A/N: A special thank you to ItaHinaSasu, PervertAnimeOtaku, NaviTheGoddess, Nova5621, Lecs and AN1M3STAR for their lovely reviews.

Chapter Four

An Unwelcome Suitor

a.k.a "Well that was a ringing endorsement for arranged marriages."

Jiraiya was surprised when only two members of Team Itachi came to his office to make their report. They both looked weary as if they had endured some terrible ordeal. Jiraiya wanted to yell and rage, but the defeated slump of the two men's shoulders gave him pause. "Genma is dead and Shikamaru's in the hospital with severe poisoning. Tsunade's working on the antidote now. What happened?"

The crow masked nin said one word, "Akatsuki."

"You two can take off your masks in here." The Hokage paused for a moment as Itachi and Neji removed their masks to look at him. "Did my contact betray you? Was there an ambush? I thought that you would have prepared for that possibility, Itachi."

Itachi related the story, "We had no trouble meeting with the Akatsuki spy and handing off the information you gave us about the Hozuki boy. We ran into trouble while returning to the village. We encountered Sasori of the Red Sand and Orochimaru on the path about an hour from Konoha. They said that they were after Naruto. Genma was killed during the fight and Shikamaru was poisoned. Sasori was killed and Orochimaru lost an arm before fleeing the fight."

"Orochimaru and Sasori, eh. And so close to the village. I wonder what happened to our patrols. They should have noticed them and reported back."

"I checked with my Byakugan and there were no other active chakra signatures around. They are presumed dead."

"I'll have to follow up about that later," said Jiraiya with a sigh. He turned to Itachi. "What information were you able to get out of our spy?"

"The Akatsuki captured the three and the six tails in Kiri three months ago. The rumors about the Water Diamyo's death are also true. The Akatsuki were involved in the assassination."

"It's very difficult to get information from Kiri and Water Country. Both of their tailed beasts were captured?" The Toad Sage rubbed his chin. "This is not a good sign. Only the eight and nine tails remain. Naruto will be in a lot of danger. Did the contact have any information about the Akatuki's recent movements?"

"Yes. The Akatsuki plan to enter a high stakes poker tournament on Moon Island in one month. The entry fee is 100 million ryo and there are seats for ten at the table. I fear to think of what the Akatsuki can do with 1 billion ryo."

Jiraiya seemed shocked. "That's rather unusual. I wonder why they'd plan to do that before capturing the final two tailed beasts. They must be raising funds for war. With that kind of money, they could buy an army or two."

Itachi nodded. "And with that sort of fee, how can a shinobi village hope to defeat them at the table?"

Jiraiya rubbed his chin again. "We would need to be sponsored by the diamyo or another such rich noble. This will be very tricky. I'll send a message to the Raikage informing him of the situation. They may want to participate as well." He glanced back at the two of them. "Thank you for your report gentlemen. Now if you don't mind, Neji, I'd like to talk to Itachi alone."

"Yes, sir," said Neji before heading out of the Hokage's office.

Jiraiya stood up from his desk to lean against its front. "You did very well today, Itachi. Not many of our ANBU could stand up to Orochimaru and live to tell the tale. And I was glad to hear that Hinata's experimental treatment on your eyes was so successful."

"Thank you," he replied. "There was something else that I wanted to tell you. When I was battling Orochimaru, he said something very strange. Because you were teammates, I thought you could shed some light on it."

"We were teammates, yes, but I never understood him very well. What did he say to you?"

"He said that he wanted to use my body for an immortality jutsu. The way he said it was really creepy - like he was implying something else."

Jiraiya guffawed at the expression on Itachi's face. "Orochimaru and I have different types. I usually go for beautiful curvaceous women and Orochimaru likes his prepubescent boys, the dark haired, dark eyed ones the most. I guess his tastes have matured somewhat."

"Well this is slightly horrifying," Itachi drawled. "Somehow this is not making me feel any better."

Jiraiya laughed again. "Why don't I promise to take you with me on my next...research trip? That'll take your mind off Orochimaru's weird obsession with you."

Itachi smirked. "I'm honored to be considered for such a… noble quest. Though, I'd hate to be put on Naruto's short list for stealing away some of your time with him."

Jiraiya leaned forward, grinning lasciviously. "I heard from Kakashi that you are going to be starting a similarly noble quest soon yourself. Something about having to knock up a kunoichi to get the Uchiha clan off your back?"

Itachi shifted his weight to one leg and crossed his arms over his chest. "Jeez, does the whole village know by now? Kakashi-senpai can be such a gossip."

"Hehe," said Jiraiya. "Only a select few have been notified. If you'd like my help in…interviewing some of your candidates, you only need to ask. I'm feeling inspired to write a new book in my Makeout Series. Icha Icha Uchiha. No, Icha Icha Uchicha."

"That's a horrible title," Itachi quipped.

Jiraiya shrugged. "I'm sure I'll think of something better once I start writing it."

"I'm going to expect a certain percent of the profit if you're going to use my story or situation in this new book."

"One percent," said Jiraiya.

"That's almost insulting, Hokage-sama. Thirty percent."

"Five percent."

"Would you really be willing to throw away inspiration like this? You haven't written a book since you became Hokage five years ago. Twenty percent."

"You drive a hard bargain, Itachi. I'll give you ten percent."

"I won't settle for less than fifteen percent,"

"Done," said Jiraiya.

Hyuga Neji strode confidently down the hallways of the main house, towards Hinata's rooms. She was running late for this "important lunch" with the Kenkaji noblemen. Pulling up the sleeves of his ceremonial robes, he felt a bit overdressed.

He was almost knocked over by his cousin Hanabi as she sped out of her room fastening on her hip pouch. "Oops, sorry Neji," she apologized.

Neji grinned at her, "Where are you off to in such a hurry?"

Tying her Konoha headband over her brow and knotting it tightly, she whispered conspiratorially to her cousin, "I thought I'd head over early for training so I wouldn't have to meet those boorish Kenkaji nobles."

Neji snorted. "I wish I had that good of an excuse. I got strong armed into this because I'm the head of the Branch House."

