Chapter 21: Hero
"Well, look what we have here." said Kisame as he and Itachi looked over a remote part of sea country. To the untrained eye it looked like a normal small trading post but to the elite ninjas they saw a hidden base.
"We have ourselves a Sound base." said Itachi as a small boat left the trading post. "My brother is on that boat."
"How can you know that?" asked Kisame.
"I just do." said Itachi as he glared at Kisame
"Ok, then if you say so. So should we go down there and have some fun." said Kisame with a sharp toothy grin on his face.
"We are at war so yes, you can have your fun but look for information we can use." said Itachi as the two of them walked toward the Sound base.
Back in the Village
"I heard that Naruto and his team left yesterday." Said Chouji as he looked at his teammates all gathered together for a training session but at the moment they were just sitting down by the small stream taking a break.
"Yeah, they were in a real rush." said Kiba
"Well it's not like we are any real help to them." said Ino as she kicked a small stone into the stream.
"Ino we are only genin, it is expected for us to freeze up in the face of that power." said Kiba
"Yeah, Ino what is important is that we don't do it later." said Chouji
"I agree." said Shino "We need to focus on getting stronger to help them if this battle goes on for a while."
"I'm just so weak, I have read about how strong I am in their time line but I see no way that I can be that strong." said Ino
"How do you about your future self?" asked Kiba
"Well Sakura gave me my future self's journal so I have been reading that." said Ino as the others looked at her.
"You mean you had information about all of us and didn't tell us." said Kiba as Ino looked at the grass.
"I don't have information about everyone, only about you and me, Kiba." said Ino as she snapped her head and stared right into Kiba's brown eyes.
"Chouji lets leave them alone." said Shino as Chouji looked at him.
"Just go!" yelled Ino as Chouji stood up and left with Shino as soon as the two of them left Kiba spoke up.
"When were you going to tell me that you had information about what we are like in the future?"
"I wasn't okay." said Ino
"Why not you said it yourself if anything happens between us it happens when it happens." said Kiba
"I know I said that but just reading that journal and all the things that we did, all those sweat romantic little things your future self did. Damn you Sakura why did you give me that journal." said Ino "She planned this out."
"I know you said Sakura gave you that journal but how is it her fault?" asked Kiba
"She said in the note that I was happiest when I was with you and now that I have read that journal I can see why. She planned for me start to fall for you." said Ino as tears started to form in her eyes as Kiba's eyes widened. Slowly Kiba sat down next to Ino and placed an arm around her.
"Ino I have a question for you, are upset that you are falling for me?" asked Kiba
"No, it's just I am so confused right now. When I saw Sasuke, he made my skin craw and I always dreamed about him but now they are about you." said Ino.
"To tell the truth, I am just as confused as you." Said Kiba "I have always had a crush on Hinata but I stayed silent because I wanted her to be happy and she wanted Naruto. Now she is our enemy and is out to kill us. That laugh of Hinata made me sick. Now I don't know what to think, the only thing I know is that the Hinata I knew is gone and isn't coming back. However the image of our future selves looking so happy, so at peace I would love to see that happen."
"So would I" Ino said "But at the moment Kiba-kun I think we should try to figure out our emotions before anything else."
"I agree but truth be told I do like it when you call me Kiba-kun, Ino-chan." said Kiba before kissing her forehead, causing Ino to close her eyes just enjoying his touch.
"That is just so sweet." said Kurenai as she sat on a tree branch looking at the young Genins.
"Yeah, it is." said Asuma "Still I am worried that they are only together because of the fact they were together in the future."
"I don't really think that it matters, only that they are happy." said Kurenai
"I know but still they are playing with fire." said Asuma
"Isn't all relationships like that." said Kurenai as she looked at Asuma
"Yeah, I guess you're right." said Asuma
"When am I not." said Kurenai
"You miss her don't you?" said Asuma as Kurenai lowered her head.
"Yeah, I pretty much raised her after her father gave up on her." said Kurenai "However I agree with Kiba, Hinata is gone. She is dead and in her place a monster was born."
