Perfunctory Pestilence
Just A Penniless Writer

Author's Plea: ...oops. I plead insanity. And if this chapter is confusing, its purposefully so. Patience is a virtue and all that rot. If you see anything that isn't canon compliant up to manga chapter 264-ish, let me know. While I did re-read a lot, it was mostly skimming to be completely honest.
Disclaimer: Standard disclaimer applies.

The Second Part

He wasn't sure why he continued to watch her in these last few moments before she woke each morning. He didn't bother to question his motives. It was pointless, after all.

Ah, she was starting to unconsciously realize he was there. Were she a good little ninja, a real threat, she would have been aware the instant he had entered the room. Maybe she still would have been considered passable had she only sprung into action the minute she did realize there was another inhabitant of her precious, if borrowed, space. But instead she slowly came back to reality until she opened tired eyes.

It was only then that any action was made. In an instant, she recognized him, remembered what he was capable of, what he had done, and retreated to the corner of the bed farthest from him. Her absurd green eyes were bright with fear before she tried to regain her breath.

There was something so bothersome about this weak little girl that was capable of disarming his greatest weapon. But then, he was working on that. After all, it would do no good for the girl to die before she could be of any use to him.

"Are you ever going to stop that?" she asked grumpily, bringing his attention back to the situation at hand.

"Perhaps," he responded in his usual flat tone.

"Perhaps when?"

"Perhaps when your instincts are sharp enough not to be surprised."

She closed her eyes wearily in defeat, and he took that as his sign to leave. It was a ritual after all, a year long ritual they had formed, and it would do no good to stray now. The time for that was later this very day, and too many deviations from schedule would upset her. He knew from their time together that an upset Sakura was even more bothersome than before. As his intention was to keep her alive for a least some amount of time, he needed to keep himself from killing her out of irritation.

He knew it bothered her that she was far enough into her imprisonment that she actually had acquired a ritual, and that was just another reason to stick to it. It kept her clueless which was exactly how he needed her for now. Had she known exactly how much she meant to him, she might have taken upon herself to barter, which would have only resulted in her death. It seemed enough that she knew he had a purpose in mind for her, but knew nothing of the details.

It was disappointing that all that assumption and routine ended today. Soon she would know exactly why she had been captured and imprisoned when she should very well be dead. It might be interesting to see how she would react to that, but otherwise, his plans were fluid. Whatever happened, happened, and nothing else mattered if it did not improve him.

At the very least, he considered, she had provided him with a training dummy during their extended time together. Some days he had honestly attempted to improve her meager skills. Most days only started off that way. A vast majority of their sessions together left him mutely frustrated after holding back for several hours. Once he reached a certain point, he let loose, doing everything short of killing her. It was truly perfect that she was a medic and could heal her more serious injuries within the day. As long as he stayed clear of the vital organs, he found pummeling the girl under the guise of training to be quite comforting.

He wondered if he was becoming more like Kisame but dismissed the thought out of hand. No one could ever become like Kisame.

A few short minutes later, he returned to find her dressed in the clothing he had left for her and staring into the cracked mirror on the wall of her little room. Yet another routine he was aware of; he suspected she used a certain number of minutes each day to be suitably grateful for her continued existence. Perhaps for that undoubtedly precious time she questioned his motives.

Yet another ritual that would be changed by the events of the day.

She saw him then, not quite meeting his eyes and for that at least he was slightly proud. It proved she was smart enough to instinctively understand the danger presented there, even if she did have some protection against it. As he had yet to seriously test her strange ability, she was probably only aware of her advantage on a subconscious level.

Without the use of words or gestures, he communicated that it was time to go. He could tell by her rigid stance and tense features that she was already aware of the change in the routine, as she should have been.

The new wardrobe would have clued her in immediately. While her usual training attire allowed for free movement, it made the only asset she truly had, that of femininity, obvious to those who were interested. Though he could care less for her physique and most Akatsuki members were resigned to rare encounters with those of the opposite sex, there were plenty who would not hold back their desires with such an opportunity sharing their residence. The voluminous yards in the black attire hid her figure so that only her facial features and ridiculous hair gave away her gender. Still obvious, but it was something.

Upon reaching the door he knew she always watched but never approached, he could almost feel her attempting not to clutch his arm for safety. Such a ridiculous girl. Her nervousness was annoying if only because it was blocking him from effectively reading the chakras beyond the door. Perhaps something to sooth and prepare…

"They will not hesitate to kill you."

That he wouldn't stop them went unsaid, though part of him wondered what he wouldn't do to protect the opportunity she represented. However, this situation being a direct result of his protecting the opportunity she represented, he knew it was almost time to make a final decision in the matter.

He had hoped, as much as he was capable of hoping, that she would redeem herself in some fashion and make her usefulness a bit more obvious prior to this. That she was still inadequate would not do well for the case he was about to make. They could only accept his present excuse for so long, and disbelief was long past due.

He opened the door and accepted their fate.

"Itachi… your bait is idle. A year? One would think they would forget the girl by now."

The voice reached them even before the door could fully close. Still, though he knew many of the room's occupants were merely copies while their true selves were occupied elsewhere, including their illustrious leader, there was enough power and presence to make the threat known.

"Konoha does not forget."

"Still, Itachi… You train her, correct? Do you wish to die so badly?"

"I wish for challenge."

"And we do not offer enough of that?

His silence spoke loudly as the leader laughed lightly, madly.

"She is weak. She is a weak nin and weak bait. Dispose of her, Itachi."

"No."

"Is it her companionship you wish to keep? If so, tell us and we might concede."

"No."

"Then we will have to take possession of her ourselves. She will be made useful and then she will die."

"No."

"Our patience has ended. Use the girl or we will."

He mutely sighed before letting his eyes find the girl in question. Her fury and indignance at the proceedings were all but obvious. Very well. One more chance, perhaps. After all, what must be done will be done and let it never be said that he didn't understand the idea of sacrifice.

Turning on his heel, he strode out of the room, the girl dutifully following him. As soon as the door shut behind them, he began his orders.

"Change and pack. We must leave now."

Despite her anger, or perhaps because of it, she vanished with but the least bit of prompting, meeting him on the training grounds within minutes back in the casual training outfit that had grown so familiar to them over the last year.

"They are waiting to follow. Create a distraction."

"Why don't you?"

"It is your life they will end."

With a grumble, she tightened her gloves and gathered chakra into her fist. In the explosion that followed, he led away from the scene of destruction and silently thought that perhaps she wasn't as weak as he had assumed. Idly he wondered why she hadn't used such strength in the past and during their daily 'training' sessions.

He only hoped, as much as he was capable of hoping, that she would be worth all the trouble.