100+ Favs! Wooo! Thanks everyone!
Chapter 18
"I'm so screwed..."
My words echoed throughout the wide room that I had been left alone in to await my fate. After meeting Itachi outside Shisui's residence, I had been taken to the estate of the head of the clan, aka, Sasuke's home. From there I was led to what I assumed was the dojo. A large, open room with a small rack of swords on the far wall alongside some scrolls. The wall scrolls simply read things like 'Strength' and in the centre was a larger banner brandishing the Uchiha's clan symbol. Other than that, the room was completely enclosed. I couldn't tell what time it was nor how long I had been waiting. It had certainly been a while, or at least felt that way. I had nothing to do but stew in my own thoughts and anxieties while sitting on my knees. Which, on top of the cold, hard floor was not comfortable in the least.
To make things worse, Itachi had confiscated the two packs of senbei when he took me in. If they opened them and found the note... I couldn't even imagine what might happen. Thinking on it only made my anxiety worse, to the point it began to interfere with my breathing. As such, the only thing I could do was try and keep calm and await the inevitable. Escape had crossed my mind, sure. But there was no way I was getting anywhere. While no one had been left behind to guard me, I just had the feeling that the moment I tried to leave they'd be on me in a heartbeat.
Occasionally, I could just barely hear distant voices yelling at one another. Too muffled to make out anything specific nor even tell who may have been speaking. I could only hope that Sasuke was at least trying to advocate on my behalf. Remembering how he had been questioning Itachi intently on the walk to the estate only for Itachi to brush him off. The last I saw of him was the boy staring at me with worry as the doors slammed shut on my make-shift holding cell.
It really was impossible to tell how much time had passed. When you are painfully aware of each individual second, minutes could feel like hours. To the point my legs were both sore and numb from sitting still so long. I had no choice but to try and get to my feet. Legs shaking as I planted my foot on the floor, it began to violently wobble as I could barely feel a thing below my knee. Carefully, I managed to get up on both legs but as the left was just as numb as the right I couldn't possibly hold my balance and flopped down on the floor like a babe just learning to take their first steps.
Maybe it was because I was so high strung, maybe it was because of the situation I found myself in but I couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity of it. If someone were to walk in at this moment they'd certainly think I lost my mind. Lying on the floor laughing like a lunatic when I may very well be a suspect in the death of one of their most prodigal shinobi. Thankfully, this didn't happen.
The laughter only lasted a few seconds before the grim reality settled back in place. Slowly, the blood flow returned to my extremities. The numbness replaced with the stinging of countless pins and needles. It took about a minute for that to subside and I was able to get up to my feet. Simply wandering around the large room for a while to just move a bit. While little, it did help to ever so slightly assuage my anxieties for the moment.
More time passed at a snail's pace and I found myself sitting in the centre of the room once more. At this point I was almost wanting to be condemned so that I wouldn't have to wait any longer. My mind drifted to my family, Mom hadn't given me a time to be home but I figured she'd expect me home in time for dinner. A new fear began to well in my chest, one far worse than what I had experienced so far. The fear that I couldn't go home, that they would be left wondering where I was and the pain it would cause them. I imagined my parents frantically running around the village crying my name as they desperately tried to find me. Tears involuntarily falling down my cheeks as I tried to stifle my choked cries.
"I'm sorry..." I whispered, praying that my intentions could somehow reach them.
The sound of approaching footsteps had me scrambling to wipe my face clean. Sniffling as I switched back to sitting on my knees and trying to calm myself as best as possible. The footsteps stopped by the left wall, a few moments passed in tense silence before it slid open. The man who entered had dark brown hair that just brushed the top of his dark kimono. His eyes a sharp onyx with deep creases underneath them. Perhaps by age or by stress but they certainly gave his gaze a steely weight that demanded respect.
I stiffened up my back so I sat up perfectly straight the moment I saw him. As though his mere presence commanded my body to do so. Stopping in front of me, the man felt like a giant. Up close, he appeared like an older, far more hardened Itachi. It was obvious this was his father, the head of the Uchiha clan. The name Fugaku floated in my mind but right now I couldn't exactly be sure, I had more important things to focus on.
"I'm told your name is Meiko, correct?" He said in a harsh tone. It felt like I was in a police interrogation room which, considering he was also the head of the police force, wasn't that far off.
Swallowing down my fears as best I could, I nodded, "Y-Yes. I'm Meiko Hashimoto." I answered, almost immediately wanting to kick myself for adding in my last name. Not that it was something he couldn't figure out with ease, but it felt like I was putting the rest of my family in danger.
"I don't want to waste any time. Why are you here? What were you doing with my son?" He asked, or well demanded the answers. Crossing his arms and waiting with an aura of having zero patience.
"I..." I began, trying to figure out which to answer first. "I wanted to give Shisui Uchiha a gift..." I said, eyes falling to the floor. "I bought some senbei from the shop, near the entrance. It was to thank him for helping me out the other day. I asked Sasuke for his help and in return, I would buy him his own bag." Of course I had to leave out the whole 'I wanted to deliver a note warning him of an attack to try and save his life' bit. I could only hope and pray this experienced shinobi wasn't able to tell I was lying by omission.
"Really?" He questioned, his voice controlled but powerful. I couldn't tell if he doubted my statement or not. Still staring at the floor, I just nodded. "Well then, care to tell me why you entered his home?"
A valid question, and one that brought about a conundrum. Do I tell the truth and appear to blame his son for our trespassing? Or do I take the heat myself? Both options I lose, so which would minimize the damage? I was certain no matter how this turned out Sasuke would get only a slap on the wrist. Still, I couldn't bring myself to try and shift the blame to him.
"I was... Impatient." I finally answered, raising my head slightly but not enough to meet Fugaku's gaze. "I thought I could run in, drop it off quickly and get out before anyone noticed it would be fine. I didn't know where he might have been so instead of searching around, I figured this was easier..." My hands tightened around my pants as I bit the inside of my lip.
A low hum came from Fugaku but he said nothing. Was this his interrogation technique? To make me panic because I couldn't tell if he was accepting my story or not? Because it was working!
"And?" He finally said, the short period of silence had his powerful voice startling me, "What did you do once inside?"
In an instant, the scene replayed in my mind. From entry to reading the note, the words written down, Shisui's final statement to the world were still vivid in my memory. With it came a replay of the emotions I felt at the time, although considering the current circumstances they were thrown in the massive pot of turmoil currently boiling inside.
"I... I took off my sandals then went into the living room. Then I was going to put the senbei package on the table there when I saw the note. I was curious so I read it and..." I had to pause to take a breath, "After that, I ran back to the front door and ran into Itachi. Then, he brought me here."
"Why take your sandals off?" A question I found strange, it seemed like such a small detail to focus on.
"I didn't want to track dirt in the house. Its rude to wear them indoors." I replied honestly.
"You didn't want to be rude while trespassing?" He retorted. I had no response to that, a couple small noises escaped me as I tried to form words that simply didn't exist.
"Y-Yeah..." Was all I could say in the end.
"I see. And what of Sasuke? What was he doing?" Fugaku followed up with another question. Once again I was faced with a dilemma, tell the truth and incriminate Sasuke? Or lie and say he didn't come inside? Well, actually it wasn't much of a choice. Itachi himself saw Sasuke inside the residence.
