I blinked once, then scanned my surroundings. Kakashi was kneeling on the ground, about ten yards in front of me. The old woman had placed her hand on my shoulder—I forced myself not to flinch away—and Sakura stood next to a wide-eyed Naruto.
Naruto and I had been trapped in a genjutsu. Chiyo had forced me out of the genjutsu while Sakura had helped Naruto. Kakashi had attacked to provide a distraction.
And Itachi Uchiha stood in front of us.
Broken.
Although I was the only one who knew that part.
"What about the shadow clones?" Naruto asked stupidly. I ignored him, studying Itachi as well as I could without looking him in the eye. Something wasn't right. I didn't understand Itachi Uchiha or the stories behind him. And I hated not knowing. Knowledge was power. And Itachi Uchiha was an enigma.
"Alright. It's time to get serious," Kakashi announced. "Naruto. Follow my lead."
I raised my eyebrow, slightly stunned. He hadn't included me. Was it because I was so spectacularly useless against genjutsu? Most likely.
Against Itachi, though, it didn't matter if you were good or not: he was better. Naruto was still staring ahead, eyes wide and shocked. I wondered vaguely what he saw that caused him to look like that. Then I wonder if I looked the same.
I felt shocked and confused enough that I might.
Sakura slapped Naruto lightly. "Snap out of it, Naruto," she ordered, then turned to me, prepared to do the same.
"You lay a hand on me and I will break your wrist," I warned emotionlessly. After that genjutsu, I just might, too. My hand twitched once, and I realized just how much I felt like a Claw, and how little. Claws weren't meant to have emotions, and right now I was on edge. Claws weren't meant to show mercy, and right now I wouldn't, couldn't; I was feral, brutal. I could kill someone and not even blink. I was a Claw, yet I wasn't.
Maybe that's why Kakashi hadn't included me.
Kakashi sprinted forward, immediately dodging a barrage of fireballs from Itachi. We were forced to dodge as he sent another large one towards us. I watched Kakashi as he got in position, and Naruto as he prepared a rasengan. A good plan, but I instinctively knew that it wouldn't work: Itachi was too good. I could never hope to beat him in a one on one battle. I'm not even sure I could beat him even if we were restricted to taijutsu only.
Though I do know I could put up a hell of a fight where taijutsu was concerned.
I had to bite down an ironic laugh as I realized what I was once below average in—taijutsu—was now one of my best areas. And I knew that it made me a terrifying opponent. My taijutsu skills were impressive, but not so strong that I would be impossible to defeat. It was when you added my ability to read people and predict their next move that I became a truly fearsome enemy.
Kakashi attacked with a chidorii, while Naruto appeared above Itachi with his rasengan at the ready. Sakura, Chiyo, and I were forced to take shelter behind the trees as debris flew everywhere. "Did they get him?" Chiyo asked breathlessly.
Sakura peeked out from behind a tree. "Naruto!" She shouted.
I winced and immediately moved to new cover; Sakura had given away our position with her cry. With a quick glance around the tree I sprinted to a different clump of trees and clambered my way to the top quickly, then fell completely still, clamping down on my chakra. I had the perfect vantage point from my position, and could see that Naruto had hidden behind some trees as well while Itachi had managed to dodge the attacks.
I narrowed my eyes but otherwise remained still so as not to give away my positioning. As the Claw I would sometimes need to remain perfectly still for hours on end in wait for my prey. This was nothing. I scanned the grounds again. This wasn't going to work. Naruto and Kakashi couldn't defeat Itachi with their attacks alone.
A mist began to move in and I tensed before sensing Kakashi's chakra and realizing that it was his technique. A few moments later, I heard Chiyo reassure Sakura of the same thing. I don't move even though I wanted to shake my head in disbelief; first Sakura, then Chiyo! Even Naruto was doing a better job at keeping his position hidden than those two!
I tracked Itachi carefully. Kakashi was preparing something; what, exactly, I wasn't sure. But I had to be ready to react and attack in an instant. I also knew that this technique would barely hinder Itachi's eyes at all. My mind raced, trying to find some sort of tactic that could beat Itachi.
I was coming up depressingly short.
"Can we stop this game of hide and seek, Kakashi?" Itachi called out. In an instant I realized that Itachi knew exactly where all of us were. I still didn't move, for two reasons: just in case it was a bluff and he didn't know where I was, and because this spot was still the most advantageous area for me to start the fight.
Kakashi stepped out slowly. I remained crouched on the tree branch, watching closely as the fight began again. Itachi attacked with a fireball, but I know Kakashi would dodge it. When underground, I'm certain he'll make a shadow clone.
Kakashi did exactly as I predicted, and Itachi doesn't seem to notice. I furrowed my eyebrows. That...wasn't right. Itachi attempted to trap Kakashi in a genjutsu, not recognizing that it was a shadow clone. The clone grabbed Itachi's arm to prevent him from moving. This was Naruto's chance to attack and it was all wrong and all too easy. Naruto sprinted towards Itachi and the clone, wielding a giant rasengan and I still can't believe that this was the Itachi Uchiha standing down there who had been fooled by such a simple, if well pulled off, deception.
Then the rasengan connected, Itachi smiled, and I realized.
That wasn't Itachi Uchiha.
Chiyo and Sakura cautiously stepped out from behind their cover, walking forward to view the body with Kakashi and Naruto. I couldn't force myself from the tree until I knew that the danger had passed.
"W-what?" Sakura whispered.
"What is this?" Naruto asked, shocked.
"It must be one of their techniques," Sakura snarled, disgusted. I wondered briefly what she would think of me if she knew all that I had done. But I didn't have to wonder; I could predict. I knew what she would think.
Traitorous bitch. Assassin. Monster.
