"If a sense of duty tortures a man, it also enables him to achieve prodigies."
H L Mencken
Being considered a prodigy amongst the shinobi was an honour anyone would proudly claim. Being a prodigy of the Uchiha clan, however, was a burden beyond anyone could comprehend.
By the time Itachi was five, he had witnessed the careless bloodshed of the third-shinobi war. Hatred, power, and greed. They fuelled the corrupt who branded their propaganda into their loyal followers. Blinded and fooled to carry out the will of someone who was eager to sacrifice their men to a meaningless death, he had quickly concluded. In doing so, it only motivated him to train harder, push till his muscles gave out, so that one day he will be able to bring upon a world of peace.
But this wasn't the world for the idealistic.
He was seven when he graduated genin. Nine when he completed the chunin exams. Ten when he was scouted for ANBU.
He remembered the day he came home after a week-long mission. His father, Uchiha Fugaku, a proud and arrogant man, was waiting for him. When the lights turned on, Itachi caught a glimpse of a grim expression that turned his peace-loving perspective for the worst. At Fugaku's behest, he was taken deep into the private forest under the Uchiha territory. There was a secret base hidden underground, behind the waterfalls that no one was allowed cross.
There, Itachi learned, nothing could change this world. He was just a boy playing shinobi amongst the many who were foaming with envy.
Dead bodies were thrown into a large pit. They were Konohan shinobi, most of them Uchiha. Fugaku explained that they were caught planning to overthrow the Hokage. The Uchiha's who had co-operated had gone insane trying to activate the forbidden mangekyo sharingan.
His pathetic little world of black and white had cracked and bled grey.
But reality was such a hard pill to swallow.
Time had silently watched Itachi grow from a light-hearted boy into a man of little regard. He was cold and stoic. A true Uchiha prodigy, they all said. Their admiration meant nothing to him, acknowledgement even less, but the day his brother was born, he had begun to hope again.
Even so, as he looked up to the cave he currently resided in, on the brink of losing hope once again, Itachi was sure of one thing – her piercing azure hues may look innocent, but she was far more unstable than Itachi himself.
"You are ill."
A statement, not a question.
Kagome paused. Looking up, obviously surprised, she took a moment to consider Itachi's words.
Other than the night they were properly introduced, Kagome has since treated Itachi twice and he had not spoken a word to her. The silence was welcomed because it prevented her from stringing another web of lies. Her little time in the village had taught her to be wary of the man she met in secret. Lucking out by entering a village of gossiping men and women, Kagome didn't have to do much to get intel on Itachi.
So far, from what she gathered, he lived up to his infamous nickname – the merciless killer. It was not an unknown fact for Itachi to be sipping tea with a man and then slitting his throat the next. The notion alone was enough to tighten her lips and harden her expressions.
But this was entirely unexpected.
"No," Kagome slowly drawled out, continuing with her work. "You are ill."
Itachi ignored her retort. "I have seen those eyes on many shinobi."
Gently applying her specially made paste onto his wounds, she leaned in closer, whispering, "What eyes?"
Itachi flinched when Kagome softly blew on his wounds, her warm breath fanning over his chest. "Of the insane."
Kagome paused again.
Itachi looked at her and wondered if she felt cornered. There was an air of mystery around her. And he wanted to unravel it.
"I guess I am," Kagome began as she straightened up, her eyes slowly moving up his upper body before it stopped on his. "Why would a sane person heal someone who could kill them?"
Kagome scoffed when he chose not to reply. "The things we do to gain a little bit of peace, huh?"
The question was left unanswered. Not like Kagome was expecting an answer to her rhetorical question anyway.
They went back to their usual silence. By the time Kagome was done, she moved away to prepare some tea. When she returned, she was yet again shocked to silence.
"What do you know of peace." He stated again, not looking for an answer when he already knew there was none to offer.
Helping him to a seated position, Kagome handed him his tea, careful not to spill any. His wounds were healing quite well. Taking advantage of the natural course of healing, Kagome didn't have to risk healing him herself. Given his durability, she suspected he would be at up and running in three months.
But the scars, they would be left behind.
There were so many questions stirring at the tip of her tongue since she started her treatment. He was beaten, left on deaths' doorstep, but he had his Hokage fighting for his life. The feeling left her anxious. She knew little about a life of a shinobi, but it was always the same. They fought, they killed, and dying by the enemy's hand was also inevitable.
Why do you look so helpless, though?
Sighing, Kagome carefully chose her words. "Peace is a lot simpler to attain than we think." Though he refused to look at her, Kagome knew she had his attention. "The problem is maintaining it."
"Explain." Itachi gave in. Kagome smiled.
"Humans are so fickle. We're never satisfied with what we have. There's always a need for more, to covet what others possess, and maybe that's why we struggle to keep a hold of what little peace we have. It's unfortunate that innocent bystanders can get caught in our path of destruction."
"You have such an insight for an amateur medic."
Kagome clucked her tongue. "Herbalist," She corrected. "I barely know what I'm doing."
