Black Bird [Itachi Uchiha]

6: Assigned

My alarm started blaring through the comfortable silence, shattering the euphoria I was currently drifting through in dreamland. I groaned, rolling over in my bed, but without a moment of hesitation, I sluggishly slid my legs off of the bed, lifting my torso up. I pushed myself out of the bed and began to fix my blankets and sheets. I turned off the alarm and turned the light on, squeezing my eyes tight as I uncomfortably adjusted to the light. I blinked a few times, rubbing my eyes with a short yawn.

I walked into the bathroom and washed my face, waking myself up and cleansing me of the night. I brushed my teeth and then moved onto the task of getting dressed for the day.

Dressing myself was much simpler now that I had a uniform. I dressed myself in a black shirt and shorts, pulling my robe over my outfit, sliding my black sandals on my feet. I put my long, black hair in a bun and walked outside of my room. I walked into the kitchen, making myself a cup of green tea, and eating a banana I had brought in my backpack. I was slowly waking up, slowly rolling my head back and forth along my back, cracking my neck. Footsteps made me crack an eye open, and I saw Itachi, fully dressed and alert, walking into the kitchen to make himself a cup of green tea as well.

A small smile played on my lips as I took another sip. I kept my eyes on my food this time, knowing now he was extremely observant.

He sat on the chair at the far end of the table, closest to the arched doorway, his eyes closed as he took in a deep breath as the water boiled. When he finally had his green tea, I had finished mine. I cleaned my mug before walking outside to the training yard. It was only 4:40AM, but I wanted to start some breathing exercises to loosen myself up. I was prepared for some ass kicking, quite honestly.

Itachi walked outside a mere few minutes after me, activating his Sharingan when we made eye contact, it was clear we were both ready to begin the training. He walked up to me, his eyes locked on mine. "When you fought Deidara, I noticed you held out on using your Genjutsu until you had to, and I'm guessing it's because you don't have stable control on your chakra levels," Itachi spoke.

Read like a book. He wasn't wrong. "How do I control that?"

"Empty your mind, and breathe as I do," he spoke. I watched him, following his lead, and when he started to project chakra flow on his hand, he urged me to do the same. "You are releasing chakra unevenly, look at the uneven spots," he corrected, pointing at it. "Try more."

I sighed, breathing, concentrating, keeping a steady mind, until it was to his liking. "Try to entrap me in your Genjutsu," Itachi spoke. I looked at him worriedly.

"I want to see for myself what the Murasaki Clan's Genjutsu looks like," he spoke. "Don't hold back."

I began to control my chakra flow, activating Kiro, staring directly into his Sharingan eyes. "Welcome to Paradaisu," I whispered, propelling him into dreamland. Immediately upon entering, he started to look around, his hands picking apart pieces he noticed were flawed.

"Concentrate harder on forming this illusion. Not everyone dreams a similar paradise," he spoke. I projected into the dream, approaching him. He grabbed me by the wrist, pulling me with a little force, yanking me out of my Paradaisu, and into Tsukiyomi. I gasped, seeing the red sky above me, our inverted appearances, and I was stuck against a wooden crucifix. Itachi was standing before me. I shook before him, frightened, as the world drew on around me, and it was hours before he released me from my confinements.

I opened my eyes and gasped, my heart beating rapidly as I placed my hand on my chest, looking up at him in pure shock. He had so easily thrown me into his Genjutsu. I was shaking, looking up at the sky and my surroundings, horrified to see that although hours had passed in the illusion, it had been mere seconds. "H—H. . .How? I questioned, my hands shaking. His Tsukiyomi was the complete opposite to my Paradaisu, in terms of being both flawless, and completely inverted. It was like a torture chamber that lasted centuries, rather than my dreamland that took foes out of consciousness.

"It is going to take us a while, don't be discouraged. You have remarkable ability thus far, it will only get better from here," He spoke. I was genuinely flattered he claimed I had remarkable ability. "Leader told me he plans on sending you on intel missions, in which you'll gather information on all Jinchuriki to help our cause in capturing all of these tailed beasts."

My eyes grew wide at this, my breath caught in my chest. "By myself?"

Itachi gave one firm nod. "I'm tasked with making sure you are ready to leave in three months. You'll be gone for a year or two after that, gathering intel to aid our retrieval of the beasts. It is much easier capturing one you have information on."

All of a sudden, something started to come out of the ground next to me, I dodged quickly, but it was just Zetsu sticking his head out of the ground. "I will also be there to help play as messenger if you need any help on that mission, so don't worry," White Zetsu spoke. "But you're going to have to learn all you can soon, because we can only move so fast." Black Zetsu finished.

"Were you listening in this whole time?" I questioned, irked.

White Zetsu replied. "Always listening." Zetsu slunk back into the ground, disappearing as if he were never there in the first place.

I was doubting my capabilities, but I couldn't let Itachi know that. I straightened my back and cleared my throat. He was eyeing me now, and it seemed I was a little too obvious about how uncomfortable the new job assignment sounded to me.

"You will be ready for the assignment, trust me," he spoke confidently, bringing me back down to Earth. I turned to him, watching as the breeze caught strands of his hair, swaying, and it was the first time I noticed his ponytail past the cloak's tall collar. I blushed, looking up at the sky and away from him almost immediately, thinking about how attractive that was. I sighed, shaking my head, wishing it would spontaneously rain buckets of cold water on me.

I turned to Itachi now, firmly staring him in the eye. "I'm ready to learn."