Chapter Thirty-Three: A Hard Man to Find
# # # # # #
Lending ears to many noises . . . it was a great burden to bear—perhaps too great. He stood stock-still by the tree, his blue eyes dilating and swirling. He watched the weak sun as it got smothered up by the grey sea overhead. The sea's anger was too great this afternoon.
By his feet, the umbrage of trees stretched out. Long and crooked they looked, eerie, an ominous evening before its rightful call. Sounds chased the sparks, quick and eager in their pursuit to cut the stillness into pieces. Distressed—this storm was distressed. The bark beneath his fingers shook as another crash resounded. Autumn was here. He moved his eyes, a little less eagerly, and found Sakura flowers dying on the trees.
Bursts of wind tore them away from the boughs. Their time was gone; they would bloom next spring. He wanted to smile as though the wait for their new birth blossomed the desire to live in him, too; but grief tore up his heart. He was trapped. No matter how hard he tried to tear himself away from his life, the shackles felt too heavy, too sturdy to let him wander off as his heart wanted.
Wishes … little by little, he had killed them, murdered them all, a mad killer in pursuit of the innocent, bled them dry in the dim corners of his mind. There they ran like children, hid away in nooks and crannies, behind the blackest blanket that did not shield them. They let out soul-chilling cries, and by Sage, it shivered in him—the mass of malevolence.
The thing never left him alone, writhing underneath the thinnest film of protection, which eroded under its acidic touch, the landscape of his mind abraded by its stench. He knew, he just knew, that soon he would find himself at its mercy. He needed the reds to keep it calm, to push it back. Sasuke, where was he?
His face hardened, a carved stone under the drizzle. Where was Sasuke, now that he needed him the most, needed him to soothe his daemons, needed him . . . to be his brother? He knit his brow and looked skyward, wind coming at his face, and he moved his feet without thinking, not paying any mind to the fissure in the earth only a foot away from him.
A powerful hand seized him. "Naruto, stop! You almost fell in. Are you feeling all right?" Neji asked, concerned, holding Naruto's arm in a firm grasp.
Naruto cocked his head and managed a half-hearted smile. "Yeah, I-I'm fine—just something on my mind," he muttered and pulled back.
"It must be something grave if you decided to hurl yourself down into the pit. What's on your mind?" he asked and looked down into the deep hole: it led to a network of underground caves. Sasuke and he were assigned to inspect it every week for Rouge-Nins. It was impossible to get in and out without the Dōjutsus. Many ninjas died there, looking for a way into Konoha . . . and out of it.
"Nothing," he lied and looked away as if the Byakugan may look at his secrets. "I was thinking 'bout the Jōnin Application—wonder if Sasuke will accept it." He put his hands upon his wet face and emitted a heavy sigh.
Neji looked unconvinced, but he chose not to press it. "I'm sure he will," he assured him and turned on his Byakugan to check the wet rocks. It required a very precise chakra control to stick the feet to the rocks and not plummet down to one's death. They were slick and slippery—too wet for Naruto's feet to find purchase on them.
"You think so? Are you sure I'm ready? Even I'm not sure if I'm ready," Naruto said and bent his head a little to look down. The darkness by his feet seemed to suck him in.
"I don't know. Sasuke-Sama had to oversee your training, but he got ill. Then, when the time came to train you again, he . . . he got busy," Neji said and turned his head at Naruto's curious face. The blond looked inquisitive, slightly excited at the prospect to head down to the underground caves.
Neji straightened his back, surprise on his face. "You're not going down with me. Stay here and watch the area," he said calmly, watching as a deep frown disturbed the man's happy face.
"Why not? I can make Kage-Bunshins and scout out the area quickly. You underestimate me, Neji," he said and cocked his nose in a prideful manner.
Neji sighed. "It isn't about numbers. You use Bunshins to make one Rasengan, for Sage's sake. Your chakra control isn't good enough to run down these rocks. They're slippery and covered with chakra-emitting fungi. One slip and you'll break your back and neck," he reasoned and gathered chakra around his feet to run down the rocks.
"Then you can help me climb down. I'm not standing out here in this rain, freezing my ass off, while you take your sweet time wandering around the caves," he protested, sounding stubborn.
Neji let out another loud sigh. "It isn't a picnic down there. It's dark and dank and it smells awful. Sasuke-Sama and I split the area and check it in a couple of minutes. Without the Sharingan, it wouldn't be possible to give chakra a different colour. You can't help me down there, Naruto," he said with an air of frustration and turned around to jump down.
"Neji, take me with you, or I swear to Sage, I will jump down and see where fate takes me. I mean it!" he warned and pressed his lips together into a thin line as if he was struggling to speak.
