No Need for Love

C h a p t e r 31 - Stalemate

The tension between us thickens as I remain unmoving. This makes the lingering silence feel eerie and suffocating. It feels as if I can't breathe, and yet my breaths become ragged and deep. I try to keep calm while my brain attempts to fathom what the hell is going on.

'Of all people, why Itachi Uchiha? Why is he here?'

I never really knew Itachi. I had only heard about how great of a ninja he was. After it happened, I was shocked to find out the same thing happened to Sasuke. What shocked me even more was that Itachi had done it. The person everyone once spoke so highly of, was the one who wiped out his clan. Now he's only known as a criminal, a murderer, and a rouge shinobi who betrayed his village. He's dangerous, and could very well kill me in an instant.

'I need to be careful.'

"This is quite the surprise. I mean, you should be dead after all."

My eyes widen at his statement and the prominent fear coursing through me becomes even more evident.

'I should be dead? What is he talking about?!...Could it be-'

"I guess they missed one, but I don't see how. Especially knowing you're Muta's daughter."

"What?" I whisper before raising my voice, "What are you talking about? And who's they?!"

"It doesn't matter, there's no point in telling a dead person." Itachi says while slowly walking towards me. His stare unwavering and intimidating.

With every step he takes, I move back. Trying my best to keep distance between us.

"Are you saying that you were involved in my clan's murder?!"

He doesn't respond, he simply continues to move closer with his sharingan ablaze. Itachi throws another set of kunai my way. I deflect one with the kunai in my hand while dodging the other two. Little did I know it was only a distraction. He suddenly appears behind me. I turn around to face him, attempting to stab him with my weapon, but I was too slow.

My bold confrontation only ends with a painful blow to my abdomen. A grunt of discomfort leaves my mouth as I jump back. My opportunities of fleeing were no longer an option. There's no way I'll be able to escape. If Itachi's a good a ninja as everyone says, I'm sure he'd have no problem tracking someone, especially a genin.

'My chances of getting out of here alive are very slim. I need to think of something, and fast!'

Itachi appears in front of me once again, advancing with a barrage of attacks I could barely avoid. I quickly begin to slip up, I'm overwhelmed.

'He's too fast!' I think before losing my balance.

His fist makes contact with my right cheek along with a finishing kick to my stomach. I drop my kunai before falling to my knees, gasping for breath and clutching my mid-section. Hoping that would make the pain fade away. Looking down, I notice red dots begin to litter the ground, staining it with it's vibrant color. It takes me a second to realize it's my blood. I wipe the side of my mouth as conformation, and surely enough, I was right.

Itachi watches my weakened form while slowly pulling out another kunai. I look up at his towering stature in a last effort to use Sutomi's Shut Eye. It's my genjutsu against his sharingan, and it takes less than a second to realize it didn't stand a chance. I don't stand a chance.

'Shit! It's not strong enough.'

He places the knife in front of my neck. I unwillingly close my eyes and wait for the wintry metal to slice through my flesh.

'Is this it? Am I really going to die here? At the hands of an Uchiha? What is this feeling?...This feeling of hopelessness and desperation.'

"I'm sorry, I won't be coming back, Sasuke." Itachi becomes rigid after hearing the name that falls from my lips.

"What's your relationship with Sasuke?"

My eyes snap open, surprised by his staggering question.

"Huh?" I say, not sure if what I'm hearing is actually true.

"What is your relationship with my brother? How do you know Sasuke?" He reiterates, still pressing the kunai to my throat.

'He wants to know about Sasuke, but why? I thought he didn't care about his brother. Either way, if Sasuke is Itachi's weakness, I'll use that to my advantage.'

"I guess you could say we're...close friends." I say while keeping eye contact.

Itachi on the other hand, remains silent.

"Why do you even ask? I thought you didn't care about Sasuke. Or do you just not want him to know that you killed someone important to him?"

"Whether or not you're important to Sasuke doesn't matter. I'd rather not kill you, but I can't allow a Kirui to live."

I sigh before wondering why he's so hell-bent on killing me.

"Well, I'm sorry to break it to you, but I'm not the only one left. Killing me won't change anything."

His eyes narrow slightly and his voice becomes more stern as he asks me, "What do you mean?"

"There are members of my clan that are still alive. Quite a few of them actually, and they're planning something against the Leaf. Why else would I be here? I'm trying to find them."

"To join them." He accuses.

"To stop them."

Itachi holds eye contact with me for what feels like a whole minute. I bear his gaze and never look away once. He swiftly retracts his kunai and turns away, his back facing me. With the deadly weapon now far from my neck, my posture relaxes and I let out a small sigh of relief.

'Why did he change his mind? I thought I was a goner for sure.'

"Follow me."

"What?" I question while Itachi begins to walk away.

"There's something you need to know. It's about your clan...and why they were murdered."

I focus on his figure immediately questioning his antics. Standing up, I begin to follow him, silently and hesitantly.

'This is dangerous. He could be leading me to a trap, but logically he wouldn't need to. His skills greatly overshadow my own. That was proven mere minutes ago. There's no need for a trap, but the fact still remains. Itachi can't be trusted. Either way, if he is telling the truth, I need to know. It's a risk, but I'm willing to take it.'