J: Ok, I know I have been gone for long, but… you know what, I won't bother you. Just read and then read my reasons after the story.
Disclaimer: Too tired to do it. Just look at my past chapters.
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Deidera scowled. Damn that weasel. It had once again managed to shock him and Konan and the only who was having a fair chance of winning was a tired Pein, who was barely hanging on, having wasted chakra on helping save the people in the Thunder Shrine. Not to mention the fact that of all days, it had to be fucking raining. A thunderstorm no less.
Things were suppose to be easy. There wasn't supposed to be that many shrine maiden hanging around here since it was the start of the festival. But the temple priest just had to organize that particular day to stay back and clean the shrine. So they were at disadvantage when Konan had to start wasting her chakra on healing the injured people, having been the only one who knows medical jutsus.
Then, he only had limited use of his clay as it was a public area. "Lessen your damage," Pein had said. Now that he thought of it, he should have rolled his eyes back then. Then, Pein just had to act hero and all and took quite a blow from Raijuu from protecting a seven-year-old child who was passing by.
And then, a few minutes later, of all things, a thunderstorm came. And that was when they had remembered that Itachi had said something about Raijuu being the God Of Lightning. And it was then that Deidera knew they were in deep shit.
Deidera quickly molded his clay bird, hopping on it to avoid an incoming blow from a ball of lightning/fire. Raijuu seemed to like rolling himself into a ball and then attacking his enemies. He growled as his sleeve caught a little of the fire. He tore off the sleeve and landed next to Konan, who seemed to be preparing a jutsu. By the looks of it, it was something big. "Pein, stall," called Konan.
Pein emotionlessly nodded and shoot some random wind jutsus at it, hoping it will stay on air. Apparently, Raijuu was smarter than he let on and swooped down to Konan, who was blocked by a grinning Deidera. "Art is a bang, un," he had whispered, and the spider clay that he had implanted on Raijuu a few seconds ago, gave out a loud bang, and Deidera cackled in satisfaction.
Pein, despite the serious situation, couldn't help but shake his head.
Konan gave a rare smile as she was finally done. Just in time, Itachi ran over from god knows where and said, "He's mine,"
She merely nodded and mouthed back, "I know," before saying, "Bijuu Fuiin," and pulled Raijuu, who was now thrashing violently, into Itachi. Slowly, but surely, Raijuu was pulled towards Itachi, like a magnet.
After what seemed like forever, Raijuu disappeared into Itachi's body and Konan and Itachi both fainted.
Pein was the first to move, sweeping a silent gaze at both of them before picking Konan up, asking Deidera to do the same with Itachi. Deidera nodded without complain and instead, asked, "Why Itachi though?"
Pein knew he was talking about the Raijuu, so he answered, "Probably because his affinity is lightning too and the fact that Itachi means weasel," Deidera gave him a funny look and resisted the urge to stick his tongue out. Pein was annoying in a weird sense of way. He was quiet. Not the that's-how-my-nature-is quiet, but rather the I'm-quiet-cause-I-know-it annoys-you quiet.
And it was frustrating.
"So, where are we going now, un? Meet up with Sasori and Kisame or head back to the hotel?" Deidera asked.
And he received no reply.
"Oi, Pein," he called again. He would like to believe that Pein didn't hear him but he knew better.
"Pein," he called out one last time, before turning away with a huff once he didn't receive any answer.
Pein barely suppressed a light smirk at Deidera's actions. He reminded him so much of the younger Konan, who would try to pester him to satisfy her curiosity. They had both been victims of the war and could only rely upon each other. Until now that is.
Deidera merely pouted as he followed an indifferent Pein who was now lost in a thought.
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Naru stared impatiently at Anko. Gaara and Hinata were glaring at their teacher. Ayumi was assigned somewhere to do a few simple chakra control exercise. The busy night was over and it was time for them to do their jobs. Which is also the reason why Team 12 was so frustrated. They were 'asked' to just stand on a lookout and were pissed. Shinobi their caliber was not suppose to do simple jobs.
Anko had gave them a briefing that consist of one sentence, "Just look for her and tell me when you see her, and no sudden actions,"
And before anybody could object, Anko was gone with a poof of smoke. Naru frowned and looked suspiciously at Gaara and Hinata. "What happened to you guys last night? Is it me or are you both… closer?"
