Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

His room’s door was slightly ajar, light trailing from the small break between it and the wall.

Sasuke palmed a kunai. Thousands of thoughts rushed through his mind as he entered the door, his bag forgotten on the floor. Then, slowly, silently, he approached his room.

The door opened painfully slow, with a quiet squeak that was deafening in the silence.

A plain white mask greeted him, staring into his soul. Emotionless and empty, it reminded him of the ANBU masks.

He belatedly realized that the mask was attached to a body, almost completely shrouded in the darkness.

Was this one of his old guards, he wondered. But then why would they still have him on watch, had he not proved himself enough? And why even let themselves be caught?

Sasuke didn’t know what to feel. Anger? Fear?

He opened his mouth, questions dancing on the tip of his tongue when those dark, empty eye holes gleamed red in the light.

His mind went blank with rage.

“Itachi,” he growled. Shisui only had one eye, after all.

He throws the kunai, even if he knows that it will do nothing to that man, hand already in motion for the hand seals for the Great Fireball Technique. Even if Sasuke dies here, he will not let Itachi kill him without a fight. He will fall fighting for his clan’s vengeance.

“Foolish little brother…” whispered the wind. The phantom pair of red spun in the moonless night. Hands slick with blood. The ever-looming nightmare.

The kunai flew straight through his opponent’s face to harmlessly embed itself into the wall behind them. Not even the slightest indication of what just happened. As if injuries that other people had to deal with were a polite suggestion to them. Their head tilted slightly as if they were curiously examining him.

The jutsu dies in his hands at the monkey seal.

No. Now as his eyes had adapted to the darkness and his mind cleared by the absurdity, he picked out the masked person’s long hair and how they were shorter than he was.

He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. However, the red eyes kept staring, and the masked figure remained unmoving as it stood in the middle of the room. More questions danced through Sasuke’s mind. How. Why. Who. His always-empty room in the always-empty house had never felt this claustrophobic and small.

Sasuke felt something wet trail down his face. He touched his face with his hands.

Oh. He was crying.

“H-how?” He asked, shuddering.

The figure didn’t immediately respond. He almost thought his question was going to be ignored.

“He does not know.” Answered the distinctively female voice. After a slight pause, she continued in her monotone voice. Itachi and Shisui… They killed them all. He saw it. He saw them all. Blood flowing under the blood moon. They had made sure not to leave anyone behind. He wanted to laugh and shout, to scream. Sasuke dropped to the floor, head spinning.

“What is your name?” He forced out through gritted teeth.

Again, he waited patiently for her response. This time he had to wait longer still.

“This operative was not granted a name.”

“What.” His blood ran cold. He belatedly realized he had gotten up again. There was just too much to unpack there. “What?” He asked again.

The mask tilted ever so slightly in the other direction as if he was the one being ridiculous.

“Didn’t… Didn’t your parents name you?” He asked.

This time, her answer was faster, if only by a little.

“This operative is not privy to such information.”

Then, before he could continue asking more questions, she suddenly stood straighter, her eyes back to the black typical of an Uchiha. Suddenly, a book was in her hands, which she thrust into his chest.

“No one was here.” She declared while he was focused on the weird drawing on the book’s cover. Bewildered, he held the loosely tied-together stacks of pages in his arms. It was deceptively heavy.

Before he could realize what just happened, with a small spike of chakra, she was gone.

-

-

The next time Sasuke met the mysterious, masked Uchiha, he was about a tenth of the way through the book of Jutsu and Seals she had left behind.

At least this time, she had the courtesy to knock at his door instead of entering uninvited. Even if the concept of politely waiting for the door to be opened seemed to be still beyond her, she was already removing her shoes when he reached the house’s entrance.

“Greetings.” She spoke in her almost monotone voice, with an… edge of something more. “This operative has successfully earned a name.” This time, her voice had traces of emotions leaking through. “Kagami. For successfully copying and translating a part of the Forth Hokage’s sealing notes.” Her body tensed up as she said that, as if afraid of someone overhearing it. After a few seconds, her body language went back to the emotionless statue he was previously familiar with.

“Kagami…” He tested out the name.

Kagami bobbed her head as if to say, ‘yes, that’s me,’ but it just looked like mechanical jerks.

“Kagami,” he continued, “can I- may I see your face?” He asked.

She tensed again before shaking her head a little and relaxing. Then, slowly and carefully, both her hands reached up, and her thumbs went between her ears and mask. Then, even more slowly, she brought the mask down and revealed her face.

Nondescript. That’s the first thought Sasuke had when looking at her face. Face pale enough to suggest low amounts of exposure to sunlight. Her face was completely black, but he could almost see the nervousness in her eyes. Or at least he could imagine seeing it.

Upon further inspection, he could see the various scars, faint and fading, adorning her face. He memorized the image as anger slowly bled through into his mind.

