Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto in any way, shape, or form
Chapter 9: Masquerade
"Jiraiya, it's been a while."
"What a pleasure to see you, Tsunade-hime." Jiraiya stated as he eased himself onto the booth of the quaint, isolated bar, two glasses of sake already placed on both sides of the table for each of them respectively, although Tsunade had not so much as glanced at her glass, waiting impatiently for Jiraiya. "It's not very often I get the honor of being sent here for you." He grinned a typical grin towards his former teammate.
"Well, why would I want to associate myself with a perverted old oaf like you, after all?" she stated sarcastically -obviously she loved her teammate to death (maybe as a little more than just a friend or teammate), not that she would ever admit that.
"Aww come on Tsunade-hime, that hurts." he feigned a hurt expression.
Tsunade rolled her eyes. "Shut up already."
Jiraiya cracked a grin but said no more, as his eyes began to roam around the small bar, his eyes glancing towards a waitress with a particularly big bust size. "It's as you expected. My contacts are telling me that we should expect their arrival."
"Tch" Tsunade bit her thumb slightly, turning to glance the opposite way of Jiraiya and staring out a small window beside her. "This doesn't just put our alliance at risk, but our Jinchuuriki and shinobi as well."
"I suggest you have the place heavily guarded. Casualties may be prevented, after all."
"But is a brute, head-first attack really what we should be expecting, if it comes at all?" Tsunade questioned, her eyes glancing at Jiraiya, glaring slightly, not just because of the implication behind their conversation, but because of the fact that her former teammate was openly oggling a young waitress right in front of her, while having such a serious conversation, no less.
"I don't suppose Akatsuki really knows any other way, though. It's not like they have the most normal looking shinobi with particularly conspicuous attacks." Jiraiya responded, oblivious to Tsunade's glare.
And Tsunade supposed she could not argue that one. Kisame Hoshigaki was a man seven feet in stature, who's skin color and physical attributes made him resemble a shark more so than a human. The one named Deidara had long blonde hair and for Kami's sake, he was missing an arm! Orochimaru was easily identifiable around all of the elite shinobi in Konoha, as was Itachi. The only one who could pose as an actual threat was Tobi, for he wore a mask, and as such they didn't have the faintest idea of what he looked like.
"Henges won't work with shinobi such as the Hyuga and the Uchiha at every corner. The only form of attack they could possibly use to get in is a frontal attack" Jiraiya stated, an attempt to offer Tsunade some sort of ease.
"Yes, but this is a masquerade Jiraiya. I don't think henges would be necessary to sneak in." Originally, the decision of making it a masquerade was made to hide the identities of any and all important figures that may need protection in case of an attack, such as Naruto, Utakata, Mei, or herself, but now that they knew Akatsuki was trying to get involved, it seemed that it only made things trickier. Naruto had a way of always making himself known, after all, and after getting to know Mei for a full week, she had learned that Mei had the same tendency.
"It's a private party with limited guests; invitations are required." Jiraiya insisted.
Tsunade did not speak, pondering on what it was that she should do. Cancelling the gala was a no -it would destroy all of the efforts they had been making for the duration of Mei's stay. But to risk the danger...?
"If they attack, it will be at most two; they only ever work in pairs. You think that they'll get very far with over a hundred shinobi at the ready to attack?" And this, Tsunade could not deny. Her shinobi were more than capable of handling a nuisance, at least scaring off Akatsuki and not giving them a chance to attack their intended target, whoever that person may be at this point in time. "I suggest you alert Mei of the risks with this ball. Let her know what she's signing herself up for, considering she probably wants this alliance more than we do. She'll have her shinobi cooperate with us."
Tsunade nodded. "That seems to be the best choice to make." She sighed slightly, downing a shot of sake.
"Relax. Everything will be fine." Jiraiya grinned, lifting his glass up as a sort of toast before he too downed his cup of sake.
"I sure hope so." She sighed, as she glanced at Jiraiya. "And stop checking out that waitress." she snapped.
"I'm infiltrating a ball -that's hilarious." Kisame mused as he and Itachi ran through the thick forested expanse. "I could swear I abandoned my village to not get tied down to these sort of political hassles."
"Men with power can never escape politics." Itachi glanced at Kisame for the slightest of moments as he spoke, taking in Kisame's facial expression.
"I guess that's true, but it'd be nice to." Kisame frowned slightly as he shrugged. "I wish Sasori was still alive."
Itachi didn't respond, knowing the implication behind Kisame's words. If Sasori were still alive, he and Deidara would currently be in their shoes -a seven foot tall blue giant had no business here, especially not one that swung around a giant sword, after all.
Yet, Itachi found that he couldn't particularly complain this time around -if not them, then this burden would be passed down to Madara and Deidara, an act that didn't bode well with him, despite how strongly he tried to deny it. It was because Mikoto, Sasuke, and Saki were there, he tried to assure himself, but deep down inside he knew them to not be in any imminent danger around Madara. After all, if Madara saw them as a threat he would have disposed of them long ago, in particular Sasuke. But he knew even if they were, he would not make a move. Madara needed Sasuke, wanted Sasuke, for that matter, and if he killed his mother and sister the chances of gaining him on Madara's side were nearly impossible. The only real tactic he had, was if he used Itachi -of which he knew would fail anyway.
Because when it came down to it, Sasuke already knew the truth behind the massacre -not all of it, but enough. He supposed he could thank Sakura in this aspect, for she single-handed, had already ruined part of Madara's plans and he was none the wiser.
Nevertheless, Itachi's mind was wandering from what currently troubled him. Well, not particularly troubled him, but rather... intrigued him.
"Sakura-hime." Hiroto stood before her door, waiting for her to give him the okay to come in.
"It's Sakura-chan, remember?" he heard Sakura's voice, an indication for him to come in, which he gladly took. He slid open the shoji door to Sakura's room, finding her sitting before her vanity mirror, examining her physique. "No need to alert anyone of my status as Haruno heir, after all." As she spoke, she stood and turned to face Hiroto, who was dressed in a fancy tuxedo, a pink tie that matched perfectly with his eyes. "You look nice." she complimented, approaching him as she looked him up and down.
"Himawari-chan picked this out." Hiroto shrugged.
"I can tell." Sakura laughed slightly.
"You look beautiful too, Sakura-hime." he ignored Sakura's pout at the endearment. "Watch out, or you're going to attract more attention than what's wanted." Hiroto winked at her.
Sakura laughed. "Gomen," she apologized. "I couldn't get out of shopping with Himawari-chan and Ino-pig. You can blame them for this." She looked down, examining her figure, finely dressed in a simple but stunning, long red dress, one-shouldered, and with a high slit that exposed Sakura's legs. "But enough about me. Is everyone ready?" Sakura changed the subject.
"Mikoto is finishing up Saki's hair. Himawari is waiting with Sasuke and Naruto. I haven't received word from Marika since yesterday." Hiroto informed dutifully.
"That's fine, she'll be arriving late anyway. We'll meet her at the party, it's not like she'll be too hard to identify." Sakura gave a small chuckle. After all, not like there were very many people with piercing blue hair and green eyes. "Let's get going, I don't want to be late."
"Hai"
And so they both turned and exited Sakura's room, walking down the hallway of the Haruno household until she came across her team, minus Kakashi, and her beloved cousin, impatiently waiting for everyone to finish -at least, this held true for the two males in the group.
Upon hearing footsteps, both males eagerly stood up, having been waiting for nearly thirty minutes. "Finally! Let's-!" But Naruto's shout was cut short as he caught a glimpse of Sakura, her pink locks curled to perfection.