Gaara looked away while Hinata blushed light pink. "A-Anyways, are you really going to obey Anko's orders?" asked Gaara, slightly stammering.
Naru knew he was trying to change the subject but didn't press it. They would tell her when they were ready. She frowned, and then a few moments later, her frown deepened. "Listen to Anko? Who do you think I am?" she said. Hinata gave a small smile and Gaara sighed in annoyance. "Of course I won't listen to her. If I did, then I wouldn't be Uzumaki Naru now, would I?" and she gave a huge grin.
Hinata folded her arms, "Then what are you planning to do?" Naru opened her mouth but Hinata cut her, "Wait, don't tell me. I think I can guess. You're probably going to look for some trouble and we're going to get caught and we'll be in more trouble and at the end you're going to do something about it and everything will be alright again,"
Naru laughed, "How did you guess?"
Gaara gave her a hard look but there was a hint of playfulness in his eyes, "That's what always happened. It's like a routine,"
Naru gasped in mock horror. "Gaara-kun, are you saying I cause trouble? Hinata-chan, aren't you suppose to be on my side?"
Hinata smiled, "It's because of the trouble that we are on your side. Life is never dull when you're around,"
Naru raised her eyebrows, "That and the friendship?"
Gaara nodded, trying to hide his smile, "That and the friendship," He confirmed.
Naru laughed and took off, "Then what are we waiting for? Let's look for our target and cause havoc," And without a backward glance, Hinata and Gaara followed her.
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Nii Yugito was at the top of her game. She was swift and agile, not to mention extremely dangerous. She was everything a kunoichi wanted to be. And yet, when she walked in the door of her kage's office, she was only greeted by sneers. And that's when she tells herself, 'I'm not going to give them any satisfaction,' and the cat in her agreed.
Yugito was a no nonsense person. So when she was facing the Raikage, she took off her ANBU mask and folded her arms together. "What do you want?"
The Raikage grinned and Yugito had to refrain herself from hitting him right there and then. The Raikage was power hungry and would do anything to achieve his goal. Yugito loathed him. Especially when he smiled. He said, "I've caught word that some Konoha nin were assigned to assassinate you. Be on guard. Wouldn't want our top card to go down now wouldn't I? Of course, you wouldn't lose easily," and he laughed.
Yugito blinked hard and replied, "That was the reason you interrupted my nap?" and she walked away in a flash.
The Raikage grinned lecherously, "Yes, she wouldn't go down easily," and he laughed. His niece would never lose to those bunch of losers like Konoha.
Yugito sighed as she pressed her back against the door of the Raikage's office. She took a step forward and then another and walked to her house. There was no need to rush. There was plenty of time. She passed the graveyard and stopped. She wanted to go back now, but decided against it. Nekomata needed this. She closed her eyes and started walking. She knew her way by heart as she opened her eyes only to find herself face to face with her mother's grave.
She sat down and pulled her legs together and rested her head on her knees. She stared and wondered why she was here.
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Naru found herself staring at the graveyard. Why was she here? What made her want to come here? Why is the graveyard so big? Why was she asking questions when she was supposed to be looking for answers? And most importantly, why did her heart felt so heavy?
Her team had split up to cover more grounds. And she had felt a pang of sadness as she saw the way Hinata and Gaara looked at each other when they split up. It was so private and she felt left out. They had always been her best friends, and not being included was lonely. She could always speak up, but that could spoil their relationship. And that was when she found herself unconsciously walking in the graveyard.
Again came that question. Why was she here? Maybe she wanted to pay her respects to the decease. Maybe she wanted to see the people who would risk their lives to save their home. Maybe she wanted to find the answers to all her questions. Maybe. There were too many maybes.
Naru walked around the graveyard and paid her respects with every step she took. Her steps came to a stop as she saw a young woman in ANBU clothing in front of a grave. The grave was huge but wouldn't have stood out if the woman wasn't there. She walked closer and lightly tapped the woman's shoulder. The woman jumped and Naru gave her a warm smile and asked, "What are you doing here?"
Yugito blinked as she stared at the girl in front of her. She carried herself in a very relaxed way, like there was nothing to worry about in the world. And she decided that she was interested at this girl, since she was obviously a kunoichi. "You're not from around here, aren't you?" and she grinned, revealing her sharp teeth that looked much like a cat. And that was when Naru knew that this was the person she was looking for.
