Chapter 3

Akurei awoke in a strange place. It looked like a normal bedroom, but it felt wrong. She hadn't even begun to get her bearings and already she felt completely overwhelmed, as if a crowd of people were around her. She was alone in a small room, but she was drowning in all of the chakra. There were a lot of very strong ninja close by.

She took a few deep breaths and opened her eyes. She was curled up on her side under a pile of heavy blankets, her long white hair a shaggy mess of tangles that covered her face. She lifted a hand to brush it away and rubbed her face. Her body felt horribly weak and she fought a wave of dizziness when she tried to push herself up onto her elbow.

"Take it easy," Came a voice from directly behind her. She would have jumped if she had the energy; instead her insides felt like they froze for a split second. A hand on her shoulder helped her lie back down. She was so weak it hardly took any effort. "I've got some food cooking, it'll be ready soon." Akurei finally realized that Itachi had been sitting next to her, so close they were touching. Her back was against his thigh; his body heat was like a furnace beneath the blankets.

Akurei tried to shut out all of the chakra noise coming from outside and only focus on her own, but it was so faint it was being overpowered by Itachi's. She tried to use his to calm herself, instead. His chakra was as gentle and composed as water flowing. But that couldn't be right. Itachi was an Uchiha, and they were known for their fire affinity. That much she knew. It was evident when she let her mind wander to the shinobi crowding the streets nearby that he had brought her to the Uchiha section of town, just like he said.

"How is your hand?" He asked, reaching over her and pulling her arm out from under the covers. She watched him cautiously as he examined her hand and bent her fingers. "Doesn't hurt?"

"No." Akurei responded flatly. It was getting harder to stay awake.

"Good. I would hope Inoichi knows better than to attack a kid with a real jutsu. He probably just wanted to scare you for attacking his daughter and nephew. In the open. In front of his house. With an attack far above your skill level. Did Kakashi teach you that?" Itachi asked, but was only met with a low grumble. He chuckled and got up, leaving Akurei alone in her pile of blankets. "I think you need some food before you pass out again." He slid the bedroom door open and stepped out. Akurei tried to peer after him to see into the hallway but quickly gave up and curled back up under the covers.

After a few minutes Itachi came back into the room and sat down on the floor next to the futon and mound of blankets. The smell of food perked her up immediately. She threw the covers off and crawled over to a tray of food; miso soup, rice, fish and vegetables. She grabbed the chopsticks and started shoveling food into her mouth, ignoring all etiquette. When the unchewed food began to get stuck in her esophagus she reached for the green tea she hadn't noticed, and promptly burned her tongue.

"Slow down, Rei-chan!" Itachi took the hot mug from her hands and waited for her to finish swallowing. She squinted at him and grabbed at the cup, which he held just out of her reach. "Kakashi may have taught you jutsu, but he didn't teach you manners," Akurei ignored him and grabbed the bowl of miso soup instead, downing it in seconds. It burned too, but not as much as the tea. Her stomach was in control now, not her brain. "We'll be starting training tomorrow, once you've had a chance to rest." Akurei grunted in agreement as she finished the rest of the food with minimal choking. She took the tea that Itachi handed back to her and gulped it down.

"Can I go home?" She asked hesitantly. Now that the distraction of food was gone, the feeling of fire chakra all around her was more noticeable again. Itachi shook his head.

"No. You'll be staying here for the duration of your training." He said sternly. "Kakashi warned me you're sensitive to chakra. Your old house is in a pretty quiet place, isolated, not too many neighbors with powerful chakra. I'm afraid there isn't a place quite like that in our section of town." Akurei listened patiently, both annoyed and intrigued but showing neither. Despite wanting to go home, she found the sound of Itachi's voice comforting. It was low and droning and he talked a lot. Kakashi rarely spoke this much to her. "I tried to find an apartment that wasn't too busy, near the edge of town. The forest isn't far. No one will enter this apartment but me. There is one other room, with a kitchen. I can stay here, or I can stay with my family. It's up to you." Akurei had been listening to the sound of his voice so intently that she only half-understood the words. She blinked hard once, trying to come out of her trance. She didn't know how to respond, so she ignored it.

