No Need for Love

C h a p t e r 33 - History Reveals Itselfs

(Name)'s P.O.V

*Crunch, crunch, crunch...*

The sifting sound of dirt underneath our shoes remains as the only thing filling the silence between Itachi and myself, along with the occasional chirping and squawking of several birds. These sounds would normally put me at ease, but today seems to be an exception. All I can do is stare at Itachi's back as I follow him blindly. Uncertainty steadily grows within me, but I suppress the urge to run away. If this is the only way I'll get answers then so be it. At this point I'd follow the devil himself if that's what it took.

'I need to know.'

"How much farther? We've been walking for well over an hour." I say agitated, my patients is running thin. Not that I can really do anything about it.

"We're close."

I say nothing in return to Itachi's vague response, allowing the sifting sound of dirt to overcome our silence once again. We walk for about ten more minutes before he stops abruptly. I come to halt behind him, wondering why we've stopped.

'Are we here?' I end up asking myself, despite not knowing where "here" is.

Looking around, I see we've reached a dead end. In front of us lies a large bed of rock. Essentially this is a cliff, and we're standing at the bottom of it. With no confirmation or assurance of this being our destination, Itachi begins to walk toward the rock wall. I stand still, watching him in confusion.

'What is he doing? There's nothing there!'

My eyes slowly widen as Itachi casually walks straight through the rock as if it's non-existent. Having lost sight of the Uchiha, I remain outside wondering what's inside.

'Has this always been-'

"Are you coming." His sharp tone immediately snaps me out of my thoughts.

Without giving a response, I move in front of the wall. Raising my hand, I place it through the wall only to see it disappear.

'Is this a genjutsu?'

I set the question aside as I step through completely. I'm no longer outside. My surroundings now resemble that of a cave, but this one is a bit different. The interior walls aren't as jagged as the one I had just seen outside. Small candles adorn the floor leading down a tunnel like walk way. Itachi's piercing gaze is the first thing to greet me. I swallow nervously. waiting for him to say something. The minimal lighting causes flickering shadows to cover some parts of his face. This makes him look even more intimidating.

"What now?" I ask feigning confidence.

He swiftly turns away and continues down the lit path, leaving my question unanswered. I pick up my pace wanting to keep up. The sound of our foot steps bounce back and forth against the walls. The faint echo consistently rings in my ears, adding to the eerie feeling deep within me. We eventually enter a room that's been decently lit with more candles and a few lanterns.

The room is empty for the most part. Only a few pieces of furniture lie within the small vicinity. Those include a dusty bookshelf and desk to match. The table is littered with books, scrolls, and forgotten documents. A few seat cushions cover the floor, but nothing more. Silently, Itachi seats himself on one of them. I hesitantly follow his actions. I now face him as we sat across from one another. My body startles as he suddenly begins to speak.

"After abandoning the Leaf and joining the Akatsuki, I made it a priority to periodically check on your growth as a ninja these past years."

"Why?" I ask with my brows furrowed in confusion.