Yugito, as if losing interest, turned to the grave, and Naru saw the sadness she was trying to conceal. "I'm Nii Yugito. Resident jinchuuriki,"
Naru's eyes widened and Yugito braced herself from the distrustful eyes. But Naru merely laughed and said, "So?"
Yugito turned her head away, determined to look anywhere but at the girl. "I'm Uzumaki Naru," she heard the girl say. Yugito wasn't sure if she would like to get to know Naru. She was different. Different was bad. Different meant changes. Yugito shut her eyes, wiling with all her might for this Naru person to leave her alone. She was in control a few moments ago, now, it felt like Naru had the grasp in the situation. And she didn't feel like the ANBU she was anymore.
Naru could feel the insecure feelings radiating from the woman beside her. Wordlessly, she sat down next to her. "Are you Lightning Cat?" she asked in a business like tone. She stared at the cat mask that was hung on her ANBU uniform.
Yugito piped up. Business. Business was normal. Familiar. And above all, something she could deal with. "Yes, I am," she said, regaining some of her logical senses.
Naru shifted a little, trying to be more comfortable. "You know something? I was sent to kill you," Yugito was up in an instant, her body was on alert. Naru laughed. "If we were to fought here, who would you think would win?"
Yugito shifted into a stance and replied, "I will. I'm in my element," And she grew more confused when Naru asked her to sit down. "Why should I believe you? You're from Konoha aren't you?"
Naru frowned. "Sit down," she said, but it sounded more like a command. Yugito was about to attack when Nibi protested, and Yugito hesitated before sitting down. Naru smiled, as if nothing happened. Yugito wasn't so sure what was going on. She was a child for god's sake. Nibi wasn't responding, which was quite rare for her. "Your bijuu, its Nibi no Nekomata right, since death is her element?"
Yugito paused for a while, and said, "Yes," and then there was an awkward silence. "Aren't you suppose to kill me?" she asked, curious of Naru.
Naru grinned. "Yeah, but I decided against it,"
"Why?"
Naru stared at Yugito's mother's grave for a while before asking, "Can you tell me your story? The story that you have lived so far?"
"And if I don't?"
Naru said nothing.
Yugito lied down on her back, not understanding why was she so relaxed near a potential killer. She pondered a little, "The day I was born, was the day my father died. Maybe it was a trade of life; his for mine, but there was an accident in his mission. My dad was no one special, just a chuunin who didn't stand out. My mother hated me," at this, she looked at her mother's grave.
"She thought that you was responsible for her husband's death?" asked Naru.
"My father was no one special, but my mother was. She loved him more than the world. The reason why she became the Raikage was because he asked her to. And so, she blamed it on me for I had my father's looks. She thought that I ate his soul, or something like that. And that was when she summoned Nibi no Nekomata and sealed her in me. Before she died, she declared her brother the next Raikage and told everyone that I was a demon,"
"My uncle is very greedy. Once my mother died, he started changing lots of things. The village became poor because he took most of the money. The ninja ranks don't dare to defy because he's strong and he has me," the last sentence came out as a whisper but Naru could hear it. "They think that he has the power to release the bijuu inside of me,"
"But they don't," Naru said in amusement.
Yugito shook her head. "I don't know,"
"He doesn't have the power over you," Naru said in confidence.
"Yes, he does," Yugito said, shaking her head.
"Why are you with him?" Naru asked, placing a hand on Yugito's shoulder.
Yugito shook it off and buried her head in her knees, "I don't know,"
Naru sighed as she watched her friend, at least, to what she considered a friend, wallow in insecurity. "You grew up too fast," she whispered. "All jinchuurikis do,"
Yugito kept quiet. "Stay here, I'll be back," and Naru was off.
Yugito wondered why was she taking orders from Naru. But the girl had listened, and had not shunned her. And she had seemed so understanding, but what if it was just a trick to kill her. "No, she could have killed you when she wanted to," came the voice of Nibi.
