Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, but I do own the ideas I come up with in this fic.
A/N: Okay, so here it is, the next chapter. Once again, comments are appreciated!
Chapter 2: Itachi
The first thing that Itachi noticed about the man was his rather prominent hunch-back. Perhaps he noticed this first since he had been taught from a young age to read body language and use it against his opponent. However, there was no doubt that this sickly man would be easy enough to take down.
The elder man's face was wrinkled, the lines a testament to the life he'd led. His skin too looked as if it would peel off. It was so thin that the blue veins underneath could be seen. Most probably his bones would be brittle and muscles weak.
Yes, even a genin could take the scroll that the old man possessed, if not for the three Mist jonins accompanying him.
Itachi gazed on as one of the jonin leapt from branch to branch, the old man held securely in his arms. Just watching the old man's vulnerability was disgusting.
Yet Itachi could not help but wonder what it would be like to live to such a ripe old age. Would his bones ache at the prospect of walking? Would he need to be carried by others younger and stronger than him because of his frailty?
No, definitely not.
He would die young and at the decline of his prime. His death would involve him being beaten by a formidable opponent; he would die a brutal death. Perhaps a kunai to the heart would suffice? Or maybe he would perish at the hands of a powerful jutsu.
No, he would never know what it's like to live for so long and experience so much. His fate was decided the day he was born into the Uchiha Clan. The day he was born into the life of a shinobi. A stalker of the shadows and drenched in blood, he was a force to be reckoned with. He was a killer, and couldn't see himself any other way.
Moving on from his morbid thoughts itachi glanced at his Captain. They had been tracking this old man and his escorts ever since they left Tea Country. Now that they had caught up with them, their mission must be completed. The escorts were from Mist, and judging from their performance and chakra, they were of moderate level, for jonin that is.
"We have not been detected, move into ambush form. Fox from the right, I'll follow." their Captain's voice buzzed in their ears.
Names were not used, they were unnecessary. Itachi was the fox. Cunning, manipulative, and fast, he had proved himself exceptional in these areas, and was recognized for it. The fox was best in the team at distraction, he was swift and efficient. For this reason he was often used as such in ambushes, the assignment was not unexpected.
Immediately the fox picked up his speed so that his movements were unnoticeable to the untrained eye. Faster than could be seen, he cut in front of the enemy, using a kunai to slash at them.
He effectively startled them completely, giving the Anbu the advantage. It was obvious that the shinobi were oblivious to the fact that they had been followed, as they were now frantically trying to make out the blur they saw while reaching for their weapons.
In the next instant, a barrage of kunai was shot out from an unknown location, decapitating one of the injuring a jonin, who had to drop his charge as a result. The old man pulled himself against a tree and ducked down to avoind being hit. More kunai and shuriken were launched as the jonin finally gathered their wits about them, dodging most of the weapons.
Then the onslaught paused while one black blur joined the Fox Anbu, lunging at the jonin at the same time as itachi.
Itachi took the one on the right while his other two comrades took on the remaining two. The jonin, battered and weary from the surprise attack and his long journey, gazed up at the Fox, and in that instant his fate was sealed as his eyes widened while he tried to escape his opponent's eyes, blazing red and spinning wildly.
The jonin tried desperately to avert his eyes to the tell-tale sign of death, but to no avail. His horrified gaze remained as genjutsu fell upon him. At this moment, the jonin would be feeling the effects of falling head first off of a 40 ft. cliff. He would fall through trees and slam against rocks, until he would hit the ground, a crater surrounding his mangled body. Just as soon as that happened he would start falling again while feeling incapable of breathing. An anguished scream pierced the air. The pain would surely be unbearable.
It seemed that Mist did not place much emphasis on genjutsu. Itachi gazed at the jonin with contempt. He had fully expected for the jonin to have broken out of the genjutsu, perhaps his expectations were too high.
Yet Itachi did not remotely pity the man. Such was the fate of the poorly trained. He was unfit to be called a shinobi if he was not at least competent in all the arts.
Making quick work of his now non-existent opponent, Itachi made his way towards his Captain who was making his way towards the terrified old man, finished with eliminating the jonin he faced. The Hare was just finishing up her opponent.
