Man has it been a while since I posted. Happy New Year y'all. Yes I know it's the third month. Anyways, here is my latest after a hiatus that was simply too long. I hope I have not lost my loyal readers and I hope I might be able to gain more. Well, enjoy!
“Babes know nothing of war—and they shouldn’t. Adults are the pillars which have the privilege of holding up the next generation.”
Itachi said aloud to himself as he stared into the mirror in Hoji’s bathroom. It was a line from the Hashirama Senju’s inauguration speech when he was appointed the position of Hokage. The time was about an hour past midnight and fluorescent light was flickering dully above, darkening and brightening the reflection which stared back at Itachi in the glass. (Itachi made a mental note of telling Hoji that they needed to replace that lightbulb.) It seemed to Itachi that there was great disappointment in his own expression. ‘Babes know nothing of war—and they shouldn’t.’ he mulled over the words. They had become his directing principle, his mission statement, the philosophy which kept him striving to bring peace between Konoha and the Uchiha. He bore his inner conflicts, all the difficulties, complexities, responsibilities and guilt that came with being a double agent working against one’s own flesh and blood, with a mind strengthened by that principle. If he suffered so that those younger than him would not, it was worthy. To avert their pain, he must bear his. For the next generation…and for Sasuke.
But it seemed to him that he had abandoned his mission. It had been a week since he started staying at Hoji’s place. After Hoji agreed to let him stay, he had hurried home to gather his things and move in that very day. In the fifteen minutes it had took him to pack up and return, Hoji had already taken a trip to the store and got him an extra mattress complete with bed set. Itachi still couldn’t figure out how he had carried it so fast. There was a lot of space in Hoji’s wardrobe because the Senju didn’t really have a lot of clothes so that wasn’t a problem, and after they had clarified the colors of their toothbrushes, the two new roomies settled into their home. The other friends, after hearing Itachi’s reason, understood.
Hoji was an incredible cook who, Itachi thought, could go toe to toe with his mother and the Uchiha found himself very comfortable leaving Hoji in charge of that aspect of their life. Apart from the duo of friends which they both shared, Hoji did not really get much visitors and Itachi was happy with the privacy. All in all, the living situation was very agreeable.
(Although there were some female tenants in the building who were fond of seeking his services for some menial tasks, like catching a rat or fixing their plumbing. They also were fond of seeking his medical services when one of their kids fell or got a bad cut. Hoji, being the nicest person in the world, was glad to indulge them and they loved him for it.)
For the first time in his life, Itachi felt normal. In this new haven, he could pretend he was like every other young shinobi who accomplished missions in the company of comrades, on the orders of the Hokage and with the promise of cash. He could ignore the barrel of dynamite that was his clan, waiting for the smallest spark in order to implode the entire world as he knew it, and throw Konoha into the hell of war. He could imagine all was well.
But Itachi was never that sort of person.
Itachi believed reality was subjective; that it merely depended on how one perceived it and he strove to see things exactly as they were and act accordingly, rather than buy into the general view which, most times, especially in their deceitful ninja world, was merely a delusion. This was why he could not let himself believe the illusion he had cast upon himself by coming here. His heart wouldn’t let him. The truth did not change even if it were covered up in layers and layers of lies. As wonderful as life was now, he knew that Konoha and the shinobi world were on the clock. The grains of sand in the hourglass were trickling away and soon nothing would be left and war would be upon them all. He could not ignore his position in all this. Without bias, he could say that he was the only person who could prevent what seemed inevitable. He had no business being normal. It took a week of inner struggles but right there, in front of that mirror, Itachi made a decision: He would move back home.
With this strong resolve, Itachi went back to bed. He would tell Hoji in the morning. He realized that he would also have to spend less time with his new friends and focus on his duties. He would never have gotten distracted in the first place were it not for them.
By 3 AM, there was a faint tap on the glass pane of the apartment window.
“What…what the heck is that?” Hoji muttered, still lying on his bed.
Itachi, kunai in hand and Sharingan activated, strolled cautiously to the window.
“Special ANBU message. HAP meeting in the Underground. Now,” droned a low voice from outside. Itachi could only faintly see a gleam of the clean white mask of an ANBU agent.
“Noted,” replied Itachi and the late night phantom vanished in the next moment.