When Shizune returned, she found herself at the mercy of Itachi's sharingan. Once he recognised it was her, he quickly shut his eyes and laid back down to rest - almost regretting activating Sharingan when he felt the pricks of a migraine. Kagome had her back turned towards them, oblivious and preoccupied.
"Apologies for the delay, I was caught up with some work."
"Oh," Kagome exclaimed, turning around with her small gasp. "You guys really do like to sneak up on people, don't you?"
An unapologetic nod was her only reply.
"You can wait outside for now, Kagome, I will be with you shortly."
Taken aback, but not wanting to question further, Kagome squeezed through the tensed air and slipped outside. Her smile dropped as she passed through the entrance.
"They're getting bold."
Itachi closed his eyes. He preferred the short remarks from Kagome than to be reminded of his predicament.
Shizune moved closer. "The time for hiding low is quickly coming to an end. They've already started recruiting, some have even circulated questions about your whereabouts and," She paused, fists clenched. "And they've started to suspect Sasuke is not on a mission but taken to a safehouse."
Itachi's lips thinned as his eyes narrowed into thin slits. Shizune continued with her report.
"Fugaku is doing all he can to keep everyone calm but they are becoming restless. We were able to nip off a smaller group of Madara's followers. They believe power should be handed over to the Uchiha's, and they're killing indiscriminately to make sure it happens."
"Nothing has changed."
"Since things are moving a lot of faster than we anticipated, I may be gone most times when we come visit. Are you okay with Kagome alone?"
"Hn."
Kagome's earlier words of peace absently circled his thoughts.
~o0o~
Spring had finally settled in.
Villagers were in high spirits basking in the warmer air. Clear skies and sunny days were unbeatable. And exceptionally good for business. Kagome had successfully set up a meek little stall during the weekend markets. Konoha's main road was littered with all sorts of people. Laughs, cries, and even when fights broke out – she witnessed it all. Amidst the chaos, Kagome found herself admitting how wholesome they all were.
Though she would never find herself preaching how her favourite pastime was picking up on the stories of a certain shinobi.
Psychotic ancestor, cult followers, rising rebellions, inbreeds, prodigy, and a missing-in-action little brother – her initial impression of Itachi started to make some sense.
"Maybe I should have left him for dead." She whispered to no one in particular.
Legs crossed, she placed an elbow on her knee and rest her chin on her palm. The villagers blurred through her vision as her ears twitched to pick up on any information. Thoughts away with curiosity, Kagome did not notice a man stop before her table of herbal goodies.
The sound of a throat clearing interrupted her midday musings.
Startled, Kagome silently questioned if there was a meeting she forgot about.
"Hi?"
Konohamaru shifted uncomfortably, his fingers picking at the hem of his flak jacket.
"I was passing through when I saw you."
"Oh…" Kagome didn't know how to respond. "Thank you…?"
Groaning in frustration, Konohamaru let out a soft huff.
"Well, good day then." He left just has quickly as he appeared.
Unsure on what to make of the situation, Kagome quickly disregarded that awkward encounter and retreated back to her thoughts.
…Only to be interrupted again.
"Actually," Konohamaru suddenly materialised in her direct vision. "Do you want to get some ramen?"
Kagome held back a cringe. "Not particularly, no."
"Oh, okay." Dejected, he once again made for his exit, but a soft pull on his jacket stopped him in his tracks.
"Would you like some herbal tea?" Konohamaru raised a brow. Quickly assessing the exchange as Kagome wanting to make a sale, he pulled out his wallet. Kagome let out a small laugh, resting her hand on his wallet and pushing it away.
Bewilderment was an understatement. Her initial impression compared to what she was currently experiencing, differed greatly. She held herself back from asking if he suffered from a personality disorder.
"No need for that, on the house." She spoke. Scanning through her assortments of tea, she picked out a small pouch and handed it to Konohamaru. "I noticed you're a little stiff, it'll help loosen your muscles."
Taking the tea, Konohamaru blushed in embarrassment.
"I wanted to apologise for my actions." He quickly blurted out. "I was unkind to you."
"Right, well, in that case you're forgiven."
"What? No, let me make it up to you!" He argued back, not feeling the satisfaction of forgiveness.
Giggling, Kagome once again went through her products and picked out another pouch. "You're not obligated to do that. Its an understandable reaction. But this is a little awkward, so accept that I have forgiven you and take this."
"What is it?" Konohamaru asked, speculating the little balls inside the clear bag.
"It's sweet little mochi balls." Kagome explained. "Mainly for the kids that accompany the adults, but you seem like you need a pick me up."
Not sure if he should be offended or not, Konohamaru didn't have a chance to retort as Kagome pushed him away from her stall. "You're holding up my business, off you go." She shooed him away.
Kagome's smile turned bitter knowing she would most likely be going home later and cry herself to sleep.
"Maybe I am insane."
Hello lovelies!
Thank you for all the amazing reviews! I know it's a little confusing, but I gotchu, it will all be explained in latter chapters!
Please excuse any grammatical errors and enjoy the new instalment.
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BlossomBlues :P