Chapter Eight

Yoshi planted her feet firmly on the grassy ground below her feet. She knew that the grass was soft. It wouldn't hurt if either she or Minori fell to the ground. She cracked her knuckles, gazing at Minori in front of her. It was either Minori won and Yoshi's training was better off with Mari or Yoshi won and then she would have to fight Akio who was currently observed as the best of the three of them. She stood in a fighting position, pulling out a kunai and preparing for an attack. Minori's facial expression tensed. She knew how he felt about fighting a girl; let alone his teammate who was a girl. She sighed, clenching her jaw. She would change his mind. If he held back because of that, it wasn't her fault. Mari signaled them to begin.

Yoshi shot forward towards him, holding out her kunai. She extended her arm as she was reaching him. He grasped her wrist firmly just before the blade of the kunai could reach his neck. She reached out her leg as quickly as she could and kicked his side. He winced but didn't go down.

"Minori," Mari said, "Don't hold back. I don't believe either of you will hurt each other if neither of you hold back."

Minori gazed at Mari for a moment before meeting Yoshi's gaze. His eyes fell to her feet on the floor. Her sharingan flashed. He was getting serious. She pulled away her wrist from his grasp and slid backwards. She held her kunai in a defense position. He stood there, inanimate, gazing at her feet for a few long moments. Mari and Akio seemed to tense watching. He then began to run forward so quickly it was difficult to follow his movements. She didn't dare blink, watching his hand signs. A light drizzle fell on her head. He bit his lip and suddenly the rain began to feel sharper. It was hail now. Hail in the shape of needles. Her shadow clone dismissed and Minori gazed around.

Yoshi did quick hand signs from behind the tree she was standing in. She pursed her lips, holding her fingers up to them.

"Fireball jutsu," she called out, before breathing fire from her lips. The flames burst through the field, heading straight for Minori. His wide eyes gazed at it fearfully before dodging it swiftly.

Yoshi's jaw clenched. She created a shadow clone, leaving it where she was before, before running swiftly around the field unseen within the forest. She stopped at the other side. Her shadow clone emerged as she was spotted. She chucked kunai at him, paper bombs attached. He dodged it easily. His speed had increased, that was for sure. He dashed towards the clone, holding out his fist. A thick layer of chakra infused ice coated his hand and he hit Yoshi's clone.

"Yoshi," he said, "Stop playing game. Where are you?"

The clone dismissed. Yoshi watched as he studied the forest in front of him. His back was to her. She quickly infused chakra into her fist and leaped into the air, flying towards him. The impact her fist made with his back was so hard that he groaned as he hit the floor with a thud. Mari gasped and Yoshi knelt down beside him.

"Are you okay?" she asked him.

Wincing, he nodded slowly. "You've gotten so much better," he said.

Mari was on his other side in an instant, helping him sit up. "Wow," she said, "Looks like I underestimated you, Yoshi." She chuckled, lifting up Minori's shirt from behind and checking his back for any wounds that were too bad. "You really have improved. I'm not even sure if you're still at a Genin level anymore."

Yoshi grinned. "Thank you," she said, "I worked really hard."

Rubbing his back, Minori said, "We know."

Yoshi giggled.

"Well," Mari said, "You both used up a considerable amount of chakra today. Maybe the fight between Yoshi and Akio will have to go on some other time. I want you guys to get your rest because we have a mission tomorrow."

Yoshi perked up. "A mission?" she said, "What kind of mission?"

"A C-ranked mission," she said, grinning, "I really have enough faith in you guys for this."

"What will we have to do?" Yoshi asked.

"You'll find out," she said, "Just go have fun for the rest of the day. You three need a break, working so hard."

Yoshi got to her feet and helped Minori get to his. Akio stepped towards them.

"So," Akio said, "I have until sunset before I have to get home. Where should we go?"

Yoshi smiled. "Let's go eat first," she said, "I'm hungry."

"Oh," Minori said, "Good thing I brought money."

"Me too," Akio said.

"Alright then," Yoshi said, "If we're all set, let's go."

She began to walk, the boys walking at her sides. It was quiet for a few moments.

"So who were you training with?" Minori asked, "Ayame?"

"Yeah," she said, careful not to stammer her words, "Ayame trained me."

