CHAPTER 16- A familiar enemy
That night, Itachi couldn't sleep.
He was laying on his back, facing the ceiling as the ship gently rocked from side to side. The mattress beneath his back did very little to ease the aching of his muscles and the darkness was unable to soothe the stinging sensation that filled his eyes.
After they made sure that every passenger was back in their room and tended to with Sakura's and the crew members help, the duo went to ensure that the captain, his wife and their newborn child were safe as well.
Itachi's eyelids drooped slightly as his mind trailed back to the moment Haru laid eyes on his newborn child that Misaki was gently cradling to her chest as she entered the room.
He would never forget the way Haru's gray eyes brightened with a light that he couldn't name and all of sudden, Itachi was able to see just how much Haru has changed during the past years.
He wasn't the same young, cocky man who only cared about himself, the sea and his ship. Who neglected the consequences of his actions in favor of enjoying the present and didn't worry about the future that was just waiting to engulf him with the cruel reality as a punishment for his arrogance and egoism.
The man that was sitting in front of him has changed into someone Itachi could barely recognize, all because of a woman.
Itachi thinned his lips, a thoughtful crease in his forehead as he stared into the darkness.
It was a daring step that Haru had taken. Taking someone as their wife whilst still being on active duty was unheard of, and creating a family under such dangerous circumstances was plainly foolish.
Yet, he had risked it all just to keep his loved ones close, and Itachi didn't know whether he should admire him for being this brave, or to shove another sword through his stomach for his stupidity.
Then again, he couldn't blame him as Haru always was someone who had liked to do things his way, regardless of what others said. Though, Itachi couldn't quite understand his decisions either.
Perhaps it was because he didn't have someone he so desperately wanted, needed to protect as Haru did.
Then again, Itachi doubted that he ever would.
His first priority was the village's and its citizens safety. It was his duty as the Hokage, just like it was his duty as the Uchiha heir to protect his family and to keep them out of harm's way by all means.
A soft sigh broke through his trail of thoughts and despite of his attempt to keep his eyes fixed onto the ceiling, Itachi couldn't stop them from traveling to the source of the sound nonetheless.
Sakura was sleeping in the bed that was placed opposite of his, the darkness that casted its shadows over her still form unable to hide her from his eyes.
She was laying on her side, facing him with her eyes closed and hands neatly tucked beneath her head. Her lips were slightly parted as she took soft, even breaths and her rosy locks were sprawled over the creme colored pillow that her head rested on.
Her expression was peaceful and the complete opposite from the one she wore hours ago.
The one he was responsible for.
Itachi dragged his worn eyes to the ceiling, the dull ache in his eyes suddenly growing more prominent.
He knew then that this night, the darkness would not lull him into a deep slumber and instead, remind him that even in the shadows that the moon casted, he would find no shelter from his haunting memories.
When Sakura woke the following morning, she was surprised to find that she was not alone.
She exhaled softly through her nose before she slowly opened her eyes, her vision taking a moment to adjust to the bright light that filled the room and to get rid of the blurriness before the images finally became clear.
The moment they did, Sakura tensed as emerald clashed with onyx.
Sitting on the bed opposite of hers was Itachi, looking straight at her with an expression that was intense enough to send a shiver down the length of her spine as she realized that he must have been looking at her sleep for quite some time now.
Itachi Uchiha was looking at her sleeping.
What was even more unsettling than that was that he seemed unbothered by the fact that he got caught by her, or that she obviously seemed quite taken off guard.
"You're awake."
Sakura, mildly surprised at suddenly hearing his voice needed a moment to comprehend what was going on before she came up with an appropriate question. When she finally did, she moved one hand from under her head to tug the blanket higher.
"How long did I sleep?" She asked, her voice sightly rough and still filled with sleep.
Itachi cocked his head lightly aside as he watched her for some more moments in silence before he looked out of the small window where the sun-light was shining through.
"We just set anchor, but it won't be for another ten minutes until the passengers will be allowed to leave the ferry." He calmly informed her, and Sakura's eyes flew open wide as she instantly sat upright in the bed.
"You let me sleep for that long?" Sakura exclaimed, obviously shocked that it was already this late. If they set anchor it meant that it was already early in the afternoon, what meant that she had slept through breakfast and lunch. "You should have woken me earlier!"
Itachi, obviously humored by the sight in front of him merely arched a brow. "You were devoid of any chakra and clearly exhausted. It would have done more harm than good to have woken you up, especially since a long day awaits us Haruno."
As much as Sakura wanted to object, she knew that he was right and eventually settled on biting her tongue. It was true that she felt fully recharged again and not the slightest bit tired, but it still didn't sit well with her that she got to sleep this much while Itachi has probably been awake for the past hours and took care of most things before their departure.
"Besides," Itachi spoke up upon seeing her guilty frown, his voice nonchalant and his expression not giving anything away as she turned to look at him. "We both know how moody you tend to get when you lack of sleep."
Sakura's eyes widened out of surprise upon hearing Itachi's underhanded comment, mouth opening and closing in a matter that eerily reminded one of a fish as she stared at Itachi.
Did he really just call her moody?
It was the second she caught a glimpse of the ghost of a satisfied smirk that hovered over his lips that she realized his intentions and without giving it a second thought, hurled her pillow at him.
Itachi easily caught the pillow with his right hand, looking clearly unimpressed as he tossed it back onto Sakura's bed and let out a small, amused huff.
"It seems that I need to correct myself." Itachi spoke, the humor in his eyes betraying his monotonous tone as he looked at the visibly angered pinkette in front of him. "You're especially grumpy after you woke up."
Itachi watched with content how Sakura clenched her jaw, torn between giving a witty remark and to simply ignore him but in the end, it seemed like she settled for the third option.
