*Warning: If you haven't gotten past the episodes where Sasuke talks to Tobi in the anime, this chapter is NOT TO BE READ. In fact, dont read any of my itachi based chapters until you've gotten that far in the show!**

Maia looked into the eyes of the enemy with a kunai pinned against her neck.- a man with blue skin and strange gills on his cheeckbones glared at her. He had a menacing evil grin that revealed razor sharp teeth.

"Well, well, looks like we got ourselves a little kunoichi, doesn't it?" She recognized the name and followed his gaze to a very young man with long black hair in a matching cloak. He didn't acknowledge her at all, nor give him instructions. "Very well then." The shark man pressed the kunai harder to her neck. Maia scowled.

It was true, she was afraid. If these two men were from the Akatsuki, they could easily kill her. They had no reason not to. The ease that they took out the men she had fought so hard to incapacitate showed just how out of her league she was. The man with the long hair looked at her looked to her with neutral expression. For some reason she felt a sense of solid reassurance. Maia continued looking and noticed... his eyes were like closed doors, counter to her open ones. Their eyes connected for a split second before she told the man in a commanding tone

"I'm sorry but I am not in the mood to be tasled with right now. I'll be on my way now of you would please put me down." The man's eyes opened wide- no one commanded him. Ever. There was a force behind her words that were not her own. It was as if she was being controlled.

"Kisame. Hold off. We have no reason to unecissarly kill her. She's no harm to us." He looked at the raven haired man with confusion but let down his kunai.

"Very well then. You're always so passive when it comes to fighting. It's uncharacteristic of you considering how many you killed in the past. I just waned to have a little fun." He never troubled himself with a response to his comrade. Maia raised her hand. It was true, her words had not entirely her own. It This time, she would use her gift. But the evil man in her head was doing the controlling. With her eyes, she looked into his life force.

-His chakra network was very connected but slightly irregular. The energy seemed to be sucking inward tightly letting very little emotion out. He was high functioning to the greatest extent. The most powerful shinobi she had ever met, certainly. It was time for her to show him what she could do. The girl put on an enignatic face.-

"It seems your intuition is impressive as well as your logic. IQ of 178. Medium- old soul. That's interesting, What are you here for?"

His expression did not change, but Maia saw a slight curiosity deep within his eyes. She smirked inwardly. He had not expected her to be able to gather information on him so intuitively.

"I have no need to tell you. It's none of your concern." Maia smiled gently then. Suddenly her mouth moved on its own. Her head had been channeling information from another place and she had no idea how or why. Her vision flickered, finding his truth and she let out a gasp. Words came forth:

"Interesting... I hope you met with the hokage while you could, he must have known you were here. I'm sure he missed you." Her hand flew to her mouth. What had she just said? Itachi jolted inwardly, eyes going wide. That was not a good move, she thought to herself, now he would have to eliminate her. His finger twitched. In a sudden flash, the S rank nin was at her heart with a Kunai. Maia had only enough time to close her eyes before she met her end.

Yet his weapon could not pierce her heart.

Maia looked to see why. His hand was holding the weapon at her heart, not even a centimeter away, he was even using his entire strength to send it into her chest. It seemed there was an invisible force holding his hand at bay. Life force streamed out of her.

He glared at her, questioningly. Surely if he had wanted to he could have ended her life. There was no way he wouldn't have been able to hurt her, she was new to being chuunin. Not even close to being untouchable. He would have killed her if he had the chance. Maybe the evil man inside her mind had helped her. He wanted to hurt her himself, after all. This had only been luck. Eventually, he put the kunai back and stood glaring at the girl, still pinned to the tree.

This conversation could not leak out. If it did it might lead to a world war and to the end of the village.

"Who are you?" She looked over and noticed he had put his partner in a genjutsu.

"Maia Nishikawa. I was found in a clearing here a few months ago."

"How in the hell did you know." His finger twitched once more.

"I have no idea. Intuition I guess. I have the gift of sight too. Except that while your eyes create illusions I see the truth." Empathy made her hurt on the inside. "I can feel your pain, too. It's so heavy. Will you let me heal it?" His eyes squinted in suspicion. What the hell had she just asked? She gathered her chakra. "Let me give you this." Maia sent him healing chakra into his heart, not enough to heal his deep scars but enough for him to feel it even a little. He stepped back lifted his hand in caution but it got to him. With his persistent stern expression he uncomfortably nodded.

"I'm taking you hostage."

"You don't have to. I would never tell a soul." She put her fingers to her lips. "After all, I love the village too, with all my heart. If you hear of anyone else who knows because I told them, you may kill me at once."

"I have no reason to trust you, nor to let you live. You'll come with us. If I were to let you go it would risk causing unimaginable harm to the village and to myself."

