One More Chance - Naruto X RWBY

The Crow And The Raven

Of any of the situations Itachi had planned for during this mission, this had not been one of them. In hindsight, perhaps he should have expected something like this to happen. Mistral was known for its high number of bandits, particularly those who had organized themselves into large groups.

The Branwen's happened to be the largest of those groups.

'This is bad. This is very bad... The Branwen tribe prides itself on strength, it's a clan full of warriors... and if my sources are to be believed, then Raven Branwen herself is nearly unmatched.' Itachi didn't know everything about the Branwen tribe's leader, but he had done extensive research into the backgrounds of Team STRQ out of interest. He knew that Raven was one of the most skilled and powerful huntresses to ever live, only outmatched by his own mother. And that was only what was known of before she rejoined her tribe. He didn't even want to know how strong she was now, but he knew that she would be one of the strongest adversaries he had ever faced in this world so far if they did come to blows.

The fires continued to rage around him as he activated his Sharingan to analyze the situation further. There must have been almost fifty bandits, all armed with at least rudimentary weapons and armor. Based on what his Sharingan could pick up, they all seemed to have at least a decent amount of aura. However, there were a few standouts. One of the most prominent being the woman Aero and Denver were fighting.

'And I'm afraid that I might not be able to do much like this, I am far too wounded to mount a confident offensive... but still, I cannot let these people suffer. They took me into their village, even for the short time I've been here... I must do something.' Itachi thought to himself as he mentally prepared himself for battle. He could already feel his body screaming in protest, but that didn't matter to him. He had to not only protect Volcan, but Aine as well. If something happened to her, then Weiss would...

He didn't want to think about it.

Raven may have been strong, but he would drop dead before he let anyone else suffer because of him.

"Miss Aine, go back to your house. I'll take care of this." He rasped, drawing Protector from his side and shifting his legs as he prepared to charge in. Crimson blood dribbled from his mouth as his mouth settled into a frown. But the old woman only looked at him in scrutiny and confusion, narrowing her eyes at him before growling.

"What are you on about, boy? In your state, you couldn't take care of a wild dog, no less the Branwen tribe." Itachi turned his head slightly to look at Aine, noting that she also knew of the existence of Mistral's most feared bandit clan. And on the one hand, he knew she was kind of right.

But on the other hand...

"I'm full of surprises. Now get back to your house, now!-" Itachi cut himself off by drawing and slashing Protector in front of Aine at relativistic speeds, deflecting a bullet that had been fired by one of the many bandits. His crimson eye immediately weaseled the attacker out, finding an older looking man next to the unconscious body of one of the village's defenders. He was gigantic, a big lumbering man that stood at over seven feet tall. Itachi glared at the man, taking a deep breath before saying a single word to Aine.

"Run."

As soon as the word left Itachi's lips, he shot off like a bullet towards the bandit. Except, bullets were mere snails compared to the black blur he had become, racing at his enemy at speeds matching that of light itself. Everything became a blur, only barely visible by his weary Sharingan. No one could even see him move as he closed in on the giant man in an instant, putting him under a powerful genjutsu before disappearing in a flash. Tied up by the raven haired teen's illusion, the bandit roared as he brought his sword down on the illusionary Itachi, only to stumble back in surprise when he exploded into a flock of crows.