It's chap release time once again and I hope you'll all enjoy reading this. Let me know what you think. Any criticism and tips would be highly appreciated. Let's dive in
It had begun like every other morning. The sky still grey and somber, and the whole atmosphere quite dull and serene, Itachi awoke to the twittering of the birds in the yard of his family home, heading straight for the bathroom to clean himself up. He returned after a delightful cold shower and quickly got dressed. Perhaps inspired by his new companions, who, as he discovered from the previous day, were very big fans of taking off their shirts, Itachi decided the shake things up a bit by showing a little more skin in wearing a lilac sleeveless shirt—which, of course, bore his clan’s emblem on the back—and a white pair of shorts, extracting both articles of clothing from that dark, dusty but perfectly neat portion of his wardrobe where he kept those clothes that he was positive he would never wear. They were mostly gifts from Mitsuki who was always trying to get Itachi to look more ‘cool.’
He was still not convinced this was a good idea when he set out for his usual morning training. The thin sinews which dangles at his sides, though they boasted great skill and alacrity, could hardly pass for arms. His whole wiry frame was perfectly displayed by this tight fitting attire, and he could just see his mother paling at the sight of just how thin her first born son really was behind that typical Uchiha getup, then trying to triple the quantity of breakfast he ate daily. This disagreeable frame was mostly his own fault, Itachi knew, since he was not quite fond for staying for meals at home and usually ended up have to settle for small rations of fast food. To him, it was a good trade; a few calories in exchange for less silent, tense moments in his father’s presence. He did miss seeing Sasuke though.
Itachi’s kunais and shurikens crowded the bulls eye at the center of the target in front of him, and the three behind him, and the two above him, and the other eight hanging off the branches and trees around him. A hundred weapons fired in all, and the whole volley released in about four or five seconds; perfectly aimed, flawlessly unleashed, lethally successful. Shisui, he knew, would have been proud. The thought of the name led to a sinking feeling in his chest and, for a few moments, he stood in the forest, massive grey trunks frowning at him, their many, tangled branches flourishing with leaves and wild flowers, the dew still fresh upon them. The song of distant birds filled the cool, humid air, their shrill voices soothing and gentle. He did not linger in the sour mood for more than a few seconds as the thought of what he had planned today cheered him up enough to proceed with his daily training.
It was when he was returning from this usual morning exercise that he realized that today was not going to fo as planned. He was in the process of kicking off his sandals at the front door of his home when he heard something like a faint tap, and felt a presence behind him. Two ANBU, clad in black robes which fell to their ankles and rose into hoods obscuring the other parts of their heads which the porcelain animal themed masks failed to conceal, stood ramrod straight on the veranda with their hands identically clasped at their backs.
These matching grim, shadowy looking attires, which must have been thrashing about due to the speed at which shinobi were accustomed to travel, were still settling about their bodies when one of them—the shorter one whose mask was the menacing, grim face of a wild boar—spoke in a deep and austere voice, “General ANBU meeting at 7:00 AM sharp. We’ve been ordered by the Hokage to personally inform you.”
Itachi regarded him for a moment, “A messenger bird would have sufficed, sir.”
“The Hokage is particular anxious to begin the proceedings. Shinobi move faster than birds. We can’t have delays,” came the reply in a brisk, guttural tone, “You should know something serious has happened when an ANBU Commander like myself is sent to fetch common soldiers. Have you not heard?”
“Heard what?” Itachi asked.
“But, of course, you haven’t. it’s still so early, and the Uchiha compound is so far,” the ANBU commented, “Luckily, this also means you’re the last person I’ve been sent to summon. It’s almost time. Follow me.”
There were three puffs of smoke fading in front of the Uchiha clan leader’s paper paneled front door as all three ANBU shinobi started for headquarters.
Though the whole organization was shrouded in endless layers of mystery, the headquarters of ANBU was far from being a secret. It was painfully obvious, even to normal citizens who had a vague idea of shinobi operations, that these dark, mysterious shinobi abode in the Hokage Office Building. Most people guessed that they dwelt somewhere between the bottom floor of the towering structure and the topmost level, which was the large, red rotunda from which the village’s leader exercised his power. It was an ideal location as the Hokage was the bona fide head of ANBU, so it only made sense for his personal soldiers to be within his reach whenever any kind of situation arose. They could guard the Hokage whenever trouble came, though this was not very often. Most of the time, the only advantage that was drawn from their convenient close proximity was that they could answer their leader’s summons on a moment’s notice. Even when not on active duty, every ANBU agent was required to check in at the building at least once in a day. They were each assigned their own shifts which tended to last from two to three hours, all to ensure that Hiruzen would not be met with silence whenever he deigned to call. After both the Akakuma and earlier Hikari missions, Itachi and the rest of the team, were exempted from these duties as part of their time off, something he was quite grateful for as he found the shifts quite tedious.
Because of this system, Itachi had never actually met every single shinobi in the ANBU. He only became vaguely acquainted with those who he found present during his shifts, or any member of the organization that accompanied him on missions. This was literally the first time he had even heard of a general ANBU meeting where all personnel were required to be present.
In actuality, the whole complex spanned from the floor directly below the Hokage’s office, to diverse subterranean levels. Genjutsu and several barrier techniques were put in place to fool even the Byakugan if it tried to peer into the lower levels of the organization’s base—which were collectively known as the Underground. The portion which stood above ground was really just a front as, Itachi knew, there was nothing of importance on those floors. They comprised of bathroom facilities, several little, cramped rooms inhabited by old, rusting file cabinets, a well equipped hospital wing, a food canteen which served meals Itachi found to be lackluster and bland, and a large common room where most ANBU shinobi passed their active shifts, waiting for that summons from the Hokage which hardly ever came. They mostly passed the time with magazines, books, playing Rock-Paper-Scissors, or simply staring at the ceiling—which was Itachi’s activity of choice. Basically anything to prevent falling asleep.
Below, however, were Konoha’s secret weapons caches, archives of dangerous techniques either created by Konoha innovators of times past, or collected by the organization from the village’s enemies, a heavily guarded morgue which housed the corpses of the most dangerous shinobi that ever featured in the Bingo Book—traitor ninjas from within and without Konoha, and well stocked training facilities where the ANBU honed their skills. At least that was all Itachi had seen, but he knew that there were floors sinking even deeper than he could fathom, filled with rooms and compartments where more deadly secrets lay shrouded in obscurity and abysmal darkness.
There were a myriad of ways to gain access to the Underground. Every member of the organization was expected to be familiar with each one but most of them usually picked one and stuck with it. Following itachi’s usual means of ingress, which most ANBU shinobi generally took, one had to enter the Hokage Office Building from the front door, move past the large, quaint lobby, passing through a long corridor, and take a sudden left in order to reach the bathrooms. Two doors, marked male and female by small icons, stood as in the means of ingress into each. Itachi did not know the procedure followed for the girl’s bathroom, but he was well acquainted with the next few steps one had to follow from the boy’s bathroom. After entering the lavatory, one simply needed to locate one of what their superiors called ‘transport junctions’; specific stalls fitted with a space time technique which upon activation by a few hand seals, spirited whoever was present in them to the Underground. The transportation technique was not all that different from the one employed after the Forest of Death stage of the Chunnin exams to summon instructors with the Heaven and Earth scrolls. It was of course, definitely more secure; the stalls were designed to explode and eliminate whoever was inside if the person did not possess an ANBU tattoo.
