"Hot… why is it so hot…" muttered Mitsuki, half asleep, as she felt sweat trickling down her neck. After all, it was so.. unbearably hot..

".. You're awake?"

Itachi's voice sent Mitsuki's heart into a craze and prompted her to wake up, properly, this time.

"AFUIFGEDIGBLA ITACHI-KUN!? WAIT, WHAT? HUH?"

Mitsuki almost jumped the moment she saw Itachi's figure sitting across her. Hiding his smile behind his cloak, Itachi added teasingly.

"Still not fully awake yet, I guess."

Hearing Itachi's remark, Mitsuki pressed her eye close and tried her best to summon her memory back from the depth of her dream.

Right, she was supposed to be helping Itachi. She did help him map some of the underground structure, yet..

"Shit, I've fallen asleep…" Mitsuki's eye twitched as she recalled what happened the previous night internally, ashamed.

"Itachi-kun, you should've woken me up," Mitsuki added, slightly pouting, embarrassed at her lapse of caution. She only intended to rest her brain a bit, she swore. Yet she ended up wasting a whole night time for sleep.

Hearing the girl's complaint, Itachi smiled apologetically. Indeed, despite what Mitsuki had told him, he had purposely let the girl sleep and rest. After all, there was no way he would have the heart to interrupt the girl who was blissfully sleeping, despite being uncomfortably outside in an underground desert cave.

"It's fine. I haven't had my rest the previous night too, so.." he justified, in hope that the girl would soon drop her complaints. After all, knowing her..

"That's not good," said Mitsuki with a frown, seemingly more offended that Itachi wasn't resting properly as compared to him not waking her up. "You should take better care of your body.."

As if expecting her to say just that, Itachi's gaze softened as he muttered softly in his mind.

"There she goes," he thought, amazed upon the fact that the girl put more emphasis on his rest rather than her own.

"Doesn't the same goes for you?" he ask calmly, his tone was somehow.. a bit playful, surprisingly.

"I can survive without sleep!" complained the girl dejectedly. "You, on the other hand.. You have your health to worry about!" she added, subtly reminding Itachi on the fact that his recovery was only temporary. After all, Izanami's mark still looms within Itachi's soul.

In response to her reminder, Itachi gave off a complicated smile which Mitsuki then returned with a worried glance.

"Speaking of that," the girl noted, "I haven't had the chance to give you another check-up.." said Mitsuki worriedly, especially knowing how Itachi must have used his Mangekyou during the recent battle he had with the Iwagakure's.

"Do you mind?" ask the girl as she asked for Itachi's palm by extending her own, slightly embarrassed knowing that she would be enjoying the contact far more than she should.

Without a word, Itachi put his palm on top of Mitsuki's, quietly agreeing to her request. Recalling his misunderstanding the last time she had requested for his permission, Itachi let out a soft chuckle which didn't escape Mitsuki's notice.

"Hmm? What is it, Itachi-kun?" asked Mitsuki curiously, her gaze filled with innocence and curiosity, just like the previous time.

"Nothing.." replied Itachi with another smile hidden behind the collar of his cloak. "I just.. remembered something.."

The words slipped out of his tongue like it was natural, yet for him that was an odd, unnecessary honesty that he would usually keep hidden. "I wonder why," he thought, as he observed the girl's serious expression as she held Itachi's palm gently in hers.

Her hair was slightly messed, aftermath of the girl's movement during her slumber. Despite her matured feature, however, the girl's plentiful eyelash and dark blue iris was just as he remembered. Clear and gleaming, pure, gentle.. beautiful..

Itachi stopped his thoughts there, before he could stray further. Reprimanding himself for thinking the unnecessary, Itachi shifted his focus towards his own palm which was still within Mitsuki's hold. From the tip of his finger where Mitsuki hold him, he felt slight tingle. Whether it was due to the energy that she had injected him with for the check-up, or the touch itself, Itachi didn't know. What was undeniable was the warmth of her palm on his, and the calmness that the rare, physical contact had brought him. Again, he couldn't help but wonder in silence.

