I love love love the reader invades the akatsuki series, could you release the next part?
Thank you for the request :)
Part I
Part II
Part III
Part IV
Part V
Part VI
Part VII
Part VIII
Reader infiltrates the Akatsuki’s base: Part VIIII
You were running as fast as your legs could carry you. Your heart was racing and the blood was pumping fast through your veins. Your chakra levels were spiking, and you could feel your pursuer closing in. You were afraid to be captured once again, even though you were promised it wouldn’t happen. The seal on the back of your neck burning with intensity.
You were being followed by your enemy and by your fellow allies: Itachi and Kisame. You trusted Itachi more so than Kisame but not enough to make the fear disappear. You were going to be captured; that was part of the plan since you were bait, yet you were still going to put up a good fight and you were going to try your hardest to keep from being drugged again.
You pulled out a paper bomb in your determination. The trees were getting sparse, and Manzo was hot on your tail. You placed a couple paper bombs on the passing trees as you weaved through the thinning foliage. Explosions followed a few seconds afterwards and then silence, but you kept moving.
Suddenly you heard the ground grumble from behind you and felt the tremors from under the ground. You checked over your shoulder briefly and saw the earth catching up to you on both sides. You knew this earth style jutsu. It was a pursuit jutsu where the rocks followed its target like a zigzagging underground snake. The rocks were catching up to you and you could tell the jutsu was going to cut you off right as you made it out of the tree line to an open plain.
You grab another paper bomb in preparation. Manzo was closing in. You had to make this believable. The twin underground rock snakes sped pass you and merged in front of you creating a barrier of rock. You threw the paper bomb ahead of you at the rock formation. You didn’t change course as the bomb exploded and you jumped over and through the hole of the tumbling rocks. You landed gracefully and were ready to continue to run when your feet were caught by the ground like quicksand.
You gasped and within seconds the earth twisted and ate you up to where nothing but your head and shoulders were above the ground. You were caught and not a second later, Manzo stood in front of you.
He squatted by your head looking you directly in the eyes through his creepy tracker mask. You struggled to break free, but the dirt was too compact with chakra to move an inch. Your heart was racing overtime as the man chuckled.
“We meet again, Y/N.” He spoke calmly and very much pleased.
“Let me go! You’re making a mistake!” You shouted, your voice cracking.
“I don’t think I am. I know a traitor when I see one. Where’s your partners?” Manzo quipped, not phased.
“There not my partners” you lied pathetically.
“Right…:” Manzo spoke sarcastically. He started digging into his knapsack at his hip. “You could have fooled me. Foes don’t typically save one another. Now let’s pick up where we left off last time to get to the truth of the matter,” Manzo stated unsympathetic as your eyes widened in fear.
“Not so fast,” Itachi’s cool voice cut through the air.
Manzo paused and turned to look at the pair as he slowly stood up straight to face them. Itachi and Kisame stood on the other side of the clearing and from where you were at they certainly looked intimidating. Kisame’s hand was already on his sword’s handle and Itachi had his hand poking out from his Akatsuki cloak with his sharingan activated.
Manzo chuckled slightly from beneath his mask. “Did you really think I would come alone?” He asked with amusement in his voice.
Suddenly ten stone shinobi appeared into the clearing landing beside Manzo. You couldn’t sense their chakras and a pit sank into your stomach as you recognize the familiar masks. You swallowed thickly. Not because this stone division was formidable but because they were comrades you used to work with.
“Meet the Stone’s Covert Division. A silent and undetected group of shinobi all capable of hiding their chakra for scouting and ambushing opponents. The same division that Y/N was brought up in and they have every intention in helping me bring back one of their one,” your captor declared.
Itachi did not seem phased as Kisame smirked arrogantly not at all intimidated.
Manzo continued in confidence after taking out an object from his pocket, holding it diligently in his hands. “Leave or face your fears.”
“I believe its time you face yours,” Itachi answered coolly.
