"She slipped past your reach, but what you failed to see that night was my looming figure", the deep voice of Madara Uchiha emanated from behind Hanabi, setting off alarms in our heads which were still trying to process what we'd just found out.
He'd appeared out of thin air, catching us off guard.
"What does all this mean?", Shisui gasped, asking the question I was too trembling to utter.
"Itachi?", Kakashi called out my name as if I knew how to elaborate on what my unblinking eyes are witnessing.
How am I even supposed to feel towards all this? Seeing the person I missed and yearned for most for the past four years in a place like this.
I couldn't even utter her name as I gawked at her. How could this be? I saw her fall from the cliff, leaving her final mark embedded in my skin.
"It's quite simple", my unblinking eyes dart to Madara, the memories of our encounters executing before my eyes again, "Itachi", he almost growled, putting me on alert again.
I swallow the lump in my throat, hoping he'll avoid talking about how I was going to join him.
"I witnessed what happened at the Final Valley", Madara informs, "all of it" his words shook my faith right where I stood.
"It was I who caught Hanabi when you passed out from shock".
My head tipped low as I gawk at my hands in horror, unable to form any kind of words.
"Hanabi!", Kakashi calls out, his voice strained with concern, "what's going on? What happened to you?!".
I hear the wicked smirk that emanated from Hanabi as she said, "as much as I'd like to answer that, it's not only my place to tell".
"What are you insinuating?! You died on your S-rank mission-"
"That's what they told you!", Hanabi yelled out, her calm tone of voice suddenly altering as she cut Shisui off.
Shisui stepped back involuntarily, putting as much space between himself and them.
"Hanabi", Madara sternly says, making my head jerk up. With one simple look from Madara, Hanabi had sealed her lips completely, "it's not time for judgement, yet".
"What are you saying?!", Kakashi demanded, his own eyes unblinking, "If you've been alive all this time then why didn't you come back to the village?! A lot of people suffered after hearing about your death, so how could you be so heartless?!", Kakashi bellows, his voice elevating above all else.
"Really?", Hanabi scoffs, skeptical if Kakashi was genuine with what he's saying.
"What?", Kakashi gasped, his emotions deliberately taking over. I tilted my head a little in his direction as he spoke through gritted teeth, "do you have any about the void you left in everyone's hearts?!".
"And do you have any idea about what I've endured these past four years?!", she yelled back just as hard, making my chest clench at her words.
"What?", Kakashi gasps, letting what she'd said sink in. His eyes were sternly on her as he inspected everything about her that has changed. Her short blonde hair was now dull, long and lifeless. It cascaded down to waist-length. Her face was somewhat impaled, it'd lost all the vibrant colors it once had.
Her eyes were concealed with bandages, making Kakashi question, "why are your eyes bandaged?", to which Hanabi simply smirks and responds, "it's a funny story, but I'm afraid it's for another day".
Her cold words made a chill strew upon me. What is she saying—no, why is she saying such things?
"Did you join this organization?", Shisui demands, his muscles growing restless.
"I did in indeed", she grins, a hint of a laugh playing at her lips, "I certainly joined the Akatsuki", she'd said it proudly.
The three of us gasped as we watched in pure shock. There was nothing we could muster up at this.
She's changed so much, I don't even recognize her...
"Why?!", Kakashi yelled out, losing his patience slightly, "why would you do such a horrid thing-", Kakashi forced himself to bite back his tongue. Then, in a more composed and steady voice, he addressed, "Listen Hanabi there's still so much in the Hidden Leaf that you left behind. There's still so much that you have back home...", Kakashi attempted, hoping he's putting some sense into her.
Hanabi lowered her head at what he'd said. We all held our breath from the anticipation that was slowly eat us away.
Then, her calm and composed voice emerged again, but her reply was nonchalant and indifferent, clawing at the pain in my chest.
"The Hidden Leaf Village was no longer a place I could call home the moment I fell off at the Final Valley".
Her words further slashed the wound I've so desperately tired to clean up and possibly heal, now I have gone to the first square again.
My lips parted as my jaw unclenched. My eyes widened more than they already have and I was rendered looking down at the residue of the rain.