“Why?” he asked. Why reveal yourself? Why keep yourself hidden? Why are you like this? Too many questions dance through his mind. He had never before realized how constrained this language was in expressing his frustration. Sasuke forcibly took deep breaths to calm his nerves and patiently for his answer.

“You were alone.” She replied, spoken more like a question than an answer. After that, she again donned her mask, and after handing him another book – version two, in her own words – she disappeared again.

-

-

The third time they met, Sasuke had already read both books cover to cover. He was already halfway through his second reading of the new book.

When he returned from the academy, Kagami was already in his room, draped in… were those lizards?

“Chameleon Summons,” She responded as if reading his mind, completely ignoring the lizard covering her mask and one of her eye holes. Another one lay curled up on top of her head, with various tiny chameleons hanging from her hair or sitting on her shoulder. One particularly little chameleon peaked its head from behind the top of Kagami’s mask.

A blink and they were gone – sans the chameleon sleeping on top of her head. Another blink and they were back.

“Hello,” she said, nodding once when he awkwardly greeted her.

“How was your day?” She then asked. Which – could she not have found a duller question to ask? Before he could formulate his answer, with a small puff of smoke, she had a book in her hands. Its title read ‘communications for the socially impaired,’ which answered questions he didn’t know he had.

“Ah,” she spoke, “I am supposed to start with a gift.” Kagami reached inside her cloak and produced a strange three-prog kunai. Which she then handed to him. “Throw this if you require my assistance.” She continued.

“Thank you?” Sasuke half spoke, and half asked.

Taking a closer look at the kunai, he notices the various seals engraved on it, both in Kanji and symbols he had never seen before. A code, he wondered?

“Do not trust anyone with one eye hidden.” She suddenly spoke. Then, her head tilted as if she were thinking. “Other than Kakashi Hatake. He will keep you safe.”

And with those enigmatic words, she was gone in a flash.

-

-

After that visit, Kagami kept sporadically appearing in his house and, with her, kept bringing more gifts. Sometimes, she bought parchment and ink for his sealing studies. Other times she brought him weapons and clothes. Most often, though, she brought him various food items. He still has the seeds of the tomatoes she got from Grass; he was waiting for the perfect time to plant them.

She also started spending more time in his house. Once, he found her drowning in the ranks of her summons as he left for the academy; and she was still there when he returned, except with even more chameleons on and around her.

She looked significantly more comfortable than he would expect a person in her predicament to be.

Still, Sasuke was trying to figure out Kagami’s disappearing Jutsu. Genjutsu quickly explained her ‘intangibility.’ But her vanishing Jutsu didn’t seem to match up with any Body Flicker or Replacement Jutsu he could find. Asking Kagami herself gave him weird non-answers including but not exclusive to tangents on ‘the multiverse theorem,’ ‘non-linearity of space-time,’ and ‘dimensional anchoring.’ He lacked the context to understand most of those explanations and didn’t want to either.

-

-

The day he met his Jonin Instructor, Sasuke understood why Kagami had to clarify explicitly that he could be trusted. 

Chapter Text

The class was just about to start, and Sasuke was already begging for the day to end. It was his birthday today, and he was finally looking forward to heading home fast on it for the first time in years. Well, at least his main reason was not escaping his fans. Kagami had promised him a special gift today, after all.

Sighing, he propped his elbows on the table and covered his face with his palms.

Unfortunately, his excitement was going to kill him at this rate. Unless the incessant chatter in the classroom didn’t drive him insane first. The worst part was that Sasuke knew what they were talking about.

“Oi, Sasuke!” A voice shouted in his face. A face leaned in too close; his vision was overwhelmed with orange leaking between his fingers. The faint smell of cheap instant ramen wafted in the air. What was it this time? Sasuke forced himself not to tap his legs. Slowly, he removed his hands from his face and straightened his back.

“Naruto,” he responded with a well-practiced ‘bored scowl’ to hide his anxiousness. Maybe practicing expressions with Kagami was a good idea after all. On getting no response, he continued with a single raised eyebrow and a “What?”

He heard calls of ‘Sasuke-kun,’ ‘so cool,’ and ‘so cute!’  in the background, the last of which he ignored on sheer principle alone.

Nodding like he had some great revelation, Naruto turned around and returned to his seat. Which, what? But it still got Naruto out of his face, allowing Sasuke to mope around till the end of the class at the very least.

Today’s lesson was the Transformation Jutsu, the last of the three Jutsu they would be tested on for graduation. It was a deceptively tricky Jutsu to pull off, as the change in height and center of mass meant that inexperienced shinobi would find themselves tripping on their feet. However, he had already learned how the Transformation Jutsu worked—one of the most significant advantages of having a friend in ANBU; free Jutsu lessons.

