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Kisame peered down at the younger ninja inquisitively with a slight frown. Itachi had yet to answer his question, but he could see the wheels turning rapidly in his partner's head. The Uchiha's colorless eyes were pooled with emotions, his seemingly incomprehensible expression an open book for the Hoshigaki written in a silent language that he was yet to fully decipher. After all, they had been fighting side by side for over a decade now. Despite Itachi's strong and silent demeanor, Kisame always knew when something more untoward than the usual cruelties of life was afoot by the weight of it all behind Itachi's eyes.
It was easy for Kisame to see the confliction in Itachi's eyes, his eyes glossed over with shock, anger, sadness, and...concern? The swordsmen had no idea what could have possibly shaken Itachi so much, the fight having gone over fairly well as far as he was concerned. Did it have something to do with the 'project' Itachi had mentioned earlier? Kisame didn't push him, knowing Itachi was never one who enjoyed having his thoughts rushed. It took a few moments for Itachi to gather his thoughts, Kisame staying still despite the uncomfortable feeling that churned in his gut.
Kisame stayed quiet, continuing to hold onto the former leaf ninja, one hand now coiled under his weakened partner's slender waist for support while the other continued to caress his cheek long after the blood had dried. He froze as he saw Itachi's lips part, the ravenet looking up at Kisame with that same look of confliction, though in his mind it had been steadied. Itachi seemed to swallow down his unease, stabling himself with one hand on Kisame's shoulder as he spoke, finally coming to a steady independent standing, "Orochimaru stole our DNA, back when he was in the Akatsuki." his words making their way into Kisame's mind as he turned his face down with a grimace.
The shark shinobi stared down in silence, listening as Itachi continued, "He's always wanted an Uchiha vessel. Back when he was still in the organization, do you remember me telling you about how he tried to steal my body?" Itachi seemed relieved as Kisame nodded subtly, though the Uchiha's brows quickly furrowed in displeasure. "I presume he wanted yours because of your chakra reserves. He must have wanted to combine them to make some sort of hybrid shinobi." his lips pressing together as he looked up at Kisame. "So he did."
Now, Kisame may not be as sharp as Itachi when it came to these sorts of things, but he wasn't a complete fool either. The implication was clear. The bulkier man narrowed his eyes at the thought, his mind flashing to the little firecracker he had fought less than an hour ago.
As Itachi spoke, the schism of what he had been hinting at began to fall into place. Why they hadn't ended the boys while the Akatsuki had them cornered. Why Orochimaru had made that ridiculous little quip about them coming to see their father. Why that kid- Takashi, was it? - had practically thrown himself at Kisame in such a clearly personal, and emotional manner. The way the other kid had been staring Itachi down with such awe only served to help this probability. It wasn't hard to believe, given Orochimaru's past actions and...hobbies.
After a moment, he spoke, his tone slightly uneven despite himself. His brow was lifted, the man needing final confirming to process, "You're saying that...you think that the two you let go...they're...they're our..." he swallowed hard at the invisible lump in his throat, "our children- to an extent at least-" his brows furrowing in disbelief at the prospect. Itachi's simple grim nod sent a million thoughts flying through his mind.
The most prominent of which being hell no. There was no way in hell this was happening. Even with this confirmation, Kisame found himself almost unable to accept such an idea. Ironically enough, it was for the very same reason that most supported the possibility. Orochimaru and his past actions. Orochimaru had never done anything to prove himself trustworthy. He was literally a snake on all levels!
"Itachi." Kisame began turning away, his hand moving to lightly rub the back of his head. This wasn't going to be a fun suggestion. "Orochimaru is literally a snake in every meaning of the word," he emphasized, seeing Itachi's displeased expression. "They're obviously from our clans, but that doesn't mean they're our children. Orochimaru probably lied to the kids if that's what they told you in your tsukuyomi or whatever." assuming a tsukuyomi was the only way they could have had this little conversation without anyone else in the room noticing. "He's lied before, he'll lie again. He's lying to you, to those kids, and secondhand to me!" he contended as he fueled his own theories in denial.
"It would have been easy for Orochimaru to use any patch of Uchiha and Hoshigaki DNA then claim it was ours! He could have lied to both the kids and they wouldn't have any way of knowing!" he spoke with disbelief. There are so many ways this could be a sham. "Or maybe they just said that the screw with you. It's obviously a useful pity technique and they knew we had them!" he exclaimed, then nodding in agreement with himself, seeming content with this logical loophole.
