Disclaimer: Naruto and its characters are created by Masashi Kishimoto, but the new plots (meaning the ones you don't recognize!) are mine. This fanfiction had been written for entertainment purposes only and without intention of infringing upon any copyright.
A/N: Thanks for reading and reviewing! Please enjoy this chapter...
The Butterfly - -Chapter 9 - by elle6778
"No!" Sakura screamed.
Itachi pulled his katana out of the Hyuuga and the younger nin fell into a heap on the ground. The ANBU was stubborn and only this level of injury could stop him. He supposed he could have used Tsukuyomi if not for the fact that he'd given his word to Naruto that he would refrain from inflicting his brand of psychological trauma on the Leaf forces. There were so many limitations to what he could do, but he supposed that it made things more challenging.
"I can't believe you stabbed him!" Sakura shouted furiously. "What the hell is wrong with you?"
She rushed forward and just as she was about to pass, he reached out to clamp his hand around her wrist. A pair of furious eyes connected with his as she skidded to a halt. He was amazed at the amount of raw emotion she was capable of displaying just with one look.
"Let me go!" she snarled, and promptly sent a surge of chakra in the direction of his hand.
Releasing her before any harm was inflicted on his person, he pointed out flatly, "You are over-reacting."
She glared at him for a moment, and then turned and continued on as he regarded her with undisguised annoyance. He might have over-estimated her intelligence after all. It defied belief how she could think that he would kill a Konoha nin, knowing fully well that he was working for Uzumaki Naruto. She should know that the blond shinobi would not allow such a thing. After all, the idealistic jinchuuriki was aiming to take over Konoha without any casualties.
Itachi had his doubts that it was feasible. However, it would be interesting to see him try. In Itachi's experience, war and death intermingled closely. Hadn't he seen it with his own eyes when he'd been a mere child? Foolishly, he'd been so traumatized by the experience that he would have done anything to avoid fighting, despite his father's insistence for him to excel as a shinobi. In the end, he'd been forced to see that such an outlook in life achieved nothing, and that this weakness was interfering with his duty.
The catalyst for the turning point in his life was Shisui. He had to admit that he owed Shisui much. All the while, his older cousin had known what needed to be done. Not only had Shisui used his Kotoamatsukami to ensure that Itachi would not hesitate, Shisui had also provided him with Mangekyou Sharingan upon his death. His new weapon had given him the means to spill the blood of his kin.
Blood had and would continue to be shed. It was a fact that no one could change. Once he had been naïve enough to think otherwise, but he now knew better. Sakura clearly had not acquired this understanding yet.
As he watched, she sank to her knees beside the Leaf ANBU. The Hyuuga coughed, clutching his blood-soaked midsection. His mask shielded his expression from view, but his voice betrayed his confusion. She pushed his mask to the side carefully and began to check his eyes and then his pulse.
"S-Sakura?"
She nodded quickly and then ran her hand over his wound. "Don't move. Let me help."
"W-Why…" he broke off, gasping in pain. "Why are you with… them?"
She shook her head, looking stricken. "Don't worry about that."
When the Hyuuga did not reply, Itachi knew that he had fallen unconscious. The sight of her tending to the injured man most unwelcomed. It was evident that she knew the ANBU personally and was currently allowing her emotions to drive her actions. Itachi was honest enough to admit that he also did not like the kunoichi to pay so much attention to the Hyuuga, although such an admission wasn't something he was prepared to broadcast to anyone.
"You'll be fine, Neji…" she murmured softly as she ran her glowing hands over the Hyuuga.
"That's enough," Itachi intoned firmly. "His injury is not fatal."
The heightened tension in her form was the only sign that she'd heard him. Disregarding him much to his ire, she continued to heal the other shinobi until his wounds were completely gone. Soon afterwards, she carried the man to a nearby tree to prop him up against it.
Only then did she stand up to face him with her fists clenched by her sides.
"I might not know all the details of the deal between you and Naruto, but I can't believe that he would agree to you harming his friends," she bit out vehemently. "And Neji is one of our oldest and dearest friends."
