Chapter 15
"So... I'll see you, hopefully, tomorrow?" TenTen said, looking up at Itachi.
"Breakfast at Ichiraku?"
"Sure..." her mind wondered off elsewhere. 'If Naruto is away at the time, it'll be perfect,'
"So then... see ya tomorrow, I'll have to return back to the Headquarters," he spoke and turned back to leave for the place that was at the bottom of his list in visiting. Afterall, he doesn't want to live at some headquarters.
"Um, sleep tight!" she shouted from behind him and turned her back against him for a few seconds and walked away back to her own home. "I'm really going to miss the cottage," then paused. "My skills are weakening, I suspect..." then something hit her head and her face formed into a face that looks like as if she's seen a ghost. "Speaking of which, I have training with Neji early in the morning! Ah, shit," she ended in a whining voice. "What to do? Ugh, I'll just face them eventually tomorrow morning," with that she hummed a happy song and entered her apartment.
"Aw, TenTen," great, of all the time and people, she just have to meet Naruto, despite the fact that she's been trying to avoid him at all cost so that he wouldn't bring Itachi bring back painful memories. Or so she thought.
"Yes, Naruto?" she strained herself in a smile.
"You know, I met this weird guy that looks an awful lot like Ino,"
"Really?" she mustered another smile.
"Hm, he also has a headband from the hidden village of... hmm," he pin wheeled his brain for the village. "Somewhere on Earth," and cracked a laugh. "Wanna know something that happened while you were gone? About Neji?" surely this is something that would pique a girl's interest.
"What's with him when I was gone?" her hazel-coloured eyes fixed on his foxy face, waiting for a reply.
"I heard from Lee that he turned down a SOLO A-RANK MISSION to wait for you before you came here to pay a visit!"
She heaved a sigh, to hear something she's heard already. "Lee already told me that,"
"Oh... TenTen, you're back huh? What about Sasuke's brother?"
"Naruto... can you not go to Ichiraku's tomorrow? He's back in town, and I promised I'd have breakfast with him there, and seeing you would bring him back memories of the past,"
"Sure... I can agree you to that but not lunch! I'm having lunch there! And I'll try and avoid Uchiha as much as possible," Naruto gave her a 100% reliable grin, which really ceased her worries, pushing his personal feelings aside. After all that is the murderer of his best friend's family, the reason why he left, the reason why he is such a Sasuke in the first place.
"Thanks Naruto..." she wiped an imaginary sweat. "I thought it's going to be hard to convince you, to separate you from your beloved ramen-chan," she rolled her eyes as she finished what she wanted to say.
"Night Tens," with that they left to their own rooms.
What they don't know is... that Itachi has regained half of his memory about the Akatsuki.
(The next day)
"Hey nii-san," she said, calling his title fluently.
"I'd thought we decided you call me Itachi, just Itachi or with kun," he tried to force his voice to sound funny but it just won't. He had a stressed smile distorting his features.
"Is everything alright?" TenTen asked, concerned, her face drew closer to his, tilted aside her chin closer to be precise.
"Nothing can be more perfect than this," Itachi sighed.
"I know something's bothering you, what is it? The beds? The cookings? Or..." she eyed him suspiciously, enough to creep him out. He thought she found out already. "You miss me?"
"Partially," he lied smoothly.
"Aww! How cute!" she feigned girliness. "Let's go have breakfast already!" she cling her arm around his and skipped to the ramen shop.
As the couple left, a spying eye stalked behind them. Bright honey coloured eyes glowered in the dark and blinked once when disturbed by a certain blonde man.
"You're finally here," Deidara whispered.
"What the fuck, you scared the devil out of me," Hidan said, feigning shock.
"Whatever, is your errand done?" Deidara asked creasing his eyebrows hoping they're done. "I'm sensing Itachi has recovered most of his memories about us," his eyes checked on the background checking if someone is eavesdropping. Spotted. The breath of a heaving jounin.
"I think you found your target," Hidan said, smiling grimly.
The bomb expert feigned calmness and walked to the direction of the hiding eavesdropper.
"Has he spotted me already?" Kakashi asked. "I'll just go now to be on the safe side," he performed a few hand signs and poofed into a puff of smoke, leaving no trace of him, other than his unread green book; the newest book in the Icha Icha tactic.
---
Deidara came back out of the hiding place, carrying a book, a green book to be exact and stopped in front of Hidan. "Look what I found," Deidara said in a sarcastic sing-song voice.
"A damned book," the silver haired man replied, frustrated.
"Let's see," the Ino replica said as he flipped through the pages and on the third page he found a name and the author. The author – Jiraiya – he gasped, the legenardy sannin. Then his eyes drew up spotting the name Hatake Kakashi written in cursive. He smirked, "I found our target, Hatake Kakashi,"
"I'll get him, you go do your job in Sunakagure with Sasori no danna,"
"I'll leave him up to you now, though I want to finish him up myself," he muttered after patting the religious man's shoulders.
"Damn," Deidara bit his lips. "I'll just have to wait for it when the mission of the 1-tailed beast is completed," he muttered.
"What the hell are you talking about? Do you have something else that you need to work on?" Hidan inquired.
"Nevermind," with that Deidara walked away to catch up with his partner who has left for the Hidden Sand.