Yugito almost cried out in relief. "Where were you the past hour? And what are you talking about? I'm ANBU, she'd probably a gennin, maybe chuunin,"
"Do not be deceived by appearance. She's a jinchuuriki. The jinchuuriki of Kyuubi no Yoko,"
"Wha-"
"She could have easily release some of Kyuubi's powers to defeat you. I was never a match for Kyuubi, he was too... cunning,"
Horror was etched into her face as realization dawned her, "But she's just a girl," she told Nibi. The cat in her didn't answer. She hesitantly placed one of her hand on the seal that was on her shoulder. "And she understood my pain,"
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Naru squat down to face the furry orange animal. "Please," The orange animal folded his tiny arms together and looked away. Naru pouted but the fox wouldn't look at her. "Sato, please help me find Hinata and Gaara,"
The fox, Sato, shook his tiny head stubbornly. "The last time I did a favor for you, I missed out on pork night,"
Naru laughed. Sato was the smallest summoning but was a pro at finding people. He was tiny and adorable but was a pig head that was trying to be nasty when he was really a big softie. "What are you laughing about?" Sato snapped. Naru began to cry, attracting attention from the villagers. Normally, she would be laughed at that she was still a crybaby at the age of twelve but she was short and was mistaken for nine.
Whispers was spread that the fox bit her and Sato became uncomfortable. "Ok, stop crying please, I'll do anything,"
Naru stopped crying and everybody walked away. She picked up Sato and squeezed him. "Thank you," and she dried her tears. "By the way, those tears weren't real," and she laughed at the expression on Sato's face. Sato was going to back out on his promise when Naru started sobbing.
"Ok, I get it," Sato muttered. "Always bullying the little one," and he took off.
Naru sat down on the nearest bench. She would wait for him to come back. A breeze blew by and a person sat next to her. Without looking up, she addressed him, "What are you doing here, Itachi?"
"This is a public place, and how did you know that I was Itachi," Naru looked at him. He didn't look like Itachi. Probably henge into some guy so he wouldn't be recognized.
"Well, for one thing, I'm used to the way you sneak up on me," she said. "How's life?" she asked.
Itachi hn-ed and said, "Konan helped seal Raijuu in me,"
Naru immediately stood up. "What? How could you not inform me of this sooner? So it was a success? How many more to go? Have you found where Sichibi is? Are your plans, or should I say my plans, going to be delayed?"
"It just happened last night. It was a success. Four more to go. Yes. No," he said as he pulled out a Pocky from seemingly nowhere.
Naru sighed. "It feels like I'm causing a lot of inconvenience," Itachi didn't say anything. "I'll try to convince Nibi," she said. "I met Yugito, the jinchuuriki at the graveyard a moment ago. She had a harsh life."
Itachi was silent.
Naru rolled her eyes. "Did you see my performance with Sato just now?" Itachi nodded. "Are you trying to ignore me?" A nod. Naru stuck her tongue out at him. "Did you know Hinata and Gaara tied the knot?" she asked, trying to put on a happy face. "I'm really happy for them,"
Itachi looked at her. "About time. And yet you're sad," he stated it as a fact.
"Am not," Naru pouted. Itachi didn't say anything. He stood up and was gone. Naru closed her eyes and placed her hand over her eyes and sighed. "Am not," she said, reassuring herself.
She almost screamed in shock as Sato suddenly appeared out of nowhere. "Here they are," he said, gesturing his tiny hands towards her friends.
Naru gave her brightest smile. "Thanks Sato," and Sato was gone in a puff of smoke. "I found her. Follow me. I'll tell you the situation along the way," Hinata and Gaara nodded and they both followed her. "Lightning Cat is a jinchuuriki so we need her. But that will complicate things. I suspect our client isn't who we think he is," she said.
Hinata hesitantly asked, "How's her life?"
Gaara's eyes hardened, knowing the answer before it was spoken. Naru refused to look at her. "The usual," she replied.
And then, they were standing in front of the graveyard. Oddly, Hinata and Gaara didn't comment on the place. Naru walked in, followed by an impassive Gaara and a slightly quiet Hinata. And there she was. Right where Naru left her. "Yugito," and Yugito jumped a little, not shock by the fact that she had managed to sneak up on her, but shocked for the fact that she had spoken her name.
Naru gestured to both of her friends. "This is Hyuuga Hinata, heir to the Hyuuga clan which your village tried kidnapping a few years ago but she wasn't home," she said pointing at Hinata before shifting to Gaara. "This is Gaara, youngest son of the Kazekage and jinchuuriki of the Ichibi. Was banished from Suna and now a part of Konoha,"
Yugito blinked. She looked to Hinata and said, "I'm sorry for my village's past actions," and then to Gaara, "Wow, you're a jinchuuriki too," and her eyes flickered back to Naru. "And you're the cage to such a powerful demon and yet you're so young," she said, as she studied Naru closely.