"A fact that I'm well aware of."
Anger suffused her features. "Then why did you stab him?"
"You must have noticed that his injuries are not life-threatening. And the rest are still alive," he pointed out, growing increasingly irritated by this exchange. He was not accustomed to being questioned in this manner and he did not intend to entertain further insolence from her.
"There are other ways to incapacitate a person," she shot at him angrily. "You chose the most violent option."
He gave her an unyielding look. "The regular patrols would find them and retrieve them in time. There's no need for you to heal him or any of the others."
"You don't get to decide if and when I should heal someone," she pronounced stiffly.
"As I am leading this mission, it's reasonable to expect you to follow my orders."
"Orders?" She snorted derisively. "My friends are more important than some stupid orders!"
His temper flared, and he had to consciously modulate his tone. "You're allowing your emotions to impair your judgment."
Her green eyes flared in defiance. "My judgment is fine. Contrary to what you think, my emotions make me work harder and get better results. Unlike you, I don't approach things emotionlessly because nothing is important enough to make a difference. And you know what? That's just sad because in the end, you're just a jaded man with no goals in life."
Her words struck a chord in him, even though he maintained his calm outwardly. "I'm not jaded."
She snorted. "That might not be the right word, but you get what I mean. Naruto's fighting for Konoha, and many are doing the same, including me. That to me is something important." She thumped a fist to her chest. "That's why I invest my feelings in this. This is not just an impersonal mission to me. So what does it matter if I get emotional over stuff?"
"You're not to do so during an operation with me," he decreed stonily while suppressing the urge to shake her.
"I'll do what I like."
It took him a fraction of a second to force her into the nearest tree. She glared at him with her Sharingan, as if daring him to do more to her. Like before, his wrists were encircled by her chakra-fuelled fingers but he did not release her. Unlike her soothing healing chakra, he knew that this version could inflict severe damage on him should she choose to utilize it. The sensation of the energy around his wrist was unpleasantly threatening.
"Do not be stubborn," he warned.
"Don't dictate what I can or cannot do," she retorted heatedly.
Exasperation mingled with something else flooded him. Ignoring the burn of her chakra on his wrists, he gave her a rough shake. Her expression turned mutinous and of all inappropriate things, he felt a spike of arousal. His eyes narrowed speculatively. Threatening her was clearly futile. Perhaps he should change his method of persuasion. Or perhaps he could view this as a form of punishment for her.
With that thought, he lifted their joined hands over her head twisted her around. Before she could escape, he restrained her bodily. She froze in shock when his chest pressed tight against her back.
"Stop this!" she objected. With her back to him, he could not see her expression but her alarm was clearly broadcasted by the hint of tremor in her voice.
"Or else?" he prompted as he pushed closer.
A gasp escaped her lips. "Wh-What are you doing?" she stammered agitatedly.
"You'll see."
She grew more rigid when he leaned down close to the pulse point behind her ear and inhaled deeply. Her feminine scent was heady and he found himself wanting more. It was just as well that he wasn't planning to stop yet. Not until he proved his point.
"Let me go," she said in an unsteady tone.
"No."
She tensed further. And then, abruptly, she jerked. Itachi bit back a hiss of pain as the back of her head connected with his nose. She proceeded to struggle furiously, and her chakra began to burn around his wrists.
Ignoring the pain, he flattened his body against hers to restrain her movements and then dove in until his lips touched the point on her neck where her pulse fluttered rapidly in betrayal of her heightened emotion. A muffled sound of protest vibrated against his tongue as he licked up the side of her neck. It was quickly followed by a gasp when he nipped sharply at her earlobe. Her body trembled as he repeated the actions.
How responsive she was with only so little stimulation. But then again, he wasn't completely unaffected either. The tightening pressure low on his abdomen was proof of that. Guided by instincts as old as time, he ground his hips against her rear, drawing a choked exclamation from her.
