashed a kunai through it in a single stroke; a tawny rabbit scampered out, wildly bolting away.
Sasuke pressed his hand against his mouth to stem his gasping. If he hadn't performed that substitution Itachi would've struck him for certain.
Itachi chuckled, his magnifying laughter rising on the plumes of smoke from his earlier katon jutsu. "To have traveled for days, just for you to run away… it's quite disappointing." But he knew better. Judging from the sharpness in Sasuke's eyes and the feral intensity in which he battled, retreat was an impossibility now for the younger. Sasuke was preparing an ambush, and Itachi decided to play along. He walked to the tree his kunai struck and pried the weapon from the bark. "I'm leaving to get lunch," he shouted to the plethora of seared leaves, cognizant that Sasuke was listening. "I trust you'll take me a little more seriously when I return."
Sasuke dug his fingers into the damp earth. He wanted to strike, but he stayed his hand.
Itachi charily pulled his hand away from his face and blinked; on his fingertips was a smear of blood. Tightening his jaw, he slipped the kunai into his leg holster then set out through the burnt shrubs, never once turning back.
When he couldn't sense Itachi's chakra any longer, Sasuke emerged from his cover. "Damn him!" he swore as he tore twigs out of his hair. How dare Itachi accuse Sasuke of not taking him seriously. It was he who was mocking Sasuke. "'I'm leaving to get some lunch'. Is he arrogant enough to believe I'd actually wait for him?" He stopped and bestowed consideration upon his question. "Of course he knows I would."
When his mind cleared as best it could, he briefly analyzed the area's layout. The inky fire smoldered the ground and showed no signs of dying. He ran up a tree, retrieving a spool of tensile tripwire from his pouch. "I'll show him who's better prepared," he growled when he reached a suitable bough. Once more, he scanned the space before sitting cross-legged on the limb and rigging traps. "Stupid," he shook his head. "He's stupid… I'm stupid for being here… it's all stupid." He unraveled the sleek filament and hitched it to the tree's trunk. "He's going to pay… for everything."
His thoughts wandered while he toiled. He remembered an instance from his seventh birthday: he had returned home from Ninja Academy, only to find a note from their parents addressed to Itachi, explaining they had had left for a ryokan that night and wouldn't return until the following afternoon. He turned the paper over, expecting a message to him acknowledging his birthday, but there was nothing. Knowing that their mother prepared delicious treats for Itachi on his birthdays, Sasuke ran into the kitchen in hopes that perhaps a platter of dora yaki would greet him on the table. He entered, yet nothing lay on the table or the counter. A twisting emptiness gurgled in his stomach as he scanned the kitchen, the dripping water from the sink's faucet magnified in his ears. And then he understood the harshness: they hadn't gotten him a present. How could they do that to him, and on his ever-important seventh birthday to boot? He glumly went to the sitting room, slid open the shouji to the porch and exited, only to be stopped by Itachi poking him on the forehead.
"Happy birthday, Sasuke!" he smiled. "Sorry I couldn't pick you up at the academy – I was busy."
He pushed his hand way. "You're always busy," he grumbled, not making eye contact.
Itachi's smile faded and he concernedly knelt near him. "Are you okay?"
Sasuke sniffled and shook his head.
"Oh, so you saw the note, huh?" He watched the koi swimming lazily in the small pond near the porch. "I'll admit, it was selfish of them to go – after all, it's the final year for Shichi Go San." He put a reassuring hand on Sasuke's shoulder, keeping his other arm behind his back. "Don't worry – I'm sure they'll make it up to you this weekend."
His gaze dropped from his brother's, his lips turned downwards in a pouting frown. "They always remember your birthday… everybody does."
He didn't know how to answer this factual observation. Instead, he preserved the integrity of his original intention. "Hey… close your eyes."
Sasuke blinked. "Why?"
"Come on, just close your eyes."
He nodded in agreement and shut his lids.
Withdrawing his concealed hand, Itachi placed it before Sasuke's face. "All right… open them."
He opened his eyes and gasped in delight when he discovered a wrapped present on his brother's palm. "Thank you!" he cried, placing the gift on the porch and tearing away the paper. He lifted the box's lid and stared in awe at the contents: it was a kunai, its onyx-black edges gleaming in the setting sun's rays.
"I used a whole month's salary to buy that," Itachi grinned. "It's high carbon steel, so it'll never break… or at least the shopkeeper said it shouldn't break."
Sasuke hadn't heard him – he had picked up the weapon and was looking at it with welling eyes. "I-I love it! Thank you."
"You're welcome," he smiled, wiping away Sasuke's tears. And his birthday gifts hadn't ended there. Adorned in their yukata, they had enjoyed a spectacular summer fireworks display while snacking on tomatoes they had filched from someone's garden, and afterwards Itachi treated Sasuke to a refreshing bowl of kanten. It had been, no doubt, truly his best birthday ever.
Sasuke smiled fondly at the eidetic recollections. Itachi had been a wonderful brother back then, surprising him like that. But now… as far as he was concerned, his brother had died years ago… the person who remained was a stranger… a heartless S-Class murderer. So what if he remembered my seventh birthday? he ruminated in bitter hindsight. Because of Itachi, he had no parents to take him to the shrine for Shichi Go San, which fell one month after the slaughter. "Maybe that's why I'm so unlucky," he snickered with cynicism, trying to cancel out the grief that was dredging itself up from the pit of his stomach. He pulled a line of tripwire taut in his teeth in hushed pondering. What had happened? What circumstances incited Itachi to snap like he did those years back? Sasuke reflected on the events of eight years earlier, racking his brains. Had anything significant taken place?