"Sasuke followed me inside." I lied, "He warned me about it but I didn't listen. After we were inside, I think he started looking at some photos. I was too distracted by the letter so I wasn't paying attention."
Another long period of silence before Fugaku spoke again. "After reading the letter, why did you run?"
"I..." Swallowing a lump, I thought back on why I ran. Obviously it was because I realized how bad my position was. To be inside the house and find the suicide letter was not a good position to be in. "I panicked. The only thing I could think of was that we had to leave, so I ran."
"Is that so?" Once again I couldn't tell if he was casting doubt on my words or not and I still couldn't bring myself to look at his face out of fear he'd be able to read me like a book. Honestly he probably could anyway but this was the best I could do.
"Moving on then, you mentioned your little trip was about giving a thank you gift to Shishui. When did you meet him? What did he do to earn this favour?" Fugaku said, changing the direction of the interrogation.
I took a moment to think on my answer. Once again, depending on how truthful I was, my testimony would incriminate a member of the Uchiha clan. Sure, I did not really care to protect Inaba like I had Sasuke but he was still an Uchiha. It might be safer to just omit that little detail. "A few days ago, after I finished training with my... teacher," I had to cut myself off to avoid saying Misaki's name. She didn't need to be dragged into this mess too. "We ran into some thugs who were trying to pick a fight. But before anything could happen Shisui stepped in and chased them off."
The memory of my one encounter with Shisui Uchiha replayed in my head. He certainly earned his nickname of 'The Teleporter' from the skill he displayed in disarming both Misaki and Inaba in an instant. Even now, in this situation, that memory still filled me with awe of his skills. "He was really cool."
"Ah!" I hadn't meant to say that. My subconscious thoughts just happened to slip out during my reminiscing. I lowered my head a bit more to obscure my face and fell silent. Admittedly, I was slightly embarrassed from that little outburst.
"Thugs, huh?" Fugaku mused. I could imagine him stroking his chin as he spoke. My fists tightened harder, tugging my pant legs tight. I wanted to scream. If he could give me something, anything, to indicate whether or not he believed me it would be such a relief.
"And where did you encounter these 'thugs'?" His next question only continued to hammer into my fears. Did he know about the incident and was just trying to get me to incriminate myself?
"Argh!" I screamed internally, chewing the inside of my lip as I debated on truth or fiction. I had to settle on truth here, too many lies would get me confused and I wasn't the smartest in the first place. "It was..." I sighed in resignation, "Here, in the compound."
"Oh?" Fugaku's reply actually had a hint of emotion in it this time.
I continued before he could follow up, guessing the question he was about to ask. "My teacher brought me here the other day for a special training session. Shuriken training is hard at my house, I don't have access to a proper facility so it can be dangerous." I took a short breath, risking raising my head to finally face my interrogator's. Fugaku looked down on me, arms still crossed and face a steely mask. Intimidating was an understatement and even just the brief moment our eyes locked was enough to send a shiver down my spine as I quickly tore my gaze away and back to the floor.
"When we were leaving, a few Uchiha confronted us... They weren't happy I was there without permission. We tried to leave peacefully but one of them grabbed me and..." I closed my eyes, "Sorry Misaki." "My teacher jumped to my aid and nearly caused a fight. That was when Shisui stepped in and they backed off."
"I do recall hearing about an incident like that." Fugaku said after another period of silence. "That would mean this teacher of yours is also an Uchiha?"
"Y-Yes..." I was forced to admit, "BUT! She didn't have anything to do with what happened today! It was all my idea!" I quickly added, jumping to Misaki's defence. Yet in my haste I hadn't even realized I had literally jumped to my feet. It took a moment for me to register what I had done and when I did, I squeaked like a mouse and dropped back to my knees with a loud thud. Wincing as bone struck wood but keeping my mouth shut. "I'm sorry about that."
Fugaku made no comment on my actions, instead opting to simply continue his questioning. "I see. Do you know their names? The ones who accosted you and this teacher of yours?" My body tensed up, a part of me felt like I had betrayed Misaki by giving away so much that now I couldn't do anything more to hide it.
"I... I don't know all their names." I began, swallowing the lump in my throat that threatened to try and silence me, "The Uchiha who confronted us, the only name I know is Inaba. And my teacher..." My voice trailed off, I needed a moment to gather myself. Mustering the strength, I once again looked up to Fugaku, staring straight into his cold eyes. "Her name is Misaki Uchiha. And as I said before, she had nothing to do with what happened today. The incident last time was just her trying to protect me. So please, no matter what you choose to do to me, leave her out of this."
In that moment, the most unexpected thing happened. Fugaku's mask broke. It was only for a moment, blink and you'd miss it but it was there. The man appeared surprised. It was a mute surprise of course, raised eyebrows and a slightly open mouth but it was actual emotion. One that was quickly suppressed as the mask was reapplied.
"I see." He said again. Itachi must have gotten that phrase from him. Meanwhile, I was still awestruck that I had somehow elicited some kind of emotion out of him that I didn't even notice I was still staring him in the face. "Well then, shall we move on to the next question?" He asked, but before we could continue, something caught his attention. First his eyes shifted to the right, then his entire head turned. "You may enter." He said, causing me to look in the same direction.
A sliding door opened revealing the elder Uchiha sibling. No longer wearing the combat gear from earlier. Instead he was wearing more casual clothing similar to others I had seen in the compound. "Excuse me." He said in a low tone, I was only able to hear it thanks to the otherwise overbearing silence of the training hall. Itachi entered and quickly approached us, stopping at his father's side. Seeing the two side by side, the resemblance was easily apparent. He really took after his father.
"I finished speaking with those who encountered the two. Their accounts line up with Sasuke's." Itachi said, not bothering to spare me so much as a glance.
"I see." Fugaku replied. That may have been his favourite phrase. "Was there anything else?"
Itachi reached to something on his right side and produced two familiar bags. The senbei. My heart sank upon seeing them. Without Shisui, one of the bags had lost it's purpose, but it's contents still held a great risk for me. I couldn't imagine what Fugaku would do should he discover that note. A simple interrogation like I had been through would likely seem as a casual stroll through the park. Swallowing yet another lump, I noticed the ribbons were still tied, tattered and scrunched up, but intact. It was enough to allow myself a small amount of relief. If the knots were still tied, they may not have checked the contents.
"Urushi and Teyaki confirmed these were the packs of senbei Meiko purchased. This one was intended for Shisui." Itachi said in the same cold tone as his father's as he indicated the bag of black spotted crackers. A bag that Fugaku took in his own hand. My breath caught in my throat, sucking in my lips as I watched Fugaku look over the bag for a moment. Terrified he might pull the ribbon and open it, revealing my secret extra gift.
"And the other?" He asked, gaze falling on the second bag Itachi held. "Sugar, for herself?"
"No," Itachi replied, "Apparently this one was also a gift, but for someone else. They did not know who however." Fugaku turned his attention back to me, my muscles tensing up once more.
"For your teacher? Misaki?" He asked.
I shook my head, "No, those were for someone at the academy. I... Hurt myself yesterday and he helped me out. Just a friend. I took the opportunity to grab him a bag while I was at the shop. I planned to give it to him before class tomorrow." I explained. Fugaku analyzed me for a moment before turning back to Itachi and, to my great relief, returned the senbei to him.