His sense of closure around the idea was crushed as he saw Itachi shaking his head back and forth, from over his shoulder. The shorter shinobi called up evidential points in counterargument, his tone was calm yet firm, "They seem to be around the right age. I joined the Akatsuki about fourteen or fifteen years ago, and you followed soon after. Orochimaru had already been after me by that point." The Uchiha lifted his hand to rest over his chin, eyes concentrated as he determined, "If Orochimaru was quick to obtain samples, he definitely would have had the time to craft them. After his initial failure in stealing my body, it would make sense for him to start seeking alternatives around the same point in time Even allowing for research time, it's plausible given that they seem to be twelve or thirteen."
Kisame didn't have the chance to tell him it could have been circumstantial at best, Itachi continuing on allowing no time for cross-examination, "What's more, it would have been a lot of work for him to send someone out to go all the way to the land of fire and the land of mist just to gather our clan's DNA. There's no suitable reason why he wouldn't simply use the resources readily available to him. There would have been ample opportunities for him to obtain samples. With how the base is set up, he could have easily taken a fork or found a piece of our hair on a sofa at any time he pleased. There are a million different ways he could have retrieved our genetic code. Even a fumbling mad scientist like Orochimaru given enough time is bound to get lucky eventually."
As much as Kisame wanted to disagree, Itachi's points were as well thought out and presented as ever. It all made sense, but it was so unlikely! It was a one in a hundred chance this was the real deal! He sent Itachi a look of disagreement, though he didn't have any argument to shoot back with. Itachi took his lack of response to indicate he remained in disbelief, the Uchiha sighing as he crossed his arms, turning his gaze once again over the balcony and up to the rooted canopy. "The boy with the braids, Sho, had hair lighter than either of us." Itachi pointed out, and for a brief moment, Kisame thought perhaps Itachi might have settled on agreeing with him. This delusion was ripped away as Itachi looked over at him, his dark eyes narrowing in on Kisame's light ones. "You said your mother had turquoise hair. Lighter hair is a recessive gene. The kind that tends to skip a generation. Do you suppose this is simply a coincidence as well?"
Kisame barred his sharp teen, the larger shinobi crossing his own arms in return. Damn it. That was true, and it wasn't like turquoise hair was exactly common, even in the mist. Every piece fell perfectly into place. "Does it even really count?" he pressed as he reached for a new argument, "They were made in tubes. Aren't those more like...clones or something? Children aren't grown in test tubes Itachi! Their existence is probably more comparable to one of Sasori's meat puppets than an actual human being let alone our children!" he heaved, calming with a hint of embarrassment as even he himself hearing the words leave his lips knew they were far beyond entirely apathetic.
Itachi's suddenly dark face made Kisame wonder even further if he had said something horribly and irreparably wrong. "Kisame, I know you didn't see it, but I did. Those boys are anything but puppets, clones, or vessels." The Uchiha looking hurt as the thought crossed his mind. "They didn't realize I was aware of their discussion, since they had used their own mangekyou ability. They didn't realize that I had broken through, so I allowed them to believe I was frozen with everyone else. To them, they were alone speaking privately, but I saw everything. Sho was breaking down and bawling his eyes out because neither of us seemed hesitant to kill them, just as I had scorched his flesh. Takashi grabbing at my coat and shrieked into my eyes about how no one cared about them, and never would. It was as though the last grain of hope they held was snuffed out at that very moment right before their eyes."
As Itachi spoke, Kisame felt his resolve draining heavily. They had said all of this in that small fraction of a moment? Takashi had seemed pretty pissed off when Kisame hadn't reacted to his name with anything more than amusement, he thought. His calloused hands moved upwards pinching the bridge of his nose as he gritted out, "Itachi, even if they do feel and are by some weird turn of events our kids- we are the last people on earth who should be taking care of children! We have nothing to offer them but a dark pain-filled life and bitter death." He let out a slightly hysterical laugh of despair, the Hoshigaki turning back hoping to regain Itachi's gaze as well as his embrace. Itachi but lowered his gaze to the cages and odd machinery glinting below, otherwise motionless. Kisame placed a hand firmly upon each of Itachi's shoulders and, after pausing for a brief moment from fear of rejection, slowly slid them down to Itachi's elbows before giving just the slightest of tugs to his left one, begging Itachi to turn and accept the unspoken apology.