Manzo stood frozen in place while his comrades glanced at his state briefly, before engaging to attack as Itachi called out Kisame’s name. Kisame’s gave a smile as he pulled his sword out from behind his back and charged in front of Itachi covering him to clash with the stone ninja. You watched in horrific shock as Kisame cut a few of your former comrades down with ease in a gruesome bloody scene. You looked away as Itachi joined the fight. You realized the dirt surrounding you had lost its strength and was soft. You looked up at Manzo seeing he was still paralyzed from whatever Itachi had done to him, most likely a genjutsu.
You rushed to break your arms free from the ground with the sounds of your fellow shinobi screams filling the background noise. One of the shinobi let off a smoke bomb, no doubt to add coverage to sneak up on Akatsuki to gain the upper hand. You could only feel some of your comrades, their chakra either hidden or having been snuffed out completely. You tried not to concentrate on the scene as you struggled out of the dirt. A stray shuriken flew out and cut your cheek. You hissed putting more effort into getting your legs free.
Once you were freed, you crawled over to the tree line and turned your attention back to the battle at hand, not sure what to do and who to help. The smoke was dissipating and within seconds there was silence.
You could see a figure merging out of the smoke and your heart began racing until you recognized the familiar being as Itachi. His eyes were glowing red and his face expressionless. He was truly scary, but you felt no fear. It was when the smoke completely vanished did your stomach drop at the ghastly scene of blood and your comrades lifeless bodies slew on the ground with Kisame standing victorious in the center.
Itachi approached the paralyzed Manzo. He took the pod of gas from the man’s hand and slipped it inside his Akatsuki coat. Then, Itachi placed his hand on Manzo’s shoulder and forced his unresistant body onto his knees before glancing over to your wan face.
You swallowed thickly, feeling the blood from the cut on your cheek run down your face. You wiped it away and stood up shaking a bit, trying to keep yourself composed. Kisame stepped forward to Itachi looking down at Manzo’s face.
“Looks like we were successful.” Kisame rasped before turning to you and giving you a shark-like grin. “You make pretty great bait, shrimp,” he jested with a low chuckle.
“We need to bind him and find somewhere inconspicuous so that I can interrogate him further with tsukuyomi. There’s no telling how long it will take. We need to get out of the open.”
“No problem,” Kisame reached forward and tied up Manzo with a rope he pulled out of his cloak. Once he was tied up, Kisame threw the target up over his shoulder to carry him. All the while Itachi was staring at you as you were trying not to look at the murder scene. You felt the tingle of the rose seal burning against the back of your neck.
You met Itachi’s eyes knowing he could feel what you felt. Yet not another word pass from his lips as the three of you headed off to find a spot far from the battle that just took place.
Your great, great grandfather Tobirama Senju never trusted the Uchiha and that trait was passed down to your grandfather. Your grandfather passed that to your father and he would be damned if you would be acquainted with one.
Just so happens that you fell in love with one, Uchiha Itachi. Although the two of you share a strong relationship but you sense him pulling away. One night sealed his fate and reputation -- you followed him there and you still do, even as Itachi has evolved to an Akatsuki member. [sorry it’s so long! originally posted on my ao3]
"You know you're my special girl, right?" your father was knelt down to meet your level and smiled as he rubbed the top of your head. "I entrust the future of the Senju name to you." he stood back up and looked down as his demeanor took on a more serious tone. He raised a finger and placed it on the tip of your nose, "No matter what you do, beware of the Uchiha, [Y/N]." Your father was the son of your grandfather, who was the son of Senju Tobirama and you were the last of the direct Tobirama bloodline. This caused your father to feel the weight of leaving the legacy of the Senju clan to you.
He raised you on his own as your mother passed away in childbirth, an emotional burden that the two of you carried. Your father kept you under his watch constantly as he did not trust the outside world and did not want you to be tainted. Your clan was known as being the "clan of a thousand skills". The wrong people could see a naïve child as being the best possible opportunity to use this power for evil. So, that is why your father kept you by his side at all times. This meant that you were not allowed to train as a shinobi like the other children of Konohagakure; he left that training up to himself. Who else to train a Senju than a Senju?