Sakura could have rolled her eyes at the antics of her teammate. Leave it to Naruto to have an unwavering crush on Sakura in two different timelines, and still not realize how deeply and madly in love Hinata was with him. "Now, now Naruto, close your mouth, lest you drool all over your suit. Kami knows how long Mikoto had to pester you for you to finally put that on. You'll ruin any and all chances of any woman taking a liking to you this evening."
Naruto was quick to blush in embarrassment, closing his mouth completely and looking away bashfully, all the while Himawari giggling in the sidelines.
"Leave it to Sakura-neesama to look absolutely beautiful without even trying." Suddenly Saki appeared running down the hallway, dressed in a long, sparkly choker blue dress, Mikoto trailing slightly behind her in a simple, long-sleeved black dress, a mature but still classy look for the Uchiha matriarch.
"Okaa-san." Sasuke was quick to stand, a sign of respect as he greeted his mother.
Mikoto merely smiled, her eyes glinting in delight. "My, you two look dashing!" she squealed in delight, looking up and down at Naruto and Sasuke. "Although I truly hate your normal attire, I must say that the orange tie does something for you, Naruto-kun. And you too, Sasuke-kun! It won't be long until you're showing up with a woman by your side~" she squealed in delight.
Sakura took her eyes off of Mikoto, if only to stop herself from laughing -Sasuke bringing a girl home? As if.
Conversation was minimal from there onwards, Saki exclaiming loudly that she had never been to a masquerade, and that she was excited to see all of the different masks. When it was finally time to go, all of them exited the building and began walking down the road together, but it wasn't until they had arrived in front of their designated carriage that Saki finally realized that they would not all be travelling together.
"Sakura-neesama, you're not coming with me?" She pouted, an action that instantly irritated Sasuke (why was she more concerned about the fact that Sakura wasn't going to be there? Didn't he count for something?).
Sakura gave a small smile as she shook her head. "Sasuke-kun, Naruto and I have some business we must see to with Tsunade-sama before we go. You'll be travelling with Himawari-chan and Hiroto though, so don't worry. You'll see me in a few hours." Sakura winked.
Although unhappy with the news, Saki would not complain with the company she had now.
And so Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura saw off the Harunos' and Uchihas' respectively, and once they were finally out of eye-shot, they turned and made their way towards the Hokage tower.
Upon their arrival, Tsunade finally seemed at ease, having all of her designated shinobi around her, alongside Mei and some of her own shinobi.
"As you all know, we may or may not come across Akatsuki tonight." Tsunade's words lay thick as everyone process the information. "I don't have to tell you guys to keep your eyes peeled. We have eyes on the outside, but in order to not bring fear to our guests, we must keep security on the inside hidden. This is where you guys come in."
As she stated this, her eyes turned to some of her shinobi, in particular Sayuri and Kakashi, some of the only shinobi currently in the room who were clad in ANBU gear, and not some sort of dress or tux. "You two, keep well hidden. The rest of you, have fun but keep in mind that we're working."
"Hai" All shinobi shouted in unison.
"It is imperative everything run smoothly. Akatsuki fears what may happen if this treaty actualizes -it is clear by their likely arrival. They are afraid; let's keep it that way." her last statement was met with a confident and fiery smirk, one that sort of set a fire in everyone's eyes as well.
"That's right Akatsuki. Tremble before the might of the Fire and Mist Nations."
Itachi looked himself over, examining the reflection he saw in the mirror, mostly with boredom and disinterest. "Wow, looking sharp kid." Kisame whistled as he stared at Itachi's aristocratic features, his fine Uchiha lineage showing despite the many years of the rugged lifestyle he was used to.
Itachi opted to ignore Kisame, faintly wondering how long it had been since the occasion called for him to wear a suit and tie. It had easily been over eleven, that's for sure. "Are preparations ready?" He opted to ask instead.
"Hai" Kisame gave a grin as he turned around, his eyes falling on a young, dark-haired male, bound and gagged with the most terrified expression one had ever witnessed. "Now, listen here brat, if you do as we say you get to live past tonight, got it?"
Although said man was petrified to the bone with tears in his eyes, he nodded fervently, as if his life depended on it -which it did.
Kisame grinned. "Glad to hear"
"Hiroto Takashima?"
"Hai"
"It is our pleasure to have you. You may continue."
"Thank you." Hiroto gave a small nod, receiving his name-tag and continuing on into the large mansion-esque building.
But as soon as he entered the building through the two, glamorous doors, suddenly there was another shinobi. "If you would follow me this way, I will escort you to your seat, Mr. Takashima." the shinobi looked at his name tag, and then looked up with a smile.
"Actually, I really have to use the restroom first. Where might that be?"
"I will escort you there, then." the shinobi nodded.
"I am perfectly fine by myself, don't worry." Hiroto offered a smile.
"For security reasons, I must highly recommend that you stay with an escort until you reach the reception area."
Hiroto smiled. "If you insist."
"Right this way, if you will."
And so Hiroto went to the bathroom, while the shinobi waited patiently outside. But Hiroto, upon arriving at the bathroom, made sure that all the stalls were empty, before casting a genjutsu over the entirety of the bathroom, one so efficient that none would be able to sense it. Shortly afterwards, he entered a stall himself and removed from a coat pocket a single scroll with a seal. And from within this scroll he summoned a Sameheda, and slowly but surely, a man, blue in color, began to emerge from the flesh-eating sword.
"I don't think I've ever seen you smile Itachi. I guess there's a first for everything, nee?" Kisame mused.
Itachi didn't respond, suddenly feeling uncomfortable being inside a cubicle with a seven foot man and a nearly as large sword. "You know what to do." and so he turned, making sure to flush the toilet, before he opened the door and left, neither Kisame nor his sword in the stall any longer.
Itachi, or should I say Hiroto Takashima, washed his hands, staring at his reflection for the slightest of moments, his hair styled as it always was but now trimmed significantly shorter, his Sharingan eyes deactivated for the first time in ages, and an intricate and magnificent masquerade mask hiding a majority of his noble Uchiha-esque features. Promptly afterwards, he turned and exited the bathroom, simultaneously deactivating the genjutsu, not surprised to see the shinobi that had escorted him still standing there. "Thank you for your patience." Hiroto gave a small smile.
"No need to thank me." the shinobi returned the smile. "Now if you will please follow me, I will escort you to your seat in the reception room." Hiroto said nothing more as he followed closely behind the shinobi, his eyes discreetly darting around left and right as he remembered every single detail that there was to remember about the hallways. "Beyond these doors is the reception." And as he said this he opened the double doors, revealing a grand ball-like room, vast in expanse, filled already with hundreds of people, all with elaborate dresses and tuxes and masks of the sort.
No sooner was Itachi placed at a table, the shinobi bowing to him. "I hope you find tonight's festivities to your liking, Mr. Takashima. If you will excuse me."
Itachi forced another smile as he bid the shinobi goodbye, and upon finding himself all alone, he allowed his eyes to roam the expanse of the dance floor and the other dozens of tables that surrounded it. Ahead of him was a giant staircase the split into two separate stairs that led up the opposite sides of the second floor. It was safe to assume that the honored guests, in this particular case more than likely Mei, and notable heads such as Tsunade, would make their appearance from there if they weren't already on the floor. And seeing the lack of crowds, it seemed that that would be the case.
Luckily enough, it didn't seem that the second floor was off limits for guests, and as such, he slowly made his way up to the second story of the buildings, casually walking around as if he were simply admiring the architecture of the building, careful to wander around until he was sure that he was neither being watched nor followed.
