Chapter 36
There was a loud knock at the door. The sound reverberated through the entire apartment until it rang in her ears again and again. Who came knocking so early? Didn't they have a shred of decency? Keiko turned over in bed, feeling her head throb intensely from the jostling movement. The sudden and intense pain in her skull only worsened and she buried her head in her covers.
She felt like shit. What happened for her to wake up feeling like death itself? She grumbled incoherently into her bedding until she stiffened and the events of last night played through her head. She wasn't sick.
She was hungover.
Slowly, she pushed herself out of bed. The knocking on the door continued and her mood only grew darker by the second. The events of last night playing over in her head. Most of it was a blur, only bits and pieces able to break through the haze. Until she tried to remember how she got back home and it was a blank. She couldn't remember anything after she started challenging people to arm wrestle...
The urge to throw herself back into bed and die of embarrassment was overwhelming.
The knocking continued and finally she stood. The nausea nearly forced her back onto the bed. Had she really put up with this in the past? She never remembered the hangovers being so intense! She had been able to go on missions after a night of heavy drinking. As she was, walking around the block would be difficult!
When she reached her front door she pulled it open. Her hand leaning on the door frame supporting her weight. A few loose strands of hair falling in front of her face. For someone who took pride in how they looked, she couldn't care less at the moment. "What?" She grumbled, not even registering who it was for a few seconds.
Iruka jumped at the sour and irritated tone to her voice. He had opened his mouth to ask her what was wrong when he noticed how awful she looked. Her hair was a mess. Her skin was sickly pale and not to mention, she was still in the same black clothes she had worn to the funeral. Even with his ordinary sense of smell he could sniff out the faint scent of alcohol clinging to her. He blinked slowly, unsure if he should believe what he was looking at. "Y-you're hungover." He said in disbelief. Of course, he had heard about what had happened around the bar the other night but he didn't want to believe it!
She only nodded and closed her eyes, feeling the nausea returning. "Yeah, never felt bet-"
Her hand clamped over her mouth. The little color in her face drained and she bolted to the bathroom, not bothering to shut the door. The sickening bitter taste grew stronger and stronger as her mouth began to water. What little content in her stomach performing acrobatics. The door to the bathroom was thrown open and she threw herself at the porcelain throne, retching.
Iruka winced, entering the apartment and slowly making his way to the bathroom. The sounds of her dry heaving easily reaching his ears. It wasn't often that he heard that sound but every time it was just as unpleasant as the last. As soon as he came to the bathroom he did his best to ignore the smell. Despite that, it was a scene that brought back a lot of memories, no matter how unpleasant they were. Wordlessly, he sat on the edge of the bathtub and reached over to pull her hair out of the way. She nodded in thanks, too busy trying to control her bodies convulsing to speak.
Finally, after about five minutes of on and off heaving, it was finally done. Keiko crossed her arms over the toilet seat and rested her head on her arms as she caught her breath.
A soothing hand rested on her back, rubbing in a small circle. "Just like old times, right?"
Keiko groaned, spitting in an attempt to rid her mouth of the taste. "I don't remember hangovers being so bad before."
He chuckled in an attempt to lighten the mood, "I mean, it has been a long time since you've drank. I'm not surprised you got carried away." Iruka paused, his hand still stroking her back. His tone shifted, a more serious and almost scolding edge to it. "What surprises me is that you drank at all."
Keiko lifted her head and reached for the toilet paper, ripping off a bit to wipe her mouth before scooting back to lean against the wall. "I was tricked."
"Tricked?" Iruka questioned, leaning forward intently. He was incredibly interested in just what had happened last night.
She closed her eyes, "Anko took me out, said it was tea. It was not tea. By the time I realized… I just gave in." A half hearted shrug was all she could offer.
He nodded slowly, "I see…" he looked around the small bathroom, "You didn't bring anything back, did you?" He remembered back in the day, Keiko would bring home whole bottles of liquor. He got to know Guy fairly well thanks to their joint effort to keep her apartment alcohol free. They would sneak in while she was out and either replace it with something non alcoholic or just throw it out.
Keiko lulled her head from side to side, "I don't know… I honestly have no idea how I got home last night."
Iruka blinked, "Ahh…" Should he tell her about what he had heard? Best to see what she knew first. "Um, what do you remember, Keiko?"
