Note: I have been an emotional wreck/just finished college/need to find a new friggen job/idk.

My MUSE has abandoned me in my stress filled times. I would literally sit down to write with so many ideas, and then bam, everything would just leave me.

Warnings: FEM ITACHI. Not too sure on anything else, maybe some spoilers/not really? I've taken a scientific type of twist to this but it's theory for them right now and I'm not sure it it'll fit with where I might be going.

Pairing: I will probably be doing a Levi/Itachi pairing, Sorry to any that didn't want it? Though, this is NOT a romance story, thus any cute and cuddly/awwww will probably not really make its way in here. I'm focusing on the story.

I give you (about friggen time) the third chapter of Dancing Crow. (With the fourth currently being started).

Dancing Crow Chapter Three

Itachi hissed in annoyance as the titan blood that Hange had been able to obtain in a syringe, evaporated as soon as it was exposed to air. It was a mere droplet, for she was testing it on a slide, but it was still a waste of a rare sample that could lead to an incredible discovery. Her focus flickered to the side, obsidian eyes focusing on Hange for a moment, and confirming that she was thoroughly distracted by her own sample, Itachi moved. With swift actions, she flipped a slide into position, filled it with a sample of blood, and quickly sealed it between another slide so that it wouldn't have the chance to disappear on her. It didn't even have time to start its process of deterioration before she had it covered.

Slipping it onto an antient looking microscope, Itachi brushed her bangs and some strands of hair that escaped from her low ponytail away from her face before leaning in to view the cells.

Hange startled her a second later, her eyes wide as she gazed at the successful slide Itachi had been able to acquire.

"How did you do that? Half of my slides have destroyed cells because of the decomposition that took immediate effect. Can't really make anything out with the rate it was evaporating."

Itachi slightly smiled. "You have to be quick to seal it before it starts to break down and evaporate." Hange gave her a deadpanned look, mumbling under her breath that she had tried that.

"Then it's decided. You'll be placing any titan blood on slides from now on when we need it."

Itachi merely nodded, leaning back in to view the slide. She knew what human cells looked like, especially due to all the reading and studying about the human body throughout her years growing up. She may not have been a medical ninja, but it was something she had an interest in. This, before her, looked exactly like human blood to her, but there was something different about it that threw her off. With Hange going over notes now, she shifted, her bangs sliding forward to block the view of her face, and she activated her sharingan.

The cells had something attached to them, digging in and engulfing half the cell body. It looked slightly normal to the human eye, but with the sharingan putting everything into high definition, she was able to tell where the cell ended, and the attachment began. It looked like it was taking over part of the structure, maybe even rewriting part of the DNA that made a human, human.

Hange would have just been able to make out the difference if she had a normal slide, but with the different rates of decomposition of the cells once it was exposed to air started, it caused too much disturbance in the sample to be able to focus on the almost similar looking attachment.

Itachi pressed her lips tightly together.

She didn't know what to think of this. It was proof that they contained mutated human cells. This may have been enough to label their creation to human experimenting gone wrong. Unless it was otherworldly. She couldn't forget the oddities in her world, bringing the dead back through jutsu to gods being worshiped, and more.

Was this some kind of experiment, or was it some god-like creature that granted this ability? Itachi couldn't forget about Hidan and his god-obsessed immortal self.

What was the history of this mutation? Was it like a bloodline? Could it be passed onto someone else through placing the mutated gene into that person's body? Or having children? What was it capable of? Could one of these titans have a sentient mind? Could they communicate with them in some way? Could titans communicate with one another on some level?

All these questions and absolutely no answers in sight.

Her stomach suddenly dropped. Someone in the capitol or the Wall cult knew, and they wanted it to be kept a secret. That had to be part of the reason the history of the walls was left out, the formation and the origin of the titans.

How had everyone forgotten the first appearance? The sudden outburst of Titan's should have been recorded, but it wasn't, not like what she wanted to know. They claimed that they appeared out of nowhere, but somewhere, someone knew their exact origin. She had dissected every single book within the library with a fine-toothed comb searching for the reason of their appearance. She had read through it all, the little that there honestly was. All that was stated was their sudden appearance and then humanity suddenly having walls to hide behind. There was nothing in-between about anything pertaining to the walls nor their way of defending themselves until the walls were fully built. 3DM gear wasn't available until recent years, concluding that humans had no way of really fighting back against the enemy. Any books on the outside world didn't exist in the local libraries, and anyone that was found to have a forbidden book on anything outside related could be subjected to imprisonment for violation of the law. That was a major indicator that someone was trying to keep them oblivious and rule them with fear. A fear of being devoured.

Also, how could there be humans still alive if they had no way of fighting titans off in the beginning? The painstaking time it would have taken to build walls, to ensure that those that could build were protected. Titans vary in sizes, they swarm to large groups of humans, and yet, somehow, they were all still alive.

There was absolutely no way they kept the titans at bay with pitch forks and tools until three walls were built. There would have been history books written on the harrowing encounters and strife in building each section of the walls due to the titans.

Not even a single book was dedicated to those that built the wall. Unlike Konoha with their memorial stone, there was nothing here to honor those that had built the very thing their lives depended upon. Konoha kept history books detailing the creation of their village, this place didn't even have that.

On top of that information, not even a single part of the wall was split into sections. This told the young Uchiha that it wasn't built over years, but in a single day.