Still, despite his attempts to distract her, the small hands around his wrist remained charged with chakra, drawing a grudging sense of respect from him. His wrists continued to suffer chakra burns that were growing increasingly painful. Despite this, she'd done nothing further to stop him. If she truly wished it, she could inflict enough harm on to cease this completely. His wrists were still firmly in her grasp, after all. A second or two would be sufficient for her to snap his bones. Why had she not done so?
Deciding to push further, he sucked on her pulse point.
This time, a strangled sound escaped from her, sounding suspiciously like a muffled moan. Her grip on his wrists loosened completely. He could not decide if it was fortunate or unfortunate that she'd finally caved.
And that was when it occurred to him that although he chose to justify this as a method of punishment, the truth was, he had wanted to do this. He wished to touch her, and to see her react to him. These were the moments when her attention was fully fixed on him and no one else.
Releasing her, he stepped back abruptly, feeling unusually disconcerted.
She spun around to face him with reddened cheeks and a flustered look gracing her features.
"W-What the hell?" she bit out through clenched teeth.
"Had you remained focused and unaffected by your emotions, you would have incapacitated me while you could. Instead, you succumbed to distraction and released me," he indicated evenly. "Have I made my point?"
Her eyes widened as comprehension dawned. "Y-You…" she sputtered. And then with escalating fury, she snarled, "I can't believe this! You took advantage of me just to prove some lame point? Just how low can you get?"
"That could hardly be described as taking advantage," he told her dryly.
"Why, you arrogant, self-absorbed bastard! There's just a line you don't cross with people you work with!" she shrieked in a painfully loud voice as she rushed forward.
Itachi swiped her hand to the side before the punch could hit his face, and then pulled her arm behind her back to restrain her. Pain shot up from his raw wrists, causing his hold to loosen slightly. It was enough to allow her to twist away and push him hard against a tree, a reversal of their earlier position. The bark of the tree dug through his cloak into his back uncomfortably but he kept his expression impassive. In contrast, she was breathing so hard that her entire body was shaking.
Her chakra-encased palms were pressed against his chest threateningly, while his own fingers dug hard into the front of her throat. Neither of them was willing to retreat, so they remained locked in a standstill.
The sound of deliberate throat-clearing interrupted them and in a flash, Itachi felt her hand leave his chest. Her fingers grazed his hands and the sudden numbness forced him to release his hold.
They both turned to find Kisame raising a questioning brow at them.
"Am I interrupting something?" he asked with obvious mirth.
Sakura shook her head once and then stormed away without a further word. Itachi's gaze followed her until she disappeared from sight. Their interrupted exchange made him feel on edge and he had to restrain himself from going after her. This was not the appropriate time to continue to indulge himself. He glanced down at his reddened wrist, deciding that his priority would be to deal with his injury first.
Kisame chuckled. "She doesn't look too happy. You need to work on your flirting skills, Itachi."
He cut the Mist nin a sharp look. "It wasn't my intention to flirt."
"Really?" Kisame grinned widely, baring his pointed teeth. "I've never seen you paying so much attention to a girl before. It sure looked like some strange form of flirting to me."
Itachi gave him a look which promised unimaginable pain should he continue with his inane remarks. Even though there may be some form of truth in Kisame's words, Itachi was not about to tolerate the Mist nin's teasing.
Holding up his hand in a gesture of surrender, Kisame relented, "Fine. I will say one more thing and then I'll shut up."
He waited silently.
Kisame sobered. "You must realize by now that things are not the same as before. I think maybe this time, you could take it easy. If you like her, just go for it. You've got nothing to lose, after all."
Like? It was too mild a word to describe how he felt towards the kunoichi.
Even if Kisame was right, it did not matter. He was not interested in personal relationships of any form with anyone. Families and friendship were no longer important to him. How could it be? He'd single-handedly removed all his bonds in just one night and had lived his life mostly in solitude since then. Forming a bond with the kunoichi at this point was unthinkable.
Turning away, Itachi murmured, "Let's move on."
A small voice inside him whispered that perhaps he was trying too hard to convince himself that she was just as unimportant as those family and friends he had slaughtered.
