Tortured Uchiha [CURRENTLY EDITING]

二 七 [PART 1]

B A S T A R D   U C H I H A   [PART 1]

ITACHI 

        As per Pein's instruction, we oversaw the One-Tail's extraction. It seemed to be going as planned, and the Gedo Statue was receptive to the chakra. I wasn't sure how much time had passed, but my ears pricked at the other Akatsuki members conversation.

       "Shinobi from the Leaf have been spotted en route," Zetsu murmured. "Shinkoshoku Toge is with them, we've been double crossed."  

        "Well that is interesting," Pein kept his hands in the half tiger/ram seal while his Rinnegan scanned us. "Who will go next?

         "I will," I said.

       It'd been too long since I saw other Shinobi from Konohagakure, and if my gut was right, Naruto Uzumaki would be there. With thirty-percent of my chakra going into the extraction of the Ichibi, I'd have to rely on Genjutsu mostly—I could easily fight at a distance and against multiple targets that way. 

      "You're gonna put an end to Shinko–Chan, un?" the blonde, Deidara, looked rather alarmed. "I mean, even me and Sasori couldn't take her. She knocked me clean off my bird."

     From the reports from Sasori's puppet, Hidan and Kakuzu—Shinkoshoku Toge had speed,  intelligence and combat skill that surpassed them. It was why Pein preferred her as an ally, it would take too many resources to put her in her place otherwise. I'd watched her from a distance ever since she'd been tailing us, but I couldn't discern her motives. She gained nothing from the Akatsuki, that became clear when she rejected Pein's request.

       Who was Shinkoshoku Toge?

       I wanted to find out for myself.

[Time Skip]  

         Kakashi Hatake, my old ANBU Captain jumped into view from the canopy across from me. He was followed by the Kyuubi Jinchuriki, Naruto Uzumaki and the pink haired Haruno girl that had cried over the loss of my brother―the thought of seeing her cry when Sasuke left, sickened me; it reminded me of how Etsuko silently cried when I left her in a pool of her own blood. I shook my head, I couldn't think such trivial thoughts anymore, despite how much my heart clenched.

     An elderly woman from the Sand landed behind Naruto with suspicious eyes. However, I wasn't interested in the party of naïve Leaf shinobi, I wanted Shinkoshoku Toge. She was nowhere to be seen, my best guess was that Zetsu got his observation report wrong, or she'd walked them into a trap.

        She's too loyal to lead the Akatsuki wrong, my conscience growled.

      "Everyone halt!" Kakashi slid to a stop and he flicked his hitai-ate to expose his Sharingan. 

        Naruto's blue eyes widened.

       The wind ruffled my hair around my face, obscuring my image. 

     I kept my Sharingan activated despite the strain it put on me. I knew the rumours that surrounded me, I was a bastard throughout every country and village, you could say I was proud of it―I'd completed that part of my mission at least.

         But you couldn't save Etsuko or Shisui, my conscience laughed.

       Leaves swirled around me as I tried to forget her pain stricken face, her shallow gasps for air, how she forced my Tanto through her chest. The tacky dry blood from her leather gloves caressing my cheek, telling me to go. Why did I have to leave? Why did I have to leave her there to die in the cold abyss of night? That wasn't my mission, that was murder.