Itachi and Hoji only had time to brush their teeth and get dressed in ANBU uniform before they left. They had to enter the Hokage Office Building through a secret entrance known only to the ANBU since, as it was past midnight, the whole building was locked. This was to give the illusion to their enemies that Konoha ninja actually had a bed time. Upon entry, they navigated their way to the bathroom and once each entered a special stall, he was teleported to the Underground.
The massive subterranean carven was still and quiet, every whisper and every footstep stirring up echoes which rang off the high walls. Bright white light rained from above and forced Hoji’s bleary, sleep longing eyes to squint. When the roommates descended the steep flight of stairs, they discovered that only the HAP squad members were present on the ground floor, along with one of their leaders; Shiko. All were clad in full ANBU uniform complete with masks. Kakashi was absent, everyone had gotten used to his tardiness.
“Good morning boys,” Shiko greeted in an even, placid voice, his eyes firm and steady as he looked over all of them. The moment he spoke, they arranged themselves in a straight line spreading out in front of the Black Scorpion, chests puffed out, feet apart and hand clasped behind them in militaristic fashion.
“I am glad to see all of you here on such short notice. I know it’s late but we are ninja. We revel in darkness. It is our element. This meeting will be brief; so brief that I wonder if Kakashi would get here before we’re done.” at this attempt at a joke, a few of them dared to chuckle. The Black Scorpion began to prowl slowly through their ranks, weaving his way through the spaces between each squad member. They kept their eyes facing forward, sparing him not even the slightest glance.
“I simply wanted to inform us,” he pursued, “that we are closing in on our quarry. The assailant who targeted our Intel Division will soon be caught and brought to justice. I called us here this late as a test. We must be prepared for anything; to stir ourselves up to our duties at any time, to abandon the languor of sleep whenever it is required of us. That is what is expected of us as ninja. Is that understood?”
“Yes,” everyone echoed at once.
He had knitted his way through about half of the team and was now beside Itachi. Before he proceeded to the next person, he, very covertly, slipped a tiny piece of paper into the Uchiha’s right palm. Itachi was surprised by the action but he showed no reaction on his face. No one around them seemed to have noticed. It all took place in a fraction of a second.
“Very good. Dismissed.” the team leader stated.
“Huh?” blurted Hoji, forgetting respect and formality. “You woke us all up just for that?”
Shiko shot him a death glare which silenced him in the next instant. Everyone dispersed shortly after that.
The two roommates returned to their living quarters. It had only been five minutes after they had left. Hoji had left immediately without any kind of greeting to Himura and Sato and they had done the same. It seemed sleep was the foremost thought on everyone’s mind. Hoji immediately crawled into bed and snuggled into his pillow, raining curses on Shiko until he finally fell asleep. Itachi also lay on his bed, which was beside Hoji’s, his back turned to the medic. This was to prevent Hoji from seeing that he was wide awake. On the way home, Itachi had given the slip Shiko handed him a furtive glance. The paper read simply, ‘Meet me in the Forest of Death in one hour. Tell no one. Come alone. Destroy this paper immediately.’
After the events that marked the end of the Akakuma affair, Itachi was wary of Shiko. He was disconcerted by the Black Scorpion’s very presence and discomfited whenever their eyes met. The Hikari Annihilation Project meetings that were mere inconveniences to the others, meant a degree of mental torture for the young Uchiha. Shiko knew about his Mangekyo Sharingan while he knew nothing about the enigmatic ANBU commander. This was the reason for the palpable tension which Itachi always felt when Shiko was nearby. Every word the Nara spoke, every smile that played on his thin lips, every glance of his dark narrow eyes, was unsettling.
Shiko had left him well alone after the mission and by all appearances, seemed to have put Itachi out of his mind. But Itachi knew the reality was different. People like Shiko don’t forget. People like him do not neglect and his calling this secret meeting was proof. Itachi had come to realize that the man had carried the spirit of shinobi into everything he did; his whole character was one big deception. Itachi had not the slightest idea what the Black Scorpion wanted but he decided that he would find out.
When it was about ten minutes to the appointed time, and after he had made sure that Hoji was indeed fast asleep, Itachi wrapped himself in his ANBU long sleeved black cloak, throwing the hood over his dark hair, and crept out of the window in the dead of night.