Still, any attempts Sasuke made to learn more about the ‘secret ANBU’ had been rebuffed by Kagami. However, she still let some information through, which didn’t paint it in a positive light. Or any light at all; they were all shadow themed. He knew they liked to acquire children from orphanages because of a few backhand comments, and she let loose that Itachi and Shisui were a part of the group too. She also told him that making sure no one knew that he knew was paramount. This was the kind of knowledge that made you disappear in the middle of the night, never to be seen again.

A few minutes in, Naruto proudly proclaimed something, which pulled Sasuke out of his thought. Then he heard a puff of smoke from behind him, and Sensei was bleeding from his nose. Sasuke sighed again, rubbing his palm to his forehead. This was going to be one of those days again.

-

-

The faint, copper smell of blood drifted in the air.

Kagami lay on the ground, a splatter of red on her mask. Concerned chameleons surrounded her. A bloodied katana lay beside her.

“Oh,” she spoke weakly, “Hello,” she responded and slowly got up. “This operative failed in her mission for your birthday gift and thus could not successfully capture your brother.” She then continued, which, again, what? Sasuke realized he was asking himself this question often these days, but statements like that didn’t really have any other logical responses.

Kagami drew a scroll from within her sleeves, unrolling it carefully. Still, her bloody fingers left small splashes of red on the parchment. Then, grunting in annoyance, she just handed it to him. It was a sealing scroll, he realized. It was very complicated for a Storage scroll too and he shuddered to think what could be hidden within.

With a reluctant pulse of chakra, there was a sword in his hands.

“Kusanagi,” rasped Kagami, once again lying on the ground. This time face first. A few chameleons peeked out from within her hair with that name. “I acquired it from his partner through combat. He had many.”

“Shisui?” Hissed out Sasuke. Good, if so.

“Orochimaru, of the Sannin.” Which was a name Sasuke thought he had heard before. Then, from one of her many pockets, she took out a... was that a dead rat? Why, he thought, for what reason could she have a rat in her pocket? It’s not like chameleons even eat rats, do they? And hygiene. How was she not sick yet? Did she have Storage seals in her pocket or something?

“It is also a snake.” She continued and threw the aforementioned dead rat into the air before Sasuke could process that. Suddenly, a slithering mass in his hands caught the rat, swallowed it, and then turned it back into a sword. Somewhat understandably, he dropped the weapon. Kagami waited for him to pick it up again. Which he did after receiving a ‘what are you doing’ look. For someone who perpetually wore a mask, Kagami was getting rather good at conveying her emotions with body language.

Wait. Itachi has partners?

“From tomorrow morning, you will be taught Kenjutsu.” She then spoke, unknowing of his internal plight. “Treat Kusanagi well, and you will never need another blade... Other than kunai. You can never have enough kunai.” She finished with a yawn. “…Goodnight.” And with those words, her body went slack.

Sasuke stared at her for a solid minute before going to his room to get her a blanket, plans to visit a blacksmith for a scabbard were already in his mind. After that, he would have to pay the library a visit to read about snake and chameleon diets.

He had so many questions to ask once she woke up.

-

-

By morning, Kagami meant well before the sun rose. And by training, she told him to repeat the same few stances.

“It’s not about memorization.” She had explained when he had asked. “It is about comprehension. Once you learn the stances, you can then forget them. Once you understand the meaning of the strikes and discard all the stances, that’s when you have truly mastered the sword.” Sasuke was at least ninety percent sure she stole that from one of those trashy comic books she had started reading all the time, something about making Shin proud. On the bright side, she had hobbies other than making explosions now. Sage knew she needed one.

This was already the basis of his sealing lessons already, so Sasuke didn’t protest too much. Once you understand all basic templates, what part of a Storage seal makes it different from an Explosion seal, and what parts of a Knockout seal make it different from a Chakra Detection seal, you can forget how to make all of them and design your own.

It's about learning, understanding, and discarding.

“Wax on, wax off…” he muttered as the sun rose in the background, painting the world in various shades of red, yellow, and orange.

Akatsuki, the daybreak.

Sasuke’s grip tightened around the weapon as he took a break to catch his breath. Kagami looked up from her book, her masked face tilting after taking a look at his face before continuing to read. She was already back in shape, it seemed. Her mask was polished to perfection.

He continued with his slashes.

It filled him with anger and jealousy. That even after what he did – what they did, Itachi and Shisui were still accepted with open arms into another village. World peace… With an organization filled with monsters. What a joke.

“Sasuke,” A hand on his shoulder jolted him out of his thoughts. As soon as she touched him, Kagami awkwardly pulled her hand away. “It will soon be time for your classes.”

“Hn”

Sasuke then realized that he had nowhere to store his new sword. He said the same to Kagami, to which she just told the blade to find a comfortable place to rest. This time Sasuke was a little bit more ready for when the weapon turned into a snake and wiggled in his arm. He slowly lowered it to the ground and watched it slither away.

