Chapter 10: Reunion
To do what's right
When everything is wrong
It's easier to lie, easier to lie
- Easier to Lie by Aqualung
Hinata and I had tried hard to get into contact with Tsunade, but every time we were turned away either because she was too busy or she wasn't in. I was getting seriously annoyed and Hinata was desperate.
"Sh-she's probably busy with the war," Hinata mumbled glumly, "She probably doesn't want to see us…"
I grit my teeth and slammed down my wooden chopsticks beside the ramen bowl. I put down enough money for the both of us and dragged her away by the wrist.
"We're seeing Shishou, whether she likes it or not."
Standing atop the deserted head of the Fourth Hokage, Itachi stared impassively over the flickering lights of Konoha. The look in his eyes was far away and his face was stark white against the darkness of the night.
- that's ours and Shisui smirked, his eyes shining with complete and utter devotion as the lights of Konoha sparkled in his eyes and Itachi followed his gaze, something catching in his chest -
Two figures sprinting up the ridiculously long staircase of the Hokage tower caught his eye and he noted with some little interest that one of them had vibrant pink hair. Intuition pulled at him and nagged him to follow her, and he watched her disappear into the building with a black haired girl in tow. He presumed she was going into the Hokage's office and he completely blocked his chakra signature.
The Hokage's office had a massive glass window, which was perhaps its biggest failing. He had been trained to lip read as a member of ANBU and he watched the conversation play out between Sakura, the Hyuuga and the Hokage. The Hokage had her back turned to him so he was unable to figure out what she was saying, but Sakura was obviously angry.
Sakura gestured firmly with her hand, her green eyes wide with rage as she demanded, "Why is Naruto being kept underground?"
There was a pause in which the Hokage spoke and then Sakura attacked again, "We have the right to know, Hinata is his girlfriend and I am his best friend. He would want us to know if there's something wrong with him, I want to be able to help."
The Hokage stood up and turned her back on Sakura, staring out of the window. Itachi consciously made an effort to slink further back into the shadows, but the Hokage hadn't seen him. The Hyuuga was the jinchuuriki's fiancé?
"This information is top secret. If Naruto's location is leaked out to the Akatsuki then Konoha will be endangered," the Hokage stated, her face expressionless.
Sakura was angry again, "You're treating him like he's not even a person! Naruto's a human being and should have his own choices and rights, you can't just take his freedom away from him-"
"I can take it away when thousands of lives are on the line!" The Hokage shouted back at her student, turning sharply to meet the gaze of her student.
Itachi noted that their personalities were similar, though that was to be expected of a student and their master. Still, an argument between two headstrong people never boded well for anyone at all.
"Tsunade-sama…I just want to know if Naruto is alright," the Hyuuga woman, who had been silent up to this point finally spoke up.
Nobody spoke. Finally, the Hokage sat down and put her head in her hands. As a smile blossomed over Sakura's face and a hesitant one pulled at the Hyuuga's lips, Itachi presumed they had been allowed to see the jinchuuriki.
Itachi saw them leave and his eyes narrowed slightly. The ring on his hand began to burn against his skin and he glanced down at it, realizing he was being called by Pein from outside of Konoha. He disappeared silently without causing the slightest disturbance and followed the path the ring charted out for him in his mind, coming to the base of a gnarled tree.
"You have not been performing the task I assigned to you, Itachi-san," a toneless, dead voice stated.
Pein stood atop the tree branch, staring down at Itachi. Itachi met his gaze coolly, unperturbed by the fact that this man was his Leader. Itachi knew that he was probably looking, and he ignored his base urge to look for Madara in the treetops.
"You do realize this delay is harming our goal," Pein pressed.
Itachi said, "Yes."
"Have you no new information concerning the jinchuuriki?" Pein questioned.
He deliberately withheld information from Pein. "He has been missing ever since our arrival and no one knows of his location."
He said nothing more and Pein nodded. He dismissed Itachi, who disappeared silently, and a figure dissolved through the tree trunk. His single burning red eye glowed ominously in the shadows and Pein closed his own eyes.
"Has his eyesight been restored?" Madara demanded.