That also meant that he passed down the distrust of the rival Uchiha clan. Great grandfather Tobirama taught Uchiha mistrust to his son, who taught it to his, who then tried to teach it to you. You were headstrong however and did not believe that all Uchiha could be cunning and untrustworthy. No matter how much you argued with your father, it never got anywhere; so you learned to keep quiet on the subject. Unbeknownst to him, just the same as his great-uncle had befriended an Uchiha, you had as well.
His name was Uchiha Itachi and you met him long while exploring the village late at night. Since a young age, you often found yourself sneaking out of your house late at night to get away from your father's overbearing nature. It was a way that you could rebel against him but not hurt him in any serious way. Tonight was one of those nights that you snuck out... You walked into the woods on the outskirts of the village and ran up the tallest tree that you could find. But this time you knew that you weren't alone. Your forefinger looped through the hole at the top of the kunai in your waistband, throwing it into the trunk of the tree off to your right.
"Come out!" you yelled. But there was silence. You flashed a series of hand seals and summoned a stream of high-pressured water to spray from your mouth, "Water Release: Water Severing Wave!" -- and cut several treetops down in your path. Still no one appeared. Just as you were ready to jump to the next tree branch, a person dressed in an ANBU uniform and mask pounced from below and tackled you from the current branch. As the two of you tumbled to the forest's floor, you wrestled with the person to get the dominate position, however, they were too fast for you. With a thud you landed on a branch several yards below, the wind knocked out of you.
The person quickly regained the upper ground and lunged toward you; your foot was able to make a quick kick into their stomach which sent them flying into the adjacent to your current position. They arched their back and jumped to a standing position. With a sword in hand and with a lightening fast summoning technique, a flurry of crows flew at you. The bird swarmed you quickly, you waved your arms and hands wildly to try and shoo them away. This left you vulnerable for an attack, the ANBU opponent jumped into the air with their sword at the ready.
The Senju blood that flowed through your veins allowed your speed on your feet to be impeccable and you were able to dodge their attack as well as roll away from the flock of crows. The ninjutsu of crows had concluded which then the assailant began to barrage you with a flurry of kenjutsu attacks with their sword. Armed with only a kunai, you fended off their blows to the best of your abilities. Each slash of their sword pushed your strength to its near limits, your knees slowly bent as you started to fall into submission. With one last slash, the assailant brought you to your knees. With both hands on the hilt of the kunai and it being held above your head, you viciously held back their strength the best that you could.
The sword dug into your arm slightly, blood pooled from the slit in your skin. "Do you give up?" they asked. You considered giving up. But with one last ninjutsu attempt, you used your great grandfather's Heavenly Weeping jutsu. A water type ninjutsu that formed water into senbon shaped projectiles and shot from your mouth to stagger enemies. You dropped the kunai and the sword dug further into your arm. You strained to form the seals for the technique; however, you were successful in spitting several senbon into the person's thigh to get them to drop their guard; they recoiled in pain and released the sword.
This gave you the opportunity to jump backward with the kunai in hand and at the ready. "I'd say this is a draw." you dropped your stance and dropped to the ground with a huff. The opponent removed their mask and revealed the familiar face of the Uchiha boy, Itachi.
"I could've won, y'know?" you spoke first. Itachi winced at the pain but hummed in amusement at your statement, "Sure." He pulled out the senbon from his thigh, then stepped toward you to put out his hand to pick you up but you pushed it away. "I'll win. Sometime." Itachi hummed again. "I did once!" you sassed. "That's because I let you, [Y/N]." Your eyes narrowed in annoyance at the black haired teenager. He was two years younger than you but has excelled in his shinobi career far past yourself. Your father keeping you away from much of the village did not aid you in your advancement -- he wouldn't let you be free until you were 18 and that was just a possibility... "Whatever..." you growled as you placed your hands behind your head and walked toward the village.
"I miss seeing you outside of just sparring, Itachi." He nodded. It was not often that the two of you spent time together. It had to usually be outside of the village, in his home, or at night because you feared your father's reaction. "I've been busy," he said bluntly. "Busy? Busy doing what?" He looked over to you before turning his head away, "It's not important. Just stuff to do with the village." His response was short which usually meant he didn't want to talk about it. Your lips pressed together as you processed his response.