"I know you said that you had your reasons for ending your clan." not pushing too deeply into it, obviously. "Which were all very reasonable. Just as reasonable as my own when it comes to wiping out lies, if not more so." he emphasized, "Still, that's not how the rest of the world sees it. As far as anyone else is concerned, we lost our sanity, and our humanity, long ago. To a certain extent, maybe they're right. We have to be to do the things we do. Regardless, our lifestyle is nowhere near child-friendly. We're missing-nin, hunted by all seven of the great nations. We take on S-Rank missions constantly, are far from the best role models, and we live in the Akatsuki hideout. Can you imagine raising a child around Hidan's foul mouth or Deidara's constant explosions? Then that's if they survived Kakuzu probably trying to steal their hearts from their chests or Sasori deciding they'll make good puppets. What happens when we leave for missions? Are we just supposed to leave them with Aunty Konan and Uncle Pain?" his words laced first with compassion became brutal honesty, then satire.
"Is the wild so much better?" Itachi turned on point and quirked a brow, gazing up at Kisame with an unconvinced look. It was fairly obvious to the Uchiha that the former mist shinobi was more trying to convince himself than anything. "Are you suggesting that it would be more merciful to allow them to die out in the middle of nowhere, under the impression they were completely alone in this world? Never having known that Orochimaru was far from the best that this world has to offer? Believing that the world Orochimaru caged them in was the best they could hope for? Then knowing it after we proved to them that we are in fact everything Orochimaru told them we were, and the world has only suffering to offer? To die without having known a reason to live is the most tragic of all ways to have existed."
Kisame glowered his own brow in return, Itachi's tone a controlled calm despite the daggers in his words. Kisame slowly tilted his glower to the ground as he spoke, shadowing his eyes, "Better a wild animal or another shinobi bring a fast end to short-lived suffering? Far better to die by the starvation, dehydration, disease, betrayal, war...take your pick, that will surely keep them suffering every waking moment until the end comes?" Itachi lowered his gaze to demand Kisame's eyes make contact, "Are you saying that's what you'd prefer? Would it be better for us to pretend they never crossed our paths and simply pretend they're already dead, then be grateful since it was the 'better' end? Nobody chooses what suffering is handed to them in life, but sometimes, we can choose to hand out compassion instead. This is a choice we each have to make for ourselves."
Kisame's face fell further as he heard this, sighing. "You know that's not what I'm saying, I never said I 'wanted' things to be how they are." he awkwardly brought up his hand to rest it on the back of his neck as he took a deep breath. "Itachi, even if we did go after them, it's pretty obvious they hate us. Or, even if they didn't before today, I'm sure they do how. You burnt Sho's shoulders off and I probably broke Takashi's arm! Not to count throwing him on his back while you sliced Sho up like confetti with those shurikens. Do you think we'll just walk right up to them say we're sorry and everything will be fine? Do you think they'll just accept that everything they've ever been told is a lie and forgive us?" Kisame mockingly imitated the boys' reactions, "'Oh, of course, we completely understand and forgive you, Dads! Please take us home so we can be one big happy family of Akatsuki assassins. You guys got any good stories about our grandparents?'" Sarcasm oozed from each word, much to Itachi's silent agony, recalling exactly how that story would be told. Kisame realized the deeper weight of what he had said and firmly grasped Itachi by the elbows with both hands in instant regret.
"I highly doubt it would go in exactly that fashion, but we aren't the ones who should be making that choice, are we? They at least deserve to know that there are options, to know that despite the cruelties of this world, there is at least some form of light to be seen. Even when resting in the deepest corners of the darkness. No matter how shitty of a job we do, I'm sure it couldn't be any worse than existing under Orochimaru's heel." Itachi pointed out, arms resigning to rest on Kisame's, gripping them in return as he spoke. Holding eye contact with Kisame once more, Kisame let out a sigh of defeat and relief.
The former mist ninja muttered, "The bar isn't set very high, I will admit." shaking his head back and forth. Then with a hard quip, he exclaimed, "That snake shouldn't even be within a twelve-mile radius of a child, let alone raising two!" he tsked, "Fuck it; if we're gonna fuck this up we had better get to it. Who knows what kind of sick shit Orochimaru pulled raising them, better to end that suffering at least as quickly as possible."
Receiving a vicing grip on the elbows from Kisame as the shark shinobi finally seemed to settle on the idea. Itachi gave a curt nod and the younger shinobi sharply locked the glare upon Kisame, quirking a brow intriguingly at his unfoldings. "I suppose we should get going, then?"
Kisame's grumble of "I suppose so." was surprisingly reassuring, the corner of the missing-nin's lips pinching upwards into a small smile in the corner of his mouth despite himself.
