Umm... I am very very very evil. It is Itachi Pov now, so the Massacre will be next chapter! MWAHAHAHA (evil laugh)! :'(. Neji died. He is dead. Died. Killed. Murdered. WAAAAH! Thank you, for all of your reviews. Anyway, I better get started on this chapter! Like Usual, though, thanks you to AIRYO-CHAN! Applause! and Darth-Taisha for always reviewing. Yes, she's reviewed every chapter! Airyo-chan too, but Ive mentioned her enough, I think... :D
Medic
"Kisame." Itachi nearly growled, his eyes narrowing. By now, Kisame was officially dubbed as paranoid. It was a good thing that Itachi possessed self control, a thing that many a male lack. "I do not find it essential to find a medic right this very minute. We shall find one after we have reported back to Base." Kisame ignored him, manning up for the first time in his life (at least, since Itachi had met him). Itachi felt insulted. This was the first time in his life that he has been ignored. What an unpleasant experience.
Itachi then aimed fire at Kisame's face. That got his attention, at least. "Ow, Itachi! What was that for?" Kisame complained, rubbing his head. Itachi had managed to singe off a few hairs' of Kisame's head. Itachi only stared blankly, emotionless. From experience, he knew that that was the best way to creep off 'the opponent'. The opponent, in this case, was Kisame. Kisame shuddered, and looked away. Itachi would never know that Kisame had just dubbed him as one of, 'Sasori's freaky-ass dolls'. It was just like Kisame to use such unsophisticated terminology.
"I refuse to go to a medic. If need be, I shall go by myself. But that is after we go to the base." Itachi said. A stare down then took place. Kisame promptly lost, looking away from a triumphant Itachi. It was good that Itachi was especially good with those kind of things; especially when his eyes couldn't focus properly, and he didn't have to blink as much.
It took them both a week to travel back to Base, going at a decent speed, unlike the first time when they were taking their time, walking. When they arrived at Base, Itachi noted that it was still as gloomy and dark as ever. Itachi didn't have it in him to use sarcasm, not at that precise moment. Not when they were about to confess their failures to a dead, but dangerously powerful corpse.
Itachi wished that he could meet the living body. He knew that it had to be somewhere very high up; that was the best way to send chakra signals to the bodies. That left a few options. If Itachi was that adamant about knowing where the leading body was kept, he probably would have figured it out. He wasn't called a genius for nothing.
Itachi knew that they could have just used the rings, but he had to ditch Kisame somewhere. It felt safest to ditch him at the Akatsuki base; that way, Kisame wouldn't know where exactly Itachi was headed to. Yes, Itachi had trust issues. He just didn't have it within himself to trust his 'partner' in this criminal organization that was trying to take over the world. Not like he was any better, but still. At least he had a goal in mind, for the greater good, that actually was for the greater good.
He activated his ring, sending his hologram in front of Pein, wherever he was. Kisame gaped, opening and closing his mouth like the fish he was. Then some kind of gibberish flowed out of his mouth; Itachi wondered (like he often times did) how Kisame managed to survive thus far in life. It was probably his brute strength that helped him, then.
Itachi found himself facing the eyes of Pein. Like always, they caused an apprehensive feeling to bloom inside of his chest; the Rinnegan was even rarer than the Sharingan. There were three Sharingan users in the world; while there were only two Rinnegan users in the universe, ever. It was a daunting comparison.
"Yes?" Pein asked politely, his whole expression blank. His eyes moved from Itachi, to Kisame, who had also just activated his ring. Kisame got to the point. It seemed that his only fear was of Itachi.
"There was a Sannin guarding that Nine Tails kid. We decided that it wasn't worth the effort." That was right. Pein still had no idea of Itachi's true capabilities, (although he suspected, that, Itachi was sure of), and therefore, had no way of knowing how easily Itachi had defeated Orochimaru. He simply nodded, although raising an eyebrow at them both.
"If that is all, you are dismissed. When the deadline is up, we shall assign you a new Jinchuuriki." Pein wasn't one for words. Itachi cut the connection off, with Kisame doing the same shortly. Now that he was back to reality, he turned to face Kisame.
"I shall now go for a medic, as you said. By myself. I shall meet you here in about one to two weeks." Itachi informed, not bothering to say goodbye. There was no point. They were feared Akatsuki, and weren't going to say something as petty as 'goodbye'. Itachi usually never said goodbye. That inferred that Itachi was going to see them again; and with his current lifestyle, Itachi could make no promises. He never could.
And then he left, heading towards the scorching heat of the desert. Why the desert? As strange as it might seem, Itachi knew a medic there. He had met him on one of his missions in Suna, and he was a grouchy old man that didn't seem to know that it was bad for a ninja to show emotions. They were weapons of destruction, and they had no right to a personal point of view.
But Sekka didn't seem to understand that. It didn't matter, however, since he was the best that Itachi could allow himself to have. The best, as everyone knew, was Tsunade, but Itachi did not know her whereabouts, and it would take too long to search for her. He could just go and find Sekka, as he always stays in Suna, his office being on ground level, in the nearest hospital to the Kazekage tower.
It would take approximatively four days to get there from Base. Four days of running.
And so, Itachi spent four days of mindless running, thinking the things that never seemed to leave his mind. Things of what could have been, wishes that often went unfulfilled. A child, black haired and dark eyed, laughing and smiling to him, for him.
Itachi could only sigh in relief when Suna had come into view. He had been trekking the desert for a day, now, and the smooth and untainted surface was a great canvas of imagination to his mind. Once or twice, he had even caught a glimpse of mirrored eyes staring at him, with no disgust, for the first time after the massacre. It was time like these that Itachi's hand travelled to his neck, groping for his necklace, assuring himself that yes, that day was not a dream. For it was certainly not a nightmare, and that was usually all that Itachi dreamt.
So yes, a sigh of relief was in order as he drew nearer to the sand encased village known as Suna. The glaring sun scorched his back, making him ever so grateful that there was a hat to protect his face. He stopped, a mere two kilometres from Suna, deciding that it was time to do the genjutsu. The moment that he saw Sekka, he would twist his mind in order to make him examine him, (for yes, he had scary powers such as these) to forget who or what he was, and then make him forget all about Itachi the moment Itachi left.
It was tricky, this situation was. Normal genjutsu would not do; Sekka had to see his body in order to conclude what was wrong with him. Itachi had to delude him so that he would not recognize Itachi's name, or status, and think that he was a part of Suna, even seeing his body. It was all a delicate business. Especially, since afterwards, he had to erase Sekka's memory.
He created a genjutsu upon himself, transforming himself, to the outside world, as a blonde-haired brown-eyed male. He was of a medium hight, and not at all impressionable upon the eyes. Exactly how Itachi wanted it. He set himself into the path of the village, bypassing the guards with a disturbing ease.
No one stared at him strangely as he walked down the unguarded streets of Suna. They all minded their own business, even though he didn't wear any of the dim-witted head garments that most residents of Suna wore. Yes, they might shield from the sun, but in the end, they create even more heat, and may be the cause of a heat stroke or something else of similar nature.
Even though he had a good sense of direction, one could easily get lost on the winding streets of Suna. It was a good thing that the Kazekage's tower was a building that was easily spotted from the distance, making his search even easier. At the snail's pace of a civilian, he wouldn't be able to find something as easily as he could as a ninja. It was just one of the perks of being a ninja. There weren't very many.
And even with a good sense of direction and a photographic memory (which was more of a curse than a blessing. Like the time he walked in on his mother and father... he held back a shudder), cities were very much like people. They changed over time. Right now, Suna seemed tense, and in a state of ruin. It was then Itachi heard of the attack upon Konoha.
There had been an attack upon Konoha? Why, how, or when? Itachi forced his bewildered body to move forward, not to cause a scene. This was... this was... this was Orochimaru. Definitely. It was just an instinctive feeling, and Itachi then felt a feeling as close to hate as Itachi could ever feel.
And then he quickly connected the dots that he missed before. Kakashi told him the place where Jiraiya and Naruto were; not why. Itachi berated and blamed himself over and over. If only he was not that much of a coward to have Kakashi tell him the information he needed. It was all his fault.
