Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto!
Warning: Angst. Language. USUAL. Character death!
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Interlude - Omniscient - 16
Ino watched her sister, fast asleep in her lap. Her fingers reached out and she brushed back strands of hair that fell over her face. Her fingers lingered a moment or two longer than necessary on her baby sister's ruined eye.
"You really love her," Shikamaru said. He and Chōji were lounging in the living room with Ino. They were waiting for Asuma to come over so they could move on to their mission, but he seemed to be taking longer than usual.
"Yes," Ino said. "More than anything else in the world."
And it was true. Ino loved her sister very much... she remembered... on that day... when she swore to herself to always protect her sister, no matter the cost.
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Flashback (post Chūnin Exams, pre-time skip)
Ino knew her sister was a very bright girl. It was something Ino was undeniably proud of and something she quite enjoyed. Her sister was always the one she could turn to if Ino ever had a problem. Ino knew she could rely on her through and through. Ino also knew that her sister was rather delicate in some manners. She learned this when it became apparent that after her Haha and Chich did not return home with her baby sister the night she was born, or the two years afterwards.
In some manners, Ino was rather paranoid when it came to her sister. For a long while, she nearly thought her sister would be dead the next day. She didn't know exactly what was wrong with her at the time, only that it always put a strain on Haha whenever Ino brought it up, and Chichi got very quiet. It was why Ino always spent as much time with her sister as she could when, as if trying to soak up as much memories of her as she could before her time was up. As an effect due to her frequent visits, she found that she quite adored her sister and that her sister was very smart.
Ino was thrilled when Nao was declared well enough to return home, but some parts of her were worried. Her sister was still weak, still fragile. True, she may have bested Ino in that one match, but that had nothing to do with strength. That was all about technique, and it did nothing to assuage Ino's worries.
Some parts of Ino never wanted Nao to join the academy. The rest of her felt ashamed of those parts because she knew how much Nao wanted to go and she knew how much fun Nao had in the academy.
But those parts of Ino would not be ignored. If anything, they would become louder and louder. It was her baby sister and already on her first mission, Nao would lose her eye. Followed by that, she would nearly dieagain and Ino risked losing her sister all over again.
Ino hated that.
She hated being useless, she hated that her baby sister was so fragile, she hated that her sister would continue to put herself in danger and worse of all she hated that her sister didn't seem to give a damn about her own life.
Why? Why didn't Nao care enough about her own life? Why did she continue to risk herself for them? It wasn't fair. She was so young and she just didn't deserve any of it.
Ino hated it.
She hated it very much.
She couldn't help her sister.
At least not... Not the way she wanted to.
Ino glanced at Kakashi who stood at the memorial stone with Ino. Nao was still in the hospital, refusing to leave Sasuke's bedside. Ino didn't understand why her sister felt so guilty, but she wouldn't pry.
"You have... a very intuitive little sister," Kakashi remarked.
"I know," Ino said.
"Do you know, by chance, if Jiraiya-sama talked to her earlier today? Before he left with Naruto?"
Ino felt her spine stiffen minutely. Ino may not have been a combat genius, but she was a natural when it came to reading people. Chichi had always told her that she would surpass him in that regard before she even reached seventeen. It was another of the things Ino was proud of. Her spine had stiffened when Kakashi had asked Ino that question.
The question itself would seem harmless enough, but there was something in the underlining of his tone, in the subtle stiffness in his posture. He was calculating. He was reading Ino's movements and trying his best to read her.
Something was off.
Something had happened.
"Why do you ask?" Ino asked slowly, keeping her tone light.
"It was just something Nao said... It got me thinking, that's all," Kakashi replied, his tone just as light.
Ino knew her sister was a bright girl. Intuitive, actually. There were times where her sister knew things that she shouldn't have known about because no one told her. They were usually small things, favorite foods, birthdays, names... Chichi and Haha never picked up on it because they didn't spend as much time with Nao like Ino had when Nao was little. Oh sure, Haha would visit her nearly every day, but those were just little visits. Chichi would visit every day, but he only came to help Nao heal and acted as a sort of therapist. Neither really spent time with Nao, like Ino had.
When Chichi explained Nao's mutation, Ino immediately associated Nao's second ability. Her 'intuitiveness', if you will.
It was a very dangerous ability if ever found out. Even if Konoha was Ino's home, she wasn't so blind. If Nao's ability was found out, it would be ruthlessly exploited and her sister's life would be turned into a living hell.
Ino did not like that thought. She did not like that thought at all.