"Fine," he sighed out and held out his hand, "grab my hand and don't stop the chakra flow. It'll even out yours. Sasuke-Sama tears up the tough overgrowth with Raiton under his feet. I don't have Raiton, so watch your step—you might just make it down there . . . without breaking your back in two."
Naruto grabbed his hand. "A ray of sunshine, aren't you?" he retorted, a bit annoyed. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a flare; when he rubbed it against his jacket, its end burst and sizzled into a thick flame.
"So everyone tells me," he said and took a long leap into the darkness with Naruto.
"Sasuke's mean-streak has rubbed off on you," he remarked and kept his legs steady whilst both of them stood at an odd angle on a very wet rock.
Their feet clung to the slippery fungi, the chakra tearing through the thick layer to secure their passage. They leapt from rock to rock and roiled the mist in the chasm. The red light bounced off the wet rocks and rent the shadows that wavered about.
At last, Neji landed down into the mud. Naruto slipped beside him but caught his balance. He craned his neck to look up; he could still see the opening some five hundred feet above their heads. Few droplets fell down on his face, and he wiped them away hastily.
"Has it?" Neji asked at length and gulped down the cold air in the maw—it was a heavy weight in his lungs.
Naruto fixed him with a curious look, and his mouth twisted into a smile. " 'Course it has! Sasuke's a grouch—he can be a real asshole sometimes. Imagine, sticking to him nearly all the time like you do as his assistant—it's gotta be contagious," he remarked and gave a slow laugh.
Neji did not say anything and flicked his head to indicate that they had to go. "Send a few Bunshins down the tunnels in the back. Make sure you check every nook and corner. I'll keep my Byakugan on—just in case," he said.
Naruto grinned and created three Kage-Bunshins. They mimicked Naruto's expression and created quite the din before they disappeared down the tunnels behind them—each with a flare in hand. The lights glowed for a few more feet, disturbing the darkness's rest, till they disappeared from sight. They could see the Bunshins no more.
"Say, Neji," he paused and wiped away an ice pellet with the back of his hand, "is your seal gone now—has the counter-seal really worked?"
Neji stopped and turned around. He looked a little surprised. "Did your father tell you?" he asked, staring at the artificial blush on Naruto's face in the red glow of the light. Even his blond hair appeared vivid red.
It was cold here in the dark. The sun never shone on the rocks, and the smell of musk and dead plants suffused the air. It was a bit hard to breathe. Naruto's breath whistled out of his nose; then he sniffed loudly and coughed to clear his nose and throat. (Damn the Autumn fungus—it always made him allergic!)
"He's a little nosy. Don't know how he found out 'bout it. How did the Hokage approve—or your clan? I thought they said they never wanted to part from the Head family?" he asked and wiped at his face again. The biting cold droplets that fell down from the rocks above hurt on his skin.
"Times change," he said and squeezed through a gap between the rocks.
Naruto followed and stuck his arm through the gap first to let the light guide his way. "Good for you. You're free. I'm surprised the Hokage approved. You know the kind of influence Hiashi has on those old farts. They even try to force the Hokage's hand sometimes. They're all in on the most shady stuff," he said in a gruff voice and pulled his leg out of the gap, steadying himself.
"I don't know how, but Sasuke-Sama got it done," Neji said, his tone soft, his face softer still as the light touched his sharp cheeks and made them glow.
Naruto coughed and put his hand on his head to scratch his scalp. "Sasuke? Really—how?" he asked in a confused voice—his features told the same story.
Neji placed his hand on the wet rock beside him and turned his head a little to look at the area obscured by his blind spot. The whole world around him was awash with monochromatic shades. He saw the glow of chakra in a centipede crawling into a crevice and the crabs scuttling here and there, seeking water. They would find it just down the tunnel.
"He'd sent in a proposal to Itachi-Sama and Karin made the counter-seal. I just had to get the votes to remove the seals. Karin's very talented. I didn't think it was even possible to make one," he explained, eyes white, veins popping visibly around them. "All it takes is a promise of freedom . . . perhaps that's all my people needed." He turned his head away and took a few steps to stand beside a lone Purple Lily jutting out from a crack in the rock. He touched it with the tip of his fingers, lost in thought. He was surprised to find it here, but it received enough nourishment from the chakra and dark—full moon's light must have reflected off the rocks to feed its hungry mouth.
Naruto leant against the rock and held the flare high. The light stretched out in front of them and so did their shadows that mingled with the black everywhere. "I wonder how Sasuke got Itachi to give in. The man's a stinky asshole. Not even the nice-asshole kind—like Sasuke. He's just an asshole. Period!" he said distastefully and wrinkled his nose as if he had just smelt something really rancid and foul.
"I get a feeling that you don't like Itachi-Sama. It wouldn't be the first time you've bad-mouthed him," he said with a smile and looked over his shoulder—half his face came under the severe red light. "They're brothers. I'm sure Sasuke-Sama knows how to get things done."
