Bab 14: Chapter 14: Ramen and worries
"Don't take everything so seriously. Sometimes we have to sit back and…enjoy things."
-Uchiha Shisui-
-Ramen and worries-
-Itachi-
Shisui turned around, his cheerful mask sliding onto his face like it had always been there. "Good evening, councilor! We were just out training. And you? Enjoying the weather?"
Shuko smiled; a calculated gesture that didn't reach his eyes. "I find that evening walks are the best to calm down one's mind."
From Shisui's side, Itachi watched it all with a neutral façade. There was a nagging feeling in his gut that if he so much as breathed wrong, Shuko would know that they were lying. So he kept his mask tightly in place, hiding his real thoughts. Instead, he observed, hoping to deduce something about the man before him. But Shuko's own mask was flawless. There was nothing but polite interest in his voice and mild curiosity on his face.
His smile was insipid, his voice like velvet. "I hope to see you boys at the next meeting... in the front row from what I hear. Good night boys." He passed by them without another word, leaving both boys with more questions than before.
"I hate that guy," said Shisui once they were sure that they were the only people on the street. "I feel like he knew exactly what we were doing."
-Yahizui-
In the months following Team 4's introduction, things were tense, to say the least. Their first missions had ended in complete disaster, which resulted in painful lessons for them. Yahizui was sure that she had never done as many pushups, crunches, squats, and leaps around the village in her entire life. Kaito was a ruthless teacher who left no room for failure, and after three months of petty missions, measly paychecks, and countless arguments, the members of Team 4 had finally reached a thin level of understanding. Their animosity was to be kept outside their missions; for their sakes, they all agreed.
Yahizui's days consisted of eating, training, D-class missions, and sleep. With the schedule Kaito had made for them, there wasn't any time left to argue; there was barely time to shower! And yet in the little free time she got every week, she kept to her promise and visited Naruto. Some days she would pick him up from the Academy, on others, she would help him clean his apartment or fill his fridge with fresh food. Today was the former, and so when she arrived at the Academy, already thinking of the potential stories she would hear from Naruto today, she was surprised to see that she wasn't the only one waiting for someone
"Hey!" she said with a smile and a wave as she approached the waiting figure. "Here to pick up Sasuke?"
Itachi looked her way and gave her a small smile. His inquisitive eyes measured her from head to toe, pausing to look at her face and she briefly wondered what it was he was checking for. She couldn't help but notice the tense set of his shoulders, and the darkening circles around his eyes. Was he pushing himself too hard? Was he not sleeping enough? Yahizui couldn't help the worried feeling that tugged at her
"Yes." His voice interrupted the many questions in her head. "I rarely spend any time with him and… I wanted to make up for it."
Her eyes softened. Itachi's love for his little brother ran deep, probably more profound than she could ever imagine, yet time was working against all of them. "Yeah, we're all busy these days…" she sighed.
Itachi nodded, looking her way as if he was waiting for her to say something else. And she wanted to say so many things. She wanted to ask him if they could meet again to train or just talk. She wanted to ask what he did these days, and why couldn't he sleep well at night? Instead, she bit the inside of her cheek and stood awkwardly by his side, drowning in questions she was too afraid to ask. What if the answer was no?
"And you?" Itachi said after a while, breaking the silence between them. "Missing the academy?"
Yahizui smiled, glad for the change of subject. "Nah, I'm here to pick up Naruto!"
For a moment, Itachi froze as if the boy's name had somehow surprised him. And even though there was nothing in his eyes or in his expression, for one brief second, Yahizui felt sure that Naruto's name had caught him off guard.
"He's in the same class as Sasuke, no?" he asked in a casual voice.
Yahizui nodded thoughtfully, her eyes turning toward the academy building, dismissing his weird reaction. "Yeah, though they don't seem to like each other much. Naruto likes to call him a chicken butt."
The sound of his chuckle took her by surprise. She quickly turned and watched with wide eyes as Itachi tried to suppress a laugh, his eyes closed in mirth.