-

-

Kagami had already disappeared by the time he had taken his bath and set his breakfast before leaving for her mission. Apparently, she was supposed to be on her way to Kiri. But her secret teleportation technique meant she could waste her time messing around while another agent brought one of her ‘teleport waypoints’ over there. They didn’t know about her other, even more, secret teleportation technique that didn’t have such requirements. Even he didn’t know how it worked; he had seen it in action all of once, leaving Kagami pretty drained afterward. She just had just… twisted into herself.

He then picked up his chameleon companion of the week. Or rather, he held his arm out and let the small, red lizard crawl up his arms and nest itself on his shoulder. Kagami had read somewhere that animal companions were good for children and had thus forced him with one every time she had to go on an extended mission.

“Adzuki-san.” He greeted the summon, only to get the reptilian equivalent of purring in response as it nuzzled his neck. Which was to be expected; chameleons didn’t like to talk. They barely spoke to Kagami, their summoner, and he had only ever heard them say two sentences to him, one of which was a ‘hello.’ With a blink, the lizard had vanished, but he still felt its weight on his shoulder and its claws digging into the fabric of his shirt.

He picked up his bag, his bento, and a small pouch filled with dead flies, which he had kept in a safe, sanity Storage scroll because, unlike some people, he had hygiene standers. He then left his home for the academy, much lighter than when he entered it.

Chapter Text

“What is that?”

Kagami had taken Sasuke to the old shine, where every Uchiha who had unlocked their Sharingan visited just after. It had always felt forbidding, even before the massacre. Now it was all the more haunting – empty and alone in an untouched corner of the clan compound. Even the chameleon summons had dared not approach it – something about not angering the deities once worshiped here.

Once there, Sasuke had to suppress a shudder as Kagami slowly pushed open the rotting doors to reveal the inside. It was almost frozen in time, like many other clan houses, if not for the buildup of dust and cobwebs. As if its occupants had left for a month-long mission and would be back any day. But they weren’t returning – there was no one left to return.

Kagami had then moved one of the dust-laden tatami mats revealing an empty space beneath.

And that’s how they got here.

“It’s a Sharingan code.” She revealed, looking at the wall. “The secrets of the Sharingan. The Mangekyo Sharingan.” Sasuke’s blood turned to ice with those words. He could feel something heavy in his chest, almost choking on it, goosebumps on his skin.

He had only heard that word whispered in shadows where no one could listen to them. Most clan members, even those who had the Sharingan, didn’t know about it. Heavenly eyes that see the truth of all of creation without obstruction. Its price was too steep, and its power even great still. ‘Tsukuyomi’ echoed in his mind. It was ringing in his skull. Red burning in his eyes. Tears of blood.

…

Drip – drip – drip.

…

He could feel tears trailing down his face. Emotions rushed through his mind. As if sensing his trouble, Kagami turned around and awkwardly placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. Never an embrace, never a hug; Kagami hated touching people, and even an unexpected brush could sometimes break her composure. These shoulder touches were a new development she had started just the past few months ago.

Once he had calmed down, Kagami started explaining the code.

“It is divided into layers.” She spoke. “Each new layer is the next step in the Sharingan’s evolution, and increasingly more complicated.” Her shaky voice betrayed the discomfort in her otherwise monotone delivery.

Her eyes spun like kaleidoscopes, from the three tomes to something… more. Beautiful patterns formed, dancing till they reached their final form. Yet its beauty could do nothing to still Sasuke’s boiling emotions. He felt like someone had kicked the breath out of his stomach.

“How…” He whispered, fists tightening. Whom did you kill? He wanted to ask. The words stuck dead on his lips.

For a while, there was just silence and those cursed eyes.

“We are given a partner once we are selected. To train to, to grow with, to live with.” She spoke grimly.

“He was dying of an illness.” She continued, eyes watery. “It was too late for him…We have to kill our partner. It’s our final exam, to kill all emotions. He told me to suppress my feeling. This operative… I never could.”

Silence.

And yet, this was somehow worse than all he expected. 

-

-

“The eye that opens in battle sees all.” She read. “The eye that opens in experience copies all. The eye that opens in knowledge reflects all.”

“The three tomes.” Sasuke wondered aloud. To cast and see through any Genjutsu, to copy any Jutsu, and to remember everything it witnesses. The three pillars together made the Sharingan the strongest Kekkei Genkai, save for maybe the legendary Rinnegan.

“The eyes that open in grief knows the face of the gods.” Suddenly, the room felt cold and heavy. An oppressive pressure permuted in the air. Sasuke felt like he was approaching knowledge no human should know. It felt wrong to his very blood and bones. Yet he knew with unexplainable certainty that it was true. Suddenly, he was uncomfortably aware of his surroundings.

“The Mangekyo Sharingan.” He spat out like a curse. His heart raced in his chest. Kagami nodded, those red orbs almost staring into his soul before she turned around for the following sentence.

She took a deep breath, half sighed, and half shuddered. It seemed like the world itself was holding its breath.

“The eye taken by thy brother… is eternal.”

