"I won't let you two get in the way of rescuing Lord Orochimaru", the silver-haired man growled as he send another strike of his blade bone.
"Rescuing Orochimaru?", I echoed back, gawking at him as I felt the warm blood on my face. The large surface area of the giant tree branches allowed space for a battle to take place.
The body of the Sound ninja I just eliminated fell lifelessly at my feet as I gawked at Shisui. A bead of sweat ran down my face as I scrutinized his set of chakra points, which were overflowing with power.
Unwillingly, I bit back my uneasiness about the entire situation and forced my body into motion. I clenched my jaw and put Hanabi's kunai away in my pouch. Gripping my clutch on my sword, I swung it behind me and bolted for the entrance to the hideout.
Could Orochimaru really be in the Akatsuki's grasp?
My Sharingan was activated as my eyes darted back and forth through the dark place. The gloom of this place seemed never ending. The walls reeked of blood and everything unpleasant the more I bore into it.
The aura and atmosphere of this hideout was quite nerve-racking to the point where I had to stop for a moment and make sure that I'm still save. Where do I even start my search for Sasuke and Naruto?
My footsteps kept echoing in a steady rhythm that played back and forth throughout the walls. I knew for a fact that it's almost too convenient for me to be let loose like this in the enemy territory.
One way or another, something is bound to happen and when it does, it'll have to be bad.
Just where are you Sasuke?
Naruto...
I keep on descending into the unknown, in desperate hopes of finding any trace of Sasuke and Naruto. How I wish Hana was here right now.
I keep my tight grip on the sword as I contemplate on what I should do. Should I simply scream out for Sasuke and Naruto, in hopes of them giving me a response back? Or should I keep searching for them aimlessly like this?
My heart was pacing fast in my chest as my eyes trailed everywhere.
An unsettling pit grew in my gut as I kept roaming around aimlessly.
What am I even doing?
I should've found them by now...everyone is waiting...
As if the building wasn't already intricate enough on the exterior, it also has a sophisticated interior. My nerves and anxiety were not liking this at all.
There is a commotion hailing outside, but it's eerily quite in here. This place is so unsettling it's driving me insane.
Focus Itachi, focus...
The walls have candles to keep the area lit so the hideout doesn't go into complete darkness. I halt in my tracks for a moment and force my mind to think straight, despite the uneasiness that keeps on building up inside me.
I can't keep contemplating like this forever. Tenzo would always babble about how infiltration should be done discreetly, but...
It's Sasuke's life on the line here and I'd gladly give up mine if it means that his could be saved. There's no more time to waste.
I could summon my crows, but they're needed for the diversion outside. Tenzo is taking on the entire security force of this hideout, while Shisui is battling a Kekki Geenkai user.
I should do something on my own right now. I should quickly think of something...
Anything...
When I sensed the presence of chakra near me, that's how I got my answer on the spot. It was probably one of the Sound ninja underlings.
I took in a deep breath and pretended that I'm completely unaware of his presence. I began to run a bit slower than usual, still looking sideways. The chakra was getting closer and closer to mine, and while the footsteps couldn't be easily heard or detected, I still managed to locate where the source of chakra was emanating.
It was right behind me, tracking my every move as I descend more. I swallowed the lump in my throat and braced myself for what's coming next.
Any time now...
I held my breath captive as the suspense left me on the edge of my seat.
Come on you bastard...
The chakra was getting restless to my liking as I made sure to keep the scarlet in my eyes.
There it is...
As anticipated, the Sound ninja charged towards me straight ahead. In response, I simply halted in my place and gave him all the pleasure of getting closer.
In a blink of an eye, I leapt flash-like in the air and glued my feet to the ceiling, using chakra concentration in the soles of the feet. And as expected, the enemy was rendered aghast as they tried to desperately locate me through the dim lit of this hideout.
I was hanging upside down from the ceiling, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike.
"Where'd he go!?", the underling furiously asked no one in particular.
"Right here", I hiss, then I caught him off guard by pinning him in place via a headlock.
The most this underling could manage was a sparse gasp as I deliberately cut off the air supply to his lungs.
"Please..."
"Hush now", I whispered in an unsettling tone, "if you abide by my orders, you'll save yourself a lot of trouble".
"I-Itachi Uchiha...", he gasped to himself.
"Right", I sternly said.
"So you must know of the Sharingan prowess as well", I said before slightly loosening my grip.