He stopped as it hit him. "He joined the ANBU Black Ops." However, his answer was insufficient, and it frustrated him to no end. "That wouldn't have caused him to annihilate the village. It doesn't make sense!" he hissed. He leapt to a neighboring tree limb with the loose end of wire. Still, he thought, that is around the time he started acting odd. He unsnapped his pouch and retrieved a handful of kunai, spying the carbon one that he had used to defend himself from the earlier attack… the exact kunai Itachi had given him on his birthday. His thoughts drifted once more to the arcane connection between ANBU and Itachi's behavior. Was it immediately following his joining that he changed? His mind wasn't focused on his actions as he pondered and he inadvertently slit open his thumb on one of the blades. He clenched his injured digit fiercely. "Why the hell am I wasting my time thinking about it?" he heatedly reprimanded himself. "It doesn't matter – all that's important is avenging the clan." After wrapping a bandage around the wound, he continued rigging the trap. But the more he tried to drive from his mind the notion as to what had prompted his brother's motives, the more it haunted him. "He joined in March; that's when he changed," Sasuke mumbled as he worked. Wait, that wasn't what happened. "No… it was around the time he became captain of that squad," he stated methodically, recalling the foggy memory. "Yes… he had been in ANBU for five months, and then was promoted. Wasn't it because the original captain left that Itachi obtained the rank? He worked his jaw bitterly. Maybe the pressures of such a high position made him crack, he mulled over dryly. Just then, another factor bothered him. Something else noteworthy had transpired around that juncture in time. What was it?
He mentally caught the whiff of rubbing alcohol simultaneous to the recollection surfacing after its years of slumber, inducing him to drop his handful of shuriken. "The hospital… Itachi was in the hospital the day after he was promoted." It had happened one month following Sasuke's birthday. He could see the hazy images: some of the ANBU interrogating him at his bedside, the scrolls piled on the floor, his mother crying. Itachi had wept during his weeklong stay at the infirmary, as well – not owing to sorrow, but - it seemed - to fear. He had kept the curtains shut tight and the windows locked. Kakashi, who was in the same ANBU squad as Itachi, had also been there and performed a jutsu on Itachi to "seal it", as Kakashi had put it. Seal what, though? When Sasuke had asked what was wrong with his brother no one gave him a straight answer and brushed him aside. The tension had been palpable in the austere, medicinal setting. Nobody spoke around him, and if they did speak in the general vicinity, the conversations were whispered. Their mother and father stood vigilant at Itachi's side when visiting hours permitted, while most of the time Sasuke was exiled to the hall or left at home. At one point, Itachi had even requested that Sasuke leave the hospital room so as he could speak to his parents and his co-workers in private, most likely to spare his sibling the upset of hearing anything disturbing.
Yes, that was it! He became captain in August then was hospitalized. His returning home following his treatment was when he started acting peculiar and the struggles between the family members began. But what was his ailment? Up until his hospital stay he had been fine; something must have happened during those months. The only obvious incident was the promotion. He cursed in aggravation. Why hadn't he asked Kakashi what had happened while he was his student? Not only did it directly affect him, but also he was old enough to know by then. He should've asked him the previous night when the jounin was in his room.
Lastly, there was that obtrusive facet that had plagued him over the dragging years ever since the blood-drenched night after Sasuke demanded why Itachi had resorted to murder:
"To test my strength."
The way Itachi had hesitated when he disclosed the reason… as though he'd been lying. His answer had recurrently troubled Sasuke, for he felt there was another motive far more sinister than what Itachi had intimated.
His head ached from the ponderings, and he instead gave his task his undivided attention. All the same, something wasn't adding up regarding his brother.
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Itachi pushed aside the noren and entered the dim interior of a teahouse. "Welcome!" the hostess greeted as she emerged from the kitchen. "Seating for one?" Her smile faded when she caught sight of his Akatsuki robe.
He interpreted the fear on her face. "So… you're familiar with my uniform, are you?"
She meekly nodded, her eyes huge and locked on his. She glimpsed a notice on the wall warning about Akatsuki members.
"Let's dispose of this pesky thing, shall we?" He pulled down the flyer and crumpled it into a ball. He leaned forward and whispered in her ear, "I advise you keep quiet. I'd feel terrible if I spilled blood in this quaint establishment."
"Please… we don't have much money."
"Do not insult me, miss. I don't steal money from teahouses – I just want something to eat."
"Y-yes… of course," she stammered. She escorted him to a small table in the corner, striving to appear unruffled to the other patrons. Once he was seated at the intimate corner table, she took his order of soba noodles, yakitori, and green tea. She turned to leave when he caught her eye. Remember, he mouthed.
She nodded shakily and hurried to the kitchen.
Removing his hat, Itachi ran his hand over his hair. It was far and few in between that he ever removed the hat while in public - it acted as a shield against the outside world, allowing him the advantage to observe while giving him a sense of sheltered seclusion; if it weren't for the sticky summer heat he wouldn't have taken it off. Despite the generous collar concealing half his face, he felt exposed, and he effaced himself from notice by staring out the small window to his right. Since childhood he preferred solitude and presented a guarded front whenever he had to interact.
A slight burning on his hand pulled his attention from the window. The blood from the cut he'd sustained in the forest had coagulated in a thin, red line. To him, the injury symbolized far more than a break in the skin; it was an indicator… a deadly testament of his brother's seriousness. Sasuke's fighting had certainly developed – he never could've inflicted any damage on Itachi had his skills been anything less - but Itachi knew he had yet to see his brother's full capacity of strength. His razzing Sasuke's efforts were simply meant to provoke, to stoke the flames of his hatred. Perhaps when he returned to the forest after lunch he would get to witness Sasuke's true potential. He was curious as to what he'd learned from the dead Sannin.
The hostess threaded her way back to the table with the tea. She timidly poured a steaming cup and placed it before him. "Your meal will be out shortly," and she scurried off once more.
He picked up the cup of tea and took a sip. Well, whatever Sasuke would muster up, Itachi hoped it would be better than his meager performance in Otafuku Town those three years back. That hadn't qualified as a fight – it was an embarrassment to the Uchiha family name.
He took another drink and rested the cup against his chin, feeling the steam brush against his lips. He recalled how he had broken Sasuke's wrist on that day; not in defense, but just to spite him… to groom him for this very day. He had been manipulating his brother's actions for years without fail, and Sasuke obediently played the puppet.