Hanabi frowned. "That's too bad. But at least you'll be able to keep Hina company. I almost feel bad for leaving you, Hina and father at their mercy. Sure we get all our silk from them, but why do we have to entertain them as well, the pair of strutting peacocks?" Neji raised an eyebrow at her. She raised an eyebrow back at him, sighing dramatically. "The trouble we Hyuga clan members have to face to dress well."

"Said like a true Hyuga," Neji drawled.

"Well I've really got to get going. I told you that my team will be taking part in the chunin exams this year right? I've got to get some more practice in. Well I suppose if I can't entertain those Kenkaji nobles with you, Neji, the least I can do is beat the stuffing out of my two Uchiha teammates." Hanabi waved goodbye to him as she rushed off, twisting her hair up into a bun at the back of her head and securing it with two hair pins. "See you later, Neji. Don't want to keep Shisui-sensei waiting!"

Neji quirked a half smile as he watched her go. Walking further down the hall, he stopped in front of Hinata's room. Surprised not to hear her respond to his knock, he opened the door and peered inside. He could see Hinata, dressed in a navy blue kimono, kneeling at the bottom of her closet.

He rushed in and lifted her up. She was petite, weighted so little in his arms. "Are you alright, Hinata? Is something wrong?"

Hinata looked up at him with wild eyes, her midnight dark hair in tangles. "I'm fine, Neji."

Neji raised an emphatic eyebrow at her. "Then why on earth are you crawling around on the ground?"

"I can't find the obi for my kimono."

He laughed and picked up a piece of light purple silk that she hadn't noticed because she had been kneeling on it. He beckoned her with a hand. She laughed and turned around for him to tie it around her waist. When she faced him again, he looked at her in surprise. The kimono was from the finest silk and had been made with the finest hands. It flattered Hinata's figure exquisitely. The dark fabric complemented the ivory of her skin and the delicate orchids climbing up the kimono brought out of the purple undertones in her pearlescent eyes.

"What?"

"Nothing. I was just surprised. You look beautiful, Hinata."

Hinata blushed. "That's really nice of you to…wait a second. Why are you surprised that I look beautiful?"

"Ack!" he ducked as she hit him over the head with a clenched fist. "Have mercy, Hinata-chan!"

"You deserved it," she announced before sitting at her dressing table and brushing some rouge on her cheeks. She glanced up at Neji who was rubbing his head unhappily. "Are the others already downstairs?"

"Yeah. Hiashi-sama sent me to fetch you. He was getting worried when you hadn't come down yet. He thought you might have forgotten about our 'illustrious' visitors."

"I was just running late. Lost track of the time at the hospital."

"Were you treating Shikamaru? I didn't see you when I went over to visit."

"Shizune and Tsunade were taking the lead. Tsunade had me collecting some rare herbs that she needed for the antidote that we didn't have on hand."

"Is he going to be alright?"

"Yes, I believe so. Tsunade was able to mix the antidote. I had to run over here to prepare for lunch, so I didn't get to see if it administered. But he should be fine. "Could you help me with my hair, Neji?"

"Sure," he accepted the hairbrush she gave him and lightly brushed her long hair while Hinata focused on her mascara. "Are you going to wear it down?"

"No, father wanted me to wear it up with the hair pins that he got for me in the Land of Water."

Neji looked uneasy. "Not the ones that I just saw Hanabi wearing?"

Hinata's face fell. "Oh no! I guess I shouldn't have let her borrow them." Finished with her makeup, she turned to Neji. "What am I going to do? I don't have any other hair pins."

Neji was thoughtful for a moment before his eyes lit up and he smiled at her. "We're ninja aren't we? Just use transformation jutsu on some senbon or something."

"Brilliant!" Hinata grinned. Then her face fell. "I don't actually have any senbon, Neji. I just use chakra needles or water senbon."

"Then use a transformation jutsu on a pair of chakra needles. You're a kunoichi aren't you!"

"Right!" Hinata said.

Now suitably dressed, the pair hurried down to the dining room where Lord Hiashi was already entertaining their guests. The three members of the Main House Council were also present. Neji held out his arm for Hinata and she glided in gracefully. The two men at the table that she didn't know stood up as she entered. She was impressed by their gallantry. The younger man even kissed her hand and she blushed at the attention. She took a seat at her father's right hand. Neji sat beside her and to the left of the young noble. The three members of the counsel sat across from them. Their white Byakugan eyes looked brittle in their pinched faces.

"Hinata, those hair pins are exquisite," Hiashi said pointedly. "They look just like that pair I got you in the Land of Water."

Hinata smiled guiltily. She wasn't surprised that he saw right through her jutsu. But their guests weren't ninjas, so they wouldn't have any idea. "Thank you, father. I'm glad you like them."

Hinata reached gracefully across the table and took the teapot to pour the tea. Neji was the only one to notice how the younger man looked down the front of Hinata's kimono when she leaned his way. He glanced at the other young man suspiciously.

The older man, Hato Kaba took a sip of tea and smiled at Hinata. "Thank you."

"My pleasure, Hato-sama," Hinata replied.

"That kimono looks very fine on you, Hinata," continued Hato Kaba. "It's made from Kenkaji silk after all."

Hinata nodded. "It was a most generous gift, Hato-sama. I thank you."

"Isn't she a vision, Okami," asked Kaba.

"From heaven," replied the son, grinning at Hinata lecherously.

Kaba chuckled. He turned to Hiashi, "It's so nice to be in the company of such distinguished and elegant people. We were accosted by four extremely rude ninja at the gates to your village."

"I must apologize for that," replied Hiashi.

"They treated us with such suspicion and derision," said Okami. "It's a disgrace for men of their station to even address their betters!"

Neji frowned mightily. "I'm sure that wasn't their intention, Hato-sama. It is their duty to protect the village hidden in the leaves. I'm sure they merely wished to establish that you indeed were who you said you were. No doubt their intention was merely to protect Konoha."

"Indeed, Neji," agreed Hiashi.

"Perhaps, but when we were mere steps from your gates, we had two of your Konoha ninjas attack myself and my guards. Unpardonable! I will be asking my brother-in-law, the Diamyo, to discipline them. One of the two men was even the Hokage himself! It's shameful for him to be out of the village traveling like he was. The boy he was with was a dim looking teenager named Naruto."

