UZUMAKI SHIPPUDEN!

[11.] A Dirty Secret!

All of a sudden, I felt my chest get lighter and I couldn't feel Itachi all around me instead Sakura and Chiyo were looking down at me in concern. 'He took me out...like I asked' I thought completely confused and Naruto was right beside me looking just as confused. 'Was he in the genjutsu with me, so was that him who said those things?' I felt like I was going to start crying again, but I held back my tears instead I grabbed his hand.

"Mito?" he asked and I gave him a reassuring squeeze wiping away his tears. 'It wasn't him, we were separated so Itachi broke him out too?'

"This is more for me than you," I smiled holding his hand even tighter.

"Bad?"

"The worst," I laughed wiping away my own tears and then I got up to hug Sakura "I'm so sorry for everything, don't hate me."

"Mito, I don't hate you" Sakura said giving me a weird look, but I couldn't shake the feeling of guilt just yet. 'I have to tell her soon, even if Sasuke and I aren't dating or ever really dated.'

"Okay I'm alright now," I nodded letting go of her and getting into our ready position for the attack. Itachi formed the signs for a fireball jutsu aimed directly for us and luckily we were able to get out of the way. 'Perfect cover up for the chidori,' I thought seeing Kakashi charge towards him, but get caught off short just as we planned. Then the area slowly started getting covered in mist, 'if his eyesight is already weakened than this is the perfect jutsu, exploiting his weakness Sensei.' I thought not taking my eyes off of Itachi, he seemed calm about the whole situation so he probably wasn't too affected. Then Kakashi stepped out throwing three kunai at him which he easily dodged and countered with another fireball to dispel all the mist. 'Everything's happening so fast I can barely keep up' I thought seeing Kakashi's clone head to head with Itachi, 'they're so close..' I thought feeling my face unintentionally heat up. "I can't be thinking that way right now!" I whisper-yelled looking at Naruto, it was almost our time.

"Now! Take him out you guys, shadow clone and all!" Kakashi signaled and we ran over doing our twin rasengan, aka the giant rasengan. We each formed a rasengan and right before we made contact they absorbed each other which left quite the dent.

"Twin Rasengan!" We yelled making contact with Itachi, but he was smiling. 'I can't tell what he's thinking, that's so unsettling' I thought pulling away unconsciously, but the damage was already done.

"What was up with that smile?" Naruto asked looking just as disturbed as me and I pinched him to make sure it wasn't a genjutsu. "Ow! Why would you pinch me that was uncalled for Sis!"

"A pure, genuine Naruto reaction so this isn't a genjutsu" I sighed with a small smile then we all walked over to the body, but it wasn't Itachi's. 'He didn't have the time to switch out so who is this and when did they come here?'

"Yura," Chiyo mumbled looking down at the body sadly.

"Granny Chiyo you know him?" I asked frowning at her saddened look. 'Was he a fellow sand shinobi?'

"I do, Yura was in charge of the defenses he must've been a spy"she explained and that meant he was the reason the infiltration was so easy for the Akatsuki.

"That's why Gaara was captured," I said to myself thinking about all the time we wasted messing around with a fake. 'Couldn't have been a fake though, that was definitely one of Itachi's jutsus.' I thought hearing Kakashi and Chiyo discuss how the extraction had most likely already begun. So we began running towards them as fast as we could to save Gaara in time. "I won't let him die, the Akatsuki can't take him away."

"Lady Chiyo what exactly is a jinchuriki?" Sakura asked very distressed about the whole situation. Chiyo began explaining how the people harboring the tailed beasts were referred to as jinchuriki.

"You really don't know anything about this girl?" Chiyo scolded, if only she knew.

"In the leaf that kind of information is confidential,"

"Yeah it's treated as a dirty little secret," I muttered speeding up towards the front. 'That's all we are to Konoha, their dirty secret, a weapon, monsters.'

***

The constant glares and giggling always happened. Yet it was never behind my back adults would never try to mask their disgust. This is how I lived my life, this is what I heard as I walked down the streets. I was by myself getting groceries for the house. 'Naru-nii warned me' I thought wearily, I turned into an alley for the shortcut. The alley was dirty with garbage and spray paint I was walking peacefully when I saw three men.

"Hmmm you're the monster girl, where's the other runt?" One of them asks getting closer, I clutch the grocery bag closer. Desperately trying to control my fear. "Well that doesn't matter, we can have fun without him." He said grabbing the hem of my dress I shrieked I wanted to move, but I was frozen. 'I've got this' I thought by shoving him away. I kick him in the shin and he falls back, the other two charge at me I jump up and they bump into each other. They all got up again and pinned me to the ground I screamed and they covered my mouth. One of them grabbed a switch knife and my eyes widened. 'No no no.'

***

That's what I was accustomed to, how I had to live my life. All because people misunderstood who I was at the core of my being. 'I didn't choose to be this way, but to hell if I let it weigh me down.' I smirked feeling a lot better about the whole thing, jinchuriki or not I was Mito Uzumaki, legendary ninja.