Naruto looked incredulous, his blue eyes becoming wider, threatening to slip beyond the boundary of his face. " Neji, you're too nice—and naïve. How can anyone like an asshole like Itachi? He's a sick man—sick!" he said and made a silly face, looking somewhere between disgusted and irritated. "And Sasuke? Bet he gave him the pup's eyes, made a sad little face, and told him that he won't speak to him ever again if he didn't do as he says. His emotional blackmailing works—unlike my mother's charms." He widened his eyes and created a toothy grin that showed half his teeth.
Neji pressed his knuckle to his lips and suppressed the laughter that vibrated in his breast. "You love to make everything sound simpler," he remarked, wearing a smile on his drenched face.
"It's the truth and you know it! Itachi's a damn lunatic. I've seen it with my own two eyes! He either smothers Sasuke with a mother's love or kicks his behind with no care in the world. There's no grey in-between. None. And Sasuke's fine with these psychotic episodes. I've been telling him for years to put his foot down, but he starts breathing down my neck if I say one bad word about Nii-Sama. I swear it, Itachi's fucked up his head. I get that feeling sometimes, and I worry for him—day and night," he ended with a loud, dramatic sigh.
"I'm sure," Neji remarked with a quirk of his eyebrow and started walking ahead. "Shall we finish this? I have to get this done before Itachi-Sama comes back. He might require a report of the Team exercises, as well."
"Yeah, go ahead and ignore what I said. You know it's true—Itachi's a creepy cock!" he said loudly behind him and listened to the caves' echoes and the words bounce back at them about a dozen times: creepy cock, creepy cock, creepy cock . . . then he took in a deep breath to fill up his lungs to the full and looked up at the faint glimmers of light beyond the prominent rocks overhead. This was going to be a long day . . .
# # # # # #
It was afternoon when Suigetsu made it to the Trade Centre: a small village, wedged between two high mountains. Hidden behind the blanket of clouds to the north, Cloud village was close. He turned his head and lifted his eyes to look in that direction. Clouds obscured his vision—as expected.
He adjusted his cloak and pulled the cowl down; it hung low over his eyes. He stood behind a scruffy-looking man in a long line. The smell he gave off was churning his stomach. Tilting his head a little to the left, he looked over to the gate—only two more people, and then it would be his turn. The gate was sturdy and burly guards stood on either side, flanking the passage. An old man checked the entry permits.
Suigetsu squeezed the permit in his hand. Despite the reassurance Itachi's Anbu Seal provided, he could not help but feel terror at the prospect of getting caught. The village's prison was notorious for its ill-treatment of prisoners: few died, sullied and murdered by the inmates, every month. There was never a single inquiry, afterwards. Damn, what trouble had he got himself into?
Finally, the man in front showed the old man his permit and walked through the gate, taking that nose-blocking odour with him. "Hold on ta yor sacks, dear Sage, 'ere we go," he muttered and took a single slow step to stand before the old man.
"The permit?" the man squeaked in a shrill little voice and held out a wrinkly hand. Suigetsu did not hesitate and quietly handed over the permit. The strange looking old man, with a great stoop to his back, adjusted his glasses and bent his head down, his long nose touching the paper. Quite dramatically, his eyes widened, and then he squinted them to look up at Suigetsu who did not flinch, even though his heart was jumping with terrors.
"The Leaf's Anbu Permit!" he squeaked again, sounding like a mouse down in a hole. "You can find the weapons' shops down the street. You're allowed to stay at the inn free of charge. Enjoy your stay." He held the permit in his hand and gathered his crumpled face into a big smile; what he managed was truly a miracle for his sagging folds. Suigetsu nodded and took the permit from his quivering and greying hand.
Sasuke was thorough: he had made a permit for weapons' purchase. Suigetsu was to act like a new Weapons' Specialist who checked several shops in the Trade Centre. Often, Leaf's men came here to purchase weapons. Leaf had a big Depot close by. He was not obliged to buy anything; but the permit, a snobbish look, and the silence fitted the job. He was a nameless Shinobi, his name hidden under Anbu Military Protocols, a rule which was to be staunchly observed by every Anbu Shinobi who ventured beyond the Fire Country's territory. With Karin's chakra mask in place, no one would know he was even here. Men from Root frequented the centre, as well. It would be impossible for Itachi to lay the blame on him.
Suigetsu chuckled and walked to the inn, about two hundred feet behind the shops. The younger Uchiha was a little imp. He never remembered Itachi's punishments; his brother was clever to re-word the memories. The strength of his Genjutsu painted the incidents black, but somewhere in the back of his mind, he was sure his brother would not get inside his thoughts this time—and he was right. Itachi had punished Sasuke cruelly this time, and he did not want to risk hurting the tender chakra-veins behind Sasuke's eyes anymore.
