Chapter 57
A/N: Check out my new One Piece fanfic (The Conglomerate) available publically, and if you wanna read ahead a bit, you know where to go 😉
ITACHI UCHIHA
Itachi was strong. There was no doubt about it. He faced chunin and Tokubetsu jounin daily because of his rank in the Police Force. People around him praised him for being a genius and compared him with his brother, yet he had always known they were wrong.
A genius he may be, but he could not compare to his brother. Izuna Uchiha had been a household name by the age of nine and had an S-rank bounty on his head by the age of ten. Then for the next five years he had single-handedly led an offensive in a war against Kirigakure, and had great success.
In comparison to him, Itachi was nothing. He had known that there was a gap between them, but he had no idea that it was as vast as this.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
He deflected another barrage of shuriken as he landed back on the ground, his body searing with pain. He cradled one of his arms, that had been broken earlier by the woman standing infront of him.
And despite the hours and hours of battle, she seemed as impassive and unbothered as ever. It had been morning when this had begun, and now the Sun had set, and both Saiko and Anko were gone. Captured, immobilised or worst of all killed, as he continued to struggle, trying to avenge them.
"You have skills," she praised him, as she levitated in the air like an Angel, and looking at her he was reminded of her other name, one used for her in the Bingo Book.
The Angel of Death, and he found it apt, given that he could not imagine any possible way of defeating her. Ninjutsu, taijutsu, and even genjutsu. He had used it all, but no avail as he attacks failed to leave an impact at all.
"But make no mistake, you have been coddled by those around you. You are nothing but wasted potential," and he grit his teeth, as a dark corner in his heart told him that she was right.
That he was indeed wasted potential. A genius, they called him. But would his brother have struggled so much against her, would he have let down his teammates?
No. Never.
Izuna Uchiha had fought against the odds and defeated a whole Kiri platoon led by a Kushimaru Kuriarare, and had won the battle.
"You are right," he agreed with her, as he pushed himself to stand straight.
"In comparison to my brother, I am wasted potential," he began, as he reached into his reserves, which had been reduced to mere ambers, and pushed them into his sword, which gained an orange hue, as he found himself pushed into a corner.
This technique was still in the works, and he had planned to use it against Izuna-nii during their spar to surprise, but now he had no choice but to use it.
"I am weak, inexperienced," and she smiled.
"Good of you to finally recognise your follies. Perhaps if you had realised them earlier your friends would still be alive," and a rational part of him tried to convince him that both Anko and Saiko were alive, that this was a test and she was simply trying to push him.
But even if there was a sliver of a chance that she was not lying. That she had indeed, killed them, then he would avenge them.
Even if it was the last thing he would do.
His grip over his blade tightened. The sword a gift to him from his brother, made out of chakra conducting metal, as he raised it and decalred his intentions.
"Useless, as I may be. But today I will defeat you even if it is the last thing I do," and papers began to flood out of her sleeves, and gather behind her in a swirling storm, as they took the form of a giant dragon.
"Ninpo:..." and the might beast roared as it coiled around him, as Itachi pushed all his chakra into his sword, and felt it get so hot that the metal began to crack and char, as he announced his own technique.
"Katon:..." and he broke out into a stride as she raised her own hand, prompting the giant beast infront of her to attack.
"Devouring Dragon..." "Kyositsuji...."
And just as he was about to swing his blade, and the dragon was about to strike, two figures blurred in between them, as he felt someone grab his hand, while the other person punched the dragon.
BOOOOM!
"CHAAAA!"
"I think that is quite enough," the intruder whispered, and he looked up and saw that it was his own brother holding his hand, as he smiled down at him, and slowly removed his sword from hand.
His hands had begun to scald from the heat, as he looked up and saw that the monster created by her paper had been crushed into the ground, in a massive crater, as a blonde woman stood tall facing the purple-haired kunoichi.
"Were you really going to kill him?" she asked, and it took him a second to recognise who it was. That face, those clothes. It was none other than Tsunade-Senju, a Sanin, and he began to wonder what she was doing here.
"No," Konan-san answered as she descended to the ground.
"I just wanted to show him the reality of the ninja world," and then suddenly two more people landed beside him.