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It had been a lot harder to escape the sound than the boys had originally thought, though they supposed it made sense, given the chaos around them.
The echoes of silent despair no longer rang across the village walls, the prisoners calling out desperately for help as the news of the invaders spread. They called for anyone who passed them by- whether they be ally or enemy.
Rapid steps of the villagers rang in the boys' ears, the free-roaming villagers pushing and shoving in an attempt to aid Orochimaru. After all, it wasn't as though they would be locked away if they had sworn their allegiance to Orochimaru. Which made it all the more terrifying as rounds of shinobi began demanding information from Takashi and Sho. Where was their master? Who had attacked? Was he still alive?
Takashi couldn't bring himself to answer these questions, the overwhelming situation pressing further and further upon him as he felt himself cornered with only Sho by his side. He grasped Sho's wrist firmly with his one good hand, pulling the younger ninja behind him as he saw the villagers begin to grow impatient. He barred his teeth, eyes narrowing as he warned, "Back up! Right now!"
This only seemed to press the villagers forward, one of them taking a step too close as she moved to grab Takashi's shirt, the teen forced to release his protective hold on Sho. The woman yanked the young shinobi forward, demanding with a snarl, "Listen, you're Orochimaru's brat, so you must have some sort of information on what's going on in there. Either spit it out or-" her words being cut off as a kunai landed square in her neck.
The crowd cried out in shock as blood began trickling down her throat, Takashi quickly using the chance to break out of her hold. He stepped back, swiftly landing beside Sho. He didn't have to look to know that his brother had been the one to throw the kunai. Sho took a step in front of Takashi, warning with a firm glare, "Stay back. I won't hesitate to deal you in if you touch us again." his sharingan blazing in alarm.
Takashi gritted his teeth, resisting the urge to pull Sho back as he saw the glowers from the villagers, all directed at the younger shinobi. Sho steadied himself, his defenses raised as he heard the ring of refusal from the crowd. He could hear them howling out in anger, one man calling, "You two think you're so much better than us just because Orochimaru's been training you? Injecting you with the power of other shinobi? Well, news flash, we are those other shinobi. A shame he put our blood into you two backstabbers!"
The two teens watched as a barrage of shinobi came at them from all sides, each of them pulling out their kekki genkai without hesitance. Sho moved swiftly as the attacks moved in, putting himself in front of Takashi as he blocked the attacks with ease. His eyes narrowed, remaining on the defensive as he saw snakes begin to slither around him. He didn't need to look over his shoulder to know that Takashi had decided the flow of this fight.
It seemed like they would have to kill the attacking villagers if they wanted to have time to get their things and leave before the battle between the Akatsuki and Orochimaru was over. He focused on knocking any villagers over who were fooling enough to try stepping on the snakes. This gave his brother ample opportunity to leap onto them, killing the enemies with even the tiniest bit of poison.
It didn't take long for the crowd to thin out, bodies beginning to fall around them, hitting the dirt. Those who continued to fight eventually fell, the bodies making it a bit harder for them to fight over top of. They pushed on none the less, the teens watching as the villagers either joined their dead allies or had the common sense to flee.
Sho let out a breath as he kicked a man's knee, watching him fall backward and onto his face. He glanced around, a feeling of relief washing over him as he saw the last of the crowd running in the opposite direction. He didn't bother looking over as the snakes swirled around the man's ankle, Takashi soon materializing beside his already convulsing body.
The elder of the two looked worn and tired, gripping his throat as he licked his dry lips. Takashi didn't miss a beat, holding onto Sho's wrist as he led him over the pile of bodies. "Come on. We have to hurry before their battle is over, or they might decide to kill us on the way out," he spoke with a frown.
As the two rushed for their rooms, they ran past the villagers, not paying them any mind. Sho ran with Takashi, ignoring the burning in his lungs as the post-battle pain began. His shoulders had already healed along with the numerous stab wounds from Itachi's shuriken. As much as he hated to admit it, the Hashirama cells did their work.
Unfortunately, it wasn't as though they could fix his respiratory issues. After all, that was ingrained in his DNA, something that could never be healed. Orochimaru's numerous tries had assured him of this bitter fact. That didn't make the burning feel any less suffocating as he ran through the village, though.
As they arrived, Takashi was quick to reach for their training bags, gripping his tightly to his chest as he glanced around the room. Sho carefully picked his up, holding it in front of him as their mind raced to anything they might need while on the go.