Upon arrival at the Hokage Office Building, Itachi and the two ANBU shinobi who were sent to fetch him, located individual transport stalls from which they set off for the Underground.
When he arrived there with his two companions, he was surprised to see a crowd of no less than a thousand ANBU shinobi, cramped uncomfortably in the wide atrium known simply as the Great Hall. It was quite capacious and perfectly square in shape, with the ceilings about fifty feet high, and metallic walls of old but firm steel standing each about sixty feet from the one opposite it, and they all gleamed dully in the weak, fluorescent light that bathed the whole compartment from above. Along these far stretching walls were several doors, leading who knows where. In the centre of the atrium were numerous flights of stairs, each spreading out at various landings into viaducts that led to more doors positioned higher on the towering walls. The transport stalls had brought Itachi and his companions to the loftiest of these overpasses.
The teeming flock of ANBU were all on their feet, most of them crowded on the grey, marble floor, a lesser number perched at varied points on the great staircase which rose in the middle of it all. Their masks were mostly absent, revealing several anxious and grave expressions, and the air was buzzing with murmurs and whispers, which was most unusual for ANBU. In fact, one might say it was against all the organization stood for. Silence, comportment, dignity, these were all drilled into each and every one of them when they joined. Their superiors made sure that they knew rowdiness had no place within these walls.
As Itachi descended the stairs, he marveled at how completely their training was discarded by everyone present. ‘What the hell happened?’ the Uchiha mused.
“The Hokage will be with us shortly.” the earlier ANBU Commander informed Itachi, as he and his companion vanished from beside the Uchiha with the Body Flicker technique.
Itachi took a long, deep breath and resumed his descent down the staircase, his slow echoing steps drawing no attention as it was strangled by the overbearing sound of the buzzing crowd. When he reached the bottom and finally felt the smooth marble floor underneath his feet, Itachi realized, with a flush of embarrassment, that while his fellow soldiers were garbed in their grave, black robes, which seemed quite fitting for this occasion, he was wearing a casual sleeveless shirt and shorts. The faint purple shade of the shirt and the clean, white of the shorts, both stood out most conspicuously in the sea of dark robes so it was remarkably easy to notice the oddly dressed boy. Itachi swore under his breath when he realized that he was already drawing strange looks from those around him.
“Hey, Itachi!”
The boy in question turned around to see who was shrieking his name with so much excitement and was entirely unsurprised to see the grinning face of Senju Hoji. The medical nin was unmasked but still donned the full length ANBU robes, whose dark and grim appearance contrasted sharply with the careless, smiling and gleeful face. He was even waving enthusiastically at Itachi. The Uchiha sighed and walked towards the fellow, noticing that he was now drawing even more furtive glances, the surrounding onlookers regarding his and Hoji’s casual dressing and easy manner respectively, in spite of the gravity of whatever the current situation entailed, with expressions of annoyance and clear disappointment.
Hoji, Itachi noticed when he had drawn closer to the Senju, was standing next to his best friend Hyuuga Sato, whose tall, burly form was still somewhat apparent despite his long, billowing robes, his face bearing an expression of such coldness and indifference that one might wonder whether the ANBU mask might have appeared more human; he was simply glaring at the ceiling with a fixed look and only spared Itachi the most fleeting, condescending glance. Itachi also noticed that there a tinge of red in his eyes due to lack of sleep. Himura was also present, dressed only in the ANBU flak jacket, a pair of dark trousers and the usual black sandals that accompanied this unique uniform, the hilt of his sword jutting out at his back and just a few inches from his head. He regarded Itachi with a small grin before turning his attention back to another ANBU shinobi with whom he was already engaged in a conversation.
“Glad you finally made it,” the Senju began after patting Itachi lightly and good-naturedly on the back. “Nice shirt, by the way. You’re really late though. It’s almost time.”
“Er..thanks. Late for what? Why are we here?” Itachi asked, his voice dropping to a little more than a whisper instinctively as he noticed everyone else was not loud. Hoji, however, was oblivious to this general use of hushed tones as he boomed with his usual eager but gentle pitch.
“You haven’t heard!” the shock in the Senju’s expression made Itachi a bit embarrassed. When Hoji’s eyebrows, which had ascended quite high on his forehead, returned to their regular position, and his lower jaw had reunited with his upper, he continued, “Well, you see, what happened was—”
But all of a sudden, the whole scene became deathly still, a silence so taut, so tense and ominous, that the words were immediately stifled in Hoji’s throat. The Hokage, flanked on both sides by two masked ANBU had appeared suddenly at the top of the stairs, and all eyes, including Itachi’s and Hoji’s, were instantly turned on him.
Hiruzen had never looked so grim to Itachi. His short frame bathed in the rich fluorescent light and so every aspect of his features was clearly illuminated, while his robe seemed aglow. His wrinkled face was shadowed by his hat, but Itachi could see sadness and anger fighting for the mastery of his expression; his eyes looked sunken and dejected and yet his nostrils were flared; his head was bowed dolefully but the jaw was clenched. The pipe was noticeably absent from his entire person and the bony hand which usually held it, was clasped to the other at his back.
“Good morning,” greeted the Hokage in a rapid tone which bore no trace of joy or geniality, “I believe I am addressing every single member of the ANBU Black Ops who is not away from the village. Of course, most of you know why we’re here but for the sake of those who haven’t found out, let me make things clear.”
The Hokage paused for a moment and cleared his throat, as if bracing himself for what he was about to say. Hiruzen titled his hat upwards and drew a deep, long breath before he spoke, “Last night, the entire Intel Division was completely massacred.”
Here and there, gasps of shock and horror broke out from the group, but the Third went on without pause, “We don’t know how they got past our barrier. We don’t know how the managed to slaughter every single one of our comrades in that building without raising an alarm. What we do know is that this is simply unacceptable!
“Right under our noses, while the ANBU stood guard over this village, our enemy or enemies slew our brethren so easily. This has to count for the biggest slap in the face this organization has ever received. This is a reproof and a reprimand to you all—and to myself. We have failed our comrades, we were woefully ignorant of our enemies’ devices and they struck a heavy blow at this village. Now, we have to avenge them and bring the perpetrators to justice.
“We have good reason to believe that the organization behind this attack was the Hikari. Apart from every Konoha shinobi present in the Intel Building., the only other casualty was the Hikari prisoner which we held there. As you all know, he was apprehended when the Hikari stole the Second Hokage’s scroll from our Jutsu Archives. It seems that they decided to eliminate him to prevent his leaking any more information on them. Also, all our records on him and the Hikari were destroyed. We know our enemies and now, we have to destroy them. I hereby declare the commencement of the Hikari Annihilation Project.
