I combed through the last chapter and decided to change some things. So essentially, most of the chapters from this point on are new although on occasion small amounts of content may come for the original. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: Naruto and all licensed characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

Chapter 11. Preparations Begin

Small torches along the pale stone walls gave off a soothing warmth and light while holes created with jutsu prevented smoke from filling the cavern. A few strings of dried herbs hung from hooks along the ceiling. Shelves carved into the lower half of one wall held more kindling for the torches. Itachi breathed in the faint tang of smoke and relaxed, allowing his chakra barrier to melt away.

'Home, sweet home.' he thought.

"Shizuka?" he called out into the darkness.

Itachi was met with only silence and the muted roar of the waterfall behind him.

'Did I really expect a response? But then...to not press her at all would further encourage her silence. I suppose it is best to leave things as they are. She'll have enough to contend with soon enough.'

Just then the silent girl, whose name was the core of her personality, emerged from the shadows before him. Soft looking silver-gray hair cascaded around her shoulders and tumbled down to her waist even though it was separated into two high pig-tails. A gray mask several shades darker than her hair conceale her neck and mouth and then extended upwards to completely cover the right eye. A matching forehead protector with three zig-zagging lines engraved in the metal plate held the mask securely in place so it did not slip down. Her visible bright pink eye met his crimson gaze unflinchingly

"We'll be having company soon, Shizuka. A former pupil of mine will be coming to stay with us and train so you'll need to prepare yourself. Have you eaten yet?"

The girl shook her head slightly.

'Still not talking, eh? I suppose the trauma she endured two years ago still haunts her mind. Still...to go so long without speaking...I worry for your state of mind, Shizuka. Naruto is not the same child anymore...And I failed to help Sasuke. Kami, grant me the ability to make all of this right.'

Shizuka watched her mentor silently. The distance in his eyes told her he was lost in some memory and she yearned to speak, to reach for him. He'd done much in the two years she'd traveled with the man she often referred to as a walking enigma. Couldn't she do something in return? She opened her mouth but not a single sound emerged.

Shoulders slumped in defeat. Invisible cement bound her lips, preventing a single syllable from being uttered. The words would not come. Speaking meant voicing things she hadn't begun to deal with yet. Speaking meant accepting that her entire family – no – her entire village, was gone. Shizuka closed her eyes as memories bloomed unbidden in her mind.

Shizuka's memory...Shizuka's POV

Our village is being attacked again. It seems like no matter what defenses we put into place, it never goes beyond a month before these ninja attack us. I'm not certain of what they want...they pillage us for food, buildings are burned...sometimes people are injured, but more often than not, it seems like they're searching for something.

"Hotaru, what's going on?! Are those ninja back again?"

My mother has already gone out to defend our village, leaving me in the care of my brother. He's three years older than me, which makes me nine, and he thinks he knows everything. Sometimes I wonder if he does know something I don't. It shows in his eyes...there's a fear in them that I cannot explain and it's there every time these ninja attack. Right now he's staring at me and I can see the worry shining in their deep, gray depths.

"Shizuka! Stay under here and don't you dare come out! Promise me you'll stay hidden!" my brother shouts as he shoves me into a closet along the back room of our small house.

I know I will have a bruise from his touch, but at the moment it doesn't matter. All that currently mattered, at least to my brother, was my safety.

"Hotaru? I promise, Hotaru. But tell me...what's going on? Don't leave me alone."

"Stay in there!" Hotaru shouted again but his voice is muffled by the wooden door between us.

I'm so afraid I can't make myself think straight. My hands grope around blindly in the darkness of the small space until I feel a patch of soft carpeting. The woven rug beneath my fingertips conceals a trapdoor. I shove it to one side to reveal a smooth metal ring. I tug and a hole opens up to reveal a rickety wooden staircase. I crawl down on my hands and knees and swing the trapdoor shut behind me.

It's cold down in the basement, so cold that I can see my breath coming in misty little puffs from my mouth. Winter has kept our food supply to a minimum, but the ice and snow outside provide plenty of water as well as a method of storing our meat. Inside the basement are several large tubs filled with snow. My mother has always been a skilled hunter. We have enough food to keep our family fed for another month. I keep going down, farther and farther, and it feels like ice is being pressed against my skin.

"I'm scared." my voice echoes out.

It doesn't sound like my voice. It comes out soft and quavery. This makes me even more scared. I have no idea what's going on right now, but I can already guess from the noise outside that the battle has already begun. It's odd though...These strange ninja that attack us very rarely come close enough for combat. They usually just target buildings from a distance as if they're trying to lure us out. The faint sounds of metal clanging against metal and the screams – too many screams – just barely penetrated through the thick walls, but fear amplifies my hearing until I believe I know which screams belong to the people I know.

The Village Hidden in the Shadows is a secretive village that few know of. Our location is not widely known; being a small village does have certain advantages. I've lived here my entire life and these seemingly random attacks have been happening for over a year now. I don't understand what it is that these ninja want.

