Sorry for the long wait. :) I back! Don't worry this fic isn't abandoned :3 Edited by Tamani 27/4/2015
Concern
"Begin." The firm command rang through the dark, damp cave, ricocheting off the walls. Pein's ringed eyes glowed in the darkness, creating an eerie effect for all of those around him. Sadly, all of those around him were too desensitised to pay attention or even care - and besides, they were decently creepy themselves. Some more so than others.
Chakra began to emit from the various images of people around the room - the majority belonging to holograms; some not. It rose and seeped towards the large monstrosity of a statue; more precisely, its eye.
A single body lay unconscious in the middle; with bloody red hair and surprisingly pale skin, it was the easily recognisable form of the Kazekage.
Itachi couldn't help but glance at Hinata. Her eyes were too focused on the body. And while he had felt angry about that fact in the beginning - now… now… he was just concerned (as much as it pained him to admit it).
What was wrong with her? She had been acting strange ever since reading through the scroll previously. Distant. Avoiding confrontation; avoiding him. It wasn't obvious - but Itachi was versed in picking up her small nuances and mood swings.
But Itachi recognised that there was nothing he could do at the moment other than close his eyes and concentrate on delivering his chakra to the ghastly wooden structure that he stood on.
By now, he was well versed in this long and onerous process that continued without interruption for three whole days. He was especially accomplished in losing track of time. Entering something like a half-sleep, if you will.
But it seemed like this particular occasion of sealing the Tailed Beast would not continue uninterrupted like the rest.
"Konoha ninja are tracking your steps; Deidara, Sasori," Zetsu suddenly called out, and the peace that had prevailed was gone like the wind.
"What, un! Those bastards tracked us all the way - Pein, let me blow them up!" Deidara reacted explosively to Zetsu's sudden contribution.
"Ha! You fucking pyromaniac, you already failed once, you think Pein'll let you fuck up again? No thanks, you shitty blondie, we all know that Jashin is in need of sacrifices-"
Pein quickly stopped the argument before it got any further. "You all know very well that you cannot leave your post until the sealing has finished. Instead, I have another option in emergencies such as this one." Pein almost seemed disappointed when no one enquired further. But nevertheless, that did not hinder him to proceed.
"Bring them in," he commanded, his tone cryptic, his eyes expressionless. Of course, it was Konan who heeded his command – she disappeared into the darkness, before reappearing with two wriggling bodies at hand. Itachi looked on curiously: it was unlike the Akatsuki to keep the weak and useless alive.
"I have created a jutsu that is able to transfer a piece of your consciousness into a vessel body. This jutsu creates a much more efficient and effective clone, which will complete the job it is set out to perform while the rest of your chakra is used to seal the One Tail." With a pause, Pein's ringed eyes travelled towards him. "For this job, Itachi's team will be appointed. Konoha's Teams must be apprehended."
Was he doing it on purpose? Maybe he was; but somehow, Itachi suspected that it was because other than Deidara and Sasori, who had yet to fully replenish their chakra supplies from the fight, only he and Hinata were tangible in the building at that point in time.
"Do we have any information about the teams sent?" It was Hinata who spoke. Somewhat surprising, considering her listlessness throughout the day. A listlessness that was starting to bother Itachi; she was hiding something from him. Unfortunately, it could be a variety of things – but Itachi had a sinking feeling that it was about the scrolls she had read.
"In fact, we do. Zetsu spotted two teams from Konoha." Itachi had never been able to understand Zetsu and Pein's apparent telepathy. Then again, he had never really bothered trying to find out. "One consists of Nine Tails, the Copy-Cat ninja, and a pink haired kunoichi; the other of two black haired males, and two females. Remarkably, Zetsu identified her as…" an ominous pause accompanied with an intense stare-down between Hinata and Pein, "the last of the Hyuuga, other than yourself, Hinata."
Itachi frowned. It had crossed his mind – that the Konohan government would use the remaining Hyuuga to fill some of the gaps created by Hinata… However, how could they have possibly sent her on an S rank mission? Did they actually want to kill off the last remaining Hyuuga in their possession?