"He has a very active imagination," he finally said.
For a moment, all Yahizui could do was take in his smile, how it made his eyes twinkle with mirth and transformed his face, erasing the constant worries that always seemed to plague him. She liked that smile, enjoyed that look in his eyes.
"Yeah, Naruto sure is something. I've never seen anyone with so much energy, or who could live on just ramen!"
The final bell rang and the courtyard instantly filled with the shouts of children. They could already see Sasuke's dark hair and Naruto's spiky blonde locks heading their way. Yahizui waved Naruto over, then turned to find Itachi looking intently at her.
"I haven't had ramen in ages," Itachi said.
Yahizui perked up immediately. Was this his way of asking her out for ramen? Itachi was never the most direct kind of person, or socially apt for that matter. Feeling brave, she smiled.
"We should go! I was planning to take Naruto there anyway; you and Sasuke could come too!"
"Come where?" Both Yahizui and Itachi looked down to see Sasuke's inquisitive eyes looking up at them.
"Hello Sasuke," said Itachi, his lips stretching into a smile. Yahizui then saw his eyes dart to the back portion of his brother's spiky hair before letting out a not-so-discreet cough. She couldn't help her grin, he was definitely trying to cover his laughter. "Yahizui and Naruto are going for ramen, would you want to join?"
Sasuke scrunched up his nose as if he smelled something highly unappetizing. "With the class dumb-ass? I—"
"Sasuke," Itachi cut him off in a stern voice. "That's not nice."
Yahizui watched the scene with barely concealed mirth. It was fascinating how stubborn Sasuke could be, yet as soon as Itachi spoke to him, the younger boy turned to putty. That level of adoration was something on its own. Just as Sasuke finally nodded in acceptance, Naruto finally found the courage to approach them.
She turned to him and smiled. "Wanna go eat ramen?"
Naruto's smile threatened to encompass his entire face as if the simple word 'ramen'was the center of all happiness in the universe. "Yesyesyesyesyes!" Then, as if suddenly realizing that other people were there, Naruto turned toward them with narrowed eyes. "What're you doin' here?" he asked Sasuke and then looked up at Itachi. "And who're you?"
She sighed. Naruto's direct attitude was bordering on rudeness most of the time and made him seem outright ignorant the rest of it. She placed her hand on the top of his head. "This is Itachi, Sasuke's older brother. He and Sasuke will join us."
"Reaaaaally?" he asked in a whiny voice.
Yahizui glared at him. "Really."
Yahizui knew that when it came to ramen, Naruto was prepared to eat it even with the devil himself by his side. Nothing was about to stand between him and the wonderfully tasty noodle soup. They reached the stand in no time and soon Naruto was slurping happily his second bowl. It was fascinating how such a small boy managed to eat so much food. After she spent a few seconds watching him in fascination, Yahizui turned to her seat neighbor.
"So…" she said between mouthfuls, her eyes darting over Itachi's peaceful expression. "How are the missions going? Are they gonna promote you to jounin anytime soon?"
There was a pause, then his eyes lowered briefly toward his bowl. "I can't really—"
"Nii-san is amazing!" said Sasuke, almost jumping off his chair with excitement. "They already put him in ANBU an—"
"Sasuke." The stern tone in Itachi's voice stopped the little boy's tirade immediately. His tone was harsh, almost out of place with the boy she knew. "You're not supposed to know that," he continued in an admonishing tone.
Sasuke became flustered and mumbled something about overhearing him talk to their father, but Yahizui wasn't focused on any of that.
"You're an ANBU!?!" she asked in a hushed tone as she leaned towards him. She was close to exploding with curiosity, but at the same time, her eyes darted in all directions to make sure no one had heard them.
Why hadn't he told her? However she realized she knew the answer before she even thought about it. ANBU was a secretive division of Konoha's elite. He probably wasn't allowed to inform anyone of his position. Not even her. But that didn't stop the other questions from swirling through her mind. How had he become an ANBU at his age? Was that even allowed? Was he that good? She knew the answer to that as well. Yes, Itachi was good, really good.