Her stomach flipped and Itachi felt her senses shifting, telling her that there was a serious problem here and she didn't know exactly how to approach it.

Maybe she needed to send out clones and do some intel gathering?

Itachi glanced at Hange. She didn't know if it was safe to tell her her own thoughts, or let them continue to go on, oblivious to her suspicions. Her thoughts went back to Sasuke, her precious brother and his lack of knowledge about almost everything pertaining to the clan. Could she do this once more, keep everything to herself and sacrifice the second life she was given?

No, she would tell Hange of her discovery and thoughts. This wasn't something that she could keep everyone blind to, for they were all currently being blinded by the King.

Or was it the King?

Her brows furrowed, contemplating possible routes that this could take. Could there be a hidden figure behind the King? Like how Danzo had worked underneath Hiruzen without him truly knowing the depths that man went to? Like how Madara worked to manipulate everyone around him?

Itachi slid a hand down her face, eyes closing in an exhausted kind of way. She was done with secrets. Just utterly, entirely, so done with secrets. All they have ever brought her was stress, fear for those she loved, and so much pain and regret.

The sudden burning sensation at the edges of her eyes must have come from the hours of working in the lab.

Who was she trying to fool?

Oooo

"So, you both think that titans use to be humans, only to end up the way they are because of a bad experiment?"

Hange pursed her lips as Erwin phrased it like that. "We found mutated human cells. They had a mutation taking over half of their formations, blending almost seamlessly with the cell. If it wasn't for Itachi's ability to seal the slides before decomposition hit, we would have never made this discovery. I…would never have noticed it." She replied, scowling at that last statement. Itachi twitched, wanting to tell Hange that she would have found it, but she remained silent. What if Hange never did find it? What if she had found out through another way and it left everyone blindsided? It could do some serious damage if they aren't careful.

There would be so many deaths that could be avoided if they knew ahead of time, or had a possible warning of what could come to light. No one would be taken by complete and utter surprise.

Also, what if someone had the strand of DNA that is capable of mutating humans and initiating the experiment, releasing titans upon the people within the walls? Itachi stopped herself from delving deeper into that thought. There were too many paths open to them with no end in sight.

Erwin sighed heavily, a shadow settling over his shoulders as he stared at the papers Hange had written up in a report. She had found the new theory entirely fascinating. The concept of a human transforming into a titan through possible experimentation was utterly mind-blowing to the woman.

Itachi failed to mention the possibility of supernatural play. Hange being a scientist may not agree with that theory or she may be open to it entirely. Though, she'd rather let the older woman bring up that conversation by herself. Let everyone's mind settle on the possibility of titans once being human before offering other ways they may have gone through the mutation.

Itachi startled at the sound breaking the silence, obsidian eyes focusing solely on her commanding officer.

An odd laugh escaped the man, hands clenching into fists as he refused to look away from the report. Everything he had been told was suddenly being questioned.

"It's a theory, Erwin, sir. It doesn't mean anything until proven. Do not let this cloud your judgment and please continue making the best choices for the Survey Corps." Itachi murmured, shifting on her feet. "Even if we do find it true, there has been no attempted communication records on the titan's behalf, which indicates that they aren't capable of sentient thought. They simply destroy; we are fighting for a chance to survive and regain land we lost, and they are a threat that must be dealt with."

Itachi knew, even if they were once human, they weren't now, not with their cannibalistic tendencies of wanting to eat their own kind. (If they had once been human).

Erwin gazed at the young girl, emotions flickering within his eyes. "You'd make a good leader, Itachi."

Something clenched within Itachi's chest, painful and sending waves of sorrow through her. Sometimes she wished she had coaxed her clan to stop their coup and let her apprentice for Hokage. Maybe that would have saved them all. Maybe, maybe if she had a chance of leading the village, everything would have changed.

She shut those thoughts behind a mental door, willing herself to stop thinking so deeply upon it. She was dead in that world, long gone and missing her brother grow into a man. She briefly wondered if she had any nieces or nephews yet before pushing her thoughts on that aside.

Hange glanced between the two with a furrow of her brow.

"Let's keep this between ourselves, shall we?" Erwin stated, shuffling the report into his top draw and locking it. Both nodded before Erwin dismissed them soon after.

"Itachi!" Hange called as she closed the door behind her. Itachi paused, glancing over her shoulder before fully facing Hange, who stood there with a grin on her face and holding out a large stack of paper.

She paused, wondering where the woman had pulled out that stack of paper from. She didn't have a chance to ask Hange before it was shoved into her arms, some flying away from the stack and fluttering to the ground.

"Enjoy!" the older woman sang before twisting around and disappearing down the hall. Itachi simply watched her go before bending down and picking up the others that had fluttered to the ground. (Chakra humming lightly through the one holding the pile of papers as a way to keep it from losing anymore).

With everything that was currently going on, she had almost forgotten about her request for paper.

Oooo

Brush strokes went smoothly over the paper, cut specifically like it should be. Delicately handling them and ensuring that they were dried enough to slip a thread through the top, they were then strung upon one of the many lines of rope that hung across her room to fully dry. Already, Itachi had made over a couple hundred handmade explosive tags.

