Ok. So I read QueenCeleste's review. I died laughing! Awesome!Thank you Darth-Taisha, and aslo Cjhoax! You're reviews keep me going! anyway, thank you Airyo-chan, for Betaing everything! i'm not going to purposely try and creep you out now... T_T, although it was really fun... ^_^!
Im sorry, Ive had to repost this. I accidentally clicked on the wrong thing when Publishing it. :(. I cant believe how clumsy I am... Im sorry to all of those who had to Reread chapter 6. :(
Hidden Agendas
Around a week after Itachi and Kisame had started walking towards Konoha, Pein had contacted them, via rings. A hologram of Pein had appeared, with the corpse (Pein) actually looking irritated. That was quite strange, and had Itachi on his guard momentarily. The Pein hologram stepped forwards towards them, close enough that Itachi could see his eyebrows twitching.
"We have a member of Akatsuki that has defected. He seemed to have a hidden agenda, joining us. You must come back to the hide out as soon as possible." Pein said, and disappeared afterwards, not listening to what Kisame was about to say. Itachi mentally sighed, knowing that he and Kisame would have to take a break from walking.
They began running, heading back to the hide out. Pein had said 'as soon as possible' which meant that they'd have to run without stopping. Itachi estimated that with the speed they were running (top speed) coupled with the fact that they wouldn't stop, meant that they'd be back in the hide out in three days time.
Itachi wondered who exactly was the person who had defected. His first guess was Orochimaru- once a snake, always a snake. Orochimaru was never one to stay loyal, and seemed to be the type to have hidden agendas. Deidara and Hidan were too idiotic to have hidden agendas, it couldn't be Kisame, it wouldn't be Konan- she was too loyal- or Pein, obviously. That left Sasori and Kakuzu. Sasori, Itachi had noted, was too straightforward to have a hidden agenda, and wasn't the type to care. Kakuzu might have a hidden agenda, to do with money, but other than that- Kakuzu couldn't be bothered. So yes, Itachi suspected that the prime suspect of this all was Orochimaru.
It took them three days to arrive at the hide out, just as Itachi had predicted. The moment that they had stepped through the rocky doors, Pein was on their trail. He seemed even more furious in person. "There was found," Pein stated, his eyes narrow, "To be experiments in Orochimaru's room. Along with- notes on each of the members of Akatsuki. Not very harmless notes. It seems that Orochimaru has taken us for fools, and wishes to experiment on the Akatsuki." Itachi understood why Pein was so furious. But, Orochimaru wasn't that large of a fool- how could he leave such notes out in the open?
"How were they discovered, Leader-sama?" Itachi asked, his face as blank and calm as ever. Itachi, couldn't, no never- he could never loose his cool.
"They were in a secret chamber, covered with genjutsu. Konan can always see the unseen." Itachi summed it up as: Konan went into his room, looked through the genjutsu, and discovered the secret door. That made sense. But Orochimaru had underestimated them- badly. And now he would pay.
"What do we do about Orochimaru, Leader-sama?" Kisame spoke up, for the first time since they had entered the hide out. Pein who had been staring off at the distance, turned to look at Kisame.
"We take his ring. And try to kill him. Or just chase him away from Akatsuki grounds. If he tries to do anything then, then we kill him." Pein said, then turned to Itachi. "Itachi, Kisame, your new temporary mission is to chase down Orochimaru, and take his ring. Someone more worthy can take his place." With that, Pein dismissed them, along with their new objective. But Itachi wasn't going to let this go so easily. And neither was Kisame, for that matter.
"Where is he?" Kisame asked, awkwardly scratching his head. Pein almost glared at Kisame, until he realized that, indeed, Kisame did have a point. As strange as that might seem.
"He's still somewhere near the Akatsuki base. Three kilometres south-east from here." On his last word, they disappeared into the darkness, adrenalin pumping in their veins, giving them raw energy for the chase. While Itachi hated fighting, he had to admit that the exhilaration from it was refreshing. That still didn't mean he'd do it on a daily basis(If he had a choice... ah, the things he would do if he had a choice.).
Itachi and Kisame travelled in silence. It didn't take very long until Itachi could sense Orochimaru's foul chakra. He sped up, Kisame following his lead. Itachi was uncertain if Orochimaru knew whether they were pursuing him or not; but he was certain to find out.