000
000
Sakura fumed silently as she sloshed forward with every step. Her mood was already foul after Itachi's unreasonable accusation that she was overly emotional, followed by that little stunt he'd pulled to prove his point, but it had gone further downhill when Itachi had found her with the unconscious little kunoichi strapped to her back.
"What is this?" he'd asked coldly.
"A kunoichi of Suna," she'd responded challengingly.
He'd flatly refused to take the girl with them, but Sakura had refused to leave her in Leaf territory where Danzou's forces would stumble upon her when they came to search for Neji and the rest. Once again, they had ended up in a stalemate.
In the end, Kisame had laughingly suggested that they contacted Naruto. For some reason, the Mist nin seemed to think that the whole situation was hilarious. Well, she wasn't amused. Thankfully, the blond had arrived swiftly. Naruto had then promised to return the kunoichi to Suna and to make sure that no further harm came to the incapacitated Leaf nins, much to Sakura's relief.
That had been almost a day ago. And since then, she had Itachi had not exchanged a single word. He led the way, which meant that she'd been boring murderous holes in his back all this time, but if he'd felt it, he wasn't letting it show.
"Is it going to ever stop raining?" she muttered darkly as she swiped a dripping wet strand of wet hair from her eye. She was beginning to get really cold as well, even though it was probably around midday. Or maybe it was already afternoon. With the sky covered with rainclouds, sunlight was blocked and everything around them was colored a muted grey.
Kisame, who was walking beside her, let out a bark of laughter. "Why do you think it's called the Hidden Village of Rain?"
She groaned in defeat. "We've been drowning in this for the past few hours!"
"It's some distance yet to Amegakure." Kisame frowned thoughtfully. "But I think we're taking a detour."
"Eh? What do you mean?"
"Means this is not the most direct route to Ame."
Then where were they heading to? She stared at the back of Itachi's head, and then decided that her need to know was more important than her need to maintain silence. Speeding up and sending splashes of mud flying up behind her, she caught up with the tall nin.
Being so close to him immediately reminded her of the sensation of his lean form pressing tight against her back and she scowled in irritation. Couldn't he have chosen a better way to win their verbal battle? What was more embarrassing was the way she'd responded to his touches. At first she'd been too stunned to move, but soon afterwards, she'd been unable to think properly and was just reacting.
Maybe he was right, after all, she thought grudgingly. She should not let things like that sidetrack her. Her kunoichi lessons had covered this sort of things in detail. Still, attending Anko's lessons was completely different from experiencing it first-hand. Itachi must have figured out that things of this nature unsettled her, and had deliberately used it to make a point.
It wasn't as if she didn't understand what he was trying to tell her in his own demented way, but she wasn't the type to easily bury her emotions. There was no way she could force herself to be a perfectly impassive killing machine like him. He had not even blinked an eye when he'd stabbed Neji earlier, knowing perfectly well that it would hurt a person he wasn't even supposed to harm. It was almost like he had no capacity for compassion at all. Nothing seemed to rile him.
She slid a sidelong glare at him, thinking that she would love to turn the tables on him and catch him off-guard for once. But she could not think of anything that would faze him. She doubted that he would blink an eye even if she chose to throw him down to the ground and molest him the way he'd done to her. He would probably wait until an opening presented itself, and then retaliate with something ten times worse.
"Have you finished sulking?" he asked suddenly without looking at her.
Her eyes narrowed. They had not exchanged a word in hours and this was how he chose to start their conversation? He had some nerve.
"I wasn't sulking," she denied flatly.
"Hn."
"Mind telling me where we're going?" she asked brusquely.
He slid a sideways glance at her. "A tea house."
She frowned in confusion. "Aren't we going to Ame?"
"You may continue onwards if you wish. I prefer to stop for refreshment," he told her flatly.
She blinked at him, suddenly unsure how to respond. This was unexpected. Somehow, she'd placed Itachi as someone who would soldier on regardless of the weather or any discomfort. Right now, he almost sounded as if he was growing sick of travelling in the rain and wanted a break from it, not that he'd actually admitted that out loud, of course. Because that would only make him seem all too human.