Itachi placed his tea down and pressed his palms against his eyes. The past few days had caused a torrent of past memories to surface in his consciousness, forcing him to face ghosts from his past. And the principal recollection had been the spark that later bore the inferno. Why did I talk to Captain Hebi after the ANBU meeting? I was so gullible! He rubbed the base of his neck, shuddering. Hebi had been the captain of the ANBU squad Itachi joined years prior. He had treated Itachi like a son, praising his accomplishments and skills, often referring to him as a genius of the Uchiha clan. Whenever missions required teams, Hebi invited him to be his partner, and everyone in ANBU knew that Itachi was routinely the captain's choice by default. The one idiosyncrasy of Hebi's that made Itachi ill at ease had been his periodic glances that expressed something far more than simple fondness – Itachi, nonetheless, had brushed it off as his own paranoia. One night in August, he had told Itachi that he wished to speak to him after one of the ANBU conferences, tempting him by commenting that it had to do with a promotion. Although he hadn't been keen on joining ANBU in the first place, over time he grew comfortable in the squad, and his Uchiha pride could not resist the lure of leadership. He complied and stayed long after everyone had left. But when Hebi had cornered him in that store room, Itachi's trust in him was doused like a flame in a rainstorm… and his life was destroyed henceforth. After the act, the captain told Itachi that if he sought retribution, the single hope of defeating him was if he could perform Mangekyou Sharingan; however, the only way Itachi could unlock that supreme Uchiha skill was if he murdered his best friend. Then, as a parting gift, the fiend promoted Itachi to captain of the ANBU squad and vanished, never to return.
The woman returned with the dishes of food. After she retreated, he grabbed a skewer of chicken and started chewing, but his memories inhibited him from enjoying the flavor. He had tried living out his life normally for the two months following the incident with Hebi, but his condition steadily worsened, and he'd reached the end of his tether. He had to kill Hebi - the situation couldn't be helped. Itachi's best friend, Shisui, would have to understand. He took Shisui's life and staged it as a suicide, but it was all for naught: Itachi was unable to locate the ex-captain anywhere.
What had started as reprisal against Hebi escalated into a frantic quest. Following the incident with his captain, he noted bizarre transformations in his personality and thoughts, such as paranoia, scattered thinking, and a hair-trigger temper. His mental health was in fast decline and had no doubt the incipient warning signs were in direct correlation with what Hebi had done to him. He very well could have remained in denial in trusting the ugly symptoms were the extent of his new state, but the frightening acceleration of his deterioration suggested otherwise. He knew something awful was stirring in him, and he knew full well he had to kill Hebi in order to reverse his degeneration before it was too late. He had no tangible proof that ending the captain's life would cure him, but he had little options at that point. Unfortunately, he never got that fleeting chance of payback, and the penalty for his transgression had been his family's death. That day… the day he massacred his village without mercy, it had flared with a vengeance – he scarcely remembered all but a blur of the occurrences, each one horrendous. And he had suspected something baleful would transpire that day; he'd been feeling something stirring in his psyche for weeks, and it at last managed to crack the fragile shell that had previously confined it. He and his father had had a volatile argument in which family confidences were bandied as verbal attacks earlier that morning. Infuriated, he donned his ANBU gear and stormed from the house, brushing off Sasuke when the younger asked if he would help him with his shuriken jutsu later that afternoon. But the straw that broke the camel's back had been when his uncles once again cornered him in the street, asking more questions pertaining to Shisui's death. All that it had taken to push him over the edge was Tekka restraining his arm.
He wept as he held his tea, his throes making the drink judder. He couldn't stand what he, 'the pride of the Uchiha bloodline', had become: a common criminal. Yet, he'd had no choice – he had nowhere to go after he'd wiped out his clan. Uchiha Madara, the only other living Uchiha, learned of his plight and welcomed him into Akatsuki with opened arms, not just out of pity, but desire for another strong shinobi amongst their ranks. Itachi agreed without hesitation; the only plausible way he could drown out his misery was if he joined a group that performed such heinous atrocities that his past memories would get buried amidst the horror. Most of the time it worked – he'd lose himself in his illicit missions and shadowy deeds, not to mention the abundant quantities of women and flowing saké. His past had become a quashed recollection, which he had full-and-well intended. He was no longer Uchiha Itachi, but rather Uchiha Itachi of the Akatsuki.
Then, that bastard joined Akatsuki, snapping open the stitches of Itachi's falsely-mended wounds.
At first, Itachi had been unaware that this man was the same person who had corrupted his life half a decade foregoing, seeing as he had used a pseudonym and disguised his face while in ANBU as Hebi. Itachi gulped his tea, reviling himself for not seeing the correlation at the time this newcomer had arrived – after all, 'hebi' meant 'snake'. He did know, however, that the new Akatsuki recruit made him feel uneasy, especially when he'd eye Itachi with what resembled lustful yearning, just as Hebi had. Itachi remembered the man's name from the Bingo Book he was given when he joined ANBU, an S-rank missing-nin from Konoha wanted for murder and human experimentation:
Orochimaru. One of the legendary Sannin.
Scowling, he started on his bowl of soba noodles. He'd never forget the day Orochimaru revealed his past identity to him. Itachi had been reading in the headquarters, when he was joined in the room by the other. Small talk was exchanged, but Itachi held a guarded front, as he was more interested in his book. After a protracted moment, the other said it:
"How you've ripened over these years, Ita-chin."
The book slipped out of his hands. He had heard this man in Akatsuki, but never paid close attention to his voice; only when he uttered this phrase and the honorific did Itachi make a correlation. He'd listened to the voice on a near-daily basis for months five years prior, and one of the last things it had told him was equally unnerving: "When your body is prime, you will belong to me, Ita-chin."
Only one person on Earth ever referred to him as 'Ita-chin': Captain Hebi.
He shot to his feet, kunai in hand. "You!"
The other sniggered lightly. "I guess recalling faces isn't your strong suit, is it? I was expecting something akin to a warmer reception from an ex-colleague."
Itachi readied himself in an offensive position, his Mangekyou blazing to life. "What do you want?" he demanded, a shiver of fear betraying his tone as that familiar terror crept back into his veins.
"Oh, don't worry yourself about me taking your body," he purred, advancing still. "Although you're a beautiful specimen, your shell is far too old now for my tastes."
Itachi found himself sliding his foot back.
"Since then I've marked a younger vessel." His lips curled into a snicker. "He's extremely feisty, but I had to assume that with him being your brother and all."