That was a highly unlikely possibility. Rather, they perceived that the team sent with her was adequate enough to protect her from the danger of the Akatsuki. It would have been a laughable matter, if it weren't so starkly serious.
Or maybe they thought that her presence would shake up Hinata's posture if they were to come across her… Which wasn't far off from the truth, but the possibility itself was too slim (10%) to be considered. And if that were to be the reason, they were too desperate and it was more than slightly worrying.
"What are the precise details of our mission?" It was highly doubtful that they would be sent to kill. After all, their presence was necessary-
"Of course you're going to sacrifice them to Jashin, you fucking bastard!" And of course, he should have remembered that all of the Akatsuki's holographs were present. And he also should have remembered that most of them couldn't keep their mouths shut for more than five minutes.
Pein was wise in ignoring Hidan. "Halt them long enough for this process to be completed. I do not expect you to be able to kill them with a mere clone." It was almost as if Pein thought the adversaries were flies instead of highly skilled shinobi. But then again, they were the Akatsuki – the supreme fly swatters.
Maybe that's how they could advertise it.
"I'd highly recommend you set off soon," Konan mentioned, her eyes flashing. "We're trying to stall the enemy, not lure them in." Itachi noticed that her gaze was directed at him in particular. She still bore a grudge for when he walked in when she was in a… compromising situation with their mighty ring-eyed leader, Pein.
Honestly, Itachi was beyond the juvenile behaviour of the notorious criminals. Weren't they ever embarrassed?
"Do we direct our chakra into the bodies?" Hinata's voice was painfully quiet, and yet it still managed to ricochet off the dark cave walls, creating a somewhat haunting echo. The Akatsuki, for once, chose to stay silent. It helped that the chosen vessels were also silent – Konan had easily rendered them unconscious.
"Yes," Pein answered with a tone of finality – and if he wasn't as dead as he was, Itachi was sure that he would sigh in exasperation.
But the answer was helpful, nevertheless. Closing his eyes in concentration, Itachi focused on separating the stream of chakra into two: one to continuously flow into the statue, the other directed to the vessel.
After a certain point, he could feel Pein's chakra guiding his own. And suddenly, it felt as if his consciousness was splitting – which was what it was most likely doing – and Itachi had to grudgingly confess that he hadn't felt anything like it previously. He was in two places at the same time – he was staring at himself while he directed more chakra into his vessel body. The closest to this would be a clone – but even then, he himself wasn't split into two: it was just a replica of him that followed his orders. This was… an ability to control two bodies with one mind.
For once, he could observe his Sharingan as it spun – and it was almost like he was getting hypnotised by himself. His own ability.
He had never taken the time to observe his own Sharingan before. Somewhat hesitantly, he forced his eyes to go into Mangakyo Sharingan just to see with his 'own' eyes what shape they were – shuriken. He supposed he could have done the same thing in front of a mirror, but it had formerly seemed too vain. Too unnecessary to even ponder upon.
Seeing his Sharingan through his own perception was something uniquely fascinating.
To try to make the experience as less confusing as it possibly could be, Itachi shut the eyes of his permanent body – now he could only see through the eyes of the vessel body. But he couldn't waste any more time trying out the technique here - both he and Hinata had to leave, so they could waste someone else's time.
With a nod from Pein, they departed in unison. Soon enough, they - their clones? a part of themselves? - stood in front of the cave which was the secret hideout for the Akatsuki. Itachi was facing Hinata - but she was facing away from him.
What exactly was she running from?
"Who would you prefer to face?" He asked, knowing that this would be quite the emotional experience for her, should she have to face off against her sister. How strange that he even had to ask her opinion - of course she'd prefer-
"My sister. Don't - touch - my sister." The ferocity of her words surprised him; it was almost like they haven't been working together for so long. Almost like they didn't know each other - when they did. Or at least, Itachi hoped they did. He wasn't sure if he'd able to face the burden of the future if they didn't.
"Of course," and with that, she left - as if someone was chasing her. Itachi was sure he would've felt sad if he didn't feel so empty. There was no room for emotions: just goals and battles. Battles like the one coming up.
