[A/N: Hey ya'll, sorry that I stink at fight scenes but I do try my best =) thanks to all my faithful reviewers, ya'll are what keep me going!]

The cursed arrow sang through the sky, fixed on the target that was Itachi Uchiha. He wouldn't have ever seen it coming, Lady Shimizu on the other hand could sense the sickly spell that was cast upon the shaft. She ran to meet Itachi along the back of the mighty creature, she grabbed him by the arm and swung him around, his feet completely leaving the solid ground of the creature's spine. She released his wrist in time for him to grab a hold of the monster's backspikes, the sharklady unfortunately did not fare as well. The arrow caught her in the shoulder in mid-swing, knocking her clear off of the demon's back. Itachi watched helplessly as she fell to the ground, her body and sword hitting the water with great force. He watched for a second, activating his sharinghan in an attempt to see any sign of life from the fallen ally.

Nothing, not a trace. He closed his eyes for a moment to absorb the fact that he was facing this alone, which normally pleased this Uchiha but for some reason it didn't bring the feeling of glee quite as it used to. He would honor her spirit somehow, but to do that he would have to survive this. He needed to bring this monster down first and foremost, and while it seemed that Shimizu had done most of the work on that he needed something to finish the job. He had seen her prepare to pierce the skull of the leviathan with her greatsword but the only weapon that he possessed was the short, thin sword she had given him before exiling him and Sasuke into the forest when the attack began. How could he possibly use it to penetrate the skull and to strike the creature's brain? Judging by the size and strength of the beast the length of the shortsword would barely match the thickness of the skull alone. Well maybe there was one way, but it would take precision and enough force to make it through…

A streak of black tore the Uchiha from his thoughts. He looked up to see a masked figure looking down on him, soaking wet and breathing heavily, eyes filled with hate, rage, and a hint of ecstasy. In his hands was an elite hunting bow with an arrow readied in the shaft, pointing right between Itachi's eyes. "Your kind won't be missed Uchiha" Momiji spat as he released the arrow, striking the Uchiha squarely in the forehead, the arrow completely going through his skull and breaking out of the other side of his head. The former ANBU officer began to fall, body limp and eyes widened in surprise and horror. Momiji felt slightly aroused as he watched his victim's lifeless corpse make the descent down to the ground, his only regret being that he didn't get to torture him a little first for his troubles. All well, that's what the younger one would be for.

The hairs on the back of his neck rose as something was standing behind him, his eyes narrowed in anger when the metal of a blade touched his neck. "A substitution jutsu, I should have known." Momiji jerked his elbow back to take Itachi by surprise, but missed. The Uchiha's knee came up and nailed the hunter in the ribcage before he was swiftly kicked off of the back of the massive beast. Itachi had to make a choice between destroying the monster before it did further damage to the forest and injured an ally or following the mysterious attacker down to the ground. Running up the back of the beast he reached the head and stepped over the edge, using his chakra to keep him glued to the side of the beast. Taking the small sword Shimizu had given him he held it with both hands and thrust it into the only unarmored spot on the beast's body, it's eye. His weapon and forearms went straight through the vessel, covering it in blood and slime. The sword lit up with a light blue bright light, a high-pitched ringing sound emitted from the blade as hidden blessings along the length of the metal revealed themselves, the power firing like lightning bolts into the demon's monster screeched as the enchanted weapon pierced the brain and the very fibers of it's being were being unraveled by the priestess' blessing.

The creature began to fall over, losing all motor and nerve control as the holy power wreaked havoc with it's demonic being. Itachi made a far jump off of the head to avoid being crushed as the beast hit the ground, destroying all of the trees it landed on as a powerful wave of water sprayed into the air. Momiji's eyes stood wide open as he watched his beast fall. Between the Akatsuki, that crazy shark bitch, and the suddenly empowered Uchiha, he didn't stand much of a chance. Clutching his wounded ribs, he hobbled off away from the battle, murmuring a cloaking jutsu to protect him along the way.

X.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.X

Itachi flexed his fingers as the burst of adrenaline and chakra dissipated from his body. Retrieving Sasuke was his first priority, then perhaps see if he could find Lady Shimizu. The attacker was gone, and hopefully for good. The last thing he needed was an elite officer stalking him and his brother while they tried to get their lives back. He stepped through the thick leaves of the weeping willow and felt a small bit of warmth in his chest when he found Sasuke right where he left him. Picking the child up under his knees and back he carried him out and began the search for any signs of the sharklady. The storm ended as abruptly as it had started and the water was slowly but surely draining away.

The monster's body was slowly dissolving away as black wisps of shadows rose into the air and were taken by the breeze. There was no signs of life other than the occasional misplaced fish or floating deer carcass. Itachi jumped from tree to tree to avoid getting soaked by the water on the ground, the trees dropping leaflets of water behind him as he went. He traveled around the body of the beast's remains, knowing that she couldn't have fallen that far away. The only reason he hadn't already began to run far away from this place was because of the kindness the brothel owner had shown him and to Sasuke. The least she deserved was a confirmation of her death and possibly some sort of grave. Suddenly Itachi's instincts perked up as he sensed new chakra signatures, definitely powerful ones. He stopped jumping and began to sneak through the treetops to hopefully get a view of the newcomers, somewhat hoping they could be of help.

Unfortunately the sight he found from the protection of the trees was not one of anyone that could be of assistance. The Akatsuki, a despicable criminal organization that was a target of the ANBU. There were two of them, a blue one and a white one. What were these freaks doing here? These ninja were not to be taken lightly, and if they detected him in this state he would be at a great disadvantage if they decided to attack. He crouched down held Sasuke tight as he watched the pair. The blue one removed his cloak and set down his massive wrapped sword, his pale-skinned companion standing on the low-hanging branch with his arms folded as if annoyed to even be here. The sharkman jumped down into the water that was waist-deep to him and walked out a few yards before leaning forward and picking something up from the bottom. Itachi closed his eyes with grief when none other than Lady Shimizu's limp body broke the surface, an arrow embedded in the side of her throat. She had never released her vice-grip on the handle of her sword, even in death.

The blue-haired killer turned and carried her back to low-hanging branch that his partner was perched on. This was it, who knows what they intended to do with the corpse of such a gifted medic, but there was nothing he could do to stop them. He quietly turned and left the area, Sasuke still pressed up against his chest. He didn't know where they were going, but anywhere from here would suffice for tonight.

[A/N: Again, sorry for crappy fight scenes, they look a lot better in my head than they do written out. Please review and be sure and pop by my profile for a possible sneak peak at #11 while I'm working on it (hopefully it will be posted to the profile page soon)]

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