"Why? Can't take a bit of rain?" she taunted in a possibly suicidal attempt to annoy him.
The look he shot her was nothing short of condescending. Unfortunately, he probably guessed what she was up to and wasn't rising to it. It was plain frustrating.
"So… are we almost there?"
"Aa."
In less than half an hour, they were in front of a teahouse sat on a mostly unoccupied street. Sakura looked around curiously, noting that most people there seemed to be travelling merchants. Itachi seemed to know his way around, and they followed as he made a beeline for a single-storey building. Sakura looked around cautiously as she entered, noting potential exit points and the fact that the place was only half-full.
A waitress showed them to an empty table, took their orders and then left. They sat in silence until she returned with the teapot and their food.
"So, you're on speaking terms again, I see," Kisame remarked.
She scowled at him. "Only when necessary."
Itachi poured the tea silently.
Shaking his head, Kisame said, "Don't hold a grudge like this. It's nothing personal."
She rolled her eyes. "That's the thing. It's personal to me."
Kisame raised a brow. "We did leave all of them alive, you know? It would've been much easier if we didn't need to hold back."
"I can't believe I'm hearing this."
"And you know what I find very interesting?" he asked with a grin.
She groaned, feeling like she really shouldn't ask. "What?"
"Both Itachi and I injured your precious Konoha friends, and yet, you're only angry at him." He pressed a hand to his chest and his grin widened. "I feel a little left out."
As his observation hit her, she flushed uncomfortably. "He stabbed Neji and Neji's a good friend of mine!" she defended.
"Oh? You're close then? So maybe this Neji is sort of a-"
"That's enough, Kisame," Itachi interjected quietly, but his tone was no less threatening. Gesturing to the food, he instructed, "Eat."
Sakura glared at Kisame, who looked thoroughly amused. He was just poking fun at her now. Responding to his comments would only make things worse. Gritting her teeth, she began to poke at her food with her chopsticks.
Still, as she began to bring a piece of takoyaki to her lips, she could not help but mull over Kisame's question. Why had she reacted so strongly to what Itachi had done, but hadn't felt the same when it came to Kisame's actions? Whilst it was true that she cared for Neji more than the rest of those Leaf nins, she should be almost just as angry at Kisame.
So, why?
000
000
Night had fallen by the time they reached Pein's base of operations, which was the tallest tower in Amegakure. Rain continued to pour as Itachi climbed the stone steps up to the large doors where two Ame nins were posted. Recognizing him and Kisame, they bowed respectfully. He entered the base of the tower with the Mist nin and Sakura behind him and made his way through the double doors opposite. Their footsteps echoed through the space bounded by tall metal columns rising to the domed ceiling above.
Once they were standing in the middle of the sparsely decorated main hall, Itachi stopped and waited.
A wavering figure suddenly appeared. His distinctive spiky orange hair and his pierced features were enough to identify him to anyone. So, Pein was using the Deva Path to communicate with them today then, Itachi thought. Then again, this was how he usually faced them, unlike the time when he'd met with Naruto. He'd brought Uzumaki Naruto along at the blond's insistence the last time he came here. Somehow, Pein had seen fit to show Naruto his true emaciated self. Itachi had remained detached from most of the proceedings but he'd found himself impressed by the way Naruto had managed to convince Pein that peace could be achieved if they worked together. Pein had resisted at first, but the blond jinchuuriki had persisted until the older man finally agreed to give him an opportunity to prove himself.
"Itachi. Kisame," Pein greeted through Yahiko's body.
Itachi inclined his head, as Kisame greeted, "Been a while, Pein-sama."
Then Pein's eyes settled upon Sakura and Itachi watched with interest, combined with a rather unpleasant sensation he could not name, as surprise swirled within the Rinnegan. He wondered what was drifting through the mind of Ame's leader. He was slightly concerned by Pein's reaction to Sakura. The older man was studying the wary kunoichi as if he was attempting to solve a riddle.
