Caught in the Darkness

CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT: The Hunt

Mist had never been more noticeable in the Leaf Village. The sun had still to rise; Kisame and Itachi walked among the destroyed buildings early that morning. "What the hell happened in here?" Kisame commented while staring at the early risers continue to help rebuild the village.

"Orochimaru," was the only thing Itachi said. He was looking for a certain person. Hanako was usually not one to wake up early, but after this she wouldn't have gone to sleep. When Itachi walked past a shop he immediately stopped and looked back at it. Kisame stopped, having walked ahead of him, and looked at Itachi with confusion.

"Itachi-san?" asked Kisame. Itachi didn't reply. Instead, he walked into the shop. It smelled of recently made dango and green tea. Itachi smiled and tears threatened to fall down his cheeks. Kisame followed his partner inside and sighed. "Do you want to sit down and eat something?" he asked, gaining the Uchiha's attention. "My treat."

Itachi looked away to the floor and barely nodded. Kisame grinned and picked the table closest to the exit, in case they had to walk out quickly. That's how they were used to do in most restaurants they stopped to eat. Someone would always recognize them and they had to leave as quickly as possible to avoid fighting. Kisame didn't mind killing off some bounty hunters, but Itachi was against it.

Kisame looked up when the waitress approached them with a smile, placing two cups of steaming green tea on the table. "What would you gentlemen like to order?" she asked. The woman flinched slightly when she saw Kisame, but immediately looked at Itachi and managed to smile softly.

"I don't want anything, thank you," Kisame said in huffed voice.

"An order of Hanami Dango please," Itachi muttered softly in embarrassment.

"Coming right up!" The woman giggled softly before walking back to the kitchen.

"I didn't take you to have a like for sweets," Kisame commented, taking a sip of his tea. Itachi looked at him for a moment before looking towards the exit. He noticed a group of talking people walked into the shop and sat down a couple of tables away from them.

One of them sighed once he sat down. "I hate that Orochimaru guy. I hope someone catches him one day and gives him what he deserves," he commented.

"How did he get in, anyway?" another one spoke. The waitress approached them and started to take their orders. "An ANBU should have noticed him right away."

"My wife works in the Decoder Unit, and she told me that a friend who works directly with the elders told her that they suggest someone covered him up," said a third member.

"Who would have covered for someone like Orochimaru?" the first one asked.

The third shrugged, "A traitor of course."

Itachi was so focused in their conversation that he didn't notice the woman came back with his dango and put it on the table in front of him. He looked at it and frowned when he noticed a piece of paper neatly folded under his plate. He took it and unfolded it. It was a note from the waitress.

I think you're cute~

Wanna hang out?

Itachi rolled his eyes and crumpled the piece of paper into a ball before throwing it to the trash can next to the exit. "Do you think maybe it was..." the second member murmured lowering his voice, "Hanako Uchiha?"

Itachi clenched his fists and looked at the visitors from the tip of his eye. "Hey!" The third member shushed him. "Don't say her name out loud, she might appear out of nowhere."