Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ The Moon On Fire ❯ The Plan Commences ( Chapter 19 )

Chapter 19

The Plan Commences

Mizuki awoke with a start and sat up straight in bed, her heart thumping madly. She took several deep breaths to calm her jack hammering heart while straining her ears to hear the sound which had awoken her. She whipped her tired eyes around her room, blinking through the darkness to detect any sign of an intruder but calm shadows were all she saw. She sighed deeply and released the death-like grip she had on her sheets. She glanced over at the bedside clock and groaned. It was only just after two in the morning. She hadn't fallen asleep until after midnight. Quietly cursing under her breath, Mizuki threw back her sheets and swung her legs over the side of the bed, which immediately began to shake as the sound that had jarred her from sleep rumbled through the house again. Mizuki froze as the sound, not a bang, more a quiet roar, slowly subsided.

“I knew I wasn't hearing things!” She whispered urgently to no one. Her paralysis broke as she realized that along with the roaring sound, she could see faint orange light beyond her curtains. She immediately turned around and leapt over her bed to the far side of the room and ripped her door open.

“What the hell is going on?” She thought desperately as she dashed across the short distance between her and Sasuke's rooms and practically crashed through the door.

“Sasuke wake up! There's something weird going on…huh?” She stopped short as she saw that Sasuke's bed was empty. The quiet roar that she felt more than heard grumbled its way through the house again and Sasuke's room was suddenly alight with orange light. Mizuki looked to the window to see that his curtains were open. Immediately fearful that Sasuke had been attacked and was now fighting, Mizuki crossed his room almost instantly and looked out the window in the direction the orange light was coming from. Her breath caught in her throat.

Sasuke's window, like her own, looked out to the backyard where the pavilion was located, silent and dark at this hour but at the moment, alight enough to chase away the most relentless darkness as another blast of fire shot straight across the water in front of it, barely missing it. Mizuki looked to the origin of the fireball to where Sasuke stood on the edge of the pond, breathing heavily. His face was shrouded in darkness but it was thrown into stark relief as he drew in breath and muttered “Goukakyuu No Jutsu!” Mizuki watched as another huge ball of fire raced across the otherwise still waters of the pond, so well controlled that the water barely rippled, to disappear into a puff of smoke at the far end.

Mizuki's eyes were wide and her mouth was dry as a bone as the memories that returned when seeing the trademark Uchiha jutsu blazed their way across her mind even more brightly than the fire that yet again blazed in front of her. Even on the other side of the well insulated windows, Mizuki could feel the heat the jutsu gave off and would have taken a moment to wonder why the surrounding flora (not to mention the pavilion and house) didn't immediately catch fire, but she could no longer see Sasuke and the fireballs he sent hurtling past where she remained hidden. The only person she saw now was Itachi.

XXX

She had returned home from what passed for the market in her small village later than expected. While doing nothing more complicated than buying bread, she had once again found herself trying to explain, or rather defend her new friend to the other villagers. She knew they were suspicious of him and worried about her. But she tossed their ignorant comments off as she usually did while making her selections. They would never understand. She loved him and that was all that mattered.

Now as she entered the front room, put the basket down and slipped out of her sandals, she smiled. One of the fruit stands she so often frequented had begun showcasing a new product. A process shown to the proprietor when he had traveled to the country of waves. He had called it jam and when he'd put some on a piece of bread for Mizuki to try, she'd been so enraptured, she'd bought three different flavours. She had decided that strawberry was her favourite; she wondered which one he would like.

“Itachi-sama, I'm home! You'll never believe what I got at the market!” She called happily as she made her way into the kitchen. The smile faltered a bit when she got no response. “Itachi-sama? Are you alright?” She searched the house but he was not there. Immediately her heart started pounding and she found it hard to breathe. He wasn't supposed to leave like this! She couldn't live without him! What was she going to do? She dropped the bag, spilling the strawberry jam, and ran out the back door. She ran past her garden, not seeing him anywhere in eyesight. Her heart hurt now and a terrible pulsing had started behind her eyes. Where was he? She reached the crest of a hill that marked the end of her property and nearly cried as she saw him on the other side of the hill at the bottom. She wanted to run to him, only in his arms would the horrible feelings go away but she remained still as she heard him yell something she didn't understand. He raised his fingers to his lips and immediately a huge fireball, more enormous than anything she'd ever seen emerged and flew out from him, incinerating a lone tree, which had apparently been his target.