"Then give me a reason to live. Let me spy for you." Then she dared try it. "I'll look after your brother. I'll tell the elders the information you want me to relay to them and when the time comes you have more intel, I will meet with you. I'm aware now you have been sending information to the elders directly while they watch over him, but they cannot look into him like I can. If you let me go, I will watch over him more closely." He thought over for a moment. In a single flash she had found his weakness, and if he incorporated a little addition, this scheme would work with no risk to himself. There was a risk that one day Sasuke would leave the village in search for power. In order to give himself a heads up, this plan would be ideal. He would not trust her, but he could use her.

"I will let you go, but I will watch you. If you so much as make one mistake, I will take you hostage or kill you even before you can escape." With that ensured, he finally let her down from the tree.

"That's a good idea, what will you use to watch me while you're away?" He made a hand sign and Maia felt slight burning pain on her side and in her mouth. What had he given to her?

"That will be with you wherever you go. If you talk with Sasuke, the message that you're near him will be relayed to me. I'm not often around the leaf village, but when I am it will appear too. That way, I will know how much you're watching him, and if you tell him the truth about me, it will summon the two of you to me. I will wipe his memories and take you hostage." The girl nodded willingly. He watched her with scrutiny.

"This will put your life in great risk. What is your motive? I wouldn't be surprised if you wanted something in return." She shook her head.

"Nothing in return. I love this village and I want to help protect it. I was found only a little while ago with amnesia, but I can't help feeling like I've lived here before." It didn't matter. Whatever her motive was it wouldn't harm his scheme. He had her under his control. He walked back to the exact spot he had been when he put Kisame under the genjutsu. The shark man shook his head. He had no idea what had happened; it seemed the raven haired man had simply stopped time for him or had made him listen to a dialogue of lies.

"We'll give her the documents." He indicated towards his partner and he, confused as ever, went towards the men who were still held in place.

"You heard him, give me the papers or I'll cut your throats." The men wriggled without protest they let down their bags. Maia watched as Itachi retrieved the documents and handed them to her halfhandedly. He stared off.

"It seems I should introduce myself properly. My name is Uchiha Itachi."

"It's nice to meet you Itachi. Thank you for giving me these documents. We wouldn't be able to track Orochimaru without them." He nodded once more.

"Maia Nishikawa.. we shall see each other again soon. I will send word when the time arrives. Until then farewell." He headed with Kisame back to where they had come from. Then, Maia had an idea.

"Wait." Kisame was put in an illusion again. Itachi halted, not bothering to turn his head. "Teach me. In return for watching over your brother… would you help me learn?" Now the man looked at her. It was an unexpected and intriguing request. "It's hard learning things I must have already known and I want to grow and become stronger." That made him lower his head slightly. He looked at her with an indescribable expression.

"Very well." The genjutsu was off. The two Akatsuki headed out past her. When they were next to her, he whispered to you so now only she could hear. "Never forget... I have my eye on you.."

He took off then into the trees. The shark man Kisame looked confused but gave her a menacing grin.

"He's a strange one he is... Don't you tell anyone about anything or we'll be back but not so friendly." He took off following his raven haired companion leaving her alone again.

Maia looked out at the trees which had were blowing in the wind. That had been an unexpected turn of life events. Now not only was she under the occasional control of the evil man in her mind, she was under the control of Itachi Uchiha as well. What mess had she just gotten herself into?

....

"Maia!" It was Anko. Maia handed them the documents, making up a story about two ninja travellers (gai saw the footprints) and that allowed her to steal the documents. Everyone was happy and teased her, calling her the hero of the day. Maia felt guilty knowing you had done nothing but get caught twice. Itachi had been the real hero, not her. She picked up one body, Anko two, and Gai three and they all headed to deliver them to the leaf village to be put in prison.

That evening, travelling back, Maia and the Anko hung out in the trees.

"So I guess you really aren't much of a kid after all, is that it?"

"What do you mean- is that good?"

"That's great! I have a feeling you'll be one of the gang. We'll be going on more missions together now, you and me. How about it?"

"Yeah, sounds great!" They grinned together again. Maia and the special-jounin were going to get allong fine. "So, how long have you been a jounin?"

"I've been here awhile now, ever since I..."

"What?"

"Oh, never mind. It doesn't really matter."

"Oh, okay." She knew the woman was hiding something but didn't want to intrude so she left it alone. I guess everyone has their secrets here she thought.

When everyone returned to the village, Kakashi had recovered from his fight with Maia's new hidden ally. Anko told him how her performance had been the most surprising by far- and how she saved the day twice. He was caught off guard.

"You're really quite something, aren't you Maia?..." She inwardly blushed and gasped. He wasn't one to make that many compliments to most people, especially to the likes of her. Even more questionable was how he looked down at some unseen object on the ground, contemplating. What was he thinking?