An Uchiha's True Worth

Part 3 Too Close for Comfort

     Shinpi stretched before she stood up. She had slept very well. She would have to thank her Captain when she reported in today. As she dressed, she felt a gust of wind blow through an open window. She looked outside and saw the overcast skies. As she closed the window and then the curtains, she felt something tickle her bare feet. When she looked down, she found a single black feather. Interesting. She put it in the top drawer of her dresser and put her hair up in front of the mirror. She went to the kitchen and fixed herself a cup of tea. As she sat down at her kitchen table, she thought about being able to go back to work. She was curious what her new position would be. She hoped it was an active position, she was no fan of being a bodyguard to anyone. Even the Hokage. The absence of the Uchiha clan would be felt by many. She was thankful that she had a job to keep her mind occupied. She thought about the feather she had found. Only one person she knew used crows like that. So he was watching her. Her heart ached. How was she supposed to move on if he was going to continue to appear to her? She truly cared about him. It took everything in her not to worry about what he could possibly be doing. After massacring his entire clan, what couldn't he do? She checked the time. She would need to leave now if she was going to make it on time.

     As Itachi followed his new partner, he found his thoughts returning to Shinpi. He hated that everything had happened the way it did. Shinpi was smart so he hoped that she understood why he had to do things in a particular way. He had every intention of seeing her again. How or when was still unknown. The Leader intended to keep them busy with his many errands as they worked towards their goals. A nagging voice in the back of mind began to bother him. What if he had to dispose of her at some point? Could he do it? After what he had done in front of Madara, he may have alerted the Leader to a potential weakness. He shook his head. He would need to bide his time. It was selfish of him to expect Shinpi to be faithful to him. And her feelings toward him told him that would be the case. He would need to find a way to make her move on, no matter how much it hurt. What would actually happen when they met in person again, remained to be seen. He knew he would most likely ravage her. It wouldn't matter if she were involved with someone else. He took her innocence, so she belonged to him. As mean as that sounded. That seemed to be the way every male Uchiha believed when it came to the women they chose. If things had been different, he would have married her and they would have had children. In his heart of hearts that's what he wanted. But as a true Shinobi, the village was the most important thing right now. Kisame Hoshigaki watched him curiously. Itachi picked his pace up to match his partners and put his mind back on the task at hand.

     Shinpi walked into the Anbu headquarters and reported in. When she saw the new Captain, she was surprised. Tenzo. She bowed. "I wasn't expecting you to finally except the rank of Captain." She tells him. Tenzo smiled when he looked up. "You're not the only one. This was Kakashi's doing." Shinpi chuckled. She knew Tenzo better than she did Kakashi, they had worked together on quite a few missions together in the past. "Thank you for the herbs." She tells him. He smiled. "That was Kakashi's idea." Shinpi blushed. She may not know Kakashi very well, but she knew he was hot as hell. She took a breath. "So, what mission do you have for me?" Tenzo nodded motioning behind her. Kakashi was leaning against the wall reading his book. She blushed again. "Sir," She says as she bowed. "I guess I have you to thank. Sorry about my behavior before." "It's nothing." Kakashi responded waving a hand. Shinpi waited. "Senpai," Tenzo chimes in. "I suppose you intend on being late as usual, but have mercy on Shinpi would you? She has to develop a reputation of her own without you messing it up for her." Kakashi chuckled. "I'll vouch for her." Tenzo rolled his eyes. "Come on, then." Kakashi says as he goes outside. Shinpi followed him. "Isn't this an Anbu mission?" She asked. She had expected to be given her mask and her gear. "Not exactly." Shinpi raised an eyebrow. "I need a date." She stopped. Kakashi turned and smiled. Shinpi blushed but didn't find this as humorous as he did. "I'll explain on the way. We will need to do some shopping before we leave the village." Shinpi sighed and followed him as he headed into the heart of town. They stopped at a handful of stores. Once they were finished, Kakashi had her follow him to Ichiraku and they ate dinner. "I'll be going under cover as well." He tells her. And smiles. Okay, she thought. Why was he pointing that out, that was the part of the mission after all. After they had eaten, he walked her home. "Get some rest, I'll be by to pick you up in the morning." With that he waved goodbye and walked away. Shinpi sighed as she went inside and slid off her shoes. She got undressed, took a quick shower and lay down. She fell asleep more quickly than usual but considering they were leaving early, she didn't care.