Eternity (Naruto-Itachi Book)-Complete

Ch.19: Leisure Time

Chapter 19: Leisure Time

Months passed by in a blink of an eye, and Emiko hadn't even realized it. It was as if she was in a whole new world now, completely enclosed to what was happening outside. She heard of no one other than the members. She didn't know about anything that was occurring in Konoha or how were the people there? Was her brother okay? What about Sasuke? Was his training coming along? Is Naruto flourishing with Jiraiya's teachings? All these questions, but no answers.

Her life in the Akatsuki was simple. She would sometimes converse with the other members if they were not on their missions, if they were, she would practice jutsu mainly around the hideout, train, cook here and there, read the hundreds of scrolls that were hidden within the walls, and of course, help Zetsu tend to the plants, which she was doing today.

Emiko bent down and ran her hands through the damp soil which she had just watered for the herbs. "Are these lavender flowers?" she asked Zetsu who was on the other side of their garden room. He calmly walked over and looked towards the plant she was referring to.

"Hai," White Zetsu replied.

"The soil feels different, though."

"That's because the soil is sweeter than most, meaning that it's alkaline soil."

"Ohh..." Emiko murmured, "And what about these smaller ones here. The soil in the pot is leaning more on the acidic side, so what do you do for that?"

Zetsu gently placed a substance in her hand, "That's lime powder. You should sprinkle it in the soil to prevent it from getting too acidic—but don't put too much, brat!" Black Zetsu interrupted and chastised the young girl as she followed his orders.

Emiko grinned and nodded, "Don't worry, Zetsu-san. You're a great teacher, ya know."

"See? You shouldn't be mean to her; she's learning."

"I bet that brat will mess up sometime, so watch her closely."

"Rude." Emiko pouted before she stood up, feeling familiar chakra signatures back in the hideout. Leaving the room, she came upon Kisame and Itachi entering the main room, "Welcome back." She softly smiled, "You two must be hungry. I'll get you something to eat."

"Thanks," Kisame grinned ruffling her hair while Itachi only nodded.

The relationship between Emiko and Kisame was rather strange. The two had gotten off on a bad start when they first met back when they had come to capture Naruto, however, spending just a few moments here allowed her to form a better opinion of the man. He had a great sense of humor and wasn't afraid to lay back, no matter how powerful he was. She could see that he was an honorable teammate to Itachi.

Carefully stirring the pot of sukiyaki, she inhaled the wonderful scent of tang sauces and the fresh vegetables. Placing it on the tonkatsu table, Emiko placed individual bowls of rice. Kisame sat and began eating his share, and Itachi soon followed. While the two ate, Emiko cleaned up the kitchen.

Once in a while, her eyes travelled back to Itachi but would look away. Her eyes suddenly narrowed when she noticed his hands shaking ever so slightly while he was holding his chopsticks. Of course, if it was anyone else, no one would have noticed this gesture with how perfected it looked while hidden. But with Emiko knowing Itachi ever since they were born, and analyzing him, she knew something was wrong.

After the two finished their dinner, Emiko quickly cleaned up and grabbed Itachi's cloack from the back before he could leave, "Come with me." Leading him away, she made sure to be careful not to harm him even further.