“Oh…” Sasuke responded weakly because that was all he could do.

“Once you unlock your Sharingan… Take my right eye.”

-

-

He ran out into the moonlight.

-

-

He declined. He refused no matter how often she tried to explain it and make him see reason. No matter how much she begged and pleaded. He could take her teachings, technique, and seals… but this – the monument to her pain and suffering. The testament to her will. He would never take it.

(No, that’s not true. Or it was not always true. If he were the same child as two years ago, hurting and alone and in pain, he would have taken the deal in a heartbeat. All to kill a man who just kept him alive for replacement parts. But he was no longer alone, and though he still hurt, he had something more, something greater to live for.)

That night, as Kagami returned to her assignment, Sasuke hugged a rather large chameleon summons by the name of Tatsu to sleep, a little bit lighter still.

-

-

Naruto failed the test again, for the third time. Just like how everyone expected him to. For all his grandiose dreams of becoming the Hokage, he had no will to see these ambitions through. Out of the corner of his eye, Sasuke spotted him sitting on a swing, looking as if the problem was the world and not himself.

Catching Sasuke’s eyes, he glared at him hard enough that Sasuke was starting to get a little concerned by his behavior. Finally, he just shook his head and turned away from Naruto. Still, he wished him better luck next time in his mind. And with that, he headed home. It was getting late, and he had made Kagami promise to help him with dinner.

Later that night, Sasuke was woken up by the sounds of someone searching his house. Or rather, a very silent sound. The sounds of someone trained in stealth. Were he not used to looking for signs of Kagami, he wouldn’t have heard them. As silently as he had been taught, he got up, opened his door, and only to come face to face with an ANBU mask in the likeness of a tiger, or some other cat.

“Hello,” Sasuke said plainly, squashing in internal panic. ‘Please don’t be here about Kagami. Please don’t be here about Kagami.’ He repeated in his mind. “You were very loud.” He blurted out, already regretting the words he had just said.

“Oh.” Replied the mysterious ANBU. He sounded like a wilted tree. “Oh,” he repeated, even more downcast. He looked sheepishly embarrassed for a masked black ops unit, even more of an open book than Kagami. Now that Sasuke thought about it, reading Kagami’s emotions took him months.

“Sorry,” Sasuke said, already feeling bad for the poor guy.

“Was Naruto Uzumaki here?” He asked, fidgeting. ‘This was a cold-blooded ninja Sasuke,’ he thought to himself, ‘don’t pity the guy with a kill count easily four times your age. No one gets into the ANBU without being someone dangerous. This is not a Kagami situation.’ Sasuke was unsuccessful.

“No?” He half asked, and half answered. Wait, why even did the dead-last have the ANBU of all people after him… On further thought, Sasuke just wanted to sleep.

One blink, two blinks, and he was gone in a Body Flicker, leaving drifting leaves behind.

So much just happened, and so much more to unpack. Sasuke just sighed, checked to ensure his widows were locked (they weren’t; it seems like the tiger guy forgot that people like the illusion of safety), and went back to sleep. This was going to be an issue for tomorrow, Sasuke; the present Sasuke was just too tired for this.

-

-

Naruto was sitting on his table. Why was Naruto sitting on his table.

“Naruto,” he spoke, trying to ignore the students gathering around. “How can I help you?” Naruto ignored him and kept on staring into his eyes.

“Wow, this is great!”

Naruto’s face rapidly approached him, and Sasuke’s hand flew into the action. Within moments, Sasuke was sitting on the seat to his left with a single Body Flicker. Which ultimately resulted in Naruto’s face introducing itself to the bench with a painful thud. Which, of course, started another round of people cheering for him. What does it even take to be left alone in this class? He had taken great pains to be the most unapproachable person here.

-

-

The Hokage stayed silent, chin resting on his fist. The Jonin Instructors all stared into the crystal ball.

“The Body flicker at this age?” Asked Kurenai Yūhi.

“And one-handed hand signs too.” Noted Asuma Sarutobi.

The Hokage just hummed, deep in thought. Then, with a deep sigh, he turned towards the Jonin Instructor for this very troublesome team.

“What do you think, Kakashi?” He asked.

-

-

Sasuke looked at Kagami. Kagami stared right back. Naruto, tied and gagged, wiggled on the ground.

“Why?” She asked.

Naruto thrashed even more, sounds muffled through his gag as if to explain himself.

“He broke into my room and tried to knock me out and tie me up,” Sasuke explained. Kagami nodded as if this were something normal. “How do you feel about ramen?” She finally asked, filling Sasuke with dread. ‘She thinks we are friends!’ he realized in terror. Sasuke had known that Kagami had been spying on him at the academy. But it seemed like she had taken all the wrong facts.

Of course, ignoring his horror, Kagami had already cut Naruto free and had already started boiling water. He felt a pang of anger-jealousy as the blond idiot happily chatted with her. Why hadn’t he just driven him away?