His heart skipped a beat, his eyes wide. "Don't lay a finger on him," he hissed.
He opened his arms wide and cackled, his voice ringing throughout the room eerily. "But it's too late. I've infected him with the virus that makes the soul transfer possible while he was at the Chuunin Exams… the same way I infected you that night after the ANBU meeting."
Itachi's last nerve snapped; he dived headlong at him. "Die!"
Orochimaru speedily performed a set of hand signs and Itachi fell to the ground like a stone. "Your insolence is not acceptable, child. And after I've given you the gift of unimaginable power! Such disrepute."
"It's not a gift, it's a curse!" Itachi panted, trying in vain to move his body; agony like fire paralyzed him all the way down to his fingertips.
Orochimaru propped his body against the wall and crouched near him. "Well, that's your opinion; Sasuke certainly sees it as a blessing," he said, brushing aside Itachi's long hair to reveal a sealed Ten no Juin on the base of his neck. He clicked his tongue chidingly. "You naughty boy – it's been sealed. But the seal looks unstable. No doubt that hack Kakashi's work."
"Shut up! He's not a hack!"
His resultant sickly-sweet smile sent frost down Itachi's spine. "Why can I manipulate your body now if he succeeded in neutralizing the mark, hmm? Doubtless, there have been other occasions when you've witnessed the failure of his, ahem, impervious seal…" his lips stretched further in a warped smile, "…like on that infamous night, you poor, poor orphan."
He knew… he knew Orochimaru was hinting the massacre in that cloying phrase. Unable to make his body obey, he prepared to cast Tsukiyomi. "You'll regret those words."
"How are your eyes?" he asked bluntly.
Itachi stopped the doujutsu as a freezing cramp spasmed inside his right eye.
"I asked about your eyes," he said in measure. He studied the other's vermillion irises with inquisitiveness. "No loss of vision? Oh, silly me… of course there's been, but nothing too substantial. That will change very soon, rest assured."
Itachi's chin quivered, for the serpent's words forced him to confront what he had been attempting to disregard for years. "How… how did you know?"
"I've researched every jutsu. I knew the Mangekyou Sharingan wasn't without flaw. It's a ticking time bomb that afforded you a very tight window in regards to killing me. I had to see the side effects firsthand, so I persuaded you to kill Shisui for the Mangekyou." He howled with laughter, his eyes wild. "Knowing now it causes blindness, I'm so relieved I didn't see the body transfer through!" He regained his poise and stared off musingly. "I must collect Sasuke before he kills the Nine-Tails boy - I can't have a body with rotting eyes." He shook his head and sighed markedly. "You failed to stop me… you squandered your sight for nothing."
Itachi stared at him, mortified beyond compare. "You're a devil."
He touched his chest with an air of innocence. "Me? Why, I'm simply curious about this marvelous world and all the wonders it has to offer. Do not accuse me of being evil just because I have an inquisitive mind - that's plain ignorance."
Rage boiled in every fiber of Itachi's muscles. He lowered his voice to a darkly whisper. "Release this paralysis and I'll consider killing you with little pain."
"Aren't we intrepid to threaten a Sannin? In any case, this conversation is about Sasuke, not your empty intimidation." He traced the mitsutomoe with his finger. "He thirsts for power, and he's willing to obtain it by any means possible." He wagged his finger condescendingly. "So much more obedient than you, I must say."
He shivered with rage, overexerting his muscles to budge. "He wants to murder me because I annihilated our family, no thanks to this damned mark!"
"Awww… you shouldn't degrade it," he pouted. "I only bestow it upon people whom I wish to grant strength."
"No, you do it to take their bodies," he strained through his teeth.
Orochimaru smiled and stroked Itachi's cheek.
Itachi's complexion blanched. "W-what are…."
"I wanted so much to be in you when you were young, my gorgeous Ita-chin. I rue having left the village, truly I do. A pity you never succumbed to the allure of my power. Nonetheless, I'll still have the pleasure of experiencing an Uchiha with Sasuke." His elongated tongue flicked against his colorless lips. "I wonder… does my excitement stem from knowing you're both of a nearly-extinct lineage?"
Itachi held his gaze upon Orochimaru's, suppressing his quavering. He forgot his anger, now frightened for his brother. "Leave him alone."
Orochimaru's breathing quickened while he traced his thumb over Itachi's lips. "You have the most beautiful mouth." He rested his heaving chest upon Itachi's. "I wanted you when I first met you in ANBU. Your unblemished splendor and naivety enthralled me. I ached for your body… your scent… your taste." His other hand skimmed Itachi's knee and settled on his inner thigh.
Itachi's body was unresponsive. "Stop!" he screamed, the fear from five years before rushing back.
"Shhh… be not afraid, child," he purred seductively in his ear before licking his neck.
He recoiled from the warm tongue sliding wetly over his thin flesh and clavicle; for the third time in his life he was powerless against this man. "Don't, Orochimaru…."
He ignored the imploring and ran his hands down the other's trembling torso in pure adoration. "You were the ideal container for my soul. That is why I bestowed you the Ten no Juin that night. If I recall, you were sniffling then just as you are now. You had no reason, it's not as if I hurt you. I just cast a small submission genjutsu on you so I could mark you easier." His cold hands descended lower still, causing Itachi to cringe. He leaned into him and kneaded his lips over Itachi's face, groaning with want. "I had full control over you at that time. I should've taken advantage of it," he mewled, digging his fingernails into the other's well-toned abdominal muscles. "Oh… I'm throbbing for you."
Itachi whimpered when he felt something hard in Orochimaru's pants graze his crotch.
"Can you feel that, my Ita-chin? Do you understand what you do to me and why only you can alleviate this burning hunger?"
Itachi was hysterical. "I'm going to kill you, you sick bastard!"
His smile bared his canines and he whispered, "I'd like to see you try." His lips brushed over Itachi's. Orochimaru withdrew his hand and tightly gripped Itachi's waist while his mouth deposited sloppy kisses over his neck. He straddled him and shed his own Akatsuki robe. "I've heard Uchiha males are known for their bountiful virility," he whispered hotly in his ear. "Will you show me?"
He wanted to spit in his face. "Then why don't you try for Madara?" he hissed. "He's an Uchiha."