"So then… what are we doing today?" She asked.

"Getting you situated. I can show you around, show you how to get to my house if you need to. I have a little brother, a little younger than you. His name is Sasuke. Would you like to meet him?"

"Not particularly," Akurei had never had much luck with meeting new kids. Or people in general. Itachi only smirked at her.

"You two will have to meet sooner or later. He's pretty jealous that I'll be spending so much time training with you. But he doesn't understand how hard this training will be. He might not feel the same if he knew that even most adults can't handle it. He might even feel sorry for you!" Itachi chuckled, standing. Akurei felt a sudden spark of excitement. "I'm going for a walk. I think I'll stop by my house first. Sasuke might want to join me." He walked towards the door. Akurei stayed still. "I'll come retrieve you before dawn, if I don't see you sooner." He left her small room. She heard him leaving the apartment door, and locking it behind him.

Akurei jumped up, following his path to the main room. It wasn't very big, but it did have a kitchen and a table. She went back into her room, pulled open the curtains, and opened the small window. It was late afternoon, and her apartment was high up, maybe the third or fourth floor. A lot of dark-haired people were crowded into street-facing restaurants for dinner. The noise from the crowd was surprisingly normal, but the feel was not. In a minute, Itachi had appeared in the street below her.

She swung her legs out the window, waiting for a good time to jump down and follow him, but hesitated. The chakra around her was frighteningly powerful. And fire. It was all fire. An image of jumping down into an inferno flashed through her head. But of course the fire-based chakra wasn't actually hot, not unless someone was actively attacking with it.

Itachi had gotten farther away than she had planned while she stalled. She would look very odd down there in the crowd, the only one with silver-white hair in a sea of black. There wasn't really a way she could blend in. If she stayed on the rooftops, someone might notice her stealth attempt and think they were under attack. But going down there might mean losing sight of Itachi. She was too short to see over anyone if she lost him, and following his chakra was going to be hard with this much interference.

She decided to be safe and stay up high. Kakashi would have told her she was made for stealth, she thought as she climbed up her building instead of down. It was why he had taught her how to vertical walk before anything else; she needed the vantage point. She got a good grip with her chakra focused at her feet and slowly walked straight up, careful not to fall into any open windows or make too much noise. A light step was something easily accomplished from a small person.

Akurei was glad that it was getting late. The sun going down meant no one would notice her tiny shadow on the roofs. She stayed low, careful not to raise suspicion, as she quickly caught up to Itachi. She followed him down the main street and into a street that branched off of it. Judging by how many huge houses were on this road, she guessed it was where the important Uchiha lived. Itachi's father was the leader of the clan, now that she thought about it.

Itachi entered one of the mansions. Akurei waited on the roof of the house across the street. It had good visibility of his house in case he decided to leave through a side or back door. She watched carefully where the lights in the house turned on, trying to track which room was his, but there were other people in the house. There was no way to be certain who was in what room. If she ever had an emergency, she could always scale the walls and search for his chakra, hopefully not freaking out his family in the process.

While she mused about scaring poor little Sasuke in the middle of the night, Itachi came back out of his front door. There was a small child with him, undoubtedly his little brother. She could tell he was younger than her, but he was probably the same size or larger. That was no surprise. Itachi was smiling as he walked, Sasuke trotting along beside him. The kid was full of admiration; she didn't even have to feel his chakra to tell that.

She followed them from above, making sure to not get lost in this uncharted part of town. She looked behind again, remembering the path back to her new apartment. The two wandered at a leisurely pace, giving Akurei plenty of time to look around. On top of a higher building she could see all of Konoha. The sun was setting, casting a pale orange glow and dark shadows. She looked as far as she could, trying to find her house. She was too far away to pinpoint the home she was to give up, but she thought she could recognize the street by the shape of the shops nearby. She could leave now, and go back. Would they let her? Would she be expected to go back to the academy if she ran away? This was her chance to surpass her brother. She wouldn't throw it away. No, she would wait for him to come back, and use his opportunity to become stronger for both of them.