"Itachi-kun!" "You Uchiha bastard!" and he turned to the side, as his heart lept with relief as he saw Saiko and Anko-san rushing towards him.
"You are alive," he gasped as they both nodded.
"Yeah, she sent us into the forest to sit with them," Saiko pointed towards his brother and Lady Tsunade, as he felt his brother's hand on his arms, as a green hue came over them.
"Sit still, and let me heal you," and his wounds began to heal, as he turned towards the purple-haired woman.
"You could have taken it a bit easier, you know. He is my brother," he complained a bit jollily, and her expression did not shift as she came and stopped infront of them.
"That is exactly why I did not take it easy on him," she added, looking straight at him.
"Being related to you puts a great target on his back. Shinobi from all the villages will target him as a way of getting back at you, and he must be ready to face them all, if he wishes to be a shinobi," and then she turned to Saiko and Anko.
"The same goes for you two. They will not spare you, and being his teammates, you put yourself in a greater danger than any regular genin," and that was the truth. A harsh truth.
"So, what is your verdict?" questioned Lady Tsunade, as Itachi perked up, and all of them turned towards her, to hear her decision.
"The three of you are skilled. You have a solid foundation, yet you have been coddled," she began.
"You do not know war. You do not know battle, and that is what you will face out there. War. Battle. Death," and her voice grew quieter as he uttered the last part.
"But there is hope. Your solid foundation gives you an edge, and your three are not average in your skill set. With some time, I am confident that I could turn you into a proper, respectable, and feared shinobi," and she looked straight at him.
"That is if you still want to be shinobi," and Itachi turned towards his two teammates, whose eyes were glinting with determination, as they all turned towards the purple-haired kunoichi and nodded.
"We will be in your care, Konan-sensei," they announced, and the woman nodded.
"Then take tomorrow to heal and rest. I will see you back here at 0600, the day after tomorrow. Dismissed," and then she turned around, and began to walk towards the forest, as Anko and Saiko all smiled widely.
"Yes. We passed," and just as Anko had jumped, she grimaced as he held her side, as Tsunade-san cut in.
"You three are in need of proper medical care. And for that, you are coming with me to the hospital," and his brother helped him up, he had healed the most urgent of his wounds by now.
"Congratulations, Itachi," he said, but he did not feel elated.
"I am sorry for disappointing you," he whispered, his eyes rooted to the ground. Suddenly, a rather familiar sensation of pain rippled through his forehead, and as Itachi looked up, he saw his brother smiling down at him.
"You lot did quite well. There are a few things that you need to improve upon, but generally, you should be proud of yourself. As for defeating her, the thing is, you lot never stood a chance against her," he said thoughtfully.
"As good as you are, currently, you people do not stand a chance against an S-ranked shinobi," and with that, he ruffled his hair.
"So go with Lady Tsunade and be proud of yourself. I will see you guys later," and with that, he waved at them before giving Lady Tsunade a nod, as he jumped away.
"Where is he going?" questioned Saiko, as Lady Tsunade.
"Izuna is quite a busy person, and you three have an appointment with the hospital. So, can you walk on your own or do I have to carry you three now..."
"We can walk...."
0000
IZUNA UCHIHA
The battle between Konan and Itachi's team had lasted for quite sometime, and in the end the result had been as he had predicted. As good as Itachi and his team were, they could not match Konan in their current state.
Konan was a veteran S-ranked shinobi who had spent five years beside him, fighting a war. Even a normal shinobi would become quite a menace after such an experience, and she was no regular shinobi.
She may have been a bit harsh, but she was their sensei, and it was her prerogative to deal with her students as she pleased. As Izuna rushed through the forest, he saw her standing there.
"Why are you following me?" she asked as he jumped down to the ground and stood but a few steps away from me.
"You may be able to fool others, but not me," he answered, as he looked her in the eye.
"I don't know what you are talking about," she resorted to lying, as Izuna sighed and stepped forward.
"You can barely stand, and are injured quite severely. You need to come with me to the hospital," and her lips thinned, as her secrets were revealed, but she was stubborn.
"I will not go to the hospital," she retorted as Izuna sighed.