"My boy, I'm not suicidal," he simpered. "If I tried touching him he'd murder me. Anyway, he still holds a torch for the Shodaime. You're an easier choice." He suckled Itachi's neck, moving his way down to the collarbone. "Of course, if he agreed to a threesome, I'd be enraptured."
So, it had come to this: the Sannin would triumph over him yet again, the first instance when he bit Itachi; this time he would tear and split him. He couldn't defend himself, and Orochimaru wasn't revoking the paralysis anytime soon in his current avidity. Itachi noted a consideration that would make the impending act's prospect more endurable, and he temporized. "If I agree to this, will you promise to overlook Sasuke? I'll do whatever you want – just leave him alone."
Orochimaru stopped nipping Itachi's lips and peered up between his stringy strands of hair. "How touching. Though your nobility is inspiring, I'm afraid I cannot abide by such stipulations." He tilted his head playfully. "Are you really that overconfident, offering yourself up as a scapegoat for Sasuke's pardon? What makes you think I'd consider your intimacy a fair trade for Sasuke's body?"
Everything Orochimaru had elucidated to him suggested so, but he stayed his tongue.
Furthermore," he added, a touch of sternness in his voice. "I'll make your body engage in whatever I desire, and I'll do whatever I wish to you, without your permission And as for Sasuke... well, you know how Uchiha are my weakness."
"I'm begging…."
Orochimaru amorously ran his hands under Itachi's netted shirt, sliding his hands over the torso, nipples and shoulders, ravenous animalism dominating his golden eyes. "Although I didn't take your body for the transfer then, there's no reason I can't take your body for pleasure now, my Ita-chin," and he unfastened his own pants.
It was as though he were merely an outsider watching this nightmare owing to his immobile form. All he, the venerated Uchiha prodigy, could do was beg. "Stop!"
He put his finger to his lips for silence. "Shhh… do not lament. You should be honored; only the select have had the privilege of experiencing my touch." He slid Itachi's pants down to his knees. "Oh, yes… I shall taste you shortly," he gasped, his eyes bulging excitedly as he stared in awe at what he was about to partake.
Itachi's eyes darted to the door in time to see Kisame walk past. "Kisame!" he shrieked, his own screams shrill in his ears.
Hearing his comrade's cry, Kisame rushed in to find Orochimaru on top of Itachi. "What the hell are you doing?!" he shouted at the Sannin.
Orochimaru jerked Itachi's face closer to his by the chin. "Itachi and I were reminiscing about old times. Care to join us? The more the merrier, I always say." He then licked Itachi's lips and plunged his tongue into him mouth, simultaneously grasping the other's shaft. Itachi's muffled screams filled the room and tears soaked his face.
Kisame unsheathed his massive sword, the Samehada. "Get your filthy hands off him!" he thunderously roared.
"Kisame!" Itachi panted after Orochimaru ended the kiss. "Don't be stupid! He'll kill you! Get Madara!"
"Why? To give this pervert enough time to finish with you? No, I'll take my chances," he answered, edging the room with the sword at ready, his eyes never once leaving Orochimaru. "This is my second and last warning: get off of him." He tightened his grip on the bandaged hilt.
"Please, Kisame… don't," Itachi whimpered, cringing from his assailant's cool touch still gripping him.
"Shut up," he flatly snapped, focusing his attention on Orochimaru. "I'm not going to turn a blind eye to this."
Orochimaru appeared amused. "Are you actually challenging me, Hoshigaki? Because I take it as that."
"You're very astute… and that was my last warning!"
He tore ahead, to Orochimaru's chagrin. "How troublesome," he scowled as he pushed himself up off his prisoner. "You're probably a disappointment anyway, Itachi. I'm so looking forward to Sasuke, though." Executing a sequence of hand signs, he vanished, and Itachi's movement was no longer impeded.
For an hour after Kisame consoled him. "I was helpless," Itachi mumbled into Kisame's chest, embracing him with trembling arms.
He had known that empty helplessness two other times in his life: when Orochimaru infected him, and when he went on the deadly rampage against his clan.
Following the assault, Itachi had threatened retribution against Orochimaru; Madara explicitly forbade it, not wanting anything to drive the Sannin away. Knowing he couldn't directly disobey the order, he hacked off Orochimaru's hand instead. The Sannin withdrew from the organization, but not before avowing that he would return after he completed the transfer into Sasuke's body. Already astute to possible betrayal, Sasori sent the spy Kabuto to watch Orochimaru from afar before he'd even left the organization formally. And his hunch had been accurate, for Orochimaru had clandestinely been developing the village Otogakure while under Akatsuki's rule.
Itachi's measures had infuriated Madara. He had lost them a reputed member, one who was not only strong in body, but had the resources to create new jutsu. Already underway while Orochimaru was present was Madara's plan to fetch the nine Bijuu scattered across the Shinobi Countries; down one member, the others had to shoulder the remaining slack. The most dangerous Bijuu, the Kyuubi, had originally been Madara's target as he had subjugated it decades before, but he reassigned Itachi and Kisame's Bijuu from the Hachibi to the Kyuubi as punishment for the infraction.
Yet Orochimaru never did return, and now rumor was Sasuke murdered him. Itachi sipped his tea again. He was next on Sasuke's list.
And the irony was all of this could have been avoided… had Itachi never caved to his father's demands to join ANBU in the first place.
A white pain crackled through his eyes. It had been occurring more frequently, and he could no longer feign ignorance to it. He flagged down the hostess and ordered a plate of mitarashi dango. The sweet rice dumplings had been one of his favorite treats when he was younger; now, they were a necessity to preserve his eyesight. The Mangekyou Sharingan had proved to be a double-edged sword: it granted him the ability to stop his enemies in a nanosecond with the doujutsu Tsukiyomi and Amaterasu, but it ravaged his corneas each time he activated it. He had refrained from using the technique during the past few months, but the irreversible damage from the years abusing it was apparent. His spur-of-the-moment battle move of Amaterasu against his brother hadn't helped matters, either. He dabbed his napkin in water and wiped the caked blood off his left cheek and eyelashes.