And without so much as a second thought, Hiroto Takashima was gone from the hallway with numerous doors, entering one in which he knew Kisame to be. "Took you long enough." Kisame sighed.
Itachi ignored him once more, seeing Kisame now under a genjutsu, now of average height and color, donning a luxurious white dress shirt and a fancy black button up vest, his suit jacket tossed over his shoulder, held on by one hand. His tie was similar to Itachi's, except that it was blue in color, whereas Itachi's was a crimson red. He had a masquerade mask on, strapped at his neck, blue in color with golden gems etched at the sides. "Security inside is not as heavy as it is outside." Itachi stated.
"Of course it isn't. With security so heavy outside, the chances of us getting in undetected were nearly moot. Of course, we just happen to be lucky that one of us here knows how to feign political importance, you cute little son of the Tea Daimyo you." Kisame teased, something that, yet again, Itachi ignored. "Anyway, let's not diddle-daddle. We have a Mizukage to assassinate."
Yet, as Kisame began to walk towards the door, Itachi decided to speak up. "Kisame" he called out his name, a sign for Kisame to stop.
"Hai?" he turned to look at Itachi questioningly.
"Are you having second thoughts?" his question was blunt and straight to the point, and it caused Kisame's eyebrows to scrunch up.
And then he turned around fully, his coat now tucked under his arm as he shoved his hands in his pant pockets. "There's really no getting anything past you, is there?" he sighed. "Then again I suppose I could have been a little less obvious about it." he had been looking at the floor, but suddenly he looked up, staring fixedly straight at Itachi. "...I'm not sure anymore..." he admitted slowly. "Are you?"
But Itachi didn't answer him -at least, not in the way Kisame had expected. "No matter who we are or who we follow, we should always remain true to our own goals." he stated. "And if these beliefs do not coincide with the acts we are enacting, you should carve your own path."
Kisame could have laughed -was his junior by at least eight years seriously giving him a lesson in life? But regardless of the irony, he was glad to hear these words from Itachi. As such, he walked away from the door he had been hovering by and instead walked towards the window, gazing out at the lights of the buildings surrounding them. "I deserted Kirigakure because I was disillusioned by the politics. It was all a lie... one which I didn't want to be a part of. But Mei... Iee, the Mizukage," he corrected himself, notifying Itachi that, to a certain extent, he was acknowledging her -giving her some respect, "she's sincerely trying to clean up Kirigakure. She's been working -relentlessly, at that, to guide Kiri to a more truthful and peaceful life." He sighed once more, turning back to Itachi. "She's creating a village which I would have died to try and protect. And here I am, on my way to murder the very person who is trying so hard to accomplish the foolish dreams that I had once had as a young shinobi." he laughed at the irony.
But where did this put him? He couldn't simply go against Madara -not without dying, he was sure. And now he was simply stuck at a crossroad. "Y'know," he began once more, "I'm glad that I joined Akatsuki, Itachi, if only because I was able to befriend you." it was a rare heartfelt moment between the two long-term friends. "You might just be the only friend I've managed to keep throughout the years -the only person who has been faithful and truthful."
Itachi stared at Kisame, still not speaking a word.
Yet, Kisame sighed once more, beginning to walk. "But whatever; orders are orders." he shrugged. "Don't worry about this one Itachi. I know you don't like getting your hands dirty anyway." he stated. "Let's go."
And so Itachi followed suit, although one thought did strike him. What was Kisame planning?
Whatever happens tonight, he'd be fighting for what he believed in... even if it is fighting for a better peace for his country.
"Even with a mask on you still attract attention." Kisame could have snickered, standing alongside his best friend, both with drinks in their hands and seemingly enjoying the bustle of the party, although they were keeping a close eye on all entrances and exits. "Even as a deadly murderer you can snag a girl -how lucky are you?" he joked.
But Itachi ignored him, both of them knowing fully well that he had absolutely no intentions of "snagging a girl," as Kisame had put it.
"Nee, you think that Haruno is going to be here? Y'know, the one who defeated Sasori? You'd think she'd be considered an honored guest, no?" Itachi flashed him a glance, a means of telling him to stop talking -to above all else stop mentioning irrelevant topics. "Just saying." Kisame shrugged nonchalantly. "She was impressive, no?"
"Nothing neither of us can't handle." Itachi brushed his comment aside. "They'll be arriving soon." he announced, changing the subject, as he stared at the large clock that nearly struck Ten.
"Hai, hai." Kisame mused, mentally wondering why it was that Itachi still adamantly refused to speak of the Haruno. "I'll take my leave then, Mr. Takashima." he winked, placing a hand on Itachi's shoulder before he walked on in opposite directions as Itachi.
"Remember. You guys are our eyes on the inside." Tsunade stared at her shinobi. "Try hard to not raise suspicion from anyone though -this will evoke fear into the guests and we're trying to avoid that as much as possible."
"Hai" they all said in unison.
"This applies to all of you as well." It was Mei who spoke this time, eyeing her own group of shinobi.
"Hai!"
And so, without so much as one look towards the other kage, both Mei and Tsunade, clad in extravagant blue and green clothing respectively, split, going in opposite directions from the second floor, their shinobi following suit.
Having been alerted of their presence, all the hustle and bustle of the lower floor seemingly ceased in a split second, all guests un-moving as they allowed the two kages to make their entrance, each with three pairs of shinobi trailing behind them.
"Do you sense anything?" It was Sakura who whispered as they made their descent down the first flight of stairs, flashing Neji Hyuga a glance from his position behind her.
"Iee" he inconspicuously turned to survey the people in the room. "Then again, who knows who we might be dealing with. A master at genjutsu could probably stay undetected with little effort. I'd need my Byakugan." Neji stated.
"I-I'll be on the look-out t-too." It was Hinata's small whisper, spoken from alongside Naruto, in front of Sakura.
"Relax Sakura. We have nothing to worry about." Sasuke, who had his arm wrapped around Sakura's own, allowed himself a moment to squeeze it lightly as if trying to comfort her.
But you could not blame her for her nerves, honestly. She had done the math -either Itachi or Kisame would show up, or Tobi and Deidara would. She desperately hoped it to be the former -not because she knew Itachi to be an ultimate ally, but because she was scared to think of what destruction this Tobi Uchiha could create.
"Sasuke's right. We have shinobi at every corner. There's no way Akatsuki can get away with it so easily this time." TenTen spoke, her arm wrapped around Neji's own.
"I'd like to see them try." It was Naruto's cocky outburst that was finally able to set Sakura's mind at ease. That's right, with Naruto here, there was no way anything could possibly happen. Suddenly they stopped, at the top of the main stair, the group of shinobi standing respectfully behind their respective kage.
"We introduce to you the Godaime Hokage, Tsunade, and the Godaime Mizukage, Mei." the announcer spoke, and no sooner was there clapping from all directions.
And Sakura watched on, alongside her fellow shinobi, as Tsunade began a long, pre-planned elaborate speech, her eyes roaming the crowds until they landed on Saki and Mikoto, both sitting at a distant table, Saki fervently waving her hands to try and get Sakura's attention. She smiled her way, and it seemed enough to please Saki, who sat down with a smile on her face as she listened to Tsunade's speech.
"-And it is with great pleasure that I attest to the New Age for Kirigakure. Alongside Mei, these two nations will prosper and benefit from an alliance with each other."
"To a better future!" It was Mei who chanted these last words, both she and Tsunade raising their glasses, as everyone else did in the room, to support this salute.
They drank their glasses, and then they began their descent down the stairs, each of them once again taking their respectful pair by the arm, the males on the inside and he females on the outside.