Instead of asking the questions she knew better than to ask, Yahizui kept looking at him expectantly, waiting for an answer, a denial, a confirmation...anything except the blank mask he wore.
Another second passed, then Itachi bowed his head and sighed. "You," he told her then turned to Sasuke with a more stern look, "and you were not supposed to know that."
There was tension in the air and Yahizui could see that Sasuke felt the burn of disappointing his older brother. So, she smiled and playfully slapped Sasuke on the shoulder before leaning towards him conspiratorially.
"Don't worry, a genin and an academy kid are not going to be the downfall of your secret identity. Ne, Sasuke? We can keep a secret, no?"
The boy nodded enthusiastically, a deep blush spreading over his still chubby cheeks. "I promise!"
"Ne, 'Hizui-chan, what's an anubu?"
The three froze as they heard Naruto's curious voice. He had finished his third bowl of ramen and was now listening intently to their conversation. Yahizui cursed inside her head. How could she have forgotten that Naruto was there?
"Ah, nothing, Naruto, nothing!" she said, waving her hand dismissively. "Just something Sasuke came up with, right Sasuke?" She turned toward said boy and gave him a pointed look. Luckily Sasuke was a sharp one, so he nodded enthusiastically in agreement.
She was sure that Naruto bought it as he shrugged and ordered a third bowl, but then he gazed back at them. "M'kay, I thought they're the masked guys with tattoos on their arms that I see aroun' my apartment som'times."
Yahizui and Itachi paused, then looked at each other. Maybe Naruto wasn't as clueless as everyone thought he was. A few seconds were spent in silence, then Itachi placed his chopsticks down and looked at her. "It seems my secrets are all out in the open. How about you?"
Her eyes widened, and she could feel the blood rush to her face. "Me? What about me?" What secrets… he knew everything! Her gaze quickly darted his way, but Itachi was focused on the menu.
"How are things with your team?" asked Itachi, leaning back in his chair. By their sides, the two boys were busy finishing their bowls, trying to see who would be done first.
Oh, of course, he meant her team! "Okay, I guess. Kaito-sensei is really strict, but he's a good teacher. Though… I think he's way too careful with us. I think we can do more difficult missions, but he keeps us with D-ranks and enough training to last us a lifetime." As she spoke to him about it, her frustration with the whole situation rose once more to the surface. Did he not trust them? They managed to fix their teamwork to the point that they were quite functional, so why hold them back?
"Maybe he's trying to protect you," said Itachi casually. "C-rank missions can quickly turn sour if you encounter shinobi enemies, so maybe Kaito-san simply wants you to be well prepared."
Yahizui leveled him with a flat look. Did he actually think that his little pearls of so-called wisdom would work on her? "That's crap and you know it," she said stubbornly. "We're good, we could easily take on a C-rank! With the way he's keeping us, we'll be the team with the most D-ranks in all Konoha!"
"And?" asked Itachi, confused. "There's nothing wrong with D-rank missions. I would love to get one of those sometime soon."
Yahizui noticed the slight smirk on his face. The sly weasel was making fun of her! "You know what? I'll trade you my team for whatever team you're part of, deal?"
For a moment, he looked like he was seriously considering it, a long finger tapping against his chin. Then he looked at her, and there was a mischievous twinkle in his dark eyes. "You wouldn't survive with them. They're creepy old men."
Yahizui shuddered at the idea, then stuck her tongue out at him. "No thanks, you can keep your creepy old men." Then promptly returned to her now cold soup.
They continued eating in silence, though, from the corner of her eye, Yahizui watched him: the way he moved, the relaxed, almost happy look on his face. A warm feeling spread inside her heart at the idea that he was comfortable here with her. It was comforting to think that even if he was part of such a demanding and dangerous group, Itachi was still Itachi, still her friend.
They were almost done when Shisui suddenly appeared behind them.