The woman placed a tray of the skewered dumplings before him. He bit down on a dango and slid it into his mouth. Madara, who had also overused his Magekyou when he was younger, discovered that something in the mochi flour maintained what vision he had remaining before he took his brother Izuna's eyes as a last resort. Nevertheless, Itachi's previous efforts at sustaining his eyesight would be in vain, for if need be he would use Tsukuyomi on Sasuke later that afternoon, which he knew would more than like result in loss of vision in one or both eyes.
Finishing the glutinous treats, he pulled a sheet of paper from his supplies pouch and began writing a letter. The sentences multiplied, and he ended up turning the paper over and filled the other side with words. He extracted a handful of coins from his pocket and placed them on the table without bothering to count. Rising, he secured his hat upon his head and walked to the exit, the tinkling of the hat's bell prompting a few of the other guests to glance his way.
He passed through the noren-clad entrance to the bright outdoors. Without delay, he summoned a crow and placed the tightly-rolled paper in its leg holster. "Take this to Kisame. And be swift."
The crow let out a single caw of acknowledgement and flapped away into the sky.
Itachi then started back in the direction to where he'd left Sasuke. He knew very well what he was going into: his brother had trained with one of the legendary Sannin for two and a half years, after all, and then killed him. His eyes wandered up towards the sky as he walked on the silty path. Perhaps now Sasuke was a formidable opponent for him.
Secretly, that is what Itachi desired.
.
.
"Damn! I can't believe he just ran off like that!" Naruto yelled as he stormed into Tsunade's empty office, accompanied by Neji. "He's in town for two minutes then disappears!"
"Let me see the note," Neji sighed, opening his hand expectantly.
"Why? It's gonna say the same thing: 'I'm waiting for you in the Higashi Forest. Show me how much hatred you've fostered,'" he prattled, handing over the piece of paper. "Man, he's so stubborn!" he griped, ruffling his hair in frustration.
Neji pensively gleaned the note. "Well, it's safe to say Itachi indeed did write this. There are no misspellings and the calligraphy is fine, and through common knowledge the Uchiha clan was privileged."
"Of course he wrote it! Sasuke would've used his Sharingan to verify if it was his handwriting!" he said in riled defense. "Sheesh!"
The other scowled. "I was just wanting to substantiate it. I'm not an impetuous fool, like some people." As he had predicted, his insult sailed unnoticeably over Naruto's head, and he returned the paper. Just then, he spied Kakashi's treasured novel, Icha Icha Tactics, lying on the coffee table. "It looks as though Kakashi was here earlier," he observed, picking up the well-worn tome and thumbing through it. "I can't believe he reads this smut," he chided as he scanned random paragraphs. "Jiraiya penned this series, did he not?"
"Yeah… he wrote that one while he was training me," Naruto answered distractedly, gazing out over Konoha through the expansive window.
He scoffed. "Some teacher." Suddenly, he stopped flipping through the pages. "Wait a minute… you don't suppose one of Orochimaru's men wrote that letter, do you?"
Naruto shook his head. "Why would they bother? Word is they disbanded after his death."
"So? Just because they disbanded doesn't mean the criminal activity stopped."
"What do you mean?"
"Think: he could've had a fanatical supporter in his group, and now this person wants to murder Sasuke in retaliation. Sasuke proved to be the absolute faction that obliterated Otogakure – that's going to make some people angry."
His eyes darted to the note. "Yeah… you could be right. That guy Kabuto was pretty loyal to the creep."
Neji settled himself on the couch and opened the book once more, though now it seemed the contents had garnered his attention. "Then again," he mumbled, "Itachi could very well have written it, but instead of he and Sasuke confronting each other in a one-on-one fight, in facticity it'll be an ambush from Akatsuki." He turned the next page. "Who knows: Itachi had knowledge as to where Sasuke was in order to send that letter – perhaps Sasuke was attacked by the entire organization after he left Konoha and never made it to the Higashi Forest."
Naruto furrowed his brow. "No… Sasuke shares a weird bond with his brother, and I'd wager Itachi does, too. He recalled the brutal scenario at Otafuku Town. "The way they fight… it's like they're connected to each other." His clutched hand crumpled the note. "Sasuke's so determined to kill him and Itachi wants Sasuke to fight him. I don't know… even though it seems they hate each other, it's almost like they need one another to survive."
Neji didn't acknowledge – he was engrossed by the smut novel. His eyes widened and his face flushed a deep magenta.
Naruto saw this and yelled, "Hey! Did you even hear what I said?!"
"Every word," he placidly responded, his gaze intent on the page that had elicited his strong reaction moments before.
He eyed the letter again with clear fortification. "That settles it – I'm gonna look for him."
Neji sighed and put down the book. "Well, I suppose that means I should go with you."
"No! He's my responsibility - I don't want to endanger anyone."
"What do you mean, your 'responsibility'? He's not a pet… he's human. He's responsible for himself." He started re-securing his forehead protector. "Anyway, be realistic for a moment: how on Earth are you planning to locate him in the middle of the Higashi Forest with nothing but an ambiguous note for directions? I'll pinpoint him efficiently with my Byakugan."
"Yeah, but -"
"Swallow your pride, will you, Naruto?! My God, I've never seen anyone so asinine!" He jabbed his finger at the note. "He is pursuing an S-Class criminal; what will happen if in search of Sasuke you have a run-in with his brother?"
He clenched his fist triumphantly. "I'd kick his sorry butt – that's what I'd do!"
Neji shook his head. "Wrong. Per Bingo Book taxonomy, an S-Class criminal is an extremely effective assassin. Even ANBU has difficulties defeating guys like him." His candescent eyes pierced Naruto's core. "He's not your run-of-the-mill bandit, Naruto. A genin of your level couldn't even put a scratch on him."
"What do you me, 'of my level'?" he challenged.
"Your rhetoric is very droll. Here, I'll explain it in simple terms." He crossed his arms. "You are a genin with a fair bit of chuunin skills. If you want to survive any chance encounter with Uchiha Itachi, you need a jounin accompanying you…" he paused for effect, "…like me."
Naruto's eyes narrowed frostily. "You're an arrogant jerk, Neji… but arrogant jerks can bring up valid points."