Here Hiruzen did suspend his speech to allow the announcement sink into the hearts and minds of his soldiers before he went on;
“Shiko here will head the task force responsible for undertaking this assignment,” the Hokage gestured to the cloaked and hooded ANBU on his left, who quickly removed his mask, revealing the Black Scorpion’s face behind it, bearing no trace of his usual languor and lethargy, but gleaming in the bright white light with alertness and gravity, “He has been tasked with handpicking those he deems competent for the job, an assignment that would be carried out now. Nara Shiko will also be assisted by—” the Hokage was waving an airy hand towards the other dull, silent ANBU, who was positioned on his right, but the fellow needed no introduction; he had already uncovered his head and as his silvery mop of hair glimmered brightly in the lights flooding the entire hall from above, everyone knew at once that it was “—Hatake Kakashi.”
The Copy Ninja discarded his ANBU mask and waved in lazy recognition to the crowd for a moment as Hiruzen concluded;
“If you are chosen, devote all your energy and skill to this job. For your comrades and for Konoha. Goodbye.”
The Hokage turned around with a swish of his cloak, and his short frame strode away hastily, a vigor in his step that one would not expect from a man of his years. Itachi knew, as just about everyone knew, that Hiruzen’s very heart beat for Konoha and its people. For decades, the Third Hokage devoted every fiber of his being to promoting the best interests of Konoha. He had come to see every citizen with the village’s borders as his family. The thought of so many of them slaughtered at once like animals…one could only imagine the white-hot rage that burned within the old man. As he sauntered away quickly, his right hand made a hand seal which caused the ceiling to glow with an inscrutable, circular jutsu formula. In the next moment, the Hokage was transported to his office by a Space-Time ninjutsu, leaving no trace behind but a bloom of white smoke. It was the reverse of the technique that brought people to the Underground.
Itachi took the new information with a serenity truly worthy of an Uchiha. While the whispers and murmurs doubled in fervor around him, he remained entirely silent as he pondered this strange and tragic occurrence. How was it that they could penetrate Konoha’s Sensory Barrier without setting it off? The only way Itachi knew such a thing could be accomplished was by using the Barrier’s unique password, but it was only known to ANBU and high ranking Konoha shinobi. Could it be that the Hikari had a Konoha traitor ninja amongst their ranks? Or did they obtain the information through spies in the ANBU? As Itachi’s mind raced with these questions, Sato remained resolutely silent and seemed similarly pensive, while Hoji was chattering so fast that Itachi would have barely made out a word were he paying any attention.
“…I mean, I know a few of my old classmates that work in the Intel Division. We weren’t really close but I hope they didn’t get the night shift. There was this girl I had a crush on too, you know. She was so pretty—”
“Hoji,” Himura cut in abruptly, “you know if Morino Ibiki got killed too?”
“Huh?” the Senju replied, a little disconcerted by the sudden interruption, “I don’t know, really. It’d be a real tragedy if he got done in. I mean, everybody knows he’s the best.”
But their budding conversation was cut short, and Itachi and Sato pulled away from their thoughts as Shiko cleared his throat loudly and vehemently above them in order to get everyone’s attention. Just as they had all concentrated on Hiruzen, every eye fell on the Black Scorpion.
“Before I select my Task Force, he began in a cool, placid voice, “I’d like to answer a few questions about the incident—no, no, no, not all at once!” Shiko snapped tersely when the massive crowd immediately raised their voices in a great, loud, jumble of nonsense. They all became silent immediately and Shiko sighed, muttered something inaudibly under his breath, wiped the sour expression on his face and replaced it will a blank one, before he went on, “I’m quite disappointed to see such disorder in the Great Hall. Anyways, since you’ve all decided to be this way, I’ll only give a short summary.
“When the Hokage says everyone in the Intel Division was murdered, he only means that everyone present last night. It really wasn’t as bad as he made it sound. Most of our key Intel shinobi, like Morino Ibiki or Yamanaka Inoichi, were home in their beds. Only about fifteen ninja were killed and only five of them were Jonin level. The rest were Chunnin. Yes, quite tragic for their families but not so detrimental for Konoha. Please, don’t think me pitiless or unsympathetic for saying this; it’s just the simple fact of the matter.
“The real problem is that our barrier was penetrated so easily and that the culprits came, committed their great atrocity, and left without the Sensory Division even realizing anything. There’s going to be a big inquiry about that and we’ll be reevaluating and strengthening our defenses. Anyways, as for the culprits. We know that it was Hikari and suspect that the deed was carried out by a single individual. The Inuzuka clan has swept the place clean and we’ve pretty much accounted for every single scent in that building save for one. We know it’s the scent of our killer because there’s barely any trace of it so it becomes obvious that someone was trying to conceal their presence, but underestimated the sharp noses of Konoha’s best trackers. This scent is currently our only lead and hopefully, it’ll pan out. It is a little disturbing that a single individual was responsible for this.
“All this information is highly classified and I would expect utmost discretion from Konoha’s ANBU. We’ll be laying the dead to rest next week Wednesday, 6:00 AM sharp. Attendance is not mandatory, I know we all have our duties, but it is advised. Of course I don’t need to tell you that the attire is black. Anyways, I think I’ve pretty much covered everything, yes?”
The horde of shinobi remained tame and subdued, and taking their silence for satisfaction, the Black Scorpion pushed on to the main issue at hand, “The following shinobi should remain immediately after the general dismissal of this gathering, as they have been selected for the Hikari Annihilation Project. If your name is mentioned, it means you have been immediately relieved of any mission or assignment you are currently undertaking. No, I don’t care how important you think it is. Naturally, it also means the termination of any vacations. Your village needs you and I don’t expect anyone to draw back from their duties. I’ll only be taking twenty of you…”
And the Nara began calling out a series of names while everyone below listened keenly for theirs. Itachi wondered if his would be mentioned. In truth, he really didn’t want to take on this assignment. Working closely with Shiko was not something he was very eager to do anytime soon. He was almost certain that dealing with the Hikari would require him to make use of his new eyes and he knew Shiko would definitely want to unravel more about the Mangekyo Sharingan. Itachi had to admit he was a little scared of those eyes. Being a student of Konoha’s history and particularly the Uchiha’s, he knew about how the Mangekyo Sharingan drove his ancestors to dangerous extremes of emotion, particularly hatred. Shisui had his under control but then again, Shisui’s Mangekyo Sharingan technique could only be utilized once in ten years; certainly not enough to exert any considerable influence on him. Itachi knew his own situation was different; he was entirely conscious of the fact that even at that very moment, in the space of a heartbeat, he could will away the regular tomoe of his Sharingan and activate—
“…and finally, Uchiha Itachi!” Shiko declared in a loud voice, which seemed to bring Itachi back to reality. The Uchiha turned his face upwards suddenly and he saw that the Nara was looking straight at him, with a smile on that long, gaunt face.
“You got picked, bro!” Hoji yelped joyfully, wringing one arm around Itachi’s shoulder. “So, you and I are gonna take care of those Hikari bastards!”
“Huh?” Itachi muttered in surprise, “you were chosen as well?”
“Someone wasn’t paying attention,” the Senju chided. “Yeah, Sato and Himura too. Guess the higher ups are finally noticing our awesome skills. You think we’ll be getting a pay raise?”
