Chapter 33: Psych Out! A Shinobi's True Power Revealed!
It wasn't real.
It wasn't real.
I had to keep reminding myself that the pain flowing through my body was all in my head, a side effect of the Sharingan working it's powerful Genjutsu. But, what's more, I told myself that the images flowing through my head were just him digging through my mind, searching for the most painful of memories just so that they could make me weaker.
I told myself that the little girl standing before me wasn't real. The small girl with the long, unruly, black hair, her bangs in her face who stared up at with her big, glistening eyes. The one who beckoned me to chase after her, who extended a tiny hand, waiting for me to grab it. Her laugh, infectious and loud as it ricocheted through my head. My heart ached but it wasn't a physical pain. It was strictly emotional and that made it worse.
"So this…is your little sister." Itachi's voice broke through the memory and I shivered, my body trembling as a cold sweat came over my body. He appeared beside her and placed a hand on her shoulder, a touch she didn't seem to feel. She just continued to stare up at me with those eyes of her, a giggle on her lips.
"Pl…please." I breathed.
He turned her to the side, as if to get a better look at her before righting her, his hand lifting off of her shoulder. He took a few steps toward me and just as I was about to look up at him I felt a sharp, searing pain in my leg and looked down only to find another large spike buried deep within my leg muscle.
I cried out, tears gathering in my eyes. I knew it wasn't real but the pain felt so real. It made my head spin, my stomach turn, and my chest ache as I began hyperventilating. The memories came quicker, the night of my clan's massacre playing over, Itachi watching from the sidelines.
My body was sprawled out on the grassy field, my sister hovering over me, her dog-like smile pulling at the edges of her lips as she stared down at me. She had looked like a mad woman then, her hair all askew, her eyes wide, blood spotting her face. My brother just beside her, a dark smile on his lips as he drew his sword. Then there was the pain from the sword piercing my skin and I gasped, my eyes squeezing shut but the memory didn't stop. There I was, dying, their voices drifting off, my blood warm and yet cold as it pooled underneath me.
Next came memories with Orochimaru and all of his brutal trainings. Tayuya beating me to a pulp both on the field and behind closed doors. Kimimaro saying he would make things better only to beat me just as bad. But, it had all been a test to see how far I could get pushed and I had passed it when the experiments began. Suddenly, their hateful looks were hidden behind their fear and then there was no trace of it at all, nothing but fear in its purest form as they looked at me. I had felt pride then, an almost distant sense of satisfaction but there had been something else too, a dark voice at the back of my head and it was hungry. It was never enough. It always wanted more and Orochimaru fed it.
I gasped and suddenly, I was back in the red desert, one spike in my shoulder and the other in my thigh. The pain was unbearable but I stayed awake. Itachi hovered just beside me and I could feel his eyes burning holes into my skin.
"He bit off more than he could chew." Itachi said and I coughed up blood in response, watching as the crimson liquid looked almost black against the darkened rock floor.
"I wasn't in Konoha for him." Itachi continued. "But he insisted and I had to put him down, prove my point."
"Tch." I managed, lifting a few hand to wipe at my mouth.
"He learned his lesson."
"Sounds familiar." I managed, my hand hovering on the outside my mouth. There was only two ways out of a Genjutsu this strong. One was a teammates releasing you but I wasn't sure how far the boys were or if they were even coming. For all I knew, they could have been fighting Zetsu. The other was pain, real pain.
"How so?" I could practically see his eyes narrowing down at me and to prove a point, I looked up at him, meeting his Sharingan.
"Because you underestimated me." I said before sinking my teeth into my flesh, my blood pooling into my mouth. In the blink of an eye, I was back in my own world and the only pain that existed was a slight pain in my chest and the fiery pain in my hand.
Itachi stared down at me from atop a tree and I was careful to not meet his gaze just yet. I had released myself by inflicting pain and while I slightly regretted, despite times called for desperate measures. I licked at my wound while imagining the Sharingan in my head. Itachi's powerful Genjutsu tool, his eye a different kind of Sharingan. I let my Kekkei Genkai take over and I looked up to meet Itachi's gaze. We stared at each other, our stares even, neither one of us flinching. Karin watched in awe from the side and though I found her oddly quiet, I didn't hesitate to dig into Itachi's mind. He didn't stop me and I fell straight in, landing in what I thought was a random memory until I looked around.