Sasuke being Sasuke was unintentionally taking advantage of his brother's weakness. If all went well, he, too, would exact revenge upon Mist's and Leaf's higher ups that got his brother and father killed. All was well for him; but he could not help but feel guilty for lying to Sasuke. They had been friends ever since he came to Rain in his childhood. He remembered Sasuke, only ten then, sticking close to his brother, looking up with a smile on his face for reassurances, his small hand in Itachi's.
They had come to watch the local ninjas display their skills. It was a monthly theatre-like show for the influential families from the Shadow Villages. Pitiful, but that was how the poor survived there—few lucky ones, anyway. If they impressed someone, they would be labelled hired-hands, taken under their wings, and off the market.
Sasuke clapped enthusiastically when Suigetsu finished demonstrating his Kenjutsu skills. He pulled at Itachi's hand to come along with him. They talked and Sasuke introduced himself and his brother. He remembered the innocence on Sasuke's face and the omens, which scared his mother at nights, in Itachi's eyes. He could tell that he was a stone-hearted, ruthless man. Cold as his sword's steel, his heart scarcely moved . . .
Itachi's hand was buried in Sasuke's messy hair. In Suigetsu's eyes, Itachi was a parent to Sasuke—his mother and father. He requested his brother to make Suigetsu a ninja they could hire regularly for work. Itachi was reluctant, but looking at the unhappy look on Sasuke's face, he gave in. Suigetsu was so poor back then, his clothes tattered and torn. His skills with the sword impressed Sasuke. He took pity on him and his poverty, and Suigetsu could not say he hated him for it. No, he was secretly glad that someone did.
He had not eaten for three days. Alone and left to rot by Mist, his mother died; and his line ended, save him. Had the younger sibling not shown him mercy that day, perhaps, he would have died, too—forgotten by the village that used and killed his family. Sasuke's favour saved him; he saved his life. Suigetsu owed everything to him. That was why he hated lying to him. Would Sasuke ever forgive him if he found out? He wondered, face blank and eyes downcast, looking at the countless tracks left in the path.
He breathed in the scents wafting to him from the inn, thinking. It was for Sasuke's own good. He did not want to break the brothers apart; it was something he himself had lost, but craved for endlessly. He was not that heartless. Sasuke was so brilliant, so clever, but he was also young—naïve. He did not know what he had. Only Suigetsu could tell that how a man like Itachi suffered in quiet distress over his sibling's nature, which clashed violently with his own. It was hard to fight against your nature, harder to fight against the one you loved. He loved him too much, and his love was strange and it was terrible.
Akin to a weeping mother, he treated Sasuke like a child he could not part with. He felt as though he would break like a toy if he did not coddle him, indulge his every whim; but he was spiteful as a foe, a daemon, when the child did not obey. The mother had teeth pointed and long, and she knew how to grin hideously. Itachi's cruel part always reemerged when Sasuke did not heed his words and chose to not listen. Suigetsu feared for Sasuke. He was prone to being moody and rash when Itachi did not listen to him. Perhaps he really was a child—as Itachi always said; perhaps he was wrong in thinking this way—he did not know anything for certain . . .
Many times, Sasuke wanted to have his way. He was stubborn and innocent in his mannerisms to make Itachi give in to his requests. Sasuke knew he lacked the power before his older brother, so he used whatever means necessary to win. One time in the past, he did not eat for days when Itachi refused to allow Team Taka to be a part of his squad. At last, he became feverish from the ordeal, and Itachi went back on his word.
Itachi did not want Naruto to be a part of Sasuke's Squad; so when Itachi did not listen, Sasuke left his home. It took Itachi days to find him, holed up in some cave close to Mist. The lies he told to be off Anbu Captain's duty. He went back on his word again. By now, he was used to being put to the test by his younger sibling. (Sasuke was not famous for being the hot-headed brother in Leaf for nothing.)
Oh, how Sasuke tested the limits of Itachi's nature; and the more anger Itachi gathered, the more moody Sasuke would become. It was a reaction that came to him naturally—ever so eager for his brother to lose. He continued his streak of innocent games as a new Captain, testing the older sibling. Finally, he lashed out and got punished over a lax security mission.
The prisoner got away, and the inquiry nearly cost Sasuke his freedom. Itachi was angry with him. Sasuke had not listened to any of his warnings. He did as he pleased. That earned him a little time in Tsukuyomi. Delirious, he wandered out of the manor and disappeared into the night. Itachi searched and searched for him, but he could not find him.
He hired Suigetsu for a mission for the first time. He remembered the look on Itachi's face. For the first time, Suigetsu saw a hue of concern in his eyes and face. It was unbelievable to see a stone-hearted man be moved.