Her ceiling was entirely covered in explosive tags, their ends just missing the top of her head as she walked about and proceeded to hang up some more to fully dry. Ink mixed with her blood was something she had experimented with. She could recall her mother once talking about Kushina Uzumaki and her sealing ink, and with there being no chakra here, she needed to ensure that these tags could be activated. Lighting them on fire would also activate them because of the ink mixed with her blood, which was laced with chakra. It wasn't as strong as an Uzumaki's ink would be, but it was something to work with at least.

Couldn't rely on tags that were duds and if anyone else was going to use them, she needed to ensure that there was a way for them to activate the tags.

A knock on her door caused the Uchiha to pause in her actions, arms stretched high above her as she looped the thread around the rope and secured it with a small knot that would easily come undone if it was pulled on.

Her door was swung open and Hange came stumbling in, her glasses catching the light as she started babbling about something she thought interesting before she stopped mid-sentence. Her eyes taking in the hundreds of hanging explosive tags.

The amount would take out this entire wing and more if activated.

"You…wanted paper for… art?" Hange scratched at her head, ducking under the multiple tags hanging, hand grasping one and looking at the intricate seal upon the paper.

Itachi smiled gently as she secured the last of the tags she made that day.

"In time Hange. They have to settle before they are of any use."

Itachi prayed that they were worth it. Slapping a seal onto any part of a titan would be worth it. Even with regeneration being a major advantage for the titans, it wouldn't stop a limb from being blown apart.

It would also be of use for her exploding clones, the extra power behind their exploding may even give them an opportunity to blind them and help comrades out.

"Huh."

Oooo

The cool breeze felt nice against her skin, especially with how hot it had been all day. Itachi's feet whispered across the ground, silenced by chakra as she continued her walk. Sharingan glowed faintly in the dark, red eyes ominous as they watched for anything out of the ordinary. In her arms, was a cylinder canister of gas along with a piece of paper that had a storage seal drawn upon it.

Getting this single canister had been extremely easy, yet surprisingly difficult. Itachi had to make sure there was absolutely no trace of paperwork on this canister. All documents had been found, each one memorized and adjusted to reflect that the one she had stolen didn't exist and never had existed. She placed a Genjutsu over the area it had been taken from, knowing that if it was found empty, there would be an investigation. Each cylinder was handed out to members in the scouts. Every single one was numbered with a series of numbers and letters on them. If someone didn't report back after an expedition, it was cataloged, and their cylinders were marked as expired. Each recruit had their own numbers to identify them by and then assigned a cylinder. Once everyone reported back, they were able to mark the numbers that hadn't reported in, which was then followed up by the canister crew to mark those resources as unavailable.

Sometimes canisters were damaged in the field and that caused a lot of paperwork to be filled out before being allowed to apply for a new canister.

They were extremely guarded.

They were highly valuable.

Itachi doubted she would have been able to purchase one canister for personal use without having to place almost an entire year of savings aside. And then the channels she would have to go through would make it entirely impossible to acquire one.

She seriously hoped that this would work. If it reacted violently to being sealed, there wouldn't be a canister left.

Setting down the canister and the sealing paper next to it, she created a shadow clone. Her double merely looked at her before picking up the items and walking off with them. She finally came to a stop further out in the field Itachi had found and with a spike of chakra, sealed the cylinder canister into the seal.

Seconds ticked by, followed by minutes and then hours. Her clone walked around with the paper, indulging herself in kata and exercises with a couple jutsu thrown in. As late night turned into early morning, Itachi's clone finally unsealed the canister.

Nothing volatile happened and she felt relief wash over her frame. There hadn't been any reaction between the seal and the contents under pressure and it left her feeling relieved that she didn't have to experiment with creating a seal to deal with that kind of equipment. Itachi would be able to carry around an extra canister once she went through Levi or Erwin for an extra one. She would, of course, keep this one until she found that it was the right time to speak to Levi about some of her abilities. Couldn't exactly go up to them and request an extra canister when they don't know about sealing, and she had no way of carrying the extra one around without weighing herself down and being the reason for more recourses to be in danger of being damaged or lost if she didn't make it back. So that had to wait until they knew about sealing.

Itachi didn't head back to base until the sun started to light up the sky, sparring with clones until she was exhausted from use of chakra and muscles aching. It felt incredible though, being able to finally exhaust herself through vigorous fighting and slipping in and out of her clones reach and engaging in combat.

She missed sparring with her cousin and closest friend when she was younger. Her heart ached something fierce as the image of a boy with tousled black hair and grinning face directed her way crossed her mind.

The mess hall was full by the time she showered and found her way into the room. Hange was sitting with Moblit, both whispering and flipping through Hange's notes as she grabbed her plate of food. It was oatmeal with some coffee today.

As she stepped out of the mess hall after eating, Itachi began to head towards the horse stalls, only to pause as she spotted Mike heading towards her.

She hadn't seen him in a couple of weeks, seeing that he hadn't been around the base since they got back from that last expedition. Facing towards the approaching man, she saluted her superior with the correct stance, gaze lingering and face blank, ready for orders.

"Levi stated that you're back on duty tomorrow." He started, gesturing for her to relax. Itachi had been off duty for a bit, since Levi wanted to ensure that her ribs were alright and that the hit she had taken hadn't done any other kind of damage. One didn't need a punctured lung in this line of work if her bruised ribs finally caved under the stress placed upon them. 3D gear did put a lot of strain on the body itself.

"Aa."