Her hands reached up to massage her temples, trying to relieve the throbbing sensation. "Well, I remember Anko, obviously. Asuma and Kurenai were there… I ordered more to drink… Kotetsu and Izumo showed up..." She gasped. The rubbing motion on her temple halted and it seemed she had stopped breathing.
Iruka raised a brow when she fell silent, her eyes widening, "Then…?" She looked up at him and for a moment she looked like a student who didn't want to admit their mistake. He frowned, "Keiko, what happened?"
Her mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water, trying to find the words. "I told them. I told them all he tried to kiss me."
Iruka jumped in surprise, not actually expecting what he had heard to be true, "So, Kakashi did try to kiss you?"
"You heard?" Keiko asked in a horrified whisper. Of course, it made sense, Anko and Kotetsu were there and it was well known that they loved to gossip. If it wasn't a village secret, they would blab to anyone and everyone that would listen. They would have drunk that in and spread it like wildfire across the village. Her fingers threaded through her hair, her stomach again flipping more and more, the bitter taste returning. "Oh, this is just not my day." She lurched forward, once again hugging the toilet as if it were a lifelong friend.
Iruka sighed and held her hair out of her face yet again. "I'm sure you already heard the rumors. People already thought you guys were a thing."
Keiko groaned, both in discomfort and irritation. "That's not the problem." She put her head in her hands, shielding her eyes from the light. "What happens between us isn't anyone else's business. I can't run around telling people things like that."
He sympathized, "I don't think he can be too mad at you. From what I know, Kakashi doesn't exactly worry about what other people think of him..."
She couldn't argue that fact, but she still felt horrible for her actions. Inebriated or not. "What did you hear?" Keiko asked hesitantly. She needed to know just what was going around. What was everyone saying?
He paused, thinking over how to word it. "Well… I heard a certain silver haired Jonin carried you home like a newlywed bride." He couldn't help the grin that broke across his face when her head snapped up to look at him.
"Wha' now?" She asked, flabbergasted.
Iruka couldn't help a short laugh, "I'm not joking. Word going around is that Kakashi came and whisked you off your feet."
Keiko's face was no longer pale, but as red as smoldering embers. "Kakashi… Oh dear lord." She hung her head again as more bile worked its way up. Leaving Iruka unsure if her plea to a deity was because of Kakashi or her dry heaving.
Iruka winced when yet again her body lurched, trying to reject what little was left. He sighed, "Didn't you have some kind of Jutsu to help you with this before?"
Keiko lifted her head. How could she have forgotten? No wonder she didn't remember the hangovers being so bad! Back then it was second nature for her to perform it as soon as she woke up. Forming a few hand signs her palms began to glow a faint green hue. Upon placing one hand on her head and the other on her stomach there was near instant relief. The intense piercing pain in her skull dulled to an ache and the flipping of her stomach lessened.
Iruka's lips tugged up in a small smile, "You look better already." It was true, while her color was still off it was better than before and her eyes were clearer.
"Yeah," she racked her fingers through her hair, still exhausted but thankful the worst had passed. "I can't believe I forgot about that." She grumbled to herself before looking up at Iruka, "Why are you here so early anyway?"
There was a pause, "Keiko, it's nearly noon."
"Eh?!" She gasped in shock. Noon?! She had slept in that long? She had things she needed to do! The village had just lost it's Hokage and here she was sleeping in! Hangover or not she should be helping with the restoration of the village!
Iruka held up his hands and laughed, "Hey, calm down now." His hands lowered, "It's why I stopped by. You didn't show up for work and after hearing the rumors… I guess I wanted to see for myself." There was a small pause as they held eye contact, "You're not going to start up again, are you?"
Keiko sighed, "Seeing as I didn't mean to in the first place, yeah." She stood, using the wall to hold herself steady. "I'll get ready, I can't sit around here all day doing nothing."
A steady hand rested on her shoulder and she paused. "Keiko, it's alright. Everything's basically come to a standstill as it is. It's gonna be at least another day or two before the village is functioning even remotely normal. Who knows how long it will be until they appoint another Hokage, or even who it will be."
She couldn't argue with that. She opened her mouth to try and insist but was quickly met by a reaffirming no from Iruka, "Don't worry about anything right now. Just come in and work twice as hard tomorrow, right? I'll cover for ya the rest of the day."