And as Sakura began walking, her eyes roaming the crowds, her eyes met with those of a man, his onyx eyes seemingly catching her own in a deadlock, and for the slightest of moments time seemed to stop as she recognized those eyes, those broad shoulders and that seemingly not as long black hair. There was no mistaking it. 'Itachi...'
But he continued to walk past her, his own body being swallowed up by the crowd who respectfully stood by as the kages and their entourage made their entrance. But Sakura bit her tongue, her eyes suddenly darting around the crowd frantically. If Itachi was here that meant that Kisame was too. 'He was warning me...' Sakura noted. Because Itachi would never allow himself to be seen if he didn't want to be, after all.
From alongside her, Sasuke sensed her frantic, panicked state. "Sakura?" his senses expanded.
"They're here." it was but a whisper, but it was heard by the shinobi around her nonetheless, and they too began to look suspiciously at the crowd. Both Hinata and Neji activated their Byakugan's, gone unnoticed because of the masks they wore, and as they did this their eyes were quick to widen.
"He's-!"
In a split second they heard the sound of metal against metal, Sakura's Flower Eye and Sasuke's Sharingan already lit as they broke formation to see what had occurred.
Apparently, it had been a collective effort of Sayuri and Kakashi, both simultaneously blocking an attack for Mei from the Sameheda and attempting to knock him off balance, although the Kiri-nin seemed hardly fazed. Within the next second the crowd had cleared, leaving space between the kages and the Akatsuki member easily identifiable as Kisame Hoshigaki.
"We were expecting you." Tsunade spoke, a glare visible on her features, her shoulders tense at the sudden attack, so early on into the night. "To think that you'd attack so quickly after our arrival -you must be in a hurry."
Kisame didn't reply, weighing his option as he saw the sum of not just Kakashi and Sayuri, but Sasuke, Neji, and Yamato as well, surround Kisame, all but Sasuke and Neji dressed in ANBU attire. As previously told, Sakura grabbed the hands of Naruto and Hinata and separated some distance, dashing immediately into the crowds and heading straight towards the location where she knew Saki and Mikoto to be. After all, there was no reason to throw their Jinchuuriki into the fray, and they had had explicit instructions to make sure the Hyuga heiress was not touched.
"Sakura-chan, let me go!" Naruto complained, trying to release Sakura's grasp on his wrist, but Sakura wouldn't budge.
"You're not to get involved Naruto." she shook her head. "Sasuke-kun, Neji, and Kakashi-sensei are more than capable. We need to make sure there's not another impending attack."
Seeing the logic in Sakura's words, he stopped struggling. "Where are we going?"
"We're securing Mikoto and Saki's location first and foremost." Sakura explained, her golden orbs staring straight into Naruto's.
In response, he merely nodded, knowing that Sasuke would absolutely castrate him if something somehow ended up happening to his mother and sister. What they saw when she approached their table was Mikoto, Saki on her lap, hugging her from behind, her eyes frantically searching for Sasuke or Sakura. When her eyes finally landed on Sakura's, Hinata's, and Naruto's approaching figures, relief seemed to wash over her. "Sakura, what's going on?"
"It's as we expected. Akatsuki."
"For the Jinchuuriki?" Mikoto questioned.
Sakura's eyes narrowed. "Iee. Kisame seems to be targeting Mei for some reason."
"Kisame?" Mikoto's eyes widened slightly. "Does that mean-" She couldn't even say it, her eyes darting to the crowd.
"Hai..." Sakura did the same. "Itachi..." but suddenly her eyes turned to Naruto and Hinata. "Naruto, stay here."
And although Naruto was reluctant and wanted to argue, Sakura had dashed off before he could even do so.
And so Sakura once again pushed herself past the crowds, frantically searching for the Uchiha male while also simultaneously nearing the fight between the Konoha-nin and Kisame. Sakura heard more clangs of metal, turning to see Kisame fighting -and faring well enough, might she add, with five of the most elite shinobi Konoha had to offer. But this wouldn't last long, she knew; none of them had even gotten started.
But even this confused her, eyes still scanning for the mysterious dark-haired shinobi. Where was he and why wasn't he even attempting to aid his partner? Most importantly, why had Kisame decided to do such a flashy entrance, especially when both kages were as heavily guarded as they would ever be? It didn't add up to her. He could have just as easily waited until they were seated, perhaps catch her off guard while she was going to the bathroom -why now? Why in such a seemingly sloppy fashion? Not to mention, why Mei? Why not Naruto or Utakata? Could it be that he had already been spotted and as such had no choice but to make a move? It was plausible -Sayuri and Kakashi had responded very quickly, after all.
It didn't add up to her, and she knew that if she wanted answers she'd have to look for Itachi -he'd be the only one that could shine some light on the ordeal, if he allowed it. And so, knowing that she'd have a greater vantage point from the second story, she moved upstairs, noticing that it had become a stalemate at the bottom floor, all six shinobi just seizing each other up.
Yet, as she move past a large pillar suddenly a hand reached out, grasping her by the wrist and pulling her in, successfully blocking her out of anyone's vision. She looked up to see Sharingan eyes blazing down on her behind a black, intricate mask, and immediately her heart began to pound harder than it already was.
"Itachi, what is he-"
But he cut her off. "He has chosen his path, Sakura."
Her eyebrows furrowed. His path? What path? And why Mei? Had he been ordered to attack her? "Wha-"
"He will die for his cause."
It sort of pissed her off how Itachi always talked in riddles -why couldn't he just say what it is that he meant?
"He is first and foremost a Kiri-nin, as I am a Konoha shinobi."
Her eyes widened at that, Itachi's grip on her wrist loosening and allowing her the liberty to spin around the pillar to look at the fight before them. And, with her eyes now activated, she could see it, his full power not even activated, his chakra reserves hardly being touched.
"He... wants to lose?" she muttered this, primarily to herself.
It dawned on her, but as she spun around to speak to Itachi yet again he was already gone, and so she allowed herself to turn back to the scene before her. 'I have to save him...'
She didn't know why she felt like she had to -maybe because he had saved her, truthfully speaking. If not because of that, then because she was curious -why would he give his own life on a fake assassination attempt? And if not because of that then because something deep within her told her that she had made a friend out of Kisame, and as such, she could not allow him to die without first trying to intervene. Without first trying to understand him.
Her feet moved, whether or not she willed them to do so or not, and she was racing back down the stairs, pushing her way past the crowds and 'Holy crap why were heels even invented?!', until she was standing alongside Tsunade and Mei, both of which heavily guarded by a group of shinobi.
But as she saw the scene unfold before her, saw Kisame's strength seemingly wavering, although she knew that the nin before her was but a shadow of the true strength of Kisame Hoshigaki, desperation filled her orbs. "Tsunade-shishou..." Sakura muttered. "We can't... Stop" But she was either too distracted to pay her any attention, or simply didn't understand, because she did nothing to stop her shinobi -yet, it seemed that Sayuri picked up on this, seeing Sakura's figure approach Tsunade in a hasty fashion, and her actions faltered for the slightest of seconds, not gone unnoticed by the likes of Mei and Tsunade. "Shisou." Sakura's strong remark caught not only Tsunade's attention this time around, but Mei's as well, as she poked Tsunade furiously in the rib. "Stop them."
Tsunade seemed to snap out of whatever daze she had been in, and no sooner her hand raised in a halt. "Stop!"
And even as Sayuri got ready to deliver the final blow, it was enough of a command to have both Sayuri and Kisame's eyes widen and Sayuri's sword halted. He was down on his knees, both his hands and feet immobilized by Yamato's wood-style techniques and secured down by Kakashi's own water prism. And there Sayuri stood, blade just inches from Kisame's neck.
