A Red Head Namikaze (Itachi Uchiha fiction)

13. Crimson Flash

It has been a year since Inora passed the Anbu exams with flying colors (she is now 15). She was laying in the grass near the river watching the sun setting slowly. Today was her day off. She had been really busy for the last year. She got used to things pretty quickly. She was a field medic for certain missions but she was also in the front lines for missions that needed her jutsu and expertise.

The rumours about a Redhead Leaf Anbu being an ace spread like wild fire among all the hidden villages. They called her the 'Crimson Flash'.

She had been busy with many missions and she rarely got any time alone for herself. Any free time she had, she was either spending it with Naruto or her friends and Kakashi. Tomorrow she was being trasferred to the Anbu squad that recieved direct orders from the Hokage. So today she decided to come to the river and laid there thinking about how Itachi was doing.

She sensed a familiar chakra a bit far away into the woods. She decided to go check it out. She observed Sasuke training with shuriken. He tried to to throw a shuriken and deflect its path with another one to hit the target. She saw him getting frustrated after failing many attempts. "Thats not how its done kid." She interrupted. He was startled by the fact there was someone else besides him here.

"Who are you?" He asked. She was in a normal outfit. She didnt even have her headband.

"I am Inora. You want help with that one?" She asked while getting close to him. He looked at her doubtfully. She took some shurikens from him and threw them with ease hitting every target perfectly. He looked impressed.

"So what do you say?" She asked again. "You really want to teach me?" He asked quietly. "Sure. Why not? I am bored anyway."

Inora was teaching him some tricks for an hour and it was getting dark. "It is getting late. I should get going. You should also go home kid."

"Will you help me tomorrow too?" He asked a little shy. "I have a mission tomorrow. I will help you when I'm free." She smiled and ruffled his hair. She was about to leave.

"Inora" she turned around.

"I am Sasuke. Sasuke Uchiha."

~

It has a been a couple months since her interaction with Sasuke. She really wanted to get close to him. She wanted to be there for him. She knows how lonely it gets. She wanted to be there for Sasuke like how Itachi was there for her.

She tried searching for Itachi ever since she joined Anbu. She also tried to find any answers for the mystery behind the Uchiha massacre. But it was futile.

She was given a solo mission to retrieve a stolen scroll from a bunch of rogue ninjas who worked together. They basically stole stuff and sold it for money.

She caught upto them pretty quick. She observed them from far away. There were 7 of them and they all had weapons. They were talking a break. She wasnt sure which one had the scroll so she waited for some more time. She could easily beat them up and take the scroll but she didnt really want to do anything extra. Her mission was to retrieve the scroll and she was trying to do exactly that without any blood shed.

"How much do you think this scroll will earn us?" one of them asked. "It contains the properties of that rich merchant. We definitely hit a jackpot" another one said excitedly. "We will sell it in the black market first thing in the morning tomorrow." One of them said taking a scroll out from his bag. Bingo. She immediately threw her kunai towards the guy that had the scroll, took it from him and teleported back. It all happened in a second before they could blink.

"Shit. This is not the right scroll. I was tricked." She hissed at herself. She alerted them with her previous move and now she was surrounded.

"You were pretty fast. Do you really think we will let anyone take away our lottery." One of them huffed. She had no choice but to engage.

Few minutes later.

"Shit. It is the Crimson Flash. We are so dead. We need to run." One of them said.

"I dont care who that is. There is no way I am letting my money go." Another one who seemed be the leader of their petty group said.

Inora had enough of this. She had them all on their knees in one move.

"Are you going to tell me where the scroll is or should I make you speak?" Inora spoke from behind her Anbu mask.

"No. We will give you the scroll. Please spare our lives." One of them cried and took out a water bottle. It was a transformation jutsu. They transformed the scroll into a water bottle. Smart move.

"Good for you" she took it and examined to confirm if it was the real one. She tied them all up and left.

It was supposed to be a week long mission and she completed it in 4 days. She wasnt recognised as the fastest ninja for nothing you know. She would get a few days off after returning to the village. She planned on talking to Sasuke again.

She was on her way to the village when she felt an all too familiar chakra. She froze. She didnt know if her mind was playing tricks on her. She calmed herself and took a deep breath and scanned the area. She felt 2 chakras a little far away from where she was. A chill ran down her spine. There was no way they sensed her presense so she masked her own chakra and decided to see what was going on.

There he was. The one Inora has been searching for.

Itachi Uchiha.

Along with someone whom she never expected.

Orochimaru.