Pein shook his head and answered, "He refuses to allow the girl to heal him."
Madara frowned underneath his mask. He said, "Make sure she does."
He disappeared into the tree again and left Pein alone.
The knock at the door woke Naruto up and he groggily presumed it was Sasuke at the door, coming to see him again.
"Go away, bastard. I want to sleep," he grumbled.
"Shut up idiot, your voice is jarring," Sasuke snapped back from where he was sleeping on the sofa.
The both of them froze suddenly and looked at the door. Only Sasuke, Tsunade and Jiraiya knew where Naruto was and they both knew for a fact that Tsunade would never come down and Jiraiya was in Amegakure. But then, who else could possibly be at the door?
It was Sasuke who stood up and went over to the door. Naruto saw the kunai gleam as he pulled it out of his holster and followed suit, preparing himself for a battle. Sasuke and he exchanged a look of understanding and Sasuke put his hand on the doorknob. It turned sharply and the door slammed open.
Naruto lowered his kunai in shock. "Sakura?"
The pink haired woman standing in his doorway took a step inside and revealed a smaller, black haired woman.
Naruto felt something catch in his throat as he locked eyes with his girlfriend, "Hinata…"
She smiled at him weakly, her eyes brimming with emotion. Naruto instantly ran over to her and enclosed her in a tight embrace. Hinata looked as though she was fighting back tears and her hands grasped his shirt tightly, trying to pull him closer to her. Sakura watched the scene play out with a melancholy smile and stole a glance at Sasuke. He was clearly avoiding her gaze and her breath hitched. Was he still angry with her?
Sakura sighed silently and decided not to let Sasuke ruin her time with Naruto. She went over to the sofa and energetically threw herself onto it, rolling onto her back as she stared at the ceiling. She cracked open one eye and glanced at Naruto and Hinata.
"Yeah, hi too Naruto," she said sarcastically, but obviously without any ill intention behind her words.
Naruto and Hinata finally broke apart and he shot Sakura a bright grin, looking quite overwhelmed. He asked, "How did you guys get in here?"
"Shishou let us in after Hinata won her over with her amazing natural charm," Sakura smiled at Hinata and winked at the nervous looking girl.
"I just wanted to see you…if you're angry I can go…" Hinata mumbled.
Naruto cupped her face in his hands and pressed his forehead against hers. He told her softly, "I've wanted to see you for a long time too, I missed you."
He kissed her and the scene made Sakura think of the kiss Deidara had stolen while they had been flying. Then she thought of the kiss Itachi and she had shared before his fake execution and it was suddenly hard to breathe. Naruto and Hinata's obvious love for each other made her wonder if she would ever be loved in return.
She faked a smile and grabbed Sasuke's wrist. He stiffened considerably and she yanked him behind her as she left, shouting behind her, "I'm just stealing Sasuke for a bit. If you get Hinata pregnant, you'd better name your first kid Sakura!"
She shut the door behind her and Sasuke instantly wrenched his wrist from her grip. He stormed ahead and when they were far enough from Naruto's underground hovel to not be heard, he stopped and turned to face her. His eyes were angry as he glared at her and asked, "Why are you here?"
Sakura rolled her eyes, "Get over yourself, I didn't come for you. I just wanted to give Naruto and Hinata their time together, she's missed him a lot."
Sasuke's mismatched gaze was hard and he spat at her, "You shouldn't even be here. You're a threat to Naruto."
"What do you mean I'm a threat to Naruto? He's one of my best friends, I would never do anything to endanger him," she said indignantly.
"You're working with the Akatsuki! Of course you're a threat, you fell in love with Itachi and what's to say you won't give away information to another member?" he demanded.
Sakura yelled back at him, "Is this what this is about? Your brother?"
"No, this is about you giving information to another Akatsuki member you've whored yourself out to-"
A loud crack filled the narrow hallway.
Sasuke slowly turned his head back to face her, his cheek stinging. In a low, betrayed whisper, she said, "I would never…never do anything to hurt Naruto. You should know that by now."