It was not just then, and it was not just her hands either. Back then, during his temporary blindness, when he was drowning inside his own nightmare.. It was her voice, and her touch which had helped led him back. And eve after that, she had continuously brought him a semblance of calm, and comfort, just by being present. No, it might even be before that point, thought Itachi, as he recalled himself falling asleep after sparring, lulled by the girl's soft lullaby. So did on the previous night.. just by watching her sleep had brought him to sleep, easy, even though the night before then he could barely sleep, anxious as he was about Sasuke, and Orochimaru.

With a semblance of curiosity and gratefulness in mix, Itachi shifted his gaze once more towards the girl's face and let it linger. As the girl tilted her head slightly, as if thinking, her hairs draped down her face and her neck delicately, a captivating sight to see. Itachi tried his best to keep still and quiet, unwilling to disrupt the moment, tet, it seemed like the girl was suddenly alerted of his gaze.

"Sorry, did I take too long?" said Mitsuki apologetically, misinterpreting the meaning behind Itachi's intent gaze, and immediately releasing her grasp on Itachi's hand.

In response to her action however, Itachi said nothing. Awkward, Mitsuki tried her best to report her findings from the check-up to move the conversation along.

"Thankfully, there hadn't been any major relapse yet," said Mitsuki, her voice filled with relieve. "However, I'd urge you not to be reckless with your health and keep the use of Mangekyou to minimum," she added, "There's already some sign of inflammation on your chakra pathway connected to your eyes, as well as minor inflammation on some of your muscles and joints."

Despite still believing that it would not be up to him to decide whether there would be any situation that would end up forcing him to ignore Mitsuki's warning, Itachi still nodded quietly. After all, he owed the girl his current health, and he had no intention of throwing it away carelessly. Seeing how Itachi had barely reacted to her report, Mitsuki frowned and nagged.

"If there's any sudden change, or any change at all that you can feel, let me know, OK?" said the girl, worry clear in her voice as her words came out of her pouty lips.

"I will," said Itachi calmly, holding his laughter in as the girl continually stared at him in doubt and worry, and quickly moved on.

"More importantly, let's start the search.."

With a lot of things had been roughly mapped, assisted with Itachi's analysis, the two had decided to gain their entry through one of the room that was closest to the desert surface. With Itachi's instruction and taking advantage of Mitsuki's elemental control, the two successfully entered the structure undetected. Mitsuki especially, was surprised at Itachi's instructions and meticulousness. She had never thought that her ability could be used in such a way Itachi had suggested. With her vine working as a soft drill and hole expander in the sand, followed by her earth control to make the process easier by alleviating the sand's gravitational and pressure, the two had uncovered the solid wall of the structure easily from beneath the sand. With the wall exposed, it was easy for Mitsuki to proceed with opening and retracting the solid ground for their entry. Thanks to that, they had left near to no trace in their infiltration, and honestly it made Mitsuki couldn't help but wonder of how great it would be if Itachi were to be the one who wields her ability freely instead of her.

"Patrol incoming," Mitsuki notified Itachi with a whisper, slowly tugging unto his cloak and dragged him swiftly towards a dark, empty corner in the hallway.

Truly, Mitsuki had proven to be a lot of help in the exploration. Despite sharingan's capability of enhanced perception, Mitsuki's perception that worked as if a radar, was a far perfect match for covert infiltration. Thinking of that specific use, and considering what had happened recently with the Iwagakure's genin, Itachi began to consider about teaching Mitsuki further about presence nullification. For that though, he would need to know more about the extent of what Mitsuki could do to her mortal body and its surrounding despite the absence of chakra in her body. For example, would she be able to create a vacuum to cut off the sound transmitted from her heartbeat as well as her scent? Thinking about such possibility, Itachi couldn't help but look forward to their next training session.

"The left pathway should be empty now," informed the girl few minutes after they had started hiding, before carefully sneaking out of the corner and unto the vacant pathway, her step light and almost inaudible as she leads. Behind her, Itachi followed without issues while silently making a mental note on the copy of the map that he had stored within his memory.

"Mitsuki, can you check the room down the right hall, 2nd from last?" asked Itachi, remembering that the particular room seemed to have a unique layout as well as only a single entry point, ideal for containment or vault.

As instructed, Mitsuki did a quick check, and her eyebrow furrowed almost immediately.

"There's.. a lot of person inside.. but…"

Mitsuki paused for a while, causing Itachi to shift his attention to her in curiosity.

"Inside there's a lot of.. partition? Not of stone but.. wood? Metal? There are gaps in between the partition too.."

