Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of the characters in it.
VI.
Itachi showed them the place he talked about and it truly turned out to be a great protection from the awful weather. A sheltered place, more than suitable for staying overnight. It was very much a valley, in which the trees turned into a thick set and didn't allow the blizzard to make its way to them. Even the ground was still dry unlike the vast area they walked through, the whole day.
They lit up a fire and managed to settle themselves around in some kind of a silent agreement to not comment on how uncomfortable, cold and definitely long was going to be the night.
Luckily, Kioshi brought out some food of his bag and Jakushi took a breath. At least it was something. Not because there was food after a tiresome day of walking and starving but because she wasn't alone. With an opponent whom she had no chance of defeating in any of the variations she could choose from.
"Here." Kioshi handed her something small and tightly wrapped in paper.
"Is that what I think it is?" Jakushi smiled at him.
"Of course." Takumi took one from his brother's hands. "Do you think she'll just omit to do them knowing how much you love them?"
"I should thank her. Again." Jakushi sighed and opened the paper. Four middle-sized rise balls onigiri. Her favorite.
"Don't." Takumi's sharp tone cut through her pleasant thought and made her raise her head.
Kioshi had just offered the fourth little bundle to Itachi when Takumi fumed at him.
"Put it back in." Takumi continued and Kioshi obeyed without commenting.
Jakushi exchanged glances with Takumi who didn't have to warn with words to pass on his will unambiguously.
Anyway, they spend a long time in silent eating.
Jakushi liked seeing when justice was done. That feeling kept her going, every morning when she woke up. To have the guilty ones stopped and punished so that they could understand what they've done. That was good. Especially when it happened to traitors and murderers.
People that couldn't value life and see how wonderful it could be without them, playing God. Just because you're bored never meant you can play with human lives. The individuals that thought this way and started wars perhaps had their high purpose or goal of achieving with all that. But the ones who followed out of pure blood thirst, a mania for battle and self-proving, they could not be forgiven.
They were madness and it had to be stopped at all costs. And Itachi was one of them. That's why Takumi's remark didn't surprise her at all. She would've done the same, probably. Itachi wasn't only a part of all the destruction that the war brought and from which she had suffered.
Jakushi harbored a deep hatred for those who turned against their own. To be the one to destroy your closest, the once you've lied you love. It was the worst crime. Everything that Akatsuki had ever been was a bunch of ex-mercenaries, an unscrupulous scum evolving through the years with greater and greater power.
Jakushi understood Takumi perfectly. Takahiro had friends, a close family of six, three of which were the next victims of the war. When later they found proof that it was Akatsuki's work, Takumi and Kioshi took it personally to find every single member. She knew how much they wanted Itachi to suffer, now and forever but that wasn't how the processes worked. And breaking rules would turn all of them into the same monsters they chased after.
"We'll stay up on shifts," Takumi spoke, turning to her. "Me and Kioshi will take the hard ones. Wake me up after three hours."
The brothers covered up and laid on the ground without any other discussion on the matter. The fire, burning with quiet cracking remained the only sound. Jakushi wondered if there's a point in confronting Takumi when he decided on something. Probably not.
She shifted her eyes to Itachi who sat on her right. His hands shivered despite the closeness with the warmth. His clothes were far from appropriate for the low temperatures and apparently, the fire didn't help much.
Jakushi took her last onigiri in her palm and offered it to him. Her detestation had not changed a bit, no. He deserved no mercy under any form. She gave it to him only because she was aware that if he doesn't eat now, he wouldn't be able to walk with their tempo on the next day at all.
Itachi looked at her for a moment, then at Takumi's resting figure across.
Jakushi insisted silently with no withdrawal of her hand and he slowly took the rise ball. Thank God, except food Takumi and Kioshi carried her small sack, the one she left with them before getting lost and in which she'd tucked a thick blanket along with some valuable things. She was happy to acquire it back when she reunited with her team.
