namikaze girl ! k. hatake

five.

"i'm not interested," i coldly stated, continuing my journey to an unspecified destination, though continuing to feel itachi's presence behind me ensured that he was following me. i kept my composure, barely having the energy to carry a conversation, let alone face off with itachi.

"would you be interested if i told you it involved the nine-tails?" his voice was deep but persistent. i snapped my head to the side, glaring back at him as i continued moving.

"his name is naruto."

"we aren't concerned with him. just the beast," itachi eased as i moved my gaze down again, watching my own feet glide through the grass.

"i've tried my research; he's dead if it's removed."

"we captured the one-tail. alive, and he remains so," itachi eased, though his tone was still flat and unenthusiastic. i gently shook my head, certain that he was lying. it was true, i have done research. it's too powerful of a seal to simply remove or break. if it weren't, i would have taken the beast out myself already.

besides, what does someone like itachi really want with me?

"i don't trust you - i don't trust anybody. drop it, itachi," i growled, my hands involuntarily balling into fists. still following me, i quickly stopped and turned once more, glaring directly into the eyes of a killer. "i don't know who 'we' is, but i'll kill all of 'we' if you go near him."

"what about danzo? you want him dead?" he asked plainly, unfazed by my glare and abrupt stop. i got a bad taste in my mouth hearing his name on a cleared mind, plucking at each of my nerves in a pained manner. my lack of a response brings a soft, short lived grin to his face. "you can't do that alone; being the fastest shinobi alive and all."

"what's in it for you?" i ask, attempting to maintain my annoyed tone but it really came off as a curios child begging for more information.

"not me - sasuke. my kid brother. soon he will want the same as you," itachi stated, reminding me of the bone-chilling sight beneath the seal of danzo's arm. on top of the perfect genjutsu eye hiding behind his bandages, i've always known i would have no chance alone; my plan from the get was for naruto to assist me. my greed and own selfishness made my skin crawl, but i couldn't help myself as i thought about the elder dead. if what itachi was saying is true, sasuke will face reality sooner than naruto, as i had been prepared to wait for years longer. i nearly choked on my words as i turned my body to face itachi entirely.

itachi noticed the small, subtle movement and a sly grin came to his face, disappearing quicker than it came as he pointed to the left of himself, towards a well-sized lake, surrounded by long weeds and, ironically enough, a flimsy, rotting deck that perched just beside it.

my gaze followed the trail of his gesture, nearly caught into confusion once more before he began hi slow walk towards the deck, forcing my tired feet to follow along.

"sasuke is young and naïve. . . he's easily swayed anyway the wind blows," itachi stated, kneeling down to place a single fingertip into the cool water, earning the attention of a tiny fish. i stayed silent, standing beside itachi as both of our eyes followed the movement of the small fish, repeatedly bumping into itachi's fingertip. the fish was orange, and i couldn't help but grin as i watched it act a lot like naruto. "he'll want to kill danzo and he will succeed. . . so it may be best for you to stay out of his way."

my lips remained sealed, finding truth in his words whilst my ego grew small under the weight of never being able to fight itachi and winning, at least without cost.

"what do i have to do?" i finally asked, kneeling down beside itachi as my gaze slowly moved to the side of his head. i hadn't noticed during our conversation that the rain had lightened, barely bringing attention to the dampness in the air.

"keep naruto out of the way, too. . . when danzo is dead, it may be a good opportunity to tell him the truth," itachi stated, nonchalantly still fixated on the fish. i nodded, quickly growing a frown as i went back and forth between itachi's new friend and himself.

"what about you? what will you do?"

he stayed silent, watching the fish disappear into the darkness of the pond as it quickly swam away. i was uncertain what scared the little guy off, but i decided it was best to just remain silent. i wasn't sure why i had so many questions - perhaps because i felt comfortable around itachi - however, i should be glad he was offering what i had been looking forward to for years. perhaps, this way, i could make my way back into the arms of konoha, and finish my true destiny; whatever that may be. sometimes i thought my only fate was to protect naruto, and i hardly gave thought that i, too, had a life before him. what happened to that ambitious girl?

i had ambition, just not in the way i used to. i would chase kakashi and obito all over konoha, desperately attempting to earn either's attention. i knew i would be a great ninja, and i knew i could be as wonderful as mom. a ninja to a mother.

"i should warn you, though, otherwise my guilt may eat me alive," itachi stated, finally pulling his hand away from the water, but still refusing to look over at me again. "i can't stop sasuke from destroying konoha. . . and i won't be able to protect naruto like you."

"what do you mean?"

"naruto has more sinister people to encounter than danzo. . . i'd advise you keep an eye on him. don't let you gaurd down," itachi slowly spoke, as if true emotion came with it. i frowned, attempting to unlock the code for the meaning behind his words, but i supposed he was right, anyways. i had worried that, as soon as i would have a moment to tell naruto the truth, i would be vulnerable with my gaurd down; i needed to remember that more evil lurked, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. the idea made my spine shiver, sending goosebumps down my arms as i finally stood up straight again, shortly followed by itachi, who stared longingly into the water, likely waiting for the fish to show up again.

it never did.

"would you take it all back?" itachi's sudden question could have pushed me into the pond, catching me off gaurd entirely as i looked over at him once more. my silence, awaiting for his elaboration, fell upon deaf ears.

"what?"

"the time," he stated simply. naturally thinking of the concept of time anymore only made me revisit the number of days i spent in agony, away from naruto and hiding within the shadows of his life. a mere background character - not even - a backstage bouncer ensuring nothing would ruin his show. time was defined by the way i recognized each change in his appearance every time i saw him again. i didn't feel to be aging, no matter how many moments i spent staring into my own reflection.

"no," i confidently stated, staring back into the dark water as itachi showed no response. if it depended on naruto's sake, i hadn't regret a single moment spent in isolation. i looked at him again through the corner of my eye, almost hoping for any sort of reaction; i needed to know if it was right or wrong.

he didn't, simply turning to his left, beginning to walk again. whatever itachi and i's souls are made of, it's the same. seeing him move forced me to follow along without much hesitation.

we walked for, what felt like, hours. itachi hardly looked over at me, so eventually i gave up on the hope for conversation. we walked through rain, mud, sleet, and we were reaching even darker areas, stumbling across downpours and claps of thunder.

my legs burned by the time itachi finally stopped, rather abruptly. his gaze met mine again, seemingly paused in the middle of nowhere. my eyes would have remained locked with his had the slightest movement behind me lured me to a flinch, quickly turning my body to see a shark-like man, dressed in the same black cloak as itachi was, and a wicked smile.

"kisame - this is rei namikaze. she's from the hidden leaf, like me, and she's here to help me," itachi spoke in a calmed tone, and kisame placed the tip of the blade on the large sword into the softened ground, forcing my eyes to follow cautiously.