A few days ago, I overheard my brother talking about them to my mother; my father deserted us when I was small and his face is just a hazy recollection of features with nothing distinct. All I remember is that my hair is the same color as his – a silver-gray. I quickly realized that I was eavesdropping, whether I actually intended to or not I'll never know, but I ran away before I could hear anymore. What I learned that night I will never forget. These ninja who took our money, destroyed our homes, and attacked were a group my brother had referred to as the Akatsuki.

"The Akatsuki...they must be attacking our village again. Hotaru!" I call out.

Now I'm worried. I'm so afraid that I'm covered in cold sweat and shaking and my stomach is cramping up in painful knots. Warm tears fall down my skin before I can even realize that I am crying.

Suddenly, I get the overwhelming instinct to look behind me. I know that someone is in the room. A chill travels down the nape of my neck and I nearly cry out as a wave of something that can only be describe as raw, hungry power overwhelms me. My body freezes up in fear before I can make any attempt to get away. An icy hand clamps over my mouth just as I start to scream.

"LET ME GO!" I struggle to shout, but my captor only seems to be amused.

"Your flesh...so young and tender. I wonder...if I should make you mine." a menacing voice hisses into my ear.

The man's hot breath tickles my ear. For some reason this makes me feel dirty and slimy, so I shiver, trying to rid myself of the feeling. It doesn't work. There is only an amused chuckle from the person who is holding me down. He drags me back against the far wall of the basement and then I feel my arms being lifted up to either side halfway. He mutters a word under his breath, there is a small burst of chakra, and then thick cuffs with chains are conjured into the air.

He makes sure my arms are pinned down securely before he moves on to my legs. When he's done, he backs away and I muster one of the best hateful glares that I can. Once again he is only amused. Then he sees my eyes and frowns.

"So...this is the best Kagegakure has to offer of their bloodline? I thought the Hidden Shadow Village would have ensured better protection for you than the pathetic ninja and kunoichi outside at the moment...Quite disappointing, actually, though I must say the color is becoming on a young girl such as yourself." he says in a low tone while brushing a cold finger across my cheek.

"Shut up! Get your filthy hands away from me!" I shout as I yank my head away from him.

Again, the amused laughter escapes from his lips. I see his creepy yellow eyes and I feel the blood run cold in my veins. The chill doesn't leave me. Instead, it penetrates deeper and deeper until I fear my beating heart will freeze in my chest. I'm not sure if it's the basement or the strange aura that surrounds him but my instincts tell me that there is something unnatural about this man.

"Or else what? I have many uses for you...little girl. How rude of me not to introduce myself. I am known as Orochimaru." he says coolly.

His eyes are mocking me, I'm aware of it, but there isn't anything I can do about it. A lead weight settles in my stomach. 'What is he talking about...uses? Bloodline trait...I'm confused. Our village doesn't have a kekkei genkai, at least, none that I've ever been told about...No one in the entire village has ever mentioned anything to me about any special traits at all.'

"Kagegakure doesn't have a special bloodline trait." I speak, and to my surprise my voice is loud and clear, not at all shaking like I am on the inside. A feeling of defiance takes over me as the man in front of me begins to frown and I let it sweep over me like a wave of euphoria. Then he chuckles lightly and the cold feeling assaults me again intensely.

"Of course...It figures they wouldn't tell you. Well, little girl-"

"I am not a little girl! I'm nine years old; I'm just short for my age, and I have a name!" I shout bravely, cutting him off.

I think I'm treading on thin ice, but I continue anyways. I can't seem to stop myself even though its a mental wrestling match in my head.

"But I'm not going to tell it to you! You don't deserve to know, you disgusting man! You and your group have controlled our village long enough! Let me go!" I shout, struggling from my bonds.

"You insolent little brat!"

Before I can even react he has a twin-edged kunai pressed just above my right eye. He pulls it down quickly in one fluid motion and I feel a stinging pain on my face before half of my vision is blocked out by dark liquid. Warm blood gushes down my face. I can tell that the cut is much deeper than a superficial wound although its far from fatal. I scream when he traces back over it with the tip of the blade and then slashes the kunai across my face again, creating an X-mark with two slightly crescent-shaped cuts facing opposite directions.

"I hate you!" I say, but I start gagging because the metallic taste of my own blood fills my mouth I can't stomach it. I throw up everything that I've eaten tonight.

"Your skin now bears a mark from me. Be grateful I haven't cursed you. Even I am smart enough to know my own limits...But you are still mine." Orochimaru said in his mocking voice.

I could only see out of one eye but the grin on his face was one of pure evil. His yellow eyes held nothing but cruel, mocking sadism. Stringy black hair fell into his pale face. I shut my right eye against the throbbing pain in my face and hang my head, watching the blood form a puddle beside my feet. His words make no sense to me.

