Disclaimer: Naruto: NOT mine… get over it already…
ODES OF THE BETRAYED
by Kage Kurokawa
Chapter 2 Broken Calm (SASUKE)
The Midori Mon Diner (Green Gate Diner) is quite empty when we arrived. Not surprisingly of course. This is the only dineraround this part of town. It's fairly a big, old place, obviously designed to cater to large groups of people, probably excursionists wanting to visit the lake in the olddays. But most people here don't bother to visit the lake regularly anymore, except maybefor the six of us.It had an evil reputation or something like that, which we all think is a laugh considering what people are doing in the main district.
Almost no one comes here to eat except for us and a few wayward travelers whose faces we only see once and never again. No one ever seems to return here other than our little band of nins. Too bad. The food here is somewhat cheaper and way better than that in the main Akamachi. Even I would willingly agree with Naruto on that.Although, it makes me wonder how the owner can keep running this business…
We take our usual table by the large windows. The windows here are always open andhad no locks. This is another strange thing about Midori Mon. It's like there are no security issues over here.
Sumire-san takes our usual order, and it was served thirty minutes later, fresh and hot, just the way everyone likes it. This establishment never fails to satisfy its customers.
However, this meal is different from the ones that we usually have.
Shino's awfully quiet. Quieter than what I'm used to. Not that many would notice. But I haven't heard even a single grunt from him all through dinner. Even that dobe and his womanizing teammate are unusually 'behaved'. This air of silence combined with the large, hollow environment makes things look bleaker than they really are. There is that unspoken tension in our table. It probably had to do with the upcoming mission. Something tells me that all of us are thinking along the same lines somehow.
We will be briefed in The Hall. And wewould be combining two teams together. That does not bode well. Not well at all. Even Neji's tense. Neji is never tense. Neji is an arrogant, self-assured bastard. I've never seen him like this in years.
Something's gonna happen tonight that could throw away everything we've worked so hard for these past years. I'd like to think that we've come so far… and now all our effortmight end up in vain.
I watched Neji stab at his steak for what would be the hundredth time. I watched Shino chew one shrimp for the last five minutes. I watched Gaara look out the window staring at whatI can only guess to be invisible flying pigs or something. I watched Shikamaru chew gum for dinner. But the final blow came as I watched Naruto stare at his food like it was something he cannot recognize. I've had enough. I lost my appetite and pushed my plate away. I stood up, dug into my pockets for some money and left. I felt eyes on the back of my neck. I walked out and went straight home.
Home is about fifteen minutes away from the lake at my normal nin pace, five when I'm in a hurry. I'm not in a hurry today.
Beyond the tall, narrow cedar trees,in the middle of the mountain, I reach this simple, two-story abode that I share with three other people: Shino, Neji and Shikamaru. Naruto and Gaara moved out two years ago and got a place of their own nearby for reasons not mine to disclose. It's not really any of my business. It had been a little lonely though, I must grudgingly admit. Naruto and Shikamaru are fun to watch when they are bickering over the smallest things. It's fun to annoy the dobe when I'm bored and vice versa. And the sight of Naruto teaching Gaara to be quite 'normal' is fairly amusing. But at the same time, it had been a good thing in the sense that here are no more screams that wake me up in the middle of my own tmares, and it had lessen the other noises that keep people awake in the middle of the night. I mean, it's hard to sleep when you have four people screwing each other's head off till early dawn under one roof. Now, there's only that lazy womanizing imp and our hormonally overloaded teammate. At least their current encounters onlyhappen occasionally, maybe out of respect for Shino and me. Well, more for Shino I believe. I don't think they respect me that much.
This houseonce belonged to the former Team Three. But since they are dead, and we took their place, the Shikage thought it best to give us their old dwelling. We've been living here for four years now. The house had five rooms, four of which are on the second floor. My room is the one by the stairs. Speaking of stairs, we have another loose plank.
