Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Naruto characters, unless otherwise stated. In this case, I only own Kimi and her village.
Author's Note: Well, here's the next chapter. Again, not much is really known about Itachi's early training -- who was his sensei and who else was in his squad? I don't know . . . so I've kind of guesstimated times and ages to come up with the following. I hope you like it. There's not as much Kimi in it, so you get to see a little of how Itachi acts around other people. Sorry if Itachi's gotten a little OOC. I didn't realize it was really happening until Kiri-No-Miko pointed it out to me. Thanks! As I told her, I'm not really sure myself whether or not Itachi's actually opening up to Kimi . . . or if he's just testing his capacity concerning human interaction. What better a test subject than one who doesn't know how he normally acts, right? Well, here's the next chapter, folks. Enjoy!
VI
Birds chirped high in the branches above Itachi as he stood in a relaxed stance, fingers brushing seam of his shorts. His eyes were open a fraction, Sharingan active and ready for use. Ignoring the stoic form of his sensei watching from nearby, Itachi focused his senses on the surrounding forest. It was only a matter of time, now. Though no leaf rustled or twig snapped, he became suddenly aware of movement to his right – and left. Itachi smirked slightly. Time to work.
Three shuriken flew suddenly from the shadows to his right, followed swiftly by the lithe form of a young man. A kunai all but appeared in Itachi's right hand as he lifted it to block the flying metal. His left hand then snapped out with snake speed and snatched the attacking boy's wrist. Using his assailer's momentum against him, Itachi turned and slung the genin into a second boy – who had been advancing from the left. Both crashed to the ground in a heap.
It had only taken seconds to fend off the attack; Itachi had barely exerted himself. Grunting, Izumo and Kotetsu – his two squad-mates and assailants – pushed themselves upright.
Kotetsu rubbed his head gingerly. "You know, you could just let us win for once," he said.
Shaking his head, their sensei – Hiashi Hyuga – stepped forward. "That would defeat the purpose of the exercise. With his Sharingan, Itachi can read your movements and react instantly. You need to learn to adapt and plan accordingly. Straight on attacks won't always work on your opponent. Your enemy may have skills you don't know about, so you need to be ready for anything."
"But none of our enemies are going to be using the Sharingan," Izumo complained. "That's the Uchiha Clan kekkei genkai. None of our enemies –"
"If you cannot defeat a powerful ally," Hiashi interrupted sternly, "then you will not be able to defeat a powerful enemy." He surveyed the squad. "True, none of our enemies will use the Sharingan against us, but what abilities – what other jutsu – are out there that we don't know of? Expect the unexpected. Put your all on the table and don't give your opponent a chance to plan."
Moving back into the shadows, Hiashi stated, "Now, begin again."
Itachi nodded to his sensei. Before he completed the motion, Kotetsu was on his feet and lunging at him. The young Uchiha leapt back, blocking the attack smoothly. Motion behind him. Izumo. Itachi ducked down and used his squad-mate's momentum to throw the boy over him.
They had changed their tactic, going for a more straightforward approach and trying to wear him down. They were hoping that he would make a mistake; then they would take advantage of the opening and take him down.
Itachi Uchiha, however, never made mistakes.
The three boys moved rapidly through attacks and defensive moves, their actions taking on the appearance of some strange and intricate dance. Metal clashed as kunai met, sparks flying out from the contact.
As Itachi blocked another assault from Izumo, he became suddenly aware of a man standing next to Hiashi. "How goes the training?" the visitor asked coolly.
The voice was familiar, and Itachi's eyes flicked instinctively toward the man – his father. The sight of Fugaku Uchiha standing half in shadows triggered a sudden memory. Kimi's face – pale – a fleck of blood on her lips – her eyes lifeless – flashed across Itachi's vision.
Itachi's footing faltered. Before he could recover himself, Kotetsu's fist was inches from his face. Itachi jerked and the blow grazed his cheek. Turning his stumble into an easy roll, Itachi swiftly moved behind Izumo and swept the boy's feet from beneath him.