So he left, too - as quickly as he could, the part of his conscience that felt like a part of his own body was on its merry way to face its foes - or in this case, the Konohan ninja. If they were following their (the Akatsuki's) tracks, they would be on the quickest possible route from where he was a moment ago to Suna.
And it wasn't particularly hard to find them, either (just like he had predicted). They stood out like black ink against a white canvas… then again, the Kyuubi vessel was with them, and his presence might as well had a siren attached to it (if one ignores the constant musings of the vessel out loud which was much of a siren in and of itself) what with how well it blended into the environment.
Was this how Konoha were raising their ninja now? Itachi frowned. This was against everything that a ninja was supposed to be… Well, times changed, he supposed, and maybe this incorporated the new fashion.
When they spotted him (the Copy-Cat ninja, of course, was the first), they began to mutter amongst themselves like they had all the time in the world to discuss battle tactics right in front of him. Not that Itachi minded - it was his job, first and foremost, to delay them. And while they were helping him do his job, he might as well do it by trapping them in a Genjutsu - not like they knew any better. Personally, he couldn't remember ever being quite so careless...
Just as they were talking about him and how troublesome he was - no, it wasn't like he was in front of them, at all - he decided to contribute to the conversation. "Very good, Kakashi," he agreed, in a tone which he hoped was amiable (he was sure it wasn't perceived the way he meant it to). "I see your time trapped in my Genjutsu was not wasted," and he would hope its wasn't wasted. After all, Itachi had to watch his fellow ninja suffer for three days straight: no matter what someone said, it wasn't a very pleasant experience for either party.
"Oh believe me," was that a smirk? Itachi would have smirked back if it didn't feel like his face was set in stone - maybe it was. "There's a price to pay for using that Sharingan. It exhausted you, didn't it? You had to quit before the battle was over." Kakashi paused for a moment, trying to remember exactly what Kisame had said back then. "So in addition to using up a lot of chakra, you risk permanent damage to your eyes every time you use that jutsu. Don't you, Itachi?"
Was Kakashi expecting Itachi to answer? Well, the black haired male decided to humour the other's expectations. "You seemed to have learned a great deal from our one brief encounter," he applauded. Most of what Kakashi said used to be very true, indeed. But even he had learned something new, that possibly only Tsunade knew already - every disease had a cure.
Even the one to his eyes.
"I wonder," Kakashi meaningfully moved the Konoha insignia that usually covered his left eye, to cover his right eye. "Just how much damage has already been done to your eyes, Itachi?"
Itachi wondered how he should react. Should he break Kakashi's fantasy of his apparent weakness? No - how he reacted now was very fine - very stoic.
He just stared at Kakashi blankly (and with just a teensy bit of boredom) and looked away. But there was something else to this story. How could Kakashi possibly know so much? Unless…
"Kakashi… Could it be that you…?" Just by his reaction, Itachi reached an answer to his question. Kakashi achieved Mangekyo Sharingan since his last fight with Itachi.
"I underestimated you last time, I admit it," and yet, Itachi observed, his stance screamed his confidence. Yet he didn't know he was already trapped in a Genjutsu. "But things aren't going to go the same way they did last time. I'm not the same fool I used to be. I promise you that."
A promise? What good could a promise possibly do in this situation - and still, Itachi wished that he could give Kakashi the real battle that he so wished to have. To be honest, he wanted to test himself against the challenge that the Copy-cat ninja posed - but alas, it was only a very much weaker part of himself that was trying to stall his enemies.
"Yeah! And don't go thinking I'm still the same kind I used to be!" The Nine Tails spoke up, a wide grin on his tan face.
Itachi hadn't paid very much attention to him. Sure, it was his presence that mainly alerted him of their position, but right now, he had no time for the drama that the kid often made - sometimes, he wondered how Sasuke had grown so attached to him. Because to be honest…. setting aside the personality quirks, the bright yellow hair was indescribably annoying.