"Go to hell, Uchiha." Sakura sweetly muttered between clenched teeth, her smile dripping with sweetness as she clenched the sheets tightly in her fists.
The Uchiha heir came to find that he liked the third option the most.
Itachi hummed lowly as a smirk tugged at the corner of his lips and he rose from his position on his bed, feeling like he had done his part and moved towards the door.
"The plate on the nightstand should keep you from getting hungry until we get to the village. I expect you on deck in ten minutes." Itachi told her, and when she thought that he would finally leave, she watched him glance briefly over his shoulder, dark eyes slowly dragging themselves from her head to the nightgown that she was wearing. "Preferably properly dressed."
Sakura's eyes once more widened as she lifted the sheets to fully cover herself, a small blush coloring her cheeks as she gritted her teeth and flung the pillow at the Uchiha with all her might. Of course, the Uchiha had foreseen her move and was long gone when the pillow reached the door and lifelessly hit the now closed door, leaving a fuming Sakura on her own.
"You arrogant jerk!"
Her words echoed through the now empty room as the pinkette spent the following minute to calm herself, the curses that passed her lips easing her anger as she pushed herself off the bed and moved towards her backpack to get her spare clothes.
It seemed that Itachi was in a considerably better mood than he had been yesterday and as much as she wanted to be happy about it, she couldn't help but curse his unpredictable mood-swings.
When Sakura was dressed, she pulled her long hair up into a ponytail and walked over to get the plate of food that she had just now noticed from the nightstand.
She guessed that either Misaki or one of the crew members have delivered it when they noticed their absence and made a mental note to thank them when she grabbed the plate and placed it on her lap as she sat down onto her bed once more.
Sakura marveled at the different kind of tropical fruits that were placed on her plate and instantly dug in, her former anger dissolving into thin air as she savored the fresh taste in her mouth with a gleeful smile.
Ah yes, food was her guilty pleasure.
She spent the following minutes simply sitting on her bed, enjoying her belated breakfast before she put the empty plate back onto the nightstand and grabbed her backpack to meet her partner on deck.
As Sakura tightened the strap on her shoulder, she looked around in the room once more before she opened the door and left it and the memories it held, however brief they were.
The pinkette walked through the busy corridor with an amiable smile on her lips. People young and old wee rushing through the hallway, either chasing after their children who refused to leave the ferry or carrying their heavy luggage.
When Sakura walked upstairs on Deck, she wasn't surprised to find that it was just as busy as downstairs. It seemed like the crew has just fastened the gangplank, the crowd of passengers eagerly waiting to get off the ferry having gathered at its beginning.
Despite of the sun shining brightly, the harsh cold wind was enough to make her shiver and Sakura tightened her thin cloak around herself as her eyes roamed the broad area in hope of finding her Uchiha companion. When her eyes finally found him standing close to the ferry's bow, engaged in a conversation with Haru she exhaled a small sigh, preparing herself for the following hours that she would have to spend with him.
"Sakura-san!" A familiar voice called behind her just as she took a step towards them, causing the pinkette to halt and turn around to look for the source of the voice.
Sakura's eyes brightened as she saw Misaki approach her, holding her newborn child closely with a bright smile on her lips.
"Misaki-san!" Sakura returned as she met the newly mother halfway. "You shouldn't be walking around this much yet, you still aren't fully healed."
Misaki waved Sakura's concern off and shook her head. "I am feeling better than ever, Sakura-san. I have spent the past twelve hours laying in bed and doing nothing, a small walk on deck won't do me much harm." She assured the medic, and Sakura's eyes shifted from Misaki to the small girl in her arms that was sound asleep.
"She's beautiful." Sakura gently spoke, a fond smile on her lips as she took in the baby's calm, sleeping expression. "Have you chosen a name for her yet?"
Misaki offered Sakura a sheepish smile and shook her head as she as well looked down at her daughter, eyes softening in a way that Sakura had seen only a handful of times in the hospital before.
"We haven't found a name that suits her yet." Misaki admitted, dark eyes shifting from her sleeping daughters face back to Sakura. "But I think that we should have one by tomorrow night when we leave, latest."
"Many parents take their time with naming their children, so there's no need for you to hurry." Sakura assured her, a bright smile on her lips. "Just be careful, now that you have someone else to take care of as well, things may become way more hectic on deck. Make sure to get a check-up for both yourself and your daughter at least once every three months, alright?"
Misaki nodded before she moved to pull Sakura into a firm hug, careful not to squeeze her daughter in the process. "Thank you Sakura-san, for everything." Misaki whispered before she pulled the medic closer, who gently patted her back in a comforting matter.
"It's been my pleasure, Misaki-san." Sakura softly returned before she pulled back and a sudden thought hit her. "That reminds me, I also wanted to thank you for saving me something to eat despite of me sleeping through breakfast and lunch."
Misaki shook her head with a knowing smile, strands of her black hair that was loosely tied back framing her face as she took a step back and shifted the baby in her arms so that she was having better hold on it.
"There's no need to thank me for that Sakura-san, it was actually Hokage-sama who asked for some food to be delivered to your room since you were still resting after yesterday's events, we just did as asked." Misaki informed her, and Sakura's eyes briefly widened in surprise as she glanced over her shoulder to look at Itachi and Haru, who were now walking towards them.
"He did?" She asked, clearly taken aback before she looked back at Misaki's sparkling eyes with dubious emerald ones.
Misaki nodded, a smile blooming on her face as she noticed the expression that Sakura's face held. "You seem surprised."
Considering this mornings events, she had every reason to be surprised. Itachi Uchiha was being nice for a change, and Sakura didn't know what to think of it. Her best guess was that he either felt guilty for the previous day's events or that he simply wanted to mess with her mind once more and knowing Itachi, both options were highly possible.