Yes, as Orochimaru sped up upon sensing them, Itachi knew that Orochimaru was aware that his felony was discovered. Orochimaru turned out to be very fast when fleeing- problem was, Itachi was faster. Much, much faster.
Back when he was in ANBU (he ignored the sting from his tattoo on his arm as he reminisced his past in Konoha), he was the fastest on the team. He known to be as fast as the Fourth Hokage, a feat in itself. So that's why he wasn't very surprised when he got ahead of Kisame. That's also why he wasn't surprised when he had caught up to Orochimaru in a grand total of five minutes; no matter how much he sped up. If he really wanted to, he could also just summon a raven and fly. But he couldn't do that; that would make him an obvious target for Orochimaru.
In no time at all, he had caught up to Orochimaru. Except, this time, he had no advantages since Orocimaru knew his abilities. Itachi had a feeling that Orochimaru was going to make a run for it. He was probably aware that he had no chance of winning against Itachi. This, in reality, made Itachi's job much, much easier. Itachi raced ahead of Orochimaru, opting to stand in front of him, blocking his path.
"The ring." Was all Itachi said, knowing that Orochimaru would understand him. It was Orochimaru's own fault if he chose to be daft. For some reason, however, Orochimaru seemed to be in a rush. Itachi had no time to ponder why, as Orochimaru hurriedly tossed him the ring and left before Itachi could blink. Itachi checked that it was the real one, and to his surprise, it was the real version.
And so, Itachi found himself staring into the spot where Orochimaru had disappeared, even after Kisame had arrived, a few minutes later. He snapped his head back, meeting Kisame's tired eyes. "I have no idea, how you run so fast, Itachi-san." Kisame panted, a look of awe on his face. Itach chose to shrug, deciding not to comment further.
"We have even less time to go to Konoha, now. We will run the rest of the way to Konoha." Itachi announced, preparing himself for a leap.
Kismae and Itachi had arrived at Konoha five days later. Due to their dilly dallying, the Chunin exams had already passed. That was good, it was exactly when Itachi wanted to arrive.
Infiltrating Konoha was fairly easy; Itachi was almost frightened of how easy it was to pass through the border. It was so easy, that there was no need for a disguise. Their hats would suffice. Itachi wondered if Konoha was getting too comfortable with the peace it had now. The peace that Akatsuki would change. Itachi had no feeling of right or wrong any more; not really. All he knew, was that he had to protect Konoha, but more importantly, his little baby brother: Sasuke. The baby that he had held in his arms the first time he had seen the horrors of war. The baby that he had vowed to protect. Yes, and so, he knew that being in Akatsuki was the right decision for protecting Konoha. That didn't mean he had to like it.
He suddenly felt nostalgic. He remembered that whenever he came to Konoha, he would always go to the dango shop... yes, believe it or not, Itachi liked sweets. Even he had his weaknesses. And, anyway... they were there to gather information about the Uzumaki Jinchuuriki, and the best way to do that is to be in the city centre, observing citizens. Yes, the dango shop would be the ideal place for that... "Kisame, we will go and gather information." Itachi commanded, steering his way around the familiar streets in Konoha. If Orochimaru had a hidden agenda, why couldn't he?
As he found himself in the café with Kisame, eating a plate of dango, he felt the presence of a couple of Jounin right outside the café. Itach was positive that they could sense his chakra. He cursed his luck, not only on the fact that he had to fight again, but also on the fact that his time with the dango was cut short. Outwardly, though, he could not show any emotion, because aside from the obvious, he just might kill Kisame with laughter. No, Kisame was forbidden from learning about his sweet tooth.
He and Kisame nodded at each other, each of them exiting the building as quick as lighting. Itachi led them to a lake, knowing that the Kisame would be in his element. The Jounin quickly followed. Itachi had no wish for unnecessary bloodshed, knowing that with only clones he could defeat all three of them. Although Kakashi was a slightly harder opponent to deal with.
Hatake Kakashi. Itachi mentally went through all that he knew of him. He had a sharigan in his left eye, taken from someone of the Uchiha clan. He was the son of the White Fang, an admirable Konoha shinobi that ended up committing suicide. He was known throughout the lands as the Copy Cat ninja; said to have copied over a thousand ninja techniques. The sharingan had that ability, yes. Itachi himself didn't like to use such underhanded tactics, preferring to fight with original jutsu. But, more importantly, he was the trainer of the Nine Tails.