Before that fateful day, Suigetsu used to do menial tasks for them. It was his first real mission. He searched Rain's border and found Sasuke slumped against the tree. His eyes . . . abandoned by emotions, and he was crying blood. Fluid red lines went down his cheeks, diluted into faint pink in the rain.
He kept whispering about Autumn Moths and Purple Lilies. Suigetsu did not understand him. He could not say he ever understood why Sasuke said those words. Itachi was led there by his crow sitting on Suigetsu's shoulder. He knelt down and drew Sasuke to himself in an embrace, as though he had found his lost child; and he would swear upon his mother's grave, he saw guilt and relief occupy Itachi's eyes. He must have thought the rain to be a clever curtain, but Suigetsu's eyes were keener than that.
Itachi whispered promises—many of them—that must have fallen upon deaf ears. His brother's lips said nothing but the same tale of moths and lilies. Sasuke's madness frightened Suigetsu; he felt . . . pity for him. Suigetsu was fearful of the man he hardly knew, but he asked him, anyway, unable to keep the words in his throat. "What 'ave ya done ta 'im?" he had asked, frightened, gazing upon Itachi's cold face broken by a trace of an untraceable emotion. It was subtle, but the power that lay behind it shocked Suigetsu: he did feel something—he was not a walking, talking statue made of stone.
Itachi did not say a word, pressed his finger against Sasuke's forehead, and he fell asleep. Then he picked Sasuke up and left in silence. It was strange. His love was strange. Evil. He could never understand him. Still lost in thoughts, he pushed open the door of the inn. The metallic bell hanging at the door chimed, and his memories got cut short.
He looked over to the many men sitting around the tables and made his way to the counter. A fat man lumbered left and right, holding a cloth in hand. He was wiping a plate clean very vigorously. Suigetsu settled himself on a chair and tapped his hand against the shiny wooden-counter. "I'd like a cup a' sake. Make it strong," he rasped and adjusted his cowl, a little thoughtlessly.
The man placed the cup before him. He downed the cup and looked at him and pulled the hood back. "I saw sharks the other day 'round Mist's ocean. They go there often?" he asked, watching the man's face change. He looked terrified and nearly dropped the plate in his hand. Then he tip-toed and stretched his fat arm to its limit and placed the plate on the top-shelf.
He stopped close to him, bent down, moved his beady little eyes left and right. "What do you want? He doesn't come here anymore. Don't ask for trouble," he whispered shakily, the spit from his mouth clinging to the thick moustache. Its ends were so pointy. He had twirled it well.
Suigetsu leant forward and placed both his hands on the counter. " 'Am lookin' fer his right hand—he lost it 'ere, I heard," he said, narrowed his eyes, stretched his lips wide into a smile.
The fat man wobbled a little and pursed his lips; they practically disappeared behind that great red moustache. "Upstairs," he whispered in that same voice again and moved his shiny eyes to the right.
Suigetsu cast him a mischievous look and made his way up a very narrow stairway. He was shocked that the fat man even managed to squeeze through the tight space; but he could see bottles upstairs and footprints on the creaking stairs. It was probably a storage space. He cast one last look behind him and opened the only door when he made it to the top.
When he opened it, a strong smell of alcohol rushed at him. It was a dimly lit room with bottles of sake sitting in the shelves. Many had dead snakes in them. It seemed that the villagers liked their sake strong. He took one step and an arrow broke the vase into pieces just beside him. He narrowed his eyes and saw a man with a crossbow, sitting in the shadows. It was aimed at him this time.
"Ah, Kisuke, mate! How're ya? Family happy—wife's tits still good?" he said, his tone playful, and raised his hands slightly in the air. "Yor a hard man ta find, though ya could improve that aim. It missed me by two feet!"
"I've got no wife, so there's no damn tits!" the man growled, and Suigetsu could almost taste the resentment in his voice. "Who are you? What do you want?" he asked and stood up into the light's weak beam. He was a man around his mid-thirties—quite scruffy looking with that overgrown messy hair and a silly looking, fake beard. It had too many curly white hairs.
"That's too bad. A man-wife? Her pud's good? Ya look like a man that's seen some serious shit. And—" he paused, catching a whiff of a nasty smell Kisuke gave off, "—ya smell like several men. They ain't got no onsen here, mate?" He waved his hand in front of his face. The puff of wind from the window had sent the smell his way.
Kisuke aimed the crossbow higher this time, his eyes two dangerous pinpricks of black. "I asked you somethin'," he said, his voice gruff and threatening.
"Hōzuki Suigetsu. The fishy knows me," he answered, grinning.
"You look nothin' like the fifteen-year-old youth I saw a decade ago. I don't even sense your clan's chakra in you. Who sent you?" he asked in a severe voice, and his hands shook this time with fear and anger.