It's a wonder how four single men could keep this place livable. Well, I guess being geniuses had its perks. Shikamaru devised a plan that divided the chores accordingly and fairly. But on the whole it's Shino who runs the household. Don't ask me how he does it in his condition. I don't know. All I know is that he does a very thorough job at it. Except the kitchen. We never let Shino in the kitchen except to make tea. Boiling water is all that we can trust him with in that area of the house. Shino and kitchen just do not mix well. He maybe a fine medic nin who can brew the most complicated medicines and poisons, but his cooking tastes like one of his experiments… I shudder everytime I think about that one time when we were force-fed with his cooking. I believe even Naruto turned blue. And that's saying something as that blond-haired idiot could almost digest anything. I guess he had his limits.
I slumped into my neatly made bed onto my back staring at the ceiling. Evening comes outside the window. It must be around six thirty now. Shino re-made my bed again, I noticed. I often arrange my bed in the mornings, but my best friend often insists in his own quiet way that I don't do it properly. Shino can be so painfully precise sometimes, you often forget that he's blind.
Speaking of the devil, I hear the soft click of my door opening. I don't need to turn around to know who it is. He is the only one who dares approach me when I'm in one of my moods. He sits in one of the wooden chairs across my bed and just stays still and silent.
It is anotherone of our littlerituals over the years when I'm in this disposition. The other's presence alone more than makes up forall the comforting words that people usually say under these circumstances.
I sigh. It's the only sound that can be heard in the quiet room.
"We must prepare for the mission," my companion tells me carefully. It's strange how his soft-spoken words affect me sometimes. It's as if the barriers just come crashing down and release all the floods of emotions inside me. Gaara's done it once, Itachi as well. But they only brought out the anger inside. Naruto also did it. More times than I can care to count. But he just rubbed me off the wrong way somehow and most of the time,everything just comes out clumsy and unbidden and awkward. Naruto's like that annoying little brother that you can't get rid of because you know that deep down you do care. Shino's more like an older brother, even if he is younger in age and by no means like Itachi, he's someone who just listens quietly and lets you sort out all your frustrations and thoughts as much as you would like. He knows perfectly well when to intervene and what to say without really interrupting you.
"I don't think I want to go on this mission," I began. "I have a really bad feeling about what might happen tonight. I believe everyone else feels the same way."
"After all this time," I continue getting up. "Why now? I've made it this far. We've all made it this far, so why now?"
I wanted to shout out loud but had to restrain myself. "I don't understand why the Shikage would do this. He's never sent any nins on this type of mission. It's an unspoken rule."
I look at my silent companion and saw his mouth curl slightly into a frown. I can feel him contemplating my words. He stood up and walked towards me. Even though he cannot literally see me, I can feel as if his eyes are on me looking deep into my core. Upon reaching me, he kissed my forehead gently, before walking away.
"You've made it this far Uchiha…" those were his parting words.The meaning behind them isspecial...I am reminded of the first time I heardhim speakthem…
xxx
I watched as Neji slumped into the ground, battered and bleeding. Shino and I were the only ones left standing. But Shino is badly injured as well. His right arm is hanging limply and broken in several places. I was breathing heavily but am not doing as badly as my teammates. Although, I think I broke a rib or two.
Our opponent is saving me for last.
After all, I am his brother…
I stood there unmoving, rooted on the spot like I was when I first encountered Orochimaru.
Itachi focused on Shino as his next target. Using his sharingan, I knew that Shino wouldn't have the chance even if he exhausted all his bugs. He is too injured to create the proper defenses. We both know that we're not strong enough to face Itachi in our condition. We didn't expect him to show up in this part of the world of all places.
We had just come from training. It is our first year living here in Phantom Country after a year of wandering around. We are undergoing training to be of chuunin ranking here. This place doesn't have a ninja academy at the moment, though plans are being made. This is after all a city of outlaws. The genins in this area were of chuunin rank in their old villages. It's much more difficult to be a chuunin in this land than it was in our former village. Chuunins here are like the jounins in most countries. There are very few jounins here. Phantom Country's jounins areequal toS-rank type nins.