Keiko smiled, thankful for a friend like Iruka, "Thank you."
"Don't mention it. Just take care of yourself for today." He gave her a stern look as he flushed the toilet and walked past her, "I better get going, I have to hurry back and help Remi."
She moved to the hall, looking at the back of his spiky ponytail as he reached for the doorknob. He sounded almost… excited to get back to work. A sly smile crossed her face, "Remi? A new friend of yours Iruka?"
Iruka paused and turned back to face her as he scratched the back of his head. A faint blush crossed his cheeks, "Uh, yeah, I promised I would help her with her reports."
"Happy reporting, Iruka." Keiko said cheerily, wishing her friend a good day before he left her alone in her apartment.
~0~
After some water, food, and a long hot shower, Keiko was feeling more herself again. Still a little slow but she hid it well. Now that she was out and about she couldn't stop herself from wondering about what had happened last night. Even as she walked down the street, she could feel a few people looking her way. Just how far had the gossip spread? Were they actually looking at her or was she just being paranoid?
If it weren't for Anko she wouldn't even be in this situation. Just thinking about the woman made her jaw tighten unpleasantly. And to think, she remembered really liking Anko last night… She would have to be sure to never trust anything that woman gave her ever again. Why she did it in the first place was already enough to make her want to beat her head against the wall.
Not to mention, the thought of facing Kakashi was enough to make her dizzy. She got so stupid when she drank. Drunk Keiko and sober Keiko were two totally different people and trying to pinpoint what she could have done was almost an extreme sport. Granted, it had been years since she had drank regularly but she could only imagine two ways last night could have gone.
One, she had been over emotional and cried. Blubbering about anything and everything that was upsetting her.
Two, overly friendly and talking nonstop about anything and everything with no filter.
Although… there was an unknown third option she couldn't place her finger on. When she had prepared for her shower, she had noticed two things. The first was a long strand of silver hair that had somehow gotten caught on her collar. And, two, the bruising on her hips.
When she first noticed the bruising she had been shocked so much she just looked at them for a solid few minutes. How had they gotten there? Keiko tried to rationalize it. She must have needed to be restrained in some way, that had to be it. There wasn't anything else that it could mean… As for the hair. She had to wonder why Kakashi had been close enough for a hair of his to be left behind on her collar. She knew it had to be his. No way it was Jiraiya's.
Keiko tried not to think about it too hard. At the moment, she was waiting for her name to be called for her ginger tea. The Dango shop was busy as usual. People popping in and out without a care in the world, some not even bothering to look in her direction while others tried not to stare for too long. Despite the fleeting glances, there was one overwhelming stare that seemed to linger more than the others.
It was an ominous feeling.
Her name was called and she graciously accepted the tea before heading out. That ominous feeling followed her and from the corner of her eye she could see a mixture of black and red… There were two of them as well. Spotting the rather large weapon leaning against the table she immediately felt that something was off. These two didn't look like they were from the village at all.
Just as she was thinking that she should stick around, she moved past the curtains and spotted a familiar masked face. "Kakashi." She smiled softly, doing her best to not let her nerves get the better of her.
Kakashi looked over from his book and quickly closed it. "Up and moving around, I see." He said with a small smile. He spotted the cup of tea in her hands. His tone shifted, "How are you feeling?"
"Oh, you know, never felt better." Her eyes darted to the side, fully aware of the cloaked figures sitting only ten feet away from them in the shop. Kakashi's gaze followed and the tone in the air seemed to shift. Best to act as though they were not there. If they were too stiff it might cause suspicion. She moved closer to him, pretending to be far more interested in her tea, "If I was being difficult last night, I'm sorry."
A soft blush dusted her cheeks. She didn't know what had happened last night, she only knew that he had been the one to take her home. She wanted to ask more about the bruises but a part of her was afraid of the answer.
She didn't want to divulge too much and Kakashi could pick up on that. He shook his head and looked ahead of them. "Don't worry about it. You were… pleasant." He didn't know what else to say. In truth, not ten minutes would go by without him thinking about last nights events.
"Oh, was she?"
The two of them turned to see Asuma and Kurenai walking toward them. Asuma grinned, a little surprised to see Keiko up and about as things were. He half expected her to still be in bed recovering from an outing like that.
