WANTED: Itachi Uchiha

Yonjuuyon

Reina was scared.

She was not her uncle. She didn't have a deck of aces stashed up her sleeve and she didn't have a secret rabbit hidden in her hat. Although mischievous, she was not malicious or vindictive. Atsushi was. He wouldn't hesitate to throw her under an oncoming bus if it meant he could get his hands on more power.

Atsushi was not her grandfather. He was no shinobi. His weapons cache consisted of well crafted lies and the ability to pull strings and manipulate people from afar. He was not one for physical prowess. It's not that that she was worried about. She was worried about her own resolve. She was worried about her own weapons cache. They hadn't been used in so long she wasn't even sure what was in there.

"Are you ready?" Itachi asked, popping his head in their bedroom, his belongings now mixed in amongst hers.

"I don't have a choice." Reina murmured as she tightened the straps on her wrist guards. Itachi crossed the room and took Reina's wrist in his hands, double checking the straps and buckles, tugging them slightly. "I don't know how you do it." Reina added quietly.

"Do what?"

"Go into battle without crumbling."

Itachi huffed a laugh. "You do realise you're talking to the person who tried to take his own life because of the stress, right?"

"Itachi, I'm scared." Reina whispered looking up at Itachi, her eyes glassy. "I could lose my clan. I'm petrified."

"You are not going to lose your clan." Itachi said firmly, taking Reina by the shoulders. "I heard what you did for me - to Izumi." He whispered. "You are a formidable shinobi. You can do this."

Reina searched his eyes for any indication he was lying. She couldn't find one. All she saw staring back at her was unbridled resolve and love.

"I need you to promise me something." Reina began, laying her palms flat on his chest. "I need you to go to your therapy sessions and~"

"Reina no."

"I need you to go to your therapy sessions and be honest with the counsellor." Reina repeated herself, talking over Itachi when he tried to deflect her. "I need you to take your tablets as they're prescribed." Reina stared at him, raising a brow to emphasise her words. "And I need you to get out there and have a life, because you are so emo that it hurts." Reina huffed a laugh whilst tears began to fall down her cheeks.

"Reina please." Itachi begged, his own eyes leaking.

"I just need you to be happy if anything should happen to me."

Itachi stared at Reina, memorising the curves of her face and the pattern of her freckles. "We're going to be happy together." Reina smiled sadly, leaning into his hand as he palmed her cheek. "Because you have 801 freckles on your face and I did not spend my time counting them to let you go and die."

"Itachi..." Reina whispered.

"So you are going to be fine. We are going to get through this duel. Then we are going to come home and have some takeaway to celebrate."

Reina sniffed and wiped her eyes. "Extra gyoza?"

"Extra gyoza."

•••

The trio stood at the vacant sparring field, the breeze blowing small clouds of dirt across the ground. Reina had tried to tell them to stay at home, that she would be home in a jiffy; instead they both double checked her wrist and shin guards as well as eyeing the level of her katana.

"He's here." Reina whispered, breathing in deeply. Itachi and Sasuke looked at each other seeing that no one had arrived. "And he's not alone."

"How on earth do you know that?" Sasuke asked, furrowing his brows.

Reina walked up and down the paintline of the field, stepping toe to heel to keep herself focused. "My kekkai genkai is molecular based." Reina murmured idly. "I can transmute and absorb matter so I can sense literally every molecule - even the leftovers of Naruto's aftershave on your throat alongside the burst capillaries that have turned into a rather nasty looking bruise..." Reina wavered  off, a sly shadow of a smile creeping onto the corners of her lips.

Sasuke's response was to tug the collar of his shirt higher whilst Itachi smirked.

"See? Molecular." Reina parroted.

As forecasted Atsushi wasn't alone. Beside him were two prison guards...and Danzō Shimura.

Something wasn't right.

"What's he doing here?" Sasuke asked, attempting to keep the bite from his voice. Itachi said nothing, he too attempted to keep his emotions in check. He knew Danzō had ambushed Shisui shortly before he died - and it angered him. Infuriated him in fact. His friend would likely have been here today if it weren't for that man standing across the field.

"Danzō-san is here as my proxy." Atsushi replied with a feral smile curling onto his lips. Danzō said nothing, he simply sized Reina up from across the way. Sasuke and Itachi snapped their heads to head, frowning when she didn't so much as react to his words. Afterall she knew he would pull something like this.

"He can't do that, can he? The duel was between you and him, not you and Danzō?" Sasuke muttered to Reina out of earshot of the older males. Reina nodded silently.

"He lived with us long enough to read the bylaws of the clan. He found a loophole to protect himself. Fourth Schedule, Paragraph 4b: If the inducer of the fixture is found in ill health, a proxy may be invoked to perform in their stead." Reina reeled off the section word for word causing Atsushi to smirk.

"I see our lessons weren't completely in vain."

"Have you informed your proxy that this is not a duel to the death? Merely until one party forfeits." Reina called out, her stance steady and structured - just how Sasuke had told her.

"Hai. He has." Danzō answered, taking a step forward onto the field, using his walking stick as he went. Reina saw through his guise. He was no decrepit old man; you don't get to be the head of an organisation by being frail or delicate. He was goading her.

"And have you told your posse that if they intervene it is an automatic forfeit on your behalf?" Atsushi added as he took a seat, his prison officers standing either side of him.

"Hai. She has." Itachi parroted, his eyes boring into Atsushi's. The elder male looked him up and down but dared not venture towards his eyes. He was no fool to look an Uchiha, let alone Itachi Uchiha in the eye. Sasuke simply bared his teeth, his nose wrinkled and his lips pulled back in a snarl that could be described only as predatory.

"Well then." Atsushi murmured, folding his hands into his sleeves. "Hajime."

Reina stood her ground, poised and ready. Danzō looked at her apathetically, she was too young to lead, she wasn't hard enough, her skin too soft, too fragile. Too weak.

So he rammed the blade hidden in his cane straight through her chest.