Now she remembered about it and took out her blanket, wrapping herself in it. If she was to stay out in the cold for three hours, at least she had to create some kind of a tolerance for her body. Honestly, she missed her soft bed and her half-messy room a lot. She missed the times when she woke up happy. She missed her mother...
Every time the thought flashed through her head, a wave of helplessness threatened to knock her down on the solid ground. A void that always succeeded in embittering her and, of course, angering her. The fact that she could do nothing to take her back was the source of her dark mood.
Actually... perhaps there was a way for her to be brought back. She heard of numerous cases. She even witnessed one. But there was no way she could be sure... if she wouldn't break some kind of a balance. As she thought about it, such techniques were quite unknown to her. Her power was rather destructive and defensive when needed although she figures as a medic. Her medical capabilities were average, not even close to Sakura's. She had no chance in reviving on her own. What was her father going to say about this...
But that could wait.
Kakashi definitely was right about the severe conditions of the West Border. The wind was never as dry and cold even in the harshest of winters in Konoha. The thought of seeing Konoha again after a day sparkled a small excitement. Truth be told, the happiest part of going on a mission was that gut feeling when you finally see the village after the long way and weariness. Konoha was Konoha, however great it was to be on a mission.
"Thank you," Itachi whispered, surprising her after at least an hour silence which she spent in thinking.
The possibility of her yelling at him something offensive could be incredibly high if it weren't for Takumi and Kioshi. She wouldn't wake them up. She would've yelled at him. To remain silent for the rest of his days for that was the best thing he could do. The duplicity always crawled under her skin. She madly hated it. She hated his voice, she hated his silence. Whoever revived him was going to be found and she was personally going to make that person sorry for what he's done.
She had lost her temper to such extent that she didn't even look at him in fear that she'd spend the next hours in attempts to not harm him. To hurt him so that he could feel at least physical pain after his apparent indifference for the psychological he had caused.
But in the end... the words that came out of him. His last two words rang out in her head as a question. What must've happened to a murderer and a traitor to express gratitude to someone who hates him? Was that humility a facade or once you come back from the dead, you're not the same? She had so many questions that tortured her mind and these were most definitely not going to be the most pleasant hours in her life.
Although she knew perfectly well how it's not wise to hope for a good rest or sleep in these conditions, Jakushi was surprised that there was a small part of her brain that seriously remonstrated against what she was putting her body through. Even when her shift was over and Takumi took the next, she couldn't fall asleep.
The air was gripping cold but that wasn't the only thing to keep her from sleep. It was mostly her extreme exhaustion that didn't allow her to relax. She was tired of thinking too, the minutes dragged on slowly and heavily and the whole process was nerve-wracking.
She spent a lot of time laying with her eyes open. The highest branches of the tree were easily seen, undulating on the wind. It looked somehow ghostly, a dance of dark shadows over her head. It was hard to discern the sky through the thick crowns but it was most likely clear now and it wasn't about to rain, at least not for the next hours.
"Aren't you going to sleep?" Takumi asked quietly, watching her through narrowed eyes. He was obviously still trying to wake up.
"I don't think so." Jakushi sighed and tore her eyes off the trees.
"You need to rest."
"Do you know what I'm going to do?" She slowly stood up. "I'm gonna go get some deadwood because the fire is dying out."
"Don't you dare. If I have to look for you again I'll go mad." Takumi gave her a tired look.
"Then come with me." She offered and tucked her blanket so that it worked as a poncho. The fire was really beginning to fade and she couldn't possibly spend another minute not doing a thing. She walked to Takumi and gave him a hand.
Together they gathered enough dry branches and didn't regret it. It was refreshing to have a walk, it always was, after a storm. But there was something odd in the apparent calmness and tranquility in the darkness of the early morning that surrounded them. It was when they were walking back that Jakushi decided to share her concern.
"Every single time." Takumi continued their last conversation.