Mike frowned slightly, staring down at the girl. She wasn't even sixteen yet. From what he could recall her papers saying. He seemed to be second guessing himself before his resolve hardened.

"I've been placed in charge of a small group of scouts to go out and retrieve lost supplies from our last base. Outside wall Rose." Mike stated, Itachi's interest spiking at being told this information. "I wish to have you as part of the retrieval squad, if you're up for it."

Itachi analyzed his request, going over the possibilities in even being able to acquire the lost supplies. The rate of failure to success. The amount of supplies necessary for the expedition to the amount of people that would be going with them. There was so much to consider when doing this kind of expedition, and if they didn't make it back, more resources would not be coming back.

"I accept."

Mike inclined his head before gesturing for Itachi to follow him. "Levi already agreed to go on the quest as well. I would like you to meet the rest of the group."

Itachi merely followed behind Mike, getting odd looks as they wove through many recruits and horses. Entering the separate building that stood to the right of the main one, Itachi found her sight landing on a good number of recruits that were set up for this quest.

Mike proceeded to interact with those he recruited and Itachi watched them intermingle. There were three other females, but the rest were all males. Altogether, there were fifteen of them. She was able to pick out the two that were the most acquainted with filling the canisters when on expeditions, while another few she recognized by face, but knew not their names. The rest were new to her.

"Hi, it's nice to finally meet you!" a girl suddenly caught her attention and Itachi found herself taking in the brown hair and hazel eyed girl. She was taller than Itachi and she looked excited to see the raven-haired girl.

"I've heard so much about you! And your first expedition with Captain Levi!" she exclaimed before suddenly looking sheepish. "I'm sorry, I forgot to introduce myself! I'm Aliz Fiedler, it's a pleasure meeting you!"

"Aa…" Itachi managed, quirking an eyebrow in surprise at her enthusiasm. "Itachi Uchiha. It's nice to meet you as well."

The cough that came from the front of the room had everyone turning their attention to the one person trying to gather everyone's attention.

"Listen up!" Mike called out, taking in a deep breath and letting it out slowly before nodding. "Our mission is to retrieve lost supplies outside Wall Rose. The resources were last reported as being full, and with how we had been on an expedition at that time, were untouched before the breach."

There were light whispers from some of the crew and Itachi found her obsidian gaze drifting from one person to the next.

"We will be going to the Survey Corps building located beyond the Karanese District. From there, we will load up as much as we can carry and head straight back. We are trying for a swift retrieval, anything longer will draw more attention to us."

More murmurs filled the room and Itachi gazed around under thick lashes. She honestly wondered if they would make it back without casualties. Her hands clenched by her sides. She would try her hardest to ensure that they made it back. There was only one of her, and clones took chakra that was essential to her own life. Sure, she was an S-rank shinobi, but this was a world with fragile human bodies, no matter how much exercise and conditioning they went through, a single hit could kill them.

"Gather your supplies, be smart about what you bring and double-check your equipment for malfunctions! Meet by the horses tomorrow at dawn." Mike called out, dismissing them after that.

Levi slid up right next to Itachi as everyone started to file out, Aliz glancing between the two before giggling and bounding away. The scathing look Levi sent her had Itachi's lips quirking upwards in amusement.

"We'll have to be quick." Itachi finally broke the silence. Levi glanced slightly down at her.

"Mike and I have been debating on traveling during the night, but we'd be left blind, even with the use of lanterns. We're also unsure if we'd alert titans of our position with the lanterns. Usually we settle down at night, but if this mission is about timing, we might push how long we travel for."

Itachi glanced off to the side, wondering what they could do.

"Maybe start early, right before dawn where it just starts to get light out…Traveling during the day will attract anything in the area since titans seem to be drawn to humans, so we have to be prepared either way. Scouts would be best, send two ahead for lookout and try avoiding titans."

"Your thoughts on flares?" he questioned, eyes locking with hers, eyebrow quirked and wondering how the scouts would inform them of possible encounters.

The titans had flocked when flares were being used the last time. It was a good way for a large group to advance, but a tiny group such as theirs, especially one that is focused on retrieval would make it hard. It might even be suicide. Itachi had seen the number of titans that had been heading their way in their last expedition, and she honestly wondered if the titans had noticed the large amount of flares being used to avoid them. Who wasn't to say that the colored flare was attracting attention in some way?

"It might attract more titans than we can handle." She mused. "We'll have to figure out signals if we do end up sending scouts ahead of us."

It might just be best to travel during the day, starting early will give them a good head start, but daylight was honestly the safest for it was easy to see a titan coming towards them. Itachi pushed that thought aside for now.

Also, how active where they at night? Hange never got the chance to study any titans past daylight.

Levi tilted his head to indicate that he heard her. "Go get packed for the expedition and come to the training grounds. I could use a sparring partner."

Itachi couldn't help the smile that grew at being offered a sparring partner.

Levi made an odd sound and turned on his heel, retreating out of the building.

Oooo

There were four large carts, one dedicated to the filling station, extra canisters near them, to the boxes of rations. The second cart was mostly empty, holding some camping gear while the personal horses carried the rest. The last two carts was empty, ready to be packed with anything they could find and fit onto it once they got to the abandoned survey corps building.

They had wanted to bring another empty cart with them, but Itachi overheard Mike saying it was too much for their small group. They wouldn't be able to move fast enough.

