Chasing Vermilion

Chapter Six- Clash!

Hi, guys! Lack of editing means there may be a mistake or two, so sorry XD There is a three year time skip! The one-tail and a few subsequent tailed beasts have been sealed. Kana is now 15 years old and deadly... Itachi's illness begins to surface, and memories are stirred. 

Enjoy, and share your thoughts! Thanks.

Chapter 6- Clash!

Somewhere isolated and hidden, was a large cave. In this cave, were two real people, and projections of several other individuals. And these people were the most recent compilation of the Akatsuki. No light managed to work into the cave. The only light was the faint glow that each projection emitted. Each projection was stood atop a giant hand shaped statue of what was apparently a demon, and each projection had its own finger to stand on. Facing the hand was the rest of the statue: a demonic-looking face with many eyes.

"Good work, Itachi, Kana…" Leader praised. "We can now seal the six tails…"

"We are so close!" Tobi yelled.

"Shut up, Tobi…" Kakuzu growled. "As treasurer of the Akatsuki's money matters, I can say that our funds are currently leaving a lot to be desired… we have consumed too much money lately."

"Money is indeed important. However, as Tobi said, we are very close now. Only a few more tailed beasts left," Leader reasoned, trying, as per usual, to keep all these immensely powerful Shinobi from aggravating each other too much.

"Since Itachi and Kana have done well with the six-tails, I will send Hidan and Kakuzu to collect the nine-tails. I was going to send out Itachi's squad out, however after remembering your last attempt at the nine-tails, I reconsidered."

Kana stared straight ahead, feeling a little rueful. Their last attempt to capture the nine-tails failed, because of Itachi… she closed her eyes and remembered… back to her twelve-year-old self.

"So, it's this way, right?" Kana had said, pointing at the sign post as they made their way along the path away from the Hidden Leaf. She stopped to check the sign more thoroughly. "This town is where the Jinchuuriki should be? Naruto Uzumaki?"

"You ask too many questions, Kana," Itachi replied shortly, continuing to walk. He still looked consumed in his thoughts, after their encounter with Kakashi in the Leaf.

"But is it? I'm tired of hunting Jinchuuriki already!"

"Yeah. It is."

"Let's go then- we should hurry!"

"Fine, let's run."

A ninja's definition of 'run' is slightly different. They sprinted at blinding speeds, through the trees so that they would remain inconspicuous, and consequently reached the town in just a few minutes. Itachi looked round at Kana, to see that she was quickly catching up to him in the speed department.

"Here we are!" Kana said brightly. "No-one knows we're Akatsuki, so we can relax here, right?"

"Well, if you declare it that stridently, someone might guess," Itachi sighed. "You have decent senses now. Locate the Uzumaki kid for us. After all, he is your individual assignment."

Kana nodded importantly, thrilled at having been given a direct order from Itachi. She closed her eyes and searched through the chakras of every single individual in the vicinity, until she suddenly struck gold. Here was a chakra she had never felt before. If a normal, human chakra was a colour, she'd say it was blue, however the chakra she was sensing now was crimson, dangerous and potent. Definitely the sign of a tailed beast Jinchuuriki nearby.