"And who is this?" Pein asked without taking his eyes away from her.
"I'm Haruno Sakura, Pein-sama," she replied in a cautious tone.
After a short pause, the spiky-haired nin asked, "You're a Konoha kunoichi?"
Her lips twisted wryly as she brought her hand up to her hitai-ate. "I guess I should put a slash across this soon. I'm a nukenin."
"I see."
A flurry of paper suddenly fluttered across the room, and Sakura's alarmed expression caught his eyes. Itachi shook his head once, signaling to her not to do anything foolish. To his surprise, she shifted and moved closer to him as the white sheets drifted together and melded until a female form with blue hair and amber eyes appeared.
"My apologies. I was detained." She looked at him and greeted, "Itachi, Kisame. It's good to see you." And then she looked at Sakura curiously. "And this is?"
"Haruno Sakura," the pink-haired kunoichi supplied.
She nodded. "I'm Konan, Pein's partner. Welcome to Amegakure."
"Thank you for having me," Sakura murmured politely.
Pein gave him a querying look. "I assume the reason for this visit is to do with what we discussed the last time?"
Itachi nodded once and then reached into his cloak. Retrieving a sealed scroll, he offered it to the other nin. "I've been tasked to give you this scroll."
Taking it from him, Pein asked, "This is the agreement we discussed with Naruto?"
"Aa."
Pein passed the scroll to Konan. "Can you keep this where it belongs? I will look at it later."
Konan smiled gently. "Of course. I should get the rooms prepared for our guests."
"Please do."
Turning to him and Kisame, she said, "You know where your rooms are. Kisame, there's something we need to discuss so please come with me." And then to Sakura, she added, "Your presence is welcomed, but unexpected. I need some time to get things ready and will find you when I'm done."
Instead of exiting in her usual flurry of white paper, Konan waited until Kisame was by her side before she made her way to the door at the end of the room. Idly, Itachi wondered what business Konan had with the Mist nin, considering that their association had ended years ago with the disbandment of Akatsuki.
Inclining his head at them, Pein said, "I'm afraid I have to leave you here for a short while. Something requires my attention in the village. We will discuss things further when I return. In the meantime, please make yourself at home."
"Aa."
Pein's figure wavered and then disappeared.
000
000
Tension coiled tightly within her, Sakura stared at the blank space where Pein had been standing just a moment ago. The orange-haired man exuded such an intense level of power that she could not help but keep her guards up all while. It was draining.
When she was sure that Pein was gone, Sakura turned to Itachi. "Do you think he will sign the agreement?"
"It is likely." And then, after a brief pause, he asked, "Have you had an encounter with him prior to this day?"
"Eh?" A little confused, she replied, "An encounter? No I haven't met him before. I've heard of him, of course. "Why?"
"It's nothing important." His eyes darted to the door. "I intend to retire to my room. You may amuse yourself as you see fit."
That was a definite evasion, she decided suspiciously. Still, she had a more pressing issue to worry about than that. Namely Naruto's intention to join forces with Amegakure. Pein didn't look like someone who would allow himself to be ordered about. She only hoped that Naruto knew what he was doing. But then again, her friend possessed the uncanny knack of achieving the impossible.
She looked around, taking in the tall metal columns rising up the perimeter of the hall. The windows high up on the walls told her that it was still raining outside. She had only arrived but she felt terribly antsy. It was a funny sensation, almost like there was something urging her to escape the confines of the tower. She supposed it made sense, seeing that she didn't fully trust Itachi or Kisame in the first place, and then compounded by the fact that she was in a foreign country under the hospitality of those she didn't know.
"Am I allowed to explore?" she asked.
His eyes flickered briefly, and she had the sensation that he might be well aware of her anxiety. However, his tone betrayed nothing when he said, "You will be stopped if you attempt to enter prohibited areas."
"Great. I guess I'll just wander around until that happens, then."