So many regrets.

Chapter Text

Kagami had a new mask now.

“Is that a rodent?” Sasuke asked, confused. Kagami looked up from where she sat on the ground, book in hand and a dark cloak wrapped around. “Hn?” she hummed, “Bat,” she continued as she slowly turned a page. He felt a jolt of something… Kagami’s behavior reminded him of Kakashi-sensei when asked an awkward question. Furthermore, her summons were missing, which made him feel more uncomfortable.

Sasuke would have expected a chameleon mask if she got one. Or a cat. Honestly, a cat mask would have been very fitting. “Why not a cat?” he asked before stopping himself as Tora drifted to his mind. He didn’t want to think about the demon cat.

Kagami looked at him disappointedly and said, in a rough, gravelly voice, “Because I’m Batman.” To which Sasuke had no adequate answer too.

“The Hokage knows about our meeting now.” She spoke after a few seconds as she finally got up. Then, after hesitating for a few moments, she continued, her hand grabbing her arm in nervousness. “He thinks Councilman Danzo had been sending me here. Danzo thinks Itachi ordered me to visit you.” Which was probably one of the most outrageous statements he had ever heard.

And that name, Danzo. Sasuke felt like he had heard the name before, but he was unsure where. And why would the Hokage even think that guy even planned that? Was he related to the mysterious ANBU she was a part of?

Sasuke asked the said questions to Kagami.

“You are too pure for this world.” She responded, and before he could quite register the statements, she continued, “The Hokage has no issues with our meetings as long as I inform him of them beforehand.”

The book in her hands vanished in a puff of smoke, and with a touch of her fingertips, so was her mask. Then, somewhat nervously, she stuck her tongue out for a moment. The tattoo was missing. Then she slowly took a scroll from her vest and gave it to him. It was an S-rank assassination mission scroll from the Hokage to Itachi and Shisui to kill–

The parchment felt from cold hands.

Sasuke weakly turned towards Kagami. His thoughts were racing, and his heart was pounding. He wanted to hit something, to scream and shout. To run away till the world made sense. Sighing, Kagami picked up the scroll and shoved it back into her vest.

“It was the village and you or the clan.” She spoke, anger bleeding into her voice. Then, in a gentler tone, she continued, “I hate them.”

Warm hands embraced him awkwardly, armor and handles digging into his body. A stray tear drop fell on his shoulder. It stole the words from his mouth.

“And that is why Danzo thinks Itachi,” She almost hissed the name – Sasuke had never seen so much emotion from here before “sent me to watch over you.” He had heard of this before. The Uchiha’s curse of hatred, which had even driven his ancestor Uchiha Madara mad. He had felt it too. But this was his first time seeing it in someone else. "Danzo runs the Root." He now had names. For the organization and the one responsible for it.

“The Hokage,” Sasuke spoke awkwardly after a few minutes of consideration as he returned the hug. “How do you know if… if anyone is spying on us?”

“The Mangekyo is capable of elaborate Genjutsus, which work through the Hokage’s Crystal Ball, alongside the three ANBU watching use: Rat, Owl, and Tiger. They think we are discussing Kenjutsu… don’t tell anyone about the Sword of Kusanagi.” Kagami explained as she moved away. Then she thought more about it. “If you are asked, you can show the first sealing book. The second and beyond have… sensitive information.” Her eyes were red, he noticed. They betrayed the emotions on the now otherwise empty face.

“I… what…” Sasuke took a deep breath to form his words. “What you said implies that they –” Itachi and Shisui, he could not say their name. Not now. “– still communicate with the village.”

“…They are among our best spies,” Kagami replied, her voice finally back to normal. But Sasuke could see how her face was too perfect, her back was too straight, and her hands barely quivered. Sasuke didn’t think he was in an all too different state of mind compared to her.

He felt like he was going to hurl. A question burned in his mind, which he was also asking himself at this very moment. Memories under the blood moon drifted into his mind, unbidden yet unforgettable. There was just too much to think about.

Foolish little brother, so spoke the wind.

“Do you hate the village?” he asked.

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Sasuke’s first C-rank was to be a bodyguard to a drunk, self-proclaimed master bridge builder. He personally would not trust anything this guy made. On top of that, seeing how anxious Tazuna looked as they approached Wave Country, Sasuke was beginning to suspect that this might not be as simple of a mission as they were led to believe.

If anything, Kakashi-sensei seemed to share the sentiment with him, with how he smiled once he caught Sasuke’s eye on the back of Tazuna’s head. Sasuke had no idea how he smiled with most of his face covered, and he really wanted to learn how too. It seemed like a skill that Kagami might find use with.

Then Kakashi-sensei exploded, and Sasuke didn’t have enough time to think.

A pair of kunai was in his left hand, and the Sword of Kusanagi in his right. With a flick of his wrist, both kunai were thrown with expect ease and evaded even more quickly. However, the kunai did their job and created space between their two attackers.