Aliz suddenly appeared at Itachi's side, smile in place but holding an air of nervousness. She knew that feeling all too well and there was nothing Itachi could say to ease the girls worry. So many things could go wrong out there. The horse shifted next to her and Itachi ran a hand down its neck, soothing the creature with light chakra. It leaned into her touch, enjoying the massage feeling her chakra gave off. Aliz blinked owlishly, her eyes wide as she watched the way the horse reacted to the Uchiha.

"Wow…you know how to handle the horses don't you? I've had terrible luck with them. I know that we train with them to create a close bond and all, but mine seems to hate me…"

Itachi covered a laugh with a cough because the said horse Aliz was talking about was chewing on the girl's long hair that was pulled into a pony tail.

Mike arrived at that time and glancing over everyone, he then nodded, shifting his horse and began leading them towards their destination. Itachi swiftly mounted, her small pack containing only a couple pairs of clothing, some essentials followed by three scrolls underneath all that. One held a full canister while the others were empty storage scrolls. On her thigh was a small pouch with at least two-hundred explosive tags, currently not connected to anything to throw them with because they didn't make kunai, or any kind of throwing weapon here. At least, not that she knew of. She's barely had time to look throughout the local markets for blacksmith shops. On top of all that, the satchel connected to her horse contained a small note book that Hange had thrust into her hands, demanding she take notes if she found anything worth mentioning.

Aliz scrambled up onto her horse after pulling her chewed up hair out of her horse's mouth and pulled up alongside Itachi. Everyone they traveled with fell into a hushed silence, some whispering here and there, but many not knowing if this would be the last time they would ever see their friends and family, and their home.

It took them roughly three days to travel from their headquarters to Karanese District. Itachi could tell that many of them were sore and tired. It had started raining the second day, late in the evening and then turned into a fine drizzle that hadn't let up since then.

Chakra lazily coursed through her body, swirling in different directions as Itachi guided it through her system, keeping her body comfortably warm. Aliz on the other hand was shivering in her seat, knuckles white from grasping the reigns of the horse. She could tell that the older girl was stiff and uncomfortable.

Itachi quirked an eyebrow as Aliz sent her a nasty glare, obviously wondering why she wasn't in the same condition as almost everyone here.

Coming to the Karanese gates, the entire group halted as the garrison guards questioned them. Mike handed papers over and with a look, they waved the small squad forward, eyes flickering over the group as they passed through. Itachi found herself glancing at the small group standing off to the side as they passed before averting her gaze.

"We rest for the night, stock up on any supplies we've used and head out early tomorrow." Mike called out and Itachi soon found herself dismounting, brushing down her horse and getting it settled for the night with water and food.

As Itachi walked from the stalls towards the small outpost that their company was staying in, she found her gaze flickering off to the side when the sensation of being watched sent a prickling feeling right down the back of her neck. Chakra surged towards her ears and Itachi tilted her head, straining for anything that sounded threatening.

"We're having chicken tonight…"

"Where did you leave the basket of strawberries?"

"…blooded Asian."

Itachi's found herself almost stopping, only to continue towards a stall, acting interested in its wears. She let her fingers hover over spices, expensive bottles that many could rarely afford, but they were well worth the money.

"Could get a good price in the capitol for her."

"What about the military training?"

"Probably weak. If she makes it back, we'll try then."

Her gaze snapped towards their direction and flashed red, burning their faces into her mind. If they wanted to start something, she'd let them try.

Dinner that night consisted of porridge and a small amount of meat that was most definitely overcooked, but better than the cart full of ration bars.

Even with years of living on ration bars before this, Itachi still didn't find the chalky taste getting better.

Levi sat down in front of her, being careful with setting his bowl down so that nothing splashed onto his outfit. They ate in silence, as did the rest of the crew, too occupied with thoughts on what would happen tomorrow.

"Mike doesn't want scouts ahead of us, can't take the chance for any of us being separated." Levi finally broke the silence. Itachi looked up from her porridge, tilting her head in acknowledgment. She paused though, catching a dark look crossing his face as he leaned back in his chair.

"We might not even get to the building with all the supplies."

Ah, there it was. Itachi was wondering what was bothering him.

"We've lost a considerable amount of valuable resources when that fucking wall fell." He spat, hand running through his hair.

The sound of hushed voices filled the silence and Itachi glanced over at the murmuring recruits. They huddled together, trying to enjoy the night before facing death tomorrow.

"Get some sleep brat, you'll need it for the upcoming tasks."

Itachi watched Levi stand, taking his bowl with him.

Oooo

Itachi was up before the break of dawn, walking the streets and watching vendors setting up shop. Her first stop was the bakery, bound to already be open and selling. Trost had always opened early, especially with all the refugees that needed to get their rations, so it wasn't a surprise that the bakery was open when she came across it.

As she drew closer to the bakery, Itachi couldn't help but take in a deep breath, relishing in the smell of fresh baked bread.

Not five minutes later, Itachi walked out of the shop, carrying a large basket with enough fresh baked rolls for her team. They may be larger than Konoha's standard team, but they were still her teammates and she was going to fight for them.

Arriving back at the outpost, she found everyone roused and gathering their gear, doublechecking everything over and over again before nervously flitting about. Itachi came to a stop in front of everyone and it was a tall blonde-haired man that Itachi believed was Eld Jinn, that spotted her with the large basket first.