Mizuki stood frozen for a moment. “He's a ninja?” She thought amazed and a little frightened. It had only been three weeks since their fateful meeting along the side of the road on her way home from market just like she'd been that day. After his collapse, she'd brought him home with her and tended his fever. He'd only just begun showing signs of recovery and had not said much to her except when he looked into her eyes and expressed his gratitude that she'd taken care of him. Her heart swelled again at the thought of those calm brown eyes. “It doesn't matter if he's a ninja or not, I love him and that's all that matters.”

She was brought back abruptly from her reverie as she saw that Itachi had taken notice of her and was waving her over. A huge smile lit her face as she ran down the hill to him and straight into his arms. Almost instantly, an uncomfortable pressure started in the back of her mind. A small voice yelled out, “What are you doing? This isn't right! He's dangerous!” She blinked and stood back from him. She could see the concerned look on his face but it wasn't making her feel better, if anything the knots in her stomach grew worse.

“Mizuki-chan, are you alright?” He lifted her chin with a finger so she was looking into his eyes. Eyes that shone with concern and a red glow that immediately dominated all of her senses. She blinked for a few seconds as thought she had gotten something in her eye but when she looked at him again, she was smiling. The horrible, uneasy feeling was gone. She could no longer remember having it in the first place.

“I'm fine now.” She smiled wider at the look of relief on his face. He truly loved her. She was so lucky. “What are you doing down here? When I came home and I couldn't find you, I was worried.”

“I'm sorry I worried you.” He said placating as he kissed her gently on the forehead. “But now that I'm finally feeling better I've got to retrain my body. I was ill for so long I'm feeling out of shape.”

“I didn't know you were a ninja.” Mizuki said with an awed voice that sounded like it was coming from a high-pitched microphone.

“I was raised a ninja.” He said with a less than pleasant smile. “Does that frighten you?”

“Of course not!” She lied, images of her village's massacre and parent's death a year before passing before her eyes. “What you just did now was amazing!”

“It is the Goukakyuu No Jutsu. It is a relatively simple jutsu, but one that was important to my family. Mastery of this jutsu meant passage into manhood in my clan. It has become our trademark over the decades.” Itachi said this with pure contempt in his voice, but all Mizuki heard was tenderness and love for his family he'd so tragically lost. It made her love him even more.

“I'll bet you were an incredible shinobi Itachi-sama.” Mizuki said in an awed voice that, even through her delusions, sounded as though it were coming from another person.

Itachi looked at how utterly under his control she was and his eyes narrowed evilly. “Would you like to see more?” Mizuki nodded eagerly. She was so excited to learn more about him. The more he opened up to her, the more in love with him she felt.

He turned away from her and raised his hands but before he started making seals, he stopped short and turned to her again. “Mizuki-chan, would you like to learn what I'm doing?”

Mizuki was shocked but the smile that split her face gave her answer. “You mean you can teach me? I thought it took years to train properly as a ninja? That you had to belong to a hidden ninja village?”

“I can make your body learn in days what normally takes years.” He said in a perfectly smooth voice. “I have that ability. It will be hard on you, your body will ache as though you have run a million miles, but you are the feistiest girl I have ever known. I know you will survive it. Consider it my payment for continuing to take care of me.”

Mizuki didn't hear the word `survive' nor did she hear the incessant pleas in the back of her mind to stop and run away. She knew he would never hurt her, no matter what the other villagers said about harboring a stranger in a time of war. She loved him and that was all that mattered. She nodded immediately. “I want to learn whatever you have to teach me.” He nodded at the determination in her voice.