"Get the blankets, your medication, and a pair of clothes for us, just in case," Takashi spoke firmly, his mind racing over the necessities. He hadn't expected for them to escape like this. He had thought that they would have more time- that they would be able to pack when they had picked the date for the fight against Orochimaru.
Too bad the Akatsuki seemed to have their own plans, Takashi mentally grimaced, grabbing his weapons and looking them over. Okay, he had his necessary defenses. Sword? Yep. Shuriken? Got it. Kunai? Check. Wire? Mhm. He mentally checked off each item, slipping them onto his person.
Once he was sure he had all his weapons, he hurried to the other side of their living quarters. They'd need food if they wanted to make it all the way to the other side of the country. He halted in front of the pantry, eyes skimming over its containments.
His dark eyes landed on the nutrient bars and various canned foods, his lips curling into a look of disgust as his brows furrowed. Mealtime was always the most unpleasant time of the day, but he had long since learned that it was simply a necessary evil. As such, he didn't think much of it as he filled his bag with cans of seaweed, blueberries, potatoes, salmon, and a half-eaten loaf of whole-wheat bread. A few bottles of water were chucked in as well, the bag growing heavy soon after.
He whirled himself around as he heard a familiar voice behind him. "Takashi." His back arched, startled as he backed up and tilted his head to look up at a familiar pair of dark eyes. "You two seem to be in quite the rush," he heard his uncle drone on with the smallest hint of a smirk.
Glaring lightly at the elder boy, Takashi held onto his bag protectively. "...Orochimaru told us to wait outside the village gates for the fighting to stop." he nodded firmly, the lie flawlessly leaving his lips.
As skilled as he was at delivering a lie, it was honestly a shame he was so bad at coming up with reasonable ones. Sasuke quirked a brow, hand on his purple obi as he tilted his head, not believing it for even a moment. "Oh? He must be handling them pretty well, if he wants two of his vessel options so far out of reach" he jabbed, Sho slowly making his way over from the medical room. Sasuke's eyes darted to the bag of miscellaneous medical supplies he had shoved into the bag, sighing.
Sho approached with an almost timid look, the boy holding the bag to his chest as he squirmed, looking anywhere but at Sasuke. "...Uh. Yeah. It's more of a precaution than anything, he had them pretty much taken care of but...he said it was important so. We should really. Go." his posture shrinking lightly as Sasuke took a bored step forward, drawing his blade and lightly flicking it in hands. He spun it dully, the elder teen eyeing the boys with an unimpressed gaze. They really hadn't gotten much of Itachi's acting skills, had they? Sho finally blurted as he saw the sword, "Lord Orochimaru said you aren't allowed to talk to us!"
His attempts at wavering Sasuke failed as the elder mused, "Oh? I'd be glad to go with you if you want to bring me to Lord Orochimaru for punishment. Should we?" he offered, and the look of confliction on Sho's face made Sasuke's cold habits flicker. Damn it, why did his bastard of a brother have to have such naive children?
Takashi groaned as their lie was obviously exposed, the boy's sharp teen grounding together as he threw his hands by his side, bags still held tightly by a strong grip. "Fine! We're leaving! Okay? We went to fight Orochimaru, saw it was the Akatsuki, and tried to fight our dads!" Sasuke quirking a brow at his words, but not commenting as the teen spoke with heated humiliation, "Both of us lost by a landslide because they might as well be fucking demi-gods, so we're leaving! If Orochimaru wins, fine. Let him come drag us back here and deal us in. If the Akatsuki wins, problem solved! They don't want anything to do with us, so they won't follow!" he aggressively whispered with certainty, allowing his hands to express his annoyance by flailing the bag around in his now vice grip.
Seeing Sasuke's contemplative look, Takashi and Sho stayed quiet, letting out a pair of soft breaths when Sasuke turned on his heel, musing, "I warned you two to stay away from your parents. So has Orochimaru." tilting his head back to look at them as he stood in the doorway, he added, "I presume he let you two go." a pair of nods left the kids, Sasuke shaking his head back and forth as he stood with his back to them. "He only does that when he doesn't see you worthy of dying by his hand. So I highly doubt he'll seek you out once the battle is over. You two should be safe to go...where ever you go. Not sure about Kisame, though." a firm frown lacing his lips as he added, "That's assuming they survive me. If I were you, I'd take this as your chance to escape." the elder leaving little room for response as he headed out, presumably to kill Itachi while he was weakened.
Takashi couldn't force himself to care.