"I wish I knew what to say." said Asuma as he wrapped his arms around Kurenai
"You're doing it." Said Kurenai as she leaned into Asuma
Back in the Sea Country
Kisame smiled as another Sound ninja fell down blood dripping off his sword. He and Itachi walked down the corridor in the underground base hidden by a small trading town. "Hey, Itachi do you want to have some fun, I mean I have been killing every one of these weaklings."
"No, Kisame you may have your fun." said Itachi as Kisame kicked down a door. Together they walked into the darkened room filled with bottles and medical equipment.
"Well looks like nothing is in this room." said Kisame as Itachi raised his hand. "What is it?"
"There is someone in this room." said Itachi as he walked over to the wall and flipped on the lights. To show a table with a little girl maybe four or five years old stepped down to the table. She was wearing a simple white shirt and black pants, her eyes where puffy like she had been crying for quite awhile. She had silver hair.
"Are you here to do your experiments on me again." cried the girl
"No, we are going to kill you." said Kisame as he raised his sword high into the air. Suddenly it came crashing down.
"Stop." said Itachi as Kisame's sword stopped inches away from the girl's teary eye face.
"What is it Itachi?" asked Kisame
"What is your name little girl?" asked Itachi
"Nikta…Nikta Hatake." said the girl
"Hatake how you related to Kakashi Hatake?" asked Itachi
"He is my daddy but snake man killed him before I was born." said Nikta with saddens in her voice and eyes "Then he took me away from my home, to find a way to make the white chakra I have."
"So you have your grandfather's white chakra." said Itachi before looking to Kisame "You may kill anyone else in this building but you shall not harm this girl."
"But Itachi." said Kisame as he looked stunned at his pattern.
"No buts" said Itachi as his eyes went Mangekyo shutting Kisame up. "Go kill the rest, I am getting her out of here and taking her back to the leaf village. Join me when you're done here."
"Fine then." said Kisame as he went back to killing people.
"So you're taking me home?" asked the little girl.
"Yes, I am." said Itachi as he cut her free as he felt Kisame's chakra going deeper into the base before showing a side of himself that he had not shown in years. "You belong with your parents."
"But my daddy is dead." said Nikta
"No, he isn't. You are from the future, so your father is alive." said Itachi as Nikta smiled before wrapping her arms around herself, trying to warm herself up. Itachi looked at her for a second before taking off his Akatsuki cloak and wrapping it around the girl. Itachi was wearing a fish net shirt with a black short sleeve shirt under it, his old ANBU tattoo visible on his arm. Over his shirt he had the regular ANBU armor on including the arm braces, with black ninja pants on, his sword clearly visible on his back.
"Thanks mister." said Nikta as Itachi deactivate his Sharingan and looked at the little girl with his normal eyes and smiled at the girl.
"Don't worry about it, now let's get you home." said Itachi as he stood up and held out his hand which the girl took. Itachi placed an illusion over the area so that the little girl wouldn't have to see the dead bodies that littered the hallways.
Hours Later In Lighting Country
"Well this is a waste of time." said Hidan as he and Kakuzu walked around Lighting Country looking for Sound bases.
"We are under orders to find and if possible destroy them." said Kakuzu as they entered a bar and sat down. "We will rest here for tonight and look more in the morning."
"Agreed." said Hidan as ordered a drink.
Across town in the dark port a small ship pulled into dock. Two people walked off the boat onto the docks. "My lord." said a man as bowed toward one of them.
"Speak." Said Sasuke
"They are here my lord two members of the Akatsuki just checked into a local inn." said the man.
"Good, if you keep this up I will not kill you." said Sasuke
"Thank you may lord." said the man
"Now go, leave the rest to us and go back to running my spy network in this land." said Sasuke as the man left.
"Looks like we are going to have some fun tonight, dear husband." said Hinata as the two of them pulled up their cloaks as the evening mist rolled into the port as they headed toward the inn.
Well I hope you had a good 4th of July and still have all your fingers. I hope you liked this chapter and the hidden side of Itachi. I thank you all for the reviews and I ask that you keep on reviewing.