The blue moon glimmered overhead, a high wind sweeping across the ground. The high ground glimmered, the mountain shining brightly.
Itachi watched Tayuya's face closely. After a long moment, he gestured. The scarf flew away from Tayuya's lips. "Well, have you taken the time to think over my offer?"
"First of all, fuck you." Tayuya drew in a shaking breath. "Of course if you torture someone like you just tortured me, they're going to say yes. There's nothing significant in that. People don't like pain. It's a nice fiction to pretend someone can fuck around after—" She sucked in a deep breath. "After that," she concluded. Her brown eyes narrowed. "That's the first thing I wanted to say."
Itachi nodded. His killer's eyes, illusory renditions of the Sanzengan, watched Tayuya quietly.
"The second thing is no." Tayuya inhaled once again. "I know what I said earlier, and it's true. You will eventually break me. But, having betrayed someone before, it is different. You know that a different outcome could have come for them if you'd been a little stronger at heart, a little less willing to bend. Maybe I could have saved my team if I stuck to my guns, or something." She looked upward at Itachi briefly. "This play is a little rough. Sure, my throat's still pretty fucked up. But betraying someone is the worst feeling in the world. They are my precious comrades, and if I had the choice again I'd die rather than betray them. Something like that's a better answer than what I did back then. As human beings, we have a duty to live better than animals." She pressed her hands together. "But I also know you're going to keep torturing me, so that statement isn't going to mean shit in two or three hours."
Itachi paused. He sighed after a moment. "A good answer. I see that I made the right decision."
Tayuya's eyes widened. "Hold up a second. What the hell are you talking about right now?"
"What I'm about to ask you relates to neither Akatsuki nor Hakubo." Itachi paused, his voice pained. "To be thoroughly honest, it relates to my younger sibling. I need someone to keep an eye on her and make sure she doesn't go mad. If you catch my thinking." He smiled faintly.
At least ten to twenty questions raced through Tayuya's head. She asked the first, vaguest that came to mind. "Why?"
"Those who swear vengeance are rarely destined to happy ends." Itachi rubbed his temples. "The history of the Uchiha clan is filled with such folk. The misfortunate, true believers who held in their grasp something 'real' by killing others."
"Hold the fuck up and back up a second. You're trying to convince me you're a good guy? You got no place saying that after you slaughtered an entire clan without the benefit of a pause." Tayuya's hand rose in the air. "No offense," she added after a long moment.
"None taken. I didn't expect you to accept my word on hearsay, anyway." Itachi paused. "How should I put it? I spared Sasuke because I saw something in her. A potential for greatness that the rest of our clan lacked. Her strength appeared as a result of her initial weakness. I realized this because I am not a fool, nor am I unwise. I realize things that people would like to keep hidden." He looked downward. "I had originally thought that you would pretend to accept my offer and then turn on me. A secondary possibility was that you would genuinely accept. If you did, however, I'd have killed you without a hesitation. I need a person with loose morals, not someone who will betray at the drop of a hat. There is a distinct difference between the two." He paused. "And you, thankfully, fall into the former category."
"So what exactly is it you want me to do?" Tayuya's hand reached downward, touching her throat. Shit. I didn't expect him to do something like this. This is a wholly different situation.
"To be honest, I don't consider this likely myself. But if she somehow manages to defeat me, I want you to ensure that she's not consumed by the vengeance following her actions. That's my end of the bargain. For you, though, I do offer something in return." Itachi raised a finger. "I offer power. I will offer you a certain item I prepared for you."
"Why me, exactly?" Tayuya questioned, her eyebrows furrowing. She leaned forward, her eyebrows furrowed. What is going on here? This damn liar's trying to convince me of something. Yet. Yet I feel like I can trust him. Did I mistake it? Did I make a mistake in judging him?
"Because you are skilled. Because you have a gift with your words. Because I felt like it. Do you really wish to continue questioning good fortune? Truthfully speaking it has no good reason. Few things do, you know. The world is hardly comprised of logic or reason. If you attempt to understand it, you will lose your grasp on it. That's the simple fact. I did what I did because I felt like it. There's no more to it than that." Itachi spread his arms wide. "Looking for more motive than that is foolish. I certainly didn't choose you for your personality. You're useful. That's all it comes down to."
Tayuya snorted. "Thanks for your fucking directness. Most people who've used me aren't half as direct."
"I felt it fitting, considering the nature of our relationship. Certainly we are not friends. At best we are allies, temporarily called to the same task by necessity." Itachi paused. "Besides that, you've offered me nothing but frankness. I feel it would be remiss of me to do something other than that in response to your own motives." He paused. "Or am I wrong?"
"Nah. I appreciate the frankness. It's a nice change from the shit Tsunade puts me through saying 'it's for my own good' while secretly thinking I'm a traitor at heart." Tayuya rolled her eyes.
"Returning to what you said earlier, it's true that no one can resist my torture. My genjutsu can bend your perceptions by up to three days. In that time, I will strengthen you a little, I think. While you cannot learn ordinary ninjutsu techniques like that, genjutsu techniques are different."