You knew that the leaders of the village wanted him to keep an eye on his clan and vice versa. But that is all that he would tell you. He was only 13 and had the weight of an adult on his shoulders. You admired him for his maturity and his skills. Not to mention, he was super cute. Itachi stopped a few yards from the entrance to the village. A cool breeze of wind blew and the night was now silent, no sounds of the wildlife anywhere. Itachi stared at you in silence, his thoughts were unknown to you. But he just stared. You shivered at the breeze, your hands rubbed your arms.
To your surprise, Itachi pulled you close and embraced you. He smelled of sweat and his skin was warm. Your face was pressed firmly into his chest by his right palm and you could hear his steady, loud heartbeat. His thumb caressed your hair and he rested his nose on the top of your head. He didn't say anything, so you didn't either. The two of you just stood in silence, the wind being the only sound. "I-," you tried speaking but he hushed you as he just wanted to be quiet. He let go of the back of your head but his hand moved to your chin. He placed two fingers under it and tilted your face back. You knew what was going to happen but you were so nervous that you didn't know how to react. Itachi placed a kiss on your lips. They were cool from the wind and it caused your skin on your face to tingle. It was a long kiss, both of your lips pressed against each other's for quite sometime. Before the kiss could move anywhere else, he pulled away.
"Goodnight, [Y/N]." he jumped to the top of the gates to the village and off into the darkness. It was as if you were featherlight and on cloud nine because the entire walk home felt like you were floating. You had the biggest crush on Itachi. Not only was he your first friend but he was the first person to see you as a normal kid, he didn't expect you to carry out the Hokage-Titled bloodline. So, it was only natural to develop feelings for someone like him. You admired his pacifist nature and the fact that he cared very much for those he admired. Despite sparring with you for fun, he tried to avoid fighting.
Versus your headstrong attitude that you inherited; it was like the two of you canceled each other out. Itachi's tendency to live on the outside and watching people from there really related to you. The way your father raised you caused you to develop a similar personality trait, however, you wish to be apart of more people's lives. You often listened to girls coo on how dreamy the Uchiha was and had to withhold your comments. It wasn't easy having to keep your friendship a hushed deal. But you decided it would end tonight. You were done with your father's ideals and his actions. You no longer wanted to be kept away like some sort of item only used for special occasions.
"I'm going to tell father about Itachi," you said to yourself. His kiss sealed the deal. You pushed yourself through the window of your bedroom to see your father sitting on your bed to your surprise. When you jumped from the window and landed, you bowed. "Father, I-," he raised his hand to interrupt you. "I know about the Uchiha boy, Sarutobi told me." The Third Hokage? Seriously? You damned the old man as you clenched your fist and teeth. "That's what I was going to talk about you tonight," you stomped your foot, "I'm done listening to you, father. I love Uchiha Itachi!" your face flushed red as you confessed your love. You awaited your father's reaction... But his face was absent of any... He pressed his lips tightly into a line and stood up from the bed.
"Is that so? Hmph, I should've guessed this would happen." He turned away from you and took a step toward the door, "I forbid you to see him any longer," he then left and closed the door behind him. With a flurry of hand seals, he pressed his palm against the door. "Sealing jutsu!" You heard him and rushed toward the door. No matter how hard you yanked and jiggled the doorknob, it wouldn't budge. "Shit!" you screamed as you wildly tugged wildly to try and open the door. There was no way you could undo his seal... he was far more powerful than you. With your back to the door, you slid down to the floor in a fit of tears.
You loudly cursed your father you wished for the unspeakable, 'I wish he'd just die already! I'm sick of this.' After shedding several tears, you decided to do something about it. Focusing your chakra, you remembered reading about how to break a seal. It might not work but it was worth a try. Your father sealed the entire room, windows and all; your target was the windows, least you could sneak out like usual. As you approached the rectangular sliding windows, you focused your chakra and placed your palm on the glass.