And on many levels she would be correct. Technically, if unwillingly, I was a traitor. There was no denying that I was a heartless assassin. Many would have called me a monster.
Many did.
But I liked to think of myself as a survivor.
"Do you recognize him?" Kakashi questioned Chiyo, staring at the body.
"Yes," Chiyo admitted. "He was a jonin of the sand village. He went missing right before Gaara was kidnapped."
Akatsuki spy? I wondered, hearing Sakura echo my thoughts out loud. It was entirely possible, but it didn't answer how he became Itachi Uchiha: the man we fought against wasn't the man who was lying dead on the ground, and those attacks were definitely Uchiha attacks. That was Itachi Uchiha fighting, until the end.
He had stronger techniques up his sleeve, though; techniques that could have ended us in a heartbeat. Why had we won? And why wasn't that Itachi's body on the floor?
His goal wasn't to win, I realized, but to delay. And he had been succesful. Perhaps what we were fighting was an advanced sort of clone that didn't disappear on the first hit. The durability might have been ramped up by using a dead body as part of the jutsu. I couldn't figure out how they did it, but the theory made sense.
Chiyo pulled out ink and a brush, and began making notes. Kakashi glanced around, realized I wasn't there, and opened his mouth. "Cashile?" he called out. A smirk came to my mouth as Sakura and Naruto glanced around worriedly, unable to spot me.
I dropped drown silently from the tree I was in. It took everyone a moment to spot me. Chiyo studied me from the corner of her eye, and I can practically see the interest spark. Kakashi turned fully toward me. "What's your take on this, Cashile?" he asked.
I remained silent for a long moment, scanning the body of the man as I drew closer. "It's some sort of clone technique. The durability was enhanced by the human body it was based off of. Itachi's—I do believe that that was at least a part of Itachi fighting us—goal was to delay us," I replied quietly. "And he succeeded."
"If they used this powerful of a technique just to delay us, there's no doubt," Chiyo murmured. "They've already begun to extract the bijuu."
Kakashi glanced at me with raised eyebrows. I nodded my agreement. Kakashi nodded back while Naruto and Sakura made shocked noises. "But, you said earlier that it wasn't possible to control the tailed beasts," Sakura protested.
"Do you really think that would have stopped Nations from trying to obtain them?" I asked, tilting my head slightly. "All that power... think of what a nation could do with it. And if one nation obtains a tailed beast then the others have to as well, or risk being at the other nations' mercy."
"Exactly," Chiyo whispered. She finished writing on her scroll and brought out a yellow mechanical bird, twisting it to life. "You know what to do," she said, placing the scroll into the birds beak. It flied off, and we all watched it go. "Jinchuuriki gain unimaginable power when they merge with the tailed beast," Chiyo sighed.
Sakura looked back and forth between Chiyo and me, a frown pulling at the corners of her mouth, then finally asked, "Countless wars have been started by using jinchuuriki, haven't they?"
"Of course," I replied. "It is only logical."
"Indeed," Chiyo agreed.
"But then—!" Sakura cut herself off, turning to Naruto. Her gaze grows worried, not only for Gaara but for Naruto as well. "How do you extract a bijuu?"
I glanced at Chiyo, curious as well. She explains slowly, and we're all hit with the sudden realization that if we didn't save him, Gaara would die.
Something like a rock settled deep into my stomach. I don't understand it, and wonder what the feeling was. Naruto and Sakura looked shocked, horrified, terrified, even. Chiyo exhibited nothing but regret. Kakashi simply looked depressed by the reality of this world. I knew that my own face was emotionless. Tears filled Sakura's eyes, and I tilt my head once more; why did she cry so readily for people she barely even knew? How could she cry so readily for people she barely knew?
"You always cry so easily, Sakura," Naruto declared. "No need. I'm going to save Gaara."
I looked towards Kakashi and he met my gaze readily. I tilted my head, blinked, and his eyes seemed to grow more depressed as he realized that I didn't understand why Sakura felt that way, why Naruto was so determined. He lowered his gaze to the ground, seemingly unable to hold mine any longer as his shoulders slumped.
I wondered at the rock in my stomach for a long moment, then opened my mouth to speak. "I don't want Gaara to die," I said to him quietly, slowly. The rock lightens. Kakashi gaze shot back up from the ground, wide eyes meeting mine. His breath froze in his throat and he couldn't seem to believe what he had heard. I tried the words again. "I don't want Gaara to die."
It made sense. It made sense that I didn't want Gaara to die. He had shown me kindness. He was a good leader. He was in a position of power and I knew him well enough that I could manipulate him, if the situation called for it. It made sense that I wouldn't want to lose that advantage in his death.
Kakashi eyes are wide and shocked and hopeful and he gave me a small, hesitant smile. I don't smile back; simply cock my head and wait for him to respond. "We won't let him die," he declared. "We'll save Gaara."
I watched him closely before nodding shortly. Empty words, I knew. But all the same I took off into the trees after him and Naruto, ready, at the very least, to try.
Because I didn't want him to die.
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Hey guys! There's a fast update for all of your and your inspiring comments!!
Well, I'll let J cover most of the AN I'm headed to my graduation!!
Peace \-/
-S
I know what you guys are thinking.
Holy shit that was such a quick update!
Yeah. We're awesome like that. Writing instead of studying for exams and stuff.
That being said, don't expect another super quick update: it's exam week this week! So maybe next week.
Also MY TEAM WON DISTRICTS WE ARE MOVING ON TO REGIONALS WE PLAY TOMORROW WISH US LUCK PRAY FOR US!!!
Also go read ArieShadowfall 's Songbird's cage! On the first chapter comment "Russian music is the best music! #Vitas".
Okay hope y'all enjoyed! Comment long and beautiful and inspirational comments!
gaara119
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Ja ne!
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