"Whoa, there, sonny! It's me. Let me show it ta ya," he said and put his hand on his face. The mask was stuck to his skin like a glue. He pulled at it and it peeled off and revealed his true face. "See? This pussy-wettin' face's hard ta forget!"
Kisuke lowered the bow, his face enveloped by shock, and his eyes widened in amazement. "What on earth . . . ? I can . . . I can sense your clan's chakra again. W-What's that mask? It's brilliant!" he exclaimed, almost jumping for joy.
"A twat made it. Ya want it?" he asked and smiled as he watched Kisuke nod several times. It looked as though he was jerking his head back and forth like a hungry cock. Suigetsu closed the door behind him and took a seat by the table. The lantern overhead swayed back and forth, and its beam followed it with precision.
Kisuke sat opposite him and stretched his hand to touch the mask when Suigetsu pulled it back. "Not so fast there, sonny. Ya want it? Ya got ta earn it. Where's Kisame? The faggit! He's got somethin' I want, and he's bein' a wild lil' fishy these days, jumpin' frem pond ta pond. It's not even possible ta find that son a' bitch—or whatever monstrosity his shark fuckin' mum was. Ya was so cosy with 'im. Where's he run aff ta? I need ta know," he asked and opened the buckle on the sheath and put the massive sword against the old table.
"He told me you'd come, but I don't know where he is. The bird I sent to him hasn't come back in weeks. I'm not even sure if he's still alive," he said and passed his hands across his sweaty face. He was sweating by the buckets.
Suigetsu groaned. "What a waste a' me time. Boss's goin' ta get his purdy lil' arse whipped for nothin'. His brother would go ta fuckin' town on it," he said, irked.
"You're here for the Tulip Squad business?" he asked, leaning forward over the table, his face sliding in and out of view; and by Sage, his hair was crawling with shiny lice! He scratched his lice-bitten neck, and Suigetsu flinched a little.
"No shit! And, mate, your head's crawlin' with life. Sit away frem me. The damn things can jump high and lon'. If they jumped on me, I'd lose me job!" he paused and created a disgusted look on his face, "and take a bath, will ya?"
Kisuke grabbed hold of his dirty shirt and stared back at him with hard eyes. "You think I like this—living like a dog, eating leftovers, not bathing for days? Mist dogs have been sniffing around here. The hunger, the stench, and the smell of alcohol hide my clan's chakra. That's the only thing that's kept me alive. I need that mask to get outta here—else, they'll kill me. I know it. I—" he whispered, shaking. A gob of spit hung from his mouth.
"What do ya know?" Suigetsu asked, and his eyes roamed across the pitiful state of the man's blackened clothes. They might have been white in the past. He could not really say for sure.
Kisuke wiped away the spit and took in a deep breath. "I know that Kisame and others were hired to arrange for a Mangekyō Sharingan for Root," he lowered his voice to a mere whisper, and his eyes moved back and forth between the door and Suigetsu's face like a pendulum.
Suigetsu was surprised. "A Mangekyō? Danzō could get dime a dozen af 'em—diggin' 'em straight frem the bloody graves after the killin'. Why would he hire such expensive mum-fuckers to get one? What're ya snortin', mate?" he asked and slapped his hand down on the table. A cloud of dust rose up into the air and made him cough.
Kisuke emitted a low growl. It did not look as if he was in a mood to argue. "Sage-dammit! I'm telling you what I know! Danzō made a large payment and gifted Mist Isobu's essence and the Jutsu to contain it. It happened before the damned massacre!" he said, and his eyes shrank under clumps of dirty hair.
" . . . what? They gave 'em the essence? I thought they already had it?" Suigetsu asked incredulously, his eyes wide with shock. This was something new!
Kisuke shook his head. "No, Danzō gave it to 'em with the Jutsu. Minato's wife made it. It was a proper deal. Yagura sat down with 'em. The squad. Everyone was there. The deal was made to get a pair of Mangekyō Sharingan—a rare one. That's all I know." His rough voice subsided to a low mumble, and then he fell silent, his eyes looking hopefully at the mask on the table.
Suigetsu ran his hand through his hair. It made no sense. Why did they want a pair of eyes so many had? Maybe Sasuke knew more than he did? He was an Uchiha, and they guarded their Dōjutsu secrets well. He got to his feet and reached into his bag that was hanging from his shoulder.
He pulled out a much smaller bag and threw it on the table. Kisuke jumped up as if he meant to attack him. "Take it. It's got a mask and a permit out af this village and into Rain. Take the road the lon' way 'round. Stop nowhere other than a few villages the permit allows. Don't ever take that mask aff. Yor life depends on it. Reach Rain and contact the Uzumaki family as the scroll says," he explained, keeping his voice low.
Kisuke kept looking at him for more. After a few seconds, Suigetsu frowned and raised his hands in the air. "What're ya waitin' fer, ya fleabag? Grab yor stuff and let's go," he said in an annoyed, sharp voice.