"Stop" Tsunade affirmed once more, assuring Sayuri that she had indeed ordered them to not kill a lethal Akatsuki member.
Sayuri stared, clearly confused, but no sooner put her sword away and bowed. Kisame looked from the female ANBU member to the Haruno female before him, clad in a beautiful dress and her long bubble-gum pink hair beautifully styled in curls, because he had seen enough of their interactions from the corner of his eyes to see that the only reason Tsunade had stopped his impending death was because of her.
But no words were exchanged between the two, even as their eyes met, for it was Mei who spoke, stepping up as well. "What is the meaning of this?" she questioned, more so intrigued at the interaction of Tsunade and the Haruno who had been seemingly put in the background for the duration of their stay in Konoha -Sakura Haruno, was it?
Sakura turned to look at Mei, both of their eyes clashing, knowing fully well that Mei knew Tsunade had stopped their assault because of her. "Today is a day to celebrate the union of two great nations." Sakura began. "Today is a day for forgiveness, above all else" Sakura continued, her hands hovering over her mask for the slightest of seconds before she removed it completely. "The Haruno Clan have been harmed by your people; but we will not let this deter our efforts for a brighter future. As such, this day is not the day for blood-shed."
Suddenly the remaining five Harunos', other than Sakura were before her, pushing their way past the crowds and making their entrance, Daichi the only Haruno other than Sayuri dressed in an ANBU attire.
"We humbly ask that this execution be put off for another day."
Mei's eyes widened, seeing the Harunos' bowing before the young kunoichi, almost as if supporting her claim. 'By God she's the heir...' Her eyes turned to Tsunade, who was also looking at Mei expectantly, almost as if confirming Mei's belief. There was no doubt about it now, she was sure, for now that she looked at Sakura, actually looked at her and saw the way she spoke and held herself, there was no question in her mind that this could only be the heir -even she had heard of the prophecies.
"I have to be in agreement." Tsunade explained. "Furthermore, this man may serve as information. We should consider executing him for another day."
Mei, although shocked, kept her cool and smiled. "You're absolutely right. Today we celebrate!"
Sakura didn't know how, but somehow Mei had managed to bring out a yelp of excitement and cheering from the people (Kami she was so much like Naruto it kind of scared her). Yet, she turned back around, Sayuri, Kakashi, and Daichi already restraining the disgruntled Kiri-nin, making sure to take all precautions so that he couldn't use his chakra or get away. And so they made him stand, and Sakura approached the trio, not staring directly at any of them but still muttering under her breath. "Lock him up but leave interrogation to me. Make sure Danzo's forces don't get his hands on him."
Although intrigued, Kakashi said nothing -who ever knew what was going on in Sakura's head anyway.
"Hai"
Sakura and Kisame's eyes met once more -a flash of recognition, it seemed to Kisame, flashed through her orbs, but she briskly turned around and left before he could ponder it.
Somehow, with whatever luck that they had, the party had resumed in full force, hardly anyone seemingly affected by the appearance of the Akatsuki member just hours prior. Of course, security was still high, for everyone knew that Akatsuki always traveled in pairs and as such Itachi Uchiha was still on the loose somewhere.
"Their greatest chance of attacking successfully is if they attack at the same time. Given that his partner is already safely detained, I do not see the Uchiha coming around for round two." Tsunade tried to set her shinobi's minds at ease.
Sakura, sitting among the same table as the most honored guests, alongside the last three remaining Uchiha and some of the other Clan Heads, couldn't help but sigh, her eyes roaming the crowds. It didn't matter anyway. Itachi wasn't using a genjutsu, so neither the Byakugan eyes nor the Sharingan would be able to spot him -not that Sasuke would ever engage in battle with him anyway. The Harunos' already knew of Itachi's ultimate innocence, so she didn't have to worry there either.
Was he still even there to begin with, Sakura couldn't help but wonder. He could have just booked it the moment Kisame had been detained -it seemed likely, anyhow, for there was technically nothing else to do after that. His partner was alive and Konoha safe, after all. "May I have this dance, Sakura-hime?"
Sakura looked up to see Hiroto, a playful grin on his features, his eyes seemingly lighting in mischief -although they were always like that to begin with anyway. She returned the smile, grabbing the hand that was offered to her as she stood, allowing Hiroto to lead the way towards the dance floor. And so he put his hand on her waist and she her own on his shoulders, and they began the graceful waltz to the wonderful music. "What's your purpose for saving Kisame?" he questioned after some time.
Ahh, so this is what he wanted to know. "I don't know yet." she was honest, "But I know I'm not the only one that could have noticed he wasn't even trying."
Hiroto nodded in agreement. "It's almost as if he wanted to be defeated."
"Hai." she paused momentarily as Hiroto spun her, and then she continued her conversation. "Needless to say, I owe that man a great deal. He saved my life, although he may not be aware of it now. Plus, maybe he truly can be of useful information to us. His hesitation proves that he still holds ties to Kirigakure -maybe he has lost his purpose."
"It would seem likely." Hiroto confirmed. "I have received word that he is now in a cell in interrogation. Sayuri, Daichi, and Kakashi are all taking turns watching him, as you have ordered."
Sakura nodded. "Good. I just need him there so I can question him tomorrow."
There was a moment's silence as they simply enjoyed their dance together, and as the song came to an end, Hiroto allowed himself to embrace his adorable younger cousin. "When you release him, make sure you at least make it seem like he over-powered you."
Before Sakura could comment, perhaps even consider looking at Hiroto with a flabbergasted expression, suddenly someone cleared their throat, and both Haruno's turned to look at a taller male, his eyes glowing a warm amber color through his mask. "May I have this dance, Sakura-san?"
Hiroto looked from Sakura back to the male, who he knew to be Utakata. "If you will excuse me then." he smiled warmly towards them both, despite the pleading look that Sakura gave him -why wouldn't she want to dance with Utakata anyway? He seemed like a nice enough guy. "She's all yours, Utakata-san."
And then he was gone, leaving her in the dance floor with a slightly frustrated look on her face -had her motives been that obvious? Then again, Hiroto had always been particularly good at reading her. Furthermore, she was sure, clear as day, that her expression had said to not leave her alone with the Kiri-nin. Then again, despite her reluctance, she couldn't really refuse, could she? This was all part of the politics; she just had to suck it up and bear with it.
Utakata merely smiled, either unaware of her uneasiness or simply amused by it, as he took her hand in his and made it land on his shoulder, and then promptly put his hand at her waist. "That was quite a show, wasn't it?" he started conversation easily.
"I would hardly call it a show." Sakura could have scoffed. "My friends put their lives at risk." she scowled slightly.
"True, but no harm done, right?" the smile never left his face. "No blood has been spilled, thanks to you."
"They were Tsunade's orders, not mine." Sakura returned the smile, already seeing where Utakata was going -and she didn't like it, mind you.
"Maybe so, but it seems Sayuri, as I believe her to be, reacted to your presence more so than Tsunade's commands, or am I mistaken? Furthermore, you are the one who insisted Tsunade halt her shinobi."
The corner of Sakura's mouth twitched, her smile faltering for the slightest of seconds. "What are you implying, Utakata-san?" Although she remained friendly, her hand on his shoulder was just about ready to knock him out.
Utakata did not respond immediately, seemingly enjoying Sakura's uneasiness as he twirled her around several times. And then when he brought her back, he pulled her in much closer than before, much closer than is normal, his lips practically on her ear. "Her actions are indicative that you are held to a much higher standard than you previously led on, I believe."