Raising a hand, she waved at him and then turned to walk out of the hall. She could feel his gaze tracking her steps until she left the building. The guards outside slid her a suspicious look but said nothing, so she continued to descend the stairs until she reached the street. Rain continued to pour, drenching her to the skin but at this point, she had grown resigned to it.
Her steps splashed in the shallow puddles as she walked down the sparsely occupied street. She must look a sight, wandering around in this weather. Already, she had caught sight of a couple of people staring at her from the safety of their window as she passed. This looked like a typical civilian village, she thought. She didn't even see any shinobi guards posted around the village. Or maybe their defense system was something more sophisticated that she'd imagined?
A hanging white signboard ahead flapped in the wind, catching her attention. It was a teahouse, she noted with relief. Without further ado, she made her way there and walked up the few wooden steps to the entrance.
She was met just inside the door by an elderly lady who wore a pleasant, but wary smile. Despite the nearly-empty streets, she could see through the doorway that the teahouse was surprisingly full. This place must be good then, she decided.
"Welcome," the elderly lady greeted. "Come in. Table for one?"
"Yes, please."
As she walked in, some of the patrons glanced up to look at her curiously. They were probably regulars, she surmised. Almost all were civilians but she spotted a handful wearing Amegakure's hitai-ate. These people were the ones who were paying her the most attention. She supposed she would do the same if a foreign kunoichi suddenly appeared at Ichiraku.
Ignoring them, she followed the lady to a table in the back. After giving her orders of tea and a platter of daifuku, a soft rice cake with sweet filling, she sat back and tried to relax. Snippets of conversations reached her, even though she wasn't deliberately eavesdropping.
"… hard to come by. Some of the travelling merchants are late this season."
"Aa. We try to stock up each time. But there's just so much you can buy at one time, right?"
"… dredging the rivers again. Good thing Pein-sama is getting them to do it regularly. Helps with the flooding problem in the north. Why…"
"… schools were shut last week. Kaito spent all his time at home messing up the house! Honestly!"
"… kunoichi. Wonder what she's doing here?"
"Who knows? I heard she came with Itachi-sama and Kisame-sama."
"I suppose that's fine then. Pein-sama will take care of it if she poses any danger to us."
The last ones were muted remarks by the Ame nins sitting a couple of tables away. They were clearly confident in their leader's abilities. She didn't know what she'd thought, but she'd heard that Ame was poor because of it ended up as collateral damage in the wars fought by the larger shinobi nations a long time ago. The fact that they trusted their new leader implied that he was doing right by them.
"Here you go," a waitress announced as she placed the tea and sweets on the table.
"Thank you." Sakura took out some ryou and slid it across the table. "Is this enough?"
The waitress smiled. "I'll get you some change."
"Keep the change," Sakura said quietly.
"Thank you!"
As she began to eat, she continued to mull over what she'd overheard. Funnily enough, the conversations went a long way in easing her tension. Maybe it was because they sounded so normal. These people might be poor, but they didn't sound bitter and angry. If Pein managed to maintain peace for his people, surely he couldn't be that bad. Maybe this was what Naruto had seen in him.
Once she'd finished, she stood up and made her way to the exit. A few pairs of eyes followed her but once again, no one did anything. Ignoring them, she stepped out of the teahouse.
And almost ran straight into a tall body.
A pair of purple eyes with concentric circles met hers and she felt her breath catch. Her heart rate automatically picked up as she tensed.
"P-Pein-sama!" she exclaimed in surprise as she took a step back.
He inclined his head, and then glanced into the teahouse. "It's rather busy today, isn't it?" he remarked mildly.
She blinked uncertainly in the face of his calmness. "Um… I guess?"
"Perhaps I'll return another day."
When the silence stretched out a little longer than was comfortable, she asked, "Um… do you like this place?"
"Konan likes the confectionaries here."
Sakura tamped down on her surprise. Was Pein here to buy Konan something? It was unexpectedly sweet of him. She didn't know him well enough to say it out loud, though. So, she kept her comments to herself.
"I'm returning to the tower," she told him.
"I'll return with you."
