can you do a part 7 of reader infiltrates the akatsuki base! :D
Thank you both for the request! I do enjoy writing this series.
Part I
Part II
Part III
Part IV
Part V
Part VI
Reader infiltrates the Akatsuki’s base: Part VII
You couldn’t exactly remember what had happened next after Itachi lifted you up in his arms. You must have passed out since you woke up in a strange wooden room that was barren of any décor with only a flicker of candlelight allowing you to see. You could hear chirping crickets from outside and a light breeze filtering in from the jarred window. You took in the night sky and knew you had probably slept through the whole day.
Your head ached when you sat up in bed. The pain reminding you of your encounter with the tracking ninja from your village.
“You’re finally awake.”
His voice startled you in the night as you quickly turned your gaze to the opposite corner of the room where Itachi hid in the shadows. He was leaning back on a wooden chair with his head resting against the wall. Suddenly his eyes turn red, cutting through the darkness.
“It seems the drugs have finally subsided,” he commented as he shut his sharingan off.
“How long have I been out?” You muttered. The taste in your mouth was stale and your throat felt dry. Even your jaw hurt, you noticed. Your eyes were trained on Itachi but your mind was desperately trying to put the pieces together yourself from your memory.
“You been in and out of consciousness throughout the day. Do you not remember?” He spoke smoothly. His eyes critically locked on yours.
You shook your head but regretted your decision. You could feel the ache when you turned your head a certain way.
“You were thrashing a lot in your sleep. Probably from nightmares that the drug seemed to induce,” Itachi deduced and answered your unspoken question as to why your head hurt so bad. “You also rambled a bit while you were conscious.”
You grimaced at that and nodded. “His drugs can do that. That’s how he can get intel out of his victims through fear and an aberrated mind.”
“So you know this shinobi?”
“Yes and no. His name is Manzo Sekki. He’s a tracker ninja for the Land of Stone. He was a class ahead of me in the academy and graduated early for his impressive skill. He was known to be the most formidable in the chunin exams and he had exceeded in rank in the interrogation unit for his methods,” you answered. You had turned your gaze away from Itachi with your fist clenching slightly at the thought of Manzo.
“There’s more you aren’t sharing.” Itachi state plainly. His face vacant of expression but his eyes were vigilant and firm.
“I prefer to leave it at that,” you mentioned.
You felt the burn at the back of your neck and your hand instinctively held it. The cold from your hands doing little to stop the burn. Itachi had got up from his post. Your eyes followed him. You glared slightly out of annoyance but inwardly you remembered he had saved you from your demise. He took in your glare as if he could see right through you and stopped in his tracks in front of the bed.
“This is not a request. Anything even slightly informative that could benefit the Akatsuki or help the organization identify threats or lead to a mission success is vital which can waive your right to privacy.”
“It’s nothing really! Its only… I never liked, or was fond of Manzo. He and a few others were very unkind to me as a kid,” you answered carefully.
You felt the burning stop and knew Itachi believed you. You kept your gaze away from his, still annoyed but also from feeling shame at remembering your days in the academy. No one liked talking about how they were bullied on the playground. It made ninja like you feel weak.
“Well this Manzo adversary of yours got away. He fled as soon as Kisame and I showed up. I assume we will run into him again. Our mission is currently compromised if they know we’re here and where we are currently looking. The Tsuchikage will send more tracking ninja after you to stop you from spreading any more secrets or to hinder the Akatsuki,” Itachi spoke rather calmly.
“…”
You had no response. Obviously, you were angered that your village had sold you out and were so willing to discard you, versus save you from your hostage situation. Secondly, you were a bit disappointed that the shinobi that trapped you got away. You wouldn’t have been upset if Kisame had sliced him in all honesty. Even though, that’s horrible to say since he was once a comrade, but old scars were hard to forget.
“What… What did I say when I was out of it?” You asked after a moment in a low voice.
“Most of it was garbled, but there were a few words here and there. You mentioned your parents and said dead. You repeated the word puppets numerous times. You said sand, dark, dolls, trap, death, scared, and you mentioned Sasori a few times,” Itachi enlightened.
You couldn’t lift your head to look at Itachi. You knew what those words meant, and you felt uncomfortably exposed.
Itachi watched your demeanor change and how you slightly flinched at certain words he spoke. There was meaning that he didn’t fully grasp yet, but he was certain it was to do with your past which only led him to speculate.
“Are your parents deceased?” He asked quite bluntly.
“Yes.”
“Was the Sand responsible?”
You nodded, not liking how close Itachi was getting to the truth.
“How?” His voice held authority.
“They were drafted into the 3rd Great Ninja War and they never came back when they were sent to protect the territory claimed between the Land of Earth and the Land of Wind,” You answered with clenched teeth unwillingly.
“Did Sasori have a hand in your parents’ death?”
You shook your head rapidly. “No.”
“Then why-“
“Please…” You begged with strain in your voice. You didn’t want your mind to go there. You could feel your emotions riling up. Even your chakra was spiking wildly because of it and you were sure Itachi could feel it too. You looked him in the eyes, asking him for this mercy. “Please, can we drop the topic?”
You saw Itachi’s eyes soften for a minute, surprising you. However, he soon regained his stern features. He turned his back towards you and began to retreat out of the room.
“Continue to rest. At dawn we’re leaving. Kisame has been impatient over your recovery. I would not make him wait any longer,” Itachi advised.
He didn’t look back at you as he opened and shut the door after himself, leaving you to your thoughts in the barren room. You were grateful that he hadn’t pushed you further to reveal your past and were appreciative that he had saved you from your adversary and kept you from Kisame’s impatient hand. After these last few incidents, your heart churn with warmth for Itachi. You saw compassion in his eyes. That was new to you and left you wondering if there was more to Itachi than what he was known for.
Part VIII