Sasuke was talking about something, but Itachi wasn't fully paying attention. It was the silly ranting of a child, something easy to fake an interest in. Usually Itachi would have humored his adored younger brother, but tonight he was focusing on his new student. He had given her one more chance to make up her mind. She could come down and walk with them, run away, stay at the apartment and think, or do what he had expected her to. She was cautious for one so young, probably a trait picked up from her brother.

He had shown her the quickest path to his house, in case she needed him. And now he was introducing her to his little brother, similar to how one introduces two wary canines by giving them the other's scent first. The thought amused him.

The brothers were passing a restaurant when Itachi noticed him leaving. Inabi, a member of the Konoha Police Force, did not look happy. His eyes were dark red, alert. He looked up through his long black hair, and reached into his kunai bag as he crouched down and readied to pursue. He had noticed Akurei on the rooftops.

"Stand down, Inabi." Itachi held his hand up, signaling him to stop. Inabi stood up straight, a confused and annoyed look on his face.

"Itachi. Someone is following you," Inabi still had his hand in his kunai bag. Sasuke stepped closer to his brother.

"She's my new student. Leave her be." Itachi said calmly. Inabi still looked confused, but released the kunai back into his bag.

"Why is your new student stalking you?" The comment both annoyed Itachi and made him smirk. Inabi should have shown him more respect, as his position within the clan was higher. But he spoke to him as if he were lesser simply because he had been appointed to the Police Force. As if that ranked higher than ANBU.

"Because I am letting her stalk me. Why else?" Itachi said curtly. Inabi did not look satisfied by his answer, but he left after giving one more irritated look. Itachi held in his anger and thought instead of the future, and what he would someday do to that unbearable man. It helped calm him down.

The brothers continued on their way as one by one, every open shop and restaurant lit their front lights against the setting sun. Itachi hoped that Inabi's sudden threatening chakra had not scared Akurei, but she hadn't done anything foolish like run or attack. In fact she was quite well-hidden, considering the elevated potential danger.

"Nii-san, why are you letting her follow us? What if she attacks us?" Sasuke mustered up the courage to ask. Itachi only laughed

"Sasuke, you really think I'd let anything happen to you?" He messed his little brother's hair, receiving a grumpy growl in response. "I'm her sensei now. We're just showing her around our part of the town tonight, she's never been in Uchiha territory. She's new here, and very… shy. You should be nice to her when you meet her. Ok?" Sasuke returned his brother's smile with another groan, but Itachi knew he would comply with his wishes.

"Why is she hiding?" Itachi could tell he was having trouble figuring her out. Maybe he didn't want to figure her out, because that meant accepting her.

"I told you, she is shy. She needs to check things out on her own,"

"Is she scared?"

"Who knows?"

"Why are you the one training her? Couldn't they have found someone else?" Sasuke looked up at Itachi, already knowing the answer.

"I requested to become her sensei, Sasuke-kun. I pretty much had to fight Ibiki-san for her." Itachi joked. "She has some interesting traits. She could be very useful in the black ops. I will begin her training, and Ibiki-san will assist once she is acclimated to the rigorous instruction. She is so young that Ibiki-san agreed to let me have her first. Her techniques need to be honed a little before he can shape them into something interrogation-worthy," Itachi realized he was probably telling Sasuke more than he needed to know, and not in a very clear manner. Sasuke just looked at him as puzzled as Inabi had. Itachi sighed. "Well, we've wandered around enough for tonight, don't you think? It's getting late. Let's go home." Sasuke did not protest as they turned around and headed back the way they came. He was visibly getting tired, and a little cranky now that the topic of conversation was someone who would be taking Itachi from him.