Hinata and Neji both perked up at the mention of Naruto, but remained silent.

"I'm sure that this was all a terrible misunderstanding," said Hiashi.

"We can only hope," said Kaba. He turned to his son before saying to Hiashi. "We noticed a very nice garden on our way in. Okami expressed an interest in seeing it. I wonder if…"

"I'm sure that Hinata and Neji would be pleased to show it to him," Hiashi replied.

The three young men and women stood from the table excused themselves politely. Like Neji, Hiashi had also noticed the way that Okami had been eyeing Hinata. He didn't want to send his daughter out alone with him.

One of the council members cleared his throat. "Hiashi, I'm sure that Neji's time would be better spent discussing matters with us here. He is, after all, the head of the branch house."

Hiashi frowned, but agreed with him. "Indeed, Kaede, you speak the truth. Neji, please stay and discuss matters with us."

Hinata trailed behind Okami and lingered at the door as she closed it. She was startled by Kaba Hato's next words.

"I've always been interested in having my son marry a kunoichi. And the Hyuga clan is renowned and very powerful."

"Thank you. The Hyuga clan has always prided itself on its strength," replied one of the council members.

"Indeed, Councilman Kioshi. You'll have to forgive me for my impudence, Lord Hiashi. But there are rumors that your older daughter is weaker than your younger one. It's truly a shame that the Hyuga prodigy of this generation was born into the branch family."

"Neji is like a son to me," Hiashi answered.

"Indeed," Kaba mumbled.

"You need not have any concerns on my account, Lord Hato. As the head of the Branch House, my loyalty is first and foremost to the Main House."

"Indeed," Kaba sneered. "However, it is Hinata that concerns me. Though she is sorely lacking in any talent as a ninja, she more than makes up for her other shortcomings with her looks. She's a stunner."

Hinata pressed her ear even closer to the door. They were talking about her!

"Thank you. Hinata is very lovely, I agree. She's the very image of my late wife."

"You're a lucky man, Hiashi. Now if you'll again forgive my impertinence, I have a proposition for you that I believe you will find very pleasing. Hinata will marry my son Okami, and then you're more powerful younger daughter, Hanabi, will be the heiress to your clan. Not only that, with our children's union your clan will share in my considerable wealth."

Hinata stepped back from the door with a frown. Is that what her father really thought of her? Her thoughts were interrupted by the figure standing at her side. Okami smiled superiorly down at her, offering his arm. "Shall we, my dear. I long to see your gardens."

Hinata wasn't sure why, but when this man said it, it sounded perverse. She took his arm, but at the same time, held him at arm's length. Not to be easily deterred, Okami pulled her close to his side.

"This way," she said, taking the lead.

She wove her way through her home to the outside hallway that opened out to the gardens. Arm in arm with him, Hinata finally had a chance to take him in. His eyes and hair were dark. They didn't have that smoldering intensity that was present in the Uchiha brothers; his coloring was more similar to her classmate Shikamaru Nara's. He wore his hair long and instead of tying it back it fell pin-straight framing his face. His small dark eyes showed arrogance and his weak chin belied the strength he tried to convey in his manner and movements.

From the way that he carried himself, Hinata knew that he thought himself handsome and powerful. As a kunoichi who was acquainted with men who she considered both handsome and powerful, she was unimpressed. Just days ago, she had treated Itachi Uchiha, perhaps the most powerful ninja in the Fire Country and the Head of one of the strongest clans in Konoha. His manner was kind and respectful. He was confident in his power and no doubt saw little purpose in flaunting it. She was undoubtedly biased, but she thought Itachi was a very handsome man, handsome and powerful.

Perhaps she was being too hard on Okami. As a civilian, it would be near impossible to compete with the standards unconsciously set in her mind. She glanced up at him and was surprised to see the guilty look in his eyes when he realized that she had just caught him staring down the front of her kimono.

Perhaps she had spoken too soon. What a creep!

Frosted glass walls spanned the outside corners of the open hallways. They provided some protection from the elements but still allowed a wonderful view of nature. Stepping down the stairs, she led Okami down the stone walkway to the flower garden. "You're in luck. Many of the flowers are in still full bloom at this time in July."

Okami took her hands in his. She glimpsed something dark in his eyes as he leaned towards her. "Beautiful indeed. Though it would be difficult to compare to the beautiful flower I have right now in my arms."

He swooped in to steal a kiss. Hinata merely rolled her eyes and titled her head to the left. His lips brushed her cheek instead. Did this man have no shame? Trying to sneak off and steal a kiss? Well, he would have to try harder.

"Is something wrong, Hinata-hime?" Okami asked his brows furrowed. He grasped her upper arms firmly, trying to keep her in place - no doubt hoping for another attempt. Hinata could see that he was trying to be polite, but he wasn't able to hide his annoyance well. It was plain in the tense slant of his eyebrows. "There is no need to be so coy."

It wasn't difficult to play the part of the blushing virgin. It was almost type casting for her. "But Okami, I hardly know you! It wouldn't be proper when you are staying here as my father's guest."

He leaned in again, grasping her upper arms tightly. Huffing with annoyance, Hinata put her hands over his and none to gently pry his hands off her arms. She could have very easily broken one of his arms, but she didn't want to get in trouble with the Hyuga clan elders.

"Come, let me show you the flowers. The striped carnations are so beautiful this time of year. They're almost done blooming."

Not to be deterred, Okami took her arm and said, "I'd much rather see the roses. The red ones over there are simply divine."

"But their thorns are so sharp. Don't you fear that you will prick yourself?" Hinata asked.

"I'm not afraid of a couple thorns. Come, my dear."

His vice-like grip on her arm would be hard to slip out of politely. Perhaps her subtle hints were too subtle for this man. Ino had hammered the language of flowers into her head. Red roses meant true and romantic love. Striped Carnations meant a refusal. Either Okami wasn't versed in the language of flowers or decided not to heed her message. She wouldn't put either option past him. If he tried to kiss her again, she won't be polite.

When they reached the trellis where the roses were climbing up the wall, Hinata held her breath and readied herself for whatever mischief Okami would try next. What she didn't expect was for him to take a long slender box out of his pocket and open it with a flourish.