Itachi stared blankly at the medical ninja, “Wha—”
“C’mon, you know Shiko’s a big cheapskate,” Himura chortled, “no way we’re getting a pay raise. But it’ll be nice working with all of you.”
The Black Scorpion must have ended the meeting at some point because the scramble of footsteps echoed noisily off the steel walls, as the multitude of shinobi were either rushing up the steps or leaping skywards with remarkable swiftness, all headed for the peculiar exit at the top floor. When they reached the highest overpass which branched off from the staircase, where the Copy Ninja and the Black Scorpion were perched, the same spherical jutsu formula which had transported the Hokage earlier burned on the ceiling once more, the whole diagram much larger and elaborate this time, and the air was peppered with several ‘poofs’ and filled with a large haze of white smoke, which momentarily hid the two new heads of the Hikari Annihilation Project from view, as the whole crowd disappeared completely in the space of a few seconds. Itachi wondered vaguely if the whole multitude were now squeezing their way out of the stalls in the bathroom and he could not resist the urge to chuckle.
The Uchiha also took the opportunity to survey his fellow Task Force members. A few faces were expected as their reputations preceded them. Itachi was unsurprised to see Mokuton no Tenzo for example, and he recognized a few others who he knew, though he had hardly ever spoken to them, belonged to the cream of the ANBU crop.
The silence that was left behind after the mass exodus of ANBU shinobi was pierced by a faint tap, as Shiko and Kakashi landed just a few feet in front of Itachi and his friends. Itachi and the other selected nineteen shinobi immediately arrayed themselves in a straight line, each standing side by side with perfect synchrony, their chests puffed out and eyes staring dead ahead. The Uchiha’s expression had become an inscrutable mask once more.
Surprisingly, it was Kakashi, who had been hitherto completely silent, that addressed the twenty chosen shinobi,
“Now, what do we do with all of you?”
Shiko instantly joined in, his tone brisk and his voice more grave and serious than when he was addressing the crowd, “There’s not much to say but this; the scent isn’t our only lead. I withheld that information from the rest purposely for a good reason. One of our shinobi, Yamanaka Inata, managed to scrawl a small message and swallow it before he fell.
A Hyuuga medic spied the scroll in his belly and we had to tear it out of him immediately,” the Black Scorpion immediately extracted a very small scroll from his cloak, which was noticeably reddened by blotches and splashes of dried blood, unrolled the parchment without the slightest sign of revulsion, and read calmly, “It went thus, ’An invisible smoke…smoke killing everyone…can sense chakra in the smoke…flash of a dagger…brown hair…can’t survive for much longer…a woman’s face.’ And that was all.”
“Kinda lean if you ask me,” whined Hoji. “Couldn’t he have written down more?”
“The little on this note was actually written in code. I guess it was all he had time for, considering that he was about to die.” Shiko responded irritably, glaring at the medical ninja.
“The corpses at the scene were literally covered with lacerations from what appears to be a serrated, twelve-inch long dagger,” Kakashi rejoined, “so we have reason to believe this information. The part about smoke is still pretty confusing.”
“It was really disappointing to find only knife wounds,” Shiko griped as he shrugged his shoulders, swept away the folds of his cloak and plunged both hands into the pockets of the dark trousers behind them. “Burns would have given us reason to suspect Katon or Raiton techniques. Cleaner and deeper cuts would have suggested Fuuton, though we can’t totally rule it out. There was no trace of Suiton whatsoever and the building was simply too neat for Doton. No poisons…no explosives…and the fact that Inata had the presence of mind to write this message means no genjutsu either. It means we know nothing about our enemy except that it’s a woman and she knows how to use a dagger.”
“And that she can turn into smoke.”
Every head swiveled immediately in the direction of the young Uchiha who had spoken, and most of their faces reflected either surprise, skepticism, confusion, or a mixture of two or more of these reactions. Even his friends—Hoji, Sato and Himura—were looking at him with some doubt, Sato’s expression particularly derisive. The twelve year old boy was undaunted by this show of attention, ignoring the eyes of the people around him, as he confidently looked into Shiko’s face, which was one of the only two that were different from the rest; the other was Kakashi’s whose expression remained blank, while the Nara’s lean face lit up with curiosity.
The Black Scorpion cocked a smile, “And how do you figure?”
“Well,” Itachi began in a cool, firm voice, “Inata’s message said an invisible smoke was killing everyone and yet we found dagger wounds. Yamanaka shinobi are sensors so he would have been able to differentiate between the smoke and the culprit, if they were actually separate. But if they were one and the same—”
“But it’s impossible,” argued another one of the chosen twenty; a tall, lanky, sandy haired, flat nosed fellow, with the black irises in his eyes narrowed into perfectly vertical slits, and cheeks bearing the scarlet fangs that marked him as an Inuzuka. There was a distinct sneer in his tone, and the slightest inkling of a chuckle, as he added, “Nobody can turn into smoke.”
“Yes, but Hozuki shinobi of Kirigakure can turn into water,” Itachi countered, “meaning such transformations are not entirely impossible.”
“There’s absolutely no precedent,” the Inuzuka shinobi retorted. “If there was a shinobi who possessed such an advanced technique, we would certainly have heard of him—or her.”
Itachi stood his ground, “Still doesn’t change the fact that it fits. This also explains how our enemy got through the Barrier without setting it off. The Barrier is a big motion sensor but it doesn’t register the movement of air in and out of Konoha. A breeze would be ignored.”
The Inuzuka was about to make another protest but Shiko interrupted him;
“Your theory is a bit farfetched but not entirely implausible. I actually guessed the same thing the moment I saw the scroll but kept it to myself. It seemed a little too fantastic. But, if the genius of the Uchiha concurs—”
“I also think it’s possible.” Kakashi interposed quite abruptly.
Suddenly, Itachi felt perfectly at ease as the faces around him were now staring in awe rather than in doubt. He was no longer the little kid with an overactive imagination but the precocious twelve year old whose mind was on the same level with two of ANBU’s greatest legends. Sometimes, though it was somewhat vain and immature, Itachi had to agree that it felt really good to get noticed as a genius.
“Well,” Shiko said, still grinning, “I guess this meeting won’t be entirely fruitless after all. A female, dagger wielding assassin who can possibly turn to smoke. I guess that’s what we’re looking for. But this ability means we’re probably going to be facing one incredibly powerful kunoichi when we finally come face to face with our quarry. I would implore you all to sharpen your skills and improve your teamwork. Dismissed.”
Itachi and the rest of the twenty members of the Hikari Annihilation Task Force took to their heels, a few sprightly leaps carrying them close to the ceiling, where the jutsu formula glowed again, translating them from the large atrium of the Underground to the various junctions which served as entrance and exit from ANBU’s deeper levels.
The smell of detergent and a slight feeling of claustrophobia informed Itachi that he was in a bathroom stall before he opened his eyes to see the white tiles on the wall and the toilet bowl. He quickly exited the building, stepping out of its double doors into the cool morning air, and was glad and surprised to see Hoji, Himura and Sato waiting for him. Perhaps he was going to have fun today after all.