So Ino had to think every quickly. It was something that happened today. Something to do with Sasuke's coma and Nao's mutterings. Ino had visited Nao at the hospital, intent on giving her sister some lunch and offering her a shoulder. Nao had hugged tightly onto Ino, muttering under her breath of how she should have thought of Sasuke instead of Naruto first. Of how Naruto at least had Jiraiya, but Sasuke had no one. When Ino did inquire (not pry or push, just inquire), Nao had said, Because of me, because of my words and my actions, I might have ensured Naruto-kun's safety from... from the men in black cloaks, but I sentenced Sasuke-kun to this instead. I think... I think...
Ino didn't know who the men in black cloaks were, but she could guess what had happened. And now, with Kakashi inquiring things, she had a very good guess at what had happened. Nao's intuitiveness took control of her. The men in black must have been pursuing Naruto and Nao knew about it before she should have been able to. It must have been something only Jiraiya and Kakashi knew about... but yet she found out... She must have allowed, either intentionally or not, Kakashi to know that she knew in the process of 'ensuring Naruto's safety'. And now... And now Kakashi was asking questions.
Ino did not want her sister's life to be a living hell.
Ino could not protect her sister in the normal sense.
However, she could at least protect her in this sense.
If Jiraiya knew about it... and Kakashi knew about it... more than likely it was Jiraiya who told Kakashi about it, and only Kakashi. Or at least, that's what Ino had to assume.
"You know, actually, I think I remember Nao saying she wanted to go ahead and meet up with Jiraiya-sama earlier today... or was it yesterday? I forget," Ino laughed. "Anyway, she said that she didn't get a chance because Jiraiya-sama was talking to you about something and she didn't want to interrupt. I'm sorry, I can't seem to really remember when."
"She overheard it, then?" Kakashi muttered, glancing away.
Ino tilted her head. "Overheard what?"
Kakashi's stance relaxed and he gave Ino his eye-smile. "Nothing. So what did you come here for?"
"To threaten you that if you allow my baby sister to be hurt every again, I swear I will end you," Ino chirped.
Kakashi laughed. "Maa, maa, don't worry. I won't let anyone hurt Nao-chan again."
"Good."
Ino turned on her heel, heading away, pleased with herself.
She couldn't protect her sister in every way possible.
But she could ensure that at the very least, her sister's ability would not be the undoing of her.
End Flashback
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"Sorry I'm late," Asuma said, grinning as he entered the room.
"Troublesome. I was hoping you actually wouldn't show up," Shikamaru grouched.
Ino glared at her teammate. "Oh, quit complaining."
. . .
. .
.
Itachi and I walked side by side outside. He had been allowed to leave the hospital for a couple hours of fresh air. It couldn't have been on a more beautiful day. The sun was bright and warm above us, and the sky was such a pretty vivid blue. He wore a simple black shirt with light grey pants and the standard shinobi shoes.
Itachi looked over at me when I spoke, "We should try to hit the tea shop soon. Trust me, you'll really like it there. Kakashi-sensei and I usually go there for breakfast after our visit at the Memorial Stone."
"Really?" Itachi inquired politely.
I smiled and nodded my head. "Yeah - we're regulars, I guess you could say. They have the best dangos ever."
"Then I suppose I will have to try some of these best dangos ever," Itachi said, amused by my enthusiasm. I beamed at him, unbothered by his quiet amusement. I knew he probably took my ravings to be childish, but I was already too pleased that he was able to leave the hospital today to be anything less than energetic.
We turned around another corner when the first explosion was heard.
Immediately, we both tensed and turned towards the direction. I could see many Jōnin rushing towards it, and I was about to suggest a course of action, when another explosion erupted - only from farther away.
"What the hell?" I asked, snapping my head around. My breath hitched when I saw a thick, spiraling plume of smoke up in the air. It was like someone had knocked the air out of me, seeing that. Every part of my senses screamed the wrongness of seeing that.
Itachi's frowned, his eyes narrowing. "The village is under attack."
"... The Akatsuki?"
"It has to be," Itachi said. "They must be looking for Yagura or Naruto."
I pursed my lips, unable to draw my eyes away from the smoke. When another explosion echoed near us, I grimaced and finally looked away. A sense of dread clawed and ravaged through the pit of my stomach, all throughout my body, leaving a cold feeling in its place. "... I need to get you back to the hospital with the other patients."
"I can fight," Itachi immediately disagreed.
"You can't use your chakra," I argued. "It'll magnify the damage exponentially!"
Itachi did not verbally respond, choosing instead to find the nearest Akatsuki member. Biting back a groan of annoyance, I followed after him. We leapt up on top of the closest roof, and Itachi immediately activated his Sharingan.
However, the second he activated it, he winced.
I gave him a sharp look. "Itachi! Deactivate your Sharingan before you seriously hurt yourself."
"I'm fine," Itachi said. "I know my body's limits."