There was a sharp, desperate scream and there was Itachi, younger, his head jerking toward the direction of the scream. He seemed hesitant and looked around, as if he was afraid of getting caught, and at the last second, when it looked like he wouldn't move, he did, running toward the scream. the memory moved with him and even though my feet were planted firmly on the ground, I moved with him, stopping when he did, in a dark clearing of sorts.
Three gangsters were in the clearing, snickering down at what looked down a young girl in rags. Her body was dirty and bruised and she seemed frantic, her head turning every which way as she stared up at the men. I felt my stomach tighten as Itachi's hands balled into tight fists at his sides. He glared at the men surrounding the girl and one step announced his arrival. He stepped onto a twig and the sound echoed. All three men turned to glare at him and I caught sight of the girl in the middle.
She was white in the face, her eyes wide and a little sunken in her skull. She was terrified and nothing but skin and bones. Her hair was dirty and in a desperate need of a trim and her clothes, were ripped and hanging off of her body. Her red eyes were sharp, her skin so pale it was almost translucent. I felt the shock wear into my features as the man charged toward Itachi and he took them on, besting them in a matter of minutes. The girl was even more fearful as the fighting began and ran to a nearby tree, throwing herself onto it before struggling to pull herself behind it.
Karin. It was Karin. Itachi watched her after the fight was done, sympathy working its way onto his face. He took a step forward and she cried out as if he had inflicted some sort of pain on her. He extended his hands and she screamed, her own hands shooting out to cover herself. I realized then just how terrible Karin was not just physically but psychologically. Itachi was so far from her, it was impossible to do any bodily harm but just the fact that he was approaching her was enough to make her lose it.
"It's alright." Itachi's voice was gentle as he stared toward and suddenly he was gone before appearing right in front of her. Her eyes widened as she stared up at him and I could see that she was blown away with how close he was, so blown away, she couldn't even form words.
"It's alright." He said and he lowered a hand that she quickly slapped away, as if it was infected.
"Don't…don't…" She whispered, her voice trembling.
That was when it ended and I snapped out of it, feeling sick to my stomach as I stumbled away. I was back in the present and I looked up at Itachi who was panting, a light sweat dotting his forehead.
"Itachi!" Karin shouted and jumped to his side, a hand coming down on his shoulder. "Are you alright?"
I was panting too and Itachi's eyes were back to their regular Sharingan and I released the one I had copied from him, feeling the familiar sting burning its way into my eyes. I struggled to keep them open, fighting through the burning pain.
"You…" Itachi breathed.
"With as much as you know about me," I lifted a hand, pressing my palm against my right eye, where the pain was more intense. "You didn't know about my Kekkei Genkai."
"Shut up you little rat!" Karin fired.
I looked at her, the scared little girl that she used to be flashing in my head. It was Itachi's memories. I had seen right into his head and as a result he had underestimated just how precise my ability could be. Unless he had been testing me…unless he had wanted me to see it…
I shook my head, telling myself I was giving it all too much thought. It didn't change anything, the memory. I had to put the mission first and no sobbing young Karin was going to change that.
"Itachi…" Karin said, her head lowering closer to his ear, her hand on his back, and the other holding one of his hands. "Maybe we should go."
"You're not going anywhere." I spat and she turned to look at me, her eyes dark.
"You're not in the position to demand things." She fired back.
"I think the situation is reversed." I said, making her cheeks redden.
"You little…" Karin grumbled but Itachi grabbed her hand, stopping her.
"No." He managed.
"I'm taking one of you in." I said as I began making hand signs. "And I'm not going to stop until I get one of you."
Karin pulled her hand away from Itachi and jumped toward me. He called for her to stop but she pushed forward, nothing but hatred and determination in her eyes. She shook her wrists and down came two of her infamous poles. She raised them high as I started making hand signs.