Naru laughed. "Me and Kyuubi-nii are good friends. We kind of look out for each other," Yugito didn't say anything. After all, she, too, was good friends with Nibi. Naru looked at Gaara and sighed, "Wish I could say the same thing for Gaara," Hinata too, glanced at Gaara and smiled.
"Yugito, let us tell you our aim," Hinata said, sitting down in front of Yugito. Gaara wordlessly sat beside her and shyly placed his hand on top of hers. Hinata merely smiled at him. Naru, too, gave a small smile before sitting in between of Hinata and Yugito.
"Our first step is to collect all the bijuus. We have Gaara who hosts Ichibi no Shukaku. Hoshigaki Kisame who hosts Sanbi no Isonade. Konan who hosts Yonbi no Sokou. And of course, Naru who hosts Kyuubi no Yoko," said Hinata.
"They just sealed Rokubi no Raijuu in Itachi yesterday night," Naru said quietly. Hinata's mouth opened in shock. Gaara raised his eyebrows. Yugito frowned. Wasn't Itachi an S-rank missing nin? Naru ignored them and continued, "He told me when Sato went to find you. He's doing great. At least I think he is. He was extra quiet. But maybe he just wants to annoy me," Naru said, and she frowned.
Then she suddenly stood up and stared in shock at seemingly nowhere. "He was doing that on purpose. He was doing that on purpose." she chanted disbelievingly. Yugito thought it was better not to ask. And Hinata and Gaara didn't say anything as they were used to her behavior. "He was making fun of me and I didn't notice," she gasped in horror. Then she grinned, "This means war," she looked back at her friends, "You tell her. I have a score to settle," and she was gone with the wind.
There was an awkward silence. "What was that about?" Yugito asked.
"Naru's mood swings," said Gaara. "They're as unpredictable as the direction of the wind," he said. Hinata nodded in agreement. "You'll get used to it after a while," he told her.
Hinata gazed at the direction Naru took off and looked at in fondly, "She's so enthusiastic," and laughed. Gaara fought back a smile, and Yugito could feel that Naru was their sun that they revolve around.
Hinata then turned back to their explaining, a trace of amusement in her eyes, "We go way back with Itachi. He trained us before we were gennin. Our jonin teacher is Mitarashi Anko. We like her a lot. She's fun to mess with the head but Itachi has a special place in our heart," continued Hinata. And Yugito understood. They were a gennin team. A team that would risk their lives for each other. A relationship she had longed for a long time.
"Once we have collected all the jinchuurikis-" said Gaara and was cut of by an excited Yugito.
"Does that mean me?" she said, trying to conceal the longing look in her eyes.
Gaara tried not to look sympathetic and nodded, a hint of amusement on his lips. "If you would join us. But let me explain the situation to you first," he said, and Yugito calmed down, surprised by her own outburst. "And then, we'll leave Konoha," came the whisper. But Yugito's ears were sharp and she caught it.
"Of course, Naru, being the person she is, will be wiling to give them one more chance to appreciate her," said Hinata, who was smiling without humor. And then, unexpectedly, she snarled. "They don't deserve it," Gaara lightly patted her hand and Yugito could feel their strong bond.
"We already know their answer but Naru insisted that there was a chance," said Gaara, shaking his head, "But she's too stubborn in admitting it,"
"By the end of the chuunin exams, if they don't appreciate the chance, we're going to Takeuchikagure. A village that we asked Wave to help us build," said Hinata, and Yugito could see the way her eyes shine as she spoke of how beautiful and calm the place was. And Yugito knew that she too had fallen in love with the place.
Gaara took over, "We will live there and no one would hate us, where there will be peace. And of course, we'll accept missions to earn our living. It'll take a long time until that happens, but we both fell in love with Naru's vision when she told us about it," he said.
Yugito was overwhelmed and she took a moment to digest the information she was given. "That sounds too good to be true," she whispered.
Hinata glanced up and smiled, "That's what we thought too. There will definitely be a lot of problems in our way but it's worth it," she said.