She turned on her heel and walked away from him. Sasuke yelled after her, "You're so full of shit! Are you going back to fuck one of the other Akatsuki members now? I bet you're probably even in on their scheme to kidnap Naruto! Don't come back here again!"
His shouts followed her all the way down the hallway. She fought hard to keep from running, and it was only when she turned the corner and disappeared from his sight that she fled.
She ran aimlessly throughout Konoha, her feet leading her way. Her mind was in turmoil and she was trying to keep from letting the tears overspill, but she needed to get away. The door leading to the Uchiha District was already open and she stumbled in, her body guiding her towards the river.
Itachi was sitting on the wooden dock, staring over the water. Sakura was so overcome by her emotion and the sight of him only served to make it a hundred times worse. Maybe it was her own sub conscious that had sought him out and maybe a part of her had known that he would be at the river, but she sat down at the edge of the dock. He was seated on the adjacent side, their shoulders almost touching. She hugged her knees to her chest and stared over the sparkling river.
He said nothing and they sat in silence. She began to tremble and his eyes flickered to her reflection in the water. Her head was buried in her knees but she was fighting to keep absolutely silent.
This time he made no effort to tell her to leave. He pretended not to see the wet splashes on the dry wood of the dock and stared over the river.
When Sasuke returned to Naruto's apartment, Hinata was already gone. He sat down on the sofa and Naruto glanced at him, taking in the fact that he was incredibly tense and there was a frown on the Uchiha's face.
"Where's Sakura?" Naruto asked him.
Sasuke said nothing and stood up, walking into the small kitchen. Naruto followed him and his eyes narrowed as he demanded, "Did you say something to her?"
Sasuke ignored him and pulled out a glass from the drying rack, filling it with water. Naruto felt his entire body prickling with anger and shouted, "You did, didn't you? What did you say to her?"
"I told her not to come here again," Sasuke finally answered. He kept his eyes straight ahead, avoiding Naruto's eyes.
Naruto had balled his hands into fists and he grit his teeth to the point it was causing him pain. He then said in a dangerously low voice, "That wasn't it though, was it?"
Sasuke finally met his eyes and that gaze told Naruto all he needed to know. Instead of exploding and punching Sasuke, he instead pointed to the door and growled, "Get out of my house."
The glass was put down without another word. The door shut with more force than was necessary and Naruto stared at the glass of water on the table.
Anger contorted his features and he smashed the glass away with the back of his hand. It hit the wall and shattered into a thousand shards, each a broken reflection of emotion.
"Your brother is an asshole."
I saw his eyes flicker to my reflection and our gazes met in the water. I slowly uncurled myself from the ball I had become and let my feet dangle into the water, uncaring that my shoes were going to get wet. I watched the ripples they created with little interest and Itachi said nothing, his gaze returning to whatever he had been looking at earlier.
"I'm almost tempted to say you're the better brother," I confessed with a humourless laugh.
"Hm."
I supposed that meant he didn't really give a shit. I sighed and glanced over the water. What had I been expecting, for him to listen to all of my problems and give me advice? Itachi the counsellor- now that was a laugh. Though, he had let me sit with him so I guessed if he wanted me gone he would have said something.
"Thanks," I said quietly.
Our gazes met in my reflection again and I elaborated, "For…you know…letting me sit here and stuff."
"You would have proved troublesome if I did not," he stated.
I scowled and muttered darkly, "Forget I said anything then."
- Akatsuki member you've whored yourself out to and his mismatched eyes were angry and I was angry because he didn't know anything, he didn't know anything -
I glanced down again, feeling a lump form in my throat. I tried to distract myself and asked, "Do you think Sound will invade Konoha anytime soon?"
"It is likely. They have not made a move in a while," Itachi answered tonelessly.
"Yeah, I thought so too. Hey, what's the deal with Deidara and you? He really hates you," I remembered aloud.
Itachi shrugged and said, "I was the one who brought him into the organisation on Leader's orders."
"It was you?! No wonder he hates you, I'd hate you too," I exclaimed.
"Hm."
"I mean, you aren't that bad really. Sure, you don't say much and you're really overconfident, and you're a bit of a jackass-"
"Do not push your luck."
"I'm just saying," I said quickly.
