Ino tucked her knees under her chin a feeble position. It was her first night in her new apartment and, of course, tonight was the night a thunderstorm decided to hit. She pulled the blanket from her bed, to the chair where she sat in the curled up position. Ino was never afraid of thunderstorms, just not particularly fond of them.
A flash of yellow light lit her dark bedroom, causing Ino to shiver. She thought of Itachi. Had he been caught in the storm? Would he be able to kill Sasuke? Would he even live?
The thought of losing Itachi made Ino shiver again. She pulled the blanket higher to her chin, but it still did not help with the cold feeling that had come over her. Another flash of yellow light and a boom of thunder shock the room. It made Ino think of when she was a little girl. She had always been terrified of thunderstorms when she was younger, but her father had comforted her.
"Don't be afraid sweet pea. The thunder and lightning won't hurt you." He stripped the covers from his five year old daughter's face, where she had been clutching them tightly. "If anything, we should be celebrating."
A look of confusion came across the young girl's face. "Why daddy?"
"Because the gods are celebrating! Up in heaven!"
"What are they celebrating?"
"Well, I'm not entirely sure sweet pea. But you see, the gods are up there," He pointed upward. "Dancing, and singing. Having a grand old time. They just want to share their joy with us, so they send us thunderstorms. Every time you hear the boom of thunder that means one of the gods is banging on their drum. Making beautiful music! When a flash of lightning breaks the sky, a god is dancing! Their heels send out bolts of fire, and light." He could see that he had his daughter in awe at his tale of gods. "They want to share the joy with us, so you never have to be afraid." He gave her a kiss on the forehead.
"But I am afraid." Ino murrmered to herself in the dark room, but she wasn't referring to her fear of thunderstorms. "I wish Itachi was here."
"So, how exactly are we going to do this?" Tsuchi wanted to know.
"Well, all I really need you to do is get me into the building. I think I should take it from there. Sasuke isn't one to be taken lightly, and I think it would be best if I were to take him. He is after all from my clan, so I should know most of his tricks."
The girl shrugged. "Alright, just make him suffer ok?" Itachi couldn't hide the smirk that spread across his face.
"Don't worry. I will."
The two ninja entered the small village. It seemed as though it was deserted. Not a soul was wandering the streets, which added to the overall eerie affect.
"Where is everybody?" Itachi wanted to know.
"Most civilians are to afraid of Sasuke to even come out of their homes. And most of our ninja are sent off on missions. Your brother has instilled fear into my people, so they are even afraid to step foot outside of their homes. The village is at a loss. With your brother no longer dictating to them, hopefully they will be able to regain a sense of normality."
"Very well, we will see if we can help them now wont we?" A smile spread across Tsuchi's face, but she did not answer because they had arrived at Sasuke's "palace". The building towered over all the others, and reeked of power, and superiority. It seemed just like Sasuke to want to rub it in everyone's face that he was the leader. It made Itachi want to throw up.
"The sound ninja have access to the palace, but it is very heavily guarded by the best of our ninja. In order to gain access to it, I must show them this pass." She held up a small card with her name, rank, and photo. "They will take note of it, so they can know who is in the palace at all times. Your brother has taken no risks. There is no other way in."
Itachi thought about this for a moment. "Well, what if you had a reason to see Sasuke?"
"Then I would be escorted to his chambers by the guards."
"Hmm…" Tsuchi could almost see the wheels turning in his head. Itachi made several quick hand signs, and his body morphed into another. His black hair turned silver and spiky, and his face was now half masked. "What better way to greet him, then in the form of his old sensei?" She could see a smirk stretch the mask that was now covering his mouth.
Chapter 9 down! Please review, and tell me what you think of it! Oh, and yes, Sasuke is evil in this fanfic. (If you didn't pick up on that.) I just thought I'd give you guys a heads up, so I dont get threatening emails from the Sasuke-lovers. -giggles- Chapter 10 will be added soon!