"This is a pendent important to my family. It was my mothers, but I would like you to have it."

The pendent was quite pretty. It had a large emerald set in it that was cut to catch the light. The golden border had an elaborate inscription running along the outside. Okami took it by its heavy gold chain and made to clasp it around her neck.

Hinata wasn't a fool. She knew what this would signify, just as she knew what the red roses and striped carnations signified. Accepting this was tantamount to accepting a marriage proposal. This she had no interest in at all.

"It's too much, I can't accept it."

"I insist."

"I'm honored by the gesture, Okami. But I assure you that I cannot accept your gift." He meant to grab her arm again, but Hinata had finally had enough. "I thank you for your attention, but I regret to say that I must be going."

"You can't be serious."

"I am not one to take things lightly."

She turned on her heel and walked back into the compound. What a horrid man!

Akimichi Choji had always hated hospitals. The sterile smell of alcohol and medicine made him feel slightly sick to his stomach. And the hospital food...it was a travesty. But his best friend was in the hospital, so he was willing to put that aside to go and visit. It hadn't been difficult to charm his way through the front doors after he explained that the food he was carrying was his own lunch. The Akimichi family was renowned for their large appetites, so two meals could be easily excused.

Shikamaru's ANBU team had returned from their mission and Shikamaru had been rushed to the hospital. He heard about his friend's hospitalization from his father. Shikamaru had been in surgery for most of the morning and visitors were not permitted until he was out of surgery.

He found the room with little trouble. It was simple, with a bed in the middle and two chairs against the wall facing the bed. Yamanaka Ino was already curled up in one of them. Sitting cross-legged with a large tome open in her lap, she was staring quietly at their sleeping teammate. Her blonde head rested on her right hand propped up on the armrest. He couldn't see her eyes through her long blonde bangs.

She shifted when he walked into the room. Wiping a hand across her eyes, she cleared her throat and said, "Hi, Choji."

She gave him a pained smile, her eyes were red rimmed. Dropping the food on a side table by a beautiful vase of light pink peonies, Choji walked over and pulled Ino up off the chair and into a tight hug. The book she was reading thumped loudly on the ground. Luckily it didn't wake up their sleeping teammate.

"Have you been crying?"

Ino sniffed as she rested her blonde head against his chest. "No, I just got a speck of dust in my eye."

"Has he woken up yet?"

Ino let out a shaky breath. "He's being sedated. He was in s-so much pain when he arrived, that they had to give him a sedative. Tsunade was able to extract some of the poison. She's working on the antidote now."

"Well I brought two lunches with me. No one ever gets better on hospital meals. I guess if Shika's sleeping, you can have his."

Choji dropped in the other chair and pulled out the two bento boxes. Leaning down, Ino picked up the book she was reading and placed it on the table next to him. Accepting the box, she sat down cross legged in the chair she had occupied before.

"Thanks, Choji."

"No problem." He looked over at the book. "Reading about poisons?"

Ino shrugged as she broke apart the chopsticks and picked up a tempura. She looked over at the book on the side table. "Yeah. It's not very exciting reading."

Choji looked sideways at his friend. A blonde bang had fallen down across her face again, hiding her face from him. He saw a teardrop fall into the soy sauce. "He's going to be fine, you'll see."

"He's been so still," whispered Ino. "It's like he's already dead."

"He's not going to die," said Choji firmly. "Shizune will have the antidote for him soon. Everything's going to be alright."

There came a voice from the doorway. "I had a feeling that I would find you two here."

Ino and Choji turned to see Sarutobi Asuma leaning in the doorway.

"Asuma-sensei," said Choji

"Sensei!" said Ino, wiping her eyes again.

"How's our boy doing?" asked Asuma as he slouched into the room, hands in his pockets.

"Lady Tsunade is working on an antidote right now," said Ino. "He's been sedated for the time being."

Asuma stopped in front of the bed and looked down pensively at his favorite student. "Dry your tears, Ino," he said without looking over at her. "He'll be fine. He'd say that your weeping was too troublesome."

Ino sniffed and said gruffly, "I'm not crying, there's just something in my eye."

"You're a terrible liar, Ino," replied Asuma.

"How's your little girl doing?" asked Choji.

"She's doing fine," said Asuma. "She's turning two next month. She wants her Auntie Ino and Uncles Shikamaru and Choji to be there of course." He glanced over at Ino. "You'll have to teach me how to braid hair like you do. Shuiro is always saying, 'Daddy! Mommy! You can never do my hair as well as Auntie Ino can! When is Auntie Ino coming over again? I miss her!"

Ino chuckled and dried her eyes. "I'm off from missions this week. I'll try to stop over when Shikamaru's out of the hospital."

"How are things going at the academy, Choji?"

"Oh," said a deep voice from the hallway. "I didn't realize that Shikamaru had so many visitors today. I can come back tomorrow."

"That you, Itachi?"

"Yes," said the man as he walked in.

Choji and Ino eyed him with interest. So this was Shikamaru's infamous ANBU captain and their classmate Uchiha Sasuke's famous older brother. It was strange. They had lived in the same village for nearly eighteen years and their teammate had been on the man's ANBU team for over a year, but Choji and Ino had never had too many dealings with Uchiha Itachi. They were practically strangers. But of course they knew of him. The Uchiha clan head was famous in Konoha, in the Fire Country and in the entire Shinobi world.

Considering the name he had made for himself and the power he welded, Ino was surprised how young he looked. He looked a great deal like Sasuke. They had the same dark eyes and similar facial structures. Itachi's hair wasn't as deep a black and he wore it in a different style. The family resemblance however was clear.

He must have had time to return home and change out of his ANBU gear. He wore dark shinobi pants and the long sleeve shirt over his green flak jacket common among the jonin of the village; the Uchiha fan was prominent on his shoulder.

"How is he?" he asked, standing next to Asuma by the foot of the bed.

"He's been sedated," said Ino for the third time. "Tsunade is working on the antidote as we speak."

Itachi closed his eyes as he sighed in relief. Ino was surprised to see such a display of emotion from the Uchiha clan head.