"Hey, I don't have to listen to you! And what's this?" he broke off and opened a pouch in the bag. "Is this gold?" He bit the coin to check its authenticity, and his face brightened with greed, his eyes shining now.
"Ya got ta. Boss's orders, ya know. He planned the whole thing. If ya don't listen, he told me ta cut yor throat right 'ere and march out the front gate. And there would be no more gold fer ya," he said, his voice chirpy, his features adjusting themselves to that same mischievous look again.
"I have to come with you—now?" Kisuke asked, his hand still fumbling in the bag, his eyes blinking rapidly.
"There're no more gold pouches in there, ya flea-packin' bugger! Take a bath, put the mask on, and let's leave. I'll drop ya aff at the next border. Don't stray frem the route the Boss mapped fer ya. He highlighted it with fancy brushes. Even a jack-arse can't miss the signs," he said with impatience.
"A'right, a'right—but this gold better be enough." He put the pouch back inside the bag and closed it with an indignant expression.
"Or what, me lice-lovin' friend?" Suigetsu asked, a horrible grin on his mouth. When Kisuke muttered something in response, Suigetsu tilted his head to the right and placed his hand close to his right ear. "What was that? Yah, thought so. Get movin'!"
Kisuke's mouth was clamped shut. He wanted to say something but did not . . .
# # # # # #
It was morning when Itachi made it to his office. The emissary was transferred to Shizune's care, and Tsunade was overseeing the medical procedure. Kuma survived, but the poison weakened his heart. It was not anything fatal—nothing a little chakra-heavy pill and a long night's sleep could not fix.
He sat in his office, looking at the clock. It was a minute past five a.m. Another cobweb hung by the clock—it needed cleaning. He had not slept a wink in two days. He was a rigid man but he was human. He felt his body weaken from these long journeys without rest; and he had yet another mess waiting for him. He turned his eyes and moved his hand to brush Kirin's breast. It had been screeching in its cage all morning. It dearly missed Sasuke.
He had taken it out of its cage in Sasuke's room and brought it to the office with him. It was quiet now, making low sounds after every few moments, its eyes locked with his in a manner that it did not enjoy his company. It sat on the table and pecked at the brush hard as it rolled back and forth. It, apparently, was irritating it. A knock came upon the door.
"Come in, Neji," he spoke softly, his Sharingan bright to look at his chakra.
Neji stepped into the office. He was always nervous in the Anbu Commander's presence. He bowed and placed the scroll on the table. "I apologise, Itachi-Sama. Naruto slipped down a tunnel. It took me a while to get him back up," he explained, a little breathlessly, his cheeks red and hot from excretion.
"Your report is fifteen minutes late. Would it have come early had Naruto not . . . slipped?" he asked, his tone unusually frosty. Neji did not say anything. His eyes were downcast, and he looked embarrassed.
Itachi petted Kirin again, but it responded by pecking angrily at his fingers. "Where is your Captain?" he asked as he continued to stroke the bird's smooth feathers.
Neji looked up, his eyes wary. "Kai-San sent in a hawk an hour ago. They were sixty kilometres past the last village's border then. He should be back in two hours," he said and dropped his eyes down to his feet again.
Ignoring its constant pecking, Itachi grabbed Kirin from the table and brushed his fingers against its smooth breast. "Of course he will be," he spoke in such a soft, whispery voice as though he was talking to himself. His eyes calmed Kirin down—quite a bit. Neji thought he saw a faint smile about his lips. Gently, he put the bird back down on the table and looked at Neji's sweaty face. "Tell Tetsu outside to inform all Squad Captains that they are to bring in their weekly-missions' report to my office within three hours, including Sasuke."
Neji nodded in silence. He made to leave when Itachi spoke again: "Forget about Shizune. She is busy with another task. Tell Sai to bring Kiba along. I need to speak to that shinobi. He seems . . . interesting," he spoke after a long pause, and his mouth twisted in a strange, but faint, smile. "And do tell Serizawa to bring my Anbu Seal from the house when he gets back. Talk to him alone. Let us not make this another untimely slip." His face lost that smile; it appeared uncaring again. Then he returned back to the idle task of petting the quieted bird.
Neji did not stick around. He bowed and left in silence, leaving Itachi to whisper something strange to the bird—something about Sasuke; but he did not stick around to listen . . .