"Now," Fugaku then said, his voice feeling as though it was taking on a bit of a darker tone, "There was a couple discrepancies in your story. Care to explain?"
My eyes went wide and chest pulled tight. My heart even skipped a beat or two. I should have known he'd see through my lies. Still, I couldn't be sure which parts he spoke of? All of them probably but I couldn't even remember which parts I altered exactly.
"Ah..." A sound of admittance and guilt escaped me. Once more my eyes fell to the floor, defeated. Yet, thinking back, the only things I had altered was Sasuke's actions. I had been pretty truthful for the rest of it, heck for all the important parts. Taking in a deep breath, I tried to calm myself, relax some of my taut muscles and spoke once more, "I may have got some parts wrong but I think I've told you the most important details truthfully."
"I didn't ask for your opinion, I asked for the truth." Fugaku replied harshly. Even though I was still on my knees, I still jumped as his voice echoed throughout the space. Being near this man was bad for my heart. I needed a few moments to try and calm myself, something that wasn't as easy as it sounded when you had those two glaring me down. The more I tried to calm down, the louder my heart beat.
Tap tap tap tap tap tap.
Wait, that wasn't my heart. It was coming from the far side of the room and approaching fast. It was barely a second after I had recognized the noise that the sliding door behind me slammed open. I barely managed to start turning to see who had just barged in when they started shouting.
"Father!" A young, familiar voice reverberated throughout the room as he began running towards us, his breathing slightly ragged from running.
"Sasuke!?" I called out in surprise.
"Sasuke!" Fugaku yelled back, causing the boy's approaching footsteps to come squeaking to a halt, "You were told to stay with your mother. What are you doing here?"
Sasuke hesitated at his father's admonishment. His face scrunched in turmoil as he started to step back. I thought he was about to turn and leave but as he raised his head our eyes met. In that instant he steeled himself and faced his father again, marching forward once more and stopping at my side.
"Father! It was my fault, I told you already! So you don't need to punish Meiko, she was just following what I said!" Sasuke resolutely declared to the shock of everyone in the room. Well, at least to my shock, I could only assume the elder Uchiha must have at least had some kind of reaction but I was just staring dumbfounded at Sasuke.
I quickly shook my head before reaching out and grabbing Sasuke by the sleeve, pulling myself to my feet and whispering into his ear, "What are you doing!?"
"Getting you out of this!" He whispered back loudly before shaking off my hand and stepping forward, "It was my fault we went into Shisui's house! I just wanted to get it over with!"
"No!" I suddenly shouted, stepping forward myself and infront of Sasuke, "He's just trying to cover for me! It was my idea!" While it was touching that Sasuke was coming to my aid, his testimony was contradicting my own and, worse still, I didn't want him to possibly drive a wedge between him and his family because of me. He was blissfully unaware of the tension and hatred that was steadily tightening the grip on his clan. By defending me, he was unknowingly throwing himself into the front of all that.
He looked to me bewildered, "Idiot! What are you doing!?" He shouted at me.
"Telling the truth!" I blatantly lied to his face. It stung a little to do so but it had to be done.
"What are you talking about!? I was the one who told you to just go in and treat it like training!" Sasuke retorted, angry and utterly confused as to what I was doing.
"You don't need to cover for me! I made a mistake and I need to pay for it!" I fought back, trying to plead with him through only eye contact for him to drop the matter and this was for the best. The boy grimaced, grabbing me by the collar of my shirt and pulling me in close so our faces were almost touching.
"Seriously! What is your problem!?" He shout whispered at me. "You tell me not to cover for you so why are you doing that for me!?"
"Because!" I whispered back, "Its for the best! I don't want you getting in trouble with your family! I'll be fine! Really!"
"Ahem!" Fugaku finally decided to interject with a clearly faked throat clearing noise. "If you two are done with your little spat, I have something to say." The two of us looked to him and while I swear I was imagining it, I could almost see a look of bemusement on his face. I blinked and all that was there was his usual steely mask.
"S-Sorry..." I apologized, Sasuke did so too. Releasing my shirt and stepping back while I brushed out the wrinkles.
"Good." Fugaku said with a nod. "Now, it seems you both are contradicting one another. I'll give you one last chance to come clean. Which one of you is telling the truth?"
"I am!" The two of us answered simultaneously before turning to face each other and gnashing our teeth.
"Enough." Fugaku stopped us from going at it once again. Sasuke turning away with a huff while I, a sigh. "I can see we are getting nowhere with this." Sounding almost exasperated, Fugaku turned his head and nodded to
Itachi who then started to approach the two of us. "Sasuke, you will be grounded for a week. You are to come home immediately after your classes."
Sasuke had the most bizarre reaction to being grounded I could have imagined, his face lit up and he turned to me with a smug smirk as though he just won. I could only click my tongue in response.
"As for you, Meiko." Fugaku continued, causing me to snap to attention, "As this is the second time you have caused an incident, you are hereby banned from stepping foot in the Uchiha compound. Itachi will escort you out."
I was stunned, I knew I would likely get a harsh punishment but I wasn't expecting something at that level. I had screwed up big time. If I couldn't gain access to the compound it would severely limit any future actions I could take to try and help Misaki.
"What!? Why!?" Sasuke suddenly cried out, trying to run forward but Itachi cut off his path with an arm. "You don't need to go that far! Father!"
"Sasuke." Fugaku said coldly, "Why are you going so far for her?" He shot the question direct like an arrow, striking true and causing Sasuke to physically stagger back. I was wondering the same, why was he going this far for me? We weren't all that close, heck, counting today we'd only really spoken three times. Yet here he was, putting his neck on the line for me.
He was clearly uncomfortable with the question, squirming on the spot as he seemed to struggle to find an answer. The only thing I could think of was that he didn't want to feel indebted to me for the senbei I had bought him. He mentioned as much just before we entered Shisui's house after all. Still, it felt a bit excessive for a bag of sugar crackers.
When he couldn't find an answer, Fugaku just nodded to Itachi once more. The elder brother moving before me and indicating it was time to go with the slightest raising of his head. Defeated, I nodded and turned to leave, stopping for a moment to look to Sasuke.
"Thanks Sasuke, I'll see you tomorrow." I said, trying to keep an upbeat tone to my voice, as though this wasn't that big of a deal. But even I could hear the sadness in the words. When he heard that, Sasuke looked to me with an almost pained look in his face that honestly hurt to see. With a smile I waved and started towards the door.
"Wait!" Sasuke shouted just as I was crossing into the hallway, causing the both of us to pause. "Its because..." He started, gritting his teeth as I think his face was going red. It was hard to tell from this distance. A few seconds of silence and Itachi tapped me on the back indicating I should continue.
"Its because... She's my friend!" Sasuke finally managed to cry out, his words echoing out of the room and into the hallway from which it felt like they would continue through the entire estate. I'll admit, I had not seen that coming. At the moment I was quite glad I was facing out into the hallway because my face was flaring hot, equalling the heat in my chest.
Silence once again fell as I stood paralyzed, heart pounding so hard I could feel it in my head. I could only imagine Sasuke was feeling the same way. Itachi wasn't prodding me to continue walking so he must have been waiting on his father's judgement.
"I see." He finally said, breaking the silence. I found myself taking in a sharp breath at his words. "...But my decision still stands." With a sigh of defeat, I could tell this was the end. His words held no room for argument. Sasuke tried to argue further but Fugaku cut him off sharply and definitively. "Enough! This is final!" He shouted and Sasuke finally backed down. Once more, Itachi gave me a gentle push.
Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath. "Sasuke! I'll see you tomorrow!" I said again, louder and much happier this time. "We can do that training session you suggested during lunch tomorrow!" Finally, I started walking down the hallway, Itachi following close behind. We got a few meters down when I heard rapid footsteps from behind us.
"Yeah!" Sasuke called to me, "I'll need a good laugh after seeing how bad your shuriken jutsu is!" I couldn't help but laugh, waving as I rounded the corner and out of sight. It was strange, how I was feeling. On one hand, I had just been banished from the compound. Never to return. I was obviously depressed about that but Sasuke's little confession left a warm feeling in my chest. The two polar opposite emotions fought for dominance leaving me in a weird state of flux.
As we stepped outside, I was finally able to tell how long I had been confined in that room. The sun was starting to set, a gentle orange glow beginning to brush the rooftops. "Well, I'm late for dinner." I found myself thinking as I was marched across the estate's property and to the small entrance gate. Once we stepped off the property line, our presence immediately drew the stares and ire of those nearby. Almost instantly too, several heads just snapped in our direction. I hated those eyes. The ones that just looked at me with mistrust were bearable, but the more powerful ones, the ones filled with hatred and loathing, those ones always got to me. To avoid them, I focused on the ground just ahead of my feet and continued my march of shame.
It was a long walk to the exit. All the while I could feel the stares and hear the muffled and not so quiet murmurings. People wondering why I was with Itachi, why I was allowed inside, etc. There was one instance of a friendly voice however, an old woman calling out. "Oh hello there Itachi, I see little Meiko is with you." I recognized Urushi's voice and, to my surprise, Itachi stopped.
"Yes, I'm escorting her out." Itachi replied with an astonishing warmth to his voice. As though we were just out for a friendly stroll. The woman quickly ducked behind her counter before emerging again and stepping out of her shop. She approached the two of us with a bright smile on her face and carrying a small bag.
"So everything is alright then? Itachi came by asking about you and Sasuke, were you able to find Shisui? Did he like your gift?" Urushi barraged me with questions, from the sound of it she had not yet been informed of Shisui's fate. Confused, I looked up to Itachi who responded with only a slight nod. Somehow, I understood his meaning.
"O-Oh, yeah." I said clumsily, "He was happy for the gift but couldn't stick around." Not much of an excuse but her smile did not hold any doubt as she continued to approach.
"I'm happy to hear it." Urushi then held out the small bag, inside I could see four zarame crackers. She then reached out with her other hand, gently taking mine and placing the bag in it. "Here." She said, enclosing my fingers to ensure I had a good grip on it.
"But..." I started to object but Urushi shook her head.
"Don't worry about it, on the house." She said, patting me gently on the shoulder. "I'm glad Sasuke was able to find a friend as kind as you." I couldn't find any words to reply to her, instead just nodding and accepting the small gift.
"Thank you." I was finally able to say.
"We must be going." Itachi said, giving Urushi a bow, one I quickly mimicked.
"Of course, have a good night." Urushi said, "Oh and Itachi, give my regards to Sasuke and Shisui would you? Meiko, I hope to see you again sometime. I'll give you a special discount next time."
"O-Oh..." I stammered, glancing up at Itachi for a moment before forcing a smile, "Thanks!" I bowed again.
Itachi hesitated for a moment before he answered too, "Of course. You have a good night." With that last word, Itachi pushed me to indicate it was time to go. I gave one final bow and continued on my way.
It came as a relief to step outside the compound and finally away from the judgmental gazes. It felt like I could breathe again. Still, I held back from taking in a deep breath as I could sense Itachi's presence still behind me. Turning around, I bowed to him.
"Thank you for that." I said politely, "I'll be fine heading home from here." Rising back up, I looked to Itachi who simply stared back at me in silence. For some reason, it felt like he was expecting something. An awkward few seconds later I figured he was just waiting for me to leave, standing guard to make sure I didn't try to slip back inside the compound.
"I'm sorry about today and, I'm sorry for your loss. Truly. Goodnight." Once more I bowed, turned and started to leave.
"Aren't you forgetting something?" Itachi finally spoke. I spun around, confused for a moment about what he meant before noticing what he held in his hand. The two bags of senbei. I had completely forgotten.
"Ah!" I said with surprise, both relieved and worried at the sight of them. Still, the ribbons looked intact so I assumed they hadn't been opened. "R-Right. Thank you." I stammered, reaching out for the bags, to which Itachi gently placed them in my waiting hands. It was going to be interesting explaining to Mom why I was coming home with three bags of snacks. "Haaah." I sighed loudly with relief, a bit too loudly but didn't realize my mistake until Itachi made it apparent.
"You seem relieved." He said in his usual monotone but his words felt like ice to me.
"Ah... Ah well..." I stammered, looking to the bags in my hand, "I mean, this one here is for a friend! I'm just glad to have it back." I motioned to the sugar coated crackers Itachi had returned to me.
"I see." Itachi said, causing me to see his father's face flash over his own. For a moment, I hoped he would just drop it there, but no. He slowly pointed towards the package that had been meant for the now late Shisui. "Yet the entire time you were only looking at that one."
My eyes went wide as I stammered out a few unintelligible noises. He got me. There was nothing I could say to try and wriggle my way out of that, or at least nothing came to mind. Still, in my panic I continued to struggle to try and find something. Because of that, I failed to notice what Itachi was doing.
"Perhaps it has something to do with this." He said, catching my attention and breaking me from my little episode. My eyes were quickly drawn to the object of his reference. In his hand he held a very familiar, slightly crumpled piece of paper.
My heart stopped.
Everything felt cold, like winter had just set in around me. It was impossible to breathe. All I could do was focus on that little piece of paper in his hand, gently rustling in the breeze. I barely even noticed the fact that I lost my grip on the bags of senbei, the snacks falling to the ground with a few dull thumps and cracks.
"How?" The word somehow slipped out of my mouth. A stupid question.
"The same as you, I suppose. It is easy to replicate this simple knot." Itachi replied.
A stupid question indeed.
"I have a few questions of my own." He added, "Pick those up and follow me." He did not even wait before starting to walk. Of course, I could tell I had no choice in the matter. My situation was like a cornered mouse facing down a lion. No matter how much I bit or scratched or tried to run I was at the complete mercy of the predator.
Wordlessly, I picked up the fallen bags and did as I was commanded. Itachi led me down a side street, away from the heart of the village where my home was and diving further into the already desolate outskirts. We were soon surrounded by fauna as we made our way into the nearby treeline, the road turning into an unkempt path. We were getting more and more isolated with each step. If the walk through the compound could be likened to a perp walk, then this was starting to feel like the final march to the execution chamber.
I had to keep telling myself that Itachi only wanted to ask me some questions, to get some clarification of that note. It was probably the only thing keeping me from breaking down in terror. Even then, it was barely working. My body was trembling uncontrollably but surprisingly, I wasn't crying. Maybe I was just too scared to do so.
Finally, we stepped into a small clearing, Itachi taking position opposite me. I swallowed down my fears and braced myself for what was coming.
"Who gave you this letter and how did they know about the attack?" Itachi said, his voice level but holding a commanding power. One so great as to make me step back as though I was hit by a wall of force.