And with that, they began to walk side by side down the street in the rain. Pein led her through smaller alleyways, which she presumed was a shorter route back. These were dark and even more deserted than the main streets and not even a single face peeked out of the windows as they passed. The only sound she could hear was the subtle splash of their footsteps and the occasional caws of the crows at the edge of the roof overhead.
They had walked for a short while in silence when suddenly without warning, Pein turned around and reached his hand out for her head. Sakura gasped in shock and in reflex, her Sharingan activated. Hastily, she batted his hand to the side and backed into a defensive stance. Her heart was thumping harder with her growing alarm. What had she gotten herself into?
"What the hell?!" she hissed.
His eyes narrowed speculatively. "Sharingan?"
"What's going on?" she snapped as she took a step back, and then another until they were at opposite ends of the dark alleyway. Her mind whirred with all sorts of thoughts of double crossing and betrayal, and her panic mounted. Were Itachi and Kisame in on this as well? "I was under the impression that you're on our side."
His face betrayed nothing as he raised his hand, palm facing her. To her shock, she found herself involuntarily dragged towards him with her boots scraping loudly against the wet ground. It was like her entire body was bent on moving itself to him. Gritting her teeth in determination, she struggled to escape the technique while her mind raced to understand what was going on. Was this whole thing just some elaborate ruse she couldn't wrap her mind around?
"Stop this, you bastard!" she snarled as she tried to stem her growing panic.
His expression darkened with disapproval. "Do not resist."
She ground her teeth and flared her chakra, focusing on pinning her feet to the ground. Her headlong rush towards him skidded to a halt, but she was unable to break out of his hold. Still, she was not going to make this easy for him. Even though he was insanely strong, it didn't mean that she would give in without a fight.
"Don't resist? You've got to be joking!" she retorted angrily.
Frowning in displeasure, he simply walked forward. Her blood ran colder with every step he took but she couldn't make her feet move. And when he reached her, he placed a cold hand on her forehead. She flinched as his chakra entered her mind and tried to jerk away but with no success. What was he doing?
When he finally pulled away, she glared wrathfully at him. He simply regarded her with a thoughtful look. She went cold at the thought that he had probably just invaded her mind. What had he gleaned from her? Did she possess any information that might endanger Konoha or her friends?
Abruptly, she found herself freed. In a blink of an eye, she was on the other side of the alleyway.
"What did you do?" she demanded harshly.
"I needed some information."
Furious and more than a little lost, she spat at him. "Normal people just ask questions. Not help themselves to the thoughts of other people."
"I never claimed to be normal," he said with a wry smile, as if he hadn't just invaded her privacy. "Come, let's continue our journey."
"No."
He raised a brow. "Don't be afraid. I didn't harm you, and I have no plans to do so," he told her quietly. "Let's return so you could rest."
She hesitated, her anger deflating slightly in the face of his calmness. What should she do? Considering what had just happened, it seemed mad to go along with him.
"I mean you no harm, Sakura-san," he reiterated.
She could tell from his tone that he was sincere. Still… "I'm not sure I can trust you," she told him bluntly.
A small smile curled his lips. "Well, it would be unwise to trust another too easily." He gave her a pointed look. "There are two options available to you at this point in time. You could leave Amegakure now, or return with me to the headquarters."
Should she leave? What would that achieve? Naruto trusted Pein enough to propose some sort of alliance with him, and whether or not she was here, she was certain that Naruto's plans with Pein would progress one way or another. Departing from Amegakure meant abandoning her task. She frowned thoughtfully. Did she want to leave without seeing things through properly? Besides, if Pein had ulterior motives, wouldn't it be better for her to stay to keep an eye on things?
"Have you made your decision, Sakura-san?"
After a long pause, she nodded curtly. "Fine. But please don't do that again."
He only smiled. Casting him wary looks, she followed in his wake as he walked pass her and turned right into yet another alleyway.
What was she getting herself into?
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A/N: Hope you've enjoyed that. As always, I'd love to see what you think of the chapter. We are probably about halfway through the story now... though it's hard to tell at this stage!
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