"Earth Style! Rock Thorn Bed Jutsu!" I slammed my hands onto the ground and that was all it took before the ground began to first shake before several rock spikes rose. Karin met the spikes with the sheer force of the poles in her hands, but she wasn't able to catch all of them. She swiped at a couple but one of them sliced her in the leg and she grunted, falling. The other was coming right for her face, but suddenly Itachi appeared and pulled her back and the spike that was aimed at Karin's face, hit his shoulder instead.
Karin rolled before pushing herself up, her eyes wide as she stared at him.
"Itachi!" She screamed.
The spike protruded from Itachi's shoulder and just as I was about to say something snarky, his body exploded into a cloud of smoke and suddenly he was standing a few feet away from Karin.
"Substitution…" I growled between clenched teeth. From the smoke another Itachi clone shot toward me and I managed to block its incoming fist with my arm. From the trees another Itachi clone shot forward, this one gripping a kunai and I managed to pull a kunai from my weapons pouch just in time to block the hit. I dispelled the one that had come to me with his fists just as the other caught my wrist and I heard the familiar hissing sound of a paper bomb getting ready to explode. I looked down and caught it, just on the inside of his cloak and gasped just as it went off.
I went flying back, my body slamming against the trunk of a tree. I slid to the ground and coughed, my body trembling. I scolded myself for thinking that I had somehow bested the eldest Uchiha and told myself that I had to get up. Already I could see him walking toward me and my body tensed as I wondered just what he would do next. He didn't seem tired at all and his chakra levels were even, as if he hadn't wasted any at all.
He was getting closer when he stopped walking to have a coughing fit, one if his hands reaching up to grip his chest, the other to cover his mouth. I looked up at him, my teeth grinding together.
"Itachi!" Karim called out to him, worry knitting her brow together.
He looked a little paler and when he pulled his hand away, I swore I saw a thin string of blood follow. My eyes widened at this as I realized that Itachi Uchiha was sickly. He looked a little weaker now, his body trembling. Karin stumbled to her feet and raced to his side, nearly tripping over herself in the process.
"Itachi." Karin breathed, her hands reaching up to the sides of his face. "We need to leave right now."
She was worried about him, her voice pressing with urgency as if it was a life or death situation. I stared between the two of them, my mind racing. There had always been something there between the two of them, but the only question that remained was if they were acting on them. Itachi treated Karin like she was anyone but Karin was always around Itachi, always caring and protecting him almost. I realized then that Sasuke was the same way. On the outside, no one would be able to guess Sasuke and I were much of anything. He treated me just as coldly as he treated that Ino at times. Only behind closed doors did the truth came out and even then that was rare because he had to be pushed to that point. Itachi and Karin…Itachi and Karin…
Suddenly the image of Itachi reaching for her, nothing but sympathy and compassion on his face, rang through my head. He had cared for her back then, truly wanted to save her from those men and he had. It had hurt him to see her fear him, fear him, her savior. How many others had saved her before and abused her? How many others had she been relieved to see who had wronged her?
I shivered and looked away from the two of them, a deep and heavy pain forming in my chest. Itachi and Sasuke. They really were brothers in that sense. I couldn't tell if Itachi cared for Karin the way she cared for him the same way I couldn't tell if Sasuke felt the same way about me. We hadn't spoken much since I had ditched him for Jiraiya and our parting hadn't exactly been the greatest either. I felt a pang of jealousy at the mere thought that Itachi showed his affection for Karin more than Sasuke did.
"This was interesting." Itachi managed, snapping me out of my thoughts as my face reddened.
He was still weak and Karin was holding onto his arm, as if she was supporting him. She was glaring at me and was chewing on the inside of her cheek. I glared right back at the both of them in response, bracing myself for the worst. I had used a lot of chakra and my vision was blurry from my Kekkei Genkai. I had overstrained it and now, I wasn't sure if continuing was the best idea. Pushing myself could get something done, but there was no guarantee I'd be able to survive.
"I wish we could kill you." Karin growled.
"Karin." Itachi said.
My eyes narrowed, Jiraiya's words echoing in my head. "But you can't...because if I die, you die."
Karin's glare deepened as Itachi seemed a fraction more interested in our conversation.
"Who told you that?" Itachi asked. "I know it wasn't your beloved sensei."
I arched an eyebrow. "Wouldn't you like to know?"