She had heard about their mission from Tsunade earlier. Shikamaru and his ANBU team had faced two Akatsuki members, two S-rank criminals. She had read about them in her bingo book, Sasori of the Red Sand and Orochimaru, the feared Snake Sannin from their own village. Her ANBU team was strong, but they wouldn't have lasted five minutes against such foes.

Shiranui Genma was already cold in the ground and Shikamaru would be dead if not for the medical prowess of Lady Tsunade. But here, here was Uchiha Itachi. He had killed Sasori of the Red Sand and sent Orochimaru running after destroying the Snake Sannin's arm. He was a little pale yes, but he had not a hair out of place. It was remarkable. And this handsome young man stood humbly beside his ANBU teammate's bedside, praying for her teammate's life.

He turned his dark eyes on her and bowed humbly. "I'm so sorry to have allowed your boyfriend to be so seriously wounded while under my care as his captain."

Ino turned her red rimmed eyes to him. "That's very kind of you, Itachi-san. Shika is my teammate, not my b-boyfriend."

Itachi looked embarrassed. Asuma chuckled from beside the Uchiha clan head. "Don't sweat it, Itachi. It's a common misconception."

The sun was low in the sky when they finally arrived at the Shrine. Sasuke could hear the calls of several nightingales announcing the morning. With their drab plumage, they were difficult to pick out from the leaves.

"Hō-hoke-kyo."

The sun beamed down from directly over the entrance to the shrine, bathing the four ANBU in a bright light almost blinding in its intensity. The pathway up to the shrine twisted and turned up the side of a mountain; the gray cement river beckoning them ever upwards. The deciduous trees helped to hide the holy place from prying eyes and enclosed the place in cool shade, particularly comforting on such a warm July morning.

The tripartite entrance way was made of wood with a central gate that towered over the outer two. Banners decorated the sides of the middle gate with the kanji for Fire proudly emblazed on their white cloth. The crimson shingles looked newly painted. The ANBU team had been directed to the shrine by the monks at the Fire Temple. This secret shrine was a hiding place for their treasures. Half a day east of the Fire Temple, the shrine was situated in the southern reaches of a mountain range.

The courtyard was littered with loose stones that rustled as the ANBU team made their way through it. The panther masked ninja stopped at the small building to the left of the shrine that housed a well. He removed his mask and picked up one of the wooden ladles propped up against the trough. Taking the wooden ladle in his right hand, he washed his left and then right before cupping his right hand and rinsing his mouth with the water as well. He spat out the water before replacing the ladle and his mask.

Turning to his fox masked ANBU team member who was no doubt gaping from behind his mask, the ANBU drawled, "Never visited a shrine before, Fox?"

The dog masked ANBU put a hand on the blonde ANBU's shoulder to keep the blonde haired man from charging his dark haired teammate. "I can't say that I have either. I'm surprised that you have, Panther."

"My clan likes to uphold some of their older traditions," replied the panther masked ANBU enigmatically.

The three ANBU turned as their comrade in the beaver mask walked over to them with one of the shrine priests. Unlike their brethren at the Fire Temple, the priests at the shine wore crimson robes. The man bowed to them and said, "We have been expecting you. I will show you where the scrolls are being guarded."

With the loose gravel crunching under their feet, the ANBU team followed the man past the shrine to a hidden set of stairs leading higher up the mountain. After climbing for several minutes, they came upon a cave hewn into the side of the mountain. The place was not easily seen from the shrine.

It was very dark inside. Taking a torch from the wall, the priest lit it with a small Katon jutsu. The inside cavern was immense. Even in the flickering torchlight it was impossible to see the entire cave. The curved roof of the grotto was far above their heads where the light barely reached. Several paces in front of them the ground opened into a gaping abyss. There was a large building a hundred meters away from the entrance to the grotto and across a rickety wooden bridge.

The feeble light of the torch threw light across the cavern to bathe the front of the building in light. It was a large building with rice paper sliding doors. The doors were decorated, but it was impossible to determine the motif from that distance. The roof was by far the most impressive aspect of the building. The curved eaves extended out beyond the walls of the building gracefully. It was difficult to see in the darkness, but the walls seemed to be painted a bright crimson.

"We hold several of the most secret scrolls of the Fire Country," the priest explained. "Not many know of the Shrine's location, which provides us with some protection. The shrine is open to the public, but this cave is hidden away. The bridge here was built with a nightingale floor. If someone walks across it, we will know. There is also an auditory genjutsu woven into the nightingale floor that is cast by the chirping of the nails."

"That's ingenious," said the dog masked ninja. "Arriving at the building through other means would be difficult for anyone but a ninja. And a ninja would most likely try to walk across the floor rather than scale the walls of the cavern to arrive at the building."

"Our thoughts exactly."

The fox masked ninja scratched his head. "Er, so how do we get across then? I'm not too good with genjutsu."

"An excellent question," said the priest. "We have a secondary bridge that we can extend and retract so that we can get across to the building without getting caught in genjutsu. One of my brethren is over there and will extend the bridge to us."

A cable was shot across the gorge from the building. It whistled through the air and its sharp tip embedded itself in the wall to their left. A second cable shot across before the first had landed. After several minutes, a makeshift bridge of wooden planks had slithered across the cables.

"Follow me," said the priest.

The weeping cherry swayed lightly in the breeze, its hanging branches dancing to its own melody. The black granite of the monument had been polished only that morning after a new name had been scratched onto the surface to join its brethren.

Shiranui Genma

Itachi hated the monument. He wasn't sure how Kakashi could spend so much time staring at the names there.

He had been a child during the Third Great Ninja War when he learned about the stone. He could remember day after day, seeing name after name scratched into the reflective black sides of the monument. His best friend Shisui had been pale as a ghost as he watched his older brother's name added to the list.

Uchiha Obito

Still there was so much room for other names.

This was the first time that one of his ANBU team members had been added to the list. He hoped it would be the last. Shikamaru was still in the hospital; Tsunade had mixed an antidote a couple hours ago. He hadn't left Shikamaru's hospital room before the antidote was administered and he was sure his teammate would live. Shikamaru would be fine after another day of bed rest. But it was a chilling reminder. If they hadn't been so close to Konoha, there would have been two new names added to the monument.