Sakura sighed softly, unable to fight the smile that played on her lips as she crossed her arms above her chest. "If only you knew, Misaki-san."
Misaki seemed like she wanted to say something, but was cut off by her husband who moved to stand next to her, a loving smile on his lips as he looked at Misaki.
"I see that you already bid our passenger goodbye." Haru commented as he wrapped his arm around Misaki's waist, gray eyes brightening as she rested her head on his broad shoulder. "Looks like it's my turn then."
Sakura felt Itachi move towards her and tried her best to ignore the way his shoulder briefly brushed against hers before he came to an halt next to his advisor.
Haru extended his hand towards Itachi in a matter that seemed eerily familiar to him, his smile fox-like as he took in the way Itachi's eyes flashed in recognition for the briefest of moments. "It was nice to see you again, old friend. Please know that you are always welcomed on this ship."
Itachi looked at Haru's hand for a moment before he reached out to take his, firmly gripping it before he slightly inclined his head. "As are you in Konoha."
When Haru released Itachi's hand and his eyes fell to Sakura, his smile turned softer. "Of course the same goes for you, Sakura-san. I can't thank you enough for what you did yesterday and hope that you'll visit us again in near future."
Sakura, touched by his sincere words gave him a small bow and offered him an amiable smile when she straightened again. "I am the one who should thank you for allowing me to be of help, Haru-san. It was my pleasure."
Haru nodded, obviously content with her answer and briefly glanced at Itachi before he exhaled deeply, a wide smile on his face as his head turned to look at the scenery that surrounded them.
"Well then, as much I would like to spend more time with you, I don't want to delay your journey as I have heard that someone already expects you." Haru spoke, a knowing grin on his lip as he looked at the duo in front of him. "Hopefully next time we'll see each other under more fortunate circumstances."
Itachi took it as his cue and turned his head to Sakura, who instantly got the hint and with one last smile directed at the captain and his wife left the ferry, closely followed by Itachi.
When they finally reached the harbor and once more had solid ground under their feet, Sakura glanced over her shoulder to look at Itachi.
"So, where to now?" She asked, knowing that he would get the hint as he fell in place next to her, his eyes scanning the crowd for any familiar faces that may cause any trouble.
"We'll meet him at a village that's three hours away from the harbor." He told her, before his onyx eyes fell on her. "It'll be best if we walk, this way we won't gain any attention or stumble across any inconveniences."
Sakura nodded, knowing that it would be the safest route and followed Itachi onto one of the main routes that lead away from the harbor.
The duo fell into a comfortable silence the instance they left the harbor and as tempted as Sakura was to make a remark regarding his sudden change in mood, she decided against it in favor of waiting for the right timing to get her payback for this morning's scene that he caused.
They spent the first two hours traveling in silence with Sakura occasionally asking some mission-related questions that Itachi answered. After they traveled on the broad, commoners route Itachi eventually lead her towards a slightly more isolated path, most likely to lower the chances of being recognized.
At first, everything went surprisingly well. The people that they encountered either offered them a friendly smile or didn't even spare them a second glance, what was always a good thing if you wanted to stay on the low.
When they entered a forest that had small rivers running through it however, Sakura felt her senses tingle in apprehension. She couldn't quite put her finger on what exactly it was, but something about this forest wasn't right.
Itachi seemingly noticed her sudden discomfort and glanced at the pinkette with an unreadable expression.
"Is something the matter?" He softly asked, his voice low so that no one would overhear them if they were to be trailed.
Sakura thinned her lips and roamed their surroundings with keen eyes, searching for anything that may seem off but as expected, nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary what only unsettled her further.
"I don't know." Sakura muttered under her breath, expression holding a frown as she turned to look at Itachi once more. "I don't like this place, something about this forest bothers me."
Itachi continued to stare at her, waiting for her to elaborate and after she allowed some more seconds of silence to pass, she explained.
"It's like a foreign chakra signature pushes against my own, but I can't sense any." Sakura told him, frowning at her own words. "I know that it doesn't make sense, but I don't know how else I should explain it."
Itachi hummed lowly as he averted his eyes from her to scan his surroundings, his attention now fully on the forest that thy traveled through.
"No." Itachi returned, his voice so low that she had troubles picking it up under the sound of the twigs and leaves cracking beneath their feet. "I know exactly what you mean."
There was something in his tone that didn't sit well with Sakura but before she was able to ask him, she felt the air getting knocked out of her lungs by a sudden unfamiliar chakra signature that forcefully crashed against hers.
Sakura's alarmed eyes snapped to Itachi to see if he had felt it as well, but he was already looking at the direction where it came from. Sakura's gaze followed Itachi's and when her emerald orbs caught sight of a blue blur that was approaching them in a steady pace she tensed.
Only once in her life before had Sakura sensed a chakra signature this strong before and even though it wasn't exactly as strong as Naruto's, it came frighteningly close to his what was reason enough to unsettle her.
She watched the person come to a halt several meters in front of them and for a moment, there was only silence.
Standing in in front of them was a tall man that looked frighteningly similar to a certain Missing-nin that she had once seen in the bingo book. His skin was a sickly pale hue of blue whereas his dark hair was a striking raven color.
The wide grin that was plastered on his lips revealed a row of sharp fangs and highlighted his shark-like jaw as he held his sword that was double the size of his own behind his back. He looked every bit the dangerous criminal that he was made out to be in the bingo book and it was then that Sakura knew that a fight would be inevitable.
"Well, well, well." Came his booming voice, the humor that it held clearly audible. "If it isn't the Hokage and his little advisor the Godaime's successor, what a pleasant surprise."
"Hoshigaki Kisame." Itachi coolly returned, not seeming the least bit intimidated by the shark-like male or his huge sword.