Kisame played a bit with his 'prey'. Itachi was slightly uneasy of how Kisame thought of humans, but that was understandable, as he was a shark hybrid. Although, enough was enough. "Enough, Kisame." Itachi commanded, opting to end this quickly. Kisame stepped back. Itachi unbuttoned his jacket, quickly making a clone to take his place. He sent off a clone to deal with the woman, knowing that she was the weakest of the three. He almost flinched at her foolishness; she tried to use genjutsu against a genjutsu master. The clone quickly warped the genjutsu into its own, using it against her.
The man that was not Kakashi quickly went to her aid, however. There seemed to be a rather intimate connection between them; given his panic and frantic body language. Itach could hold that against him- but he wouldn't. Itachi was not like that. He would only use such tactics in the most desperate situations; even he had his Uchiha pride, after all.
As Kurenai stepped back, wary of Itachi, Kakashi seemed to notice the exploding clone just in time. This was too easy- it wasn't even giving Itachi a proper work out. Then Kakashi stepped up, trying to engage Itachi in a fight. Itachi quickly made another clone to deal with this. He observed as Kakashi had to jump back to avoid his water technique- too quick for the sharingan to follow- and had to applaud Kakahsi when he made a clone replacing his real self.
"You're eye of insight is great... Kakashi." Itachi praised, as if Kakashi was some pupil younger than him. In skills, he was, but in reality, Kakashi was older.
Itachi decided that it was time to take this fight up a notch. He activated his sharingan, wanting to end this useless fight as quickly and painlessly as possible. Conflict was inevitable, but it still should be avoided if given the chance.
Kakashi panicked. "Close your eyes!" He yelled, but forgot to cover his other eye. That gave Itachi the opportunity to trap him in a genjutsu. The world turned black and crimson as Kakashi's mind was captured, transported to the world of the Tsukoyomi. Itachi didn't want to do this. Especially to a Konohan ninja. But this was the quickest way to end this pointless conflict; taking out the most powerful member would cause them to move back and leave Akatsuki be. Not only that, though. Itachi also wanted to reap information about their target through the sensei.
It didn't matter if Kakashi found out their objective; after all, this was exactly what Itachi wanted. What his hidden agenda was. If Kakashi found out, then he could send backup to Jiraiya. By now, Jirayia should have gotten to Naruto, but Itachi wasn't sure if only Jiraiya would be enough to stop them. It'd be best to have back up, just in case. "Now. Where is Naruto?" Itachi asked, ceasing the stabbing momentarily. "You will be stabbed for seventy two hours." Itachi said, fading into the background, letting his clones do the work.
It took Kakashi until the tenth hour to blab; it went according to Itachi's calculations. "N-naruto i-is w-with J-jiraiya." Kakashi gasped, thinking that that would bring him relief. It didn't. Itachi knew that Kakashi was withholding information. It took Kakashi two more 'hours' until Kakashi shared that information. "T-they are i-in the T-tensui Village." Kakashi told him, trying to keep the pain to himself. Well, that wasn't turning out too well for him, Itachi though dryly.
He had collected enough information. He then left his clones to do the dirty work.
Seventy two hours passed by slowly, especially since Itachi could hear Kakashi's horrible screams echoing through space. When the seventy two (mental) hours had passed, Itachi was looking into Kakashi's eyes, expecting his mind to shut off. Surprisingly, Kakashi endured, standing on his feet, staring at Itachi warily.
Just then, another kunai zipped through the air, and a strange green clad man appeared to defend Kakashi. Itachi sighed. This was getting too troublesome. They did not come here for a major fight; their objective was achieved, so there was no point in getting involved into meaningless fights. "Retreat, Kisame." Itachi commanded, stepping back. They needed to get a head start on Jiraiya. And Itachi really didn't want to kill anyone in Konoha.
They quickly retreated, and Itachi heard a thump, signalising that Kakashi's body had had enough. He was mentally unable to carry on. Itachi had disappeared through the forest before he had time to ponder upon it.