He reached the dark woods in no time, threading his way through the spray of leaves and branches that capped the massive, towering trunks in utter silence so as not to bestir the forest denizens. Though Shiko had not specified exactly where they would rendezvous, it was plain to him that they would be meeting at the tall tower which jutted against the sky at the center of the forest. It was used for the Chunnin exams and, since the program was to be held not for some months, the building was likely to be deserted.
Sure enough, when he reached the entrance of the tower, he met Shiko leaning against the red double doors, hands shoved into the pocket of his trousers. He wore a tight fitting short sleeved shirt. His head was covered by a hood while his feet were covered by slippers. Every aspect of this attire was black. When the Black Scorpion’s eyes met Itachi’s, his lips curled into a smirk.
“Glad you made it, Itachi.”
Itachi threw back the hood of his cloak and his hair danced to the tune of the wind. Ten feet stood between the Uchiha and the Nara. He allowed a moment of silence to pass, the air ringing with the distant cries of nocturnal birds, before he spoke;
“What do you want?”
“You seem nervous,” Shiko teased.
“I asked a question.”
“Come closer…or are you afraid?”
Itachi grew impatient. “Talk fast or I’ll leave.”
“I really can’t hear what you’re saying Itachi. You’re so far away. Maybe I should come—”
Suddenly, another Shiko dropped from the branches of a tree directly behind his ear and whispered in a deadly voice, “—closer.”
Itachi’s heart skipped a beat. His eyes widened in shock for the merest moment but he regained his composure rapidly, though not quick enough for his discomfiture to have escaped the keen notice of the Scorpions before and behind him.
The Shiko before Itachi began to speak, “You’re not the only one capable of using clones…”
The Itachi standing between the two Shiko’s disappeared and the real Uchiha emerged from behind a tree some thirty feet away.
“…Itachi.” finished the Shiko who had just made himself visible.
“Fair enough.” said Itachi boldly as he strode through the rows of trees towards both Shikos who were both smiling mischievously. The one who had landed behind his clone vanished into thin air, revealing that he too was, after all, merely a doppelganger. The real Shiko was the one still leaning on the door, wearing that lighthearted grin, hands shoved in his pockets. This time Itachi ventured closer to the Nara and looked at him straight in the face, but he saw that the man was avoiding his eyes.
“Seems I’m not the only one being overly cautious.” Itachi quipped.
“Yes, I guess both our guards are up.” Shiko responded. He freed both his hands, letting them hang freely and limply at his sides, as he stood up straight. His hair, not bound in its usual high pony tail was let loose to the winds as the hood covering his head suddenly vanished.
Itachi quirked a brow at this in surprise before he remembered that Shiko had shown in their last mission that he was able to manipulate his clothing, to elongate and retract them with ease. It was funny, thought the Uchiha, that he was analyzing the abilities of his own comrade in anticipation of a battle.
“I called you here,” began the Nara, “to discuss that matter.”
“I told you that you won’t be getting anything out of me concerning my eyes,” Itachi stated resolutely.
“Do not flatter yourself by thinking we are here for you. It’s something bigger than you. Something that concerns the whole Uchiha clan. Something that concerns the village as well.”
Something seemed to sink in the pit of Itachi’s stomach.
“I have no idea what you mean.” the boy stated evenly, the response not preceded by the slightest pause of hesitation, mastering his shock and fear with that willpower only possessed by the most competent of shinobi. He could not let Shiko notice that his heart had begun to pound against his ribs. He could not permit his skin break out into nervous perspiration. He had to suppress the treacherous inclination of his hands to tremble and his eyes to project from their sockets in fright. No, he could not even twitch, or waver, or falter, or dither. Every hint of vacillation had to be mortified at once. Stolid he must remain, firm he must stand, unmoved must be his manner, indifferent his aspect; to give nothing away. His face registered a cynical yet cool expression while his heart was swallowed up by the singular question:
How does this man know?
Shiko’s smile deepened and his eyes narrowed. “Don’t toy with me, Itachi. You should know by now that lying to me is utterly impossible. The Uchiha clan is planning to destroy Konoha, right?”
The words felt like a heavy blow to Itachi’s mask of denial, but he held his ground. Shiko wouldn’t be asking if he was sure; this shadow of doubt means he could possibly convince the Scorpion that his suspicions were wrong.
“What? That is…utter nonsense.”
“Fugaku has engineered a plot to overthrow the Hokage and his council.”