Sakura's eyes widened slightly, not that Utakata could see it. "I repeat myself, what are you implying?" she allowed herself to seem unfazed, neither by his words or his actions.
"You know exactly what I'm implying, Sa-ku-ra." She didn't like the way he said her name, or the way his hand on her waist seemed to grip her just the slightest bit harder. "I knew there had to be a reason Saiken responded so favorably towards you." Did she mention she also didn't like the way that he was looking at her, now that they had pulled apart slightly and she was once again twirling?
Before any more words could be exchanged though, suddenly someone appeared beside them, and Sakura wasn't sure whether he had quite literally just appeared out of nowhere, or if he were that silent. He grabbed her, mid-spin, and suddenly Sakura found herself in the arms of another man. Her eyes shot up to her assailant, and once their eyes met Sakura had to muster up the strengths to not let out a gasp. Or a squeal. Or to not pass out right then and there, for that matter.
"Sorry, but I'll be taking her from you. I truly hope you don't mind." The man flashed Utakata a not so genuine smile, a slight threat filtering through his onyx orbs.
Utakata merely returned the less than happy smile, one akin to Sai's own. "Certainly not. As long as Sakura here doesn't mind, that is." And he appeared beside Sakura, a tentative arm around her hip seemingly possessive of her. Utakata didn't miss the way the unknown nin's index finger twitched in irritation at the lack of surname when speaking about Sakura.
Suddenly two pairs of eyes turned to Sakura (very briefly, might she add, for even before she had responded their eyes were back on each other), and Sakura could barely muster a "Hai." Regardless, it was funny that he was asking her permission now when he hadn't before. Pffft. Hypocrite.
"I guess you should release her then," he seemed to pause momentarily to look at his name tag (although he was already well aware of who this nin was), "Utakata-san"
"The song is over anyway; it wouldn't be fair of me to hog her all to myself, would it?" Utakata once again showed that half-assed smile, his arm reluctantly coming off of Sakura's hip.
"Certainly not." The two males stared at each other, both with charming and less than pleased smiles adorning their features.
"It was a pleasant dance, Sakura." Suddenly Utakata averted his gaze towards the pinkette. "Hopefully this won't be the last time I see you tonight. Goodbye."
And so, with one last lingering gaze to the tall and lean man who had just stolen his dance partner, as if taunting him with the way he addressed Sakura, he walked off, just as another song started playing.
And there Sakura was, trying desperately -and failing, to register the fact that here she was, suddenly dancing with Itachi. Yet, she did not let her mind linger on this, even if the place where his hand was resting on her hip felt as if it had caught on fire. "I thought you would have left by now," she paused to look at his name-tag, if only to distract herself from being overly conscious of where he was touching her and what he was doing, "Hiroto Takashima."
He either didn't know how to respond or simply didn't want to, and soon enough Sakura gave up on expecting an answer, which sucked, because now she had nothing to do or think and she was once again becoming very aware of his movements -of his lingering gaze on her, almost as if he was unashamed or uncaring about what he was doing. The thought made her cheeks flush (Kami she hoped he wouldn't notice, though she was sure he would -he noticed everything, after all), and she wondered what it was that Itachi wanted. And why had he even interrupted her dance with Utakata -clearly there wasn't anything extremely urgent to discuss, for he hadn't said a word to her, not one peep, since Utakata's departure. He hadn't said one word to her to begin with, hadn't even asked her if she was okay with this, for that matter...!
They didn't speak -only danced, and Sakura somehow found it fitting for him to be a graceful dancer, even spinning her and doing all sorts of dance moves that Sakura didn't even know she was capable of herself. "Do you truly plan on executing him?" Finally he spoke, nearly five whole minutes after they started dancing, and it was nearly enough to startle her out of her own frantic thoughts.
So this is what he had wanted. "The decision is not up to me." she stated, looking up slightly to peer into his masked gaze on her.
"But you do plan to lead the interrogation." he stated more so than asked.
"That's the plan..." They were so close, chests nearly colliding, and she found that she could barely peek her head past his shoulder, even on heels.
Apparently even he seemed to know her plan, and as their second song together ended, he holding her by the small of her back as she leaned back, he finally stared at her then, his Sharingan eyes activated for the slightest of moments as he looked at her, but they were gone nearly as quickly as they had come. He pulled her up, his lips hovering over the shell of her ear. "Arigatou"
Her eyes widened, even as the song subsequently ended and Itachi turned around, walking away.
But she wasn't ready to part ways, she decided, and even if he was already half-way up the flight of stairs, Sakura pushed herself past the crowd and followed him, yet again cursing heels for ever being invented.
And so she chased after him, knowing fully well that he knew that she was doing so, and she didn't even bat an eyelash at following him into a room, thoughts about it being some sort of trap not even in her brain. She saw him then, mask off and suit thrown aside on a random chair, the window to the room open, its curtains flapping in the wind, and he gazing at the country outside.
"Why did you guys attack Mei?"
Silence ensued, one so thick Sakura felt like she could cut it with a butter knife. Without any indication he turned around, his eyes once again Sharingan eyes. "An attempt to sabotage and prevent the Shinobi Nations from unifying under one."
"Why?"
"Because Akatsuki is not ready to wage a war on a global scale yet -not without these four Jinchuuriki still on the loose and having two members down."
"Two?" Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
"Pein has ordered a hit on Orochimaru for attacking your kinsmen."
Sakura's eyed widened, knowing this to mean Konan, but said nothing on the matter. "W-Who is Tobi?"
But Itachi's eyes narrowed at this. "You're asking too many questions, Sakura."
The way he said her name brought involuntary shivers to her spine, but she tried her best to ignore them, and especially not to show them, as she moved on. "Why won't you tell me?" her features turned into a slight scowl.
He didn't respond right away, as if he were mewling over his words and debating on whether or not he should answer her truthfully. "It is best you not know. You'd only be put in danger."
His statement made involuntary butterflies in her stomach. He wasn't telling her... because he cared? The implication seemed clear as day but Sakura either couldn't fathom such a thought, or didn't want to -it only ever made her heart ache thinking about her unrequited affections with Itachi. Already seeing the way her thoughts were going and wanting to stop herself before she began wallowing in her own self-pity, she changed the subject. "I wish to speak to Konan. Can you tell her that for me, please?" It was a tentative question, almost as if she shouldn't be asked at all.
There was a slight silence, almost as if Itachi were contemplating his answer. "I'll let her know."
Then Sakura chewed her lip, knowing that the conversation had died down, but wishing to say more. For Kami's sake, she hadn't seen Itachi now for what, an entire month? After their first confrontation, where she had told him the truth, and it made her nervous to think that he was now willingly standing here before her, conversing with her in what could almost be considered amiable terms. Suddenly, Itachi made a move to leave, to exit through the window, but Sakura's hands clenched in a tight ball -don't ask her why, but her heart couldn't take him leaving just quite yet, and as such, she muttered the first thing in her mind, the first thing she could think of that would stop him from leaving.
"Sasuke-kun wishes to see you..." it was but a whisper, but one he heard and made his heart instinctively clench.
Her words made him freeze, turning around slowly. He stared at her for a few seconds, making up his mind. No, he couldn't, he decided briskly. It was hard enough trying to remain objective while running around and having secret engagements with Sakura, after all. And so he made to turn around, ready to exit through the window without so much as another word.
But Sakura, as stubborn as she was, made to stop him "M-Matte! Itachi!" But as she was just inches away suddenly he turned around, and the next thing she knew she was pinned to the wall, Itachi hovering over her dangerously.
