No Need for Love

C h a p t e r 36 - New Ambitions

(Name)'s P.O.V

My eyes remain closed as my brows furrow in concentration. I steadily pace my breathing while listening to Itachi's instructions.

"Don't waver, keep focusing your chakra."

I give a slight nod in response as Itachi's stern voice fills the air around us. We were in a small clearing within the forest. One that wasn't very far from the cave-like hideout I now called my home. I stood in the center of the low growing grass while Itachi sat on a small boulder a little ways away in front of me. With the use of concentration I am able to mentally picture the flow of chakra within my body. It calmly moves within me like fluid water trickling down a stream. My breathing steadies itself even further as I await Itachi's next instructions.

"Now focus on the flow of your chakra and find the discrepancy within that flow. Once you've found it, remove it. Force it out with your own chakra."

"What am I looking for exactly?" I ask tilting my head in slight confusion.

"A disturbance in one of your chakra points. It will look similar and copy your flow, but it won't be one your own."

"How will I know when I've found it?" I question again.

"You'll feel it. Don't rush, you only have one chance to do this."

Even with my eyes closed, I could still feel the heat of Itachi's gaze boring into me. A small drop of sweat runs down the side of my cheek as I try my hardest to remain focused. I exhale deeply before continuing to search through my chakra points.

'Relax, I only have one shot to get this right. Stay focused, I can do this.'

I follow the flow of each of my chakra points but so far nothing feels out of the ordinary. I keep searching, making sure to be as thorough as possible. A few minutes pass and I have yet to feel any discrepancy within myself. Over half my chakra points have already been checked and it's not until I begin to doubt myself do I suddenly feel it. A small yet eerie sense laid hidden inside my chakra network.

'What the- This is chakra b-but...it feels kind of off for some reason.'

"Did you find it?" Itachi asks despite already knowing the answer.

"Y-yeah, I found it."

"Good, now surround it with your own chakra and force it out of your network. Do it quickly." He demands.

I immediately surround the foreign chakra with my own, being sure not to let any slip away. Without wasting another second I gather a surplus amount of my chakra around the point and force out the discrepancy. My body tenses for a moment before finally relaxing. Both my head and shoulders drop in relief as I open my eyes. A gust of wind brushes past my face as I look up to meet Itachi's ever burning gaze. I stare at him hoping to hear a few words of approval for the task I had just accomplished. Unfortunately, those words never come. Instead, I simply get a question.

"Did you succeed?"

"Yes." I answer curtly.

"Were you able to get rid of all traces of it?"

"Yes!...Or at least I think I did. Either way, I don't sense anymore of that strange chakra, so I'm pretty sure I got rid of it all." I confidently respond.

"Good, let's move on to-" Itachi begins in the midst of standing up.

"Wait, um..."

"What is it?" He asks with a surprising tone of patients in his voice.

"Well," I slowly begin while unconsciously shifting the weight of my body between my feet. Even though Itachi has started training me, I still find myself having a difficult time speaking with him. I guess I'm not used to him being the only person I can talk to. Especially since he isn't exactly the talking type. I'm sure Itachi feels the same way with constantly having me around. In short, we were still getting used to being in each others space. "You never told me what this chakra removal exercise was for. You made me practice this for a whole week before I could do the real thing, and you didn't tell me why...So I want to know." I finally let out.

"The chakra I had you get rid of was not your own. If it had stayed within you, it would have greatly hindered the remainder of your training."

"Not my own?" I question suddenly lost in Itachi's words. "I could feel that chakra and it was practically identical to mine, so how co-"

"It isn't that hard to figure out if you just stop and think (Name). Who's else could it be."

After a few seconds the thought had snapped within me.

'He couldn't mean...I-I mean there's just no way! How could it have been Muta's chakra? H-how? Where? When?'

"Based on your expression, I'm assuming you've figured it out." Itachi states.

"I don't understand. Why would he-" I question before getting interrupted.

"I'm sure he used it as a way to...monitor you." He carefully explains.

"Monitor? Is that why I could never tell anyone about his plan?"

"What do you mean?" Itachi asks with a new air of curiosity.

"The one time I tried to tell someone about what Muta was up to, he had suddenly appeared and killed them. He vanished after and the killing I saw was apparently some kind of genjutsu." I briefly summarize.

"Interesting, by implanting his chakra he was not only able to keep an eye on you, but also able to activate a genjutsu to stop you from spreading any details of his plan."

"That doesn't make sense though. If that's the case then how come the jutsu didn't work when I talked to you about Muta's plan?"

"I would assume the "trigger" that activates the genjutsu only works against those that aren't aware of his intentions." Itachi theorizes.

"So because you already knew, it didn't work? That's a relief." I say letting out an exasperated sigh.

"Precisely, now that you know, are you ready to continue your training? Things will only get harder from here." Itachi warns me.

"I understand. I have to do whatever it takes to get stronger. I'm ready." I declare with unwavering conviction.

"Very well, let's continue."

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3rd Person P.O.V

As (Name) began her rigorous training with Itachi, the remaining members of team seven found themselves facing one obstacle after another. During their trials at he chunin exam Sasuke becomes endowed with a strange curse mark from Orochimaru. With the new yet dangerous power, Sasuke is forced to battle his inner demons over control of it. After the invasion of the Leaf and the passing of the third Hokage, Sasuke finds himself wanting to gain greater power. He found himself wanting revenge against his older brother once again. Team seven in its entirety was his only reason for staying in the village, and without (Name) there, Sasuke could no longer convince himself to stay put. Sasuke would accept Orochimaru's offer for the sake of new found power and revenge. In (Name)'s absence he had finally lost himself. Sasuke had lost to his own dark ambitions.

Unbeknownst to the young lovers, their stray paths would one day cross again. Their fated encounter will bring with it misunderstanding and sorrow. Both (Name) and Sasuke will face each other in a new light as different people...