“Shiko, listen to yourself. Do you honestly believe that my clan—”
“Is embittered by the fact that they are the chief suspects for the Nine Tails Attack? That they have decided to revolt against Konoha believing that the alliance with the Senju which led to the village’s creation was a mistake? That they sent you into ANBU as a spy to gather information on the governments inner workings? Yes, I do believe all those things.”
Three more hard strikes at the Uchiha’s façade, yet it did not crumble. He doesn’t know for sure, Itachi had to keep reminding himself, he is just testing you; he doesn’t know for sure. Contorting his face in anger, the boy rebuffed, “What sort of joke is this Shiko? How dare you accuse my clan, accuse me—”
“Enough of your lies!” Shiko actually raised his voice this time, his face livid. Rage burned in his eyes as he continued, “You can’t deceive me. I see through this act. I’m going to call an emergency Jonin meeting tonight. I’m taking this information straight to the Intel Division. You will be interrogated by Ibiki and Inoichi. Let’s see you try and fool them. The Uchiha clan with be stamped out of existence for this treachery. The sheer impudence of this plot—every single one of you must be executed, down to the last child!”
And that was where Itachi finally cracked: Shiko had threatened his clan, Shiko had threatened his family, Shiko had threatened his brother! ‘Babes know nothing of war—and they shouldn’t’ the words become a stimulant; the very adrenaline surging in his blood. In an instant his was directly in front of the Nara; his hand was darting forward like a viper to grab the back of the man’s head and pull his lean, gaunt face closer; his Mangekyo Sharingan—yes, those cursed eyes!—were spinning to life, chakra surging in his pupils ready to transport this insufferable know-it-all, this meddling bastard, into the painful world of—
Itachi was pale, his eyes straining out of their sockets in utter surprise. With his face just a few inches from the Black Scorpion’s, his palm so close to the back of the man’s head that he could feel some stray locks of his dark hair brushing against his skin, the young Uchiha found himself frozen where he stood, a quarter of a second from victory over this foeman. With all his strength he tried to move, though he knew it was futile. This was, after all, the Shadow Bind technique of the Nara clan. Once caught, the victim is robbed of motion and left to the caster’s mercy.
In other words, the Black Scorpion who was now basking in his triumph with a cocky grin plastered on his thin face, was going to kill him.
“Checkmate, Itachi.” Shiko stated evenly.
To Be Continued.
“Babes know nothing of war—and they shouldn’t. Adults are the pillars which have the privilege of holding up the next generation.”
Itachi said aloud to himself as he stared into the mirror in Hoji’s bathroom. It was a line from the Hashirama Senju’s inauguration speech when he was appointed the position of Hokage. The time was about an hour past midnight and fluorescent light was flickering dully above, darkening and brightening the reflection which stared back at Itachi in the glass. (Itachi made a mental note of telling Hoji that they needed to replace that lightbulb.) It seemed to Itachi that there was great disappointment in his own expression. ‘Babes know nothing of war—and they shouldn’t.’ he mulled over the words. They had become his directing principle, his mission statement, the philosophy which kept him striving to bring peace between Konoha and the Uchiha. He bore his inner conflicts, all the difficulties, complexities, responsibilities and guilt that came with being a double agent working against one’s own flesh and blood, with a mind strengthened by that principle. If he suffered so that those younger than him would not, it was worthy. To avert their pain, he must bear his. For the next generation…and for Sasuke.
But it seemed to him that he had abandoned his mission. It had been a week since he started staying at Hoji’s place. After Hoji agreed to let him stay, he had hurried home to gather his things and move in that very day. In the fifteen minutes it had took him to pack up and return, Hoji had already taken a trip to the store and got him an extra mattress complete with bed set. Itachi still couldn’t figure out how he had carried it so fast. There was a lot of space in Hoji’s wardrobe because the Senju didn’t really have a lot of clothes so that wasn’t a problem, and after they had clarified the colors of their toothbrushes, the two new roomies settled into their home. The other friends, after hearing Itachi’s reason, understood.
Hoji was an incredible cook who, Itachi thought, could go toe to toe with his mother and the Uchiha found himself very comfortable leaving Hoji in charge of that aspect of their life. Apart from the duo of friends which they both shared, Hoji did not really get much visitors and Itachi was happy with the privacy. All in all, the living situation was very agreeable.