I reached out a hand to grasp his arm, and Itachi gave me what had to be an annoyed look, because before I could even reach him, he dissolved away into a flock of crows.
He used his summons and a genjutsu! Damn it, Itachi!
Fuming, and more than a little worried, I willed myself to ignore the other explosions for the moment (it was painfully difficult - like ignoring the fact your own arm was being sawed off). I could see many Jōnin racing to them, and I trusted they could handle them. My biggest concern for the moment was the idiotic man who seemed ready to martyr himself at any moment. I concentrated on my own chakra, before I expanded my concentration to feel the other chakras near me.
Found you.
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"... Uchiha Itachi," the Akatsuki member said. I had to read their lips - and I could only barely do so from this distance. Itachi had appeared before an Akatsuki member with orange hair and odd eyes. It had to be Pein - or at least one of them.
"Pein," Itachi said - confirming my assumption - and shifted his posture. His Sharingan's tomoe whirled in his eyes.
Speeding up, I began to sprint as fast as I could across the rooftops.
Pein changed his own stance, squarely facing Itachi.
Itachi's eyes changed - no longer were they the same as Sasuke's, but instead a new shape came to life in them. I felt his chakra fluctuate and waver, and the second his eyes finished changing, he let out a grimace. His hand flew up to cup his left eye and he stumbled back.
My foot dug into the roof and I pushed an excessive amount of chakra to give me an extra boost, before I launched myself into the air above them.
Pein saw his moment to attack Itachi - he had not seen me, yet - and he lunged towards him.
My right hand flared to life with my Tōketsu-Raiton, hardening it into a katana.
"Stay away from him!"
My Tōketsu-Raiton slammed into the ground, just as the Pein leapt backwards. The ground where it hit fractured into a small crater, a thick layer of ice covering it. I straightened up, my single eye narrowed.
Pein stepped back, eyeing me apathetically.
I moved to Itachi's side, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Itachi, please. Let me take care of this."
Itachi shook his head, still clutching his head, but deactivated his Sharingan. "... I must insist that I help you. Pein is no ordinary person, Nao."
"Nao...?" Pein said, his eyes narrowing. "I see."
Itachi straightened his back. Seeing how I wouldn't be able to stop him from entering battle, I offered him a kunai from my pack. He took it with experienced hands and gripped it tightly.
Another explosion shook our world, and my heart skipped a beat. I tried my best to ignore the fires and screams that echoed around me. I knew that if I looked for too long, I would lose my composure and fall to prey emotions.
I had to remain calm in this situation. I had to.
I told myself that, over and over, like a mantra. I hoped that if I thought it often enough, it would stick; and as a result the horrible sense of dread and worry for my loved ones would be easier to ignore.
"Tell me where Uzumaki Naruto is."
"Over my dead body!" I snapped.
"I cannot tell you that," Itachi said calmly.
"Very well, then. I have no use for either of you," Pein said, darting forward. My Tōketsu-Raiton came to life in both of my hands, taking the form of sai and I leapt towards him. I swung my right sai horizontally to him, and he grasped it in his left hand.
Suppressing a gasp, I watched in morbid fascination as he sucked the jutsu dry and ended it.
Once my sai was gone, he grabbed hold of my hand. Itachi flickered towards us and swung his kunai with deadly percision at Pein. Pein was forced to leap back and I held my hand close to me.
Glancing at Itachi, I said, "He ended my attack."
Itachi's brow furrowed and he gave Pein a calculating look. Then his hands flew into seals and before I could stop him, he launched a Great Fireball at him. Pein merely raised his hands, and the fireball slammed into him. Within moments the fireball was completely gone - as if he had absorbed it.
Itachi frowned, and I gave him a worried look, noticing how sweat dotted his brow. "He can absorb ninjutsu."
"Then we'll have to take him with taijutsu," I said. "Stay back - "
"No, he'll obviously be well trained in taijutsu," Itachi disagreed. "You are no taijutsu master, and given my state, I am uncertain if I could take him. We have not worked together before, either, so our coordination in attacks would not be effecient enough to engage him in combat. I will cast a genjutsu and you will take him out."
"Itachi, no, let me - "
"I doubt your genjutsu is strong enough to hold him," Itachi said, and his eyes were no longer a pale obsidian. Instead, they gleamed red as his Sharingan came to life. "Tsukuyomi!"
"Don't be so reckless!"
The very same second that Itachi finished uttering his jutsu, he gasped and grabbed hold of his eyes with both hands. Pein stumbled back and biting my bottom lip hard, I darted towards Pein.
Pulling out two other kunai, I rammed each into his eyes, digging in as far as I could go until only the tips of the hilts showed.