"It doesn't matter." Karin growled. "It took her long enough to figure that out so let's not bombard her with too much more."
I swallowed the protest building and settled for shooting her an even darker glare. My hatred for her was bubbling in my chest but I held it back.
"I'm not letting you leave." I said and pulled out a kunai holding it out with an offensive stance to prove my point and to see semi-threatening.
"You're in no shape to fight, Obanji." Itachi called out to me, straightening. "But I'd be lying if I didn't say that I enjoyed our fight. It was much better than the crackling light show my brother had."
My eyes widened just as my blurriness grew worse and everything seemed to melt together. I dropped my kunai and dropped to my knees, struggling to stay focused, struggling to push through my blurriness.
Crackling light show? I struggled to think back to all that he could have been talking about but the only thing that came to mind was the Chidori. The Chidori, the technique Kakashi had been teaching him how to use, the one that Sasuke had tried his hardest to perfect. It hadn't been enough to take on Itachi. I couldn't imagine how something like that could feel in Sasuke's eyes. All his effort, all his patience and strength had been pushed to its limits while he learned that technique and there he had probably been, confident that it would be able to do something, make his brother have some kind of reaction even but it hadn't. It hadn't done anything at all.
"You're the worst." I growled, my hands balling into tight fists. I raised my head, having to close one of my eyes because the pain was beginning to feel unbearable.
Itachi seemed unaffected by my words but Karin's glare deepened. She looked about ready to tell me off but Itachi stopped her by speaking first.
"That's not what you wanted to say." He said and I froze, wondering if he could read minds too. A lot of words had swirled in my head, most of them choice words, but I had decided against them because at the end of the day I was sure Itachi could fight and then there was Karin who was practically a ticking time bomb at this point. Two shinobi capable of fighting and I had only one good eye and barely that.
"But I'll accept it." Itachi added.
"Be honest with yourself, brat." Karin called out to me and my eye darted over to her.
"You were never going to be able to capture us." She called. "All you three did was waste time that you could've spent twiddling your thumbs."
It felt like a slap in the face and I was too stunned to respond because…because well, she had a point. In theory it had seemed easy. It was just the three of us, no one to watch out for, no need to hold back and a good portion of our fight had involved going back and forth with Zetsu and his weird jutsu. As strong as we were, it still wasn't enough to face these shinobi, all of them capable of probably so much more than they were showing and we could barely scratch the surface.
I realized then, my breath getting lost in my throat, that this was exactly how Sasuke felt. As strong as we thought we were, we were useless, serving as nothing more than punching bags.
"It's been nice, Obanji." Itachi called out to me. "I'll be sure to pass along your regards to your siblings"
I looked over at him but it was too late. Both of their bodies burst into a cloud of crows that circled the area before dispersing into the trees. I sucked in a stale breath as I stared at the branch they had been standing on, feeling resentment in my belly.
I seemed to be getting my butt handed to me an awful lot lately. I knew I wasn't becoming weaker but it was something else, something about me that hadn't been there before. Too much to think about? That was reasonable and slightly understandable. A lot had happened in the past few months, most of it out of my control, but none of it had ever bothered me before. I had spent hours thinking about my time with Orochimaru and if anything, these past few months had made it that much harder but even still….
Then there was what I was, Project Zero as a whole and the whole Karin mess. There was Megumi-sensei and her secrets and the boys with their obliviousness and at the same time my burning sense of curiosity, my quest for all the answers the universe had to offer. Now there was Itachi and my siblings and the memories of what they had done, tried to do to me and what they had done to Sayuri. The Sound Four invading Konoha, the Sand betraying, Kimimaro and then there was Sas-Sasuke…
My heart stung and I had to press a hand against my chest in an attempt to soothe it. Sasuke. With as much as I had gone through, hadn't he gone through more? Marked by Orochimaru, tempted now probably more than ever to go to him, and honestly, who knew what else? It also didn't help that all of his pain stemmed from the two of us meeting and I wondered if I had been the cause of it. I wondered if his life had become complicated because of me. It felt stupid to think and feel, but a part of me did. I had failed him and he was paying for it and I hadn't been there to make things better in the end either. If anything, I had made it worse.