When he became an ANBU captain, he promised himself that he would never see any of his team's names on the monument. He had broken that promise to himself.

Had he done wrong splitting up the team to fight those two S Rank criminals? Would Genma still be alive if they had faced Sasori and Orochimaru together? Why had he waited so long to use his Mangekyo Sharingan? Maybe he shouldn't have hesitated about using such a debilitating technique.

Was he the right person to be in ANBU? If someone else had led his team, would it have gone better? If someone else had led his team, would there be even more names on that hated monument?

He unclenched his fists at the sound of soft footfalls behind him. He hadn't even realized that he had been doing it. Looking down at his right palm, he saw crescent shaped indentations. He turned when he felt a warm hand on his shoulder.

Mikoto stood next to her oldest son, with a hand resting gently on his shoulder. "I was sorry to hear about Genma. He was a good man."

Itachi sighed. "Shizune was devastated. She asked me, 'How could you be so careless? How could you let him die? He was supposed to be safe on your team!'"

Mikoto closed her eyes. "ANBU is a dangerous job. All shinobi take their lives into their hands every time they go on a mission. Genma was safer than most on your team, but missions can go wrong."

"Do you miss it?"

"Taking missions?" Mikoto smiled and said, "Sometimes. But then I look at you and Sasuke and I'm happy." She crinkled her eyes in a smile and looked at him. He smiled warmly back. She continued. "Have you thought about the clan's demands at all? I'm always getting letters from daughters of nobles and feudal lords who want to be introduced to the great Itachi Uchiha. We've never spoken about arranged marriages. It could be beneficial to ally ourselves with one of these nobles, stability for the Leaf village and wealth for the Uchiha clan."

Itachi turned to look at the swaying branhes. "I don't think I could be happy in an arranged marriage." He turned his dark eyes on his mother. "Were you happy?" He couldn't see her expression, but from the awkward pause, he knew it wasn't a happy one. "I'm sorry, mother. It's not my place to-"

She lifted her head to give him a small smile. "No, I don't mind talking about it. I was a young girl when I was betrothed to your father. He was to be the next clan leader and my parents were so honored that I was chosen out of all the other kunoichi to be his bride. He was nearly fifteen years older than me, so we didn't interact much outside of clan events. We were married when I was eighteen."

Itachi nodded to show that he was listening.

"I was very unhappy in that first year of marriage but then you were born and I fell in love. It didn't matter that I was in a loveless marriage; you came into my life and you were so small and so new and so wonderful. And then a couple years later Sasuke came long. With my two boys, everything was perfect."

Mikoto paused for a moment before continuing on.

"Then when you got older, Fugaku tried to steal you away from me when he realized how exceptional you were. As time passed, Fugaku twisted into something ugly and I began to fear for our family and the safety of the village. Then around Sasuke's seventh birthday, your father died. To this day I still feel guilty, but when I received the news my first feelings were those of relief."

"Mother, I-"

"You don't need to tell me. I've known for a long time the truth of that night. I know you carry the burden of those lives with you, but you did the right thing."

Itachi glanced at his father's name on the stone. It was always uncomfortable to look at that name.

Uchiha Fugaku

Turning to his mother, Itachi asked, "Why didn't you say something earlier?"

"I know that you've been trying to keep it from Sasuke, so I didn't want to get in the way of that. Sasuke was so young when Fugaku died that he still looks at him through rose colored glasses. I don't want to taint his memory like that, even if he wasn't a nice man."

"Well that was a ringing endorsement for arranged marriages," Itachi said smiling wryly. "All the same, I think I'll take a look at some of those letter's you've been receiving after all."

Mikoto chuckled. "Convinced you, did I?"

"You might want to stay away from the field of motivational speeches."

"I'll leave that to your brother's friend Naruto. He's so much like my old friend Kushina it's almost frightening sometimes, believe it."

"Now you're starting to frighten me."

The darkness in the hidden building was almost oppressive. The priest had used his torch to light several of the wall scones in the scroll room, but the feeble light did little to extinguish the darkness.

After a minute of debate, the ANBU team had decided to remove their masks as they went through the scrolls in the room. It was difficult enough to read the titles on the scrolls without their masks on. With the porcelain visages of animals on their faces, it was near impossible.

The mission dossier had a list of scrolls that the team was to return with them to Konoha. The four ANBU members had storage scrolls in which they were placing the scrolls. Their captain, Hatake Kakashi, crossed off the documents as they discovered them.

Kakashi crossed off another scroll as Naruto sealed it into a seal muttering, "Jeez, the Third sure had a lot of scrolls."

Yamato looked over at them from a wall of musty scrolls and said, "Well he wasn't called the professor for nothing."

"Any luck finding those Uzumaki fūinjutsu scrolls, Yamato?"

The brown haired shinobi sighed and ran a hand through his brown hair. "Not yet. I thought they would be with some of the other 'U' scrolls, but I haven't had any luck so far."

"Hm," pondered Kakashi. "I wonder if they might be with the 'F' scrolls for fūinjutsu."

"That would be my next guess," Yamato agreed.

Sasuke wandered over to help Yamato work his way through the 'U' scrolls as Naruto said, "I'd love to get my hands on those Uzumaki scrolls. Maybe Pervy Sage can help teach me some of them."

"Somehow I can't imagine you having much talent for fūinjutsu, dobe," said Sasuke. "It seems a bit too intellectual of a pursuit for an idiot like you."

"You suck, teme."

"Hey Sasuke, while you're over there, can you look for the Uchiha-Hyuga scroll?" asked Kakashi.

"Sure."

"Some of these scrolls look pretty interesting. Do you think it would be alright if I looked through some of those Uzumaki scrolls on the way back to the v-" Naruto ended his sentence in a terrified squeak as he caught a glance at the dark expression on Yamato's face.

"Naruto! You know that you're not supposed to read secret documents! That's shinobi rule number twenty-seven!" said Yamato.

Sasuke chuckled. "I'm surprised that you believe that Naruto could remember a list of twenty-seven rules."

"I believe it's actually rule number thirty-five," Kakashi corrected.

Yamato looked at Kakashi with annoyance. "No, Kakashi-senpai, I'm pretty sure it's shinobi rule number twenty-seven."

