Tortured Uchiha [CURRENTLY EDITING]

二十一

F O O L S    E R R A N D

       "Oh c'mon Shinkoshoku Toge, don't tell me you're getting tired," gloated my opponent. He seemed to roil the crowd up by raising his arms so they could cheer louder; it reminded me of the Uchiha Trials.  

      From what I gathered, my 'opponent' was an oblivious rogue from Iwagakure who got himself piss-drunk after an unsuccessful relocation or if he killed off a new set of Kirigakure hunter ANBU who tried to claim the bounty on his head.   

     His name, which I'd discovered from the Bingo Book, was Ishi Inazuma. I found it such a laugh since his name meant 'stone lightning', and Doton would always lose to Raiton. That being said, the point of the fight was to take Ishi down and then deliver his body to the collection office so one of the Akatsuki members could receive the bounty―consider it as a silent betterment for both parties.

     I dodged yet another one of Ishi's clumsy blind jabs as he staggered forward into the crowd before being pushed back into the fight. I adjusted my mask which I hadn't taken off for all the years that I'd left Konohagakure―even through the jumping crowd I could see the two men in thick black cloaks with high collars. The five red clouds alerted me that the Akatsuki were finally here, probably wondering what was taking me so long.

     The Akatsuki and I had a mutual agreement. The organisation as a whole, tolerated me because I killed their bounties and hangers-on. If someone asked too many questions, I'd put a stop to it. I wasn't a member, I didn't want to be, and on three occasions throughout leaving Konohagakure, I had refused acceptance into their twisted plots. If Itachi left the organisation, then I'd sever all ties with the Akatsuki. But since he still remained a loyal member, I was still 'bettering' their cause.

     As agreed with Hiruzen Sarutobi, I ran under an alias to avoid detection. None of the Akatsuki members questioned it since I'd only ever encountered them at a distance. I would kill and leave the body; the two partners would take the victim to the collection office to receive the money. Simple. No questions asked.

     It was always the same men that found me since I kept up to date with their bounties. The taller one that had strange dull green eyes and dark skin always held a briefcase which would be filled with money―his partner on the other hand, had silver slicked back hair with the red scythe. His mouth and mind that ran in the gutter, nothing was without a sexual innuendo.  

     They waited patiently.    

       Since no jutsu were allowed in our fight, I put my training to good use. I rarely relied on chakra anymore since my own stamina and strength was enough to pull me through battles.

      I slid between Ishi's legs and rammed my knee into the middle of his spine. I didn't pause for a moment and slammed my fist into the side of his neck, after I heard a satisfying crack of the disks in his neck slowly clicking out of place, I raised my leg high―despite my lack of flexibility―and ground my foot into Ishi's cheek.

I expected retaliation from Ishi as he grabbed me by the leg and forcefully pulled me to the ground. He flung me over his shoulder despite his neck injury, and proceeded to kick me in the gut. His assault wasn't over; he flicked my hood back and grabbed me by my hair.

     "Let's get this cloak off, shall we?" Ishi gave a throaty laugh as he attempted to unfasten the cloak. "My, what long hair you have Shinkoshoku Toge. It would be a shame if someone...cut it off."

     With my bandaged left arm, hiding the scars that were dealt to be back when Karasu answered to me, I grabbed Ishi's wrist that fumbled with the cloak. I dug my nails in deep and with my right hand, I pulled the Nagamaki from its sheath across my back. It took a bit of manoeuvring to pry the sword free, but I managed and pressed the elongated blade to Ishi's throat.