"I-I do", he almost gasped for air before I cut him off again by tightening my grip rapidly, not letting the air supply his lungs in the slightest.
"And you most certainly know why I'm here"
"Y-yes..."
"If you have a death wish, then you'd refuse to give me Naruto and Sasuke's location", I sternly say, sending shivers down his spine as I tighten my grip further, "so tell me, filthy underling, do you have a death wish or not?"
No response.
I sighed for a curt moment, before letting go of him.
He was free, or at least that's what I wanted him to think. Because right then I'd grabbed him by the back of the neck and slammed his face into the wall.
He cried out right away as he writhed in pain. I was sure I cracked his nose with that blow. His hands went clutching his blood seeping nose. Oh but I was just beginning. I quickly turned him to face me directly, without wasting any time, my eyes had done the work instantly.
His body had froze at once, then he began to tremble as he should.
"Tell me", I growled, strengthening the torture Genjutsu, "where is Sasuke?".
His eyes were wide and unblinking as he stared back at my red ones in terror.
"T-the highest floor up...", he stammered, then slithered against the wall when I released the Genjutsu upon learning this information.
In a heartbeat, I was quickly off to the nearest flight of stairs that I caught sight of. Since I didn't want to be tracked again, I chose to hang upside the ceiling and make a run for the highest floor of the hideout.
There's no way that underling would have supplied me with false information. I have made sure of it, he'll never forget that torture Genjutsu.
My footsteps were loud on the ceiling of the hideout, but I didn't care, since the ceiling is less lit than the walls. I kept my sword close by just in case I run into someone else.
"Somebody's coming!"
I ignored the underlings who put their defenses up at the sound of my footsteps and charged at them right away.
I released my feet from the ceiling and rained the sharp tip of my blade into one of them, before skewering it through the other.
I made sure to keep this encounter short as I swiftly twirled on my heel, taking them out one by one. I've completely lost track of how many of them I'd killed as I kept spinning in the void of constantly being on my wretched nerves.
Once I was sure that enough blood was spilled, I hastened on my feet again and progressed further.
I made sure to gasp some breaths in between as I scrutinized every single detail about this floor. In the far end, my lips had parted ajar when I spotted what looked like a room that kidnapped children would be held in.
This only motivated me bolt for it faster. And so I clenched my jaw and lowered my torso even more. I felt my quads go numb as sweat brushed away from my face.
My entire body had gone tense when I didn't give my muscles a chance to rest. I narrowed down my eyes, having one target in front of me, which I planned to kick open with a loud thud.
My narrowed eyes had widened then, and my muscles finally got the rest they needed because I'd halted right in my tracks. My heart sank, but my mind and body were still on alert as always.
Bang.
This is the highest and last floor of this hideout, and a loud bang just emanated from above...
If this floor is the last one, then the loud bang must've come from the rooftop of this building...
No...they're not behind the doors in front of me. Of course they'd try to escape and all...
Without even knowing it, my body pivoted around and my legs dragged me to the flight of stairs I overlooked the first time.
Sasuke...Naruto...please be okay...
I jumped over the pile of dead bodies that I was responsible for and bolted for the rusty flight of stairs.
These stairs were illuminated by the light of the luminous moon, which only confirmed my instincts. These stairs lead straight to the rooftop of the building.
I held my breath all the way, each step feeling like I'm already too late to the rescue. My heart skipped several beats, or it'd stopped completely when I heard a second thud, which shook me to the core when the sound of a familiar scream followed.
There, right before my unblinking eyes was a...monster?
The flamboyant gore screams made a chill scatter through me. It took me a moment to realize that the reason why I stood rooted in my place was the sight of Sasuke, holding onto a red headed girl desperately as tears streamed down his face.
Move!
Your brother is in danger!
"Sasuke move!", I screamed at the top of my lungs as my mind was too preoccupied by spinning in the void of my fear...
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A/N:- Where is Hanabi you ask? Oh she's just going to show up fashionably late✨✨Stayyy tuned y'all I'm off to writing the next chapter. I'll make sure lots happen in the next chapter. Also don't ya think that it's been too long since Red Butterfly got number 1 in #itachiuchiha, plz make it happen again by voting✨✨
And you guys, I wanted to tell ya this: the hideout that you read about is totally made up by me for the sake of this fan-fic. It was said that Orochimaru had various hideouts and I believe that we didn't get to see them all in the anime, so tell me what do you think?
~A