"Sorry to interrupt your little date," he said in a jovial tone as he laid one arm on each of their shoulders, "but I need to borrow Itachi for a bit."
Yahizui felt her face flush. Shisui was undoubtedly anything but sorry; in fact, she doubted that he had ever been sorry for anything he'd done in his entire life. Besides — "There is no date!" she said in a slightly shrill tone, her cheeks warming even more at Shisui's cheeky wink.
Idiot! Huffing, she turned around to search for the right amount to pay, missing how the two quickly stepped away. When she turned back around she paused, watching them talk in hushed tones, their faces oddly blank. Had something happened?
A moment later, Itachi returned with an unreadable expression on his face. Gone were the smiles, gone was the twinkle in his eyes.
"Yahizui," said Itachi with an apologetic tone as he laid a few bills on the table. "Could you please make sure Sasuke reaches the compound safely?"
There was something in his voice that made her nod without asking for an explanation. His eyes were dark with worry, the easygoing expression from before gone. By his side Sasuke protested in a whiny tone, complaining that once more his promise had been broken, but even though Itachi turned toward him and apologized, his mind seemed to be elsewhere.
As he thanked her and turned to walk away, Yahizui could see the stiffness in his shoulders. Whatever Shisui said, it wasn't good news.
-Itachi-
Itachi walked by his cousin's side with tense movements. Shisui's earlier words gnawed at him, but they needed to find a safe place to talk. Every wall and tree in Konoha might have ears —now that he was a part of ANBU Itachi knew that all too well.
They walked through the streets in silence, their faces masks of casual disinterest. When they finally reached their training place, close to the cliff that hung over the Naka River, Itachi quickly placed a genjutsu on the area, while Shisui used his shunshin to promptly set up traps.
Finally, they were able to talk.
"What did you find?" asked Itachi, unable to keep his impatience under wraps.
"What we heard a few months ago made little sense, but that was only because we didn't know the whole story. I've been following Shiroi-san and managed to enter the house a few days ago. Despite everything, she's organized enough to hold a journal where she notes all meetings she will have, transactions with other merchants, and a budget for the house. A few days after Izumi's death a rather generous sum of money was added to her budget; unlike the other entries, there is no documented source. Also, the same sum of money can be found in her book every month."
Itachi took in the information. It was as they feared; Shuko was paying Shiori-san every month. "He's giving her money, why?"
Shisui's eyes narrowed. He began pacing, his eyes darting everywhere like he was trying to find the pieces of a puzzle. "I looked into it. The names Shiori-san spoke of that night are inconsequential at first glance. But I looked closer, and all of them have a few things in common." He held one finger up. "First, they are all civilians; overlooked by the clan and only included in the meetings as an afterthought." A second finger rose. "Second, they all have children or close relatives who are part of the active shinobi forces or the Police Force. And third," a third finger followed the rest, "they all received visits from Shiori-san once a week."
Itachi's brows furrowed, his jaw clenching and unclenching in worry. "I'm starting to see a pattern here. Do we know anything else?"
Shisui shook his head. "Not yet. Next week Shiori-san has a meeting with Miku-san and her husband, Taku-san. They have two sons, both in the police department. It will be her first meeting with them, and I plan to be there and see what exactly she is doing to earn the hefty sum of money our dear councilor sends her way."
It was now Itachi's turn to pace, his thoughts racing. What could Shuko be planning with the civilians? They had no voting or decision power whatsoever, so why approach them? They were rarely interested in the clan's politics since they couldn't do anything to influence it anyway. Did he plan to blackmail their shinobi relatives? But then why not focus on the shinobi themselves? There was something they were missing, something that didn't make sense. "We need to find out what Shiori-san is telling these people."
In front of him, Shisui nodded, his face looking as worried as Itachi felt. "I'll keep you updated."
If Shuko was planning something, they had to find out what it was and warn his father. He would probably believe him since there was no love lost between him and Shuko, but they needed to have proof. They couldn't work on their feelings and suspicions alone.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone