Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

Itachi had always liked the rain. Rain was constant, yet wavering, casting beautiful harmonies. Rain showed emotion, more than the shinobi had ever allowed himself. It could be angry, with harsh pounding and strikes of lightning and dark, heavy clouds, but it could also be soothing, with gentle taps and warm spray and following rainbows. Rain was expressive.

It was also useful. Tracking footprints was easy in mud. And rain helped people mourn, and washed blood off one's hands easily.

It could also hide tears rather well.

But Itachi also found that the rain made the days blur together, droning on endlessly as it soaked Amegakure. The rain there felt unnatural, too, and it made him wish for a breath of sunlight, or at least refuge from its prying touch. The drops were tainted, and hard to escape.

So as the newly missing nin approached the location of the hideout, he made quick work of the genjustu before slipping inside the hidden mouth of the cave, finally escaping the rain's grasp. He then reached out to detect a chakra signature, and guided himself through the blind passageways.

"Pein-sama." Itachi dipped his head slightly to the cloaked figure sitting at the desk. Stepping inside, he silently closed the door to the office.

"Welcome, Itachi," Pein spoke, rising in greeting. The teenager took note of the multiple piercings adorning his face and his violent orange hair. "I trust that you had a safe travel?" There is no one following you, yes?

"Hai, Pein-sama."

"You may call me Leader-sama." The man then held out a ring. The stone set in the center had a strange kanji engraved on the surface. "Here is your Akatsuki ring."

"Thank you, Leader-sama." Itachi slipped it onto his middle finger. A small shiver ran down his spine.

"The ring enables you to contact me by sending a chakra pulse through the stone," Pein narrowed his eyes slightly. "I trust that you will use it wisely."

"Hai."

"Now, I must evaluate your skills. Follow me." Itachi left after the leader of the Akatsuki as they exited the office. He took the time to notice the red and white clouds stitched into the black fabric of his cloak. 'A group symbol?'

The shinobi led Itachi outside of the cave, into a clearing. The off-putting rain had let up to a lazy drizzle.

"You must spar. I will then assign you a partner. The Akatsuki work in pairs." Pein tilted his head towards a lithe figure wearing an identical uniform. They stepped forward and nodded slightly.

"Akane." Itachi raised a brow at the absence of a surname.

Pein spoke. "You may take off your hood. No need for a henge either."

The figure lowered their hood obligingly, and Itachi was surprised to find a female, around his age or younger. Even more unusual, they had a delicately put together face, with vermillion-painted lips standing out against pale, almost translucent skin and straight blue-black hair. Missing nin, even kunoichi, are not known for their vanity. Strange.

"Do not hold back. Moderate injuries are allowed, but do not kill." Pein raised one hand, then cut downwards through the air. "Begin."

Itachi immediately jumped backwards to clear some distance between himself and the girl. She copied him, and they slowly circled each other in a dangerous dance, both gaging the other's abilities. The rain seemed to fade into the background.

Akane was the first to move. Itachi only felt a brush of wind against his neck before he whirled around to block the kick aiming for his lower ribs. 'She's fast,' Itachi thought, as he pushed against her foot and she jumped back. But Itachi could match her speed.

They met in a clash of fists, both advancing on the other in a fast-paced combination of taijutsu. Her style was native to Amegakure, while Itachi used the traditional Uchiha attacks, falling back with ANBU defense.

'We're even,' Itachi grit his teeth as he blocked another solid punch. Neither were landing direct blows on the other, only glancing hits that dealt little damage. 'Taijutsu's useless.'

Akane must've come to the same conclusion, because she quickly retreated with a raging roar of water. 'Ninjutsu it is, then.'

Itachi silently weaved hand signs before blowing the signature Uchiha fireball with a burst of chakra. The kunoichi quickly countered it with a wave of water, and the two attacks met in the middle, creating a thicker cloud of fog over the already misty climate and blinding the two. Itachi sent rapid successions of smaller flames into the dense cloud, but he heard them fizzle out shortly with another wave from Akane.

Itachi decided to use a different element. Water extinguishes fire, so that puts him at a disadvantage. And fire was Itachi's main affinity, but ANBU teaches all the members a second element as a cautionary step.

Forming hand signs deftly, he sent a spark of lightning in the direction of the concealed kunoichi. The cloud lit up in sparks, charged particles raining down in a brilliant shower. Itachi would've thought that they electrocuted the girl, if not for the raging heat that evaporated all the water in the air. The girl stood before him, breathing heavily with a small cut on her jaw.

'She has a second affinity too?' Itachi rolled backwards to avoid a thick tongue of flame. 'Who is this kunoichi?'

Itachi wasn't arrogant. Arrogance kills shinobi. But, to keep up with him, a prodigy of the Uchiha clan and Konohagakure, she must have been at least A or B-rank. And Itachi had never seen a "Akane" anywhere in the ANBU bingo book, or a profile picture matching her appearance. How did a missing nin of this caliber escape Konoha's notice?

Itachi was still thinking over this mysterious ninja when he felt her cast the first genjutsu.

"Itachi!" He turned to the right and was faced with a wounded Sasuke, blooding running in rivets and dripping onto the damp ground.

"'Tachi," Sasuke stumbled forward, "I've come to kill you!"

Then Itachi froze. Not from the genjutsu, but from the eyes of the caster.

Akane smirked slightly and raised a sleek eyebrow. Six tomoes swirled slowly in the crimson orbs from beneath the shadows of her thick eyelashes.

Then Itachi felt pressure against the back of his neck, and saw no more.

oOo

The boy crumpled under my extended hand. I stared at his unconscious form for a second, before hearing Dad address me.

"Akane?"

"Hm?"

"He will be your partner."

The corner of my mouth twitched up in a sardonic smile. "Right. Fellow Uchihas stick together, huh?"

Dad pressed his lips into a grim line. "Should you have shown him your sharingan so soon?"

"Eh, he would've found out anyways." I shrugged, then picked up the limp body. "Should I bring him in?"

"…Yes. He is in the room next to yours. Partners need to be in close contact."

"'Kay, sure. Dad."

"Akane…"

I looked back at him with wide eyes. "Yeah?"

"It's going to be Leader-sama from now on, correct?"

"Fine, Dad." I grinned cheekily, then hauled Itachi onto my shoulder. I heard him sigh. "Just bring him in."

We both walk over to the mouth of the cave. I glanced at the boy hanging on my back. His face was twisted in a troubled frown. Wonder what he's dreaming about.

"Akane?" Dad shot a look at me over his shoulder.

"Yeah, coming." I walked inside and closed the door.

It began to rain again.

My story is now so jumbled and mixed up, I suggest just starting over and reading it again. Argh, technology.

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