# # # # # #
Canon Manga Info: Sasuke's intellect is superior to Shikamaru's by quite some margin. This can be easily illustrated by considering his feats (unparalleled Hagoromo's level of Ninjutsu Skill and Chakra Control; creating and/or perfecting Genjutsu, Shuriken-Jutsu, Kenjutsu, and several Ninjutsus all on his own; and his quicksilver mind, clever thinking, and the ability to form counter-strategies on the spot, with hundred-percent success rate), his opponents' skill and intellect, and Shikamaru's own statement ("among my peers, he [Sasuke] was outstanding in every respect. He was certainly superior to me") in the Viz (official) translation of the manga; furthermore, it's very easy to best fools (like Shikamaru did, though he almost always failed in his strategies; if you dissect his battle against Hidan and Kakuzu, you'd find it fairly ludicrous on his part; and had it not been for Kakashi's quick-thinking and in-depth analysis, Shikamaru would've died, together with his entire team, twenty times over in the same battle; in fact, he almost got Kakashi killed twice; let's thank Naruto's "impeccable timing" to save this fool's face!), but very hard to best geniuses (like Sasuke did).
Some of Sasuke's best strategic feats include luring Orochimaru (a rare prodigy) into a trap with Fuma-Shurikens in the "Forest of Death" through such a quick strategy that fooled him completely. He never saw it coming as he ended up getting caught in the trap and was burnt; his complete breakdown of Haku's Ice-Mirror Jutsu with a counter-strategy and his ability to force out his Sharingan shocked the young Ninja.
He learnt and perfected Chidori and Lee's weightless speed (something which he hadn't even seen) in under a week as he was in a coma for several weeks. In fact, he copied Lee's Taijutsu and created his own technique in a single day. This shocked both Gai and Lee as according to Gai, "even with the Sharingan, it takes years to perfect that technique". He also perfected the art of learning and combining Nature and Spatial Transformation (a feat higher than A-Rank, which, according to Kakashi, takes years to hone) and Chakra's Spiral Pathing (which Jiraiya spoke of during Naruto's Rasengan Training) within a week, without any training, when he was just a five- or six-year-old child. Sasuke's use of the full-power of Two-tomoe Sharingan, despite the Cursed Seal causing him pain, took Kakashi by surprise. He perfected Jūgo's Sage Mode (yes, Sasuke's Heaven Cursed Seal is one of the only two perfect Cursed Seals ever created by Orochimaru; the other perfect Cursed Seal, Earth Cursed Seal, belonged to Kimimaro) in less than an hour (if its total release time is counted) and was praised by Jūgo for having impeccable control over the "Partial Transformations" of the Cursed Seal, which works entirely on Senjutsu; so, basically, Sasuke mastered his control over Senjutsu Chakra within an hour. I can post more, but Sasuke was only twelve then and fifteen during the "Jūgo's praise" incident. (And, yes, Jūgo's ability is called Sage Transformation in his own village; he stated that himself in the manga.)
So whatever you have read or assumed about Sasuke being some kind of fool from the mouths (or hasty fingers) of the vocal, and very foolish, anti-Sasuke (self-inserting, self-projecting, and self-validating through fictional characters) minority on the internet isn't canon nor is it even remotely true. Sasuke's a rare prodigy/Genius and has been referred to as such (in the light of his feats observed) by Haku (Viz Translation), Jiraiya, Kakashi, Orochimaru (who called him a greater genius than himself when he was Sasuke's age), Tobirama (yes, Tobirama, who stated that Sasuke's chakra control over Kagutsuchi was something that he'd never seen before, and he's a man who grew up battling hundreds of Uchiha men; he also lauded his simultaneous control over Senjutsu chakra and regular chakra by stating that his potential was the same as Madara's, someone who's years his senior and was called a prodigy by his father, Butsuma Senju; and despite watching Sakura's so-called "better than everyone" non-canon Chakra Control, he never complimented or even mentioned her in passing; he never complimented Naruto in such a manner, either; he only said that his behaviour reminded him of Hashirama), Shī, Kurama (who compared Sasuke's skill directly to the Sage; Sasuke's the only person who's ever been compared to the Sage for his skill, talent, and genius in the entire manga), etc.
He's also the only character to have invented two extraordinarily complex Jutsus (Indra's Arrow and Spear) on the battlefield that rival the Sage's Jutsus; reversed Sage's best Ninjutsu, Creation of All Things, without any training or observation; and improved upon Rinnegan's Outer Path (the chakra chains originate from the tailed-beasts, not the Gedo Mazō) and Chibaku Tensai (his is coreless like the Sage's)—all at the age of seventeen, and he did all of that on the battlefield, without any training! In fact, Sasuke's the only manga character to have been sought after by almost every single major villain for his genius, skill in Ninjutsu, and unique grasp over Sharingan. No amount of self-made facts that end up as parodical pseudo-canon "venting", fueled by an unhealthy (and self-parodying) hatred for a fictional character and ridiculous assumptions, in Fan-Fictions and Authors' Profiles alter anything about Sasuke's status as a rare prodigy/Genius in canon-manga. (Though it's impossibly pitiful that some readers can feel endlessly distressed by Sasuke, a fictional character, that's how it is in Canon-Manga.)