"Leave me alone." Although his tone sounded angry his eyes told a different story, she could tell. "For the sake of this Nation. Abandon all thoughts of me; I am not an ally you can approach so securely." The way she trusted him without question nearly angered him -how could she be so careless around such a man as him? Someone who had done unforgivable things in his years of living? She was too trusting, and it angered him to think that maybe she was the same way with other people. The same way with the likes of people like Utakata (just the thought made his grip on Sakura's wrists tighten ever so slightly).
"I can't..." her voice sounded nervous at first, "I won't." Sakura reaffirmed with conviction, once again not afraid to stare up at Itachi's Sharingan orbs, even as his tomoe spun dangerously. "I will never abandon you, for the sake of reuniting you with Sasuke, Mikoto and Saki, if nothing else."
"Even when I tried to kill you, you dare still approach me?" he expressed his confusion, though his eyes revealed nothing. "When you know -when you have seen what I've done?"
Sakura tried not to show the pain in her eyes as she recalled the memories -she was nearly positive she had failed, anyhow. "This isn't about me anymore, Itachi." she proclaimed. "You can hate me for all I care -try to kill me again and again. But you are a brother to Sasuke-kun, someone who gave up his entire innocence for his sake, and that I cannot turn away from. You deserve happiness too, Itachi..." her eyes softened as she looked up at him, still able to remember how much pain his eyes had held upon the supposed murder of Shisui.
"Happiness will come once I have paid for my sins." he merely stated, and although this stirred feelings within him, he dare not express them.
"You killed hundreds but saved thousands." Her emerald pools filled with compassion and something else, something akin to sympathy. "You carry a heavy burden and it is not your job to be the hero that has to face it alone." And it was true -Itachi had made the biggest sacrifice for his nation, given up nearly everything he had ever cherished, so why was he being punished for it after the fact?
"And it is not your job to try and save me from myself, Sakura." his tone was cold; condescending.
"But it is..." he heard her whisper but could make nothing of it. "Try as you will, you will not be able to stop me from caring, Itachi." Although hesitant, she allowed her hand to reach towards him, cupping his cheek in a somewhat affectionate manner, and it was nearly as shocking that he didn't pull away the moment they had skin on skin contact.
It shocked him, visibly this time, to hear her words -to feel the strongest urge to incline his head towards her hand and feel her warmth and accept her affection. But he tried to resist, desperately so in fact, but seeing Sakura's sad orbs made something tug at his heartstrings, and he found that he simply could not pull away from the hold she had on him. The words he wanted to say, he forced to remain trapped in his throat.
I don't want you to stop caring...
Seeing that it was okay, and although nervous to the bone, Sakura proceeded and brought Itachi's face closer to hers, their foreheads touching in an affectionate manner. "Please don't push me away. Don't push Sasuke-kun away... We only want to help you..."
But suddenly they heard footsteps, and Itachi turned his Sharingan orbs towards the door.
"Sakura?"
She turned towards the door to see Sasuke's figure emerge, and when she turned back Itachi was already gone. She stared at where he had been standing, her frown visible. She had been so close...
"Sakura?" Sasuke called out her name once more, wary, and this time Sakura's eyes snapped back towards Sasuke. "Are you okay? I saw you hurry off the dance floor and I got worried when you didn't come back."
With a sigh and one last look towards the window, she turned and walked towards the door. "I'm fine Sasuke-kun."
And although he questioned her seemingly disheartened appearance as she walked past him, he let the topic drop. Instead of following behind her, he entered the room, making his way towards the window and staring outside momentarily. What had Sakura been looking at, he couldn't help but wonder. He sighed, closing the window and turning to leave.
Had he been looking close enough, he probably would have been able to spot the glowing Sharingan eyes that loomed over the distance, atop the north wing of the building directly to the right of his position.
Itachi remained there in a squatting position for who knows how long, contemplating the events of the night. He wished he could have stayed, truthfully speaking. He wished he could have danced with Sakura and remained by her presence for at least a little bit longer. But no -he had to flee. No, not just because any second longer and Sasuke would have seen him, but because any second longer and he knew he wouldn't be able to hold it in; he wouldn't be able to stand looking at Sakura like that, for he would do something he would regret, he was sure. Something that was not part of the plan, (although logically speaking this was hardly part of the plan as it was) that would leave him hesitating in the future. And that he couldn't have.
His eyes bore through vast city the lay before him -a city he had killed many to protect.
Kisame didn't know how long he had been kneeling in his prison cell, all sorts of chakra restrictors and chains bearing down on him. Kisame could have laughed, honored that they deemed him so much of a threat to need all of these chakra limiters. It must have been early in the morning, four tops, he imagined, when he finally heard footsteps -the last guard, the female Haruno who's name he had picked up on, Sayuri, had mentioned that he would be meeting his interrogator soon.
Kisame could have laughed at this too -did they really think that they would be able to get any information out of him? He was a lot tougher than he looked -and he already looked tough, so that was saying something. He was also a lot smarter than he looked -granted, he was nowhere near the level of his prodigal partner, but he most definitely wasn't stupid.
He had been looking down, his head also restrained, when he heard the locks of his cell-door unlock, and the creaky door swing open. He saw feet, wearing kunoichi combat boots. So his interrogator was a girl, eh? She approached him, seemingly oblivious to how dangerous the man before her was. She grabbed a single key from her pocket, and undid only one restraint: the one holding his head down.
He was shocked at the sudden freedom he was given, and he looked up to see the kunoichi. "You're the Haruno brat." he nearly sputtered in shock, seeing the previously restrained pink hair now let down, reaching somewhere around her mid-back.
"Yes, the one who halted your execution. You'd think you'd be a little more grateful." she retorted.
But the Kiri-nin merely scoffed in return. "All you want me for is information -you wouldn't have done it otherwise or am I wrong?"
Sakura rolled her eyes, but said nothing more on the matter. "I'm the interrogator here, not you. I'll do the questioning."
"I won't spill." he declared.
But she ignored him, stepping out for a few short seconds and returning with a chair, which she sat herself down on, now eye-level to the shark -nin. "Why did you allow yourself to be caught?"
Kisame raised an eyebrow in question. "In case you need reminding, I was engaged in battle with five shinobi and had thirty others ready to jump in. I would hardly say I allowed myself to be defeated."
"You signed your own death warrant when you attacked so bluntly in front of several elite shinobi." Sakura didn't even bat an eyelash. "This leads me to believe that you went into battle knowing and accepting that you would lose; now this doesn't sound like something the fearsome Kisame Hoshigaki of the Bloody Mist would do, does it?"
Kisame scoffed yet again. "As if you know anything about me, brat." he retorted.
"More than I lead on." But even though Kisame looked at her questioningly, she didn't bother to elaborate. "So why did you do it?"
"I told you already, brat," he emphasized the rude remark yet again, "I was over-whelmed."
"The Tail-less Tailed Beast." Sakura proclaimed. "That is the nickname you have earned yourself over the years, is it not?"
"What's your point?" he huffed.
"There's no way you couldn't have gotten out alive if you really wanted to. No way you couldn't have killed Mei had you really been trying, and for you to try and tell me you couldn't makes me believe you think me an idiot."
Kisame made an irritated sound at the back of his throat. "Where's the questions about Akatsuki? About our plans? Our next target?" he asked, clearly irritated with her questions. "Above all else where's the torture? This isn't interrogation, this is an interview."
Sakura sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose as she stood up. She approached him yet again.
'Here it is Kisame' He mentally told himself, but got the shocker of the life time as he began to feel the restraints being lifted from him.
"This isn't the shark-nin I befriended."