To Be Continued
It had begun like every other morning. The sky still grey and somber, and the whole atmosphere quite dull and serene, Itachi awoke to the twittering of the birds in the yard of his family home, heading straight for the bathroom to clean himself up. He returned after a delightful cold shower and quickly got dressed. Perhaps inspired by his new companions, who, as he discovered from the previous day, were very big fans of taking off their shirts, Itachi decided the shake things up a bit by showing a little more skin in wearing a lilac sleeveless shirt—which, of course, bore his clan’s emblem on the back—and a white pair of shorts, extracting both articles of clothing from that dark, dusty but perfectly neat portion of his wardrobe where he kept those clothes that he was positive he would never wear. They were mostly gifts from Mitsuki who was always trying to get Itachi to look more ‘cool.’
He was still not convinced this was a good idea when he set out for his usual morning training. The thin sinews which dangles at his sides, though they boasted great skill and alacrity, could hardly pass for arms. His whole wiry frame was perfectly displayed by this tight fitting attire, and he could just see his mother paling at the sight of just how thin her first born son really was behind that typical Uchiha getup, then trying to triple the quantity of breakfast he ate daily. This disagreeable frame was mostly his own fault, Itachi knew, since he was not quite fond for staying for meals at home and usually ended up have to settle for small rations of fast food. To him, it was a good trade; a few calories in exchange for less silent, tense moments in his father’s presence. He did miss seeing Sasuke though.
Itachi’s kunais and shurikens crowded the bulls eye at the center of the target in front of him, and the three behind him, and the two above him, and the other eight hanging off the branches and trees around him. A hundred weapons fired in all, and the whole volley released in about four or five seconds; perfectly aimed, flawlessly unleashed, lethally successful. Shisui, he knew, would have been proud. The thought of the name led to a sinking feeling in his chest and, for a few moments, he stood in the forest, massive grey trunks frowning at him, their many, tangled branches flourishing with leaves and wild flowers, the dew still fresh upon them. The song of distant birds filled the cool, humid air, their shrill voices soothing and gentle. He did not linger in the sour mood for more than a few seconds as the thought of what he had planned today cheered him up enough to proceed with his daily training.
It was when he was returning from this usual morning exercise that he realized that today was not going to fo as planned. He was in the process of kicking off his sandals at the front door of his home when he heard something like a faint tap, and felt a presence behind him. Two ANBU, clad in black robes which fell to their ankles and rose into hoods obscuring the other parts of their heads which the porcelain animal themed masks failed to conceal, stood ramrod straight on the veranda with their hands identically clasped at their backs.
These matching grim, shadowy looking attires, which must have been thrashing about due to the speed at which shinobi were accustomed to travel, were still settling about their bodies when one of them—the shorter one whose mask was the menacing, grim face of a wild boar—spoke in a deep and austere voice, “General ANBU meeting at 7:00 AM sharp. We’ve been ordered by the Hokage to personally inform you.”
Itachi regarded him for a moment, “A messenger bird would have sufficed, sir.”
“The Hokage is particular anxious to begin the proceedings. Shinobi move faster than birds. We can’t have delays,” came the reply in a brisk, guttural tone, “You should know something serious has happened when an ANBU Commander like myself is sent to fetch common soldiers. Have you not heard?”
“Heard what?” Itachi asked.
“But, of course, you haven’t. it’s still so early, and the Uchiha compound is so far,” the ANBU commented, “Luckily, this also means you’re the last person I’ve been sent to summon. It’s almost time. Follow me.”
There were three puffs of smoke fading in front of the Uchiha clan leader’s paper paneled front door as all three ANBU shinobi started for headquarters.
Though the whole organization was shrouded in endless layers of mystery, the headquarters of ANBU was far from being a secret. It was painfully obvious, even to normal citizens who had a vague idea of shinobi operations, that these dark, mysterious shinobi abode in the Hokage Office Building. Most people guessed that they dwelt somewhere between the bottom floor of the towering structure and the topmost level, which was the large, red rotunda from which the village’s leader exercised his power. It was an ideal location as the Hokage was the bona fide head of ANBU, so it only made sense for his personal soldiers to be within his reach whenever any kind of situation arose. They could guard the Hokage whenever trouble came, though this was not very often. Most of the time, the only advantage that was drawn from their convenient close proximity was that they could answer their leader’s summons on a moment’s notice. Even when not on active duty, every ANBU agent was required to check in at the building at least once in a day. They were each assigned their own shifts which tended to last from two to three hours, all to ensure that Hiruzen would not be met with silence whenever he deigned to call. After both the Akakuma and earlier Hikari missions, Itachi and the rest of the team, were exempted from these duties as part of their time off, something he was quite grateful for as he found the shifts quite tedious.
Because of this system, Itachi had never actually met every single shinobi in the ANBU. He only became vaguely acquainted with those who he found present during his shifts, or any member of the organization that accompanied him on missions. This was literally the first time he had even heard of a general ANBU meeting where all personnel were required to be present.
In actuality, the whole complex spanned from the floor directly below the Hokage’s office, to diverse subterranean levels. Genjutsu and several barrier techniques were put in place to fool even the Byakugan if it tried to peer into the lower levels of the organization’s base—which were collectively known as the Underground. The portion which stood above ground was really just a front as, Itachi knew, there was nothing of importance on those floors. They comprised of bathroom facilities, several little, cramped rooms inhabited by old, rusting file cabinets, a well equipped hospital wing, a food canteen which served meals Itachi found to be lackluster and bland, and a large common room where most ANBU shinobi passed their active shifts, waiting for that summons from the Hokage which hardly ever came. They mostly passed the time with magazines, books, playing Rock-Paper-Scissors, or simply staring at the ceiling—which was Itachi’s activity of choice. Basically anything to prevent falling asleep.
Below, however, were Konoha’s secret weapons caches, archives of dangerous techniques either created by Konoha innovators of times past, or collected by the organization from the village’s enemies, a heavily guarded morgue which housed the corpses of the most dangerous shinobi that ever featured in the Bingo Book—traitor ninjas from within and without Konoha, and well stocked training facilities where the ANBU honed their skills. At least that was all Itachi had seen, but he knew that there were floors sinking even deeper than he could fathom, filled with rooms and compartments where more deadly secrets lay shrouded in obscurity and abysmal darkness.
There were a myriad of ways to gain access to the Underground. Every member of the organization was expected to be familiar with each one but most of them usually picked one and stuck with it. Following itachi’s usual means of ingress, which most ANBU shinobi generally took, one had to enter the Hokage Office Building from the front door, move past the large, quaint lobby, passing through a long corridor, and take a sudden left in order to reach the bathrooms. Two doors, marked male and female by small icons, stood as in the means of ingress into each. Itachi did not know the procedure followed for the girl’s bathroom, but he was well acquainted with the next few steps one had to follow from the boy’s bathroom. After entering the lavatory, one simply needed to locate one of what their superiors called ‘transport junctions’; specific stalls fitted with a space time technique which upon activation by a few hand seals, spirited whoever was present in them to the Underground. The transportation technique was not all that different from the one employed after the Forest of Death stage of the Chunnin exams to summon instructors with the Heaven and Earth scrolls. It was of course, definitely more secure; the stalls were designed to explode and eliminate whoever was inside if the person did not possess an ANBU tattoo.
