"You did WHAT!" Ino gasped as Itachi told her about the deal he had made with the Tsunade.
"I told you Ino, if I succeed, then they'll let me stay here in the village with you!" He could see the panic in her eyes as he told her that he was going off to kill his brother.
"B-but, you can't kill Sasuke! He's been training for the last four years! He runs his own country for crying out loud! You're going to get yourself killed, and leave me here to raise our baby alone!"
Itachi could see the tears forming in Ino's eyes. She really did care about him, and didn't want to see him get killed. "We can run away together," She tried again. "We can live somewhere else, somewhere where no one knows us. We can be happy. We can be together, and raise our child."
Itachi wiped a tear from her cheek that had escaped her eye. "No, you belong here in Konoha. And I will to, after I kill Sasuke. Don't worry; I can handle my little brother. He's just full of hot air." He ran his fingers through her thick blond hair, and she burst into tears. Itachi hugged her close to his chest, rubbing her back soothingly. "Shhh, it's alright. I'll be ok."
"B-but, what i-if you aren't?" Ino cried out.
Itachi pulled back a bit, so he was looking right into Ino's eyes. "I will be." He said it so calmly, so confidently, and then he pulled her back into his embrace, and held her tight against him.
After a really good night with Ino, Itachi left the next day for the Hidden Sound Village. It took him a quick day to reach the village, and had so far not met any enemies.
"Hmm, how very entertaining." A cold voice sliced the air like a hot knife.
"Yes Sasuke-sama, he is heading here alone. He is expected to arrive within the next few hours." A second voice in the dark room said.
"Very well then. Thank you Kabuto."
"Um, do you wish for me to send a group of nins out to stop him sir?"
"Ku ku ku ku." Bitter laughter filled the room, adding to its eerie edge. "No, let him continue his little charade. When he arrives, I will take care of him myself."
"Very well Sasuke-sama." Kabuto bowed respectfully, and left the room, leaving his master to contemplate his next move.
Itachi reached the outskirts of the village, and stopped to think about what to do next. Jingle jingle. An obnoxious jingling sound came from behind him. He didn't even need to turn and look to know that 1: It was a bell and 2: It was a trap. He sighed impatiently and his sharingan searched the trees for his attacker.
He quickly found what appeared to be a young girl, squatting in a tree several yards away. He pulled a suriken from the pouch at his hip, and promptly threw it in the girl's direction. She ducked, and avoided it easily, but that was the point. The suriken seemed to take on a life of it's own as it stopped midair, and whirled back toward the girl.
"What!" He heard the girl cry. She avoided the suriken again, but this time by sacrificing her footing. She fell, quite gracefully, from the tree limb, but landed squarely on her feet. "State your business here!"
Her voice was crisp and clear, but her eyes danced nervously at the sight of her new opponent. Itachi sighed again, growing more impatient. "What's your name girl?" He addressed her rather rudely, but he didn't have time for this. He saw her face twist as she decided whether or not it would be a good idea to tell him who she was. She apparently decided that it would do no harm, for she told him her name.
"Kin Tsuchi."
"Well Tsuchi, my name is Uchiha Itachi. How very nice it is to meet you." His voice was laced with sarcasm, but Tsuchi didn't seem to notice.
"Y-you're Itachi U-Uchiha?" When he nodded lazily in response he saw horror cross the young girl's face. "B-but that would mean that y-you…you're…" Her voice trailed off, unable to continue.
"Yes, that would mean that I am Sasuke's brother. I'm actually looking for the little twit, have you seen him around?" She gaped at him. He was so casual about this whole thing, it was making her unusually aware of the swear forming on her forehead.
"I-I'm not suppose to tell you that."
"Hmm, very well then." Itachi shrugged his shoulders causally, and started to walk past Tsuchi.
"I can't just let you go! I'm supposed to be guarding the village border…" Her voice trailed off. It was becoming increasingly apparent that she was new to this particular job. Itachi guessed that since she appeared to be a little under twenty that she had probably just finished her ninja training, and that this was her first gig on her own. It was always hard to take on your first individual assignment, so Itachi decided it would be easy to trick her.
"Alright then. You can just take me to the leader of your village. I'm a very dangerous criminal you know, I feel it would be best if I were to be turned in."
"I'm not stupid you know." Or maybe it won't be easy to trick her. "But I think I'd like to help you."
Why in the world would she offer to help me? Itachi's mind attempted to process the new information, but was having a bit of trouble.
She saw confusion pass over his face, so she decided to explain. "You're going to kill your brother right?" He nodded. "Well, I'd like to help you. Sasuke killed my teammate, Dosu Kinuta. He did not deserve to die, so I think it only fit that your brother met the same fate that he brought upon my friend." How can you argue with that kind of logic?
Then it dawned on Itachi that she wasn't on an individual mission because she had completed her training, it must have been because Sasuke had killed her teammate. All ninja teams much consist of three ninja and a sensei, without all members, the team is broken up, and sent off on their own.
Itachi was still wary of Tsuchi, but he needed all the help he could get. And what better way to get help, then to take advantage of an angry teenager, bent on revenge?
Well there's chapter 8 for you guys! Thanks a million Somnus for the great reviews:D To answer your question about the council, I reread it, and I see that I did just kind of fling it out of no where. I think I had it all mapped out in my mind, but it just didn't make it to the paper. What I was going for was that before Tsunade could make any serious decisions about the village, she has to consult the council. (Kind of like the President has to go to Congress.) The council consists of elders from the village, who have had experience in either the field of ninja, or politics. Kannon is the head of the council, and has the most power over the other members. And yeah, I am only 13, but it's a really nice compliment to hear that I write like I'm older! I hope that cleared up some of the question about the council! Thanks again for the reviews.
Oh, and one more thing, if you guys were wondering, Kin Tsuchi is the sound ninja from the Chunnin exams. Just to clear up any confusion! Till next time!