Tayuya hit her hand against her palm. "Right. 'Cause genjutsu just requires learning how to shift your opponent's chakra flow." Her lips curled upward. "Hoh. You know, I'm damn glad to have someone as skilled as you as a teacher."
"The feeling is mutual. I won't be asking for all your techniques, of course. Just one." Itachi raised his finger. "Specifically, I'd like to know how it is you use the technique of Arias without the presence of your flute."
"You're kidding me, right?" Tayuya demanded. Her eyebrows furrowed. "That shit is no different from your eye techniques. You get someone to focus on it and then surprise the shit out of them. Easy peasy. You should know that much."
"In terms of comparison, your aural genjutsu is nearly invincible. The number of people who can defeat your illusion powers is very small, precisely because you have learned that technique." Itachi smiled faintly. "If you completed it, even I might have troubles duplicating that technique? Something like that seems accurate."
"You have any sense of music?" Tayuya asked in a soft dark voice, colored by her own experience.
"Not a wondrous one." Itachi shrugged his shoulders. "My sister took that from me."
"That's your problem, then. Rhythm. Order. That's how I do genjutsu." Tayuya paused. "If you get that much—the pulse of the moment—then you should be able to use it no matter what I say. If not, whatever shit I say ain't gonna make a difference and that's that."
Itachi's brow furrowed. His eyes narrowed. "I see." He nodded after a long moment of hesitation.
"There was an old practice of singing with my family. I don't know if it extends any further than that." Tayuya paused. "But it wasn't about singing well, or even spiritedly. It was about the order." She clutched her knees, her eyes narrowed. She chuckled sardonically. "Guess it was nice to have something that wasn't fucked up. We never stayed; we never rested in one place long. So I wandered. I got the grasp of discord in chord, the melody in absence." She glanced briefly toward Itachi. "That's how I did it."
The environment changed. One of the rolling hills in the forest, shaded by various trees, glimmered.
"This is Hidden Leaf." Tayuya glanced upward in surprise. She studied the fields dully.
"My thoughts haven't changed. I still think you intend to kill me, if for no other reason than the humiliation I inflicted on you. In that regard, I must state that I have no intentions of repealing my statements." Itachi paused. "I will treat you with full honor as long as you do not betray me."
"This, though. Why?" Tayuya raised her hand, gesturing around at the forest briefly.
"A familiar and somewhat pleasant place, to my thinking." Itachi fell silent curtly, abandoning conversation.
"Why did you leave to begin with, then?" Tayuya demanded sharply. "No, more to the point, why did you reveal it was you?"
Itachi remained silent for a long moment. "A garden with too many flowers cannot prosper," he answered after a long moment.
Tayuya's eyebrows furrowed. "Rephrase that in proper speech, please." She tilted her head to one side.
"You have heard all I intend to say." Itachi paused. He glanced upward. "But it's also a good place to train, at least mentally. I can see about whether this technique can be used after all." He looked downward at the field, smiling at the sparkling blades of dew-sparkled glass. "What do you think of it?"
"What do you think is happening with Team Seven?" Tayuya questioned briefly. Her expression grew serious.
"Nothing, presently. All this takes place in the moment between moments. What will follow for them is difficult to determine."
The cicadas chirped in the edges of the fields in the world of the blue moon. The song echoed brightly through the fields.
"Good, bad. Darkness, light. That is not my place to decide, or yours." Itachi's eyes narrowed.
"Eh?" Tayuya's eyebrows furrowed. She stared at Itachi for a long moment. "Hold hard there—"
"I will remain with you in the real world, and teach you one thing of use. But that is all. If you do your duty they can hardly complain. As I said, this arrangement has no relation to the allegiances of myself or you."
"Hmph." Tayuya leaned back on the field. Her brown eyes narrowed. "Okay. One more question."
Itachi inclined his head, the closest he gave to a direct acknowledgement of the question.
"What the hell do you mean by calling Sasuke a girl? I think I'd know this shit." Tayuya's eyes narrowed.
A pained expression briefly crossed Itachi's face. He glanced away, his hand touching his chin. He remained quiet and still.
Tayuya's eyes widened. "Oh, shit. You're serious. I said I only had one more question, but now I gotta ask another question. Why? Does she just like cross-dressing?"
"That is two additional questions." Itachi paused. He looked downward. "It was our father's arrangement. He is dead, but I see no reason to fail to perpetuate that deception." Itachi paused again. "But it is easier to explain to you if you are to oppose her in a path of sole vengeance." He looked upward.
"You're not hiding a pair of—" Tayuya started, running her hands briefly along her chest.
"No," Itachi interrupted. His face remained immobile. He looked upward toward the stars.
Tayuya looked downward. She remained silent, her fingers pressing together. Why didn't they let me know? I'm still on the outside, even when I'm a member of the team.
"We'll start tomorrow morning. You need time to sleep, and think things over. I'll be going rather hard on you." Itachi rose to his feet. "I assume you know where the village inn is?"
Tayuya nodded. "Yeah. I got it." She glanced upward briefly. "But that doesn't mean I have to like this arrangement."
"I thought that you had already realized that I accepted it. My path is not one that will die with comrades." Itachi smiled faintly.