Kisame's grin only widened if possible upon hearing Itachi say his name before he bared his fangs."You have entered my territory, Uchiha, and I am not too fond of visitors. " His eyes then shifted to Sakura before he run his tongue over his sharp fangs, eyes glistening with an emotion that Sakura didn't quite like. "Though I don't think that Samehada would mind the princess over there, her chakra is especially alluring."
Sakura narrowed her eyes as she glanced at Itachi, waiting for his command but when she looked at him, she was surprised to catch a glimpse of annoyance in his usually composed expression.
Well that was interesting.
"I am afraid that this isn't possible." Itachi lowly returned, and when Sakura turned to look back at Kisame, she instantly caught the challenging spark in that his eyes held.
"One little nip never killed anyone." Kisame drawled as he moved his sword from behind his back to his right, his grin fading into a cocky smirk. "Right princess?"
Sakura frowned as she looked at the missing-nin in front of her and allowed her chakra to gather itself into her palms. A fight was by now inevitable and Sakura couldn't help but feel like this fight would be one of her most challenging ones just yet.
"I am afraid that I'll have to agree with the Hokage, Hoshigaki-san." Sakura calmly returned, eyes narrowed. "As alluring as my chakra may be, it is to stay with me and it would do you well to remember that."
"What if I refuse to?" Kisame challenged, and Sakura smirked dryly in return.
"Then you'll have to live with the consequences."
Kisame threw his head back and let out a hearty laugh before he lifted his sword and returned his attention to the duo in front of him, eyes gleaming with sheer blood lust.
"Well then princess, I hope that you'll stick to that."
With that, Kisame charged.
Sakura instantly jumped back at the same time Itachi jumped forwards, creating a series of clones that all formed the same seals as he did.
"Katon: Gokakyu no jutsu!"
Sakura's entire face was brightened by the broad flames that illuminated the forest, the wave of heat that passed her nipping at her skin and forcing her to take a broad step backwards.
It seemed like Itachi didn't feel like going easy on him.
As a ninja of her rank, it was custom to know the basics of most missing nins and thus Sakura had already heard of Hoshigaki Kisame before.
The tailless Jinchuuriki, as they liked to call him.
He was known for using Suiton Jutsus as well as his enormous chakra during fights, meaning that the easiest way to defeat him would either be the use of genjutsu or to beat him with the same methods that he used by using her own chakra and avoiding his sword.
Using the fire as cover, Sakura channeled all of her chakra into her balled fists and waited until the flames ceased before she jumped towards where Kisame's signature was located at.
She moved at the speed of lightning, diving headfirst towards the ground several meters in front of him and slammed her glowing fist into the ground.
The earth beneath her shattered with an enormous rumble, breaking it without much effort as the ground shook with a force that could easily break even the strongest animals.
Sakura glanced upwards towards where she felt Kisame to be just as the last flames vanished into thin air just to see him shoot her a wide grin.
Itachi was standing several meters behind the shark-like male, ready to attack once more before as Kisame hungrily licked his lips.
"Ah, your chakra is very tasty indeed princess." Kisame commented before he went into a crouch, sword glowing. "Share some of it with me, would ya?"
Without waiting for an answer, Kisame charged at her with a loud roar that echoed through the clearing. Sakura's reaction was instant, the movements of her hands automatic as she fixed her eyes on her opponent.
Just when Kisame's sword almost reached her, Sakura disappeared into thin air, reappearing several feet behind him before she used all of her chakra enhanced strength to land a kick right into his spine.
Kisame, who has foreseen her move twisted just in time to block the attack with Samehada and the moment Sakura's sole came in contact with the sword, she felt it absorb her own chakra.
Her heart skipped a beat at the dark, cold sensation that suddenly crawled over her body and the pinkette knew that she couldn't waste any more time and jumped high into the air and slamming the heel of her other foot against his temple.
Kisame's head jerked to the side as he stumbled a few steps back, a grunt following her kick as Sakura forcefully pulled her other leg away from Samehada and went into a crouching position in front of a broad tree next to where Itachi was standing at.
"You have to be careful when using your chakra around him." Itachi advised her, eyes locked on Kisame who was straightening his posture again. "If you don't manage to pull away in time, he will soak every last drip of chakra out of you."
Sakura felt goosebumps cover her skin as she thought back to the feeling mere seconds ago and gave Itachi a curt nod, her breaths coming out short and slightly uneven.
"Is that all you two got?" Kisame hollered as he wiped his bleeding temple with his index finger and looked at it with a satisfied glint in his eyes.
Sakura thinned her lips, clearly displeased as her mind reeled with different strategies and possible attacks. She could use her chakra for long-distance attacks but using it in close combat would only backfire, Sakura grimly realized.
Kisame suddenly formed another row of seals and the moment his hands slid into the last formation, Itachi was suddenly in front of her and blocked a giant stream of water with the help of another katon jutsu.
Sakura knew that he was giving her an opening and instantly moved, grabbing a pair of kunai that she had strapped to her waist and hurled them straight at Kisame.
"Sakura Fubuki no Jutsu!" She cried, and in the next moment there was a giant explosion.
She heard Kisame grunt out of pain as he was thrown backwards and crashed through a series of trees before he hit the ground. Sakura and Itachi followed him in an instant and stopped only a few steps away from him, watching as the missing-nin pushed himself onto his elbows.
Sakura's body relaxed as she saw the large puddle of blood on Kisame's back but unbeknownst to her, Itachi knew that the swordsman was far from lethally injured.
"Stay alert." Came Itachi's sudden warning, much to her confusion but when Sakura turned to look from Itachi back to Kisame, she was surprised to see that the blood she had formerly seen was gradually disappearing.