"Release!" and with a small tug, you quietly pulled the window to the right and it opened up. That was easier than you expected but it did take a bit of chakra. You pushed yourself out the window and took off into a sprint toward Itachi's home. Your father had a bad feeling and rushed to your room. He released his seal on the door and pushed it open, a gasp left his mouth. He gripped the knob tightly and when he released it, the metal had been crushed and warped from his strength.
"That damned girl!!" he yelled as he stomped to go and confront his daughter and the Uchiha. His blood boiled and he cursed the rival clan and his grandfather... if he would've just killed that damned Madara, his daughter wouldn't be running off with one of them right now... Just as he attempted to leave, a sudden pain in his chest stopped him in his tracks. He grabbed the left of his chest with his right hand and winced in pain.
"My...medicine...Tsunade..." he croaked as he staggered toward the kitchen to retrieve the medication given to him by his second cousin. However, he dropped to the floor. Dead. He had a previous condition and the stress from his only daughter going off with Itachi agitated the issue and ultimately killed him. The last of the Tobirama Senju bloodline now is you. You quickly made your way to Itachi. Your mind and heart raced with excitement and panic; you were ready to confess your love to the skilled shinobi but you were petrified of what your father will do. You were somewhat familiar with the section of town where the Uchiha resided but anytime you entered, you often got looks from the clan members...looks and whispers as to why you were there...
Despite how hard it was, you did your best to ignore them. At this time of night, the lights in their homes would glow warmly and feel inviting. But this time -- it was dark and silent. You halted as you entered the area and a chill shivered down your spine. It was so...quiet. Something was wrong. As you slowly made your way down the roads, you couldn't help but feel as if someone was keeping an eye on your from the shadows. You stopped several times to look around but nothing seemed to catch your attention. So, you continued on your way to Itachi's home but kept your guard up. You weren't just some schmuck of a kunoichi, whoever it was would have to put up with a fight if they were going to attack you. But there was several things laying on the ground up ahead. You were confused as the distance made it difficult to make out...people? You sprinted toward the bodies on the ground to try and aid them.
"They're...dead?!" you shrieked. There were large, gaping slash wounds in their bodies and the blood was fresh. "I-I," you stuttered as you now sprinted to find Itachi. You called out his name in panic, hoping, praying he was not dead. As you passed the empty homes of the clan, you could see the damage done to the building and splatters of blood in the street. You could hear the rush of footsteps running toward you and just before you could leap into the air, chains wrapped around your body and pulled you to the ground with a thud. You thrashed on the ground as you tried to break free and spouted insults at the thug who caught you.
They delivered a swift kick to your abdomen which made you cough loudly, "You talk too much," the stranger crouched down and you were able to get a good look. Their voice indicated that they were male but their identity was hidden behind an orange mask with black flame markings, his hair was long, black and spikey -- his outfit was one of dark colors of blue and black. "I-Itachi?" you stuttered out but they only replied with a chuckle. The man unsheathed his katana and raised it, you clenched your eyes shut as you were rendered practically useless as much of your chakra went to releasing your father's seal. Just as the man was ready to strike you, a hand grabbed hold of his wrist.
"No," you knew that voice. Your eyes opened and you wiggled wildly as you were shocked to see Itachi standing before you. "I-Itachi!" you exclaimed. He had splatters of blood on his outfit and his katana was in the grasp of his opposite hand to the one that was holding onto the masked assailant. His eyes were red with his sharingan and you put the pieces together rather quickly. "You, you did this?" your voice shook. Itachi released his hold on the man's wrist and returned his katana to its holder. The masked man released you from the chains and Itachi helped bring you to a stand.
"I don't understand..." you continued to iterate your concerns. But the masked man interrupted, "Itachi, she is a loose end," but Itachi turned his head and stared the man down, you could feel the stillness in the air as the tension rose between the two. "She goes free." The man did not protest and merely crossed his arms. "I won't say anything, I swear!" you pleaded. "I have no one to tell! I will take this to my grave," you continued but Itachi's hands touching both sides of your face ceased your panicking. "[Y/N], go. Now!" he pressed his forehead against yours. You could see his jaw tense as if he was holding back emotion.