"Fresh baked rolls?" he questioned and Itachi inclined her head, pulling the cloth back and catching everyone's attention.

Chattering erupted and everyone quickly grabbed a roll, Aliz even slinging an arm around the Uchiha while munching on her own roll.

"Best thing ever! We needed that, the ugh…the easing of our nerves, that is?" Aliz said, looking less stressed than before.

Itachi merely inclined her head before they all settled about, ensuring that their equipment was working and everything ready to go. With that done, it wasn't long before they found themselves facing the gates leading out into the titan infested lands.

"Alright! We stay in a group, do not engage with titans unless there is no option!" Mike called out, a stern gaze causing many to nod in agreement. Unnecessary attacks would lead to deaths that they couldn't afford right now, not with the mission being a retrieval of supplies.

The gates opened at that point and they moved forward, Itachi hanging back slightly as her hands flickered through hand signs, sharingan blazing before fading back to onyx.

Hours seemed to pass without interacting with titans and the squad was growing weary, nerves becoming shot and causing everyone to jump at the slightest rumble reaching their ears. Aliz was constantly shifting in her seat, eyes gazing out over the vast fields of open land with worry written across her face.

Her gaze drifted towards Itachi, pausing as she furrowed her brows.

"Are you alright?" she questioned, and Itachi rubbed the bridge of her nose.

"Hn…" she managed to get out. She could feel the tension headache consuming her, chakra slowly being eaten away by the small Genjutsu that covered her squad. It wasn't a lot, just placed them under a small area of effect, making them invisible to the titans. It wouldn't cover their sound nor smell though, but without being able to see them, she believed that it would help let them move forward with less of a chance of running into them.

"Right…" Aliz wearily stated, looking at the younger girl with worry. She was worried about the girl, especially if they were attacked and she wasn't able to react in time.

Another couple of hours passed before they came to a small outcrop of homes, farming sheds along the outskirts.

"We'll take a break here, eat some food and let the horses rest." Mike called out, gaze not lingering in one spot as it flickered from one area to the next to ensure that nothing was going to attack them right away. He took a deep breath and paused, eyes narrowing before shaking his head.

Itachi released her hold on the small Genjutsu, the tension instantly being released and left the girl feeling a bit better.

"Aliz, Gunther!" Mike called out and Aliz stiffened before moving her horse towards Mike. Gunther, a male with cropped brown hair and darker skin moved forwards, joining Aliz and Mike. Mike spoke to them before both saluted, quickly launching grappling hooks into one of the buildings and disappearing.

"We set watches. In an hour, the next watch will begin. We're here for two hours before we move out again."

Levi approached Mike after he addressed everyone, and both looked worried as they spoke to one another.

Looks like her Genjutsu was causing paranoia to creep up.

Eating a ration bar, Itachi couldn't help the uneasy feeling that settled in her gut. Something felt off, and she didn't know what or why. Looking up, she found grey clouds floating within the sky, light, but very much capable of letting rain fall from them. Her gaze shifted to the dilapidated houses, knowing that they hadn't seen a human for quite some time.

Her eyes flickered towards another building, much larger than the houses. It must have been the barn that housed livestock during the winter. Standing up from where she had settled, Itachi decided it wouldn't hurt to check the barn out.

She walked passed squad members, some greeting her with murmurs, others nodding in acknowledgement. It didn't take long before she found herself in front of the large barn, head tilted back and taking in the faded brown building. The front doors were still closed, and as she grasped the handle to open it, she found it not budging.

It made her wonder if some towns folk had tried to barricade themselves inside, hoping to go unnoticed by the titans that roamed.

Walking off to the side, Itachi felt herself pausing, gaze lingering on the windows along the side of the building. Something felt wrong.

Her instincts were screaming, those that were honed over years of fighting shinobi that stalked their prey, that attacked through ambushes, and so on. They were ringing in an uncomfortable way. She hadn't been attacked by Konoha anbu and hunters and survived for nothing.

Taking a step forward, Itachi came across the first window and she found herself looking through dusty windowpanes, unable to see within. Moving forwards, she palmed the handles to her gear with apprehension.

Creaking was heard and Itachi blinked, pausing in her trek, she turned to look through another dusty window and her eyes widened at the large eye peering through the window and right at her.

Eyes bled red and tomoe spun wildly as she locked her gaze with the large eye.

Faded people surrounded her, many smiling and laughing as they sat at a bar, drinking and dancing with one another.

A beautiful woman stood before her, smile taking over her face as she held an infant in her arms.

A secret meeting was taking place, a man with short brown hair and a woman with fair hair both leading them and encouraging them.

Being found out. Imprisoned, tortured, forced to their knees on a wall, being injected with something.

Pain, burning sensations, hunger!

Itachi found herself breathless as glass shattered, wood splintered, and an inhuman scream rent the air.

Her body moved on autopilot, chakra lurching her off the ground and a shunshin landing her on top of the old barn. She could vaguely hear shouting in the distance, but the roof was already being torn apart as the titan stood, grin plastered across its face.

Itachi glanced behind her, noticing that she was close to the back of the barn before her gaze landed on the large hole in the building.

So, all those people that barricaded themselves within were slaughtered like the livestock they kept.

The building shook and Itachi was already moving, emotions swimming within her at the thought of those civilians not even standing a chance against this creation.

"Itachi!" someone screamed and the Uchiha vaguely registered that it was Aliz yelling it.

