Kisame was waiting for Itachi on Konoha's south wall.

Itachi seemed to be smiling widely as he stepped out of nowhere, and pulled off his panda mask next to his partner, "Did you miss me?"

"Not at all, I hardly had time. Didn't take you near as long as I thought it would." Kisame bared his teeth in a way that might have been considered a smile, "Only you could do it, Itachi. Manage to sneak in and out of the second stage of those chunin selection exams without anyone noticing. I shouldn't even ask. Was the objective achieved?"

"Of course. Wasn't all that hard." Itachi said calmly, quietly slipping his mask on once more, "Let me tell you, the temptation to drop in on my brother was really quite something hard to resist. I don't think he knew I was even in the forest, seeing as I didn't want to be found."

"The objective, Itachi?" Kisame asked, pressing a little more firmly this time.

Itachi nodded, " Satoshi Tasogare's daughter is as powerful as they say, but she really has no idea as to who she really is. It's actually quite amusing the number of people flitting around in that forest who think they have a handle on what's really going down."

Itachi narrowed his eyes behind the mask, "I also wanted to have a little chat with Orochimaru. He's skipping around in that forest, toying with everyone, thinking he's masterminding this entire plot. The poor snake has no idea what's really going on."

Kisame nodded, "Then things are going well."

Itachi took a deep breath, "As well as ever."

Kisame caught Itachi's gaze. The Uchiha was looking over the village he had grown up in with an almost wistful look in his eyes.

"Don't tell me you're getting all emotional over your old home, Itachi!" Kisame said in his typical polite manner.

Itachi did not dignify this with a response right. Kisame shifted uncomfortably. Like Itachi, he was also wearing the traditional ANBU getup. It was almost necessary. Any other disguise might have left his face visible, and due to its characteristic shark like appearance, that would have given them away immediately. Kisame's mask happened to be that of a fish. He found it rather amusing. All the same, he could not shake this feeling of discomfort hanging over him like a cloud. The sooner he and his partner got out of here, the better!

Kisame was used to his billowing black and red Akatsuki robes, but there was no way he would have dared wear them on a mission to Konoha. Itachi crossed his arms across his chest, a wry expression on his face.

"Hold on a second, Kisame. I smell a snake."

Shinri froze, and knew the game was up. He had been hiding on the other side of the battlements, sticking to the north side of the wall on his back using only his chakra. It was a trick he had known for a long time, and it had often come in handy when he was spying on some thing for tender eyes only. Unfortunately, it looked like Itachi had been able to find him anyways.

Itachi's voice drifted over the battlements, "Shall we speak plainly, my little friend? Come out before I go over there and drag you out here by your hair."

Shinri allowed himself a small smile, and flipped up and over the battlements until he was standing unabashed in front of Kisame and Itachi. So this was how it was going to be.

"Well!" Kisame said. His sharkish eyes blinked and narrowed, "I was expecting something far more impressive. A genin managed to sneak up on us?"

"Oh, he's no ordinary genin." Itachi mused, wondering why he hadn't killed the brat already. Oh yes, he knew why. Itachi knew he couldn't afford any dead bodies. Not yet anyways. The Uchiha settled for cocking his masked head, "Shouldn't you be in the forest, battling for selection like all the other wet nosed kids?"

"No, I'm already a chunin." Shinri stated plainly, putting his hands in his pockets. Even though his position wasn't the best, Shinri felt a rush to be finally saying these words out loud, and he relished the truth in every syllable. For far to long he had been assuming this role as a night genin, instead of a night chuunin. It seemed almost bizarre to reveal this fact now, but all the same it felt good to hear the words rolling off his tongue.

Kisame chuckled. This kid was standing right in front of him, no ounce of fear in his eyes at all, "Aren't you a brave one? Unfortunately you know we have to kill you."

"No, Kisame, no killing." Itachi said in a rather detached tone of voice. He slowly, slowly took his panda mask off yet again, and let it drop to the ground. His Sharingan eyes flashed, "I am rather interested to know what this Yorugakurene villager wants."

"I must admit, I was not expecting to be found." Shinri said coolly, and something curious began to happen to his eyes. Something milky and white slid over his cool green pupils, and soon both of his eyes were completely covered with some pearl white membrane, "So I am at a loss for words."

The kid's talk was polite, yet he seemed to be talking down his nose at them. Itachi frowned. Maybe the chuunin didn't realize whom he was dealing with. Itachi turned his Sharingan on the boy, but to this surprise he found he couldn't see anything.

'Clever.' Itachi thought ruefully, knowing he might have finally met his match, 'He's a snake, I forgot. The membrane that slid across his eyes is quite effectively blocking whatever my Sharingan would have been able to read of him through his eyes. Of course, it won't protect him from the majority of my attacks, but all the same..how interesting..."

"You're Orochimaru's pet!" Kisame said suddenly, recognition striking him. He had seen those white eyes before, "The one originally from Otogakure..well, well, well. You're right, Itachi. This is no ordinary genin, chunin, or whatever you want to call him. This boy is about as extraordinary as they come!"

"I'm flattered." Shinri said in a tone that stated otherwise. He gave a slight pause, and then came back with an uncharacteristically light—"Sorry, but I really must be going, before anyone else notices me missing in the forest."

Kisame took a moment to marvel again at this kid. He had waltzed into some rather important talk, and didn't show an ounce of fear on his face. There was nothing to indicate that he didn't know who he and Itachi were-otherwise the kid wouldn't have slid that membrane in front of his eyes. Now after this random encounter, the kid had the nerve to just give his farewells and leave? On top of all of that, he had sneaked out of the examination without anyone even aware of his being gone?

The shark ninja allowed himself a small smile. Orochimaru's boy, to be sure!

Itachi quickly considered his options. He could let the boy go, and run the risk of having him tell someone about the Akatsuki's involvement with the exam, or he could kill him on the spot, and then run the risk of exposure due to a dead body with the markings of an Uchiha's killing all over it. Either way didn't look good. Itachi wasn't used to compromising his first instincts for anything, and his first instinct was to kill this so called genin/chuunin who had crept up on some rather important goings on. Had he heard the part about Satora Tasogare?

Of course, if the boy really was who Kisame said he was, then there was a whole other world of options opened up. Choices, choices, choices. It was Itachi's middle name. He had so many, which one to choose?

Kisame gave a very unhelpful look to his partner.

Itachi scowled. He had been backed into a corner without even throwing a punch, and he had a rather ominous feeling that this kid had planned it that way. He had made his decision.

"You're a slippery player, my friend." Itachi nodded, "Very slippery. The Akatsuki would be lucky to have you someday. Fine then, get out of here, but tell no one that you saw us, or next time I won't hesitate to kill you."

"Sounds like a plan." Shinri said in an even tone, "I won't hesitate either, next time we meet." He took three steps backwards, and fell off the battlements in a free fall.

Kisame stepped forwards, and peered over the edge, "he's gone."

"We should be, too." Itachi's voice was short, and he sounded irritated, ""I won't hesitate either…what a bloody…" Itachi shook his head, and his scowl deepened, "Come on, let's get out of here before someone else finds us, and gives us a real problem.."

The Uchiha stooped and picked up the panda mask, tied it back to his face. In a puff of smoke, both he and his partner were gone.