Chapter 26: Looking Up
I usually sat in my cell. Now I was informed of the passing days. It's been apparently two weeks since my kidnapping. You know what, I'm sick of it. Because of my awesome obedience, my cell was left unlocked. I made myself a mental map. Today, Kabuto allowed me to take a walk with a weak guard. He only needed to get me close to where I was pretty sure the exit hid waiting for me. I mulled over my plan a little more. There were quite a few holes but I'd cross that bridge when I came to it.
My fingers lightly touched the bandages over my eye. I was now used to having only one eye to see where I am. It threw off my depth perception for a bit, but I quickly learned.
The guard and I neared the exit. As we turned past that hallway, I managed to get the guard in a hold and knock him out by locking my arm around his neck. After about ten seconds on pressing the arteries on his neck, he passed out limply. I sat him up against the wall, patted his head, and limped to the exit.
Hell, if I was to stay in this hole any longer, I would go insane. When I pushed through the door, the entrance hidden by a Genjutsu opened to me. I rushed outside and nearly cried at the sight of sunlight and the scent of fresh air.
I'm pretty sure I smelled of blood, urine, sweat, and dungeon. No matter. I looked for any indication as to where I was, but found none. For now, I'd have to hide until night fell so I could use the stars. My eyelids fell tiredly over my eyes. Not yet, I told myself. I couldn't allow myself to fall asleep just yet. I dragged myself deep into the forest to the right of me. After ten minutes of walking, I collapsed in a bush. When I looked up, there was a small crevice I could fit into. When I slipped in, I found it was huge on the inside.
Well, my luck has begun to improve, hasn't it?
? PoV
I could sense someone in the hiding spot I made years ago. I turned to my partner.
"I have things to take care of. I'll meet you at the dango stand," I told him. He nodded, and we parted ways at the fork in the road. As I walked down the path, I quickly found my hunting path I used to find where I stored my weapons. The Base wasn't too safe, with the constant yelling and arguing. They're criminals, for Jashin's sake. When will they grow up?
When I found the small crevice I just barely managed to slip into, I found a girl no older than thirteen. Her hair was short and silver but covered in dirt and grime. She didn't smell too nice, and she looked malnourished. She sat near the entrance of my hole in the ground, as if she knew if she ventured deeper she would anger someone. I looked over her thin tattered clothes and could find no identification. When I looked at her, I felt she was familiar and I knew her from somewhere. I sighed.
I was definitely too nice for my own good.
I went off to hunt for food. When I returned, the sun was setting and the girl was just opening her onyx eye. She looked a lot like -
No, she couldn't possibly be...?
When she saw me, she didn't react at first. Then, she whispered my name and tried to curl into a small ball - a defensive instinct when one couldn't fight. I sighed again and started a small fire and cooked the deer I caught. She watched me carefully, calculating.
"I'm not going to hurt you," I told her. She shook her head before answering.
"You're Uchiha Itachi. You murdered your clan. Excuse me for being cautious." I nearly smirked at her attitude.
"You know my name, but I don't know yours," I said. She hesitated for a moment before answering.
"Hatake Saya." I looked at her, confused.
"Kakashi's daughter?" She nodded in answer. "What are you doing so far from Konoha in that state? Mission gone wrong?" She shivered at my question and tightened her ball-like state.
"Orochimaru," she answered. That one name was filled with so much anger and hate. I was instantly reminded of Sasuke.
"Will you get revenge?" I asked. She laughed bitterly.
"I'm not stupid. How am I supposed to get strong enough to tear out a Sannin's throat? He changed my chakra natures. I'll have to retrain from the ground up. It'll take a bit to get me back to where I was, and I now have this," she spoke quickly. Her fingers ghosted the bandage over her eye.
"What did he do?" The words were quickly out of my mouth before I even thought about them.
She looked up at me, an idea dawning on her. "I'll tell you... On a condition." I gestured for her to go on. "Train me." She demanded. I sighed and thought about it. It'd be hard for her to live in Konoha and train with me, so I'd have to meet her when I wasn't with Kisame. I couldn't sneak into Konoha all the time. However, if I didn't train her, who knew what she would do to herself? As plans formed in my head, I nodded. She grinned. Saya undid the bandages and I found a sharingan peeking out from her hair parting. She stuck her tongue out.
"Now I'm a copy of my dad."
Anger filled me. Where the hell did that snake bastard get one? I'm pretty sure my anger showed on my face, as her eyes became calculating. I sighed. Now I definitely had to train her.
And that was how I, Uchiha Itachi, met Hatake Saya.