Her eyes widened out of shock as she heard a dark chuckle, followed by the sound of bones cracking as Kisame lifted his head to reveal a devilish glint in his dark eyes.
Sakura didn't see it coming.
When she saw was a blur headed towards her and Itachi dart towards Kisame, she only had enough time to channel chakra into her arms and to cover her face as a weak attempt to block the hit, but the force of Samehada was too strong to withstand and Sakura found herself crashing against a tree in the split of a second.
She inhaled sharply as her back hit the tree, the sudden loss of chakra leaving her unable to cushion her fall as she slumped onto the tree's base.
Itachi's eyes gleamed dangerously upon seeing Sakura's sudden pale expression and the Uchiha heir turned to look at the male in front of him with a disapproving frown as he avoided another beam of water directed at him.
"Don't take it too far, Kisame." Itachi sternly warned as he formed a row of seals whereas Kisame merely chuckled and avoided the sudden weapons that came flying towards him.
"She's a feisty one, I can tell that she can take a little more."
Itachi, although still not too fond of Kisame's little game remained silent and continued with the attack and kept his senses sharp to ensure that Sakura would manage to get back onto her feet on her own.
Even though Sakura's chakra signature was weak, he knew that it took more to take her down. The pinkette was slowly moving back onto her feet, her chest heaving with every breath that she took.
She could feel that she only had a quarter of her chakra left and that if Kisame were to hit her one more time with Samehada that she would be in serious trouble. Not because she couldn't use her chakra for any attack, but because her physical strength would slowly fade as well.
Her eyes fell on Itachi, who was currently fighting Kisame on his own. They were moving at a speed that almost left them invisible to the naked eye and every once in a while, one of them would be forced a couple meters backwards.
Sakura frowned as a sudden thought hit her upon observing the duo.
Itachi wasn't using his Sharingan.
Sakura felt her insides churn at the realization and wondered if it had anything to do with last night's incident and if there really was something wrong with his eyes.
The medic curled her hand around one the cool hilt of the kunai that she had strapped inside her upper thigh and carefully pulled it out, expression determined as she lifted her hands and formed the familiar set of seals, allowing the last bit of her chakra to leave her body and to form a set of shadow clones.
It was her best chance at bringing Kisame down.
Without making a sound, Sakura darted towards the fighting duo and headed for Kisame, the familiar weight of the kunai in her tight grip keeping her focused on her target.
Itachi seemingly sensed her approach and twisted his body to the left just when Sakura extended her arm and swung it at Kisame.
The shark-like nin merely smirked as he once more lifted his sword, intending to block the attack but when he felt the kunai suddenly disappear into a cloud of chakra and was too occupied by the chakra Samehada absorbed, his smirk fell.
A piercing sensation in his lower abdomen told him that he reacted too slowly and even when he turned around and pushed the smirking pinkette against the tree, he realized too late that she had deceived him.
The woman that stared back at him with a victorious smirk on her lips poofed out of existence and the moment she disappeared from his sight, he felt himself getting harshly kicked against the tree that he had formerly pushed her against.
Kisame groaned as his face collided with the rough tree trunk, his hold on Samehada loosening as he was forced onto his knees.
He then felt her presence right behind him, the feeling of the slight chakra on fingertips zapping his skin as he allowed himself to lazily smirk.
"You're quite tough girl, I gotta give you that." Kisame spoke, his low voice laced with amusement as he calmly pushed himself off the tree trunk and moved so that he was facing the pinkette, ignoring the stinging sensation that the kunai in his abdomen caused.
Sakura was hovering above him, face pale and yet cheeks slightly flushed as she had her hand placed on the place between his shoulder and neck in case he were to try anything. Her eyes were hard, lips pursed and her chakra signature was dangerously low and yet, she stubbornly stood her place despite knowing that he could easily pull the kunai out of his body and slice through her body with the help of Samehada.
Sakura, seemingly reading his mind applied some pressure on the place and frowned in disapproval.
"The moment you move to grab Samehada I'll have the last Shadow clone ram another kunai straight into your liver before I'll personally drag you away from Samehada and throw you into the ocean. Until you'll have gathered enough energy to keep yourself from drowning while getting the kunais out and healing yourself I'll have the sword buried hundreds of meters deep into the ground, which leaves you to find it and by then we'll be long gone." Sakura calmly explained, the threatening hint her voice held clearly audible to everyone present and for some moments, there was only silence.
Until Kisame let out a roaring laugh.
Sakura blinked a series of times, taken off guard as she looked at Kisame in silent question. Was he not taking her serious?
Kisame, not oblivious to her confusion looked straight past her at Itachi who was standing several feet behind the medic, a small smirk on his lips upon hearing Sakura's words.
"Damn Itachi, you really got yourself a keeper." Kisame laughed, eyes filled with approval as he looked at Sakura who had troubles to understand what was going on. "I like her."
It was then that the realization of what was going on dawned on her, the familiarity with which Kisame addressed Itachi and the way Itachi seemingly held himself back during their fight now making sense as Sakura's eyes widened in disbelief.
"You're the informant?"
It was spoken more like a statement rather than a question, but Kisame nodded nonetheless as he pushed her hand away from him with his index finger before he dusted invisible dust off his shoulders, a sharp smirk on his lips as he pushed himself back onto his feet.
"The one and only." Kisame revealed before he picked Samehada up and stripped it back onto his back, clearly amused by the whole situation. "Though you don't seem too happy about that, little princess."
Sakura's wide eyes then turned to Itachi and upon seeing the Uchiha's amused expression, she felt the blood in her veins boil.
"You purposefully set me up!" Sakura accused, her wide eyes now narrowing into dangerous slits as she realized that Itachi had allowed her to get involved in a fight that he knew wasn't even serious in the first place.