“Then close your eyes.” He placed both hand firmly on her shoulders as she did as she was told. The fact that he was pinching her shoulders a little too hard didn't faze her. He always knew best. She could feel pressure begin to build in the air around her, making the air seem suddenly much thicker. She fought the urge to cough. His hands pressed on her shoulders more intensely and she frowned at the pain. But before it became unbearable, he suddenly shouted, “Look at me!” She opened her eyes and looked into what seemed to her the red fires of hell itself…

XXX

Sasuke was officially out of breath. He stooped over and rested his hands on his knees, breathing hard. How many had that been? Ten? Twelve? He couldn't remember. He knew he hadn't done that many in a row since his time with Orochimaru. Back then; he'd been able to pull off at least fifteen in a row before breathing this hard.

“I know it's been a while but that was too hard.” He thought to himself annoyed. “I have to be able to pull this off perfectly tomorrow or Mizuki…” He stopped that thought train right in its tracks. He couldn't afford to think about what might happen if something went wrong tomorrow. Especially now that Naruto and Sakura were both out of the game. Sasuke considered the irony that he was finally going to defeat his brother, but his two best friends would not be there. Only Mizuki would be there, smack dab in the middle of things and she could end up…

“I won't let it happen.” He snapped to himself grimly as he pulled in another three lungfulls of air and released them a moment later, ignoring the heat as it singed his skin. “After all he's done, I've waited too long for this. I will protect her!”

Half an hour later, Sasuke relented and dragged his exhausted body back into the house. He paused in confusion when he reached his bedroom door only to see that it was ajar. A sheepish thumping began in his heart. He'd tried to be quiet but he must have woken her up. She must have entered his room in a panic, wondering what was going on. She had probably seen him outside the window and was waiting for him to return. Half a smile had found its way onto his face when he opened the door to the empty room. He fought the disappointed feeling back and shook his head.

“Of course she's still asleep. I was careful. She needs her sleep anyway. Just like I do.” So why were his feet carrying him to her door?

Telling himself that just seeing her peacefully asleep would calm his nerves, Sasuke turned the knob without so much as a squeak and carefully pushed it open. Mizuki was lying on her side, facing away from him; one bare leg stretched out from covers half askew. Her hair was sprayed out behind her on the pillow and Sasuke watched as her shoulder slowly rose and fell in time with her breathing. He felt his heart calm and though the urge was once more irresistible to wake her and wrap her in his arms, he closed the door quietly and went back to his own room.

“Tomorrow.” He whispered to himself. He was asleep almost before his head hit the pillow.

Mizuki's wide eyes stared at the alarm clock. The numbers glowed red and smoldering as though they were on fire and she could feel her heart start to beat even faster.

XXX

“Have I made myself completely clear?” Tsunade barked at the three shinobi standing in front of her.

“Yes Tsunade-sama.” They chorused back.

“Alright. Kakashi has Itachi's last known location just outside the village. If Sasuke is correct, that should be enough. I look forward to good news. Dismissed.” The three turned and walked away, leaving Tsunade scowling. Despite her confidence in the plan Sasuke had put together, she felt terribly uneasy about sending Mizuki into the danger she would soon be in.

“I should go challenge Shizune to a game of Janken Pon.” She thought as she reluctantly turned back to her office. “Once I lose to her I'll feel better.”

XXX

Neji was waiting just inside the Great Gates next to an amazingly calm Mizuki. He stole another glance at her as she casually leaned against the wall, humming with her eyes closed. He wondered how she could be so relaxed considering what he knew she would have to do. He might have said something to her but his attention was distracted by the sound of footsteps. He turned to see Kakashi, Shikamaru and Sasuke walking towards them, all looking very serious. Mizuki stopped humming and stood up straight as they approached. Her face was serious but she could not hide the casual smile in her eyes.

“Does she believe so wholeheartedly that we will protect her? Or is it something else?” Neji thought suddenly feeling uneasy.

Sasuke walked straight up to Mizuki and nodded at her, trying unsuccessfully to appear calm and confident. “Ready?”

Mizuki nodded, her confidence not feigned. “Let's get this over with.” She turned and walked through the gate without another word. Her four shinobi protectors split up into two teams and took off in opposite directions.