Above them, Akurei tried to listen, and when that failed, tried to lipread. Both were proving to be nearly impossible. The only thing she could discern from their chakra patterns was that Itachi had calmed down an Uchiha who wanted to attack her. When she first felt that threatening chakra she had been scared, too scared for a split second to move. But then she felt a rush she couldn't explain hit her like a wave. She was hidden; she had stayed hidden from so many. But one had noticed her, and she almost had to pay for that slip-up with a fight she surely could not win. But the rush was still there, anticipation. She had wanted to fight.

Akurei stopped to think. That didn't make sense. Why on earth did she want to fight against someone so much more powerful than herself, on a busy street where she was cripplingly outnumbered? The feel of explosive chakra all around her may have influenced that. And with her focus on Inabi, she had just adopted his hot-headed energy. She leaned back, trying to calm herself, glad she hadn't done anything stupid. But she had definitely done something without realizing it. She felt her own chakra flow was different, faster, more agitated. Just like Inabi's had been when he sensed her. Her own chakra had picked up on his and reacted. She would have to be more careful not to get carried away by someone else's emotions.

By the time she had finished working through this potential issue, Itachi and his brother had left. The sun had now completely set. She backtracked through the shadows until she was at their big house and quickly tried to feel for Itachi's chakra. Again, she could feel a lot of fire-based power, but nothing from Itachi. Maybe he had gone to her apartment before her.

The route to her new home wasn't far, and she carefully scaled down the side of the apartment building and back to her open window. Itachi wasn't here either. She searched the two small rooms for something to do until she could sleep. But she had been asleep all day, and the burning chakra from the other residents around her, in the walls, in the ceiling, beneath her… She couldn't get calm enough to feel tired, and every time she managed to block out the fiery chakra, the noises of people on the other side of the walls would startle her into remembering. It was nothing like the empty house with only Kakashi's calming aura near her. This place was chaotic.

After an hour of trying to calm herself with no results, Akurei went back to the window. Itachi said the forest wasn't far. She could see it if she climbed back to the roof; it was directly behind her building. She traveled out as far as she could in the cool night air, until the fire was far enough away. The serene forest was a nice change. She sat down next to a tiny stream and listened to the water, the wind rustling the leaves of the trees, the occasional owl or small animal passing by. These sounds were much better than the sporadic thumping, talking, coughing, scraping, slamming noises of her apartment. But nothing was as comforting as her own brother's chakra. She wondered where he was sleeping now, if he was this restless without her around. But then again, she was special. Not everyone sensed chakra like she did. Maybe he didn't care what chakra was around him when he slept. Most people probably never considered it. That's why they can live stacked up so closely in buildings like that. She'd have to learn to ignore it sooner or later. She sighed.

Akurei tried to clear her mind and meditate, but thoughts buzzed around like annoying bugs. Thoughts she did not want to indulge, mostly about Kakashi. She tried to think about the future instead, but her mind always went back to how Kakashi would be in it, or possibly not be in it. Alright, she though, let's think about the not-too-distant future. She would begin training tomorrow, training that could accelerate her right through the entire academy. She had already proven her intelligence was much higher than average, she was in the top percentage of students already. And now she could train her body to be greater too. Itachi could appoint her the title of Genin without any more absurd hoops to jump through. If she were to become an ANBU or a member of the Torture and Interrogation Force, she would never need a training team, either. She would work with other ANBU, of course, but she could skip being assigned to a team of three Genin and one Jounin, skip having to go on menial tasks and insignificant missions. Not even Kakashi could brag about that.

Another hour had passed, and still her mind was racing. She had managed to calm her chakra flow, but not her thoughts. She did not feel remotely tired. She sat still next to the stream and tried to focus on nothing but the distant hooting of a lone owl. The silence in between each of its calls she tried to keep as silence in her mind. But her forced meditation wasn't going so well. She felt a disturbance in the stillness of the nature, something subtle and unimposing.

"Want to start early?" Itachi spoke softly, a few paces behind her. He was suppressing his chakra, but not entirely. His chakra was gentle and calm, like the rest of the air around Akurei. He must not have wanted to disturb her apparent meditation or startle her by cloaking himself. If only slowing her thoughts was that easy.