In seemingly no time at all, Kisame was completely free, but still on his knees, watching as the kunoichi turned back around and sat back down. What did she mean "I befriended?" he hadn't met the kunoichi a day in her life, except for when he had gotten a glimpse of her when she was being attacked by Orochimaru all those weeks ago.
...Was this a new torture method? "What are you doing?" he stared blankly at her, his hands going to rub the tender spot on his wrist where he had been restrained.
"Come on, you're smarter than that Kisame. Looks like freedom, smells like freedom, tastes like freedom." her eyes watched his own beady white ones.
"...Why?" he stared dumb-founded at her, getting up slowly, but also wary for some sort of trap.
"I'm returning the favor." She stated, as if it were the simplest thing in the world. "You saved my life once, many, many years ago."
His eyes widened at her statement, but he said nothing. 'No...'
"Root members will be here any minute to disrupt my interrogation and take you to your sure death. I bought you all the time I could. I advice that you incapacitate me now and leave before they get here." she stated simply. "Try not to aim for the face though."
Kisame blinked. This kunoichi must be psycho -she had to be. There was no way she was the same kunoichi that he had met all those years ago. She was dead, after all -Itachi had told him so. She was a lot younger too -the kunoichi should be Itachi's age, but there was no way this kunoichi could be a day over twenty, if that.
"Tik Tok Kisame."
Indeed, he could hear footsteps approaching at in increasingly fast pace, and he decided; what the hell. Freedom was freedom, and it sure beat being killed. "My sword?" he questioned, eyeing her. His most prized possession, his Samehada, was locked up somewhere within this building, he was sure, and he simply could not leave without getting it back.
"If you continue down this hall to your left and pass three doors, you will come upon one with seals on it. I'm sure you're good enough to break them. Once you're inside, you'll find your Samehada with some more activation seals -these were done by our seals expert though, so I suggest you have Itachi crack these for you, lest you run out of time and they catch you before you escape."
Kisame didn't know whether she was stupid or just plain crazy, for letting him go and then telling him all this. Regardless, he had to go.
He muttered a quick "I'm sorry", despite his tremendous confusion, as he picked up the kunoichi by the throat and slammed her against the wall. And even though her eyes teared and blood pooled from the back of her head, she didn't seem to complain. And then a simple pressure point at the back of her neck, and she was down for the count, and in the next second he was gone, teleporting himself to said designation. Already he could sense the presence of at least three different shinobi, stealthily and quickly approaching -the kunoichi hadn't been lying, for within the next ten seconds three Root members were already attacking him, and it was all he could do to activate water dragons to buy him time. Three measly Root members would hardly be a problem, but he preferred not to kill them at this point in time, all things considering.
And as he summoned three water clones to keep the Root members busy, he concentrated on the sealed door -good thing he had learned something from Itachi, or he would be doomed. Within no time at all the door was unsealed and his Samehada in reach, just in time, for the Root members had disposed of his clones. And though the Root members braced themselves for a fight, suddenly Kisame was gone in a puddle of water, teleporting himself once again outside of the building and in the next second running towards the forests, away from Konoha. If he hurried they'd lose track of him before they even began their chase.
It was surprising, he had to admit, that he had actually escaped -that he was home free, for that matter (at the back of his mind, he faintly wondered what exactly "home" was though. He had just betrayed the last place he thought to be home, not that Madara was aware of it yet).
Suddenly a presence, one he hadn't sensed, from above, and he looked up, ready to attack, only to come face to face with Itachi. He was leaning on a branch of the tree, seemingly waiting with Kisame's Akatsuki cloak in his hand. Once he knew for sure that Kisame had sensed him, he merely let fall the cloak, straight into Kisame's awaiting hands, although he was still confused. Promptly afterwards, Itachi dropped down from the tree and effortlessly landed on his feet. "We should hurry. Konoha nin will be scouring the surrounding area any minute now." And, as if it had all been planned, and as if he knew that Kisame would be set free, he turned around and began walking away.
And maybe, just maybe, he had indeed known that Kisame would be set free. He ran slightly, catching up to his companion. "How long have you known?" he questioned, his eyes narrowed -because there simply was no way he hadn't known after all this.
Itachi did not respond for a while, but even so, Kisame did not lose hope -for once, Itachi would respond; he would get answers.
"Since the day of her escape with Orochimaru."
Kisame's eyes widened. He had known, all along in fact, that the very Sakura Haruno he had been pestering him about for the past month or so was indeed the same thirteen year-old from eleven years ago -his friend truly was unbelievable.
"How..."
"What we saw eleven years ago was the result of this kunoichi using a time-travel jutsu approximately six months ago." he allowed himself to glance at Kisame for the slightest of seconds before turning his attentions back on the road.
Were they not in danger of being caught by Konoha-nin, Kisame would have stopped and demanded a more elaborate and descriptive answer. "Such a jutsu exists?"
"I theorize it's specific to the Haruno bloodline, for I have not heard of such a technique in any of my studies."
Kisame did not reply for a while. "Why...?"
"An attempt to stop me from annihilating my clan, so she said."
"You've talked to her?" Kisame raised an eyebrow.
"On two different occasions. The day after her escape and yesterday, after your capture."
Why was this all news to Kisame!? Actually, he supposed he knew exactly why now. Itachi didn't want to drag Kisame into the chaos that the kunoichi was dragging him into -it was an attempt to save Kisame, he noted, and he admired the fact that Itachi had cared enough. Itachi had chosen his side, and didn't want Kisame to be forced to choose a side before he was ready -before he had made up his mind.
"So what we saw... What I met... was an eighteen year old in the body of a thirteen year-old?"
"Hn"
And it all started to make sense -her maturity level, her spooky knowledge of the distant future, the fact that he had never heard of a Haruno of ANBU caliber surviving such a massacre -why the hell she had been so skilled, even at such a young age.
But more importantly, where did that put them? Where did that put him? Clearly, what the kunoichi did for him was an act of kindness, a sort of debt re-paid for his acts of bravery years ago -but an act of treason to her own country as well. But Itachi? That was a different story. He conversed with the kunoichi -on multiple occasions. More than that, he had approached her with a seemingly lack of hesitancy or fear that she would attack or flee -almost as if he were an ally, dare he say it.
His eyes widened at the revelation "Itachi... you"
But Itachi glanced at him suddenly, enough to have Kisame shut up and look around warily -Itachi only ever got that glint in his eye when they were being followed, after all. "It's not safe to talk anymore."
Although curious and wanting to know everything there was to know about Sakura -the very same Sakura he had been talking about for the past month, he knew well enough that he had to bide his time. But it was fine -Kisame was a patient person. He had to be, or he was sure the years of having Itachi as a companion would have driven him mad.
And although he nodded and silence ensued between the duo, a thought struck Kisame. 'Could it be that Itachi still has feelings for this kunoichi?'
End of Chapter
Hi guys! It's been a while since the last update, and I truly apologize for it Ox Been a little busy
Anyway, the plot is slowly starting to unravel. I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter, and the little ita x saku x uta i put in there ^-^ I couldn't not. Plus, it's been a little too long since I've had Ita x Saku fluff, so here it is readers :3
I don't know when the next update will be, truth be told. I'm already working on the next chapter but progress is slow. Expect at least a month or two.
I'm also working on more edits of Sakura's New Past, as well as a new installment on The Penis Game, since everyone has been asking for more there. Other than that, I'm going to try and start of New Sakura once more.
Thank you for your patience!
Comments? Critiques? Questions? Leave 'em all here!
Any and all reviews are much appreciated!
-MarzSpy