We were good enough to pass the genin qualification exams on our second month here. Genins are assigned to police Akamachi and make sure that each of the factions are kept in line.My companions andIfound it dull and boring after a time. Usually, we deal with resolving petty murders and faction brawls in the city. Or guarding the bigshots of the different groups, keeping them alive to prevent the ever-existing tension blow over into a full-scale war. The pattern is tiresome even after only a few months.
Our goal was to become the strongest ninjas here. And so we must do our best to climb up the ladder.
To be chuunin in Phantom Country you have to find your own jounin instructor. With the scarcity of jounins in this area, we werelucky tofind one that was willing enough to instruct us four months ago. He is not ordinary Gray Phantom Village jounin but one that belongs to Black Phantom Village, home of the 'Seiei'(elite) or 'Yuureinin (phantom ninjas)as they are known to outsiders. They are the elite units directed only by the top three leaders of these lands.
Our sensei belongs to the Kage Seiei or the shadow elite. A division of the Seiei that can only be commanded by the Shikage himself. His name is Hatake Hyou. Sounds familiar?
Well, it turns out that Hyou sensei is alsoformerly from Konoha. What a coincidence. Or maybe not.
Hyou sensei isvery tough on us. Our deal is that we will be chuunins in no time, but we must not under any given circumstances, complain. He always gives us very rigid training schedules which usually leaves us so drained at the end of the day that all we can do is go home, eat a light meal, and go to bed.
It was after one of these rigoroustrainings, which by some miracle was less intense than last time because senseihad beencalled to the Hall for some last minute instructions, that Neji, Shino and I decided go to Akamachi for a breather after weeks of not being able to do anything but train, eat, bathe, and sleep. Along the way, we were accosted by the least expected and least welcomed person in my life…
I don't know why he was here, but I don't believe it's to kill me. I don't think he was expecting to see me here as well. But like always, we could never avoid a violent confrontation, as the mere sight of Itachi brings my blood way above boiling point, no matter how tired I was.
Being young, reckless, temperamental and tired is not a very good combination when engaging in battle. It places one at a total disadvantage. I learned this the hard way and at the cost of nearly losing two of my closest comrades.
I watched as Shino fall alongside Neji bleeding more profusely than last time. Itachi comes closer with the intent of finishing them off. Until I threw a kunai at his direction, my limbs were weak from fatigue and fear. My… brother… I loath to call him that… shifts his hard red gaze on my direction and poses toattack. I take all ofhis blows directlyas all my defenses are down.
I feel blood rising from my mouth and more pain from my already battered body. He is playing with me. He wants to imprint my weakness in my memory. To feel every punch, every kick, every hit until I'm numb. I can't retaliate. I hear a faraway shout in the background and felt my attacker plant a rough kiss on my lips before my world went black.
All I remember is opening my eyes some minutes later, with a very obscure image of Shino above me saying something I cannot understand until I felt soft lips graze my forehead and the last few words reached my ears. "You've made it this far Uchiha…"
xxx
I learned later that Hyou sensei went looking for us to tell us that he will be gone a few days and that we were to follow his new training program, much to our dismay. He arrived as my brother was in the process ofbeating the life out of me, and Itachi, seeing one the Yuureinin in full mission uniform, kissed me and left. Shino, whose right arm was broken, woke up after his Kikai replenished some of his chakra, and Neji regained consciousness after a few minutes,but hehad sustained some internal injuries aside from his wounds. This happened a few months before Naruto and his company arrived here. That event changed the lives of three people. Shino, Neji, and I. It was then that we decided that we will become one of the Seiei. It's also what made Shino decided to be a special medic nin.
Six months later, we became chuunins. After another year, we were jounins. And on our fourth year, we were admitted to the ranks ofSeiei after their Team Three had mysteriously disappeared.
We had shed a lot of sweat, blood, and tears just to reach where we are right now. We had to sacrifice a lot of things to make it here. Why should I let the ghosts of my past affect me like this? We've made it this far…
As I watch the door of my room close softly behind my best friend, I sighed.
It's time to find my mission uniform. I believe Shino had it ironed last week.
END CHAPTER 02
A/N: Shino is domesticated… tsk. tsk. tsk.