But he was the Kyuubi vessel, and, from what he knew - the Fourth Hokage's child. He probably had more ability than when one first looked at him (a larger advantage than what one would assume). Yes, it was a grave mistake to underestimate the enemy - a mistake that Itachi couldn't, wouldn't, afford to make.
The enemy? Since when had he started thinking of Konoha as the enemy? They weren't the enemy - the Akatsuki were the enemy. But…
Who was he fighting for? He had many enemies, but who were his allies? What was the point to this? He was going to die anyway… Itachi would make sure of it. Sasuke would kill him, go back home, and become a hero. And Itachi would be able to pay for the sin of killing his family in hell.
No, that was wrong. He had an ally - one - at the very least. Hinata. Even though he didn't know what was running through her mind at that particular moment in time… At least he knew that she knew. Knew him. Knew that he wasn't the crazy madman that he was often described to be… he wasn't… But he didn't care what he was, as long as he finished his job. His mission.
Sasuke would live. He would die. The end.
And to accomplish that end, right now, he had to fight - as the bad guy (even though he was a tenth of the bad guy he could be) - against ninja that, in an alternate universe, he might've even been friends with.
And the might've, could've been friends were taking such a long time, that it was becoming slightly boring. "It is time," he paused ominously, pointing for increased effect, "that you come with me," it took him a moment to remember his name, "Naruto."
That sounded retarded. He hoped, for the life of him, that the bad guy effect was achieved. He wouldn't let his efforts be in vain.
Thankfully, his plan worked. The grey haired Kakashi took the bait, exclaiming, "You'll come with us first!" Never mind the fact that they couldn't actually take him as his actual body wasn't even present on this joyful occasion - but never mind.
At this point, the path of the Genjutsu started to separate - after all, there were four different people who were trapped in one Genjutsu (a simple one - he couldn't use his Mangekyo Sharingan through a vessel body). It was a very strange feeling: a part of him had to control four different parts of him, while they dealt with each person individually.
But he couldn't possibly know how long it would last for - what with his insignificant chakra supply at hand. Correction, he knew - but it wasn't enough.
And this was the perfect time to do something he had originally been meaning to do anyways: insert a part of his chakra into the Kyuubi's subconscious. If something were to ever go wrong with Sasuke… If after Sasuke killed him, and something unthinkable happened, then the Kyuubi should have some kind of guidance from Itachi - or at the very least, the ghost of him who would (hopefully) be able to understand the situation given to him.
The Kyuubi vessel - or Naruto, as he supposed he should call him - had a very interesting technique involving spinning water. If he wasn't mistaken (which he was very certainly wasn't) it was his father's technique: the Fourth's technique.
It was only right for him to 'inherit' the Fourth's technique. Blood was blood, after all. Although Itachi was certain that Sasuke regretted that fact sorely, and the elder Uchiha didn't blame him. Who would want to be related to Itachi Uchiha (other than someone blatantly suicidal)?
He was beginning to run out of chakra. Very briefly, he opened his real eyes - and the headache he gained from it was profoundly macabre. Nevertheless, the answer to his silent question was given: the eye of the wooden statue was almost open. A very good thing, as the chakra supply in his vessel body was now nearing extinction.
Excellent. He could wrap things up rather speedily under the pretence of the Konohan Team winning the fight. And their confusion after seeing the bloodied body on the ground would gain him a couple of extra minutes.
So that time, when Naruto did his spinning water technique, he didn't dodge: on the contrary, he let himself get hit. The connection to the vessel body was severed; he could no longer see the Konoha Team consisting of the Nin- Naruto, Kakashi, a bland pink haired kunoichi, and an old woman.
And once the whole of his consciousness was back in the dark cavern, he followed his initial instinct to check up on Hinata: her eyes were still closed. She was still fighting against her sister.
Was she okay? No, he shouldn't worry. She'd be fine. She was part of the Akatsuki, the supreme fly swatters, so she better be fine.
But even that thought was unable to squash the concern that was only growing stronger with each passing moment.
I finally finished :) Oh, and also, while chapter 29 will come out anyway, I do tell you that reviews will certainly speed up it coming out :) So, reviews?
Aurora