A long silence fell between us.
"Hey, you want to play a game?" I ventured.
Itachi asked, "Is this the stupid game you wanted to play last time?"
I smiled at him in surprise and said, "You actually remembered? I'm touched!"
He remained impassive and we fell into silence again. Eventually I asked, "What underwear are you wearing?"
"I do not want to play any game of any sort with you. And, I deem that an inappropriate question and therefore refuse to answer it," he answered flatly.
"Ahh, come on! You were like this last time too, please just answer the question."
"No."
"Urgh, fine. Your turn. Ask me a question."
"I am not playing."
I groaned and complained, "You are honestly no fun. I'd have more fun playing with a wall."
"Go and find one then," he stated mildly.
My eyes narrowed at him and I sighed frustratedly. I didn't even know why I bothered with him sometimes.
"You, sir, are not a gentleman. What do you do in your free time?" I asked him, reverting back to the game.
"Nothing of interest," he answered.
"Look, why are you still here if you don't want to play the game?" I demanded in exasperation.
"I was here before you, it was you who came and disturbed me. I do not see why I need to move and I have already said I do not want to play such a childish game," he explained coolly.
He then added in an afterthought, "And I pass."
"Do you think the world revolves around you?" I asked him, my eyes narrowing.
"Yes. I pass."
The man honestly had no shame. I kicked my foot in annoyance, sending water across the river. I tried to think of a question and stared over the river, but slowly lost my track of thought. I sobered and the mood dampened.
Finally I found my question.
"What is this, Itachi? What are we?"
Silence fell between the two of us again.
Then he stood up and walked away.
As Sasuke rose out of the ground, Hidan's eyes narrowed. Wasn't that Itachi's bastard brother? He stayed put and hid from the Uchiha, his gaze following him as the man walked off angrily with a frown on his face. When he was absolutely sure Sasuke was gone, he drew closer to the area Sasuke had just risen from.
The ground was solid. Hidan glared down at it and realized that it must have been genjutsu. He brought his fingers together and muttered, "Kai!" However, the genjutsu did not release. It must have been a high ranking genjutsu.
He sighed loudly and bit on the edge of his thumb, hard enough to draw blood. With the blood, he drew a small star in the ground, the sign of Jashin, and the blood seeped into the dirt. The cut quickly healed as he closed his eyes and brought his hands together in prayer.
When he opened his eyes again, he was standing on a trapdoor. He hid his chakra signature to the best of ability, aware that it could give him away. He opened it easily and withdrew into the passage it led into. It smelled sterile and he could hear screams from one end, a sick grin stretched across his face in pleasure. The lights were all weak and the off white walls suggested that this was not a very pleasant place.
He began walking quickly, if someone found him then it could mean the end of the Konoha and Amegakure alliance. He turned a left and then took another left at a second fork. The wooden strip that lined the bottom of the wall had been consistent until now, he realized, there was a sudden break where it stopped and then started again.
Sloppy, Konoha, he thought with a sardonic grin, very sloppy.
He broke the genjutsu he knew was there on the wall and went into the hallway it revealed. There was only one door at the other end and he made doubly sure that his chakra was hidden. He slowly approached it and stared at the door.
There was a loud and sudden crash on the other side and Hidan instantly tensed. Then there was a huge chakra spike and a torrent of incredibly evil washed over Hidan, making the silver hairs on his skin stand on end. The intensity of it was stifling and he had only ever once experienced a chakra this choking and evil before.
A grin pulled at the corners of his lips.
The jinchuuriki was on the other side.
He quickly exited the underground tunnel network, he probably wouldn't stand a chance against the jinchuuriki alone. The genjutsu repaired itself behind him and he pressed his thumb against the engraving of his ring. A thin trickle of chakra clung to the surface and seeped in through the character there.
What is it, Hidan? Pein's voice was as unemotional as ever.
I've found the jinchuuriki. He's being held underground Konoha. Hidan answered, sending Pein images of the underground passage and entrance.
There was a brief silence on the other end. You are absolutely sure of this.
Yes. I felt his chakra signature.