Kisame stared at him. "So, where are we going?" He asked awkwardly, trying to keep up with Itachi's frantic speed. Before Itachi could answer, Kisame interrupted- which was unusual, and Itachi was immediately suspicious- "Can we take a short cut? We are in no hurry... that Nine Tails kid is going no where, right? And this will only take two days..." Itachi raised an eybrow, suspicious. What on earth was Kisame talking about? He wanted to take a detour?
Kisame then started leading Itachi, changing the direction they were running in. They were now running west, while before they were running towards the north. Itachi's mind was blank, unable to comprehend where exactly Kisame had led them to.
Because, a few hours later, Itachi found himself in front of the entrance of a hot spring. A hot spring. Itachi hated those things- where they had to publicly flash themselves. And what Itachi couldn't understand was... why did Kisame come here?
Kisame seemed to take no notice in his discomfort, however. He had a big grin on his face (that Itachi somehow found malicious) and beckoned him to enter. All Itachi wanted to do was run. But no, like a man, he went inside, finding his blank mask a bit harder to uphold than usual.
The moment they had entered, Kisame insisted on spending the night, even getting them a hotel room. The hot springs were mixed... to Itachi's horror. Women... somehow found him unusually attractive, and after seeing this, they normally jumped him. Itachi would hate to relive one of those experiences. And there were very few things that Itachi truly hated. Kisame then insisted for Itachi to come with him to the baths. Itachi grudgingly excepted, not wanting to seem like a fool, not in front of anyone.
So he walked in, thanking the stars that there was a distinct lack of women, and those that were there were grandmothers, too old to jump him, much to his relief. Kisame's grin seemed to be getting more malicious by the second, to Itachi's confusion.
Then Kisame tried making conversation. "So, Itachi-san, just to let you know, water is my element." Itachi's eyebrows twitched ever so slightly, trying too analyse the cryptic comment. What did Kisame mean by that? This whole situation was getting more bewildering by the minute. "I think, I know your secrets, Itachi-san." Kisame continued, as a lecherous grin seemed to erupt on his features.
Itachi felt it was an appropriate time to respond. "I have... no idea what you are talking about." Itachi said blatantly, trying to make sense of this insanity. Was Kisame even Kisame?
"Don't try to take me for a fool, Itachi-san. I knew what you were hiding the moment I laid my eyes on you!" Kisame said, the glint in his eye seeming ferocious. If Itachi had any less patience, by now Kisame would have found himself in the world of Tsukoyomi, telling him exactly what he was trying to say.
"I mean... it was all obvious! The hair!" Kisame frantically gestured to his pony tail, rather rudely, in Itachi's opinion. Yes, Itachi knew very well that he had hair. "The eyelashes!" Kisame pointed at his thicker-than-normal eyelashes, and still, Itachi (who was supposedly a genius) had no idea where Kisame was going with this. "The skin!" Kisame stared at his unblemished tan skin, a faint red tinge appearing on his cheeks. "No, you will not fool me!" Kisame declared, and moved closer to Itachi. Next thing Itachi knew, Kisame had put his hands on his chest.
Ah. Itachi now knew exactly what Kisame was trying to say. "Kisame." Itachi questioned in a dangerously quiet voice. "Are you questioning my masculinity?" Kisame shook his head in a frenzy, realising his mistake a moment too late. "My gender?" Kisame again shook his head, looking truly scared of Itachi for the first time since since Itachi had met him. "Come, now. We shall leave." Itachi said, and Kisame didn't dare protest.
They quickly finished, leaving as fast as possible. Itachi's usual blank face looking frostier than usual. Kisame had not uttered a word since then, and his blue skin seemed paler than normal. On the way, (towards the Nine Tails kid... a couple of days later) Kisame tried to convey his deepest apologies for the stupid mistake, and was extra careful around Itachi. Itachi wouldn't hear a word of it. How would Kisame feel if Itachi questioned his humanity?
And did he really look so much like a female?
It seemed that even Kisame had a hidden agenda for taking him to the hot springs... the agenda not being very desirable, for either of them.
There. I had fun with the last part :D. I hope you liked it. Poor, poor Itachi... its not his fault he looks like a girl! Anyway, I had this really, really awkward experience on fanfiction... I sincerely hope it never, ever, happens again. T.T. Anyway, please review. For reference, the after the next Itachi chapter, the prelude to the massacre will commence! I hope. Sigh, this is taking so long...
Review, Review, Review,
Aurora-chan!