(Although there were some female tenants in the building who were fond of seeking his services for some menial tasks, like catching a rat or fixing their plumbing. They also were fond of seeking his medical services when one of their kids fell or got a bad cut. Hoji, being the nicest person in the world, was glad to indulge them and they loved him for it.)
For the first time in his life, Itachi felt normal. In this new haven, he could pretend he was like every other young shinobi who accomplished missions in the company of comrades, on the orders of the Hokage and with the promise of cash. He could ignore the barrel of dynamite that was his clan, waiting for the smallest spark in order to implode the entire world as he knew it, and throw Konoha into the hell of war. He could imagine all was well.
But Itachi was never that sort of person.
Itachi believed reality was subjective; that it merely depended on how one perceived it and he strove to see things exactly as they were and act accordingly, rather than buy into the general view which, most times, especially in their deceitful ninja world, was merely a delusion. This was why he could not let himself believe the illusion he had cast upon himself by coming here. His heart wouldn’t let him. The truth did not change even if it were covered up in layers and layers of lies. As wonderful as life was now, he knew that Konoha and the shinobi world were on the clock. The grains of sand in the hourglass were trickling away and soon nothing would be left and war would be upon them all. He could not ignore his position in all this. Without bias, he could say that he was the only person who could prevent what seemed inevitable. He had no business being normal. It took a week of inner struggles but right there, in front of that mirror, Itachi made a decision: He would move back home.
With this strong resolve, Itachi went back to bed. He would tell Hoji in the morning. He realized that he would also have to spend less time with his new friends and focus on his duties. He would never have gotten distracted in the first place were it not for them.
By 3 AM, there was a faint tap on the glass pane of the apartment window.
“What…what the heck is that?” Hoji muttered, still lying on his bed.
Itachi, kunai in hand and Sharingan activated, strolled cautiously to the window.
“Special ANBU message. HAP meeting in the Underground. Now,” droned a low voice from outside. Itachi could only faintly see a gleam of the clean white mask of an ANBU agent.
“Noted,” replied Itachi and the late night phantom vanished in the next moment.
00000
Itachi and Hoji only had time to brush their teeth and get dressed in ANBU uniform before they left. They had to enter the Hokage Office Building through a secret entrance known only to the ANBU since, as it was past midnight, the whole building was locked. This was to give the illusion to their enemies that Konoha ninja actually had a bed time. Upon entry, they navigated their way to the bathroom and once each entered a special stall, he was teleported to the Underground.
The massive subterranean carven was still and quiet, every whisper and every footstep stirring up echoes which rang off the high walls. Bright white light rained from above and forced Hoji’s bleary, sleep longing eyes to squint. When the roommates descended the steep flight of stairs, they discovered that only the HAP squad members were present on the ground floor, along with one of their leaders; Shiko. All were clad in full ANBU uniform complete with masks. Kakashi was absent, everyone had gotten used to his tardiness.
“Good morning boys,” Shiko greeted in an even, placid voice, his eyes firm and steady as he looked over all of them. The moment he spoke, they arranged themselves in a straight line spreading out in front of the Black Scorpion, chests puffed out, feet apart and hand clasped behind them in militaristic fashion.
“I am glad to see all of you here on such short notice. I know it’s late but we are ninja. We revel in darkness. It is our element. This meeting will be brief; so brief that I wonder if Kakashi would get here before we’re done.” at this attempt at a joke, a few of them dared to chuckle. The Black Scorpion began to prowl slowly through their ranks, weaving his way through the spaces between each squad member. They kept their eyes facing forward, sparing him not even the slightest glance.
“I simply wanted to inform us,” he pursued, “that we are closing in on our quarry. The assailant who targeted our Intel Division will soon be caught and brought to justice. I called us here this late as a test. We must be prepared for anything; to stir ourselves up to our duties at any time, to abandon the languor of sleep whenever it is required of us. That is what is expected of us as ninja. Is that understood?”
“Yes,” everyone echoed at once.
He had knitted his way through about half of the team and was now beside Itachi. Before he proceeded to the next person, he, very covertly, slipped a tiny piece of paper into the Uchiha’s right palm. Itachi was surprised by the action but he showed no reaction on his face. No one around them seemed to have noticed. It all took place in a fraction of a second.
“Very good. Dismissed.” the team leader stated.
“Huh?” blurted Hoji, forgetting respect and formality. “You woke us all up just for that?”
Shiko shot him a death glare which silenced him in the next instant. Everyone dispersed shortly after that.