"She knows some crazy good tactics," he said, "Isn't the fireball jutsu a Konoha thing?"

"Yeah," she said, gazing at her feet, "She's battled a few people from Konoha and I guess she just picked up on their tactics." She slipped her hand into her pouch to check if her money was still there. When she didn't feel it, she sighed. "Guys," she said, "Let's stop at my house. I guess I forgot my money."

"I'll pay for you," Minori suggested.

Yoshi smiled at him gratefully. "Thank you," she said, "But you paid for me last time. I feel like I'd be asking for too much."

"It's not too much," he said.

"Still," she said, "My house isn't far. We could take a detour."

"It's okay with me," Akio said.

"Me too," Minori said.

"Alright," she said. The walk to her home was quick and silent. At the door, she turned to face them. "You guys wait here," she said, "I'll just be in and out." She opened the door and stepped inside, gazing around. It was silent and Ayame was nowhere in sight. She crept towards her bedroom and knocked lightly. There was no answer, but she could sense that Ayame was inside. She cracked open the door. Ayame was lying on her back, her hand over her stomach. Her eyes were closed. She was sleeping in so late? That wasn't like Ayame. Normally at this time she'd be cleaning up or gardening or taking a walk. Never sleeping. She stalked towards her.

"Ayame," she said quietly, "Wake up."

Ayame didn't stir. Yoshi lifted Ayame's wrist off of her stomach and dropped it. She still didn't stir. Beginning to panic, Yoshi shook her by her shoulders. "Ayame," she said a bit louder, "Wake up!" Ayame didn't move. Her heart pounding, Yoshi checked her pulse on her wrist. She took a deep breath. There was still a heartbeat. That meant that Ayame had fainted. Her gaze fell on the open window at the end of Ayame's bed. She could see Itachi's feet dangling from the roof. Fury raged through her. This was his doing. She leaped out the window through the gap between his legs and the window seal. She landed a few feet away, gazing up at him with her hands clenched into fists.

"What did you do to her?" she said, angrily.

He closed his eyes and sighed. "It doesn't concern you," he said.

"It does concern me," she said, "If you didn't want it to concern me, you shouldn't have left me with her in the first place! Lately it seems like everything that goes wrong in my life is your doing! I wish you'd never even come back!"

His eyelids fluttered open. She could see that they were coated in hurt and regret. Yoshi suddenly felt her heart drop. She didn't want him to be hurt. She fought back tears. Why did it take such a toll on her to see him hurt? She clenched her jaw, gazing up at him. He looked away and got to his feet on the rooftop.

"Well," he said quietly, "It's been fun. But I see that I'm no longer welcome."

He lifted up something in his hand that she hadn't even realized he'd been holding. Looking at it closely, she could tell it was a cloak. The same one that Deidara was wearing. Yoshi's eyes widened. Itachi was in the Akatsuki? He'd told her about the Akatsuki. He'd told her about how dangerous they were and that she should keep away. He told her that they sought out all the Jinchuuriki. But what he didn't tell her was that he was one of them. He pulled the cloak over his shoulders.

"Akatsuki," Yoshi breathed, "You're... you're one of them?"

"It doesn't concern you," he said, turning away.

Yoshi leaped up on the rooftop behind him and squeezed his wrist.

"Father," she said quietly, "Why won't you tell me anything?"

His gaze hit her hard. Her heart raced. She didn't want him to be angry with her. Just the thought of it was painful. Her grasp on his wrist increased in strength until he sighed.

"The things I don't tell you are for your own good," he said.

"But why?" she said, "If everything happened in Konoha that you're not telling me, why would it make me safer if I didn't know? I've never been to Konoha before. I've never even left the village before."

He hesitated for a few moments before leaning forward and touching her shoulders. "Yoshi," he said, quietly, "If I... show you Konoha, will you stop asking to know more?"

Yoshi grinned, getting to her toes, eager for an adventure. "On one condition," she said, "You promise me that one day, I will find out everything about myself that I don't know."

Itachi smirked, standing up straight. He looked left and right, flicking his hair away from his face. He turned to face the opposite direction.

"I promise," he said, leaning forward, "Get on my back. Let's make this quick."

Any thought of Minori and Akio slipping her mind, she climbed on to his back feverishly. They then began their stealth journey out of the village.