What ticked her off the most wasn't the fact that he hadn't told her though, but that the two obviously found it to be funny.
"You allowed him to provoke you, it wasn't a set-up but the product of your own hastiness." Itachi clarified, inwardly pleased at the way her eyes sparked with sheer anger.
"You withheld information, Uchiha." Sakura snapped, the familiarity of her words not going unnoticed by Itachi. She was throwing his own words back at his face, and that was something he had not reckoned with. "Looks like it does go both ways, after all."
"One indeed adjusts to their partner, it seems." Itachi calmly returned, dark eyes shining with humor despite of his impassive expression.
Sakura balled her fists and kept her gaze locked with his. He was trying to rile her up again for his own twisted reasons but Sakura was not going to fall for it again, especially not in front of an s-class missing-nin.
"You're on then, Uchiha. I'm going to show you just how well I've adjusted to you, then." Sakura declared, the challenge her voice held causing Itachi's eyes to darken in content.
"I'll look forward to it."
Too caught up in their own little quarrel, a certain missing-nin watched the exchange with curious eyes and a knowing smirk. Kisame knew that light in Itachi's eyes all too well, he had seen it plenty of times before when the Uchiha heir finally found his target after a long chase and it seemed like the pink-haired princess had somehow managed to catch his interest.
It seemed like she didn't even realize what dangerous little game she had unknowingly got herself involved into by catching Uchiha Itachi's interest, but Kisame was sure that if Itachi's smirk was anything to go by, she would soon find out herself.
"As much as I hate to interrupt your little fight," Kisame started, instantly gaining their attention as he moved towards the duo. "I think that we should take care of a certain business first."
Sakura shook her head as an attempt to snap back into reality before she nodded. "You're right Hoshigaki-san, we should go."
Kisame waved his hand in return, grimacing upon hearing Sakura addressing him by his surname. "Just call me Kisame, I am not one for formalities." He told her, earning a hesitant nod from Sakura in return.
"Well then Kisame-san, please lead the way."
Kisame shot her a lazy grin before he inclined his head, eyes pointedly shifting to Itachi for some moments before he looked back at Sakura, eyes gleaming in a light that she couldn't quite name. "It'll be my pleasure."
As much as Sakura tried to suppress it, she couldn't help the smile that twisted her lips upwards as she watched the supposed missing-nin walk past her and Itachi, leading them into the direction they were formerly headed at.
She briefly glanced at Itachi, wondering just how he managed to cross paths with someone like Kisame who was, on top of that, a missing s-ranked criminal before she shook her head and followed the shark-like man, Itachi following right after her.
The trio spent the remaining hour walking towards the village that Kisame was currently staying at, Sakura and him falling into a small conversation that Itachi occasionally joined.
When they have finally reached the village, Sakura was surprised to find that contrary to her expectations, it was a rather large one located close to a broad river that separated it from another forest.
"It's quite lively." Sakura commented as they entered the village and Kisame led them onto one of the busy main streets. Children were chasing one another while the adults were following them at a slower pace and talked among themselves.
There were a few shops lined up at both sides of the street that were also quite filled and when Sakura glanced over at Kisame, she frowned.
It seemed like no one paid the large male next to her a second glance, no one suspecting a single thing despite of his striking features that easily gave him away as a rather strong shinobi, especially with the huge sword that was strapped onto his back.
Itachi sensed Sakura's confusion and fixed his eyes onto the road in front of him before he explained. "Since this village is located at Kiri's outskirt, it's often visited by shinobi's of all kind. The villagers gave up asking about our purpose for crossing it or staying here decades ago."
"Ah." Sakura breathed as she took in the relaxed faces of the villagers. "So they don't care who visits as long as they don't cause trouble?"
"Exactly." Kisame confirmed, his posture relaxed as he walked down the familiar street. "The majority of the people living here have either fled from their village so that they wouldn't get found or used to be shinobi's who wanted to settle down in a neutral area where they could lay low without having to worry about getting dragged back by their own men."
Sakura's eyes scanned the foreign faces in the crowd and now that Kisame had pointed it out, she could see it as well. Whereas some villagers seemed like ordinary villagers, others had more striking features that reminded her of other countries citizens.
They spent the remainder of their walk in a comfortable silence and after half an hour, they reached a less busy part of the village where Kisame was staying at.
"I already told the owners of the place where I stay at to prepare two rooms for you." Kisame told them as they walked towards a two story building that was located between two inn's that were moderately visited. "Once you get your keys, you can freshen up while I'll go and grab some food for us. After that we can talk about the serious stuff that you came for."
Sakura nodded, easily agreeing with Kisame's plan whereas Itachi remained silent and wordlessly followed Kisame into the old building.
The wooden floor beneath their feet creaked as they stepped into a broad hall, the light that was shining through the broad windows behind the reception desk where a young woman was sitting behind at illuminating the room.
"Got the keys, Aiko? Kisame asked the young female that seemed no older than fifteen with a lazy smile, causing Aiko's attention to shift from the book she was currently reading to the trio in front of her.
Her bored gaze slid from Kisame over to Itachi until it finally rested on Sakura, the medic offering the girl a friendly smile that the brunette returned with a small huff.
She pushed her thin glasses higher onto her nose before she dug with her hand into one of the drawers and pulled out a set of keys, the clinging sound breaking through the silence as she tossed them to Kisame.
"Room 76 and 105." Aiko monotonously informed them as she returned her attention to her book and dismissed them without another word.
Sakura lifted her brows as she glanced at Kisame, halfheartedly expecting him to be offended by the girls rather rude behavior, but the tall male next to her seemed used to it and brushed it off with a roll of his eyes.