"Takumi, can you feel it?" Jakushi slowed down her pace and stopped, he next to her. There was some kind of a presence with them since they left the fire. Jakushi felt as if watched from aside without her permission or full awareness.
"Yes, but..." Takumi looked at her. "I really thought it's just me."
"We better head back to the others." Jakushi furrowed.
"You're right. What do you think?" Takumi noticed that she became thoughtful.
"That we have captured Itachi."
"His friend or his enemy. In both cases, we're a target." He nodded and continued walking. "The sooner we're in Konoha the better."
Jakushi followed him but an impulse stung her, she glanced over her shoulder for a moment. Before a blink of her eyes, she could swear that she saw a movement. And a pair of poisonous green eyes fixed on her.
Jakushi saved Takumi what she saw in the forest. In fact, she kept it all for herself, her mind now busy with more questions without an answer. The next hours she spoke neither with Takumi nor with Kioshi when he stood up for the next shift. If she had to be honest, the one who she liked to talk to was Itachi. As the source of all the questions, she assumed he might have an idea of what took such a great interest in their not-so-humble group. She just didn't want to do it in front of Takumi and Kioshi and so, the conversation had to wait.
The sun was rising up just when they all woke up and felt mentally ready to depart. Matter of fact Takumi, the one who suggested they should move, wasn't really interested in who's ready or not. Judging from his unusual silence, he was most likely in a strong doubt anyone was in the mood for anything.
They weren't as close to Konoha as they wanted but they surely progressed. The well-known soft caress of the west wind, blowing almost all the time in Konoha and the lands around the village, reached them. Winters have always been pleasantly cold from where they came from.
At noon they finally walked through Konoha's outskirts and took a brief rest before passing through the gates. Takumi and Kioshi were exhausted and expressed their relief at a faster pace, on the pretext that they want to go home faster. But the other two, as if coincidentally, stopped there for a moment, right at the entrance. The Gate Guards eyed Jakushi suspiciously but at Itachi, their eyes widened. Not that any of latter noticed the reactions.
Jakushi came to the realization that she missed home every time she left it. She missed Konoha so strongly and it somehow comforted her that whatever happens, with her or with the things around her, Konoha remained all the same, unchanged by time. She felt proud, every time she returned and it spread in front of her eyes with the seemingly eternal noise and vivacity. Life in peace, to which she contributed, even if it was only a little.
"She's beautiful," Itachi said absently and Jakushi turned to see him watching the same way she did, in the distance with a tinge of melancholy.
"Let's go." Jakushi reminded coldly, resolved to finish her task.
While still entering, Takumi and Kioshi had notified Konoha's Police Forces and they, on the other side wasted no time in taking care of the city's safety, whatever that involved. Two elite shinobi grabbed Itachi and led him away, four other guarded to all sides.
"He'll be detained until it's decided what will happen to him," Kioshi explained as Jakushi followed Itachi with her eyes.
It was a strange scenery because he didn't resist at all, yet the everyone on the street became quieter or started whispering. A wave of silence spread wherever he passed. No one expected to see this Uchiha in particular again, he was part of the blacklist. Of the most horrible nightmares that still scared people to death after the war. He was famed for his crimes and that was apparent with the first seconds in the village.
Jakushi wondered if he's not thinking about it too right now.
"Let us go to Tsunade." She faced her team. "I reckon she'd want to hear a detailed report."
"You lost yourself in the wood," Tsunade said out loud for the third time in astonishment.
It seemed this sentence, in particular, was the hardest to comprehend from the whole narrative.
"I can't believe it. Whatever happens, you can't split up. You are a team, you don't split up for the world, it may cost you your lives."
"I won't let that happen again, Godaime," Takumi assured respectfully, casting a cold glance at Jakushi, who, on the other side, pretended not to notice.
Unappreciated. The best word, expressing her feelings at the moment. It was rather insulting to be blamed for parting with her team while in the meantime she captured one of the world's most dangerous criminals. She thought it'd get more praise than something else.