Kakashi shook his head with a slight chuckle. "I'm pretty sure that shinobi rule number twenty-seven is 'secret techniques should remain a secret.'"

Naruto folded his hands behind his head and said proudly, "Well I decided long ago not to follow anyone else's shinobi rules. I'm going to be a ninja in my own way and never give up on what I think is right and just."

"That's just because you have no hope of remembering a list of rules, Naruto," teased Sasuke. Naruto looked affronted. "Oh, I found the Uchiha-Hyuga scroll," said Sasuke, sealing it into his scroll.

It had been a crazy day, mentally and physically exhausting. After being unsuccessful in his search for Hyuga Hinata at the hospital for a checkup on his Mangekyō Sharingan, Itachi went looking for his friend Shisui to tell him about his strange encounter with Orochimaru. However, Shisui couldn't be found either. Shisui spent a lot more time training his students than Kakashi seemed to.

It was a peaceful summer night. It seemed that so much had changed for him in the past week. He hadn't really had a chance yet to think about everything that happened. It was a beautiful night for introspection.

His entire life had been turned upside down because of the medical miracle that Hyuga Hinata had accomplished. For the past five years he had been slowly dying from a chronic illness. Tsunade had been working tirelessly to make a breakthrough, but she had told him that he would live for five to ten years at the most in his condition. When he had heard that, at first he had been furious. But he had finally come to accept it. It was his lot in life

Suffering and sorrow, after all, seemed to be natural for the Uchiha clan. The Sharingan could only be awakened from stress and the Mangekyō Sharingan could only be perfected at the heartbreak of losing one of the people closest to you. Itachi had awakened both of these powers. And on top of that he was the head of the Uchiha clan. It was his responsibility to think of his clan and his home first and himself second.

It was a difficult secret to keep from his clan – the matter of his illness. He had wasted no time naming his brother as heir. Sasuke was more than capable and Itachi had expected that his brother would need to take over as clan head in a few short years.

But Hyuga Hinata had given him something that he never thought he could have – a future. It wasn't inevitable that he'd die young.

The matters of succession were less certain now. All of Itachi's actions up to this point were to prepare for his own death. However, now he could think long term again. What direction did he want to lead his clan? The Uchiha were a proud and warlike people. Could he change the Uchiha? Erase their Curse of Hatred?

The demands Kagami and the elders had set for him also needed to be considered. He wasn't ready to be a sensei to anyone. Konoha was in too much danger for him to retire now. He wasn't sure how long he could put his clan off when it came to providing a second heir for the clan. If his family wanted to hold onto their influence, the second heir would have to be either his son or Sasuke's. This was not a matter to be rushed into lightly. Hyuga Hinata's face kept flashing across his mind. He would like to get to know her better. But he couldn't ask her to give up her position for him. Sure something had sparked at their first meeting, but he hardly knew her at all. And he promised his mother that he would look at those letters...

Finally he arrived at the spot in the forest that he had been looking for. It was a forgotten paradise not far from Kohona where a waterfall fell headlong from a pile of rocks into a secret pool with water so pure one could see to the smooth stones at the bottom. He had discovered it several years ago and it remained a secret refuge for him to think and practice his water jutsu.

So naturally he was shocked to find another presence at the pool.

Taking the rocks one at a time, he leapt down to the base of the pool to better observe the newcomer. He could only make out the woman's silhouette in the darkness. Her long hair fell midway down her back and twirled around her as she moved. She was petite, but limber and graceful as she practiced her jutsu. Her movements on top of the water almost looked like a carefully choreographed dance. For a fleeting moment, Itachi thought that she must be a water nymph.

But then the moon came out from behind a cloud to shine on her. It was the very girl he had been looking for at the hospital that afternoon: Hinata Hyuga! She had discarded the lavender-colored tunic he had seen her wearing several days ago at the hospital and was instead dressed only in a tight pair of knee length black pants and an equally tight tank top that left her stomach bare. Almost in a daze, he walked out on the water to her.

She started when she saw him. "Uchiha-san?"

Smiling he replied, "Please call me Itachi."

"Itachi," she whispered. Confused at seeing him here, she asked, "How did you know that I was here?"

Staring at her intently, he replied simply, "I didn't. I like to come here too. I didn't realize that you had discovered this place as well."

They considered each other in silence. Realizing that Itachi had no intention on breaking the silence, Hinata stuttered, "I…I haven't come here for a long time. Not since I started working at the hospital."

He nodded silently, still studying her intently.

Feeling uncomfortable under his dark penetrating gaze, she spoke again. "That is precisely the problem you see. My younger sister was telling me about a new jutsu that her jounin sensei had taught her while they were on a mission. She asked me if I could teach her a new jutsu that she could use to impress her sensei." Looking down at her hands, Hinata continued softly. "When she asked me, I realized that I haven't been keeping up with my training at all. I haven't learned any new jutsu in more than a year. I had been working on one before I started working full time at the hospital but I never perfected it."

"And that's why you're here tonight," he finally spoke.

She looked up at him. "Yes. Why are you?"

He quirked a half-smile. "Nothing so interesting. I like coming out here to think."

Hinata lowered her eyes, "I'm sorry to be interfering with your introspection. I can leave if you'd like me to."

He laughed. "It's no trouble." He gave her a beautiful smile, utterly transforming his stern face. She felt a warm feeling blossom in her chest. "Then why don't I help you with that technique that you're trying to master?"

"Really?"

"Of course. What is it?"

"A water senbon technique."

"So you have a water affinity like your cousin Neji," Itachi nodded. "Is that common in the Hyuga clan?"

"Yes. Though not as common as having a fire affinity is in the Uchiha clan."

"I'm familiar with that jutsu. Why don't you show me how much you've developed it thus far."

"Al…Alright," she stuttered.

Rapidly forming the hand signs, she created thousands of senbon from the water at their feet. She hurled them at a tree several hundred feet away. Every single leaf on the tree was ripped away from its branches, with senbon piercing it in the center.

Itachi peered at her curiously, his blood red eyes analyzing her technique carefully. "I don't know why you think your jutsu needs work. It looks flawless to me. I don't think I could have hit all of those leaves square at the same time with that many needles. Do you use this in conjunction with your gentle fist technique?"