Pein staggered back, blood oozing out of his eyes before he fell to his knees. Turning my back to him, I ran to Itachi. My hands grasped his shoulders, just as his knees gave out. I caught him and stumbled a couple steps. "Itachi?!"
"I... I am fine," Itachi managed, shaking minutely.
"You are not," I disagreed. "I need to get you to a medic... Come on..."
Itachi pulled away from me, staggering to straighten up. He pulled back his hands and I saw blood in them. Worry clawed at me, along with fear for my friend. I reached for him, uncertain of what I could do to help, but desperate to try.
Another explosion, not too far from us, stopped me, as I remembered that I didn't have the luxury to comfort him.
Unable to help myself, I glanced around at the destruction.
Goosebumps ran up and down my arms, and my stomach churned. It was sickening to see - to see my home so utterly destroyed. To hear the screams and smell the corpses and burning flesh - it was horrible. It was something that made up nightmares - especially knowing the fact that we might not win this.
I felt so small, there, standing over the orange-haired corpse that had so easily destroyed my home. That had had a hand in taking away Jiraiya-sama fro this world. I wondered if the others would okay. I prayed, to whoever would listen, that they were. I prayed that the sinking stone in my stomach was just my imagination and that it didn't mean anything else - it wasn't a premonition of their deaths.
Swallowing roughly, I turned around, preparing to leave, when suddenly I felt two very familiar eyes on me.
I froze.
"Hello there!"
My breath caught in my throat, and slowly, oh so slowly, I turned to face those eyes. Itachi tensed and immediately shoved me behind him.
I know those eyes. I know this gaze.
A tall man with spiky black hair and a swirly orange mask was waving at me. His cloak signified he was an Akatsuki member, but that reason alone was not why chills ran up and down my spine.
Those days that I sat at that stone, I always could have sworn I felt a gaze on me - that I wasn't alone. But, each time I dismissed it as my imagination - or just my mind playing tricks on me. That wouldn't be the first time, wouldn't I? I heard voices, for God's sake. I had no logical reason to think it was anything more than my imagination - it was preposterous!
But, the second I felt that gaze at a place where they should not be; and I saw for myself, the eyes that accompanied that gaze...
I knew.
I knew he had been watching me.
So he knew what I had been saying. He knew about the voices; about my ability; my secrets; my thoughts; he knew me.
I felt naked before him, and like a doe caught in the sudden light, I stood there: frozen.
"Nice to meet ya," he said cheerfully. "I'm Tobi!"
Itachi's eyes narrowed.
Fear and panic hit me hard so hard, I physically stumbled back. I was teetering on the edge - a feeling I remembered and knew well. Part of me was here, and part of me was not.
"I know you," I whispered.
Tobi (no, no, no, that wasn't his name) tilted his head and made a single step towards me. He bowed lowly. "And Tobi knows you!"
"What do you want from me?"
"Ahaha, Tobi wants little Nao-chan to come with him for a bit, okay? Tobi promises to be a good boy!"
"I don't think she's going anywhere with you," Itachi said calmly.
I knew him - I knew him, and this time... this time...
... I wanted to remember.
My home was destroyed - did I know it was coming? The foreboding feeling of remembrance was still strong, but at that moment, I would take any pain if it made my home safe again. If it meant Sasuke, Naruto and Yagura could return home to a sanctum. If it meant no more had to die anymore - I would take that burden on gladly.
If it meant his eyes wouldn't feel so dead and cold and sohorriblydark, I would happily burden myself with that knowledge. Because the person before me knew everything about me, but I knew nothing about him.
I know you're awake. I know you can understand me - please... please give me the memories.
"I..." I said slowly, stalling for time, and squirming under his gaze.
For a flash, I thought I was floating in blackness and she was standing in front of me, her brow furrowed and lips tugged down; but it was only for such a brief time, I couldn't be sure.
(I would if I could - but when you sealed it away... you sealed almost all of it away)
Then give me what I didn't seal away!
(You'll only forget, and it's about the war - )
War? What war?
( - and when you forget, that'll be it. You can only remember one more time)
But you know, don't you?
I took a step backwards, tugging Itachi along with me. "Why do you want me?"
He took another step towards me.
(The seal you made to seal it away will continue to seal away those it deems harmful. If I tell you, I will be deemed harmful and sealed away, and you will have no control when you will remember anymore)
I wanted to groan in frustration, but the situation at hand kept my tongue. I knew that the seal would keep away harmful personas, and if she told me something that was unpleasant, the seal would recognize her as a different persona and immediately lock her away. Even if she did not mean harm - it only saw her as a different form of my conscious.
"Tobi will happily explain why, if Nao-chan comes with him nicely," Tobi promised, extending a hand to her.
I have to run away - I need to get to the hospital -
(That won't work - those kinds of things won't work)
Why? What can I do?
