Spark (A Naruto Fanfic Book 1)

Chapter 12

Darkness greeted me when I woke up the next morning. "Hm, I wonder if Itachi's already up." I remembered he was training the first night I met him. I showered the donned black pants, lilac long sleeve shirt, and dark grey vest I had bought coming back the day before. I had no intentions of being touched today, but I erred on the side of caution.

I looked at the two pairs of gloves I had picked out the day before. "Fingers or no fingers." After picking a pair, I placed my weapon pouch on my hip and slipped into my shoes. I appreciated being able to walk out the front door without fear of being caught.

The night air was cool, removing any sleep that lingered. I swiftly walked into the trees, trying to remember where I had discovered him the first time. I knew I was on track when I heard metal piercing wood. I masked my chakra and approached silently.

He was doing the same as before, expertly hitting each target with ease. I noted that he made them more difficult to hit in one move. I waited for him to collect his weapons and clear the way, preparing to nail this exercise too. When I was sure he wouldn't get hurt, I ran and leaped gracefully into the air, letting my knives fly.

When I landed, I looked at each target and smiled at Itachi. The second of surprise I saw flash across his features was satisfying. As I went to retrieve my weapons, I heard his now familiar 'hn' and looked at him again. I shrugged and finished my task.

He began to move the targets again, this time hiding some between trees and shrubbery. "Try this." He stepped aside, figuring I'd be at a disadvantage. I analyzed the locations for a moment before jumping into action. I observed my handiwork and looked back at Itachi.

He smirked. "Even hit the blind spots dead on without the Sharingan. Keep this up, and you'll be labeled as a prodigy, too."

I tilted my head. "What's that? Another clan?"

He raised an eyebrow. "No, it's a young person with extraordinary talents."

I looked back to the targets. "So..."

He gestured for me to move so he could also aim for the targets. When he finished, he turned to me, red eyes blazing. I quickly looked away. "It means that you are expected to do great things... and that other villages should look out for you."

I turned my back to him, placing my hands behind my head. "Hn."

I felt him come up beside me. "Why are you awake anyway?"

I avoided looking at his eyes. "I could ask you the same."

He was silent for a moment. "Well, I guess we can start training then."

I shrugged, turning to him. "I suppose."

He gazed at me with onyx eyes. "This isn't a good place someone could see us." I nodded, waiting for his solution. "Follow me."

He took to the trees, with me following close behind. I couldn't help, but remember out running him the first night. He started to leap through the branches faster, and I made sure to keep up. You won't lose me, even if you did, finding you would be easy.

As if he heard my thoughts, he began soaring through the trees, I was falling behind. "Hey!"

He didn't bother to turn around. "Catch me if you can." He went even faster. There was no way I could keep up, but there was a way to track him. I activated the Byuakugan and watched his chakra move through the foliage.

I focused some chakra on my feet to speed up. I was proud when I saw myself catching up, deciding to take to the ground. I ran at full speed until he was above me. I leaped up, trying to get him to the ground, and was surprised that I caught him off guard, causing me to crash into him.

The ground was approaching quickly as we tried to unravel ourselves. Luckily, we managed and landed on our feet. He glared at me. "Are you crazy?"

I thought a moment, smiling innocently. "Crazy? No. Spontaneous? Yes. Reckless? At times." He turned and walked toward whatever destination we were headed to. "Where are we going?" He ignored me. He really can't be that mad.

I grabbed his shirt. "I'm sorry for whatever I did to upset you, but I would really like to know where we are going." He pulled himself free of my hold. "Fine, I'm leaving." I began to mask my chakra as I turned to go back to the clearing we left.

He kept walking. "Do what you want." I didn't take the time to reply as I began to retrace my steps. Jerk. I frowned as the thought crossed my mind.

I turned when I heard the rustle of leaves. "Itachi..." No. I felt an ominous presence near me but couldn't pinpoint its location. I continued to walk but couldn't shake the feeling of being watched. I can't risk using the Byuakugan.

I braced as I felt the person coming fast. I turned to face them, kunai drawn. Our knives clashed, and they retreated a bit, watching me with yellow eyes. "You felt me approaching... Impressive."

I prepared to fight. "Who are you?"

They stowed their weapon away. "Orochimaru, I believe you will make a very interesting experiment." Experiment?