Lifting the old man up by his neck, the Captain stared him in the face, his eyes almost glowing under his mask because of their darkened surroundings. The old man chocked and sputtered until he was dropped to the ground.
"Please" he gasped, "h-have mercy –cough- on an old man."
With fearful eyes, he looked up, but he found only icy stares in response to his plea. Resigning himself to his fate, he reached into his bag and pulled out an ancient looking scroll.
No words needed to be exchanged after that.
The scroll was taken, and in a flash the old man's blood was spilt, staining the ground in dark red.
"Mission complete." stated the Hare in a bored voice.
Neither responding, the Captain and young Uchiha took off into the trees leaving the bodies behind to rot, the Hare trailing after them. It was silent on the way back, and so was handing in the scroll. Their team was rather anti-social; they hardly spoke even a few sentences on missions.
After a brief "well done" and warm smile from the Third Hokage, his comrades were dismissed. It was then that the Sandaime addressed him.
"Itachi Uchiha, twelve-year old member of Anbu and the protege of the Uchiha Clan. A heavy responsibility for one so young, ne?"
A bit thrown off by the Hokage's sudden questioning, but not wanting to be impolite, he answered noncommitally, "Hn."
The Third smiled, and Itachi noticed that his face looked weary, wrinkles adorning his forehead.
"As responsive as ever I see, but let us get to the matter at hand. I have recieved your application to become Anbu Captain."
Itachi stiffened, "Indeed, however I was not aware that I would recieve a reponse so soon."
The Third smiled while continuing, "Your position is still to be determined, however I express my concerns at your choioce."
Itachi now understood, his capabilities were being questioned. After all, he was twelve, asthe Hokage has stated. "I am qualified." he stated, with confidence.
"Yes, you are, however that does not mean you are ready. Your age is a factor, and you will have to prove much better than the others in the upcoming exam in order to be chosen." The Hokage explained seriousley, a hint of weariness in his voice.
It was true, many were apposed to having someone as young as he as their superior, no matter how skilled.
Itachi smirked inwardly, insubordination will not be tolerated.
"Your advice is taken and caution heeded, Hokage-sama." he informed firmly. He would not back down from this challenge. He would reach Captain status.
"Very well then, you may proceed in your endeavor. I wish you luck." the Third responded.
He was still uncertain and wary of the idea, but he would give the boy a chance. Besides, the Uchiha Clan would be frustrating to deal with if their request was denied. They were too important to the village to upset.
With a nod, Itachi left, leaving the Sandaime to wonder if he'd just made a grave mistake.
Itachi walked out of the tower and glanced at the almost setting sun, it would be dark soon.
His Clan desperately wanted him to be a Captain of Anbu, but that was not the only reason he had agreed to submitting the exam.
He would grow stronger faster as Captain, and he was always in search of ways to become more powerful. He was taught long ago that the weak never survive in this world.
He would succeed in becoming Captain, and neither the Sandaime, nor anyone else would stop him.
He was now free to do as he wished, seeing as there were no other missions he was needed to complete, how unfortunate. No matter how tedious these missions could get, at least they distracted him somewhat from his ever demanding Clan. His only other option to going home was to go to the training grounds. Yet as of late, he couldn't even have time to himself there.
The person of his frustration was the little, innocent, completely harmless, pink-haired girl who had taken to watching him train in the later hours of the day. It had started one week ago when she had stumbled upon his training site. He remembered catching sight of her, and also her nonchalance at the prospect of walking with him.
Every day after that she had been coming there regularly to watch as he trained.
As the days went by she had slowly come out of her hiding spot (which was completely useless, as he knew exactly where she was) and now regarded him in plain view. She would sit on a rock and watch as he flipped in the air and practiced his maneuvers.
It was annoying, if anything. Yet he would not move to another ground just because of her bothersome presence. No, it was not his business how she wasted her time, however if she got it into her head to become more troublesome he would demand of her to leave.
As of now he had a choice to make, or rather a dilemma. He could either return home and submit himself to being interrogated by his father about his recent mission, or he could train and be annoyed by the gaze of the little girl. Both situations were rather unpleasant.
He headed for the training grounds.
A/N: There you have it! The next chapter will have more Sakura and Itachi interactions. I just thought I'd give a little insight on Itachi.
I'd like to know how I can improve and just anything else that comes to mind as you read this. Please read and review!