(If I tell you something, you won't forget because it's not a memory, or rather, it's just a trigger. If I tell you this, it might be enough to force what you sealed away to come back to you in a more permanent manner)
What are you saying?
(The memories will come when you need them - they always has, haven't they? It always will. I'm not needed anymore)
I held my hands close to my chest, eyeing Tobi warily.
Are you really wanting to do this?
(I should have died a long time ago. This is your life - don't regret it, and don't regret mine. I am tired... and I am ready to be done with this)
I felt a pang in my chest. This is goodbye, isn't it?
(Yes)
I rocked to my heels, momentarily ignoring Tobi because she at least deserved a proper goodbye. Thank you for everything you have done.
(Be proud of your life... be proud... and run. Because if he catches you, that seal is worthless to his eyes)
Unconsciously, a black portal appeared behind me, and Tobi tensed. I could feel it - that coldness, that hell.
(He's a broken man who should have died, but the pain keeps him here - he lost his precious person; his reason to be happy. He's like a lost child now, stolen away by the twisted man, so treat him as such - )
There was a growing pain in my chest, because this story was becoming more and more familiar. This was a story I had cried over before. This person - this man-child - was carrying a burden he should not have to carry.
"I can't go with you," I whispered, "I'm sorry - "
( - but be careful of - )
" - Obito."
I fell back into the portal, pulling on Itachi to follow after me.
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Obito.
Obito.
The man I idolized - who I mourned for and care for. How many times hadn I stared at his name on the stone, or cleaned his grave? How often had I whispered secrets and shared stories with him? How often did I sit at his grave, regretting the fact he died - despite me not even knowing him? He died a hero - or so I had thought.
To find out he was alive... and to see how horribly twisted he had become... hurt me. It was painful because I knew he shouldn't be like this. I knew there was good in him, that he was still the same Obito that Kakashi spoke so fondly of. He shouldn't be this way, but life made him that way. I couldn't recall the exact events, but I still knew it shouldn't be like this.
He was supposed to be here, with us. With the ones that loved him.
I hugged myself tightly in the hellish place, continuing to walk forward.
What did I do with this information, anyway? I would have to tell the others, but I wasn't sure what good it would do. But, it was information to the Akatsuki and it gave us the identity of Tobi.
It's going to kill Kakashi.
I closed my eyes, letting out a slow breath. Maybe I can just tell Yagura and Tsunade. Maybe... no... Kakashi needs to know, doesn't he? Obito will have to be dealt with one way or another. It would hurt Kakashi more if he found out when we unmasked his corpse.
Opening my eyes, I gave a tired sigh. Suddenly, I felt much older and much more tired than when I first woke up today. My shoulders sagged and I trudged on through the thick blackness, doing my best to ignore the coldness and the sounds of crying.
It feels, somehow, lonelier now.
But that's just because for the first time, the only voice inside my head is my own.
What an odd feeling that was. All my life, I felt her in the back of my head. Perhaps I had not known, all the time, who or what she was, but I never felt afraid of her. I never felt worried. If anything, she was a comforting reminder; she was a consistency in my erratic life.
It felt... so... different... to no longer feel her presence.
It felt like I had lost a friend, almost.
Maybe we weren't particuarly close, like Ino and I, but... but she was... a part of me. I felt like I had lost that part of me - that I was missing a piece of myself. A piece I could never get back, but at the same time... a piece I didn't want back.
Like a skin that I had shed. She was an old comfort, but it was time to move on. It was time for her to rest.
It was a conflicting feeling. Did I mourn her, or was I, perhaps, content she was gone?
It's hard enough having to deal with the betrayal I feel for Obito, and the worry and grief I felt for the village. I'm already emotionally spent.
I snuck a peek over at Itachi.
He seemed... grief-stricken. He probably knew Obito, too. It didn't help he was probably exhausted and just watched his home get partially destroyed.
"Are you okay?" I found myself asking.
Itachi's eyes flickered towards mine, and I felt as if it mirrored my own - our pain was sincere. Neither of us wanted Tobi to be Obito,.
"Are you sure... are you sure it's him?" Itachi asked quietly.
"Yes," I answered, my voice equally quiet and small.
Itachi gave a slow nod, reluctantly accepting this. "... Where are you taking us?"
"I don't know. I just... I just know we can't go back there."
"You definitely can't," Itachi agreed.
"Neither can you," I retorted, disliking the situation. "You're far too sick - if you go back there, you will overexert yourself and die. I can't let you do that."
Itachi's eyes flashed stubbornly. "And you can stop me?"
I squared my shoulders. "I will. We... we cannot go back there now. We have to... we have to have faith in our fellow shinobi and kunoichi that they can do this without us."