"I said go!" he pulled away, dropped his hands and pushed you away. You listened reluctantly but quickly took off in a sprint back toward the village. Your running was frantic and you could barely keep yourself upright as you tripped over several bodies sprawled out in the road. You looked back only once with tears in your eyes. Was the "busy" stuff he had to do involved with this? So many questions with no answers. And no hope for answers. The unknown man turned to Itachi, "Was that really a good idea, Itachi?"
Your beloved didn't reply but simply turned around to continue with the spree of death. You couldn't tell your father what had happened but you just craved his comfort. You knew his calm voice would sooth your anguish. However, you would never hear his tranquil tone again. When you discovered his body, your world shattered. Your last interaction with him was an argument and because you disobeyed.. he was dead.
You were now left alone in this world, you no longer had your father and would no longer have Itachi... "I heard that Kakashi and Guy intercepted Uchiha Itachi!" you could hear a fellow ANBU gossip to another operative. This peaked your interest as you leaned in to catch a whiff of their chattering. "I heard they were trying to get ahold of Uzumaki Naruto but were stopped. He and his partner got away, though." the other operative added. 'If it was not that long ago, maybe I can catch up with him...' you thought to yourself. You pushed yourself up from a chair you were sat in and went toward the window of the room on the upper floor of the Hokage's building. "Where are you going, [Y/N]?" your female compatriot asked.
"I have an errand to run," with that quick reply, you leaped from the window to the city below. "Damn it, Itachi. Why now? I've been trying to find you for years and you choose a day like today?" you muttered to yourself as you leaped between buildings to head toward the forest. You had been kept under close watch from your fellow black ops as some began to suspect things from your past. Ever since that night that you witnessed what Itachi had done and your father passed, you have dedicated your life to being secretive
Being an ANBU meant that your life was already shrouded in darkness and secrecy. But it was only the curiosity of your fellow ANBU to question things from your past. You were aware of their heightened suspicions, especially after the ANBU ops discovered that you were the last to see Uchiha Itachi outside of the clan's residence the night he slaughtered them all. "Itachi, I think we have ourselves a visitor," Kisame noted. The two missing-nin jumped from tree to tree and were several miles away from Konohagakure. He was surprised by the unwelcomed guest's speed but remained calm as he needed to decide how to handle the situation. You could see two figures ahead of you and struggled to make out who they were; all you could see were two black cloaks with red clouds.
You performed the Multi-Shadow Clone jutsu and instructed them to try and flank the two. Again, since you were a descendent of Senju, your speed was more than impressive. (your great-grandfather wasn't hailed as the fastest shinobi for nothing) Several of your clones were able to flank the two and they came to a halt. "Say, should we put up a fight or what?" Kisame asked with a smile and began to remove Samehada from his back. But Itachi stopped him with a raised hand, his eyes narrowed as he studied the clones.
"Stop you two!" you called out as you approached the scene. Itachi turned his head slightly and his onyx eyes gazed at you through the slits of your ANBU mask. Your heart stopped and it was as if the world melted around you. The two of you remained silent as you stared into each other's eyes. Kisame made note of this and busted a small joke as he wondered what his partner was thinking. You removed your mask and revealed your identity to the two. "Who's this tall glass of cool water, Itachi? You seem to know each other." Kisame joked again with a grin on his face.
But Itachi remained quiet and his gaze never left you. "Uchiha Itachi! I finally found you, after a long,long time." you jumped to the branch directly in front of them. You dropped to your knee and a flurry of emotions washed over you. You trembled slightly as you tried to fight back any tears that might have been trying to break through. "[Y/N]..." he finally spoke, his voice sounded just the same as when you last heard it. He seemed to have aged some, must be 21 by now. "So... you do know each other. Interesting..." Kisame said amusingly as he witnessed the interaction. Itachi turned toward him, "Kisame, leave us. I will meet with you back at base later."