Upon arrival at the Hokage Office Building, Itachi and the two ANBU shinobi who were sent to fetch him, located individual transport stalls from which they set off for the Underground.
When he arrived there with his two companions, he was surprised to see a crowd of no less than a thousand ANBU shinobi, cramped uncomfortably in the wide atrium known simply as the Great Hall. It was quite capacious and perfectly square in shape, with the ceilings about fifty feet high, and metallic walls of old but firm steel standing each about sixty feet from the one opposite it, and they all gleamed dully in the weak, fluorescent light that bathed the whole compartment from above. Along these far stretching walls were several doors, leading who knows where. In the centre of the atrium were numerous flights of stairs, each spreading out at various landings into viaducts that led to more doors positioned higher on the towering walls. The transport stalls had brought Itachi and his companions to the loftiest of these overpasses.
The teeming flock of ANBU were all on their feet, most of them crowded on the grey, marble floor, a lesser number perched at varied points on the great staircase which rose in the middle of it all. Their masks were mostly absent, revealing several anxious and grave expressions, and the air was buzzing with murmurs and whispers, which was most unusual for ANBU. In fact, one might say it was against all the organization stood for. Silence, comportment, dignity, these were all drilled into each and every one of them when they joined. Their superiors made sure that they knew rowdiness had no place within these walls.
As Itachi descended the stairs, he marveled at how completely their training was discarded by everyone present. ‘What the hell happened?’ the Uchiha mused.
“The Hokage will be with us shortly.” the earlier ANBU Commander informed Itachi, as he and his companion vanished from beside the Uchiha with the Body Flicker technique.
Itachi took a long, deep breath and resumed his descent down the staircase, his slow echoing steps drawing no attention as it was strangled by the overbearing sound of the buzzing crowd. When he reached the bottom and finally felt the smooth marble floor underneath his feet, Itachi realized, with a flush of embarrassment, that while his fellow soldiers were garbed in their grave, black robes, which seemed quite fitting for this occasion, he was wearing a casual sleeveless shirt and shorts. The faint purple shade of the shirt and the clean, white of the shorts, both stood out most conspicuously in the sea of dark robes so it was remarkably easy to notice the oddly dressed boy. Itachi swore under his breath when he realized that he was already drawing strange looks from those around him.
“Hey, Itachi!”
The boy in question turned around to see who was shrieking his name with so much excitement and was entirely unsurprised to see the grinning face of Senju Hoji. The medical nin was unmasked but still donned the full length ANBU robes, whose dark and grim appearance contrasted sharply with the careless, smiling and gleeful face. He was even waving enthusiastically at Itachi. The Uchiha sighed and walked towards the fellow, noticing that he was now drawing even more furtive glances, the surrounding onlookers regarding his and Hoji’s casual dressing and easy manner respectively, in spite of the gravity of whatever the current situation entailed, with expressions of annoyance and clear disappointment.
Hoji, Itachi noticed when he had drawn closer to the Senju, was standing next to his best friend Hyuuga Sato, whose tall, burly form was still somewhat apparent despite his long, billowing robes, his face bearing an expression of such coldness and indifference that one might wonder whether the ANBU mask might have appeared more human; he was simply glaring at the ceiling with a fixed look and only spared Itachi the most fleeting, condescending glance. Itachi also noticed that there a tinge of red in his eyes due to lack of sleep. Himura was also present, dressed only in the ANBU flak jacket, a pair of dark trousers and the usual black sandals that accompanied this unique uniform, the hilt of his sword jutting out at his back and just a few inches from his head. He regarded Itachi with a small grin before turning his attention back to another ANBU shinobi with whom he was already engaged in a conversation.
“Glad you finally made it,” the Senju began after patting Itachi lightly and good-naturedly on the back. “Nice shirt, by the way. You’re really late though. It’s almost time.”
“Er..thanks. Late for what? Why are we here?” Itachi asked, his voice dropping to a little more than a whisper instinctively as he noticed everyone else was not loud. Hoji, however, was oblivious to this general use of hushed tones as he boomed with his usual eager but gentle pitch.
“You haven’t heard!” the shock in the Senju’s expression made Itachi a bit embarrassed. When Hoji’s eyebrows, which had ascended quite high on his forehead, returned to their regular position, and his lower jaw had reunited with his upper, he continued, “Well, you see, what happened was—”
But all of a sudden, the whole scene became deathly still, a silence so taut, so tense and ominous, that the words were immediately stifled in Hoji’s throat. The Hokage, flanked on both sides by two masked ANBU had appeared suddenly at the top of the stairs, and all eyes, including Itachi’s and Hoji’s, were instantly turned on him.
Hiruzen had never looked so grim to Itachi. His short frame bathed in the rich fluorescent light and so every aspect of his features was clearly illuminated, while his robe seemed aglow. His wrinkled face was shadowed by his hat, but Itachi could see sadness and anger fighting for the mastery of his expression; his eyes looked sunken and dejected and yet his nostrils were flared; his head was bowed dolefully but the jaw was clenched. The pipe was noticeably absent from his entire person and the bony hand which usually held it, was clasped to the other at his back.
“Good morning,” greeted the Hokage in a rapid tone which bore no trace of joy or geniality, “I believe I am addressing every single member of the ANBU Black Ops who is not away from the village. Of course, most of you know why we’re here but for the sake of those who haven’t found out, let me make things clear.”
The Hokage paused for a moment and cleared his throat, as if bracing himself for what he was about to say. Hiruzen titled his hat upwards and drew a deep, long breath before he spoke, “Last night, the entire Intel Division was completely massacred.”
Here and there, gasps of shock and horror broke out from the group, but the Third went on without pause, “We don’t know how they got past our barrier. We don’t know how the managed to slaughter every single one of our comrades in that building without raising an alarm. What we do know is that this is simply unacceptable!
“Right under our noses, while the ANBU stood guard over this village, our enemy or enemies slew our brethren so easily. This has to count for the biggest slap in the face this organization has ever received. This is a reproof and a reprimand to you all—and to myself. We have failed our comrades, we were woefully ignorant of our enemies’ devices and they struck a heavy blow at this village. Now, we have to avenge them and bring the perpetrators to justice.
“We have good reason to believe that the organization behind this attack was the Hikari. Apart from every Konoha shinobi present in the Intel Building., the only other casualty was the Hikari prisoner which we held there. As you all know, he was apprehended when the Hikari stole the Second Hokage’s scroll from our Jutsu Archives. It seems that they decided to eliminate him to prevent his leaking any more information on them. Also, all our records on him and the Hikari were destroyed. We know our enemies and now, we have to destroy them. I hereby declare the commencement of the Hikari Annihilation Project.
