Secret

Mizuki yawned loudly. Her, her friend ,Yuuka, Joi had to stakeout a supposed hideout for enemy nin. Noone came to the little cottage, and not one single person came out. They'd been there for the past three days, and trust me, you'd be bored, too.

Mizuki jumped out of the tree that they had been sitting in and motioned for them to follow. Yuuka jumped down immediately, but Joi stayed in the tree. "I'll stay here," she told them. "Don't worry. I'll be fine!" Mizuki nodded, and her and Yuuka started walking towards their camp.

They got there about five minutes later, grabbed some food, Mizuki had even remembered Joi, and headed back to their look-out tree. Then, they heard the clanging of metal kunai each other with great force. Yuuka and Mizuki instantly dropped the food they were holding and sprinted towards the sound.

"Joi!" Mizuki yelled. "We're here!" Her and Yuuka ran towards Joi. Both promptly gasped and stopped dead in their tracks. Itachi's two female partners where there, and Joi was being slightly over-powered by both kunoichi.

"I guess this leaves me no choice..." Yuuka whispered. Mizuki looked up.

"Mizuki! Grab my arm!" Yuuka yelled over the sound. Mizuki nodded and promptly did as she was told.Yuuka performed a set of quick seals, exhaled deeply, and said calmly," Seal of Time..." Suddenly, the sound of the metal clashing ceased. Mizuki opened her tightly shut eyes and stood marveled. Yuuka had told her about her jutsu,
but Mizuki had never been able to experience it. Everything around them was frozen in time.
"Come on! We don't have much time!" Yuuka yelled, snapping Mizuki out of her trance. Yuuka grabbed her arm and dragged her towards Joi and their foes until Mizuki started running on her own.

Akako was frozen in mid-air. Her arm was held back, rearing a chakra laden fist. Yumi had been frozen when she was pulling out a few senbon needles from her kunai pouch.

Mizuki dodged them both. They were the least of their troubles. She needed to get Itachi. She could tell that he was there. "Help Joi, Yuuka-san!" she called over her shoulder to her friend."I'll be fine! Just get her ready for whenever the jutsu ends!" Yuuka nodded and ran the opposite way towards Joi.

Mizuki searched and searched. She could sense him... But where was he? "We're running out of time!"Yuuka yelled, trying to help Joi up. Mizuki nodded towards her friend, then promptly growled in frustration. Itachi was hiding, and Mizuki would find him no matter what. She stopped suddenly and smirked,"There you are..." She jumped up and landed next to where he was. She grabbed him and pulled him towards the forest that was surrounding the clearing.

She pulled him into a nearby tree, and tied him up. Suddenly, without warning, the metal clanging started up again and Itachi jerked up, slamming his head against a low tree branch. He looked up dazed and when he saw Mizuki, his eyes widened.

"Remember me?" she asked quietly. He nodded slowly. His face still showed shock and disbelief. "I...I figured that you were..."

"I'm here aren't I?" Mizuki spat back, cutting him off. "What are you doing here? You should just go..."

"No... I'm staying here. Our missions must -and will- be completed," he said, narrowing his eyes.

"I was afraid you were going to say that," Mizuki sighed. "You realize I can't just let you go, right?"

"I'll get away. I always did when you were younger. Remember?"

"Yes I remember... But I'm older now... And stronger," Mizuki paused," Itachi-sensei..."

Joi and Yuuka were fighting Akako and Yumi, waiting for their other teammate. "Do you think she's hurt?"Yuuka muttered so only Joi could hear.

"She's fine. I can tell," Joi whispered back. She looked toward the trees where Mizuki and Itachi were still in. "I can feel it..."

"Itachi-sensei?" he laughed. "I haven't heard you call me that in what... Four or five years?"

"Five and a half," Mizuki grumbled.

Itachi jumped up and landed a few branches over.

"You not anywhere near as strong as I am, Mizuki."

Mizuki's eyes narrowed. She performed some seals and said,"Corpse bone pulse."

Bones slid out of her body. Her two bone katanas formed in her hands. She looked up and smirked.

Itachi pulled out his own katana. "You can't beat me."

"I have to try."

They both jumoed up, their katanas meeting somewhere in between.

"I have no time for this," Itachi said as he pushed Mizuki away. He threw senbon needles and kunai at her as she was flying through the air. Mizuki twisted to avoid them, but instead, they hit her right leg.

She cried out in pain as she landed on her stomach. Itachi appeared before her. "Until next time." He disappeared from sight.

"Damn. He got away." she growled as she forced herself up. She pulled the weapons from her flesh.

She got up shakily and began to limp towards the opening where Joi and Yuuka were.

Joi and Yuuka were sittting there, Yuuka wrapping up Joi's arm. She looked up and back down. She finished Joi's wounds. Now it was Mizuki's turn.

Yuuka got up as Mizuki limped toward them.

When she got close enough, she looked up at Yuuka and said shamefully,"I failed." Her legs gave out. Yuuka ran out and caught her before she could hit the ground hard.

Yuuka looked at Mizuki's leg and sighed. "She's lost a lot of blood She needs a doctor."

Joi got up.

"We have to take her to Konoha, Joi."

Joi sighed. "I know." She helped Yuuka pick Mizuki up and they began walking that way.