Itachi gave me a disgruntled look, but he did not voice his disagreement. "So we just wait here, then?"
Self-loathing crossed my features and I avertd his gaze. "We have to, don't we? I... I have to, at least. If Tobi found me... if he got me... with his eyes..."
Itachi's eyes did not leave my form. "He knows you can teleport - he probably believes we have gone far away. He might not think to look for us in the village, Nao."
"And if he does?"
"We can distract him long enough to escape again," Itachi said quietly, confidently. "We can't just sit around and hope for the best. We need to help our village."
I nodded my head, smiling with relief. "You're right. I'm taking us to the academy - we need to make sure all the children have been evacuated... just... please... don't use your chakra anymore than you have to, Itachi."
Itachi did not respond.
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Will this end? At this rate... We need Naruto and Yagura to come back, but at the same time... I don't want them anywhere near the Akatsuki leader. My brow furrowed. I bit my index finger and performed quick summoning.
In a puff of white smoke, Shiori fluttered in front of me. Itachi frowned at that and I created a small black hole between my hands. I held the hole up for Shiori to use. "Shiori, because you are my summon and are bound to me, you can traverse through my portals without me. Take this portal and go to Naruto and Yagura - tell them the village is under attack by the Akatsuki."
~Will you be alright here, Nao-sama?~ Shiori asked, slowly beginning to gracefully descend into the black hole.
"I won't let anything happen to her," Itachi promised. I glanced over my shoulder at him, before offering Shiori a reassuring smile.
"It's fine," I insisted. "Please hurry."
Shiori did not reply, instead she dove into the black hole. It disappeared without a sound, and then I felt Itachi place his left hand on my shoulder. Surprised, I looked up at him, but instead found his Sharingan activated and his eyes narrowed. He was looking at a black dot in the sky.
"Itachi, please deactivate your Sharingan," I whispered, "you know..."
Itachi's eyes narrowed even further before they widened. Without warning, he pulled me tight against him, his arms wrapped around me, squeezing me. I barely suppressed my squeal, just managing to keep my cheeks from flaming too hot.
"Don't move," Itachi whispered, bowing his head. "Put your goggles on and close your eyes, Nao."
Shakily, I pulled my goggles over my eyes, just in time to see the black dot stop moving. Red erupted my vision as raw chakra flowed out of Itachi. My heart stilled, as fear and dread began to knot its way into my stomach. Itachi began to shake silently, trembling from exertion, and I wanted to scold him from using his chakra, but fear held my tongue.
I did not know what was going to happen next.
But I knew it terrified me.
And then all at once, there was a wave of pressure and rubble and rock and corpses were sent flying in a tidal wave against us. The skeleton shook under its weight and the sky was engulfed from our vision by the earth. Everything shuddered and convulsed, but the red skeleton remained unfazed.
Then the shaking stopped and with a pained cry, the skeleton threw back its arms, freeing us from the debris.
Itachi panted and seemed to have lost his footing, because he fell on me. I was able to hold him up, my arms wrapping around him as I gently lowered him to the ground. He was coughing up pools of blood, and his eyes were bleeding.
I ripped off my goggles, throwing them away.
"Itachi?!" I demanded, my eyes widening and my breath hitching. Whatever that move was - whatever that thing was - had severely strained him. He was gasping and choking on his own blood, and I was helpless to do anything.
I didn't know any medical skills to stop his body from breaking down like this.
My eyes stung and my chest tightened. "Itachi, Itachi, please... please no... don't... don't..."
My hands flew to his chest when his eyes flickered closed and his coughing stopped.
I couldn't feel a heartbeat.
"No," I whispered, shaking my head. "No, no..."
No.
No.
No.
Electricity flared to my hands and I slammed them against his chest. "Beat, Goddamnit! Don't you dare - don't you dare martyr yourself!"
Nonononono...
His body jerked and I withdrew the lightning chakra, instead placing my hands in the center of his chest. I began to quickly press down and release thirty times before I plugged his nose and breathed air into him. "Stay with me... don't die... don't you fucking die!"
My vision was blurring and I was trembling. My own breaths were coming into short gasps, because if Itachi could die, then what about Ino? What about Papa? What about Momma? Kalashi?! Did I lose it all? Did I lose everyone I had loved to the Akatsuki?
Oh, God....
Panic was starting to settle in when Itachi still wasn't breathing.
HEdidn'tdesservethishedidn'tdeservetojust -
It wasn'tfairitwasn't right, hecan'tjust -
Ijustfoundhimandhejustfoundhiswaybackhome!
Why
Wasn't
He
Breathing?!
My hands flared with light as electricity sparked around them and I slammed them over his heart again. "Please, Itachi!"
Pleasepleasepleaseplease.