A Body Flicker and Sasuke’s sword found itself almost touching the enemy ninja’s throat. The spiked chains dropped from his hand with a clang. From the corner of his eyes, Sasuke saw sensei take down his opponent with just a precise chop to his neck. Sasuke’s opponent then tried to run away, but Sasuke just tripped him with the back of his sword and knocked him out with a knockout seal to the back.

Turning around, he saw that Sakura was frozen with fear, and Naruto was freaking out. Sensei gave him a thumbs-up as he started tying the two enemy ninjas. He missed Kagami already.

Chapter Text

There was a presence following Itachi.

With his years of experience with ANBU and later with Root as the double agent for the village, these instincts had been engraved into his very being—the rustle of leaves high up in the trees. Too long shadows stretched on the ground without anything to cast them. Even using his Sharingan didn’t reveal any Genjutsu or traces of Chakra, yet the coincidences kept on adding up. He could feel the eyes on his back, staring at him, stalking him, herding him towards their goal. Yet, even his crow summons could find nothing wrong.

It was worrying.

Yet, in this case, the best way forward would be to trigger the trap. Orochimaru was not too far off, and he would most certainly arrive as soon as possible, though he might wait long enough that Itachi would be easy picking for him if it looked like he was losing. He knew quite well of the Snake Sannin’s obsession with his clan’s – no… his Dōjutsu.

Suddenly, he felt the faintest of a pulse of Chakra, something that even seasoned Jonin would struggle to detect. ‘A mistake,’ he wondered, as he Body Flickered towards it, maintaining complete ANBU stealth and more ‘or just bait, made just for him?’

In the back of his mind, regret trickled in. Another body would be added to the already mountainous pile under his name—another sin for him to bear the weight of.

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He knew the mask that greeted him. It had once been his second face, after all. Even with his worsening eyesight, he could see the white, almost bone-like mask in the vestige of a weasel staring back at him in all its glory. Then, with a slight flow of Chakra, the world was unraveled to him.

Hairline cracks were apparent under his Sharingan’s sight. The once pristine mask was now tainted off-white by time and weather. The faintest drain of Chakra keeps it attached to the figure’s face. The mask was supposed to be locked away in the most bottomless pits of the ANBU evidence storage, to be censored and dishonored. There would never be another weasel again. Nor a crow.

They were in an open field, with an assortment of hilts sticking out of the ground in no discernable pattern. They were almost like tombstones, marking the dead. Almost poetic in a way. His Sharingan could see the fading glow of lingering Chakra on all of them, but they felt nothing like Storage seals or Explosive seals, so he only placed a fraction of his attention on them.

The figure was dressed in all flowy, black clothes, which they would have probably wore to conceal their figure, and pink slippers for some odd reason. Provided the one they were up against didn’t have a Dōjutsu. It took but a moment to analyze their body structure and discover the armor and kunai hidden beneath. Still, their clothes weirdly hugged their body, the slightest distortions revealed to his eyes.

“Itachi Uchiha,” Spoke the figure – she. Carefree, joyful, and so very fake. “Heya.” Tobi, he realized, as his heart almost skipped a beat. She reminded him of Madara Uchiha. As if reading his mind, her head tilted in a mockery of a nod. Memories of the day flooded his mind as he thought about his ancestor.

Oh, how he missed his little brother. It would be his birthday tomorrow. Yet he could never show his face to him again. Not without throwing away all he sacrificed for his brother’s future. Izumi’s last words drifted into his mind.

...He didn’t want to spill blood today.

Itachi reluctantly took a step forward, then faltered. His eyes burned through his Chakra, and his head hammered in pain as the world was bathed in colors. Eyes opened, staring at him from everywhere – from the trees, the ground, from on top of his opponent’s body. He forcibly deactivated his Sharingan, and the world was once again plunged into jagged blurriness.  

Summons, he realized, that’s why he could not feel their Chakra. They were his unseen followers. A cold shiver went down his back. This was someone who was specifically prepared for him, he realized, as his hands flew into motion. A single Great Fireball cleared them away, simultaneously scorching the hilts sticking out from the ground.

His crows wordlessly took to the sky to provide him with a better vision of the area, sharing their sight with him. He unsheathed his sword with practiced ease. This was not an opponent to be underestimated.

If anything, this only seemed to amuse his opponent.

“It’s a beautiful day outside.” She began, the fake voice a little less so, “Birds are singing, flowers are blooming. On days like these, kids like you...” rage bleeding in.

There was a three-prong kunai in her hands. Itachi looked at all the weapons buried blades first and realized.