Akurei didn't move. She kept her eyes closed, wondering how Itachi knew where she was and how long he had known. On light footsteps he approached her, and sat down next to her by the tiny stream. He was sitting much closer than she would have liked. Akurei fought the instinct to scoot away, not wanting to appear weak.

But he was close enough that Akurei could feel their chakra overlapping. Maybe he had done that on purpose. She decided to investigate. His chakra was calming. It rolled around him like lazy clouds, something Akurei had only witnessed when someone was sleeping. He was good at controlling it, very good. He was right-handed, judging from the direction of the leisurely flow. On the outside everything appeared normal. Akurei tried not to be annoyed at the fact that he had surpassed her meditation within seconds, and she had been trying for hours.

She decided to test the waters. If he was as good at chakra control as he seemed, he would probably be startled when she attempted to penetrate the flow. Most people wouldn't notice, not if she did it with only a small amount of her own chakra. But for someone with such perfect control of himself, she knew he would feel it. She just hoped he didn't get offended.

The instant she tried to push her own chakra into his, she knew something was wrong. Underneath those tranquil clouds was something fiercely spinning at his core. The strangest part was it was going the opposite direction of the clouds. He was using some sort of ninjutsu. Akurei didn't take the time to find out what.

The second she had forced her way in, he had been alerted. She jumped up, hopping across the stream to put some distance between them, but he was on his feet even faster than she was. She pulled her own chakra back defensively, not wanting to stay touching his any longer. He chuckled, a deep, throaty laugh, and it did not sound like the Uchiha who had promised to take care of her. Was it someone else? Akurei felt horrible, but she was not certain that the man before her was even Itachi. She had only just met him, and it was now quite dark. All of the Uchiha looked the same in the dark, with the same black hair. His chakra had felt similar to the Itachi she met earlier, but now she wasn't sure. The chakra rapidly spinning at his core had not been, but she had also never felt deeper than his surface chakra. Experienced ninja like Itachi often had many layers, the surface being the easiest to control. One could only cloak their true intentions using the surface chakra.

What about the man who had noticed her, who Itachi had stopped from pursuing her? His hair was long, too. That was about the only feature she could make out in the darkness: long black hair. But why would he be after her? Was Itachi just starting her training early, like he suggested? She could not make sense of the situation.

Finally her foe took pity on the confused child, and in a puff of smoke was someone else. Not an Uchiha at all, he was an absolute giant in comparison to Akurei. He wore a long black jacket, and his forehead protector covered entirely a bald head. He was grinning at her, his smile reaching all the way to his eyes. His jaw line was strong and square. He looked like he could break her in half with one hand.

"Hatake Akurei! You've impressed me. Only a skilled sensory-type could have seen through my jutsu so quickly. That or a Hyuuga…" The giant man looked immensely pleased.

"You're Morino Ibiki. Itachi said you wouldn't be teaching me for a few months…" Akurei narrowed her eyes, still a little confused.

"That's Itachi-sensei. I'd respect my teachers if I were you, if you want them to keep teaching you," Within the giant man's chakra was a flicker of a threat. It was no longer cloud-like and gentle; it had taken an entirely different feel. Now it felt… ready, she could tell even from a distance. Maybe even eager. That could be bad for her if she slipped up again.

"Forgive me, Ibiki-sensei. You caught me off-guard…" Akurei bowed, her uncertainty making her wary. She knew this was not a man she wanted to insult. Of course she should give her new sensei proper respect; they would soon be going out of their way to help her. Or scare her, as this man seemed to want to do. But her response seemed to appease him.

"There is nothing to forgive. Itachi is right, but I wanted to see you for myself before I begin training you. We at the Torture and Interrogation Force get pretty excited when we hear of a young sensory-type growing up in the village. Take your training with Itachi seriously, you never know when I might want to observe… or maybe even intervene…" He chuckled again, and the sound was a little menacing. There was something off about this man, and Akurei wasn't sure if she should be worried. "Watching your progress should be fun… Until next time," He gave her a lazy salute and vanished. Akurei decided she would go back to the chaotic apartment after all.