Here Hiruzen did suspend his speech to allow the announcement sink into the hearts and minds of his soldiers before he went on;
“Shiko here will head the task force responsible for undertaking this assignment,” the Hokage gestured to the cloaked and hooded ANBU on his left, who quickly removed his mask, revealing the Black Scorpion’s face behind it, bearing no trace of his usual languor and lethargy, but gleaming in the bright white light with alertness and gravity, “He has been tasked with handpicking those he deems competent for the job, an assignment that would be carried out now. Nara Shiko will also be assisted by—” the Hokage was waving an airy hand towards the other dull, silent ANBU, who was positioned on his right, but the fellow needed no introduction; he had already uncovered his head and as his silvery mop of hair glimmered brightly in the lights flooding the entire hall from above, everyone knew at once that it was “—Hatake Kakashi.”
The Copy Ninja discarded his ANBU mask and waved in lazy recognition to the crowd for a moment as Hiruzen concluded;
“If you are chosen, devote all your energy and skill to this job. For your comrades and for Konoha. Goodbye.”
The Hokage turned around with a swish of his cloak, and his short frame strode away hastily, a vigor in his step that one would not expect from a man of his years. Itachi knew, as just about everyone knew, that Hiruzen’s very heart beat for Konoha and its people. For decades, the Third Hokage devoted every fiber of his being to promoting the best interests of Konoha. He had come to see every citizen with the village’s borders as his family. The thought of so many of them slaughtered at once like animals…one could only imagine the white-hot rage that burned within the old man. As he sauntered away quickly, his right hand made a hand seal which caused the ceiling to glow with an inscrutable, circular jutsu formula. In the next moment, the Hokage was transported to his office by a Space-Time ninjutsu, leaving no trace behind but a bloom of white smoke. It was the reverse of the technique that brought people to the Underground.
Itachi took the new information with a serenity truly worthy of an Uchiha. While the whispers and murmurs doubled in fervor around him, he remained entirely silent as he pondered this strange and tragic occurrence. How was it that they could penetrate Konoha’s Sensory Barrier without setting it off? The only way Itachi knew such a thing could be accomplished was by using the Barrier’s unique password, but it was only known to ANBU and high ranking Konoha shinobi. Could it be that the Hikari had a Konoha traitor ninja amongst their ranks? Or did they obtain the information through spies in the ANBU? As Itachi’s mind raced with these questions, Sato remained resolutely silent and seemed similarly pensive, while Hoji was chattering so fast that Itachi would have barely made out a word were he paying any attention.
“…I mean, I know a few of my old classmates that work in the Intel Division. We weren’t really close but I hope they didn’t get the night shift. There was this girl I had a crush on too, you know. She was so pretty—”
“Hoji,” Himura cut in abruptly, “you know if Morino Ibiki got killed too?”
“Huh?” the Senju replied, a little disconcerted by the sudden interruption, “I don’t know, really. It’d be a real tragedy if he got done in. I mean, everybody knows he’s the best.”
But their budding conversation was cut short, and Itachi and Sato pulled away from their thoughts as Shiko cleared his throat loudly and vehemently above them in order to get everyone’s attention. Just as they had all concentrated on Hiruzen, every eye fell on the Black Scorpion.
“Before I select my Task Force, he began in a cool, placid voice, “I’d like to answer a few questions about the incident—no, no, no, not all at once!” Shiko snapped tersely when the massive crowd immediately raised their voices in a great, loud, jumble of nonsense. They all became silent immediately and Shiko sighed, muttered something inaudibly under his breath, wiped the sour expression on his face and replaced it will a blank one, before he went on, “I’m quite disappointed to see such disorder in the Great Hall. Anyways, since you’ve all decided to be this way, I’ll only give a short summary.
“When the Hokage says everyone in the Intel Division was murdered, he only means that everyone present last night. It really wasn’t as bad as he made it sound. Most of our key Intel shinobi, like Morino Ibiki or Yamanaka Inoichi, were home in their beds. Only about fifteen ninja were killed and only five of them were Jonin level. The rest were Chunnin. Yes, quite tragic for their families but not so detrimental for Konoha. Please, don’t think me pitiless or unsympathetic for saying this; it’s just the simple fact of the matter.
“The real problem is that our barrier was penetrated so easily and that the culprits came, committed their great atrocity, and left without the Sensory Division even realizing anything. There’s going to be a big inquiry about that and we’ll be reevaluating and strengthening our defenses. Anyways, as for the culprits. We know that it was Hikari and suspect that the deed was carried out by a single individual. The Inuzuka clan has swept the place clean and we’ve pretty much accounted for every single scent in that building save for one. We know it’s the scent of our killer because there’s barely any trace of it so it becomes obvious that someone was trying to conceal their presence, but underestimated the sharp noses of Konoha’s best trackers. This scent is currently our only lead and hopefully, it’ll pan out. It is a little disturbing that a single individual was responsible for this.
“All this information is highly classified and I would expect utmost discretion from Konoha’s ANBU. We’ll be laying the dead to rest next week Wednesday, 6:00 AM sharp. Attendance is not mandatory, I know we all have our duties, but it is advised. Of course I don’t need to tell you that the attire is black. Anyways, I think I’ve pretty much covered everything, yes?”
The horde of shinobi remained tame and subdued, and taking their silence for satisfaction, the Black Scorpion pushed on to the main issue at hand, “The following shinobi should remain immediately after the general dismissal of this gathering, as they have been selected for the Hikari Annihilation Project. If your name is mentioned, it means you have been immediately relieved of any mission or assignment you are currently undertaking. No, I don’t care how important you think it is. Naturally, it also means the termination of any vacations. Your village needs you and I don’t expect anyone to draw back from their duties. I’ll only be taking twenty of you…”
And the Nara began calling out a series of names while everyone below listened keenly for theirs. Itachi wondered if his would be mentioned. In truth, he really didn’t want to take on this assignment. Working closely with Shiko was not something he was very eager to do anytime soon. He was almost certain that dealing with the Hikari would require him to make use of his new eyes and he knew Shiko would definitely want to unravel more about the Mangekyo Sharingan. Itachi had to admit he was a little scared of those eyes. Being a student of Konoha’s history and particularly the Uchiha’s, he knew about how the Mangekyo Sharingan drove his ancestors to dangerous extremes of emotion, particularly hatred. Shisui had his under control but then again, Shisui’s Mangekyo Sharingan technique could only be utilized once in ten years; certainly not enough to exert any considerable influence on him. Itachi knew his own situation was different; he was entirely conscious of the fact that even at that very moment, in the space of a heartbeat, he could will away the regular tomoe of his Sharingan and activate—
“…and finally, Uchiha Itachi!” Shiko declared in a loud voice, which seemed to bring Itachi back to reality. The Uchiha turned his face upwards suddenly and he saw that the Nara was looking straight at him, with a smile on that long, gaunt face.
“You got picked, bro!” Hoji yelped joyfully, wringing one arm around Itachi’s shoulder. “So, you and I are gonna take care of those Hikari bastards!”
“Huh?” Itachi muttered in surprise, “you were chosen as well?”
“Someone wasn’t paying attention,” the Senju chided. “Yeah, Sato and Himura too. Guess the higher ups are finally noticing our awesome skills. You think we’ll be getting a pay raise?”
