No Need for Love

C h a p t e r 34 - A New Ally?

Author's Note:

Hey guys, long time no see, right? Yeah...I know. I don't really want to pump out a long list of excuses as to why I haven't updated. I'm here now, I'm better now, and I'm ready to get to work. I want to finish this story and I'm sure you want the same. That's why you're still here right? Well, I hope so anyway. So without further or do enjoy the chapter!

~ Zumoshi
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"What are you saying?! That doesn't even make any sense!" I furiously shout.

"Whether or not you believe me is ultimately your decision, but my words are the truth. The anbu are responsible for your clan's misfortune." Itachi explains as we continue to discuss the past.

"B-but it- I...I don't understand, how could they be behind it. What did my clan ever do?!!" I shout in frustration as my eyes begin to water.

I wipe my eyes aggressively, not wanting to cry at the moment. I hate crying. It's always so bothersome.

"It's not what they did, but what they were capable of doing." He continues seeing as I still wasn't following. "As I stated before the Kirui clan were very close allies of the Uchiha, so naturally they were more than willing to help plan and participate in the coup d'état. Hiruzen reluctantly agreed to let me take care of the Uchiha, but he along with the village elders knew your clan would quickly become an eminent threat. They knew the Kirui's would carry out the Uchiha clan's will, but I couldn't be blamed for the massacre of two clans. At this point Hiruzen was against the idea of getting rid of yet another clan, but the decision was no longer his to make. It was decided that the anbu would do it, anonymously of course." Itachi quietly concludes.

'How could they do something like this...to go so far as to not only kill my clan but order Itachi to-' I force myself to stop the swirling storm of thoughts in my head.

'If I don't calm down I'm gonna lose it.' I think while taking deep breaths.

Itachi remains silent as he can clearly see I'm having an internal melt down. I just can't get over that it was the anbu. An organization of elite and capable ninja were the ones that killed my clan. It wasn't just a random individual.

"H-how could they just-"

"Don't get ahead of yourself." He interrupts already knowing what I was thinking. "The anbu did kill your clan but they were just following orders. If you want someone to blame then Danzo Shimura is the person."

"Danzo Shimura? Who is he?"

"He's a village elder as well as the person in charge of overseeing all anbu related activity."

"..." I didn't know what to say. I had nothing to say. I had yearned to know the name of the person responsible for my clan's near extinction. I wanted to know for as long as I could remember, and now I do. I know everything but ...it changes nothing. Absolutely nothing. Why did I want to know?

'What was I hoping to gain from this? Closure? Reassurance? Peace of mind?!'

"I don't feel any of it." I mumble to myself.

"What was that?"

"Nothing, thank you...for telling me. I probably never would've found out the truth if it wasn't for you." I say looking at Itachi.

He gives me a slight nod while lowering his head. His eye lids closing in the process. As they open again, his eyes reconnect with mine. All I see are the same alluring black orbs from all those years ago. They haven't changed a bit. As we sit in silence the harsh realization of my past overwhelms me. Unknowing tears well in my eyes and I can only stare at Itachi as I give up on trying to stop them. His eyes bring me a faint sensation of comfort. One I've never experienced before. I can finally start moving on now.

'Well, not exactly. I still have to face my father.'

A sigh of frustration escapes my lips as I remember I still have my father to worry about. Wiping away my tears for the second time, I stand and face the door.

"Where do you plan to go from here?" Itachi solemnly asks.

"...I don't really know, but I have to find them. I have to find my clan. They must be stopped." I respond with unwavering words.

A small smirk makes it's way onto the corner of Itachi's lips as he lets out a "Hmph."

I turn back around to face him. "What?"

"I'm relieved that you're no longer a threat to the Leaf."

"What do you mean? Why would you ever consider me to be a threat?"

"As I mentioned before, I had been checking in on you periodically. You see, I already knew of your clan's intentions to invade the Leaf. That's why I took it upon myself to watch your improvement. I had to ensure that you didn't follow in your clan's footsteps."

'How could he have known about that?'

"W-wait, is that why you said you couldn't allow a Kirui to live? It was because you knew what they were planning."

"Yes, you may not realize it, but you have the potential to posses great power. If you joined them it would only add to their man power. A risk I was not willing to take." He says.

*Gulp* "Yeah, no kidding. I thought I was going to die back there."

"Well that was the plan originally, but as it is no longer necessary I will help you find Muta along with your clan's hideout."

Surprised and slightly suspicious of Itachi's generous offer, I quickly question his motive. "Why are you choosing to help me?"

Itachi stood up and continued to speak "You plan to somehow stop the clan that wishes to invade the village I want to preserve. Seeing as our motives are now one in the same, it would be in both our best interests to work as allies."

'Work as allies? Is he serious?!'

"As a member of the Akatsuki, I cannot take independent actions against your clan. It would lead to conflict and a rise of suspicion between myself and the other members. That's where you come in."

"I'm not following." I say with a confused written expression.

"I can't gather intel on your clan if I'm the one acting against them. And you can't possibly hope to defeat Muta with the skill sets you obtain now, if you can even find him that is."

"I...I'll figure something out." I quietly spout immediately second guessing myself.

"There is nothing to figure out. And if you were hoping to find evidence of the Kirui's whereabouts in your old home, then you're out of luck. There is nothing of use inside."

'Crap, he's not leaving me with many options here. If there really is no lead to finding my clan in that house, like Itachi says, than I'll have no way of locating them...I could check the house myself. After all, there's no way of knowing if he's actually being honest.' My mind scrambles to find an adequate solution as Itachi slowly becomes impatient with my continued silence.

'Whether he lied isn't going to matter. He's right, even if I found my clan, I wouldn't be able to face my father with how I am now. In the end, I'll eventually need Itachi's help to get stronger.'

I shake my head once again looking at Itachi.

"You're right...I can't do this on my own."

"...Glad we finally see eye to eye." He says somehow satisfied with my answer. "Now, let us begin."

"Begin? With what?" I question.

"Your training."