Although she would love to be a part of the plan, Yugito wasn't convinced that it would all go well. The world was full of evil and to live in a place like that would be impossible. There would be people who would be corrupted. Too many things could go wrong. But then again, what did she have here in Kumo? She was merely a puppet to her uncle.
Gaara was patiently sitting on the floor, closing his eyes and meditating while Hinata was chewing her bottom lip nervously, a habit that she hadn't get rid of since young. She knew it was risky, to directly ask Yugito like that, but…
"I'm in," she said, so quiet that Hinata barely heard it. "I have nothing here so why not take a crazy chance?" she continued.
"I was sure you were going to say no. What made you change your mind?" asked Hinata.
Yugito grinned. "I want to be there when history changes. And I have nothing here. And most of all, you have an interesting leader," she said, and then she laughed. "Of course, don't tell her that I said that. She has a big enough ego as it is," she told them. Hinata and Gaara shared a smile.
Gaara nodded. "She's a good leader, but she shoulders too much," he told her. "But she can still joke so I guess it's ok then,"
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Naru observed her prey on top of a tree, making sure she kept a distance. Her prey was smart, but she was smarter. At least she think she was. She frowned doubtfully, momentarily distracted. She decided that she'd bother about this later. She was busy now. She turned and growled, he was gone. A side of her asked her to stay alert. She ignored it. And that was her mistake.
In a second, her hands were pinned and she was slammed into the tree. She groaned as her captor spoke. "What have I thought you about tracking enemies, not that I'm one,"
Naru rolled her eyes but then again, they weren't really facing Itachi so he couldn't see them. "To always mask your chakra no matter how weak your opponent is. Never underestimate your enemies," she recited. Itachi nodded and reluctantly freed her. Naru glared at him and he lift one of his eyebrow.
"What?" he asked innocently.
"Just now, you were making fun of me, weren't you?" she said, her hands automatically went beside her hips. Her eyes met into a deep frown.
Itachi chuckled in amusement. "Sit down,' he said, lightly patting to the sit beside him.
Naru was hesitant. "Ok," she said, still unsure. And she walked extra slow, making sure he didn't make any sudden movements. Itachi's face was emotionless but Naru was not troubled. If it was any other person, she would panic, but this was Itachi. The guy who trained her and her caretaker since young. She trusted him with her life. So she sat down, making sure to keep a small distance.
"How's life in Konoha?" Itachi asked. It would have sounded normal to anyone but Naru knew Itachi. He was good at hiding his emotions.
She relaxed her muscles, trying to ignore the fact that she knew Itachi was tense. His eyes would close a little longer once in a while to ease up the mind without anybody noticing. Then again, she wasn't just anybody. She was Uzumaki Naru. And so, she told him. About what happened after they attended the academy, how was his brother doing, their gennin test, their stupid D-rank missions, the horrifying training regimen, and surprising herself, she told him about the bet with Hiashi. And he laughed, saying that that sounded exactly what she would do. To accept an impossible challenge.
She had grumbled a little but inwardly, she wondered why she told him that. It was suppose to be a secret. But then again, now that she had told someone, her shoulders lightened a little and she felt better. She had rummage her bag pack and taken out her work so far. She was great at seals but she needed a second opinion.
Itachi was careful to check everything and was giving her some suggestions. After all, he knew a great deal about seals too since he was the one that introduced her the art of Fuuinjutsu and was studying more about the seals in his clan.
And as time passed, Naru had forgotten the reason why she was there and was completely absorbed in the art of sealing, convinced that this she could help Hinata.
Itachi observed her determination and was proud to call her his student. He laughed when she made a careless mistake, and then, when he was sure she wasn't paying attention, too obsessed with her seals, he grimaced and lightly touched his stomach, trying to ignore the fact that he was in great pain. He closed his eyes and curled his fist, enduring, and he watched his prize student chatting and smiling away as she tried to picture the delight on Hinata's face when she was going back to the Hyuuga compound.
And Itachi found himself smiling a little every time she would say, "She's going to be so happy,"
Naru didn't notice. Or perhaps she did and waved it off as a stomachache, but she was hated herself with every part of her body when Itachi finally toppled over in pain and went unconscious. And then, he fell. And Naru panicked and dived down after him, barely in time to catch his body, which was already heating up, at least a few degrees higher than normal. But somehow, she did catch him, the seal hanging around the tree. She gently placed Itachi down and placed the seal she was working on back into her bag pack.
