Weapons of War ›› Naruto

3 | his friend

HIS FRIEND | three

AFTER ITACHI'S BRIEF KUNAI lesson, I immediately confirmed that he was indeed a genius. What I had been trying to accomplish in months, I had accomplished in the span of thirty minutes because of Itachi's directions. True, my kunai didn't hit dead center, but hitting the outer rim was a start!

"This is a first," I raised my head, shooting Itachi a quick glance as he gazed forward, staring at nothing in particular, "You're not speaking." My lips curled into a small frown as I tilted my head to the side. Placing down my stick of dangos onto the plate that it was served on, I jabbed my finger into his right arm.

He shoot me a puzzled look as he glanced my way, only causing me to roll my eyes. "I can be quiet too, you know." I mumbled, pursing my lips in a slight pout, irritated, "It's just that, silence really is deafening."

His eyebrows furrowed together as he took another bite of his dango. His eyes narrowed towards me, studying me. His eyes drifted around, trying to come up with some solution. If it was anything I learned about Itachi in the short period of time I've known him, it was that he thought everything through strategically. Took the situation at hand, analyzed every possible outcome and then came up with the best solution.

After our long moment of silence, Itachi finally decided to end it. "Do you not like silence?" He asked, raising his eyebrows curiously.

I noted the way he noticed the corner of my lip twitched before a sigh slipped past my lips. Kicking my legs underneath me, I watched them sway back and forth, my sandals only brushing against the pavements surface. I scrunched up my nose in distaste as I narrowed my eyes towards him, with a light, teasing tone, I replied, "What of 'silence is deafening' did you not understand? If I find it deafening, then clearly I don't like it." I shot him a bizarre look, crossing into his personal bubble as I leaned in, narrowing my eyes suspiciously, "Are you really Itachi?"

He leaned back, his eyes shifting towards the side, completely uncomfortable. He scooted away from me, taking his stack of dangos with him. He shrugged his shoulders, avoiding eye contact.

And before I knew it, Itachi was back to normal, or at least his normal. He was once again withdrawn and quiet. His curious, calculating gaze was now hidden behind a mask of indifference causing me to inwardly scream.

I hadn't meant to make him feel uncomfortable. I was simply trying to befriend the boy in front of me, and believe me when I tell you it was the hardest task. A joke, it was a joke! I thought, sending him a mental message.

"Boo!"

"Eckk!"

"Oww!"

"I'm--oh my God, I'm so sorry!" Tripping over my words, I dropped the stick I held in my hand, looking over at the boy seated on the right side of me. Itachi peered over at us curiously, leaning in trying to get a better view of the commotion we were causing. His gaze dropped down on the boy clutching his hand in pain before shooting me a quick look. "Are you okay?" I mumbled, wincing at his moans of pain.

"Why is it that crazy people always hang around you?" The boy asked while Itachi blinked.

I turned to Itachi, all traces of sympathy gone and replaced with curiosity. "You know him?" I asked, motioning back at the boy in pain with my eyes. Itachi sighed while giving me a nod before turning back towards his plate of dangos. He picked one off his plate, taking a bite, before slowly looking back at me, who was staring at him.

"He's fine," Itachi mumbled uncomfortable, swallowing while I blinked. The boy clutching his hand rolled his eyes dramatically before letting his wounded hand drop to his side. Surprisingly, there was only a tiny scratch. With the speed and force I had applied, he had to move quickly to avoid it actually plunging into his flesh.