Kakashi pushed himself off of the beam he was leaning on, "Oh, hello. You two seem to be getting along, on a date?"
Asuma's grin disappeared and Kurenai scoffed and looked off to the side. Her blush was a little too obvious. "Idiot, Anko just asked me to pick up some rice dumplings for her."
Keiko's deadpan expression at the mention of Anko was enough to display her mood. So, it would seem Anko wasn't feeling the greatest if she was sending someone else to get her dango. She found herself hoping that Anko was feeling just as horrible as she had that morning.
"So, what are you two doing here if not on a date of your own?" Asuma questioned, a teasing edge to his voice.
Keiko twitched at the insinuation and was about to interject when Kakashi cut her off, "I need to buy something to put on a grave. Plus, I'm meeting someone here. Just waiting on Sasuke." His gaze shifted and the other three Jonin followed his gaze to the two cloaked figures. The subtle tone shift and body language was all that was needed.
The conversation continued leisurely. These two were suspicious and they had to be sure to not let them out of sight. If these two unknowns were as dangerous as Kakashi seemed to think they couldn't let them out of sight. Even more now, Keiko was cursing Anko and her antics. Her head was still a little foggy as she listened to the conversation but when Asuma asked whose grave Kakashi was going to honor her head perked up. "Obito?" She was fairly certain she had never heard that name before.
Before anyone could elaborate for her they all turned to look at the young Uchiha making his way over. "Kakashi, it's not like you to be early, what gives?" Sasuke hadn't expected for Kakashi to be there right away. He was sure he would have to end up waiting for him like they always did for training.
Kakashi shrugged, "Well, sometimes I do."
Sasuke looked behind his Sensei and into the shop. All he saw was an empty table displaying what the shop had to offer. Hot tea and sweet dumplings. To the Jonin around him, it was something entirely different. In a mere moment the two had bolted when they were distracted. Leaving behind a half eaten plate of food and two cups of steaming tea. For them to move so quickly it showed just how skilled these two Shinobi must be.
The boy's face soured, "Let's go somewhere else, I don't have much of a sweet tooth."
"Oh, is that so?" Kakashi turned his head to the side, glancing at Kurenai and Asuma. While he hadn't looked directly at her, Keiko could read the message clearly. Follow them. Keiko was a hair behind Asuma and Kurenai but a hand on her shoulder stopped her. "Keiko, care to join us?"
She turned to him in surprise, seeing the pleasant yet slightly strained eye smile. For a moment she was about to protest but stopped short when she looked at Sasuke and it clicked. Instead, she nodded, "Of course, if that's alright with Sasuke."
There was a pause as both Jonin looked down at the boy. After a moment he shrugged, "Whatever."
As Kakashi told Sasuke to lead the way she couldn't help but smile. It was nice to not have him pushing her away. A lot had happened, perhaps he had a change of heart? Her smile faded slightly as she looked behind her to where Kurenai and Asuma had been standing.
"They'll be fine."
She fell into step beside Kakashi and sighed, "How can you be so sure?"
Kakashi looked ahead of them, watching Sasuke walk into another small shop. "They are both capable Shinobi. If I didn't think they could handle it I wouldn't have asked them to look into it." He paused, "You, on the other hand, shouldn't be following around rogue ninja after the night you had."
Keiko looked down into her half drank cup of tea as they entered the shop. "I'm still trying to figure out just what kind of night I had..." A prominent blush settled upon her face and she muttered, "I mean, I don't remember doing anything that would cause bruising..."
Behind her, Kakashi stiffened and he was thankful for his mask that hid most of his blush. He had left bruises? His mind ran over the events of the previous night and he mentally slapped himself. When she had been far too bold and moved above him… He had only wanted to steady her to prevent her from falling over but it would seem he had not paid enough attention. Oh, how he hoped she wouldn't be able to piece that together.
The three of them spoke nonchalantly about Sasuke's training. Keiko found it interesting how Sasuke could talk so easily with his Sensei. There was mutual respect between them as Master and Student and that bond had only been strengthened from their time training together. Hearing about Kakashi's unorthodox methods wasn't surprising in the least.
Through the entire conversation, Keiko's mind wandered back to the two rogue ninja. Black cloaks covered in red clouds. It was a rather flashy fashion statement if she had to say. She hoped Kurenai and Asuma were doing alright handling them.