And she resisted the urge to punch herself. She was so selfish, so self-absorbed in her own work that she had not noticed Itachi, one of her precious people, in pain. She nearly cried when she saw Hinata, along with Gaara and Yugito, running towards her in concern. She had managed to choke a, "I don't know what's wrong with him," before she found herself temporarily losing the ability to talk.
She barely paid attention as Hinata led her to Yugito's house, Itachi carried by Gaara. And she had watched in blank silence as Hinata stated how hot Itachi was and how his body was suffering from deep injuries. The only thing that was currently registered in her mind was she had could have prevented this from happening if she hadn't ignored his earlier behavior and demanded him to see Hinata.
She walked out the door, trying to get the image of Itachi's pale face out of her mind.
As if by instinct, she walked into the forest. As she went deeper, she saw Ayumi, who was doing the tree climbing chakra control exercise. She bit her lip, trying to regain control of her emotions, and she sat down and observed. She saw Ayumi getting the hang of it and she smiled. The girl had talent. And she idly wondered if that was how Itachi had thought of her when he saw her.
And then she laughed, and it sounded hollow. When she was young, her skills were horrible. There was no way Itachi would think that way.
Her laughed must have gotten Ayumi's attention as she carefully walked down the tree, making sure that she didn't lose her footing. Naru smiled, "I'm here," and Ayumi searched the location where the voice was emitting.
She happily laughed as she grabbed onto Naru's hand. "Got you," and she squealed when Naru tickled her. "Naru-onee-sama, why are you so sad?" she asked.
Naru smiled a sad smile. She wasn't a ninja yet and she could see through people's emotions. "I failed to save someone I care about," she said, as she placed a giggling Ayumi on her lap.
Ayumi was silent, and then she asked, "How's that person now?"
Wincing, Naru replied, "Unconscious,"
Ayumi's face turned thoughtful, "I don't know about you Naru-onee-sama, but if I was you, I'd worry more about what I'm going to do when that person wakes up rather than what I have done. Isn't that more beneficial?"
Naru was quiet, and she pulled Ayumi tighter. "I guess you're right," she mumbled. "Ayumi, what happened to you the day I found you?" Naru asked.
Ayumi frowned, "Ayumi's not sure. Ayumi doesn't remember what happened. But the voices were talking about a place called Konoha," Naru pondered over the information she received and didn't say anything. "Naru-onee-sama, can I learn to see without my eyes," she asked.
"No silly, you have to use your eyes to see. But if you really want, you can learn to sense things that are happening around you if you are willing to train," said Naru.
"Ok," she immediately agreed.
"Before that, I'll teach you the water walking exercise," said Naru, and led Ayumi to a river. And then, she instructed her the way Itachi used to. Ayumi was eager to learn and hung on her every word. "
"Erm, Ayumi, can I leave to go check up on-," started Naru.
Ayumi huffed, "Of course you can. In fact, Ayumi insists," she said. Naru laughed and ruffled her hair. And then she muttered a soft bye and told Ayumi that she was going to pick her up in two hours.
Ayumi nodded like the good girl she was and diverted her attention back to training. Naru gave a last, uncertain wave and was gone.
lalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalala
J: Ok, where was I? Yeah, at first, my computer broke down. Then, once it was better, I started observing other people's works and told myself that it's ok not to update. There's thousands of stories out there that you guys would rather read.
And so, I lost my inspiration to write. If I were to write during that time, it wouldn't be good to read. It would just be a piece of forced out work with no feelings. So, I did nothing and prayed that I'll find my inspiration again.
After that, I started neglecting writing and my computer broke down again. How did that happen? I wonder? Anyways, when I have finally came to my senses, it was year-end holiday. I was browsing through almost everything and I saw the reviews that everybody sent to me. Some new readers who had stumbled upon my work.
And I felt so guilty I wanted to cry.
Because it wasn't fair the way I was treating you guys.
So after my holiday to Australia, I came back, energized and full of inspiration, I decided to write a chapter before Christmas as a gift.
I hope everybody isn't mad at me. It's still hard to look at the past reviews and don't feel guilty. I will continue writing more often and will find the time to write chapter 3. Though it'll take a long time cause I'm more interested in chapter 15…
Ok then, I guess I've typed too much. Merry Christmas everyone!