"Careful with the eyes kiddo, at the speed you're reading you may break your glasses." Kisame commented, but his words seemingly fell on deaf ears for the girl continued to read without paying him any attention.
Kisame dramatically sighed before he turned around to hand Sakura and Itachi a key each. "You got half an hour to do whatever the hell you want before I expect you in my room."
Sakura arched a brow but decided against commenting on his rather rude bluntness before she looked at the key in her hand. It was a small one attached to a rusty silver key chain where her room number was imprinted on in bold, black numbers.
"Thanks, I guess?" Sakura replied, not quite knowing what else would be considered an appropriate answer before she glanced up at the flight of stairs that she assumed would take her to her room. "I'll take my leave then."
Kisame gave her a curt nod whilst Itachi stayed silent, roaming his surroundings with a bored gaze. Sakura shook her head at the unlikely duo in front of her before she made her way upstairs, the sound that the worn wood beneath her feet created echoing through the hall before she disappeared from their sight.
When Kisame heard her footsteps fade and he was sure that she was out of earshot, he turned to look at Itachi with a small smile.
"I didn't expect you to choose someone like her as your advisor. She seems smart and ready to punch the living daylight out of someone if necessary rather than someone who loves to stick to you like a shadow." Kisame commented as he slowly followed Itachi up the stairs and accompanied him to his room.
"I didn't chose her, she was just unfortunate enough to get stuck in this position." Itachi corrected him as they walked towards his room that was located at the opposite end of the corridor. "But you are not wrong, she certainly is unlike most and quite hard to handle."
Kisame's smirk turned into a shark-like grin as they rounded a corner. "You make it sound like a bad thing, Uchiha."
This time, Itachi couldn't stop the smirk that tugged at the corner of his lips as Sakura's furious eyes flashed in front of his mind for the split of a second. Kisame always managed to somehow read him, so there was no use in denying it.
"Hn."
The duo continued to walk in silence before they finally reached Itachi's room and Kisame crossed his arms above his chest, all traces of his former playfulness having disappeared. Instead, the Kiri-nin's expression held a serious frown as he looked at the Uchiha heir.
"You won't like what I found out." Kisame warned Itachi, but the Uchiha had seemingly expected no less and merely exhaled softly, voice low as he answered.
"I feared so."
Kisame shook his head as he as well heaved a heavy sigh before he turned with his back to Itachi, back straight as he stared at the end of the hallway with empty eyes.
"It may be even more serious than we thought." Kisame muttered before he curtly glanced at Itachi over his broad shoulder, a slight frown marring his face as he took in the Uchiha's stony expression. "We need to get rid of them before they cause an even bigger mess."
With that being said, Kisame walked back towards the stairs and left Itachi standing in front of the door that lead to his room, the rusty keys that he held in his hand suddenly feeling heavier than before.
Sakura knocked on the wooden door exactly twenty-seven minutes after she had parted with her teammate and their informant, her damp hair twisted back into a loose braid as she waited for Kisame to open the door.
Muffled noises reached her ears before Kisame threw the door open, the large blue-skinned male looking down at the pinkette with a smirk.
"I didn't expect you for another three minutes." Kisame commented as he moved aside to let Sakura pass. The pinkette walked past him, wisely deciding against commenting as she entered his room and curiously looked around.
The room seemed slightly bigger than hers but other than that, the interior design was the same. The bed that was located beneath the window was in the left corner while an old, wooden dresser was in the right one.
A table was placed in the middle of the room with a chair placed on each side. Itachi was already sitting on one of the chairs, his head turned to the right so that he could look out of the window while Kisame pointed at the seat opposite of the Uchiha.
"Sit down."
Sakura did as told and sat down on the empty chair that Kisame had motioned at, the sound of the chair scraping against the floor breaking through the otherwise silent room. Kisame did the same and sat down at the head of the table, arms crossed above his buff chest before he exhaled deeply.
"I'll get straight to the point because I don't feel like beating around the bush." Kisame bluntly declared, the frown that marred his face matching the steely edge his voice held. A sudden, tense silence filled the room as Kisame leaned back in his seat, eyes shifting from an apprehensive kunoichi to a brooding Uchiha. Itachi's eyes moved from the window to Kisame, his sole attention now fixed on his informant as he placed his elbows onto the surface of the table and interlaced his hands in front of him.
Kisame took it as his sign to go on and after a short pause, he continued.
"How much do you know about Konoha's Rogue's?"
Itachi's gaze instantly sharpened whereas Sakura's expression held a confused from upon hearing Kisame's question. She moved her gaze from Kisame to Itachi, the silent question her eyes held visible as she watched the Uchiha heir for any kind of reaction.
"Most of their whereabouts and actions are being tracked by Anbu." Itachi told him, and Kisame nodded in return, having known this piece of information already but clearly wanted to hear it from the Hokage once more.
"Konoha's rogue are low in number compared to the ones of the other Hidden Village, but they are the ones who are the most dangerous." Kisame started, a knowing glint entering his eyes as they bore through Itachi's. "For a reason, as we all know."
Sakura's eyes narrowed as she looked at Kisame, confused. "Why are they the most dangerous?"
Kisame's lips twisted upwards into a chilling smile that caused goosebumps to cover Sakura's skin.
"Konoha's rogue all have one thing in common, princess." Kisame told her, voice lowering as his eyes bore through her own. "They got betrayed by their own village that they once would have given their life for."
Sakura clenched her fists that were resting on her lap as she tried her hardest to remain collected. She didn't want to rashly act without having heard everything first, but she found it to be a harder task than she expected it to be. Whereas she had already expected something along the lines, getting her suspicions confirmed made her feel sick.
"How?"
It was more of a demand than a question, and the curtness of her voice was enough to finally make Itachi look at her. She was sitting straight in her seat, looking directly at him instead of Kisame with a blank expression that concealed her inner turmoil.