00000
The two roommates returned to their living quarters. It had only been five minutes after they had left. Hoji had left immediately without any kind of greeting to Himura and Sato and they had done the same. It seemed sleep was the foremost thought on everyone’s mind. Hoji immediately crawled into bed and snuggled into his pillow, raining curses on Shiko until he finally fell asleep. Itachi also lay on his bed, which was beside Hoji’s, his back turned to the medic. This was to prevent Hoji from seeing that he was wide awake. On the way home, Itachi had given the slip Shiko handed him a furtive glance. The paper read simply, ‘Meet me in the Forest of Death in one hour. Tell no one. Come alone. Destroy this paper immediately.’
After the events that marked the end of the Akakuma affair, Itachi was wary of Shiko. He was disconcerted by the Black Scorpion’s very presence and discomfited whenever their eyes met. The Hikari Annihilation Project meetings that were mere inconveniences to the others, meant a degree of mental torture for the young Uchiha. Shiko knew about his Mangekyo Sharingan while he knew nothing about the enigmatic ANBU commander. This was the reason for the palpable tension which Itachi always felt when Shiko was nearby. Every word the Nara spoke, every smile that played on his thin lips, every glance of his dark narrow eyes, was unsettling.
Shiko had left him well alone after the mission and by all appearances, seemed to have put Itachi out of his mind. But Itachi knew the reality was different. People like Shiko don’t forget. People like him do not neglect and his calling this secret meeting was proof. Itachi had come to realize that the man had carried the spirit of shinobi into everything he did; his whole character was one big deception. Itachi had not the slightest idea what the Black Scorpion wanted but he decided that he would find out.
When it was about ten minutes to the appointed time, and after he had made sure that Hoji was indeed fast asleep, Itachi wrapped himself in his ANBU long sleeved black cloak, throwing the hood over his dark hair, and crept out of the window in the dead of night.
He reached the dark woods in no time, threading his way through the spray of leaves and branches that capped the massive, towering trunks in utter silence so as not to bestir the forest denizens. Though Shiko had not specified exactly where they would rendezvous, it was plain to him that they would be meeting at the tall tower which jutted against the sky at the center of the forest. It was used for the Chunnin exams and, since the program was to be held not for some months, the building was likely to be deserted.
Sure enough, when he reached the entrance of the tower, he met Shiko leaning against the red double doors, hands shoved into the pocket of his trousers. He wore a tight fitting short sleeved shirt. His head was covered by a hood while his feet were covered by slippers. Every aspect of this attire was black. When the Black Scorpion’s eyes met Itachi’s, his lips curled into a smirk.
“Glad you made it, Itachi.”
Itachi threw back the hood of his cloak and his hair danced to the tune of the wind. Ten feet stood between the Uchiha and the Nara. He allowed a moment of silence to pass, the air ringing with the distant cries of nocturnal birds, before he spoke;
“What do you want?”
“You seem nervous,” Shiko teased.
“I asked a question.”
“Come closer…or are you afraid?”
Itachi grew impatient. “Talk fast or I’ll leave.”
“I really can’t hear what you’re saying Itachi. You’re so far away. Maybe I should come—”
Suddenly, another Shiko dropped from the branches of a tree directly behind his ear and whispered in a deadly voice, “—closer.”
Itachi’s heart skipped a beat. His eyes widened in shock for the merest moment but he regained his composure rapidly, though not quick enough for his discomfiture to have escaped the keen notice of the Scorpions before and behind him.
The Shiko before Itachi began to speak, “You’re not the only one capable of using clones…”
The Itachi standing between the two Shiko’s disappeared and the real Uchiha emerged from behind a tree some thirty feet away.
“…Itachi.” finished the Shiko who had just made himself visible.
“Fair enough.” said Itachi boldly as he strode through the rows of trees towards both Shikos who were both smiling mischievously. The one who had landed behind his clone vanished into thin air, revealing that he too was, after all, merely a doppelganger. The real Shiko was the one still leaning on the door, wearing that lighthearted grin, hands shoved in his pockets. This time Itachi ventured closer to the Nara and looked at him straight in the face, but he saw that the man was avoiding his eyes.
“Seems I’m not the only one being overly cautious.” Itachi quipped.