Kisame opened his mouth to protest but Itachi lowered his brows, the blue skinned man complied and took off in the direction that they were already heading in. He returned his attention to you. As you stood there like a confused child, he jumped over to you and raised his hands then placed them on the sides of your face. It reminded you of that night. His thumbs which were now painted blue and a red ring on his right ring finger. He still remained quiet as the two of you stood in the forest, just like old times.
"Just like the old days..." you whispered as your eyes studied his matured face. He hummed and stared back. You pressed your lips together before you pressed them onto his. You knew that he was caught off guard by it because he took a step back to keep steady on the branch. He hesitated for a moment, his hands in the air on either side of himself before they rested on your shoulders. You exchanged more kisses as the passion began to heat up between the two of you. Itachi pushed you back several steps until your back met the trunk. As the kissing continued, hands roamed freely over each other's bodies as you discovered your now adult forms. He was the first to pull away, his hair was a mess and his cloak was disheveled. You tried to pull him back from the collar of his cloak but he pulled away again. "[Y/N]..."
You tried several more times to pull him into more kissing but Itachi objected. "[Y/N], I need to go and so do you." as he tried to turn away, you yanked him back. "No!" you barked. "I finally have you here and you are trying to leave," your gaze dropped and tears welled in your eyes. "Take me with you." Itachi shook his head as he brushed his hair from his face, "Out of the question." You took a step toward him as you pulled out your katana from its holster on your back. You raised it up to his throat with both hands on the hilt. "I am going with you, Uchiha. No buts about it."
Itachi didn't seemed startled by your reaction and simply pushed the blade away with his pointer and middle finger tips. "You're willing to disown Konohagakure?" Your jaw tightened as you turned away, your eyes fixating on the direction of the village. "There is nothing there for me. I only joined the ANBU because I knew it was a way to utilize my skills. I think my father would've liked that" you took the ANBU mask out from a side pouch and discarded it to the side. As the mask tumbled to the forest floor, it took your allegiance to the village with it. You took a knee and submitted yourself over to Itachi.
"But he's dead and I am fully willing to come with you, Itachi," your eyes raised from the ground up to him. He looked down to you as his height shadowed over you. The Uchiha hummed and a small smile spread across his lips; he leant out his hand to you. You returned the smile and took it. Finally reunited with the Uchiha. A Senju and an Uchiha? Who would've guessed. "Will you ever explain that night to me, Itachi?" you asked, he was quiet for a moment before answering,
“I’ve been carrying this around for months, waiting for the right moment. And I’ll tell you: there is no right moment. So I’m just going to ask you right now.” for Itachi? :)
Thank you for the request. Happy Valentine’s day! Apologies with taking forever in everything
No Regrets, Itachi
Itachi was frustrated; and typically, he didn’t get frustrated often, but it had been weeks since your last report to your organization’s leader, Pein. It had been weeks since he last saw you and/or heard from you. He was growing concerned, which was adding to his frustration. Even his partner, Kisame, could sense he was irritable and unlike himself, but the good thing about Kisame was that he never prys.
Itachi was thankful he didn’t have a more obnoxious and irritating partner like Hidan or Deidara. He could handle Kisame and his snide comments from time to time, but Kisame respected him enough not to question his mood. Although, he had a suspicion that Kisame might already have guessed the issue.
Itachi’s relationship with you was unannounced and speculated amongst the Akatsuki but neither one of you would comment on it. You both preferred your privacy and honestly, if Itachi could, he would have kept it a well guarded secret. However, the stress the secret would have caused would strain your relationship. It was better to let the Akatsuki assume what they want than to stress and try to hide your guy’s relationship. Plus it was no secret that Konan was with Pein during the night.
He breathed out slowly. He knew it was only a handful of times that you or him got caught coming from each other’s rooms. That did not concern him though, what concerned him was what someone in the organization or outside the organization would do with that information. If they knew Itachi, the cold blooded killer of the Uchiha, had a soft spot for you. He knew that Pein could care less what members did in their personal rooms as long as their missions were completed and a success. However, Itachi wasn’t sure about everyone in the organization or how big their mouths were about spreading the information. Kakuzu would probably sell the information to the right buyer if someone had a target against him.
