Chapter 9- Acid
"Itachi…"
He glanced up at her from cleaning and sharpening a pair of kodachi, waiting for her to continue. Her green eyes met his without fear; that had been happening a lot lately. She was definitely not afraid of him anymore. Whether that was a good thing or a bad one, he was still contemplating. After all… even if she was adapting well to her life in the Akatsuki, she was, on the inside, still loyal to Konoha. It showed every time the place or one of its inhabitants were mentioned. Showed in the way her hands would pause and tremble, the way her normally bright face and eyes would become completely expressionless. He waited her to continue.
"Turn off the Sharingan." He followed her commands. If it came time to deal with his eyes, he submitted himself to her perfectly. In no other area did he let her talk to him forcefully, and she knew it. But this was different; it was what she was here for, essentially. "Close your eyes."
He did, and flinched again at her procedure for extracting the acidic substance from behind his eyes. He counted the sutures as she mended his brow. But before he could open his eyes, she plastered a small bunch of cotton over his eyes, using medical tape to hold it in place, and then wrapped a heavy blindfold over her work. His hand twitched; by habit, he'd had the impulse to grab her throat and thoroughly strangle her. But he resisted, and she explained herself.
"I'm trying something new. Humor me with my theory."
Okay. Explained herself… to an extent.
He grunted in acknowledgement. He jumped again, though, when he felt her fingers tug on and release his hair from its bindings. Rough, callused fingers emitted a cold chakra, far different from her usual one, and he stiffened. But she wasn't doing anything suspicious yet… other than that. They searched his scalp, chakra easing slowly through his skin, searching out his chakra system and following it. The man was nervous, to be sure; his whole brain felt as though it were freezing over, like an unseasonable winter creeping around inside of him. Her chakra was usually very warm.
It's as if her soul was this cold winter… was it her very soul she was pouring into this?
Unknown to the two, Deidara watched from the corner of the building a little ways away. It was just another mission…
He could get them later… right?
"…"
"Uso…"
Deidara sighed. Itachi was emotionless, per usual, but Sakura was staring at the blonde in unadulterated disbelief. Her mind was obviously still trying to process the new information.
Their new mission: infiltrate Konohagakure no Sato, acquire the Scroll of Sealing, and get out as fast as possible. Infiltrate. Konoha.
No wonder the poor thing was having trouble processing the information. This was the last thing they had expected to happen. As her brain began a sluggish movement towards reason, a few things became increasingly clear.
1. Now they would require all the information she had on Konoha to be presented to them. They were screwed.
2. When they got there, undoubtedly her old sensei, her friends, acquaintances, regular patients, etc. would know her chakra pattern immediately. She was screwed.
Sakura wandered a little ways off, and began to steadily thump her head against the doorframe. Deidara heaved a sigh, and exited the room silently, muttering something to Itachi about preparing to leave in the morning. The thumps became noticeably louder.
Itachi was a very patient man. Very patient. And much more lenient than one might think. But after a whole minute straight of the consistent, dull thuds of her ample forehead against the woodwork of the door, the man was more than just a little irked. Irritation was one of the things he did not deal with well.
So… stupid. Total… idiot. Moron. Insane. Demented. Soft-hearted. Weak. Stupid. Demented. Moron. Idiot. Idiotic-!
The kunoichi was thoroughly shocked out of her trance when she discovered a fine, callused hand protecting her from her annoyingly destructive tendency. Warm breath ghosted across the shell of her ear provocatively, and a seductive purr nearly made her squeak in surprise.
"Cease, Sakura."
Two words, and she was sure the largest invisible lightening bolt known to shinobi kind had just shot down her spine. She stiffened further. Judging by his tone, posture, and apparently relaxed reprimand, Itachi was tired at the moment.
Yes, contrary to popular belief, the infamous Uchiha could be read.
"Prepare. We leave at dawn." And he withdrew from her.
She'd been so caught up in the way his breath brushed past her ear and down her throat that she'd failed to notice his body proximity. Her back felt very cold now that he had removed himself from her. Sakura cursed softly.
This had bad luck written all over it.
This is stupid. This is even worse than my decision not to fight him in the first place. This is even worse than my plan on how to get Sasuke-kun back to Konoha and get information on the Sharingan. Attraction to one infamous, S-class family-killing mass-murder is ABSOLUTELY FORBIDDEN!
Which is probably why you're falling faster than Naruto for a bowl of ramen.
Inner Sakura was having fun playing sadist with Outer Sakura's very conflicted emotions. True, at first fear had caused her to submit herself to the Uchiha. And the slight feeling of debt. And a twinge of curiosity.
Not to mention that sexy body and cool personality.
Outer Sakura shoved a mental sock in Inner Sakura's mouth. Yes, the Uchiha was physically attractive. But her heart was still hers; she still loved Sasuke! Even her blood-ties and solemn oath to this most infamous of all missing-nin could not change that fact.
Itachi speculated after the expression on her face; with the blindfold currently still in place (and direct prohibition about removing it), he was left to idly wonder. It would be predictable, were it filled with anger and conflict; unlike him, this kunoichi was neither lusting for power nor self-serving. As long as this mission hadn't come up, she probably would've done fine. But as it stood, she was going to have to face her weak point.
And this mission was obviously rubbing salt into an already raw and bleeding wound.
He sensed that the branch ahead was a little further than the rest, and pressed a bit more chakra to his feet, hoping that the kunoichi behind him would also notice and not make an extreme fool of herself by falling. They really didn't have time to retrieve her bloody corpse from the forest floor. But apparently, as revealed a few seconds later, her awareness hadn't completely left her. He noted passively that, even without any increase in chakra concentration, her sandal landed perfectly against the rough wood. Deidara pulled over next to him, matching his pace to that of his superior's.