"Are the person inside, or outside of the partition?" Itachi enquired, and Mitsuki checked.

"Some in, some out.." she clarified. Looking to Itachi for answer, the girl asked, "Itachi-kun, is this..?"

Itachi nodded and clarified.

"Likely a prison," said Itachi calmly, before he paused to consider about what should be their next action. After all, if they ended up creating a ruckus, there would definitely be a troublesome repercussion. Shifting through his ideas and options, Itachi picked the safest and most viable one, and instructed.

"Mitsuki, can you prepare these based on my request?"

Subtly, quietly, Mitsuki commanded the earth's wall to shift ever so slightly.

"Ventilation pathway, blocked," she announced with a whisper, while Itachi rummaged for something within his shinobi supply pouch.

"Periphery check, done.. I think it's time to go?"

Mitsuki checked Itachi's facial expression to determine his response. As soon as Itachi pulled two pill shaped orange pellet from within his supply, he returned Mitsuki's gaze and nodded.

Quickly, the two sneaked towards the room's entryway and stopped just before its gate.

Touching the wall beside the gate, Mitsuki slowly opened up a tiny hole, just enough for air, or liquid, to pass through. Seeing how the hole was done, Itachi inched closer towards the girl and stood behind her while whispering close to her ear.

"Listen, Mitsuki. Spread the sedatives powder in the order I tell you," whispered Itachi, his expression serious as he took a peek through the hole from where he was standing from, seemingly confirming Mitsuki's perceived layout with his own eye for the last time. Mitsuki however, found their sudden close proximity to be overly stimulating, and her heart started to beat more erratically.

"O..OK," she answered nervously in a high pitched whisper that sounded more like a squeal, confusing Itachi. Despite that, Itachi decided and continued with his instruction without wasting any time. After all, they didn't know when another guard on patrol would pass by their position.

"Start from the one within the cells first," instructed Itachi with a whisper. Nervous as she was, Mitsuki did as she was instructed meticulously and pushed a powdered sedative along with a blow of air into the hole and guided them along with the gentle shift of air.

"Then, wait until all the guard got their sights off one another, and get to them all at once,"

Mitsuki nodded nervously and continued with her task, fully focused.

"Try not to let them fall too loudly since it might alert others," reminded Itachi

"Got it," responded Mitsuki, quietly slipping her vine through the gate's gaps, along the ground, ready to catch the figures as they fall. However, soon she noticed an unwanted complication. Still with a whisper, she alerted Itachi.

"Wait, Itachi-kun.. patrol incoming!" said the girl, panic in her tone as she shifted her gaze towards Itachi. It was clear that she hadn't managed to finish her task just yet and therefore escaping to the destination room was un-ideal.

Hearing Mitsuki's warning, however, Itachi remained calm as he quickly straightened up his body and turned his back to check the pathway behind them.

"Which direction? How many person?" he asked. His voice confident and without fear. Just like that, Itachi chased away the panic in Mitsuki's heart.

"One person, pathway to my left, 30 meter away" Mitsuki elaborated quickly, leaving dealing with the new threat to Itachi. Her arms pointed towards the patrol's direction while she returned her attention towards the guard inside the room, waiting for her chance to proceed with her task.

"Got it. Any more incoming?"

"No.. Not as far as I can tell."

And with that information, Itachi blitzed away.. and back in a mere few seconds. On his back was a guard, seemingly passed out under Itachi's genjutsu. Slowly, Itachi laid the guard down and positioned him beside the gate gently, without making a sound.

"Ok, I'm done here," exclaimed Mitsuki excitedly, slightly louder than a whisper. As soon as she saw Itachi with the fallen guard however, she couldn't help but smile wryly. "And.. I see you are done there too?"

To her remark, Itachi nodded, before popping the orange pill into his mouth.

"What's that?" asked Mitsuki as Itachi approached her and handed her the same pill.

"Suck this, and don't make any sound.." he said, his voice slightly muffled from the 'pill' that was still rolling on his tongue as he handed the other pill to the top of Mitsuki's palm. Confused, yet trusting, Mitsuki followed Itachi's lead and put the pill inside her mouth as well, asking in the meantime.