"Oh, that's right!" Thanks to what Itachi said, I remembered what I had written on the note. I wrote it in a way to make it sound as though I myself was just a messenger. "If I can play off of that, I might still be able to get out of this!" There was one small sparkle of hope in this detail, perhaps my luck hadn't abandoned me yet. Besides, it was certainly much more believable than the truth of the matter, right?
Raising my head, I met Itachi's gaze and immediately knew that there was no way I was going to pull a fast one over him. It was stupid to even entertain the idea. Any excuse I came up with he was certain to see through in an instant. There really was only one option left to me, the one I wanted to avoid at all costs.
All I had left, was the truth.
With a sigh of resignation I accepted my fate. "There... There is no one." I said, "I was the one who wrote that letter."
Before I could elaborate my thoughts were suddenly cut off when pain shot from the back of my skull. I was barely able to let out a yelp of pain before my body was then pinned against the tree behind me, feet dangling uselessly in the air. As my vision came back into focus I found myself staring into the face of an absolutely livid Itachi. Eyes wide enough that I could see the entirety of the whites. I gasped in a mouthful of air but only about half of that managed to reach my lungs. He held me tight with an iron grip by the neck, not enough to choke me but easily send the message that he could snap it like a twig on a whim.
"I am in no mood for games!" He stated, not quite to the level of a shout but his words had weight behind them. "My friend is dead and now I learn you know of someone who could have prevented it! You will tell me what you know!"
Naturally, I tried to struggle to get myself free. But even with my chakra enhancing my strength Itachi wasn't budging. It wasn't long before I gave up on that futile act and got a good look into Itachi's eyes. What I saw there wasn't the anger I had assumed, it was anguish. Pain over the loss of his best friend. 'A shinobi must control their emotions.' The words rang in my head, it was a constant warning to always be in control. Yet shinobi were still human, they couldn't just erase their emotions. By controlling them you were in essence, shoving them in a box. Yet the more you shove in, the greater the pressure. Eventually it'll burst.
Right now, Itachi's box had sprung a leak and the repair was still fresh and vulnerable. And here I was, waltzing in carrying something that could have potentially saved his friend and when he demanded answers, I tried to hide my 'source' with a flimsy excuse. It must have seemed like a sick joke to him.
I took a firm grasp of his wrist with both hands, using it as leverage to lift my body up a bit and relieve the pressure on my neck. Returning his pained gaze with a pleading one, "Its not a game." I said with a raspy voice, "Please, give me a chance to explain."
I took a firm grasp of his wrist with both hands, using it as leverage to lift my body up a bit and relieve the pressure on my neck. Returning his pained gaze with a pleading one, "Its not a game." I said with a raspy voice, "Please, give me a chance to explain."
His grip tightened slightly as he raised me higher up the tree, my back scraping against the bark. "Then start talking." Itachi demanded, his eyes losing that initial fire of pain and instead growing cold. Once more he had taken the reins of control back from his emotions. The box sealed again. There was something chilling about those eyes, almost inhuman as Itachi switched back to shinobi mode.
Using his arm as leverage, I pulled myself up slightly, just enough to release some pressure on my neck so I could speak a little better. "Its... Hard to explain," I grimaced uncomfortably, trying to think of the best way to say this. As Itachi had said, he was in no mood for games and even as I knew what I was about to say was ridiculous.
"I... I foresaw it." I finally stated.
Itachi's brow twitched, then he pulled me off the tree. For a brief moment I thought he might let me down, only to slam me back into the bark. Not as forcefully as the first time at least.
"Is that some kind of joke!?" He said as anger flashed over his deep black eyes. "Perhaps I haven't made myself clear." He paused for a brief moment to let me simmer on the implications of what he was about to add, "I would rather not, but if need be I can use more... forceful methods."
A chill ran down my spine. I didn't even want to imagine what he could do. "I-Its true! I'm not lying! If I can just-" I tried to plead but Itachi simply cut me off.
"And if that isn't enough. I may pay a visit to your family. Hashimoto was your last name if I remember correctly?"
"My... Family?" I repeated, words filled with disbelief and horror. It was suddenly hard to breathe, not because Itachi was squeezing tighter but I physically couldn't get the air down my windpipe. My chest was tight, far too tight. He may as well have been squeezing my heart directly. "They have nothing to do with this!" I cried out desperately.
"Then you better talk." Itachi replied instantly.
My teeth creeked as I gnashed them together. The horror at the thought of my family being dragged into this turning into a burning rage. My grip tightened around Itachi's wrist, as tight as I could possibly muster as I glared back at the shinobi. "What do you want me to say!? Huh!?" I shouted back, mind consumed by the anger that overflowed from me. "What will convince you I'm telling the truth!? That Naruto is the host of the Nine-Tailed Fox!? Maybe that his father is the one who sealed the beast inside him, the Fourth Hokage!?"
There was the slightest twitch in his face. Under normal circumstances I should not have known that information. Yet his grip held firm so I continued, simply shouting whatever came to mind. "Maybe that your own clan is planning a coup against the village!? Is that good enough!?"
Itachi's eyes narrowed, "You know quite a bit." He said, although it did not feel as though he was believing my case. Rather surprised that my mysterious source would divulge so much information to a child. Village secrets I was just throwing out left and right. I needed something more substantial. Something personal maybe, that he couldn't refute. Something no one else could know.
"Or how about the fact that, just before his death..." My voice fell low, that initial burst of rage calming and in its place remained the embers of anger. "Shisui entrusted you with his remaining eye."
That one struck a nerve.
Itachi's eyes went wide. His shinobi discipline was no match for such an impossibility. His grip on my neck lessened, then I was released entirely. Falling to the ground I fell into a fit of gasps and coughs as I was able to breathe once more.
"How..." He said, taking a step backwards, "How could you possibly know that?"
"Do you believe me now?" I said while gasping for breath, coughing once more before straightening up. Itachi was visibly shaken, something I thought to be impossible. Now, it didn't last long. In the time it took me to blink twice he had recovered. Once more the ever calm and collected shinobi.
The man stood in silent contemplation for a time, even if he could put on a mask the implications of what I had said, what I knew, were quite a lot to take in. "I'm listening." He finally conceded. I couldn't tell if he was still skeptical of me but it was a good start.
"Okay." I said with a relieving sigh. "I guess... I should start from the beginning, huh?" I asked, although it felt like a rhetorical question. Itachi doubtlessly wanted to know how I knew about Shisui's death, but were I to leave it as just me saying 'I can see the future', it would undoubtedly bring about a misunderstanding. Of course, were I to just come outright and explain the whole past life memories then things would really get confusing.
I settled on keeping the origins of my knowledge vague. "Ever since I was born, or maybe even before that, there's been something in my mind. A sort of dream." I began, it wasn't a great excuse but it was all I could really think of on the spot.
"A dream?" Itachi questioned.
"Kind of, its... Difficult to explain." I replied with a nod, "It was like, I saw events of the future play out before my eyes. Although," I fell silent for a moment, once again trying to figure out how I was going to explain this, "The 'start' of this dream is still a few years off. I know of some things that occurred before then, but really only bits and pieces. Events that influenced greater things down the road."
"Such as Shisui's death?" He inferred what I left unsaid.
