Your Lies | Itachi Uchiha x Reader

Chapter 16

POV – Narrator:

Ten days had passed, and Itachi and Kisame still hadn't located the Six-Tails jinchūriki. Though they'd narrowed down the location, they hadn't found him—and they both knew Pain would be furious.

"We're sorry, Pain," Kisame muttered.

They weren't speaking to him via thought transmission this time. Pain had traveled personally to the unclaimed territory, bringing all Six Paths of Pain with him.

It was the first time Kisame had ever seen them together.

"What the hell...?" he blinked, staring. "Why are there six of you?"

Itachi narrowed his eyes, observing quietly. He stepped closer, tilting his head slightly and placing his thumb under his chin. "These aren't living bodies, are they?"

Deva Path nodded, impressed by Itachi's deduction. "That's correct. I control them all."

Kisame still looked confused.

Itachi asked, "Why did you come before the ten days were up?"

"I doubted you'd find him," Deva Path replied bluntly. "So I came to capture him myself."

Kisame threw his hands in the air and took a few steps away, clearly annoyed. "Then what was the point of sending us here in the first place?!"

"To reduce the search area," Deva Path said flatly. "Now, your job is to support me."

He pointed toward the trees. "On my way here, I intercepted a group of Hidden Mist shinobi. There's a brigade heading in this direction."

"What? Why—"

"Must you always be so dense?" Deva Path snapped. "They know what we're after. They're sending backup to protect the jinchūriki."

Itachi processed the information quickly. "So 'support' means we deal with the shinobi while you go after the Six-Tails."

"Exactly," Deva Path said. Despite the lack of expression, there was a faint sense of approval in his tone.

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POV – Y/n:

"Guess who's back to bother you~" I sang, throwing open my sister's office door.

But she wasn't there.

Huh? That's weird. Even when she worked late, she was usually still here around this time. She wasn't at home either...

I walked over to her desk. It was messier than usual—papers scattered, some even on the floor.

"How untidy," I muttered, bending down to pick them up. As I stacked the documents, something caught my eye—a scroll, tied with a blue ribbon. The title made my blood run cold.

SIX-TAILS MISSION: MESSAGE

I opened it, my heart pounding.

Each line I read tightened something inside me. My hands trembled. My breath grew shallow. My skin turned cold and pale.

It wasn't just bad—it was devastating.

LADY MIZUKAGE,

TEAM A HAS BEEN KILLED BY THE AKATSUKI. THIS IS A DISTRESS CALL. HALF OF TEAM C HAS ALSO BEEN KILLED AND MY TEAM IS IN DANGER. A CONFRONTATION BETWEEN US AND THE AKATSUKI IS IMMINENT. SIX MEMBERS HAVE BEEN SPOTTED IN THE UNCLAIMED TERRITORY NEAR THE LAND OF FIRE. WE NEED BACKUP IMMEDIATELY.

– TSURUGI

It was everything I feared. Han's team had already taken losses—and there was a very real chance he could be dead.

No. No. He can't be. I tried to ground myself in that belief. But the truth was, I had no way of knowing.

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I was done waiting.

I wasn't going to sit around while Han risked his life. I didn't want the next message to be a death notice.

Without thinking, I ran to the village bridge. Unlike last time, there was a guard posted. I hadn't ever truly tried to leave before—I respected Mei's wishes. But today? None of that mattered.

I didn't care what the village thought. Or what my sister would say. Or whether I'd be captured the moment I stepped out of bounds.

Bounty my ass.

"Wait! I need to verify your identity—are you Lady Y—" the guard began.

But I didn't let him finish.

Ice erupted from my palms. Ice Prison.

He froze mid-sentence—literally.

For the first time, I felt it.

Not just power. Mastery.

I looked at my hands, feeling a new current of chakra surging through me. Ice Release wasn't just a technique anymore. It was a part of me—an extension of my will. I wasn't a student anymore.

The guard stared at me from inside the ice, struggling.

"You'll be fine," I mouthed to him softly.

I turned, taking one last look at Kirigakure.

This would change everything—my relationship with my sister, the village, and maybe even who I was. I didn't know if this counted as defection... but I was done being obedient. I was done waiting.

I imagined the life I'd leave behind. A girl trapped in routine. Smiling on the outside, stagnant on the inside. Her world was small. Safe. Lifeless.

That wasn't going to be me.

"I'm not coming back," I told the guard. "Tell my sister that."

This wasn't just about Han anymore. Deep down, I'd always known this moment was inevitable.

I drew my kunai and slashed through my forehead protector.

"Lady Y/n, no! Don't do this!" the guard cried, his prison beginning to melt.

I turned to the forest—the one I'd never been allowed to explore. I took my first steps.

Goodbye, Kirigakure.

A strange calm settled in my chest. The anxiety faded. The chains broke.

For the first time, I felt it.

Freedom.

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