Just as the thought crossed her mind, the tea cup in front of her cracked.
The sudden crack had both Kakashi and Keiko on edge. Neither of them truly believed in superstition, but in that moment it certainly felt like a sign. Something wasn't right.
Kakashi stood, sure to do so in his usual relaxed manner to not raise suspicions, "Oh, I nearly forgot. I have a report due and it's going to take me a while." He smiled apologetically, "We'll have to reschedule for another time, Sasuke."
Keiko stood as well, "I should get going as well. The mission room could use another hand."
There wasn't a word from Sasuke as the two of them left. The boy silently watched them go before looking back at the cracked teacup and his eyes narrowed. Just what was going on? Why did he feel like something bad was about to happen?
~0~
"You don't have to follow." Kakashi said sternly as they made their way through the trees. When Kurenai and Asuma had left, he made sure to note what direction they had left in. It was only a matter of time before they were on the scene. His gaze darted over to Keiko who was keeping pace with him.
She smirked, "And leave all the fun to you guys?" They both knew she had dealt with worse and she wouldn't have him stopping her from being there as back up.
"Just be careful, and don't do anything rash." He knew who they could be and admittedly he hadn't been entirely confident when he sent Asuma and Kurenai after them. If what Jiraiya told him was true, then these were S-Rank criminals they were dealing with. The cracking of the teacup was a final nail in the coffin and he knew something wasn't right. Maybe sending the two of them on their own wasn't the best idea.
Keiko flashed a smile, "Of course."
He had to wonder if she would be smiling if she knew who they could be. His eyes narrowed at the thought of coming face to face with an old teammate… An old friend. It left a bitter taste in his mouth. He would hold out hope that it wasn't him.
When they came upon the scene, they spit. Not even needing to communicate to know where to go or who to cover.
Keiko made it just in time. She landed in front of Asuma and countered the oncoming jutsu with her own. With a single hand raised she met the water head on. Her hand glowing as her chakra morphed the turbulent water into softly falling snow around them.
Asuma lifted his head when the impact he expected was replaced by a chilling gust of wind. There was Keiko, hand raised and the snow still falling around them as her gaze never lifted from Kisame. "Not that I'm unhappy to see you, but what are you doing here?" His dark eyes flickered over to the water to check on Kurenai and he sighed momentarily. Kakashi was here as well. They really saved their necks.
Keiko ran a hand through her hair, freeing some of the snow that clung there. She smiled, "Nothing like having a bit of backup, right?" Keiko studied the man in front of them. He was certainly unlike any man she had ever seen before. Not to mention the sword he carried… there was no mistaking his identity. Kisame would indeed be a handful.
Her eyes flickered over to the other rogue ninja in the water and her heart nearly stopped. Her hand tightened into a fist before clutching the hilt of her blade. How did he have the nerve to come back after all this time? After what he did? An unbelievable and uncharacteristic anger bubbled in her chest and she found it hard to look away from him.
Itachi Uchiha.
"So, you must be the one they call the Beaming Blizzard of Konoha. I never thought my jutsu would be stopped so easily." Kisame snickered. He had heard about her before. A woman of dazzling beauty and grace who struck down her opponents with all the fierce cold of the element she controlled. He smirked, showing the rows of shark-like teeth, "They say you're always smiling, my intel must be wrong about you."
Keiko scoffed, "You happen to catch me in a bad mood. Besides, your face does not exactly elicit that kind of response."
The smirk turned to a grin and Kisame couldn't help but chuckle. "Feisty, aren't we? Allow me to introduce myself, Kisame Hoshigaki. I'll take great pleasure in ripping the lot of you to shreds." He tightened the grip on his weapon. The thought of tearing into such flawless looking flesh sending a rush through his body.
Her eyes narrowed, "I'm well aware of who you are, Kisame. The Bingo Book goes over your crimes in great detail. Getting out of bed this morning I never would have thought that I would come face to face with a lowlife like you." The air around her took on a sudden chill, her eyes darkening, "I never expected your partner either."
Kisame easily picked up on her shift in tone, "Oh, I see, so you hate Itachi as much as they do. He certainly knows how to leave an impression, doesn't he?"