He shrugged gloatingly. "But of course." He stood up; Naruto, however, grabbed his arm.
"We can't tell anyone about this mission. Do you understand?"
"It's prudent we at least inform someone of our plan -"
"No." He tightened his grip. "I'm doing this because Sasuke's my friend and I need to help him; I'm willing to face danger." His head fell slightly. "I'm okay with the perils of this mission – I don't want to drag anyone else into this."
"Well, just to set your mind at ease, you're not 'dragging me into this,' – I'm doing this of my own volition."
"But why? You barely know Sasuke."
He displayed two fingers. "I have two reasons: one, he's a fellow Konoha shinobi, and two, I have a score to settle with him."
"Huh?"
"He was supposed to battle me today so we could establish who's stronger."
Naruto rolled his eyes. "That's why you want to find him… to fight? Get real, Neji!"
He looked down his nose at him. "Do not belittle my motives, Uzumaki. You have no right to question the integrity of my reasons, for yours are more bizarre." He leaned against the wall and crossed his arms. "You declare you'll risk your safety for him, your alleged 'best friend'. And for what? He insults you, disrespects you, not to mention abandoned the village and almost killed you. He's grossly scurrilous to you, but you don't hear me impeaching you." He scrutinized him incisively. "Our motivations seem equally superficial and absurd to any outsider but are legitimate to us."
Naruto wanted to argue this, but reflected on it. True… Sasuke and he were very much incongruous most of the time, yet he held Naruto in fixed admiration. "Okay, fine; we're both even. But…" he stared at him beesechingly, "…we can't tell anybody about this rescue. Please."
Neji sighed heavily, vacillating whether he should obey protocol or his concerned cohort. "Very well," he caved at last. "If Tsunade gets a whiff of this I'll never hear the end of it."
Naruto grabbed his hand and squeezed it affably. "Thank you. I owe you one."
"Actually, after this, you'll owe me two," he groused, pulling his hand from Naruto's clasp. "We best be going - night will fall in a few hours."
"Right."
They ventured out of the Hokage's office and down a passage to the sunny outdoors. "Do you have enough weapons?" Neji asked.
Naruto hadn't thought about that. "Um… I have some kunai, shuriken and a couple of smoke bombs." As he enumerated his weaponry, he realized how paltry it sounded in case he and Neji were unfortunate enough to confront Itachi, and his stomach squirmed with trepidation.
Neji unsnapped his ninja tool pouch and tallied his arsenal. "Let's just pray he doesn't find us," he frowned, knowledgeable that even the most potent arms were practically useless against S-Class shinobi. "We'll leave through the main gate; no jumping over the fence."
"Why? It'll only take a few seconds to clear the top."
"It'll look suspicious," he revealed, keeping his face forward while he talked. "The ANBU are on alert now with the security breach from that man who slipped into the Hokage Residence and delivered the note. We have to remain as low-keyed as possible and not draw attention to ourselves. If asked at the gate where we're going, say we're meeting someone from Kusagakure on the main road."
He nodded.
They turned down a street and saw Sakura apathetically leaning against a building.
"Hi, Sakura," Naruto smiled meekly.
She sniffled and peered at both of them, not uttering anything.
He felt rotten. He wanted to enlighten her that he and Neji were departing to bring Sasuke back, but he couldn't jeopardize his requisite to keep the mission under wraps. "We're leaving. We're gonna talk to some guy from the Grass Village."
She stared knowingly into his gaze, breaking through any barriers that hid the lie. "Bring him back."
Naruto's insides plummeted. "Bring the guy back?" but he knew that wasn't what she meant.
"Bring Sasuke back."
Neji stepped forward. "I'm sorry, but I don't understand what you're meaning."
Naruto placed a restrictive hand on the other's chest. "She knows what we're gonna do, Neji."
She clutched her shirt as her eyes welled. "Please… promise me you'll find him and return him to Konoha. I can't come with you – I have to work with Tsunade."
Naruto's heart crumpled; when Sasuke ran away to seek out Orochimaru years back, Naruto vowed to Sakura that he wouldn't return until he had apprehended the renegade Uchiha; however, he'd failed, and his confidence in himself shattered resulting from it. This instance would be different, though – after all, he had trained with Jiraiya for nearly three years and was now a better ninja. He curled his fingers into a trenchant fist and raised his arm shoulder-level. "I'll do it right this time, Sakura. I'm a better shinobi than I was before." He grinned. "And I never go back on my word… that's my nindo."
Neji interposed. "We're not promising anything, Sakura. We'll do our best."
Naruto grunted in contempt. "Aw, you're too much of a pessimist, Neji." He proudly thumped his chest. "Of course we'll bring him back! And when we do, I'm gonna tie him to that post Kakashi-sensei tied me to at the Third Training Grounds to keep him from getting away."
A small smile trickled through her melancholic expression, and she took his hand in both of hers. "Thank you, Naruto… thank you."
He blushed brightly. "Don't mention it."
Neji cast his eyes to the sky. "We must go – we can't lose the light."
He pulled free from Sakura. "You just relax – we're gonna get him back, no matter what." He walked away, followed by Neji.
"What if she tells somebody?" the jounin asked after a while.
"She won't… trust me."
"Aren't you setting her expectations a little high? We can't guarantee we'll succeed."
"Will you stop being so negative for once?!"
Yet an arduous sense of responsibility weighed heavily in his stomach now. Now that he had pledged their success to Sakura, they were entitled to undergo the potentially fruitless mission. He had purposely avoided assuming the 'Nice Guy' thumbs up he'd used the last instance he'd vowed to return Sasuke to Konoha. His crushing defeat during said incident made him superstitious enough to consider that he'd jinxed the rescue operation because he had made a promise with that borrowed pose. Accordingly, he stuck with his self-devised Nindo gesture.
"Are you prepared for this… mentally, I mean?" Neji asked. "Something horrific might await us."
Naruto cracked his knuckles. "I'm raring and ready. Don't worry – I'm not afraid of dying."
Neji set his jaw. "I'm not referring to our possible deaths, Naruto…."
He knew this, yet kept that dark possibility at bay, not wanting it to flit into his mind. "C'mon! let's find that jerk!" He darted ahead.