Hinata nodded. "Yes, I use my Byakugan to help aim the senbon at a person's chakra points. I had been using chakra needles, but I wanted to utilize my water nature. By taking advantage of a nearby water source, I could make the same amount of senbon and use a fraction of the chakra."

"That sounds like a wonderful idea. You have very precise chakra control, so water or chakra senbon are an ideal weapon for you. I did notice that you used a bit more chakra than necessary for the technique. Is that what you're trying to perfect?"

"Yes," said Hinata. "Now, I'm using roughly the same amount of chakra for both techniques. And I have to use even more when there is not as much water available."

"I see. So the usefulness of the technique as it is now is basically null and void because you are not saving any chakra with it."

"Exactly."

"This technique is very advanced because it utilizes both shape and nature transformation at the same time. You're very adept with shape transformation; it's the nature transformation aspect of the technique that needs work. Thus what you need to work on is not the shaping of the water chakra into senbon but the gathering of the water."

Hinata nodded in understanding. "Alright." She began forming hand signs again.

"Here," said Itachi. "I know the technique too. Why don't you watch me with your Byakugan. You should be able to see me mold chakra, right?"

"Yes," Hinata said. "Byakugan."

He performed the hand signs so fast that she could hardly track their movement. Though for her benefit he gathered and shaped the chakra very slowly. She watched as he released a certain amount of his own chakra imbued with his water nature before attracting water from the lake. After he had gathered a sufficient amount of water, he began to change the shape of the water drops in the air to sharpen them into senbon.

He flung them at the trunk of the tree. At his nod, she performed the hand signs again. This time, she focused more on gathering the water than shaping it. She performed the technique much slower the second time, but she used much less chakra.

"That was very good. You used maybe half or a third of the chakra compared to your first iteration. Practice will improve your speed."

Elated at her success, she leapt into Itachi's arms. Looking up at him with smiling eyes, she said, "Thank you, Itachi. Thank you so much!"

He smiled back at her gently. Putting a hand to her cheek, he said, "I stopped by the hospital this afternoon to see you, but you'd already left."

"I'm sorry I missed you. Is something wrong?" She stepped away from him. "You didn't….you didn't use your Mangekyō Sharingan again, did you?"

"Well you see…"

Hinata put her hands on her hips. Poking him in the chest, she scolded, "You're only supposed to use it when you have absolutely no other choice. What if I can't repair the damage?"

"I'm sorry, but I really had no other choice. If it's not too much trouble…" Itachi grinned winningly.

"Alright," sighed Hinata. "Just stay still and I'll take a look. Has your vision deteriorated?"

"Not too much."

She walked up to him and put a light hand on either side of his face, pulling it down closer to her eye level. "I have to get quite close to see well enough. I apologize if I'm making you uncomfortable," she whispered.

"I don't mind," Itachi whispered back. His warm breath ghosted over her parted lips. "Do whatever you need to."

"Byakugan!" She could see the chakra swirling around near his eyes. Luckily it seemed that no chakra clots had formed after he had used his Mangekyo Sharingan technique.

She stood right up against him. Her breasts pressed against his chest as she breathed calmly in out, her exhalations lightly tickling his cheek. It was too tempting. He rested his hands lightly on her hips to help balance her. He concentrated on the chakra he channeled to the bottoms of his feet to keep him balanced above the undulating water of the lake, anything to take his mind off how closely their bodies were intertwined.

"I'm finished," she whispered, not making any attempt to move from their position. Looking up at him through dark eyelashes, she licked her parted lips, not really sure what she wanted. "Itachi…"

Luckily he knew what he wanted. He leaned in and captured her lips with his own. He pulled her body even closer to his if that was humanly possible. She could feel one of his hands slide under her tank top and across the bare skin of her back. His cool touch was electrifying.

She didn't know where to put her hands. She had lowered them from his face to clutch desperately at the fabric of his shirt. When he slid a hand across the flat plane of her stomach and higher towards her breasts, she let out a soft moan.

Itachi took that opportunity to deepen the kiss as he slid his tongue into her sweet mouth and devoured her. Sliding her hands up, she tugged off the cord pulling his hair into a low ponytail and buried her hands in his dark hair.

He smoothed a hand across her cheek and kissed the side of her mouth. He kissed his way to her earlobe where he whispered hotly, "Kami, you're so beautiful, Hinata. I've wanted to do this from the moment I met you."

"Itachi," she gasped out. "Don't stop."

He kissed his way down the column of her throat and she threw her head back in pleasure. Tangling his hands in his midnight dark hair, he marveled at its softness.

She was drowning in him. All of her senses were overcome with his closeness. All that mattered was the press of him against her. The feel of him in her arms and the soft moans he made when she kissed him. Nothing else mattered, not the issues with her father and the clan…

She pulled back from Itachi in shock. The clan! What was she thinking, giving into her desires like this? She must have looked like a mess, her lips swollen, hair all mussed up and her eyes slightly glazed over from pleasure.

"Itachi," Hinata whispered breathlessly.

Itachi's warm hands were gripping her tightly. Cupping his face in her hands, she looked up at him. His eyes still smoldered with passion. Kami, if he didn't stop staring at her like that, she would lose her nerve. "Itachi," she said again with more conviction. "We shouldn't be doing this. It isn't right."

He gazed at her with a hurt look on his face. "I'm sorry, Hinata, I hope you don't think that I took advantage of…"

Her face was burning as she said, "You didn't take advantage of me. I…I wanted it just as much as you did."

Itachi blinked in surprise. "I don't understand. What's wrong?"

Hinata took a step back and wrapped her arms around herself defensively. If he touched her again, she wouldn't be able to stop herself. She looked up at him, her eyes shining. "What I'm trying to say is that I shouldn't be kissing you at all, Itachi. My father would be furious. I need to consider my responsibilities as the heiress of the Hyuga clan."

"I'm sorry, Hinata, for compromising you like this. As the head of the Uchiha clan, I understand the importance of clan politics."

"You have no reason to be sorry," Hinata whispered sincerely. "Goodnight Itachi."

He watched her slip away into the night.

A/N: Please Review!