If there was an attack on Konoha, Orochimaru would definitely be involved, probably because of his past with Konoha. His teacher was the Third, and most of his anger was therefore aimed at him. That lead to the untimely death of the Third, and the appointing of the Fifth Hokage. The three Sannin had a very famous name, so it would be a logical choice for the council to chose Jiraiya, who was there to protect Naruto at the time of the attack, because of Itachi's warning. However, Jiraiya felt inadequate for the job (rightly so), and suggested the remaining alternative, the third and only female Sannin, Tsunade.
Then he had taken Naruto out of the village, and on a quest to search for Tsunade. That was what they were doing when Kisame and Itachi were 'attempting' to kidnap Naruto. Yes, that was that side of the deal sorted.
But how did Orochimaru attack Konoha? He couldn't do it by himself, obviously, and the village that he founded, the Sound, would not be powerful enough to take on Konoha head on, either. No... the only other alternative would be that he had a major ninja hidden village help him. And the only ninja village that Konoha would trust enough to invite... would be the Sand. And he had learnt all of this from gossip.
Itachi had never felt more ignorant in his life.
Most of all, he worried for Sasuke. The attack must have been before he faced him, and must have shaken him up beforehand... and then Itachi finished him off. Remorse bloomed in his chest like a poisonous weed, making Itachi feel sick with guilt. He had overdone it anyway, but with those events to agitate him before... he had finished him off.
Itachi knew Sasuke like the back of his hand. Sasuke would be uncertain now, so very uncertain, and would plunge into the darkness that Itachi had wanted to save him from. He would go to Orochimaru, as Orochimaru had already marked him, thinking that that way he could get powerful. Itachi hurriedly went through the pros of this to avoid the panic that was starting to take over. Sasuke would grow powerful. And Itachi trusted Sasuke enough to manage to escape alive. He had managed to get Sasuke to hate him so much, that Sasuke would not die before he killed Itachi.
Itachi relaxed. All was not lost. Right before he died, Itachi would dispel that cursed seal, and Sasuke could go back to Konoha, to the Leaf, like a hero. He could resurrect the Uchiha clan, and all would not be lost. He could start anew. He felt a cough start making its way to his lungs. That was, if he killed him before his cough did...
His feet had lead him to the hospital, and Itachi was scared of his absent mindedness. That goes to show how shocked he was when he heard of the attack on Konoha. It was horrible to see how much Akatsuki was influencing Itachi's life. It was the centre of it, actually...
The building in front of him was of a dull peach colour, camouflaged against its sandy surroundings. Itachi walked into the building, ignoring the people outside that were starting to stare. Not many that were able to walk went into the hospital, Itachi gathered. It was probably because it was a time of crisis for Suna.
Itachi wondered how Orochimaru managed to convince Suna to go against Konoha. Then it came to him. Orochimaru would have known that he would be unable to convince Suna wholeheartedly, and that was why he probably used some sort of trickery. Suna only listened to its Kazekage, and Orochimaru... Orochimaru probably disguised himself as a Kazekage, and got rid of the threat (the Kazekage) so it would not hinder him. Now Suna was in a state of crisis, and had no Kazekage to back it up. What a foul and ruthless being Orochimaru was...
Itachi opened the door, and a chime was sounded. He walked over to the main reception area, towards the young and weary looking woman.
"Yes?" She asked, indifferent towards Itachi. Itachi wondered if the outcome would have been different had he been in his own body... and concluded, that yes, she would scream, one way or another.
"I have an appointment with Sekka." Itachi said, and then used genjutsu on the woman to convince her. Her eyes dulled, the genjutsu persuading her to agree.
"I shall call him now." She muttered, then stood up, leaving Itachi to wait there. It was actually rather rude, in Itachi's opinion, but he kept those thoughts to himself. He patiently waited for the medic to come; he had the whole day to himself, after all.
Ten minutes later, the receptionist came back, dragging along a rather reluctant and grumbling Sekka. Itachi stared at him coolly, while Sekka continued to pleasure him by saying his lovely thoughts.
"I have never seen you before in my life! Why do you say you have an appointment with me?" He very nearly snarled, but Itachi had only to stare at him, before he folded and led the way to his office.