Neji remained rooted as he watched Naruto run. "You certainly are hubristic about this… how I wish I was," and he sprinted to catch up.
They approached the opened gate, which was flanked by half a dozen Black Ops. Neji's face remained passively disinterested, paying the guards no attention, while Naruto did his best to abstain from sweating. The ANBU, who had been casually chatting, noticed the pair. "Leaving the village?" one of them questioned.
"Yes," Neji coolly replied.
"State your names and purpose of departure," he demanded pithily, pen and paper in hand.
Neji detected Naruto's escalating stress. "Hyuga Neji. And this is Uzumaki Naruto -"
His eyes averted to Naruto. "What? You can't talk?"
Naruto whitened, feeling the vice of pressure tightening dangerously around his throat. "Y-yeah I can talk. I'm just… tired, that's all."
The porcelain-masked man scrutinized him. "Where are you heading?"
Neji spoke quickly. "We've business with someone from Kusagakure -"
"I wasn't asking you," he threateningly interrupted. "I was addressing this one."
Naruto gazed into the black eyeholes, his heart racing. "We… we have to talk to a person from Kusagakure. It's an order from Lady Tsunade."
"Really?"
He nodded brusquely.
"Do you have a note?"
"N-note?" he stammered.
The guard crossed his arms in a contumelious manner. "That's odd. Lady Tsunade notified us that anyone exiting the village must have a letter stating such with her signature. Your story is quite the contrary to our orders."
Not good! Neji thought. "This was an impromptu edict from Tsunade herself. She didn't want to waste time writing a note and instructed us to relay that to any sentries at the gate."
He scribbled down their information. "The fact that it's so vital would be precise reason to give you a note!"
Neji was at a lost as to what to say next. "Please, we can't afford to idle any longer-"
"Oh, I know – missions are crucial, and that's why I'll forego the mandatory letter."
Naruto's eyes lit with hope.
The man shouted over his shoulder at another guard. "Tsuru! Verify with the Hokage that…" he consulted his notepad, "… Hyuga Neji and Uzumaki Naruto have her consent to leave."
Neji staggered.
"Yes, sir!" Tsuru flickered away, taking with him Naruto and Neji's prospect of escape.
Crap! Crap! Gotta do something! Naruto panicked, frantically seeking a solution out of the fix. What could he do? Tsuru was probably speaking with Tsunade at that very moment. He visualized her furious demeanor….
The answer dawned on him. "Neji, you idiot!" he laughed boisterously, aiming to draw attention away from his comrade. "Of course she gave us a note! I left it at Ichiraku, remember?"
Neji stared at him, dumbstruck. What are you planning, Naruto? Without room for options, he played along, yearning this was indeed a worthy tactic and not merely a grasp at straws. "Oh, right…."
"I'll go get it."
He turned, but the officer seized his arm. "Wait just a minute, you!"
"No, let him go, Saru," another ANBU interjected. "I want to see this 'note'."
He chuckled. "Yeah, you're right. My curiosity's piqued, too." He relinquished his hold and Naruto jogged away, vanishing behind a corner of buildings.
That runt had better have a strategy, Neji thought, watching for signs of the blonde's return, or that of Tsuru's. Whatever your plan, hurry up, Naruto. If Tsuru returns before you, we're had.
His stomach-turning anticipation ended precisely then when he saw Tsunade emerge from the road Naruto had journeyed, stomping towards the gate. In her wake was Naruto, chattering wildly. "… but they said we couldn't leave without the letter, Grandma Tsunade! I'm sorry I lost the note. I left it right on the counter after I got my ramen -"
"I don't care about the note, Naruto!" she tersely snapped, staring daggers at the group of ANBU. "Hey! You knuckleheads on duty!" she screamed at them from a distance.
The guards started when they noticed her. Naruto ran back to Neji, leaving the Hokage's side.
"Why aren't you letting these kids pass? They told you I gave them decree to leave, didn't they?!"
Neji analyzed the scenario for a second before understanding. Naruto, you idiot!
Saru was tongue-tied. "We… we were simply following protocol based on your stipulations-"
She took a step forward; Neji cringed. "My foot will show you stipulations if you don't move your lazy asses and let these two through!"
The answer apparently satisfied the sentries' skepticism, and Saru allowed the pair passage over the inlaid threshold. Allthewhile, Neji dared not look back for the imminent return of Tsuru. He walked swiftly, trying not to provoke suspicion from the officers; Naruto followed suit.
As soon as they were outside the fence and far enough away, Neji shot Naruto a venomous glare. "A Shadow Clone? Do you realize how risky that was? They could've seen right through that charade!"
"Yeah, but they didn't!" Naruto grinned. "Why do you think I had the clone stand so far away? Even I know ANBU could tell the real Tsunade from a fake!"
Neji was ready to retort the factuality with hypothetical conjectures of what calamities could have befallen them in case the guards had deciphered the Kage Bunshin, but he didn't. He sighed. "It was quick thinking. Good job, Naruto," he said under his breath.
Naruto smiled. "'Bout time you saw my genius… believe it!" and they both bounded to the treetops.
Behind the gate, Saru was repeatedly apologizing to Tsunade, who still stood far from the guards, when suddenly Tsuru and the actual Tsunade materialized in the group in a tyrannical lividity. "What the hell is this all about?! I didn't permit Naruto or Neji to leave!"
Saru and the other ANBU glanced from Tsunade to the clone. "Those little bastards," Saru groaned.
Tsunade spotted the clone. Knowledgeable it'd been found out, it stuck out its tongue in mockery before evaporating into smoke.
A blood vessel erupted on her forehead when she grasped what had just occurred, and she cursed Naruto's name to the wide, cloudless sky.
However, neither he nor Neji heard her. They were already far from the village, racing through the foliage to their imprecise destination… as well as a contingent promise they hoped they could uphold this time around.
.
.
There's an interesting story behind the Ita-chin name. "Chin" is a variation of "chan", which is used to address not only females, but children, lovers and close acquaintances – a pet name, if you will. "Chin" is a mispronunciation stereotypically attributed to small children and is perceived as cute "baby talk" when spoken by children; when used by an older person however, such as Orochimaru, it denotes a more deranged feel.