Once again, I nodded. "Yeah. Anything before the 'start' is vague. And my memories of it have faded a bit overtime." Looking to Itachi, he still seemed to be quite skeptical. "So there's a lot of things I 'know' but may not remember at the time. I 'knew' Shisui would be attacked, I knew he would pass on his eye to you before dying. I didn't 'know' the where or when. So..." I sighed, "I was too late... I'm sorry."
Silence hung in the air for a good while, Itachi glaring at me with unflinching stoicism while I wavered and looked away. Finally broken with a simple "I see."
"Hard to believe, isn't it?" I asked, not wanting to let that awkward silence return. "Honestly, I didn't believe it myself at first. I didn't want to. But as time passed I couldn't keep denying it, there was too much I knew, too many people I knew long before I should be able to understand or meet." I shuddered, recalling the hell that had been my first year in this world.
And yet, strangely enough, despite everything it almost came as a relief to finally be able to tell someone about this. To finally find a release after bottling it up for years and silently fretting about what will one day be.
"So," Itachi said, finally breaking the long quiet. "Why now? Why Shisui? What are you after?" He asked before his expression darkened, "And why involve Sasuke?" He was clearly tired of me dancing around the point.
Once more did a shiver permeate my body. Itachi's question clearly implicating me trying to use Sasuke for something nefarious. Like trying to change Shisui's fate was just some simple game to me, to see if it was possible. I... Couldn't completely deny that. In a way this was a test to see if I could influence change but there was more to it, a deeper reason.
"Sasuke, I'm sorry he got involved." I apologized, remembering how he was the one to give Itachi the note, "I didn't want to 'use' him but I had limited options. He was the only one I could ask for help." A bittersweet smile crossed me face, I felt terrible for manipulating him like I did to get what I wanted. Yet he still, surprisingly, considered me a friend. "I really didn't expect him to say what he did back there." I admitted.
I took a moment to breathe, still feeling the pressure from Itachi to get to the point already. "As for why, well, I wanted to save someone important to me. Shisui, I thought, was my best chance. You see..." Suddenly the words caught in my throat. Realizing what I was about to say was directly tied to Itachi's own future. Swallowing hard the lump that was preventing me from speaking I took another deep breath and continued, "I don't know how long we have but it will be soon, the Uchiha coup. Or at least, it would be if you don't act."
Itachi flinched slightly, already understanding what I was getting at. Yet that didn't make it any easier to say, "The world will know of it as the Uchiha Massacre. You'll be branded a criminal of the highest order, betraying clan and village, slaughtering every one of your kin. The only survivor being your younger brother, Sasuke." I bit down on my lip as I finished. To tell someone that they would murder everyone they knew and loved was hard, trying to imagine what that could possibly feel like, impossible.
Still, he remained silent. An unmoving statue. Despite that single twitch nothing came as a surprise, as though he already knew it was how things would end.
"I thought that, if Shisui survived, such a thing could be avoided and that would mean you wouldn't destroy your clan. You wouldn't kill..." I swallowed again, "Wouldn't kill Misaki." I finished. Saying it out loud made it feel far too real. A quick flash of Misaki on the ground in a pool of red, pain like a stab through my heart accompanied it.
"... What is that woman to you?" Itachi asked after another pause.
I snorted, snot building up as I fought back a short attempt at tears. "She's my friend and teacher." I answered at first before shaking my head, "No, she's more than that. Misaki is like a big sister to me. Ever since she saved my Mom and I, she's been there with me." My fists tightened as I felt an encouraging warmth grow from deep within. "I know I had a stupid plan, but I want to save her. I'll do anything for that." I locked eyes with Itachi again, there was no hesitancy or doubt in mine. Misaki was as much family to me as Sengo and my parents. There wasn't anything I wouldn't do for them.
"I see." Itachi said, for a moment I saw his father's face over top his. They both really liked that phrase. He then looked off to the side, not moving his head as silence fell once more. A chirping from above distracted me, looking up I saw a couple birds working on a nest nearby. Blue and white, reminding me of blue jays but not quite the same. I smiled gently as I watched them assemble the twigs, creating the foundation of their new home.
It was the birds who sensed it first.
Suddenly there was a change in the air, the birds froze mid action before taking flight. Abandoning their new home and, in their haste, causing it to crumble. They weren't the only one's either, all the birds in the area took flight with a cacophony of flapping wings as they took off into the orange sky beyond the trees. The forest fell deathly silent, as though a mute switch had just been flipped. Then I felt it too. As though I were in the eyes of a predator, that primal fear left me trembling as I slowly lowered my head in the direction of the threat.
Itachi hadn't moved a muscle, but he was undoubtedly the source of this pressure. That was when I noticed the change. His eyes practically glowed a brilliant crimson. The sharingan. Dread filled me as it felt like he was staring into my very soul. I blinked, hoping, praying it was all in my imagination. For the briefest of moments after I opened my eyes, the world spun around me and I felt light headed. Just as fast as it happened the sensation was gone, but the eyes were not.
Itachi's sharingan continued to bore into me. In fact, it seemed even worse. In the time I took to blink the shadows seemed to have deepened, harsh blackness shrouded more than half his body but his eyes still glowing bright in contrast.
"W-What? Why?" I stammered, unable to move and barely able to think. The question replaying itself over and over in my head with no answers coming.
"Tell me," He began, voice practically echoing among the trees. "Do you know what would have happened if someone other than me had found this letter?" He answered my question with one of his own, holding up the letter once more before it burst into flames and turned to ash in moments.
I shook my head no. I had a bit of an idea, or well many had ran through my brain while I was waiting my interrogation. My best guess was that I would have been incarcerated and subjected to a much worse level of interrogation.
A loud sigh of disappointment came from the Uchiha, "Should someone, such as my father, have found that letter it would become justification for rebellion. They would have evidence of the higher ups attacking one of their own. The rest of the clan would not sit back knowing this and the coup you wanted to prevent would only be accelerated." He gave me a moment to let his words sink in. Everything was starting to go cold, my body beginning to tremble.
"Do you understand?" He continued, "The coup you wanted to prevent would instead have been caused by you. And should that happen, the other nations would not remain silent. They would take the opportunity to attack while Konoha was in turmoil and utterly crush the village. All those people you claim to want to protect would be killed. All because of you and your pathetic, halfhearted attempt to meddle in things you have no place in."
"I... I..." I could only stammer impotently as the reality of what I had almost done hit me. The world around me went silent, went dark as I looked down at my trembling hands. The only thing I could hear was my own heavy, pained breathing. Vivid images of my loved ones lying dead flashed over and over in my mind. Tears overflowed and poured down my cheeks as my stomach churned. I wanted to be sick.
"What have I done?" I muttered as I gagged, cupping my mouth as the acidic taste hit my mouth. Swallowing it back down, the acrid aftertaste still lingered.
"You have been cursed with something you are not mature enough to handle." Itachi continued, I looked back up and into those crimson red eyes once more. "That makes you... Dangerous."
Another chill ran down my spine at those words. That impending sensation of danger once more washed over me and I tried to run but I found my legs anchored in place. Actually, I couldn't move at all. At best I could barely twitch a finger, maybe shift my leg a millimetre. "What's going on!? Why can't I move!?" I cried desperately in my mind. For some reason I was still able to speak and could just barely move my head a few degrees. Looking down at my body, my eyes went wide as, to my horror, I could see several massive iron spikes stabbed into my body. Red and coated with rust they pierced my legs, stomach and left shoulder.