"Hmm? Why would I.. HHHHHGHHHHHH!?~~~~"

Mitsuki's face quickly turned into a scrunch as soon as she popped the 'pill' into her mouth. Trying her best not to let out any sound as Itachi had instructed, she clutched both her mouth and her face with her palms while letting out a muffled, high pitched protest as tears started to stream down her face.

"Sour candy," said Itachi, his face surprisingly unchanged despite consuming the same abomination of a candy. "This will help counter the sedative effect," he explained calmly as Mitsuki tried her best to stand back, trembling by the sheer sourness of the 'treat' as she opened a hole for both her and Itachi to enter the enclosed room.

"M.. My mouth won't stop salivating.." complained Mitsuki in a whisper as she continuously sucked unto the pill begrudgingly while closing the hole back.

Hiding his silent amusement, Itachi retorted, "Either that, or chilli pill, or adrenaline shot. Pick your poison."

Still unable to respond properly, Mitsuki gave Itachi's back a light, inaudible punch that felt more like a gentle tap to him. Trying his best not to laugh, Itachi went ahead and gave a quick check around the now secured room.

Within the prison were.. girls, young adult.. asleep due to Mitsuki's previously spread sedative. Among them were some of the girl that was taken from the village a few night prior. Counting, there were 3, 5, 8 of them? Based on what Mitsuki had told him, it was likely the entirety of the girls that were taken away from the village.

"Either they hadn't gotten any opportunity to "ship" them out… or…"

Itachi's attention was taken away as soon as Mitsuki stopped her step to observe one of the prisoner.

"Itachi-kun, that girl.." she said, while pointing to one of the prisoner.. and then another.. "And that girl.." and another, ".. and that girl…"

Itachi too, did a quick check with his sharingan.

"They are pregnant.." thought Itachi silently, furrowing his eyebrow in realization.

"The soul is still newly developed, yet those girls look like they had been imprisoned here for a while," noted Mitsuki painfully. She had seen something like this before, in her past..

Itachi gave Mitsuki a silent nod. Even though he was not sure if Mitsuki understood what was going on completely, it was clear to him that Mitsuki understood that whatever was happening was not a good thing. Even so, there was nothing they could do about it.. just yet..

With a sigh, Itachi approached the fallen guards and kneeled beside them to search their body.

"Can we get them out of here?" said Mitsuki, her voice sad. Unsure of what Mitsuki might have witnessed with her eye, Itachi could only guess, and sadly, denied her.

"Not now, no," said Itachi regretfully.

"Why?"

"If we brought them back to the village now, likely it would be the first place the rogue group will search after noticing that they were gone, and it won't bode well," said Itachi, hiding the fact that he was also worried that even if the girls went back, the village might not accept them back depending on how much they feared the rogue group's retaliation.

"Then we keep them somewhere?"

"They might still search the village and cause problem, or even ask for 'replacement'," Itachi added. "Also, who would take care of them?"

Mitsuki fell silenced. Indeed, it wouldn't be an easy matter to keep eight young girls hidden for a long time in the desert, and keep them healthy. Not long after, Itachi finished his search of the guards and put them under genjutsu to make up for their lost time once they woke up.

"Let's go back, Mitsuki. A few more room to search, then we are out," Itachi called out to the girl who was still standing frozen in place. Seeing how the girl was visibly reluctant, however, Itachi gave her his words and reassured her.

"Next time we return, we would be better prepared to help them, I promise."

Shifting her gaze from the prisoners to her beloved, Mitsuki saw the seriousness in Itachi's eye. Deciding to put her trust on Itachi, she nodded and walked away together with him, leaving the prison for another time.

Author's note:

Sour candy can help with sleepiness because of how it stimulates your body and brain. Here's why it works:

Shock Factor – The intense sour taste provides a sudden sensory jolt, which can momentarily wake you up by increasing alertness.

Salivation Boost – Sour flavors trigger more saliva production, which can make you feel more awake and refreshed.

Mild Adrenaline Rush – The tartness can cause a small adrenaline spike, similar to a fight-or-flight response, making you feel more energized.

Sugar Boost – Many sour candies contain sugar, which gives a quick energy spike, temporarily improving focus and reducing drowsiness.

Oral Stimulation – Chewing and sucking on candy keeps your mouth engaged, preventing yawning and helping you stay alert.

So yes, it does provide something outside entertainment value :x *slids back to the darkness.