Itachi stared blankly at the medical ninja, “Wha—”
“C’mon, you know Shiko’s a big cheapskate,” Himura chortled, “no way we’re getting a pay raise. But it’ll be nice working with all of you.”
The Black Scorpion must have ended the meeting at some point because the scramble of footsteps echoed noisily off the steel walls, as the multitude of shinobi were either rushing up the steps or leaping skywards with remarkable swiftness, all headed for the peculiar exit at the top floor. When they reached the highest overpass which branched off from the staircase, where the Copy Ninja and the Black Scorpion were perched, the same spherical jutsu formula which had transported the Hokage earlier burned on the ceiling once more, the whole diagram much larger and elaborate this time, and the air was peppered with several ‘poofs’ and filled with a large haze of white smoke, which momentarily hid the two new heads of the Hikari Annihilation Project from view, as the whole crowd disappeared completely in the space of a few seconds. Itachi wondered vaguely if the whole multitude were now squeezing their way out of the stalls in the bathroom and he could not resist the urge to chuckle.
The Uchiha also took the opportunity to survey his fellow Task Force members. A few faces were expected as their reputations preceded them. Itachi was unsurprised to see Mokuton no Tenzo for example, and he recognized a few others who he knew, though he had hardly ever spoken to them, belonged to the cream of the ANBU crop.
The silence that was left behind after the mass exodus of ANBU shinobi was pierced by a faint tap, as Shiko and Kakashi landed just a few feet in front of Itachi and his friends. Itachi and the other selected nineteen shinobi immediately arrayed themselves in a straight line, each standing side by side with perfect synchrony, their chests puffed out and eyes staring dead ahead. The Uchiha’s expression had become an inscrutable mask once more.
Surprisingly, it was Kakashi, who had been hitherto completely silent, that addressed the twenty chosen shinobi,
“Now, what do we do with all of you?”
Shiko instantly joined in, his tone brisk and his voice more grave and serious than when he was addressing the crowd, “There’s not much to say but this; the scent isn’t our only lead. I withheld that information from the rest purposely for a good reason. One of our shinobi, Yamanaka Inata, managed to scrawl a small message and swallow it before he fell.
A Hyuuga medic spied the scroll in his belly and we had to tear it out of him immediately,” the Black Scorpion immediately extracted a very small scroll from his cloak, which was noticeably reddened by blotches and splashes of dried blood, unrolled the parchment without the slightest sign of revulsion, and read calmly, “It went thus, ’An invisible smoke…smoke killing everyone…can sense chakra in the smoke…flash of a dagger…brown hair…can’t survive for much longer…a woman’s face.’ And that was all.”
“Kinda lean if you ask me,” whined Hoji. “Couldn’t he have written down more?”
“The little on this note was actually written in code. I guess it was all he had time for, considering that he was about to die.” Shiko responded irritably, glaring at the medical ninja.
“The corpses at the scene were literally covered with lacerations from what appears to be a serrated, twelve-inch long dagger,” Kakashi rejoined, “so we have reason to believe this information. The part about smoke is still pretty confusing.”
“It was really disappointing to find only knife wounds,” Shiko griped as he shrugged his shoulders, swept away the folds of his cloak and plunged both hands into the pockets of the dark trousers behind them. “Burns would have given us reason to suspect Katon or Raiton techniques. Cleaner and deeper cuts would have suggested Fuuton, though we can’t totally rule it out. There was no trace of Suiton whatsoever and the building was simply too neat for Doton. No poisons…no explosives…and the fact that Inata had the presence of mind to write this message means no genjutsu either. It means we know nothing about our enemy except that it’s a woman and she knows how to use a dagger.”
“And that she can turn into smoke.”
Every head swiveled immediately in the direction of the young Uchiha who had spoken, and most of their faces reflected either surprise, skepticism, confusion, or a mixture of two or more of these reactions. Even his friends—Hoji, Sato and Himura—were looking at him with some doubt, Sato’s expression particularly derisive. The twelve year old boy was undaunted by this show of attention, ignoring the eyes of the people around him, as he confidently looked into Shiko’s face, which was one of the only two that were different from the rest; the other was Kakashi’s whose expression remained blank, while the Nara’s lean face lit up with curiosity.
The Black Scorpion cocked a smile, “And how do you figure?”
“Well,” Itachi began in a cool, firm voice, “Inata’s message said an invisible smoke was killing everyone and yet we found dagger wounds. Yamanaka shinobi are sensors so he would have been able to differentiate between the smoke and the culprit, if they were actually separate. But if they were one and the same—”
“But it’s impossible,” argued another one of the chosen twenty; a tall, lanky, sandy haired, flat nosed fellow, with the black irises in his eyes narrowed into perfectly vertical slits, and cheeks bearing the scarlet fangs that marked him as an Inuzuka. There was a distinct sneer in his tone, and the slightest inkling of a chuckle, as he added, “Nobody can turn into smoke.”
“Yes, but Hozuki shinobi of Kirigakure can turn into water,” Itachi countered, “meaning such transformations are not entirely impossible.”
“There’s absolutely no precedent,” the Inuzuka shinobi retorted. “If there was a shinobi who possessed such an advanced technique, we would certainly have heard of him—or her.”
Itachi stood his ground, “Still doesn’t change the fact that it fits. This also explains how our enemy got through the Barrier without setting it off. The Barrier is a big motion sensor but it doesn’t register the movement of air in and out of Konoha. A breeze would be ignored.”
The Inuzuka was about to make another protest but Shiko interrupted him;
“Your theory is a bit farfetched but not entirely implausible. I actually guessed the same thing the moment I saw the scroll but kept it to myself. It seemed a little too fantastic. But, if the genius of the Uchiha concurs—”
“I also think it’s possible.” Kakashi interposed quite abruptly.
Suddenly, Itachi felt perfectly at ease as the faces around him were now staring in awe rather than in doubt. He was no longer the little kid with an overactive imagination but the precocious twelve year old whose mind was on the same level with two of ANBU’s greatest legends. Sometimes, though it was somewhat vain and immature, Itachi had to agree that it felt really good to get noticed as a genius.
“Well,” Shiko said, still grinning, “I guess this meeting won’t be entirely fruitless after all. A female, dagger wielding assassin who can possibly turn to smoke. I guess that’s what we’re looking for. But this ability means we’re probably going to be facing one incredibly powerful kunoichi when we finally come face to face with our quarry. I would implore you all to sharpen your skills and improve your teamwork. Dismissed.”
Itachi and the rest of the twenty members of the Hikari Annihilation Task Force took to their heels, a few sprightly leaps carrying them close to the ceiling, where the jutsu formula glowed again, translating them from the large atrium of the Underground to the various junctions which served as entrance and exit from ANBU’s deeper levels.
The smell of detergent and a slight feeling of claustrophobia informed Itachi that he was in a bathroom stall before he opened his eyes to see the white tiles on the wall and the toilet bowl. He quickly exited the building, stepping out of its double doors into the cool morning air, and was glad and surprised to see Hoji, Himura and Sato waiting for him. Perhaps he was going to have fun today after all.
To Be Continued
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