His body convulsed and he gasped.
I gave a strangled sob, biting hard on my bottom lip as I felt his heartbeat.
Ba-dump... ba-dump... ba-dump...
"Oh, thank you... oh, thank you...." I whispered, wiping away furiously at my eyes. I wiped away the tears that had fallen down to his cheek, apologizing quietly for getting him wet.
Shakily, my hands moved to cup his head and I pulled it close to me, setting it in my lap. Silent sobs caught me as I looked around and examined what was left of my home.
It was a desolate wasteland. Where there was life and joy, there was only rubble and dust and corpses. My left hand rested on Itachi's forehead to feel his warmth - Oh, God, please don't ever let it get cold - while my right hand remained over my mouth to quiet my cries.
Ino... Papa... Momma...
They didn't have Itachi... what if they...? What if...?
The pain was nearly unbearable. It pressed down on me, forcing my shoulders to fall down and for me to yield to its weight. My forehead rested against Itachi's, and I hugged myself tightly, crying.
Thank God... oh, thank God Yagura wasn't here... that he was with Naruto, and that Sasuke is out on a mission... oh... thank... thank God...
Stop... stop crying... have to stop... the Akatsuki is still there. Survivors... you need... you need to find survivors, so stop... stop crying, you damn little girl!
I snapped my back straight, barely managing to stop the tears. It still hurt - the pain was still fiercely cutting through me, but I had to stop. I had to. I wiped at my eyes a final time.
I'll have to make a clone to look for survivors. I can't leave Itachi like this - he's defenseless. I have limited chakra left, considering I may have to fight off the Akatsuki. If I make a portal, I don't think I'd have enough to come back and fight off the Akatsuki member. Considering the damage he has done, I'm not even certain I could fight him off. Maybe the best approach is to find survivors and regroup...?
With some form of plan in mind, I began to raise my hands to form a clone, when something caught my attention.
There was a giant puff of white smoke in the center of the village - inside the crater.
My eye widened as I recognized the chakra.
"Yagura?" I whispered, uncertain if my tone was hopeful or fearful. I didn't want Yagura anywhere near the Akatsuki now. I wanted him hidden away to the farthest corners of the world with Naruto.
"Hmph. So you both did come back to the village."
Chills ran up my spine.
I turned my head around to find Tobi - Obito - standing behind us. At his feet were his cracked goggles. A shudder ran inside of me, clawing its way out, slowly, mercilessly. Adrenaline burned in every part of me, spurring on the growing panic.
"I'm going to ask you again, nicely," Obito said quietly, "to please come with me."
Hiseyeshiseyeshiseyes.
Why
Was
He
Looking
At
Me
Like
That?
"I can't," I said. "You can't... you can't know the future, Obito."
"I don't care about that," Obito dismissed. "I know the future already, Nao. The future ends inside the genjutsu. What I care about, for the moment, is people finding out my identity. I can't have people know I'm not Madara yet. And seeing how you know that..."
Obito gave a lazy shrug, taking a step forward. His foot kicked the goggles, and his attention fell down to them.
He stared at them for a couple of heartbeats before he looked back up at me, his Sharingan flaring to life in his only visible eye. "Do you really think you can make a portal faster than I can move this time? Itachi isn't conscious to slow me down now."
My hands curled into fists, but I did not verbally respond. My tongue felt thick and heavy.
"Don't... count me out... yet..." Itachi rasped, his voice strained. My only eye widened and I looked down to find Itachi glaring at Obito with one eye closed. The other eye was opened and his Mangekyō Sharingan was whirling to life. "Who... is faster... my... genjutsu... or your... physical speed?"
"Itachi, no," I said. "If you use that... you'll die."
"So... be it."
"No," I snapped, my eyes starting to sting again. "I refuse... I refuse to let you die for me like this. You can't... you're not allowed to...."
"So it's okay... for you to sacrifice yourself... for your friends... but others cannot sacrifice for you...? Hypocrite..."
"Hn."
I looked back over at Obito, anxiety churning inside of me. Obito was watching the two of us before he snorted again. "You won't always be there, Itachi."
"We'll... see... about that..."
Obito shook his head and turned his back to us before he disappeared.
With a shuddering sigh, Itachi closed his other eye. I wiped away the blood that had gathered on his face with gentle fingers. "Itachi, please rest... you can't take any more."
Itachi replied quietly, "Perhaps... but... not yet..."
"Don't be stupid over this... I'll knock you out if I have to," I threatened weakly.
"You're going... to have to..."
I hesitated. I wasn't certain if knocking him out would be healthier for him at this point. His body was already so taxed - I was afraid if I forced unconsciousness on him, something would break. Itachi seemed to realize this, because his lips twitched into a smirk.
