A Lethal Observer - ALW Saga Book 2

Chapter 8

"Please! Please, don't kill me!" The man begged for his life as he crouched, defenseless, in front of a kid. Itachi held a kunai in his hand, pointed at the man's throat. He was looking down at him with a stern face.

This was the spy who had been leaking information to the Kirigakure shinobi. This was also the leader of the B-rank criminal group that was after Hisako, the lord's daughter. The man looked up at the boy with pleading eyes but Itachi only stared back with an emotionless face.

"I was ordered to kill you," said Itachi. Once he had confirmed this man was the spy, he knew he had to kill him before they reached the border. He couldn't lay foot on Kirigakure. Itachi tightened his hold on the kunai, and without a second thought sliced his throat. Blood splashed into his clothes, and he watched as the light faded from the man's eyes and he fell to the ground. His blood continued to pool around him, and Itachi turned his back to him and headed back to where the rest of the group was.

Just as Shisui had predicted, they were ambushed by the ninja who had killed the team they were supposed to meet. And they were also accompanied by the B-rank criminal group the Hokage had warned them about. At that moment, one of Hisako's bodyguards fled to the woods and Itachi followed him. He didn't get far.

By the time Itachi was back, Shisui had already taken care of almost every enemy, leaving just a couple whom Itachi took down with some of his shuriken. Hisako was kneeling on the ground, far from the ninja. She was extremely pale and tears gathered in her eyes. The scene she had just witnessed had been too much for her mind to handle. Upon Itachi's appearance, Hisako looked at him and her eyes widened in horror at the blood in his clothes. She had noticed him run away after her bodyguard at the beginning. And now he had come back alone and stained in blood. Her bodyguard's blood.

Hisako found her voice and opened her mouth to speak. "Whose–blood–is that?" Her voice trembled as she spoke, already fearing the answer. Itachi didn't look at her and just remained quiet. There was no point in telling her something she already knew.

Hisako gulped and pressed her lips into a thin line as a lone tear escaped from her eye. Itachi turned his back to her and walked away. "This is what," he said, "being a shinobi is really like. Not exactly an adventure, like you used to think." He disappeared from her sight.

Hisako took a deep breath and jumped slightly when she heard a twig break close to her. She looked in its direction and sighed relieved when she saw Shisui standing there. He wore an apologetic expression on his face. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." He smiled at her. She smiled back and looked away. Shisui sighed. "I already disposed of the bodies," he announced, taking short steps as he moved closer to her. "You don't have to feel bad. You might think this was your fault because they were after you, but this is actually something that we, as shinobi, experience often. This is not your fault." Shisui crouched in front of Hisako and looked directly into her eyes.

"He killed him," Hisako said, looking up into Shisui's Sharingan. "Itachi killed one of my bodyguards." Her lips quivered as she let out a sob. "I know he ran away when he was supposed to protect me, but he was new. He probably got scared and acted on pure instinct..." She started to cry uncontrollably while speaking. Shisui placed a hand on her shoulder to try to comfort her, but she was probably too shocked to process anything.

"He probably had a very good reason."

"But—"

"Itachi was also hired to protect you, and that's what he did. That's what we did." Shisui interrupted her before she could question any longer. "Now, look at me." Shisui held Hisako by her shoulders as she looked up into his eyes. "You will remember this as if it were just a bad dream, do you understand?" Hisako nodded slowly, almost mechanically. "But you woke and everything was fine, okay?" She nodded again. "Now, you will go back to sleep; and when you wake up again, you will be at the Water Country, ready to meet the Feudal Lord and his son."