He knew that as the Hokage of the village, Sakura wanted to personally hear it from him rather than from a missing-nin that she had met mere hours ago in a forest.
"Konoha used them, not caring for anything but its own personal gain while risking the life of its shinobi. They found out about things that the leaders of the village wanted to keep hidden, plans that went against everything that they believed Konoha stood for and left before they or their families would get involved and suffer under the consequences." Itachi revealed, earning a displeased look from Sakura.
"Plans like what?" Sakura pressed, knowing that there was more to it than Itachi told her and upon seeing a flicker of hesitance flash in Itachi's eyes, she turned to look at Kisame.
Kisame thinned his lips as his expression turned grave, and it was then that Sakura knew that she wouldn't like what she was about to hear.
"One of their plans was to form a unit with Konoha's most skilled shinobi whose sole purpose would have been to obtain the tailed-beasts Jinchuuriki's." Kisame grimly informed her, and Sakura felt the blood in her veins run cold as her gaze snapped to Itachi, emerald eyes shining with sheer disbelief.
She waited for the Uchiha to tell her that it wasn't the truth or that they at least had a valid reason for doing so other than the one that she suspected but upon seeing the regret that filled Itachi's eyes, she knew that he wouldn't do so.
A sharp pang pierced her heart as she thought of her blonde-haired friend, her jaw clenching as her gaze sharpened.
"Was it Konoha's plan, or is it still?" Sakura asked, her words cutting through the thick silence like a knife as she looked at Itachi, waiting for the answer she knew she wouldn't receive.
"Both the Yondaime and Sandaime Hokage dismissed the proposal the instant it was made, but there were people who still supported the idea." Itachi clarified, but he knew that it did nothing to calm the pinkette's anger and to erase her suspicions. "As few of them as there were, they still managed to get people on their side that would do anything to go through with the plan, even if it meant that they'd have to do it on their own and without Konoha's support."
"What about the rogues then?" Sakura asked, eyes shining in suspicion. "If Konoha dismissed the idea, why would they leave the village?"
This time, it was Kisame who spoke up. "They lost faith in Konoha's leading system despite of the Hokage dismissing proposals that went along similar lines like the Uchiha massacre and left because they felt betrayed. Konoha turned out to be more problematic and twisted than they believed it to be and if you add personal grudges like them losing loved ones during their time serving, you can tell why they hold a grudge against the village and the entire shinobi system in the first place."
Sakura remained silent and averted her eyes from Kisame to look at the wooden table instead, her gut churning as her mind reeled with thoughts that made her feel beyond uneasy.
As much as she hated to, Sakura had to admit that a part of her could understand their reasons for leaving. Years of serving for the village have traumatized many, especially if they lost loved ones during the time and if what Itachi and Kisame had told her was true, it was understandable that they doubted Konoha and its system.
The other, larger part of her however couldn't understand how they could leave the village instead of trying to make a difference by ridding Konoha of its parasites.
Shinobi of their ranks could have easily challenged the ones behind these sick plans and with the help of the Hokage, everything may have gotten prevented. Of course Sakura was aware of the fact that the ones that would openly go against them would become a great target, but if they had loved their village and life as a shinobi as much as they claimed to, wouldn't they have fought until the very end to save it from its downfall?
"Why would they target the Hokage instead of the ones that supported these plans then?" Sakura inquired, unable to understand as she glanced at Kisame in mild wonder. It simply didn't make any sense that they would target the Hokage if he and the ones before him were never involved in things such as these.
Kisame smiled wryly at Sakura's question and hummed lowly. "That's the exact same question that I have asked myself for the past weeks as well and after I did some digging, I managed to find the answer."
Sakura waited for Kisame to go on and to explain, but to her surprise Itachi was the one who took over and elaborated.
"Once the Kage's are out of the way, they can easily take over the villages and lead them the way they believe is right." Itachi spoke, his voice a mere mumble as he looked Sakura dead in the eye. "They want to change the entire Shinobi system and plan on starting with Konoha."
Silence followed his words as understanding finally dawned on Sakura. Kisame shifted in his seat as he turned his head to look at Itachi, clearly impressed by the speed at which Itachi managed to catch up.
"Exactly. Together with others that oppose to the Shinobi system or hold a grudge against the Hidden Villages they plan to take them down one by one, and what better way is there to do so other than to rid the villages of their Kage's?" Kisame asked before he leaned forwards and rested his arms on the table, eyes glowing in a dangerous light as they fell on a brooding Itachi. "According to my sources, their leader is especially fond of a certain Uchiha for some reason."
Itachi remained silent, his mind going over the pieces of information as Sakura exhaled a deep breath, obviously troubled.
"We need to find a way to find them before they cause more damage." Sakura sternly declared, earning a smug smirk from Kisame in return.
"It's very fortunate that I caught wind of a rumor that one of their units will hold a meeting at the outskirts of the village tomorrow night, then." Kisame revealed as he unfolded his arms and cracked his knuckles, his smirk widening into a sharp grin as he looked at the duo in front of him. "How about we pay our friends a visit?"
A/N: There he is! As many of you have already correctly guessed, Itachi's informant is Kisame!
Whereas I purposefully didn't reveal much information about how Kisame became Itachi's informant, I plan on including this bit of information in one of the future chapters.
Until then, I hope that you enjoyed this chapter nonetheless. The plot is starting to roll and a lot more things are going to happen very soon so stay tuned!
Do you think that there will be any familiar faces in the group of rouges that are after our favorite heroes and if yes, who?
I'd like to read your guesses and theories so please tell me by dropping a review! Your kind words and theories regarding what will happen in the future chapters are what keeps me motivated ;)
See you in the next chapter!
Love,
Sara