I cupped his cheek, another shudder running through me. This time, it was from the adrenaline that had pounded inside me so roughly previously subsiding. I sniffled and when the first drop landed on his cheek, I immediately wiped it away.
"Don't... cry..." Itachi said weakly.
"Can't help it," I whispered. "Our home... Itachi, our home... I don't even know if... if anyone else survived."
"Don't lose... hope, yet..."
Shaking my head, I used my other hand to wipe at my eyes.
"Nao?"
My head whipped around, my eye widening as Yagura landed right behind me. I reached for him in the same instant he reached for me. I grasped his hand and squeezed it, while he looked at me with calculating eyes.
"Are you alright?" Yagura demanded.
Dismissing his concern, I turned back to Itachi. "Itachi needs immediate medical help. He - "
"Alright, I'll have my clone send Sakura over," Yagura said abruptly. "Are you okay?"
"I don't know," I answered honestly, another tremble crawling its way across me. "I mean... I mean... physically, yeah, I'm okay."
Yagura's brow furrowed and he gave me a pained expression. "... Sakura will be here soon. What happened?"
"Pein," I said quietly, and taking a deep breath, I began to explain what had happened. Itachi closed his eyes while I did so, silently listening. Yagura wore a blank expression during the entire recount, but he kept squeezing my hand tighter and tighter as the story progressed.
I did not mention Obito.
By the time I finished, Sakura had landed beside us, her hands glowing green. I looked over at her, relieved that at least someone I knew had survived the attack. Sakura placed her hand on Itachi's chest, and Yagura moved to sit beside us.
From Sakura's eyes, I could see she had been crying, too. Not that I blamed her.
"... You don't need to worry anymore," Yagura said quietly, firmly. "The real me and Naruto will take care of Pein... Your sister is fine, by the way. She's with Inoichi."
I choked back a relieved sob and bit hard on my lip to restrain myself from actually crying anymore.
Feeling horrendously exhausted, and far older than I actually was, I leaned on Yagura. I did not speak, but merely watched as Sakura healed my friend. Feeling Yagura beside me - even if he was only a clone - was a surprising comfort. His back was straight and his eyes hard, but he was confident and calm. In this hellish, desolate place, he was a familiar and comforting face.
I wasn't entirely sure what I would have done if he had been here and if Pein had taken him away.
Please...
... don't let me lose him.
.
. .
. . .
Interlude - Nao's POV - 16
I rubbed my eyes tiredly, flipping through the photo album. I had awoken in the middle of the night, caught by a sudden nostalgia and in my fit, I had taken to looking through Ino's old photo albums. It was entertaining to see so many of the memories taken down to print.
I stopped in my flippings, my eyes lingering on one particular picture. It was Itachi and myself. He was smiling politely, induling in the picture, while I was blushing furiously. He had come over to pick up Sasuke, that night. Seeing that picture reminded me of my very first meeting of Itachi.
My very first meeting with Itachi was probably the strangest meeting I had ever had. It was one meeting that quickly became a secret between the two of us. When Sasuke 'introduced' us for the 'first time', it was in actuality, the second time and neither of us bothered to explain that to him.
Why?
Because I had broken down.
I knew my memories were tampered with, by my own hand even. And I always felt a sort of foreboding sense whenever I thought about them. I knew they would only bring me pain if I dared to remember them, so I did my best to ignore them and live out my life. When I had met Itachi, my mind was nearly ripped out of me. It was like... It was like I was standing on a tight rope, just waiting to fall off.
It was shortly after I had befriended Sasuke. He was sick one day and the sensei had chosen me to give him his homework. Sister was sick as well, or else she would have gone with me. But luckily, she hadn't. I was on my way to the compound, taking a more scenic route when I encountered him. My body was frozen stiff the moment I first laid eyes upon him. He paused in his walking as well, noticing my odd behavior.
And I could feel tears welling up in my eyes and I felt such pain and loneliness and guilt and ohGodIwantedtodiebecauseithurtsomuch.
My body was shaking and suddenly, I dropped my papers. Itachi wasn't alone that time, his friend (Shisui) was there with him and stared at me in such surprise. I ran towards Itachi and threw myself at him, sobbing.
Itachi was so surprised he didn't react for a long time.
When he did, he finally asked, "Why are you crying?"
It took me a while to answer, because my hiccups and snivels would have made it hard to understand me and I decided to wait 'til I calmed down a bit more. "B-Because you can't."
That was my first meeting with Itachi. It was a meeting I would feel horrible about, overcome by embarrassment at my very blunt and rash behavior. But Itachi and Shisui were gentlemen about it and never brought it up again, so the whole incident could safely be forgotten and ignored.
It was a very strange meeting indeed.
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