“Should be burning in hell.” Those eyes stared him right in the eyes for but a single moment. Full of anger and hatred, brimming with mania. All of an eternity to call upon his Sharingan to cast even the barest of Genjutsu. The world slowed down once more–

If Itachi had been a lesser ninja in any way, whether in speed, reflexes, or intelligence, he would have been unable to dodge the first hit. Even then, it still grazed his cheeks. Even then, he could not avoid the second hit, which hit him in his sides. He could feel the blade painfully bouncing off his ribs; his opponent probably didn’t expect him to react as fast as he did, thus ruining their edge alignment. Finally, on the third strike, he managed to deflect the blow, and the fourth missed altogether. He was starting to get a feel for her attacks.

A single Jutsu and the Earth erupted, another hand seal as he Body Flicked upwards. He could hear paper fluttering among the almost deafening roar of his technique. Chakra strings erupted from his fingertips to wrap around all the nearest kunai. With a flick of his wrist, those kunai were thrown towards his opponent, meeting her own barrage head-on. He could see his opponent caught off-guard.

A simple Wind Jutsu and dirt obstructed her view of him, yet his Summons shared their sight with him. His legs tensed, ready to jump–

He tripped on his own weight, the world pulling down on him. His Chakra was almost completely drained. He could feel something crawling on his back, claws digging up to his shoulders before dropping off and approaching his face. A chameleon, he realized, but how?

Forcing himself up, he could see the edges of a paper tag attached to him. Then, the gentle fluttering of paper… so that’s what it was.

He forced himself to look at his opponent –?!

It took him less than a second to analyze her. A sword was sticking out of her chest, the blade black, distinctively memorable, and obviously poisoned. But, even besides that, she looked horrible. It seemed like his thrown kunai blindsided her, with slashes all over her clothes, smears of dirt from his Earth technique, and the slightest slash of red on the now chipped mask. Her ridiculous pink slippers were nowhere to be found, now replaced with more sensible footwear.

In half a second, he looked towards her eyes, expecting to see her fleeting life, only to be greeted by red. One eye closed, and in the other spun a Sharingan. He could almost imagine a grin on her face. She knew about Tobi, he realized.

Again, he could feel something almost sinister weighing on his back; this time, it had nothing to do with the seals forcing him to the ground. Itachi could hear his heart pounding loudly in his ears as he relived the day in a moment with a rush of dizziness. He had memorized every name, every face, every life that he took that day.

A tail snaked down to touch the offending weapon. Orochimaru’s sword disappeared in a heartbeat. He could see the hole in her clothes where the blade exited, but no blood. Madara’s Jutsu, he realized in horror. Orochimaru, however, just attacked to no avail.

“What?” She said, in that same sickening sweet way, if slightly breathless, as she turned around to face the Snake Sannin. “You think I’m just going to stand around and take it?” Itachi could see the worry creeping into Orochimaru’s body language as the missing-nin backed away. He wondered what he saw in her face.

Thankfully, his summons used the opportunity to snatch off the seals stuck to his back. Most of his Chakra returned to him with a surge – Itachi Body Flickered over to Orochimaru. For all that he didn’t trust him, Itachi knew when he was outmatched.

His opponent was trying to capture him, if not painlessly, in relatively good shape. They had more than enough of an opportunity to plant an explosive seal on him, yet they went for a knockout seal and a weight seal.

A single Body Flicker, and he was in striking range and just as quickly out of it with another, trying to evade the spike rising from the Earth. She had read his moves, just like he was reading hers. It was chilling that someone whom he had never heard about was able to keep up two S-class missing-nin at once. Even Madara, who was thought to be long dead, was less of a surprise.

From the corner of his eyes, he saw Orochimaru’s headless corpse fall. Where was the head? Terror filled Itachi’s heart when suddenly a body burst out of his neck. Sheading the corpse like a second skin revealed an unharmed, if enraged, Orochimaru. Who wasted no time attacking their opponent as she was now facing away from him.

Impossibly, his enemy seemed to expect it, phasing through the attack yet counter-attacking simultaneously as the ninja fell out the other side. A spray of blood flew as Orochimaru fell, if gracefully. A childish giggle accompanied the failed attack.

-

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“Flying Thunder God Technique?” Asked Danzo, his mind already in motion at the very notion of having a user of this technique in Leaf. “And was she successful in teaching others how to use the seal?” He asked Bear.

Because – one man with that technique could stall an entire army – but an army of them?

“Hai, Danzo-sama. I have been able to use it. But as of yet, only she seems able to draw the seals. Her’s is different from the Fourth. More complex, to account for ease of use.” Danzo just hummed in response, calculating best how to use this.

“Give her a name,” she is no longer expendable left unsaid – anyone given a name was someone who had proved their worth – “and keep her in an in-village rotation till she makes a large enough stockpile of the seals.” Then he stopped, risks and rewards calculated in his mind. Ultimately, the risk was too much – until she proved herself further, showing zero-three-one-two Tobirama-sensei’s work was too big of a threat. It would be careless to let the techniques fall into enemy hands if she got caught once he started using her for more… delicate operations. 

So many new possibilities…

(From the shadows, a Rat silently observed.)

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