Another purpose

Beautiful Mermaids

As Itachi slowly regained consciousness, the warm rays of the sunshine filtering through the underwater sky greeted him. Blinking away the remnants of sleep, he gradually sat up, taking in his surroundings. He found himself in a coral-based housing, a familiar environment reminiscent of his previous adventures with Whitebeard. Yet, it was strange for such a place to exist beneath the ocean's surface.

Donning his Akatsuki cloak, Itachi surveyed the area, his mind still foggy from his recent ordeal. He contemplated the possibility that someone had rescued him, a notion confirmed by the presence of the makeshift shelter. As he explored further, his thoughts were interrupted by a small voice.

"Ah! Hello, handsome man!"

Startled, Itachi turned to locate the source of the voice, only to find a tiny mermaid adorned with a miniature cowboy hat perched atop her head.

"I'm right here, sir!" she chirped cheerfully, her eyes twinkling with curiosity.

Itachi regarded her with a mixture of surprise and amusement. "Are you the one who helped me?" he inquired, his voice laced with a hint of intrigue.

The mermaid shook her head energetically. "Well, no, as you see, I'm too small! But my friend did," she explained, gesturing with her tiny hands.

"I see," Itachi murmured, absorbing this new information. "If you don't mind me asking, what's your name?"

The mermaid beamed proudly. "Ah! I'm Nika! I'm one of the five sisters of the Guppy Mermaids."

Itachi's eyes widened at the revelation. "You have five sisters?" he echoed, incredulous at the notion of such a large family of mermaids.

Nika nodded enthusiastically. "Yup! There's me, Ichika, Sanka, Yonka, and Yonka 2!"

Itachi couldn't help but quirk an eyebrow at the unusual naming convention. "Why is there a '2'?" he inquired, genuinely curious.

Nika shrugged nonchalantly. "I don't know. I think it's cool," she replied with a mischievous grin.

A comfortable silence settled between them before Nika's inquisitive nature resurfaced.

"What happened to your arm?" she asked, her gaze fixated on the empty sleeve where Itachi's arm once was.

Itachi's expression turned somber as he recounted the events that led to his loss. "I've lost it," he replied simply, his voice tinged with a hint of melancholy.

"How?" Nika pressed, her curiosity unabated.

"In a fight," Itachi explained cryptically, his mind drifting back to the memories of battles and sacrifices.

"Did you lose?" Nika's innocent inquiry cut through the solemn atmosphere, prompting Itachi to pause and consider his response.

"I suppose it was a 50/50 sort of speak," he replied thoughtfully, acknowledging the complexities of victory and defeat in the tumultuous world he inhabited.

As Itachi and Nika conversed, their discussion was interrupted by the sudden appearance of another mermaid, her vibrant green hair swaying gently in the underwater current. With wide, expressive eyes and a perpetually shocked expression, she introduced herself as Camie, a young kissing gourami mermaid known for her distinctive face-faults.

"Hey, Nika! Is he awake?" Camie's voice echoed through the coral shelter, her wide-eyed expression amplifying her excitement.

Nika turned to greet her fellow mermaid, a smile lighting up her features. "Oh, hello, you must be Itachi!" she exclaimed, her enthusiasm infectious. "How are you doing? You doing okay right after you washed up on shore?"