Mizuki followed the path that led from Konoha for maybe fifteen minutes before turning to the left and entering the forest. She had made sure to wear comfortable shoes and clothing that covered her arms and legs but the bushes and trees in Konoha's forest were strong, scratching her skin even through her clothes. She pushed on, not sure where exactly she was headed, only sure that she was going in the right direction. Tsunade had put two members of the Anbu Black Ops on the duty of finding Itachi's whereabouts when he disappeared after the last confrontation. Through highly secret and forbidden jutsu she had authorized especially for this, they had been able to narrow his location to somewhere in the southwestern section of the forest. They hadn't been able to pinpoint his position exactly but it didn't matter. Mizuki knew that as long as he could feel her there, he would come. Even knowing it was a trap, he would come.

She walked slowly for another ten minutes when all of a sudden, her heart felt like it was being held under a tap running only ice-cold water. She stopped and took a few deep breaths. Then she smiled.

“You know a guy has had an effect on a girl when…” She yelled irritably into the too quiet forest.

“Is that why you have come here alone?” A cold voice suddenly issued from right behind her. She whirled around but saw no one.

“Hmph, something like that.” She muttered. “Why don't you come out Itachi, I want to talk to you.” She was met with silence. “Oh? Scared now after being so cocky the other night? Even though I'm here all by my little lonesome. I think I'm disappointed.”

“Do you really expect me to think this isn't a trap?” The voice crooned ever so quietly from all directions in the forest, making Mizuki shiver.

“On the contrary, I expect you to know it's a trap. I know you've already checked me out with your Sharingan to see if it's really me. That's why I came alone. I needed to get to you before your brother brought reinforcements.”

“Is that so?” Itachi was still hidden but the voice was closer now. Mizuki fought the smile she could feel forming. “And have you finally decided to give me what I require?”

“Not bloody likely.” Said smugly, crossing her arms. “I like my eyes right where they are thank you. No I've come before the cavalry to give you a chance to escape. They won't pursue you if you leave here and never bother me or Konoha again.” As the words left her lips she grimaced. Even saying them they sounded corny so she wasn't surprised when she heard the cheeky laughter seeming to come from everywhere at once.

“You can't be serious.” Itachi's voice was amused. “You're the whole reason I came to Konoha in the first place. If I were to leave without your eyes I may as well go off and die.”

“Well there's an option.” Mizuki said amused. “But somehow I didn't think you'd be too eager for that. So I'll level with you.” She paused for a long moment but then sighed in resignation. “I will leave with you right now and give you whatever you need. Just leave Sasuke and Konoha out of it.”

There was silence for so long Mizuki was beginning to think he didn't believe her but just as she was about to say it again, out of the stillness came, “What did you say?”

Mizuki heaved an exasperated sigh. “What are you deaf or did I suddenly start speaking in Japanese without realizing it? I don't have time for games Itachi. Sasuke and a whole squad from Konoha are on their way and I seriously doubt you have your full strength back yet or you would have attacked and taken my eyes already and I wouldn't have had the pleasure of this ever so stimulating conversation. You heard what I said. Yes or no?”

Low laughter came from the trees surrounding Mizuki. “You love my brother that much that you would be willing to give your life for him?”

“Now you're the one who's sounding corny.” Mizuki said in an amused voice. “But yes. You must never go near Sasuke or Konoha again. Never seek your brother again Itachi I mean it. He's suffered enough thanks to you.”

From somewhere in the trees, two figures were starting to panic. “What the hell is she saying? This isn't what was planned!”

“I don't know! She was just supposed to keep him in one place while we laid the trap! She's not supposed to be going off anywhere with him!”

“What do we do?”

“We watch and wait. Capturing Itachi is still our highest priority.”

“Well?” Mizuki yelled louder to the nothingness in front of her. “Yes or no?”

“Very well.” Itachi's voice was even louder. The two figures in the trees struggled to see him but to no avail. “On one condition.”

“Condition?” Mizuki asked. “I'm giving you my eyes and my life and you're talking about conditions? Damn you're a cheeky bastard.”

“Oh it's nothing major. Just leave the vial of sand you have in your pocket.”

Mizuki froze. “What?”

“You thought to gain my trust and then have the former Ichibi Jinchurrikki rescue you once again? A good idea…but you cannot hope to fool me twice.”

