Shades of Grey

Chapter 67

"I want to stop in a village tomorrow." Sakura spoke up surprising her two companions.

"What do you need kid?" Kisame asked. He almost hoped that she would drag him along for some clothes shopping or something. Not that he enjoyed shopping with females, they tended to take it way too far, but at least it would be a sign that the kid they loved was still in there somewhere.

"A katana." Sakura replied instantly dashing his hopes.

"What happened to Mother's?" Itachi asked. Things had been so hectic that he just now noticed it was gone. If Deidara had taken it from her it was yet another transgression to add to the list, he would soon be dying for.

"I returned it to Sasuke." She replied.

"I see." Itachi looked into her eyes. "Did he demand its return?"

"No." She returned his gaze. "I willingly returned it to him; it was a gift that I never should have accepted."

With that the three laid down to get what little sleep they could. First thing in the morning they would locate a village to restock their supplies. Today had been a victory for them. Itachi understood Pein relied heavily upon Zetsu for recognizance. Tomorrow they would go after Akatsuki's main source of income crippling the organization one leg at a time.

However, sleep was slow to claim the Uchiha. Never had he been in the midst of a mission and been so distracted, especially not one of this magnitude. However, he could not stop his mind from spinning. Sakura had given back the katana.

Dawn broke as the trio walked leisurely into a fairly large village. It would serve their purposes nicely, and Itachi had begun to formulate a plan. Logically he knew that they should remain on the trail of their targets, but he had managed to get extraordinarily little rest last night. He was a shinobi and knew that each day could possibly be his last, but he was also a man who did not want that to be. He looked down at the powerful little kunoichi who walked at his side. She deserved more out of life than this. She should not be a hunted creature. She should not be forced to sully her miracle working hands with blood. He cherished her more than he did his own existence and he resolved to take a few stolen moments to show her that fact.

They found a café to order themselves a halfway decent breakfast before searching the town for the things they would need. The three took a seat at the back of the place offering them a clear look at the door before ordering their meal. Their server seemed nervous; even a civilian could sense the danger radiating off the partners.

"Your friends were here a few days ago." He told them trying to relieve his stress and perhaps cut some of the tension that was heavy in the air.

"Explain." The pink haired woman turned and focused all her attention on him. It was shame, she would be a beautiful woman if she did not appear so hardened.

"Well, uh they had the same cloaks as you do so I just figured you must all be friends." The nervous young man sputtered.

"Description." She prompted.

"Well one of them wore a mask and had strange green eyes." He hoped that he had not offended them by saying that about their friend.

"Kakuzu." Itachi supplied.

"The other." Sakura waited on the young man to continue.

"He had silver hair and cursed a lot." He told her.

"Hidan." Itachi confirmed.

"That will be all." Sakura dismissed the nervous young mand who was more than happy to leave them.

"We have got to take you out more." Kisame smirked at her. "Your people skills are getting as bad as Itachi's."

"So, they were here a few days ago." Sakura ignored the large blue man. "Do you think that they would still be in the area after this long?"

"Not in this village itself, but yes." Itachi nodded. "Most of the hidden villages offer outlandish rewards for former test subjects of Orochimaru in hopes of learning some of his secrets. Kakuzu and Hidan spend most of their time collecting those bounties to ensure that Akatsuki never runs low on funds."

"So, they are Akatsuki's pocketbooks and Zetsu was recognizance." She took a sip of the tea she had ordered.

"Very observant kid." Kisame smiled.

"His skills were perfect for spying." Sakura shrugged. "Unfortunately for him his strength left much to be desired."

"Indeed." Itachi agreed as they all finished their meal and stood to leave.

"So, food first?" Kisame asked he knew their supply had dwindled greatly with the loss of Sakura's pack.

"Sakura and I will handle the food; you go find us an Inn." Itachi replied.

"But we just got here." Sakura argued.

"They will not leave the area and a whole night's sleep will be advantageous." Itachi told her.

It looked to Kisame like the girl might argue, but he sure as hell would not. A day of relaxation would do them all some good. After a moment she seemed to sigh and resign herself to the idea, but by the time she turned back around the Uchiha was gone. No matter she thought as she and Kisame parted ways for their own tasks. Itachi could take care of himself and she was sure that he would rejoin her soon.