Involuntarily, my tongue had formed words of its own, channeling all this indescribable pain and sorrow into what I directed at no one, but myself.
"If only..."
All heads turned around their pivot to stare at me as I carried on despite my unsteady voice and stillborn tears.
"...if only I held onto you tighter...", I blinked back tears, looking down at my scars, "if only I had one more...", my breath hitches in my throat, my mind betraying me by making me relive that very fateful day, "ounce of strength...", I finish off as I look at her with collapsing tears.
"If only I had one more ounce of strength..."
"I never said I blame you for the enigma I've become, Itachi, so quit taking credit", she asserted with a hint of humor.
Madara Uchiha laughed at Hanabi's remark.
"Hanabi..."
"I don't exist to ease up your guilty heart Itachi", she snickered, making my heart sink.
"Hanabi don't do this", Shisui stepped up, his voice laced with concern, "don't throw your life away with these mercenaries".
"Mercenaries?", Hanabi scoffed, "I am one of them".
"Hanabi stop with this nonsense and come back home", Kakashi pleads out of desperation.
Hanabi, Madara, and the other two remain silent. A bead of sweat broke out on my face as I awaited what her reply would be.
My mind refused to believe that this is the same Hanabi I'd got to know four years ago. Her entire aura is different. In this very moment, all my trembling arms wanted to do is engulf her in a hug like four years ago and stay like that.
"Only under one condition", she replied, to which Kakashi hastily blurted, "What?! What is it?!".
A smirk broke onto her face, draining my lungs out of breath when she said, "Defeat me first".
The three of us were left looking at her with bewilderment.
"Hanabi..."
"Well I guess we should take a step back then", Madara addressed the blue-haired woman with his menacing voice.
In a moment, they had both stepped aside and left the place for Hanabi and her butterflies. I could almost feel the eyes of the man above staring right at us.
He must be Lord Pain...
"Hanabi don't do this", Kakashi retorts, but his attempts are in vain, because this Hanabi that stands before us is way past anyone's reach.
"Even Naruto quit his silly pranks after he so desperately searched and asked around about the girl who saved his life"
For a moment, I could've sworn I saw her mouth part agape at what she'd heard.
"So imagine how his hopes drowned when all that was left of you was an empty grave and a stone with your name engraved on it", Kakashi further pleads.
He'd lost almost all of those he once cared about, and Hanabi was one of them.
"You don't know the half of it", she said through gritted teeth, "you're just as clueless as usual".
"Hanabi I promise you it'll be alright just return with us back to the village...", Kakashi insists, his body going tense.
"Like I said", she disregarded his pleas completely and insists, "Defeat me".
"Hanabi..."
Kakashi helplessly gawked down at his palms, hoping it'd give him the answer to his predicament.
"Why are your eyes bandaged?", Shisui's question caught everyone off guard, including me. Kakashi's head jerked up in the direction of the determined Shisui.
"If we're going to fight, don't you think it's better if you could see your opponent?"
"Shisui no!", I blurted suddenly, but Kakashi had rushed to my side and restraint my arm as he says, "Don't Itachi, we both know that we can't bring ourselves to fight her, besides, I don't think we can accurately match up to the Namikaze's speed. I'm sorry, but from now on, this is Hanabi...we should deal with her as the person she is now, not as the person she once were"
Oh Shisui...
My heart skipped a beat and my eyes broadened when Hanabi left the rain residue on the ground rippling as she sped up towards Shisui. I barely even blinked and she had already halted.
Both of them were standing back to back with their shoulders touching.
"You sure talk a lot without getting your facts straight", Hanabi remarked, making Shisui gasp momentarily.
"Your Teleportation Technique against my Body Flicker", Shisui declared, earning a grin from Hanabi.
"Oh I have more than just the Teleportation Technique up my sleeve", Hanabi wickedly smirked, making a chill scatter within me.
And that was all we heard before Shisui's sword clanged against Hanabi's kunai.
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A/N:- it only gets more heated in the upcoming chapters✨✨stay tuned. Next chapter might be long. Thank you guys for 4K reads✨✨you're the best✨✨excuse me cause I'm bad at showing my gratitude to each and every one of you so here's some: ✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨
~A