She didn't respond, only lowering into a fighting stance. It was obvious to her that there would have to be a fight of some kind at this rate. She would have to take care of him before moving to help Kakashi and Kurenai. Too bad for Kisame that her particular skill set wouldn't be as easy to deal with as he may have thought.
The cold and deadly look in her eyes sent an exciting chill down his spine and he raised his weapon toward her. "Go ahead, I'd love to cut you to ribbons."
"Kisame, stop it."
Everyone's head shifted over to look at Itachi in surprise. It was the first time Keiko had heard his voice in years. It was deeper, and he had grown taller. Both a testament to just how long it had been since the days they would spar together. Since they were comrades. Since they were friends. Looking at him now, she was disgusted at what he had become.
"If you take her on, it won't be without cost. Furthermore, it will take time, and the commotion is liable to bring more shinobi running. Your way is inefficient and unnecessarily risky. Don't lose sight of our goal."
Kisame growled, lowering his sword slightly. Even though he didn't want to be on Itachi's bad side, he still wanted to satiate his bloodlust somehow.
"I see itachi calls the shots for the both of you." Keiko smirked, "Obedient, are we?"
Asuma bit down on his cigarette, "Keiko, now's not the time."
He laughed darkly, "I am going to enjoy tearing you limb from limb, girl."
Before anything could progress further, a large explosion caught them by surprise.
"Kakashi! Kurenai!" Asuma and Keiko screamed. Kisame was forgotten as they both moved to back up their comrades. Water fell like rain around them and the river settled down once again. Kakashi huffed, catching his breath as he ignored the stinking sensation on his back. He was lucky he was wearing a flak jacket.
"Kakashi! Are you alright?" Kurenai said, stepping back. He had taken the brute force of that explosion. It was just like Kakashi to take a hit for a teammate.
The four of them stood together and Kakashi could at least take some solace in knowing that they had numbers on their side. But, he knew better than anyone, that numbers didn't matter when you were up against pure skill and raw talent. "Stay on your toes. This guy was made an Anbu Captain when he was only thirteen."
Asuma readied himself for another attack, "Alright, he's tough, we get it."
Keiko's gaze lingered on Kakashi and she hoped he hadn't been overusing his Sharingan trying to read Itachi. "Tough is an understatement." She said plainly. While she had only been a Chunin at the time and was stronger than what she used to be, she could still clearly remember their gap in power. Keiko could only imagine how much he had improved since then. She liked to think that by now she could stand up to him.
"You haven't even seen half of what he can do." Kakashi added, looking over his shoulder.
"For someone who is not of the Uchiha Clan, you have mastered the Sharingan well. However, not being one of us, you lack the physical strength and that's something you can't copy." Itachi's cold eyes bore into Kakashi's as he spoke the truth. There was a reason that Kakashi was bedridden after overusing it. "Why is it that the Uchiha Clan is known by all, and feared by all? I'll show you what the Sharingan can do when it's wielded by a true heir of the bloodline."
The four of them watched Itachi with a growing sense of foreboding that wasn't helped when Kakashi shouted. More startled than any of them had ever heard him.
"Close your eyes! Don't look at his eyes!"
The fear in Kakashi's voice had the three of them following his orders immediately. If someone of Kakashi's caliber was reacting like this then they were worse off than they thought.
"Listen, you guys. Whatever happens, don't look. If you meet his gaze, you're finished. I'm gonna have to do this alone. My Sharingan against his."
Keiko didn't like the frantic and nearly desperate tone to his voice. Her grip tightened on the hilt of her blade and she bit her cheek in frustration. There had to be something she could do!
Suddenly, a strangled gasp ripped itself from Kakashi. As if he had been struck. There had been no movement, no sound, nothing to indicate an attack! Yet the sound of Kakashi falling to his knees and his heavy breathing were ever present in their ears. Her blood chilled, "Kakashi!"
"Kakashi, what is it? Can we open our eyes now?!" Kurenai asked.
"No." Came Kakashi's forced reply. It was obvious to them that he was in an immense amount of pain. "Not yet."
"What just happened?" Asuma demanded, "One second the guy's talking and the next you hit the ground!"
"After all that, the fool's spirit is still intact." Kisame spoke, impressed.
"This thing you're after, is it Sasuke?" Kakashi asked through labored breaths. Keiko held her breath, had Itachi come back after all this time to finish off his clan once and for all?
