Round Three!

I opened my eyes to find myself huddled and wet in the shower. For a long time, I couldn't remember where I was. When I remembered I groaned but all the sadness and pain of the night before seemed to have vanished. It worried me at first that I felt so little for someone who had died to save my life but I knew that had things been even slightly different, it would have been my body lying in that underground room.

I was lying in bed contemplating my predicament when there was a knock at the door.

'Come in.' I called out, not moving.

I looked up to see Itachi wearing only capris and a mesh vest. His sharingan was activated but he looked relaxed.

'What do you want?' I asked, sitting up.

'Your training begins this morning. Get up.' He said.

'What if I don't want to train?' I asked

'You don't have a choice. I expect you to be in the living room in five minutes or it will be Hidan who fetches you.' He said before leaving.

I was one step behind him.

True to Konan's prediction, the living room had degenerated to its previous condition. I stood in the doorway stretching and observing the bits of scattered food and muddy footprints. I felt my temper rise ... and swiftly. I wondered about that for a moment, but decided that maybe lack of sleep was making me cranky. I was about to ask Itachi what we were going to do when I felt Hidan behind me. Reacting faster than I would have thought possible, I rolled forward and spun on my heel to face him. I'd moved so fast that my hair twisted and tangled itself around my face and shoulders. Spitting hair out of my mouth, I looked over at his shocked expression. It melted away and was replaced by eagerness.

'I see you've learned some new tricks already. Let's see what else the Uchiha's taught you!' As he charged towards me, he pulled out a series of kunai and flung them at me. Two embedded themselves where my feet had been a moment ago but I was already moving. I backed up, glancing around for a weapon. I needed something to block kunai with. Everything was happening so quickly, I barely had time to react much less strategise. I rolled to the left as no less than six kunai went whizzing past my head. Then, time seemed to slow down, I saw the slowest of the six kunai approach my face, tilting to the side I caught it by sticking my finger through the ring. It swung around and I fitted it into my palm. Now, I was armed.

Hidan laughed out loud as I crouched low and prepared for his next attack. He backed up and grabbed his scythe which he must have left in the hallway. He fingered the chain lovingly. It was a long range weapon but the living room was too small for it to reach full length. He would have to hold onto the handle rather than swing it to attack which was a weakness for him, because it required both his hands. I smiled. I had a plan, unfortunately, it all hinged on his willingness to charge me again. He hung back, waiting for me to make my move. Dammit! I needed him to attack me...

'Hey stripper priest...'

'What? Who the hell are you calling a...'

'You. You look like an old stripper too, the kind that doesn't realise they're past their prime.'

'You're trying to make me mad, aren't you?' He smirked 'Not a fucking chance bitch. You think I'm stupid? I know you've got something up your sleeve.' He took the chance to fling three kunai at me, two aimed at either side of my head and one at my forehead.

I bent backward like in the Matrix and watched as they flew over me, flipping back as his scythe moved to slash my chest as I straightened. Instead of trying to move back, I blocked his blade with my kunai and, taking advantage of the opening, deftly moved my body up between his weapon and his chest. I planted the kunai between his ribs before grabbing him and flipping him back over my head. There was the sound of shattering glass and a string of loud curses fading into the distance.

I stood up and pretended to dust of my hands, a big smile plastered on my face. It was only then that I remembered that I wasn't the only person in the room. Itachi had taken up space against the furthest wall from the kitchen and was looking very blank.

'Well, that didn't work exactly as I planned it but...' I glanced at the broken window and shrugged. I looked at Itachi. 'Is that it for the day?'

I went over to fridge and began drinking juice straight from the carton. I felt badass as I leaned against the fridge, drinking my juice and waiting. After a long moment, he pushed himself away from the wall.

'No, that was your warm up.' I could hear the smile in his voice even though his face didn't change.

'Warm up? I totally kicked Hidan's lily white ass, that was not a warm up; that was badassery.' I paused after I said that and wondered for a moment what the fudge was wrong with me. I was having an attack of the OOC's in a big way.

I finished the carton of juice and dropped the empty box in the sink.

'It isn't. Hidan let you beat him...' he said stopping opposite me with the counter between us.

'So, you're saying that he let me stab him in the heart and throw him through a 10 story window?'

'Yes.'

'Bullshit. Why the hell would he do that?'

Itachi looked at me like I was an idiot but before I could respond Konan interrupted with a

'What the hell happened here?'

Training was postponed after that. A very pissed off Konan began enlisting people to fix and install a new window. I was put on cleaning duty as punishment (although she would probably have made me do it anyway). New rules were instituted to the extent that absolutely no training (read rough housing) was allowed inside the tower. I got the feeling that that rule already existed and was dutifully ignored by all.

Hidan returned 20 minutes later looking pissed off and exhilarated. I had to agree with Itachi. The creep looked like he was having the time of his life.