"Nevertheless, you did a fine job." Her expression sure gave up her thoughts because Tsunade sighed heavily. "But things are far from fine. I don't see one good motive to revive Itachi Uchiha except doing some serious harm. If we don't do something about it, if we don't find out what's going on, we might as well have...other unwanted individuals revived."
Jakushi was studying Tsunade's expression carefully. That was a fright. It always appeared on her face when the topic involved revival. She avoided the subject and even if she was forced to talk about it, she did it reluctantly. Moreover that she was a medic and, of which Jakushi was sure of, got the idea of what power they were messing with.
"Do you have any plans of action yet, sensei?" Jakushi asked evenly, in expectation of new orders.
Tsunade caressed her chin thoughtfully.
"Itachi will be interrogated. But before that, I need to gather the Council and discuss with them the situation. If we rush, we'll fail easily. If we delay, the price to pay would be greater and in both cases, people may die. I'll go one step at a time for now. And you're dismissed. Thank you."
"Understood, Tsunade-sama." Takumi bowed and left the office, followed by Kioshi.
Jakushi went to the door but then turned back, knowing that Tsunade's eyes were fixed on her.
"There is something you missed to tell me." Tsunade hit the target with her first try.
She relaxed back slowly in her chair.
Jakushi's eyes went down to the ground for one moment of hesitation but then she made up her mind.
"There was something that followed us since we gathered together. The four of us. Someone was very intrigued by us and judging from the time when we noticed that we're being watched, I'd say that someone was intrigued by Itachi. I assume it might be the one who revived him. But then again, these are just assumptions."
"It's worse than I thought." Tsunade covered her eyes with her palm. "Goodness, Jakushi, if Uchiha's involved, run away as fast as you can."
Jakushi smiled faintly and shrugged.
"I'm afraid we'll have to get to the source of the problem, Uchiha or not. That I never liked the clan much is another question."
"You're right." Tsunade met her eyes. "I don't want another war. Even less, another war started by an Uchiha. It seems the clan has nothing but a war on their mind for decades. Someone revived Itachi. Who's next... Madara?"
"Perhaps it's different now," Jakushi said hesitatingly.
"Different?" Tsunade hissed. "Do you know what kind of a monster you've brought into our village, dear?"
"Itachi..." Jakushi paused, searching for the right words. "As much it may sound insane..."
"Yes?" Tsunade waited.
"He seems to... hold Konoha in high regard." Jakushi wasn't proud of how she twisted her thoughts in order to produce words of such ridiculous sound. "I don't know. He's so... ambiguous."
Tsunade's expression was of general concern.
"You spent a lot of time alone with a murderer, I suggest you go and rest as soon as possible. There's nothing ambiguous about killing people without a motive. It's called a lack of conscience. Or a mental disorder. It depends on the point of view."
Jakushi was so overwhelmed with questions and problems that all she did was shake her head.
"If Uchiha starts another war, as I would possibly be responsible for it, I give you an oath, sensei. I'll personally go and ask him to kill me."
Tsunade gave a brief laugh, amused by Jakushi's black pessimism.
"It won't come to that. I'll make sure it won't. Go now."
Jakushi smiled and turned around, thinking on how the weight of such a burden would possibly crush her hard enough to turn a death by Uchiha into a really good idea.
A/N: Thank you so much for reading! Hope you liked it.
The forest is a dear theme of mine. You could probably feel it. I live next to a forest and I spend a lot of time walking there so I have my prototype. ^^
Ahhh, also... I'm sorry, guys. I think I forgot to warn you. My type of romance is dark and angsty and I feel like I forced a lot of dark emotions on you, especially with the last two chapters, without mentioning my preferences.
I've always thought Uchiha would make a perfect angsty romance. Angst is in their bones. I hope you'll stay with me because I've got some fluff too and even a tiny bit of humor (wow imagine that).
Enough of my rant now. Love ya. Until next time!