"No. The Legacy of the Fourth Hokage."
So, it wasn't Sasuke? Even though the situation was dire Keiko could feel the level of tenseness in her shoulders lessen. Sasuke had been through enough as it was.
"The nine-tailed spirit inside Naruto. That's what you're after?"
She inhaled sharply. The conversation she had with Jiraiya rang clear in her mind. He had said there would be people who were after him if they knew his identity. But, how? How did they know?
"You're not the only ones, are you? There are seven more of you out there, searching. Hunting. I know all about you. You call yourselves the Akatsuki, right?"
Asuma, Kurenai and Keiko were unfamiliar with the name, "Akatsuki?"
"Kisame, we'll take Kakashi with us, but we don't need the others. Get rid of them."
For a split second there was complete silence. That was all the more Keiko needed to act. Without opening her eyes, the wind picked up around them, the snow that littered the land swirling around them. Even with their eyes closed, Asuma and Kurenai had to cover their faces with their arms.
"Keiko, no!"
Kakashi's scream did nothing to change her mind. This man was threatening to take away two people who meant more to her than anything. She refused to stand there and do nothing! Lucky for her, she didn't need to open her eyes to fight.
In the blink of an eye she met Kisame half way but before he could take a swing of his sword the water below his feet shot up around him. All of his limbs encased in ice and he growled. That trick of hers was getting old! He expected an attack to come his way but instead she rushed past him and right to Itachi.
The loud clang of metal on metal rang out around them. The blowing snow came to an abrupt halt as katana and kunai strained against one another.
"It's been a while, Keiko."
She growled, pushing harder. If she could get him immobile she might have a chance. As long as she kept her eyes closed he couldn't trap her in a Genju-
A strangled gasp ripped itself from her throat. Searing pain made her eyes snap open to peer down at her chest. A kunai plunged deeply into her ribcage. The excruciating pain stopped her from crying out and she fell to her knees, gasping and panting for air.
Shit. Shit, shit, shit!
"There's more than one way to cast a Genjutsu."
Genjutsu? This was a Genjutsu? No, it was far too real. Far too intricate if it was. Good Genjutsu was realistic but to be able to go this far, it was on a whole other level! Even the best illusion had a tell. Something to give away that it was an illusion. Even if it was the smallest detail. This had nothing of the sort.
Itachi watched her quivering form for a moment before kneeling down to eye level. "You've improved." He acknowledged.
From their close proximity there was no way she couldn't look into his eyes. What she saw there was a Sharingan like no other. Not only that, it was the face of a friend turned enemy. This man was nothing like the Itachi she had known.
He placed two fingers on her forehead and pushed her backward into the water. "But not enough."
Hello again everyone~! Hope you enjoyed the chapter. I've been debating adding this authors note, but I'm just gonna go for it. I'm only human after all.
Last chapter was met with much praise (thank you so much everyone!), as well as some criticism. I want to address some things. First, thank you to everyone who has read this story this far, I truly do appreciate your support.
That being said, we are getting to the part of this story I have had planned out since BEFORE I started posting. I'm super excited to get to it, and I hope you all are as well. The last 6 months have been a great journey and I'm happy to have gotten as much support as I have had.
I enjoy romantic dramas, and that's what this story is. If the drama is upsetting to you, all I can say is that I truly hope you enjoy what's to come. I have a plan, and I will stick with it. I will never be able to make everyone happy, but I hope that if you've made it this far you enjoy the story on some level. There are only 13/14 more chapters left in this story and there are some softer bits coming very soon. For me, this is what I've been waiting for the most. Perhaps, when the story is finished you will be able to enjoy it as much as I do. :)
Please remember that I am only human and while I love that other people enjoy it, this is only a hobby for me. I do this because it is fun and I have a story to tell. Constructive criticism is always welcome, but a few people have taken it a step beyond that. I only bring this up because, well... if a few people say it then there's obviously others who think it but stay silent. (Being frustrated over Kakashi's restraint is perfectly acceptable and I understand that. I've known since chapter one that people would get a little frustrated, lol. It comes to an end very soon though! ;D)
Thank you all for coming on this journey with me and I hope that we'll finish it together.
Don't forget to Favorite, Follow, and Review!
Posted - 10/24/2021