She dodged the first swipe, propelling herself over the hand with a burst of gas and chakra. The second attack she skirted right under the limb, grapples latching onto the arm and taking her with it.

Releasing the hooks, she twisted and sent one digging into the titan's shoulder, swinging around it and firing her next grapple at its neck.

Hooks dug into skin, steam hissing out from between the claws before she was reeling in. Chakra surged through her arms and into her blades, which rattled in an unpleasant way.

The metal wasn't meant to conduct her chakra.

The blades sunk deep into the nape of its neck and she was about to cut a clean chunk out, when a hand appeared out of the corner of her eye. Aborting her move, Itachi let herself twist in the air and fall with gravity, eyes widening as she watched the large hand cover the wounded nape.

Was it aware of its weakness?

She landed on the opposite side of the barn this time, feet skidding across shingles and chakra ripping up those that were in her path. Coming to a halt in a crouched position, Itachi took in the taller titan, red eyes still blazing before quickly receding back to onyx as feet appeared within her sight, right next to her.

"Where the hell did that titan come from? Was it seriously in the barn this whole time?"

Itachi found her gaze landing on Levi, who already had his swords out and looking disgusted at the threat that had appeared.

"Aa…" was all Itachi stated before they were both moving, dodging the large hand that slammed down upon the spot they were just at. The barn shuttered before fully collapsing in on itself. Levi was already attaching his hooks into the fiend, swinging around and severing the ligaments within one arm, rendering it useless for a couple seconds.

Itachi launched herself after Levi, blades glinting in the light as she tore apart the opposite hand reaching for him. Maneuvering around him, she adjusted her hold on her hand grips and sent the blades deep into the beginning of the trapezius muscle, dragging them forwards and then turning sharply and carving lines across its neck muscles. Levi took Itachi's distraction and launched an attack at the nape, carving into its skin and severing the only weakness the titans had.

The titan stiffened before going lax, tipping forwards and crashing through the already broken barn.

Itachi landed on the ground, chakra supporting her heavy landing before she turned to watch the beast decompose. She found herself pausing in thought, eyes taking in the steam filling the air.

Her mind was analyzing every little detail that she had just went through. The titan had known about its weakness on some basic level of instinct and had resorted to trying to protect itself.

Hange was going to have a field day.

Aliz appeared next to Itachi, worry evident in her eyes, but lightened as she took in the uninjured girl.

"I thought you were a goner!" she finally cried out, latching onto the Uchiha with viciousness. Itachi merely blinked, a small smile lightly appearing at the corner of her mouth. Levi suddenly appeared, hooded eyes watching the teen get smothered in affection and lips turned down in a frown.

"Itachi, you're on watch with me until we head out." Levi stated, watching as Aliz pulled away and gave Itachi one last pat, and headed towards the group that was in a much more relaxed state than a few minutes ago. They continued walking around, getting stiff limbs to function as some were getting the carts repacked and ready to go. Itachi joined Levi after that, heading for the large trees not too far away to find a good perch.

Levi landed, finding a good spot and leaning against the large tree trunk. From how high they were up, it would be hard to not notice anything approaching their group.

"We have another couple of days to get there and then it'll take roughly the same to get back, how is your gas?"

Itachi shifted her gaze and checked the canister. "Almost full." She murmured. Levi's eyebrow rose.

"You have a creepy way of conserving your gas like that." He mused more to himself before shifting to a more comfortable position.

"I have no other choice." She murmured right back, feeling the burning stare of Levi's heavy gaze.

"I guess that's one way to put it." He mused, lip quirking at the corner before disappearing just as quickly as it appeared.

The hour passed by swiftly and Itachi soon found the group moving once more. Aliz was wearily holding onto her horse's reigns, her eyes constantly moving as Itachi jotted down notes within the notebook Hange had given her. The odd look Aliz kept sending the Uchiha had Itachi pausing in her work.

"I don't understand how it isn't chicken scratch with how much we're moving on the horses."

Itachi shrugged before blowing on the wet ink for a minute before putting everything away.

"Hange's handwriting is worse than mine, and that's before riding on horseback." She simply replied and Aliz snorted, sending the girl a bright smile.

"Doesn't it frighten you to be working so close to titans with her and Moblit? I'd be terrified of trying to get samples from them…" Aliz murmured, mouth twisting down into a frown.

Itachi's gaze flickered to the older girl and she merely shrugged. She's been through worse. She's done worse. She had already faced death. Itachi knew what it felt like, taking her last breath before darkness.

The sky grew darker as they continued forward, Itachi's Genjutsu having the desired effect in keeping them mostly hidden from the titans that were at a distance.

Night fell by that point and the crew quickly set up camp. They settled the carts around them in a tight circle before lighting a small fire, trying to contain as much light as possible. They set watches, Itachi being part of the third watch.

It didn't stop her from sending out a clone to scout the surrounding area as she fell into a light slumber.

The murmuring of her team kept her from truly falling asleep as they huddled around the fire. Chakra was buzzing around her ears, enhancing her hearing. Feet shuffled in her direction before a body sat down next to her, leaning against the carts wheel with her.

The smell of a light cinnamon reached her nose and Itachi instantly knew that it was Aliz settling herself next to her. The girl had attached herself to her side for some odd reason, but Itachi didn't mind it. The older girl was pleasant company, she could have been stuck with someone worse.