Kotetsu, staring amazed at his own fist, did not bring up his guard in time. Itachi hurled him into the brush with a neatly executed spin kick. The young Uchiha landed in a crouch, eyes moving between his opponents – avoiding his father's critical gaze.
Hiashi cleared his throat. "That's enough for today. Dismissed."
Itachi bowed to him – still not looking at Fugaku – and turned on his heel, swiftly striding away from the embarrassing ordeal. It was bad enough that Kotetsu got in a blow, but in front of his father! In front of Fugaku! It was disgraceful!
"Hey! Itachi! Wait up!"
Itachi paused and looked blankly back as Izumo and Kotetsu jogged to catch up. Kotetsu smiled sheepishly. "Are you alright? Sorry 'bout that."
"Don't be," Itachi replied flatly. "We were training. It's – to be expected." But it had never happened before. Itachi resisted the urge to lift a hand to the place on his cheek. It burned – more out of shame, though, than pain.
"I guess so," Kotetsu said dubiously.
Izumo elbowed him. "So, you going to train some more? Mind if we join you? The more the merrier, right?" Itachi thought he sounded a bit too eager.
He turned away. "No."
Izumo slowly followed him. "No, you don't mind? Or –"
"I'm not going to train."
"Oh. Then where –"
"To meditate. Alone."
Izumo fell silent, and Itachi continued to walk away. Before he had escaped them, though, Kotetsu spoke up. "You can't overanalyze everything, you know. It's not healthy."
Itachi scowled slightly but made no reply, vanishing into the trees. Not healthy. Could that be why he had his first nightmare last night? As far as he could remember, he had never had such a dream – he rarely dreamed anyway. You can't overanalyze everything. But what was he supposed to do? He had to know what made her so important. He had to know why he was so obsessed with her. He had to!
First, though, he had to find her.
Itachi returned to the inn where Kimi was staying. The window was propped open, and he could see – even from a distance – that the room was empty. His scowl deepened as he stood in his chosen tree and scanned the streets below. There was no sign of her. Where would she have gone? Surely, from his lookout, he would be able to spot the flash of her golden hair in the high sun. There was no missing its odd color.
"Didja lose something?"
The singsong voice came from below Itachi. He stiffened and looked down; he had not heard anyone approach. Familiar eyes glittered up at him from beneath the wide brim of a bamboo hat. That explained why he did not see her hair; it was tucked beneath the kasa, only a few strands falling on either side of her face.
Itachi dropped down in front of Kimi, strangely relieved. "Not anymore," he stated, relaxing slightly. He cocked an eyebrow. "I like the hat, by the way."
Kimi giggled lightly, lifting up her hands to brush the round rim. "Thanks. It keeps the sun out of my eyes. How did training go?" When he did not reply, her smile faltered. "That was where you were this morning, wasn't it?"
"It was fine," Itachi said flatly, looking away. He could not keep his eyes off of her for long, though, and when he looked back, he found her gazing at him with her head tilted slightly to one side – eyes skeptical.
He cleared his throat. "So what were you up to this morning?"
Kimi shrugged one shoulder. "Just looking around. I found a nice hat that I liked."
Her cheerful, off-hand voice seemed to chase away the dark clouds in Itachi's mind. In spite of himself, he found his mood lifting and his worries drifting away. He chuckled and flicked the brim. "I can see that."
Kimi smirked, grabbing the kasa before it fell off her head, dislodged by the flick. "So, what now? We have the rest of the day. What do you want to do with it?"
Itachi looked out of the woods and into town, deep in thought. He had told Izumo and Kotetsu that he would be meditating. If they happened to run into the pair in town – that would be awkward. Too many questions. No. he would give her a tour of the village later.
He turned back to Kimi. "Have you had lunch yet?" He had managed to pack for two without his mother noticing.
Kimi shook her head. "No. Not yet."
"Good," Itachi said. "Come with me." He stepped past the girl, leading her back into the forest. She followed without question.