"Ne… Do you think Sakura-chan'll be alright?" The blonde was a bit disconcerted, what with the familiar crimson eyes being hidden from him by a blindfold, but he retained his professional demeanor. Itachi paused, as he always did, before answering at length.
"Saa… ne."
"Tell me why, again, we're coming in through the west gate?" Deidara asked, complaining slightly to the pink-haired kunoichi on the limb in front of him. Inner Sakura was shaking her fist and muttering obscenities that Outer Sakura had only ever heard from the mouths of Sai and Jiraiya, and was quite surprised that her alter-ego remembered. Deidara was getting on the short-fused other's last nerve. "It was such a long way around, too-!"
"Baka." He startled at being cut off, but her expression was serious as she gazed passively at the great wall surrounding the city. "The west gate is less heavily guarded than the north and east because it lies towards our allies in the Wind country. I know all the guard rotations by heart. Keep quiet when you don't know what you're talking about; better letting people think you an idiot than opening your mouth and proving it."
Not thinking about it at all, she had reprimanded him harshly, it seemed. The rebuke was ill-received; Deidara, though usually unaffected, was slightly hurt by her words. And Itachi wasn't very happy with her commands towards a superior, even if he did agree. They were stunned when she shot from the branches suddenly, binding her feet to the wall with the barest fraction of her chakra. They followed just as stealthily, though, and a moment later they were on the very crest of the wall. Without hesitation, she took to the opposite parapet, and leapt off, easily landing on a nearby rooftop. A glance around and she was positive of her position.
"We have ten minutes." She shot off at a slight easterly angle towards the Hokage Tower, her companions not far behind. "When we arrive, cloak yourself, and watch the hallway in which we will be taking up our time. Itachi, I'm leaving myself completely in your hands. Within the walls of Konoha, even the slightest flare of my chakra will bring two dozen shinobi on us in a fraction of a moment."
At this point, she looked back at her blindfolded patient. He didn't have his Sharingan, or even his sight this time; it was going to be difficult. But if he ever wanted to see again, she knew he'd take care of her.
Taking to a power line, she led them to a window on the fourth floor. It slid open noiselessly, but the kunoichi felt alarm bells going off in her head.
That window was supposed to stick! The one in Tsunade's office is the one that opened easily! She sighed, leading them through anyway. At this late hour, and considering that only the desk-lamp was on, her shishou was likely as not either at the hospital or getting so drunk she couldn't stand up straight. Another glance over her shoulder as the two entered the room, and she nodded.
"I'm counting on you two. Let's go."
At the Uchiha compound, Sasuke startled awake. His gaze shot to the window, onyx eyes bleeding red and peering into the night. Could it… even be possible…?
Niisan…
Sakura hefted the giant scroll from its buried position in the storeroom, and turned to look at her companion. She could probably ask him this about now.
"How are your eyes faring? Any pain?" He turned away from her.
"… A twitch now and then…"
"Did it throb for a while at first?" He nodded. She seemed satisfied with that. "Has it… twitched… lately?"
A negative. She nodded. Moving to him, she undid the blindfold, and gingerly removed the bandages. He still did not open his eyes, wondering why she had chosen now of all times to take up on her treatments.
"Let the light in, but you're still forbidden to use the Sharingan until further notice."
When he did open his eyes, she had already turned to go into the hallway where Deidara was waiting for them. He followed silently. It amazed him now, though. His vision was even sharper than just after one of her treatments. The cold chakra she'd pumped into him two days before was still residing behind his eyes, and though the pain had subsided, a dull ache still weighed heavily on his nerves. Deidara nodded to them noiselessly, and took the scroll from Sakura, swinging it onto his back without effort. The carpet in the halls muffled the last of the sounds from their sandals as they made their ways back into the Hokage's office, and out the window. With it shut firmly behind them, they took off across the power line again to get back to the rooftop across the road, and paused there. Sakura did an once-over of the city, smiling mentally at how it hadn't changed.
"Sakura-chan, we need to-"
"Sakura!"
The group spun on their heels to see who had discovered them.
Uchiha Sasuke.
He gazed upon the three of them in confusion, onyx eyes openly ignorant of their mission. Sakura was delighted at the look on his face; he was no longer the stoic young man that she remembered, and for that, she was thankful. She knew a little atonement for her sins had been made, just by seeing that look on his face.
"Sakura… Niisan… what're you doing?" The roseate-haired woman could feel the reaction in Itachi by being called by that name again. Niisan. Big Brother. "Why are you taking the Scroll of Sealing?"
"Oi, Sasuke-chibi! Get out of the way. We've gotta make time."
Deidara gave a feral grin and attacked the unwitting teen, striking at him with as much strength as hidden chakra would allow. But his shout as he dodged was too loud. Sakura winced.
"Deidara! Leave him be! We need to go!"
The blonde grunted in annoyance. But even as he moved to return to them, another boy came to them on the rooftop behind them. Naruto.
He stared at them in dismay, and Sakura returned his saddened gaze. Withdrawing the phial of Sharingan acid from her pocket, she looked up at him sorrowfully.
"Sayonara, Naruto."
And she dashed it to the ground at his feet.
AN: Whee! And the plot thickens. XD I'm sure you're all quite ready to kill me, but since you won't get the rest of the story if you do, I suppose that means you're also fit to be tied. XP Oh well. My computer was in the shop, so despite the fact that I would've updated at least a little bit earlier, I couldn't. Sorry. But here it is anyway; the next chapter of Soul-Mirror!
Next Time: Death