The air grew colder as the hours passed and it wasn't long before a light drizzle started.

By the time Itachi's shift came for third watch, everything was coated in a fine mist, dripping off of leaves and clinging to surfaces.

She stood up, chakra humming underneath her skin and pushing out slightly to dry the clothes under her cloak. Eld Jinn approached her then, giving off a small smile before gesturing her to follow. Gunther wasn't too far behind, stretching out his stiff muscles before following the two of them.

They quickly launched themselves into the trees, relieving the second watch and settling in until it started to lighten up enough to see for travel.

Itachi's clone had dismissed itself around the last half hour of watch, providing information on possible targets that may become a problem later in their travels. She mentally made note of where they currently were before going back to watch.

It took her a second of reprocessing the clone's information when she froze, brows furrowed. All of the titans that her clone had come across weren't really moving, some even having been settled down and seemingly sleeping where they were.

She pinched the bridge of her nose for a second before continuing. All she could do was take notes and run them by Hange to see what possible theories they could come up with.

Eld passed by her for the fifteenth time, sending her a nod as she went the way he had just come. They were moving in a constant circle, ensuring that the entire perimeter was being covered by someone. Gunther passed by Itachi not too long after, coming to a stop and wiping the fine mist off his face from the rain.

"There's an eleven-meter titan standing by a tree further back. It's facing the opposite direction of us, so it seems that we're currently downwind of it since it hasn't noticed us yet." He stated before glancing back. "Be careful." And he kept going.

Itachi inclined her head in understanding. A chakra enhanced jump had her moving on, heading in the direction of the titan Gunther had been able to spot.

It took a minute of travel before her heightened senses found the titan Gunther was talking about. Crouching down on a tree branch, Itachi's eyes bled to red, her sharpened gaze taking in the deformed creature.

It was mostly inactive, hunched in on itself and slightly swaying, creating a sound as its arm brushed the trunk of a tree next to it. It had probably been there earlier and unmoving, for in the dark it was hard to see, and the sky was just starting to turn that light grey, indicating sunrise. So, it was probably starting to awaken.

The thought of luring it away and trying a Genjutsu out on it was suddenly tempting. She wanted to know if she could control it.

The sharingan was capable of casting a strong Genjutsu that is able to control the tailed beasts. What if she could do the same thing on titans? The only difference though, was tailed beasts were chakra constructs while the titans were something else entirely. She briefly wondered it that would make any difference in her attempt to control one?

Her train of thought was interrupted as Eld suddenly came into sight as he reached her point in his trek.

Her eyes seeped back to their onyx color and she twisted her body towards him as she stood upright from her crouch.

"We should wake everyone and begin our travels. Take advantage of how still those titans are right now." He whispered, eyes locked onto the titan she had been contemplating on controlling.

Itachi merely inclined her head before turning back towards camp, Eld taking a second longer before he moved back the way he had come to go grab Gunther.

Itachi landed on her feet, silent and with purpose as she slipped her way into the tight circle of carts, horses, and soldiers. Eld and Gunther followed a few seconds after, gas startling the closest cadets out of their light slumber. Mike was already up, talking with Levi as they ate some rations.

Moving closer to the two, Itachi caught the ration bar that was thrown her way.

"Breakfast is served." Levi sarcastically stated while standing up and fixing his outfit. His blue, almost grey eyes flickered over her face before turning away to get the recruits up and moving. Mike simply smiled at the girl before he too, was up and helping get everyone back in formation.

They were packed and on their way in twenty minutes, some whispering softly with others and some still yawning and rubbing grit out of their tired eyes.

Itachi found her gaze taking in the large trees. They reminded her of the trees surrounding her home. They only needed large tigers and giant man-eating bugs and so on to call it the Forest of Death.

The sound of birds scattering had the entire squad on high alert. Mike signaled everyone to pick up their pace, not wanting to linger and attract even more attention.

Itachi's ears pricked at a abrupt sound and she found her body suddenly on high alert. It was an automatic response to the threat of her teammates to attack the titan that came hurdling out from behind a large tree.

She had felt the tingling go down her spin, forewarning her of an attack. Her hands were grasping her handles and she swiftly moved into a crouch on the horse, attaching blades in one swift move.

It was the sight of a smaller titan suddenly appearing, maw wide open and seeking a human, that had her springing into action.

A human scream ripped through the air at the sight of the lunging beast, only to peter out when a blur zipped by and the titan went crashing to the ground in a heap.

Itachi rolled as she hit the ground, coming up onto the balls of her feet and swinging around to ensure that everyone was alright.

Mike sent her a nod in thanks before gesturing for the entire squad to move it.

They needed to get out of the wooded area as quick as possible.

Itachi mounted her horse as soon as it came trotting over, foot swiftly finding the stirrup and hefting her weight up and into the saddle.

Levi was the next to take out a titan that was lumbering towards them, followed by Eld and Gunther working together with the following one.

Between the entire squad, they ended up taking out eight titans in all before they found open field.

Itachi flickered through handsigns again, weaving her Genjutsu once more. They needed to remain hidden for a bit after their encounter. Their scuffle was bound to have attracted the wrong kind of attention.

The sound of horse hooves thundering upon the ground kept everyone on high alert as they moved at a faster pace than had been planned.

Itachi just hoped that her illusion would keep the titans from venturing towards them due to the sound they were making.