Sekka's office was on the second floor, and it was fairly cosy, to Itachi's surprise. When the door closed, Itachi decided to reveal his true form. It would do good for Sekka to remember him... he had worked with him, after all. Even though he didn't particularly like him. Oh, those were the good old, free days.
"Now, who are-" Sekka stopped in mid-sentence, and stared at Itachi's form, his jaw slack in shock. Itachi mentally sighed. Sekka was open in so many ways... Itachi could kill him here and now, if he wished. But he wouldn't, for many reasons.
"Y-you! Y-y-you! You!" Sekka stuttering, trying to form a sentence. Itachi decided to help him out of his misery.
"Yes, me." He said, and thought it might be entertaining to watch his reactions. But, alas, time was short, and it was time to activate the genjutsu. He focused crimson eyes on Sekka, who's sharp eyes dulled, deluded to think that Itachi was a member of Suna. It was strange, how easily Itachi could manipulate such people. If only he was born a harmless and innocent civilian... but, alas, he was born a ninja. An Uchiha, at that.
The cough decided to show its glory at that particular moment. Itachi didn't bother to hide it, knowing that the medic needed to observe all of his symptoms. And so he watched, hypnotised, as Itachi's body shuddered, and spit blood onto his hand. Finally, the medic decided to grace him with words.
"Something is clogging your veins. To your lungs. Tell me your symptoms." He said professionally, and for a moment, Itachi doubted that this was the same Sekka he remembered. Then again, he had never gotten injured, so he had never needed such treatment.
"As you can observe, I cough blood, as well as my eyesight that is worsening." Itachi told him, hoping that such an explanation would be sufficient. Sekka nodded, and told Itachi that he was going to do a jutsu to see all that was wrong with him.
Itachi was a phenomenon. It seemed like he every part of him was a phenomenon; even the very horrific parts. "I have... never seen a case such as yours. It's a medical phenomenon. Nothing seems wrong with you. " Sekka muttered, his thick eyebrows brought together, a frown on his face. His small eyes squinted to see Itachi in the bright light of Suna.
"The only thing I can do is give you pain killers, that might help to clear your lungs. In my estimation, you have around two years to live, if you're lucky." He continued, shattering Itachi with horrid news. How would Sasuke get strong by then? No, no... this phenomenon of a disease could not kill him by then. He would have to hold out.
Sekka went to retrieve the medicine, his white turban swaying. Although Sekka had not done anything life changing, Itachi still had to thank him. His theory led Itachi to know the cause of this disease; it was the Sharingan. Power comes with a cost, after all. And overuse of the Sharingan led to this disease. It didn't matter anyway, because Sasuke was going to kill him.
Sekka came back with medicine, which Itachi made him try, just to make sure it was safe. It was, as there was nothing wrong with Sekka, and so Itachi took one. He felt better. Sekka told him to take one a day, and also when his coughing got especially bad. That was all he could do.
Itachi promptly erased Sekka's memory, and disguised himself once more. He left the building, the woman ignoring him, and was once again on the streets of Suna. In a slight daze, he exited the city, with no one stopping him.
And then he ran, feeling slightly better on the pain killers, back to the Base. But, he was in for quite the surprise. Because once he was around a day away from Suna, Pein called a meeting, and for everyone to go back to Base, by the end of the week (which was tomorrow, incidentally). Everyone headed to base, baffled at what they found there. Itachi was no better. Actually, he was worse.
Because once Itachi got to Base, he was introduced to the newest member. He hardly believed his eyes when he saw a short girl, the age of Sasuke, with cold and slightly crazed features, black hair, and porcelain skin, donning the Akatsuki cloak, with his locket around her neck.
That was when Itachi thought that he saw a medic, but for all the wrong reasons.
That meant that he needed a medic for his head because he was going crazy, haha! Next chapter is the Hyuuga Massacre! I bet you're excited. I am. I am, I am, I am. I actually had a slight writers' block, until I asked Airyo, and she filled me with ideas, which, in the end, I didn't actually use. Sorry, Airyo-chan! I'll use your ideas next time! ^^! So, stay tuned, because next time, its the climax for this arc! :D :D! Oh, and Sekka isn't actually an OC. I researched him, and he actually is real.
Review, Review, and Please Review,
Aurora-chan!