"Then I have an apartment near the hospital. I could bring my supplies the..." but again she shook her head once more.
"No," and his lips thinned.
"You need to see an Iryo-nin Konan. If you have a problem with me, I can ask Lady Tsunade..." and she cut in.
"My apartment, you can bring the supplies there," and Izune nodded as they finally reached a compromise, and just as they were about to move, suddenly, he saw her stumble as she began to fall.
Izuna was quick to react, as he appeared beside her and stopped her from falling.
"They really pushed you to the limit," he began, as he lowered himself and lopped his arms around her legs and brought her up in a Princess carry.
"What are you doing? Put me down!" she lashed out as Izuna smirked.
"No. You can barely stand. Tell me where your apartment is and I will take you there," he asked, and she shook her head.
"Someone will see us," and he raised a brow.
"So, you don't have a problem as long as no one sees this," he asked, not missing her intentions, as she found herself tongue-tied.
"You forget who you are talking to. I could walk out like this on the open street and still no one would be able to see us if I desired so," for that was just how powerful he was.
"Just take me back home," and he nodded.
"As you say, my lady...."
.
.
.
And half an hour later, he sat beside her as he bandaged her leg, sitting in her rather small and dingy apartment.
"Why did you agree to take the team?" he asked, as he broke off the bandage and straightened her leg, and put his hands on her abdomen as he began to use Iryo-ninjutsu to heal her internal injuries.
"Minato-san could not have forced you," for in the end, the decision did rest with her, and without her consent, she would never ever have been handed a team.
"Because you were right," and he was surprised by those words as he glanced to the side and saw her looking at his face.
"I was not living. I was surviving. Yahiko and Nagato, I thought that I must carry the burden of their dream all by myself, but I was wrong," and she covered her eyes with her arm as she continued.
"This dream of peace. It was not theirs. It belongs to us all, to all members of Akatsuki, to Jiraiya-sensei, to Minato-san, to you and the thousand others who wish to leave behind a better world, a peaceful world," and her voice shook, as she continued.
"And just as Nagato and Yahiko entrusted me with their dream, I must pass it on to the next generation, rather than wallowing in pity and despair. I must live, rather than survive, for that is what they really wanted for the Ame and the world," and she was sobbing, and he saw tears slide down her face as he slowly healed her injuries.
"I am glad that you have finally begun to see that," and he truly was glad that she had cast away the shadow of death that had been hanging over her for the past five years.
"I just miss them so much," she whispered, and it was the first time he had seen her cry and utter those words.
"I can understand," he said, remembering his own childhood friend whom he had lost.
"The pain it will never truly go away. The thought that perhaps their death was somehow your fault it will eat away at you no matter what you do. But you push forward. You push forward because that is what they would have wanted from you. After all, now you are the carrier of their legacy, a legacy that you must pass on to the next generation so that they will never be forgotten," and his words seemed to surprise her, as she lowered her hand and glanced at him.
"You..." she realised as her swollen red eyes widened, as he nodded.
"Yes, you are not the only one who has lost people dear to them, Konan," and her eyes widened, and she gulped.
"But you..."
"Years ago, I was just like you, wallowing in pain and rage until I learned to move on and be better. So, I understand your pain. Understand it better than anyone else," and she was silent as he continued to heal her, as silence descended onto her room.
"Tell me about them?" she finally added, and he shook his head.
"It doesn't matter," but she grabbed his hand making him look into her eyes.
"Please," she begged, and he gave in.
"His name was Shisui Uchiha...."
.
.
.
And as he healed her, he told her about Shisui, about his joyful nature and his dream of peace. She told him about their friendship, about their training, and jokes, his death and then his revenge.
By then, the evening had turned into the night, and the Sun was long gone, as he finished with her healing.
"I will be going now. Sleep well, I will come to visit you in the morning," he smiled at her as he stood up. Just as he was about to walk away, he felt her grab onto his sleeve, as she desperately.
"I am tired of being alone," she whispered.
"Stay..." she asked of him, and after thinking for a second, he sat down again.
"Sleep, Konan," he whispered as he gave her a smile and pulled up her blanket.
"I will be sitting right here when you wake up...."
0000
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