Truth: Itachi Uchiha Love Story

C H A P T E R 9

My head rested against the cool surface of the desk in front of me. My head was pounding against my skull. My eyes felt dry to the bone as I stared aimlessly at my feet. 'How could I let this happen?' I could feel the pulse of my veins against my temples.

It had been a few months since my visit with Itachi and since then, its been down hill.

'Sasuke left'. The phrase repeated on an endless loop in my mind.

I had been away on a special assigned mission when it happened. 'Was his lust for power and his need to kill Itachi that strong?' My eyes clenched shut.

"I failed you..." I didn't recognize my own voice. My head lifted from the desk sluggishly. My fingers grazed against my temples gently massaging the pained nerves.

A soft knock came at the door. I could sense Yuki from the other side of the door "Ma'am?"

I straightened my back and ran my fingers through my hair attempting to smooth out any dishevelment that may have been apparent. I rubbed my fingers against my eyes trying to somehow rid myself of sleep deprivation.

My right leg crossed over my left and my hands landed on a stack of papers. I rocked back in my chair and brought the papers to my lap and slowly began to finger through the papers. "Yes?"

The door slid open and the small girl took a step over the threshold. "Uhh ma'am the hokage has requested your presence immediately".

My fingers drifted over the pages pointlessly. My eyes stayed fixed on the words ascribed on the pages, but nothing was registering. I could faintly recognize something of a response fall from my lips.

"Yes ma'am".

From my peripheral I could see Yuki retreat to the other side of the door bow her head and softly shut the door. 'What could she possibly want?' My left arm propped against the arm rest, my head falling into my palm. My eyes wandered back to the stack of papers that sat balanced atop my knee.

'Guess I better go before she rips me a new one'.

My body moved, slowly staggering to my feet. Dropping the papers back on the desk my legs moved towards the set of windows on the far side of the room. It was still early after noon and the sun shone bright in the sky. The soft sound of chipping as mothers and their kids walked happily down the street oblivious to everything else that went on in the world around them.

My eyes slid shut.

"I heard you were looking for me?".

"You should really consider using a more conventional way of entering my office Shiori".

My eyes fluttered opened. Tsunade was seated at the desk her body leaned forward, fingers interlocked. Her facial features constricted in an unreadable expression. Shizune stood to her right, Tonton clutched closely to her chest.

"Is that the reason why you called me here? To chastise me on how I enter a room?" I scoffed. My arms crossing over my chest, my left hip dropping slightly as my weight rested atop my right leg.

I could hear her click her tongue against her teeth and sigh. "I know Sasuke's leaving was hard on you".

My eyes rolled back, "Why am I here Tsunade?"

Her eyes flickered to me. Her face contorted in distaste.

I knew why. I wasn't meaning to sound petulant, it just came out like that. I could hear the sound of her tongue clicking against her teeth in a 'tech' sound.

"We have some information on Sasuke's whereabout and I want you to check them out"

"Why me? Why not send Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi?" our eyes met and I could tell in her eyes why she didn't want to send them.

"This took a toll on Naruto and Sakura, and the retrieval team was badly hurt during their attempt to get Sasuke...." She sighed softly rocking back in her chair, her eyes wandering away from mine. ".... In all honestly, you're the only person I can trust to do this".

Tsunade wasn't one to hand out compliments, at least to me. So this one of those moments for the books.

I sighed my arms crossed tightly over my chest. 'Her compliment was a cheap ploy to make me take the mission'.

"So where am I headed to?"

"Land of Sound, it's a small nation that seemed to appear out of no where a few years ago. It is suspicious enough for us to believe that that is where Orochimaru is hiding out".

"What other information is there?"

"Other than that nothing. The ANBU that were sent out were found dead not to far into the Land of Sound".

I nodded my head in acknowledgement. 'Would Orochimaru be that sloppy?'

"Anything else?"

"No".

"Guess I'd better go then". I replied disappearing in a could of smoke.

"She never listens". Tsunade huffed in obvious relation to her prior comment on my entering and leaving rooms.

"Isn't that why you like her so much?" Shizune smiled.

"I guess it is".