“Apparently not.” Mizuki muttered angrily as she took the vial from her pocket and gently laid it on the ground in front of her. “You always were too intuitive for my own good.” She stepped back from her salvation with her arms up. “We have a deal?”

“Yes. I will leave Konoha and my brother to their own devices. All I want is you.” Mizuki shuddered but remained stoic. “Walk for 30 minutes Southward. You will find me there and then we will leave the Fire Country once and for all.”

Mizuki nodded and, sparing one last glance at the connection to her saviour, turned south and began walking.

XXX

“Naruto, if you don't stop pacing, injured or not I will knock you back to your own room.”

As anyone would have expected, Naruto was not taking his inability to participate in the Itachi's capture very well. He had tried pleading with Tsunade but she had flat out denied him, saying it was his own fault for not listening to her and using that jutsu in the first place. He'd gone from pleading to annoying; hoping his determination would win her over as it usually did but no dice. She had threatened to have him restrained in bed if he kept it up, so he had reluctantly gone back to the hospital where he was transferring his frustration onto Sakura.

“Really Naruto, the gloves are in the drawer beside my bed.”

“Yeah well when you do knock me, would you mind sending me to where our friends are fighting without us?”

Sakura sighed. “Not knowing what's going on is driving me crazy too. But what can we do? We're no good to them injured like this. We'd only be in the way.”

Naruto seemed to deflate as she said the last sentence and finally sat down in the chair next to her bed. “I know I could help Sakura-chan. Even with my arm in this state. And I know Mizuki-chan will need my help.”

“Sasuke-kun's plan is a very good one and Mizuki-chan will have two Jounins plus Shikamaru and Sasuke-kun and you know he won't let anything happen to her.”

“Itachi isn't dumb.” Naruto insisted. “He won't fall for the same trick twice.” He sighed. “I just have this horrible feeling in my gut that something's going to go very wrong.”

“Naruto.” Sakura took his hand in hers and looked at him sympathetically. “Are you sure it wasn't that triple order of ramen you had this morning?”

XXX

In Tsunade's office, Gaara blinked suddenly and turned from where he was incessantly looking out the window.

“Mizuki is no longer holding the vial of sand.”

Tsunade looked at him gravely but said nothing, trying to forget about winning all three games of Janken Pon against Shizune.

XXX

Mizuki walked quickly southward but despite the already warm spring day, she felt ice cold. The memories she had regained the night before had given her a measure of confidence in facing Itachi again. She hadn't told Sasuke about waking up, seeing him and remembering the moment when Itachi first burned into her mind the ability to use Taijutsu, she knew he was worried enough about her. But as she walked farther away from the bottle of sand and Sasuke, fear began to envelop her once more. She was reasonably confident she could keep herself from falling under the spell of the Tsukuyomi again. Not that she figured Itachi would be able to use it so soon after the last encounter. She was also sure that she could stave off any physical attacks. What made her more nervous than anything were the incessant flashes of the torture she had endured while under Itachi's influence. They came and went like flies buzzing at her ears, and as equally frustrating to try to get rid of. She was worried that she would be overcome with a flash while fighting against Itachi and lose what little advantage she hoped to have.

She was also worried about Sasuke. In the few hours between waking up and leaving for Tsunade's office, he'd been unnaturally affectionate. Grabbing her into a fierce yet painfully gentle embrace every chance he got, looking at her with eyes that spoke more love than his mouth ever could. He had kissed her on the front porch just before they had left. It had been so gentle and full of emotion Mizuki could have cried. Tears threatened to spring to her eyes as she thought of it now and the message he had, in his own cryptic way, given her.

He was saying goodbye.

Mizuki knew that Sasuke's plan only worked to a point as far as the others knew. She knew full well that he intended to finish Itachi himself, even at the cost of his own life. He was so prepared for the inevitability that he had actually tried to give her what amounted to him to be an emotional goodbye. It pissed her off.

“I'm sorry Sasuke.” She muttered under her breath. “No noble shinobi heroics today. No matter what it takes, today I'm going to free the both of us.” She walked on, completely unaware of the hooded figure following quickly and silently behind her.

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