“Yes, I guess both our guards are up.” Shiko responded. He freed both his hands, letting them hang freely and limply at his sides, as he stood up straight. His hair, not bound in its usual high pony tail was let loose to the winds as the hood covering his head suddenly vanished.
Itachi quirked a brow at this in surprise before he remembered that Shiko had shown in their last mission that he was able to manipulate his clothing, to elongate and retract them with ease. It was funny, thought the Uchiha, that he was analyzing the abilities of his own comrade in anticipation of a battle.
“I called you here,” began the Nara, “to discuss that matter.”
“I told you that you won’t be getting anything out of me concerning my eyes,” Itachi stated resolutely.
“Do not flatter yourself by thinking we are here for you. It’s something bigger than you. Something that concerns the whole Uchiha clan. Something that concerns the village as well.”
Something seemed to sink in the pit of Itachi’s stomach.
“I have no idea what you mean.” the boy stated evenly, the response not preceded by the slightest pause of hesitation, mastering his shock and fear with that willpower only possessed by the most competent of shinobi. He could not let Shiko notice that his heart had begun to pound against his ribs. He could not permit his skin break out into nervous perspiration. He had to suppress the treacherous inclination of his hands to tremble and his eyes to project from their sockets in fright. No, he could not even twitch, or waver, or falter, or dither. Every hint of vacillation had to be mortified at once. Stolid he must remain, firm he must stand, unmoved must be his manner, indifferent his aspect; to give nothing away. His face registered a cynical yet cool expression while his heart was swallowed up by the singular question:
How does this man know?
Shiko’s smile deepened and his eyes narrowed. “Don’t toy with me, Itachi. You should know by now that lying to me is utterly impossible. The Uchiha clan is planning to destroy Konoha, right?”
The words felt like a heavy blow to Itachi’s mask of denial, but he held his ground. Shiko wouldn’t be asking if he was sure; this shadow of doubt means he could possibly convince the Scorpion that his suspicions were wrong.
“What? That is…utter nonsense.”
“Fugaku has engineered a plot to overthrow the Hokage and his council.”
“Shiko, listen to yourself. Do you honestly believe that my clan—”
“Is embittered by the fact that they are the chief suspects for the Nine Tails Attack? That they have decided to revolt against Konoha believing that the alliance with the Senju which led to the village’s creation was a mistake? That they sent you into ANBU as a spy to gather information on the governments inner workings? Yes, I do believe all those things.”
Three more hard strikes at the Uchiha’s façade, yet it did not crumble. He doesn’t know for sure, Itachi had to keep reminding himself, he is just testing you; he doesn’t know for sure. Contorting his face in anger, the boy rebuffed, “What sort of joke is this Shiko? How dare you accuse my clan, accuse me—”
“Enough of your lies!” Shiko actually raised his voice this time, his face livid. Rage burned in his eyes as he continued, “You can’t deceive me. I see through this act. I’m going to call an emergency Jonin meeting tonight. I’m taking this information straight to the Intel Division. You will be interrogated by Ibiki and Inoichi. Let’s see you try and fool them. The Uchiha clan with be stamped out of existence for this treachery. The sheer impudence of this plot—every single one of you must be executed, down to the last child!”
And that was where Itachi finally cracked: Shiko had threatened his clan, Shiko had threatened his family, Shiko had threatened his brother! ‘Babes know nothing of war—and they shouldn’t’ the words become a stimulant; the very adrenaline surging in his blood. In an instant his was directly in front of the Nara; his hand was darting forward like a viper to grab the back of the man’s head and pull his lean, gaunt face closer; his Mangekyo Sharingan—yes, those cursed eyes!—were spinning to life, chakra surging in his pupils ready to transport this insufferable know-it-all, this meddling bastard, into the painful world of—
Itachi was pale, his eyes straining out of their sockets in utter surprise. With his face just a few inches from the Black Scorpion’s, his palm so close to the back of the man’s head that he could feel some stray locks of his dark hair brushing against his skin, the young Uchiha found himself frozen where he stood, a quarter of a second from victory over this foeman. With all his strength he tried to move, though he knew it was futile. This was, after all, the Shadow Bind technique of the Nara clan. Once caught, the victim is robbed of motion and left to the caster’s mercy.
In other words, the Black Scorpion who was now basking in his triumph with a cocky grin plastered on his thin face, was going to kill him.
“Checkmate, Itachi.” Shiko stated evenly.
To Be Continued.
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