I screamed.
"Settle down." Itachi demanded, his voice carrying a power that forced me into silence. "Its merely a genjutsu."
Once more, I looked down to the spikes. I could almost smell the oxidized iron in the air but now that I was thinking a little more clearly, I realized that there was no pain. I simply couldn't move. "A... Genjutsu?" I asked, still confused and terrified.
Ignoring my question, Itachi raised his arm as a crow flew down and perched upon it. "For the safety of the village, I cannot allow you to roam free. Your nature will not permit you to simply sit back and do nothing. As such, I will have to deal with you." He said as he started to approach me. I continued to struggle in vain to break free of the illusory spikes. Desperately trying to remember how one was supposed to break out of a genjutsu.
"Normally, I would be inclined to simply kill you." Itachi continued, how he could speak so calmly about ending a life chilled my very being, especially because I was the target. "However, out of consideration for Sasuke, I will take a different method." The crow on his arm hopped a couple times so it could better face me.
As it turned, I gasped. This crow's left eye was not normal. In place of it's usual beady black eye, it instead held the eye of a human. More specifically, this bird too had a sharingan. However it was different from the usual three tomoe. This sharingan was filled with a large four pointed shuriken design. It wasn't difficult to figure out this was a Magenkyo Sharingan. And there was only one person I could imagine for it to have belonged to. I looked back to Itachi with a new type of horror tearing through my chest.
"You recognize it? This is Shisui's Magenkyo Sharingan. I will use the Kotoamatsukami to erase your memories of the future. Once I'm done, you will be free to go home. Free of that burden. You'll be able to live a normal life, free to continue pursuing the path of a shinobi or otherwise."
In a way, that was a mercy. Certainly better than death for sure but... I couldn't accept it. Not now, not when I already knew what was coming. This knowledge was my one and only advantage in this life. If I wanted to keep my family safe, keep everyone safe, I needed it. Not to mention how it might affect my other memories, the memories of my past self. Faded as they were, they were still a part of me. Erase those and I wouldn't be me anymore.
Itachi looked to the bird for a moment, "Unfortunately, without it's counterpart nor it's original owner, a doujutsu of this power will come with a great cost. It will be years before it opens again."
Whether it was the adrenaline or some crazy survival instinct kicking in, but as Itachi mentioned the drawback to Shisui's Magenkyo, my mind went into overdrive. Racing through the archives of my memories and halting on a scene far into the future. An older Naruto facing off against Itachi. The Uchiha, clad in black robes with red clouds sent a familiar crow flying at the blonde boy. Diving into his mouth and forcing itself down his throat.
Time then sped up once again, settling on a new scene even further in time. Once again Naruto faced off against Itachi. The bird emerging from his mouth, revealing Shisui's sharingan. Then, I was back in the present. Itachi only a couple steps away and moving the crow into position.
"WAIT!" I screamed with all my might.
"There's no point in begging. This is merely the consequences of your actions." Itachi said coldly.
"No, that's not what I mean! You can't use that eye!" I pleaded desperately, hoping and praying that he would understand. "If you use it now, it won't open for years just as you said! It will be useless for when its needed most!"
Itachi, much to my relief, halted his approach. Willing to at least hear out my final, desperate plea. Panting, I continued through gritted teeth, "There will come a time when you will find someone to entrust that eye to. Thanks to that, the world will narrowly be able to avoid a calamity." I wasn't trying to be vague on purpose, if Itachi asked for more details I would gladly provide. But I needed to get my point across as quickly as possible.
"There's no point in making up excuses. Now, goodbye." Itachi dismissed my words, taking yet another step forward.
"No... No..." I whimpered, the tears were flowing again. All I could think about in that moment was Misaki. "Please... Don't... I can help you. I'll do anything... please..." Itachi ignored me, the crow was now mere inches from my face, it's red eye staring into mine. No, going deeper. It was reaching deep into my mind, preparing to cut out the offending knowledge like a precision lobotomy.
"I... I just..." I continued to cry, "I just wanted to help... I just wanted to save my big sister!" I could swear the shuriken pattern was starting to spin now. Any second now and who I was would be scooped out and erased. It was all over. There was nothing I could do.
Itachi had been right. I was stupid, immature and worst of all, weak. Because of that I had nearly doomed the village. And now, I might have just doomed the world. Without Shisui's Magenkyo Sharingan, Itachi could not be freed from Kabuto's control. The war could swing against the alliance forces and destroy everything.
And it was all. My. Fault.
My arm swung out at the bird, startling it and forcing it to take to the air with an alarmed caw. My mouth was filled with the taste of iron as warm liquid poured out from between my teeth. I looked to Itachi with tear-filled eyes, his visage distorted.
"You bit your tongue to break out of the genjutsu." He remarked.
I spat out a large glob of crimson, more immediately pouring from the fresh wound. The pain pulsated in tandem with my heartbeat. The pain was so intense, almost like a fire in my mouth that I found myself staggering on the spot, taking nearly every ounce of my will power to not only cry out in anguish, but to merely stay standing. Yet I had to. I had to keep standing. Slowly I raised my arm, pointing a shaking finger in Itachi's direction as a black blob, the crow, landed back on his shoulder with an annoyed squawk.
"You need... to keep... that eye..." It took an immense amount of effort to speak. My tongue was swelling up and still spilling blood, filling my mouth and threatening to choke me. It took several attempts to even get something that sounded close to what I wanted to say while speaking extremely slowly and enunciating as much as I could. Even then they came out slurred and nigh unintelligible. But he must not use Shisui's eye. Even if I couldn't change his mind, I couldn't risk take the rest of the world down with me.
Itachi stared at me for what felt like an eternity, more blood pouring out of my mouth with each pulsation. "Impressive." He finally said, his blurry form waved an arm and the crow took flight. "It is rare to see such determination from someone so... young." He actually sounded impressed, in his usual monotonous manner.
It was hard to hear him over the sound of my own heavy breathing and a near deafening ringing in my ears. My eyes tracking the black smudge of a bird as it vanished into the leaves above. Looking back to Itachi I had to spit out a large ball of hot blood before it started to fall down my throat.
"Alright, I won't erase your memories. If what you say is true then I will wait and see if that person appears before me." He continued and I sighed with relief. Then staggered as my knees tried to give out on me. The adrenaline from the moment wearing off and leaving me feeling drained. Blood continued to pour into my mouth at an alarming rate. Recalling how chakra can aid with healing, I focused mine into my tongue around the wound. Spitting out another large glob, I noticed the bleeding had slowed to more of a trickle. It hadn't stopped, but it was at least manageable now.
Looking to Itachi once more, there was only one question in my mind. "What... now?" I mumbled. The chakra was helping to numb the pain ever so slightly and had cut the blood flow, but my tongue was still quite swollen so speech remained difficult.
"I can't allow you to move freely. You'll certainly find some other way to meddle in our affairs." Itachi quickly replied. His voice, while not as cold as it had been moments before, still held strong and left little room for further negotiation.
"I... Can... Help." I spoke slowly, enunciating each word to ensure I got the message across.
"No." Itachi's reply was instant and curt, "You're too weak to be of any use to me." I wasn't sure what strength had to do with anything. What I had to offer was my knowledge, I had much and more to share and if it meant saving Misaki, I was willing to give it all to Itachi.
