Designed For War...But Not Meant For It (Itachi Uchiha Story) Info.

Chapter 4

They took the vague coordinates the man gave them in the village, and set off immediately.

Jashin knows, they needed to.

She travelled; who knows how long ago she had been staying in the village he’d said? Work could be found in all kinds of places, and to have been the only survivor meant she had to be a powerful ninja—so she would be able to get work almost anywhere. Not being in a ninja village, either, meant that she’d leave less tracks behind her, and would find it easier to disappear into the shadows, avoiding everyone. All in all, that meant they needed the quickest start they could get in order to reach her. Having to search for the power would be a long process anyway, so everything else needed to be shortened as much as possible.

Itachi almost felt...sorry for her, in a way. Obviously she had left Hoshi valley to get away from it all, and now they were chasing after her to bring her back to a place that would most likely only bring up bad memories and experiences. He just hoped Pein would allow her to choose whether to come willingly or not—and not have to act as forcefully as he had had to do with Deidara. They all knew how that had turned out. And yet still, it gave him the chance to meet her. Suspicions arose within him at the idea that he might just be able to understand what she had gone through. Talking about it would be difficult for both of them, but he’d know it was there.

So he let himself continue in silence.

It didn’t take long for them to arrive at the village with the pace Pein had set, and taking a break for a moment, they then began to ask around as to whether they had met her. Fortunately enough, a lot of people did; and were more than happy to talk about her; and in a way that all but Itachi had been expecting. They spoke of how she helped out around town; was polite and respectful to all she came across. They knew she was a ninja, and knew she was powerful, but it didn’t make a difference. She was always as kind as she could be to those around her, and tried to make a difference where she could. For a moment it caused a hesitation in the Akatsuki; the idea that a woman who had had to have shown some amazing abilities in order for her to have survived back in Hoshi valley, along with a strong desire for survival and a fighting spirit could be the way these people were describing...it bewildered them slightly.

But a few moments later and it was dismissed. What did it matter? She knew more about the power they were looking for out there than anyone. Regardless of her personality, they needed to talk to her, and would do so. Receiving directions from a few of the villagers, they soon continued their journey, the atmosphere around them relaxing slightly as the villagers pointed out she hadn’t been there that long ago; instantly recognizing her name.  They were catching up; they knew it, and—much to Hidan's annoyance—the pace only increased in order to reach her.

Which they did a couple of days later, arriving at the next village mid-morning. Grabbing a quick drink as a break, they wandered down the street, wondering who exactly to ask about Kiken first. No one was in much of a hurry, anyway, so the Akatsuki took their time in choosing a target—of sorts—until eventually Pein decided on someone nearby, and walking over, gently addressing him in order to get his attention. But everyone instantly began to pay attention, as instead of informing them where she had headed off to, he glanced behind them all and pointed in another direction, causing them all to turn and look, as Itachi breathed softly,

“Kiken...”

They didn’t know what they had been expecting her to look like, but it still surprised every single one of them. She had just come out of a nearby building, smirking at whoever was inside as she closed the door, before turning to face the crowd in front of her, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear. It went to about mid-torso length, shimmering down her back even with how dark it was. But that wasn’t the unusual part; it was how it couldn’t disguise her eyes, almost hidden behind her bangs...and yet they were darker than her hair. Her sclera, iris and pupil had merged into one, and were entirely black; making it impossible to discern where she was looking from a distance.

However, it didn’t make Kiken seem threatening; there was something about her that appeared apart...above that kind of thing. She didn’t seem to concentrate on the superficial things in life, somehow seeing the higher meaning of everything; maybe it was the way her eyes were; Itachi couldn’t tell. But her face was placid and pure, her body perfectly in proportion with everything about her. Though something else about her caught and held Itachi's attention more than her overall appearance; not even hearing the low whistle of appreciation that came from one of the others.

It was the look in her eyes. The suspicions he’d been having on the journey; the strange thoughts that had extended into his dreams had only been confirmed upon seeing her; and he hadn’t even spoken to her yet. He couldn’t just dismiss it, though; he knew that look, and knew it well—a look that he carried himself, and would have been hard to spot otherwise. Would she see the same in him? Would she realise the connections they had?  Itachi couldn’t know; but there was always a way to find out, and he smothered a smirk as Pein began to make his way over to her, not about to fall into formalities after all that had gone on. There was work to be done; and he wanted it sorted out now. But his eyes passing over her once again, and he quickly changed his mind, appearing in front of Pein to say quietly, but firmly,

“Maybe we shouldn’t just all approach her like this. Yes, she’ll have to meet all of us sooner or later, but wouldn’t it be better if we got her to come as willingly as possible?”

“That may be true...are you suggesting you talk to her first?” Pein halted, glancing down and back up again as he asked. Itachi could only narrow his eyes in surprise. He hadn’t considered going up to her alone first—or at least not on the surface. Now the idea was there, however, and he couldn’t help but warm up to the idea, saying nothing for the moment as Pein contemplated it himself.

What he had said was true, and out of everyone, Itachi would be the best choice, after all. Kakuzu was too grumpy and abrupt, Hidan having no respect for anyone but Jashin. Sasori was too impatient to wait for an answer, Kisame—well, he explained himself—and Deidara would most likely make a comment about her appearance sometime during the conversation. Even with Itachi's reputation he was able to deal with people well; he’d get her to stop and talk to him easily, and would explain things properly. His idea was good, and as such he nodded to Itachi, allowing him to continue.

Kiken had had no idea about what was going on; she’d seen the cloaks, but brushed it off. She gathered they were a group of missing-nins, and a powerful one at that. Something about them was different, but it was nothing to do with her; randomly walking up to them and asking questions was stupid and ridiculous; not to mention she had her own things to do in life. With one more passing thought to them all standing there, Kiken had brushed them off, walking off down the street to head elsewhere; only halting as a soft voice called her name from behind, and she turned back round to see who it was.

That was why she had felt there was something different.