The connection was suddenly cut on the other end. Hidan glanced up at the blue Konoha sky and grinned, aware that very soon it would be streaked with blood red clouds.
Next Chapter Preview : First Wave
"If you don't hurry up, Itachi-san's going to get her."
"We've got a war to fight, you bastard, don't run off on us now to fight your brother. He's on our side."
"Sakura…damn it, stay with me…stay with me!"
"Sakura, do you love him?"
Selandora's Tips on How to Be Beautiful
This story is better than Defining Evil.
Agreed. I'm having more fun writing it too and I think I have a better sense of the character.
Can you explain what happened to Sasuke's eye?
Well, for those of you who've read Kakashi Gaiden, it's almost exactly the same as that except that Naruto lived after giving Sasuke his eye. Sasuke really loves his Sharingan and since he didn't have anyone to blame other than himself, he blamed Sakura for not being good enough a medic to repair his eye.
Itachi should have worn white as well in the previous chapter. : )
I agree, but if I did that I probably would have been unable to finish writing the chapter because I'd be drooling all over the keyboard. Itachi's too hot, we should leave something to the imagination. (heehee)
Is there going to be anymore deisaku?
There's a whole chunk in the next chapter. I'm trying to find a balance for the itasaku and deisaku, since this is meant to be a love triangle, so Deidara's always going to have his time with Sakura.
Who did the bag belong to, Ayame or Shisui?
Urk, I think I may have confused a few people. The bag belonged to Shisui, but after Shisui died Itachi believed that all of Shisui's possessions should have gone to Ayame since she was his fiancée. Shisui hid the bag in the river so that Itachi would find it, but Sasuke found it first and took it as his own. Then he gave it to Sakura.
Did Sasuke find the secret thing in the bag?
No, he didn't because he's an idiot. He doesn't deserve to find out what's in the bag, the ass.
Is Itachi going to meet Ayame again?
Definitely, but I'm not sure if it's going to be a happy or a sad meeting yet.
I thought Sakura would have more self-control when it came to drinking.
I actually wanted to make Sakura a terrible drunk in the beginning. It would have been really ironic. Sakura did have really good self-control I felt, sake is pretty strong stuff so for her to have been able to nearly out drink Kisame, who's much older than her and goes drinking on a regular basis, is a real feat.
Didn't Sakura know Itachi was blind already?
Itachi was not blind at the end of Defining Evil, his eyes were in bad condition. Sakura thought he was still able to see and when she healed him, he could see much better then he went off (being the idiot he is) and abused it which resulted with his blindness. So no, she didn't know he was blind.
Is this going to end up itasaku?
I'm still struggling with that question. Ask me when I'm halfway through the last chapter haha.
Is Itachi a villain?
Uh. Sort of. It's extremely complicated and it'll sort itself out later on. : )
How can Itachi see Sakura's underwear when he's blind?
He's not blind anymore, she healed him. (Did I not make this clear? I'm sorry about that.)
I've seen your oneshot called Is There A Ninja In Your Pants? floating around . What is it?
(this isn't obvious advertising at all.) Ahh, well I feel incredibly ashamed of myself for promoting another story here. I've really quite gotten into narusaku and there was a period of time I was quite upset, so I wrote Is There a Ninja In Your Pants? to cheer myself up. It's really good fun, I was laughing so hard as I wrote it, and its basically about how Naruto's trying to pick up Sakura in the worst ways possible. And since I've told you about Is There A Ninja In Your Pants, you might as well check out Everything as well.
PS. Thanks to mistressofmischeif, Dip'ndots, WinglessFallenAngel, IcecreamSkittlesaddict, BlackButterfly-RedRose, Hiei's Cute Girl, mintxrain, Hikari Adams, Retsu-chanXD for inspiration for anything above.
And just because I thought this moment was so priceless, I'm going to put it up and share it with you guys.
(Cheryl walks down the school hallway and the people around her begin clapping)
"Why are they clapping for her?"
"She finished twenty seven episodes of Claymore in a week."
"Holy shit, that's amazing-"
"You guys clap for stuff like that?!"
- a prime example of otakus in our school.
Selandora (thanks you all for your lovely reviews.)