"Please..." I tried to plead but Itachi raised a hand to silence me.
"No." He repeated. "You've done enough."
I felt what little bit of hope that still burned within me get snuffed out in that moment. I had not changed the outcome, merely altered the method of it. I was still going to be erased. I once again recalled my loved ones, as though to say goodbye.
Defeated, I focused more chakra to my tongue. At the very least, he could listen to my final request. "Okay..." I slowly said, wiping the tears from my eyes and finally seeing a bit more clearly, "But... At least... Promise... Save Misaki..."
"You don't give up, do you?" Itachi asked.
"Stubborn." I replied, trying to grin but only managing a pained grimace.
"Heh," Itachi chuckled. The fact he could laugh at all caught me by surprise. "I cannot promise you that." He said without a hint of remorse. I had a feeling that would be the case but it was still painful to hear. "However," He added, "I have a proposal of sorts."
"A proposal?" For a moment I thought I had been hearing things. Wishful thinking brought about by my growing delirium but if there was anything I could do I would. I nearly screwed things up once, if Itachi had a plan then of course I'd follow. Taking in a deep breath I took a shaky step forward and nodded. Gathering up what little strength I had left to listen intently.
"I will seal your memories, that is unavoidable." Itachi began, "However, the seal shall prevent you from speaking of, or communicating them with anyone. This is as much as I will compromise on that matter."
I blinked, stunned at this offer. Compared to being erased this was certainly leagues better. I would keep my memories, and thus myself, but be unable to share them with others. It meant that I couldn't recruit people into any schemes nor warn them about the impending massacre. But it also meant I couldn't screw things up like I nearly had. I would, effectively, be restrained.
"But I can still act."
Did this mean Itachi trusted me? Why? Because I nearly bit my tongue off? I shook off the questions for now. Itachi said this was a proposal, that meant there was something he wanted me to do. Nodding, I indicated he could continue.
"In addition, I will also do all that is in my power to rein in the Uchiha clan and turn them away from revolting." He continued with quite the bombshell. I couldn't remember the details of events leading up to the coup nor what Itachi had done in the original story. So I had no idea what he could do differently here, but his words still gave me the slightest ray of hope.
"Should it come down to it, despite my best efforts," Itachi said, his voice hardening and for a moment, he let his sentence hang in the air, "... I will do what must be done."
My instinct was to argue but I knew that was pointless. Again, this was the best I was going to get. Still, he had yet to tell me what my task was going to be.
"If it should come to that, I want you to look after Sasuke." He finally said. I blinked several times, disbelieving that was his only request. To, basically, be a friend to his brother. Itachi must have caught on to my confusion, "Should things play out as you described, he will need someone by his side. To... Keep him on the right path. One I can't walk with him." His voice was forlorn, almost as though he felt it was inevitable.
I understood what he wanted, but inside I felt doubtful I was the person who could make that happen. I mean, if Naruto couldn't keep Sasuke from falling to his hatred, what chance did I have? Still, if that was what he was asking, it was something I could do to the best of my abilities. Perhaps this is why he was letting me keep my memories. I couldn't share them but I could still act on them, act to protect Sasuke.
Once more, I nodded. Accepting his terms. To be fair, the option was that or a sharingan lobotomy, but I accepted none-the-less.
"Good. Then its time." Itachi said, looking into my eyes and forcing me to look deeply into his sharingan once more.
"One thing." I said as quickly as possible, before Itachi could do whatever it was he was about to do, "Ask Misaki... She help." I could no longer do anything to help Misaki, but maybe she could help herself. She already had the will to do something, perhaps there was something she could do together with Itachi. Find a solution together they wouldn't be able to alone.
"I'll consider it." Itachi replied. The tomoe of his sharingan began to spin and once more I felt that sensation of something reaching inside my head. Deep into my skull and then there was a surge of intense heat. It lasted only a moment, barely a fraction of a second, then was gone. I hadn't been sure what to expect but I thought there would be more to it than that.
Then the fog started rolling in. Not a natural fog, that was for sure. It was too fast. Starting from the edges of my vision it was quickly filling in everything I could see. More than that, it was inside my head. My thoughts were becoming muddled, like a sudden wave of exhaustion hit me all at once. Itachi's details were becoming blurred, quickly turning into a blob of washed out colours. Whatever this was, I couldn't fight it. I began to wobble, barely able to stand anymore.
I could barely see anything anymore, the fog had devoured almost everything. With the last vestiges of strength available to me, I raised a single finger at Itachi and said, "Save... Them... Please..." Just as I got the last word out, the fog's takeover was complete and everything went blank.
How long I was in that state it was impossible to say. The whole thing was like being under anaesthesia. In an instant, you're out cold and waking up somewhere else entirely. This time, that somewhere else was my front door. When the fog lifted, I found myself standing before my home. A chill breeze whisked through the street. Above, the stars twinkled beautifully overhead and the moon a sharp crescent.
"How long was I out?" I muttered, realizing then that the pain in my mouth was gone. Sticking my tongue out, somehow it was in perfect shape. I couldn't see any bite marks or blood. I even touched it to be sure and everything seemed to be normal. "Did... Did he heal me?" I asked myself, bewildered but thankful for the courtesy.
Heck, I even had the bags of senbei. My hand accidentally brushing against them clipped to the waistband of my pants. For a moment, I considered doing something to thank him but, after what I had been through today, it would be a long time before I bought someone a thank you gift again.
Quietly, I opened the door and stepped inside. The familiar scent of my home washing over me brought a level of relief I couldn't really explain. It was almost blissful. This was followed by a sudden and wide yawn as I suddenly felt extremely tired.
"Meiko?" Mom's voice came from the living room as she peeked into the entryway. "There you are! You were gone so long I was starting to get worried. Did you have fun? Were you able to find a good gift? What's that on your waist?" Mom hit me with a barrage of questions, none of which I answered. I only stood there silently for a few moments before my feet started moving on their own. Crossing over to her, I threw myself into her waist and hugged her tight.
"Oh, well, welcome home dear." She said, surprised but sweet.
"Mhm." I replied, nuzzling my face in as I squeezed tighter. Fighting back the tears that tried to escape.
"Have you eaten yet? There's some leftovers in the fridge." Mom offered, but right now I wasn't hungry. I just wanted to get to bed. Releasing Mom, I took a look around for Dad. The rhythmic clanking coming from beyond the forge door indicated he was busy at work. I wanted to see him too but at this point my eyes were too heavy.
"Meiko? Are you okay?" Mom then asked, the worry in her voice was clear.
"Yeah." I replied sleepily. Reaching for the bags at my waist, I held up two of them. The one I bought for Shisui and one of the zarame. The crackers had seen better days but were still mostly intact. "Here, share these with Dad and Sengo." I offered, too tired to worry about the fact I was offering them snacks originally meant for someone else.
"The last one is for Naruto." I added, the third bag being the one in the best condition. Mom looked at me with a puzzled look, she must have assumed I had spent the day with Naruto. "Naruto was busy, so I went with someone else to find a gift and... lost track of time." Yawning again, I rubbed my tired eyes.
"I think someone is ready for bed." Mom chuckled and I nodded. Taking my hand in her's she escorted me to my room and, thankfully, helped me get ready for bed.
It only took a few seconds after laying down for me to pass off into dreamland. Leaving the task of figuring out what to do with today's events to the Meiko of tomorrow.