"I'll have to spy on Itachi then," Hidan chuckled mischievously. "First, must go get scythe and catch the peeping tom,"
---
"Lady Tsunade!" Kakashi rushed in through the door. "They spotted me. The blonde one, they're going to get me... perhaps we can use me as a bait?"
"No, you'll stay with Jiraiya, they won't do you harm as long as he's with you, you need to be in one piece, I have bigger missions that need your help," the outwardly young woman said, her chin rested on her intertwined hands which formed an open rectangular block.
---
(Ichiraku)
Hidan entered the ramen shop, wanting to haunt Itachi. "1 Miso ramen," he said, holding back his normal colourful ordering language.
He took a glimpse at Itachi, drawing Itachi's attention to him and when it worked, Itachi's eyes bulged like he's seen a ghost.
"TenTen, can you...um, go get me some dango?"
"Sure," with that she left the shop.
"Hidan right?" Itachi asked, staring at him intently.
"Tch, at least you remembered my name,"
"Tell me about me... I remember recruiting a mad guy from the Earth country, Deidara... when I was in an organization called Akatsuki and I was pretty sure I remember seeing you and 99% sure that you're him," he said, refusing other options which is based on shutting up and ignoring.
"Not bad, your memories returned just in time,"
"Just in time?" Itachi asked, perplexed.
"Don't think we let you go for nothing... we didn't even let you go, try recalling that," his ramen was served. "I'll leave the crap for you to figure out instead of giving it away," with that he enjoyed his meal.
"Here, the dango you asked for," TenTen happily handed him his dango which he immediately accepted, laid it down on the table and slurped on the soup noisily, frustrated by his useless brain which isn't capable of extending memories. "Is everything alright?" she asked worriedly.
"Nothing,"
"Is something troubling your mind?" she asked knowingly.
"No, it's really nothing," he hesitantly lied, wondering if he should share what's on his mind, but then decided he shouldn't.
"TenTen!" Lee yelled. "Tsunade-sama assigned an A-rank mission to our team," Lee said, without a single pant since he's used to running; this isn't even close to his usual warm-up.
"What?!" she exclaimed frantically. "I just returned!"
Lee shrugged innocently and said in a nonchalant voice. "I don't know, Shizune-nee-chan told me to get you and Neji,"
"OK, hey, shall I decline it?"
"TenTen, it's OK with me. You can... tend your missions," Itachi said in a willing expression. Behind him, Hidan smirked taking few glances at the couple and Lee.
"Fine," TenTen stretched her voice like groaning and left with Lee.
"Do you know more about m-," his voice trailed off as he stared at the empty place where a man in compressed silver hair has once sat.
(Tsunade)
"I want you to escort a feudal lord back to the land of snowfall (IDK if this exists or not but oh well, if it doesn't, this is my made up land, K?); he's bearing a very important item back that is crucial it gets there safely,"
"What?" TenTen croaked, faintly.
Neji noticed how TenTen's reaction in receiving missions had changed drastically.
(With Itachi)
As the man walked, a girl followed behind her and when she reached him she poked him from the back making him jump physically and out of his thoughts as well.
"Itachi-san, Hokage-sama asked me to give you medical check up," she said, hiding the real mission.
"O.K," he sounded dizzy, but Ino amazingly ignored.
"Please follow me," she instructed and left for the hospital where Tsunade has already reserved a room for her to work through the process.
He laid down on the infirmary bed and allowed her to touch his temples, she gently rubbed them which felt comfortable that he fell asleep.
"Nii-san, teach Sasuke how to shoot kunai precisely!" a kid cheerfully exclaimed.
"Maybe later, I need to do something else," he saw himself reply with a flat tone. He assumed the boy was his brother since he titled himself Sasuke.
"Why did you have to show me this?!" Sasuke yelled, his voice expressing solemn pain. "Why?!" following a series of cries.
"Kill the whole clan," a man with weather-beaten skin ordered activating his sharigans.
"Start the plan now. To take over the village," Fugaku ordered, secretively in his room but he saw himself eavesdropping outside.
He felt a sting of pain on his skin and fluid shot through and he felt conscious again. He realized what the series of dream before was now. He regained his memory through this treatment. He found out the truth about him now. He demolished his clan but in benefit of the villagers, he now realized what this treatment was for now. The hokage is helping his regain his memory back. But there were still many missing pieces.
He fluttered his eyes open, heard the door shut quietly. He instantly knew that Ino left the room. Thanks heaven.
Night fell... the sky was a dusk, no stars lit tonight... it was all a blur of darkness nothing but open darkness. He felt lonely that there was no one with him at the time being. No moon light stream down through the window. The moon was obscure behind the dark clouds. The best time of the night to commit murder.
(The next 4 days at Tsunade's)
"WHAT?!" the angry hokage slammed her fist down on her table raging with fury. "The kazekage was kidnapped?!!!"
"Y-es," Shizune felt a chill of fear ran down her spine, even TonTon trembled in fear. "It was said to be the Akatsuki since the whole village was there as witness,"
"Send Naruto, Kakashi and Sakura out! S-rank!"
"H-hai," she did as told.
"And make sure you have Anbus around Itachi in case the Akatsuki get contact with him,"
End of Chapter 14
Sorry... I thought I'd be updating this daily... the hiatus got in the way. Gomenasai! Anyways, congrats to me since I've acquired puppies!!! Cute little puppies!!! BTW, I was in a hurry to finish the damn geometry homework so this is probably rushed... hehe!
~TTFN
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