Itachi grunted at the thought, displeased. Luckily, he was occupying himself at a local tea shop in the area. Tea normally calmed his nerves and thoughts. Plus, he wanted to get out of that den where members of his team were hiding amongst the shadows. He was tired of waiting; tired of waiting for news. He wanted to hear from you. He wanted you back with him. He wanted to know you were safe.
Your guy’s job wasn’t easy or necessarily safe. He trusted in your skills and abilities but tomorrow is never promised, especially when it comes to the life of a ninja.
He flexed his hand inside his pocket feeling the shape of a small square box in his hand. The object was rather traditional for his unconventional life as a criminal and it nearly felt wrong to have it because of the notion behind the gesture. He was pensive in thought over this for months.
He wanted to promise you forever, but he didn’t have forever to give. He had signed his life away to another. To the plan and birth of vengeance in his little brother. How could he ask for another person’s hand in marriage? In sickness and in health? To his inevitable death to his brother or… to his illness he could feel slowly eating away at him.
The proposal didn’t feel right. He had actually found the ring out in the wilderness on a forgotten path that was overgrown. The speck of glimmer in the dirt just so happened to catch his eye. He had picked the ring up out of curiosity and after dusting it off, the ring nearly looked like his mother’s wedding ring. The thought of his mother and the thought of you popped into his mind. He kept the ring and even had a jeweler inspect it. The stone was real and the jeweler polished and resized the ring for him. They also conveniently provided the box he now had the ring residing in, in his coat pocket.
The idea of marrying you felt right in his heart. To express the deepness of his love for you by getting down on one knee to ask you to be his until his death. To commit and share with you this one and only life together. You were the last good thing given to him that he felt he didn’t deserve, but you stated you loved him, so how could he not present you with a ring to call you his?
He felt tied within himself. He felt he didn’t deserve the happiness you gave him. He felt like he didn’t deserve this chance after the lives he had stolen. Yet you loved him despite what he did in his past and he loved you. There was only one life… and with the lack of news from your whereabouts, Itachi felt it was more pressing that he should have popped the question to you sooner.
With one last sip, Itachi was ready to exit the establishment to make his way back to the hideout. He sighed longingly in discontent as he got up to walk out and was caught off guard by the person outside, six feet from him.
“Y/N”
You smiled slightly. Your eyes were welcoming and full of affection that your outer features did not express vividly.
“Kisame told me you might be here. I just got back from the mission.”
“I’m glad to see that you’re well,” Itachi responded monotone yet he stepped forward. His expression was blank but once he was face to face with you, his hand came up to touch your cheek affectionately.
Shock echoed on your face. Public displays of affection were not the norm. Your smile softened and your hand went to cup his own. His fingers readily entangling themselves with yours.
“Love, will you follow me?”
“Gladly,” you responded in an equally calm tone.
When the two of you were away from the hideout and possible prying ears, your lover turned to hold you. Itachi’s arms felt like home to you and your face rested on his shoulder, holding him just as tight.
“Y/N”
“Hm?” You were content. Itachi wasn’t normally so tender out in public but you could tell he missed you.
“I have something to ask you,” Itachi took a pause as he waited for you to lift your head up so your eyes could meet his. He uncoiled his arms from you as he began. “I’m going to be honest, I’ve been carrying this around for months…” His voice was low and calm. “I’ve been waiting for the right moment. And I’ll tell you: there is no right moment. So I’m just going to ask you right now.”
Your eyebrows flew up in surprise. He went down on one knee. Itachi’s hand held a little wooden box and when he opened it, you were even more blown away at the ring. It was so beautiful and antique looking.
“When… Where…?”
“Will you marry me?”
Your heart stopped and quickly started up again.
“ye-YES!” You declared, as you happily accepted the ring. You jumped on him with a hug.
Itachi was smiling too and wrapping his arms back around you. He was happy to have you, as his lover and partner for life. He didn’t want to regret not ever having the opportunity to tell you he loves you or ever regret not making the most out of your two’s time together.
You were the most important thing to him in the time he had left.
