A Red Head Namikaze (Itachi Uchiha fiction)

20. Akatsuki

It has been a week since the attack on the village. There wasnt much of property damage but the defence of the village was shattered. There was no way the leaf can afford to show weakness or it wont be long before other villages invade Konoha. Inora was really busy between the hospital and patrol duty. She had an hour before her shift to patrol the northern outskirts of the village so she decided to visit the hospital to see if there was anything she can help with.

She saw Might Guy in the entrance of the hospital. "Inora. I was just about to come and look for you. Do you have minute?" He asked. "Sure. What is it Guy?" She replied. He looked upset.

"It is about Rock Lee, my student. He was badly injured during the chunin exams and the doctors are saying him to quit being a shinobi. He is a young soul with so much spirit. Can you check on him Inora? You are one of the best medics of Konoha."
He said with pleading eyes.

She went through all his reports and checked him herself. She saw Lee looking at her with so much hope in his eyes. She sighed "His injuries are really bad, Guy. But there is a surgery that can be done. It is a really complicated one. I am not really the best person to perform such a difficult surgery. I lack the experience for it. Even if the surgery is done, the success rate is low. I really dont want to give you false hope but its best if you made up your mind for the worst." She said feeling really bad for the kid in front of her.

There was silence. She really didnt want to give them false hope but still there was a chance. "You are aware that old man Jiraiya went to bring Tsunade sensei back right? She can perform the surgery Guy." She said looking at Guy. He immediately smiled "Thank you Inora. If there is a chance for him I will wait till Lady Tsunade is back."
he said. "Thank you for coming to check on me miss Inora. I really appreciate it. Dont worry Guy sensei I will be fine once Lady Tsunade is here." Lee said smiling at Guy. Like sensei like student.

~

The elders wanted Jiraiya to become the Hokage but he convinced them that Tsunade was the best choice and he left with Naruto yesterday to bring Tsunade back.

She remembered what Jiraiya said to her and Kakashi "There are rumours of an organization called the Akatsuki. They are often spotted with black robes with a pattern of red clouds. They seem to be targetting jinchurikiis." She just stood there unable to move. Black robe with red clouds? That was what Itachi used to wear. Is he part of this Akatsuki? Is he after jinchurikii too? There is no way Itachi would do that.

As much as she wants to meet Itachi and ask him about all this, she was really busy stuck between hospital shifts and patrol duty. She really wanted to inform Itachi about the curse mark Orochimaru placed on Sasuke.

She was completely lost in thoughts when , "Earth to Inora! What the hell is wrong with you. I have been calling you for the past 5 minutes." Sato huffed in annoyance. Sato was her partner for the patrol. "I'm sorry Sato I was just thinking about something." she said. "You always advice Kakashi to get a girlfriend I guess its about time you find yourself a boyfriend Inora." Sato said shrugging. "Where the hell does this come from?" She asked raising an eyebrow at the Inuzuka. "I know life in Anbu can be pretty rough. Having a partner to share your worries will help. I am just concerned about you." He said, his eyes sincere.

Her mind suddenly drifted to Itachi. 'Why the hell am I thinking about him now? I dont really like Itachi romantically do I? I mean we hooked up once but it was just due to crazy hormones right? We didnt really talk much about it after that. Could it be something more?' her thoughts were running like crazy.

"Hey. You are zoning out again." Sato said. Thats when something caught her eyes. She saw a hickey in Sato's neck. It was fading but it was still visible. "Looks like you found someone to share your worries eh Sato?" She asked in a teasing tone. She saw his ears turning red. "What? What do you mean? I was just looking out for you, nothing else." He said quickly. "Is that so?" She asked squinting her eyes at him.

"Whaatttt??? You are dating Hana? Hana Inuzuka?? The daughter of the Inuzuka clan leader Tsume Inuzuka?" She shouted in surprise. "Ssshh. Keep it down Inora." Sato shushed her. "How long has this been going on? How come you didnt tell us?" She bombarded him with questions. Sato sighed "We have been seeing each other for a while now. But we just confessed to each other recently. We decided to lay low for a while." Inora nodded understandingly. Hana was her classmate in academy. They arent exactly friends but she was a good soul. She was really happy for Sato. "Congrats Sato. Dont worry my lips are sealed. You can tell Tomura when you are ready." She said.

Suddenly there was a toad coming towards her with a message. It was Jiraiya's messenger toad. "You are to immediately come to the leaf hospital." It said to her. She looked at Sato. "You can go Inora. Akemi and I will cover for you." She thanked him and rushed to the hospital.

~

She couldnt believe her eyes. Sasuke was beaten into a pulp. There was a medic healing him. He moved away as soon as he saw Inora. "He has a few broken ribs and a broken arm." the medic informed her. She immediately got to work, she can ask for details later.

She healed him as much as she could. He still showed no signs of waking up. He looked as if he was caught in a big genjutsu. She came out of his room and saw Jiraiya and Naruto. "What the hell happened?" She asked the Sannin. Her breathing stopped the moment those words left Jiraiya's lips.

"It was Itachi Uchiha."