Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Sacrifice ❯ Interception ( Chapter 3 )

Chapter 3: Interception

 

No one in the Sound Village paid much attention to the two strangers on the side of the road. These days, travelers came all the time from the Sand Village, reportedly hiding from Orochimaru. Of course, Orochimaru's sudden uprising surprised no one. There had been rumors and stories of his power, mostly by his power obsessed followers that drowned themselves in his `glory'. They ended up as bums on the side of the street and most lost faith in themselves and committed suicide. However, tales of Orochimaru's bloodlust had etched fear into everyone's soul—even the Hokage's. Ever since the past year and a half, every Hokage had been increasing the amount of training and people in every group of Chounin, Jounin, and Anbu. Even Naruto had been promoted! He was now training under the Hokage and was rumored to be one of the most powerful ninja ever, providing he improved his behavior.

The two newcomers slinked along the shadows towards the center of the town, stalked by moving vendors trying to make an easy sale. However, after trying every trick in the book to no prevail, the torrent of hopeless hopefuls eventually trickled down to one amateur salesman. Seeing that he was losing his audience, he tried desperately to hold them in.

“Need information on the Uchiha hit man?” when the dark haired teen turned toward him, he realized suddenly that he had made a bad move.

Sakura froze beside Sasuke. That idiot salesman had actually piqued Sasuke's interest. If that boy was lying, he would pay for it with his life. “What do you know?” asked Sasuke. “What do you know about Itachi?” The boy shivered involuntarily. “I-I used to work for one of his accomplices. But…now I have to hide.” Sakura stared at him. The boy was either a brilliant liar or the real deal. She made a quick decision. People were starting to stare at Sasuke, whether it be that his chakra was now swirling around him, or that the boy had fallen to his knees, begging for a lost cause. “D-don't kill me…please, please…Itachi…don't…” Sakura stared at the boy on the floor. He was genuinely scared and had probably mistaken Sasuke for Itachi in his horror. At a closer, look, he couldn't have been more that fourteen, yet he was shorter than the other boys in the town. He had delicate fingers and large round eyes. He was wearing a shroud that covered his entire body and his hair. A single black lock of hair peeked out from the shroud.On a sudden hunch, she decided to save him.

“Kira-kun, that was wonderful! We're sure to make some money at the play now!” she smiled at the young child, pretending to be part of a traveling circus. “Look, Ichi-kun, they're all staring at us! Oh, we're sure to be rich soon!”

The crowd of gathering people immediately turned around and chattered among themselves. Sakura dragged the boy by the front of his shroud into a deserted alleyway, Sasuke trailing behind her. She pushed him down onto the floor.

“Okay, who are you? You're not just a regular salesman. There's no way. What do you know?”

The boy gasped for breath. “W-who are you? You're not normal. You-you're not from here…who-who…no!” His face paled when he made the connection. He pointed a shaking finger at Sasuke. “You! You're Itachi's brother! You…the last….the last Uchiha…you're alive! Oh, thank goodness.” He recovered his composure and pulled Sakura back into the street. “Come! You must come to my home. I will explain everything to you there.

<Another short chapter…sigh…>