Your Lies | Itachi Uchiha x Reader

Chapter 17

POV – Y/n:

I darted through the forest, moving as fast as my legs would take me. I didn't know where I was going—I'd never been outside the village.

Everything I knew about the world beyond Kirigakure came from books, maps, and secondhand stories. The idea of entire lands blanketed in sand... deserts... it all felt so strange. So distant. So exciting.

I smiled to myself, imagining all the places I'd one day see. But that dream was for later.

Right now, I had one mission: find Hangetsu.

I didn't know exactly where he was, but the scroll from Tsurugi had said he was in the unclaimed territory near the Land of Fire. That meant I had to cross the ocean separating our two nations.

I definitely can't swim that far. I'd need a boat—or something else.

I bounded from tree to tree, my chakra-enhanced leaps snapping some of the branches beneath me. I didn't stop, not even to catch my breath. I had to reach the shore before any Mist shinobi could catch up.

POV – Itachi:

As always, Kisame and I were the pawns—tools to be used and discarded. Whether it was Pain or our villages, it didn't matter. I'd long accepted it.

In the shinobi world, that's just what we were. Tools. Weapons. Disposable.

"You'd think we'd at least find someone by now. Where the hell are the Mist shinobi?" Kisame grumbled beside me.

I didn't respond. I rarely did.

After all, it didn't matter. Missions, orders—they were all the same. I completed them because I had to. Not because I cared.

POV – Y/n:

I had no idea how long I'd been running—maybe hours. My lungs burned and my legs trembled. But finally, I reached it.

The ocean.

I dropped to my knees on the sand, gasping for air, heart pounding in my chest.

It was... beautiful. Stretching far beyond the horizon. This wasn't the little beach back home in Kirigakure. This was vast and real. The waves lapped against the shoreline. It smelled like salt. It tasted like adventure.

My feet sank into the scorching sand. I spotted seashells scattered across the shore—each one different in shape, color, and texture. I crouched down to examine them, collecting a few in my hands. It felt childish, but I didn't care.

I flopped backward and made a sand angel.

Then, without thinking, I ran into the water and dove headfirst into the cold, clear ocean. I laughed, the chill biting my skin.

I tasted the water.

"Overseasoned," I coughed, spitting it out. But I was smiling.

For a while, I forgot why I was here. I was just a girl experiencing the world for the first time.

Then I saw it—a crowd of people by a docked ship, lined up beside a booth.

I trudged out of the water, shivering slightly. I really should've packed clothes. The people stared at me but quickly lost interest.

I wandered up to the front of the line to peek at the booth: Ship Tickets.

The structure looked like it might collapse with a strong breeze.

Still, this has to be fate. What were the odds there'd be a ship here, today of all days?

I got in line, and it moved quickly. When it was my turn, I asked the vendor, "Do you go to the unnamed land near the Land of Fire?"

He nodded. "Costs extra. Everyone else is headed to the Land of Fire."

I paid the fee.

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The sun was setting as the ship cut across the ocean. I sat on the edge of the railing, letting the sea wind whip through my hair. Behind us, the Land of Water slowly disappeared from view. It was almost like it had never existed.

I could fall in at any moment, but I didn't care.

This was freedom. This was everything I'd dreamed of.

When night fell, I stayed out on deck. I couldn't sleep. The stars were out, and I wanted to see every one of them.

I wasn't alone. At the other end of the ship, a man leaned against the railing, reading.

He had silver, messy hair—and a Leaf headband.

I squinted. The title of his book?

Icha Icha Innocence.

I raised an eyebrow. No way. This guy reads Icha Icha too?

We made eye contact a few times. Neither of us spoke. Just... glances.

He seemed calm. Tired maybe. But focused.

POV – Kakashi:

The girl on the other side of the deck watched me with curious eyes. A Mist kunoichi—young, probably on her first solo mission. But something about her was... familiar.

Then I saw it. The tattoo on her arm.

The Terumi clan?

That's when it clicked. Y/n Terumi. The Mist's triple-kekkei-genkai prodigy. The one with the high bounty.

So she's on the move now.

POV – Y/n:

We never spoke, but we understood each other's presence. Quietly sharing the night.

When morning came, I stretched and jogged in place. The ship began slowing. Ahead, I saw land.

The Land of Fire.

The port was nothing like the beach I'd left behind. Trees surrounded it—lush, green, alive. Flowers and plants I'd never seen before filled the landscape.

All the passengers got off. I was the only one staying on for the next leg.

As I turned to return to the ship, the silver-haired man intercepted me. He placed a hand gently on my shoulder.

"Miss," he said, his voice low. "Be wary of the threat winsome people may impose."

My brow furrowed. "What do you mea—"

But he was already gone.

Was that a warning? Did he know who I was? Or was he speaking from experience?

I returned to the ship, shaken but intrigued.

The sailors pulled the anchor, and we set course for the unnamed land.

Where Hangetsu was.

I didn't know for certain what I'd find. But my gut told me something wasn't right.

And I had to be there—before it was too late.