'He's so much more powerful than me...What limits could he possibly speak of? I'm nothing compared to him. I don't have enough strength or power to defeat him.'

Tears sting my left eye. A wave of killer intent sweeps over me, but I can tell before I look up that it doesn't belong to Orochimaru.

"Seriously...Don't you people know it's rude to just appear in someone's house?" my voice is almost too quiet for me to hear, but I swear I see the lips on the newest arrival twitch faintly.

"Orochimaru! Get away from the girl now. You and I have a score to settle, you bastard!"

Standing directly beside Orochimaru is a man with mid-length black hair and the most frightening eyes I'd ever seen. The pupils were tiny blood red spots surrounded by a warped black circle. Three slightly curved spikes equally distanced came out of the circle to touch the edge of the iris, which was the same color as the pupil. Small, evenly spaced lines branched straight out bending in contour with the twisted circle.

"Well. Itachi...long time, no see. I thought you died the same night you destroyed your clan." Orochimaru said, easing the words out casually as though he was talking to an old acquaintance.

"Liar! You know what you did. You were the one who..." Itachi hissed out through gritted teeth.

"Temper, temper. You always let it get the best of you and that clouds your judgment. After all, you are an Uchiha prodigy, and prodigies, especially ones from your bloodline, should never let their anger control their actions."

"Shut up! You act as if you know everything. You are not a god, Orochimaru. This will end now! I will destroy you for what you have done to my family." the red-eyed man retorted sharply.

The strange markings in his eyes began to spin faster and faster until the world beneath me blurred. For a moment everything in my vision sways. Then the ground lurched beneath my feet and I found myself standing outside in the middle of my village, no longer held to the wall by cuffs although a part of me felt that it would have better than everything I saw now. I gagged as the fetid stench of death overwhelmed my senses. Bodies lay motionless on the ground muddied by blood and snow. Numerous weapons littered the ground.

I gasped, taking in the sight. 'This wasn't a fight...this was a...a...a massacre.' All of the blood, all of the death, there was so much of it. Friends...family...all of the people I'd known my entire life lay stretched before me in a gruesome display. The scene itself was a nightmare. Black, white, and red all mixed together to create a shade of reality so horrifying that for a few moments I lost my breath.

I wanted to make a noise, to talk, to scream, to at least do something, but my lips had frozen. I couldn't say anything. Fear bubbled up inside me. Out of thin air my brother appeared. His outfit was dark with blood that oozed from a deep gash in his chest. Frothy red bubbles foamed up from his mouth.

"This is your fault." he choked through red-stained lips and teeth. "This is your fault that we are all dead. Our clan died to protect you! If it wasn't for your kekkei genkai than the Akatsuki would've just left us alone. These deaths...are your responsibility alone, Shizuka."

'NO! It isn't true. I don't have a bloodline trait. The Hidden Shadow Village has no kekkei genkai. NO, NO, NO! Why does everyone keep saying that.'

"Please...make it stop. Make it STOP!"

My voice, once a whisper, becomes a scream as white hot fire behind my eyes makes my knees buckle. Pain is stabbing through my skull in a knife-like fashion. I grip my head in my hands trying to make the strange twist in my gut stop. I can't breathe, it hurts so much. After a few intense moments everything stops except the dull throb of the cuts on my face. Orochimaru and Itachi are both standing in front of me. Itachi is closer, while Orochimaru stands several feet away looking around with interest.

"You have improved, Uchiha. I give you that much credit...to be able to activate the Mangekyo Sharingan and use Tsukiyomi, even within the presence of one of the most secretly coveted kekkei genkai in this land. Shizuka, is it? ...You interest me greatly, little girl. You will come with me." Orochimaru speaks slowly, as if he is actually considering what he says.

"You...You leave her be. You have no business with an innocent child." Itachi says while moving to stand in front of me.

His voice comes out in halting gasps. It looks like he is in pain. I haven't realized it until now but chakra is surging through my eyes. My vision warps and twists like a tunnel, blurring my surroundings. Suddenly the dull throbbing in my face comes back full-force. The intensity of it combined with what I've just seen makes me scream.

"Damn it." Itachi shouts as he doubles over clutching his head between his hands.

"I feel I have overstayed my welcome. I will see you all soon enough, Shizuka...Itachi. Until then." Orochimaru says and I watch as he bites his thumb and runs the blood over a strange mark on his right shoulder.

A massive snake bursts out of the ground sending clumps of dirt soaring high up into the air. Its giant scales gleam like a freshly polished sword as it slithers across to the man, who somehow manages to pet the thing. I shiver. From what I'd learned from our ninja school, I knew that the man had a blood contract with the snake.

"Orochimaru! Ahh! Dammit...what the hell...did you do to me?" Itachi drops heavily to his knees, still doubled over, still clutching his head in what appears to be sheer agony.

"You have Shizuka to thank for the pain from casting this genjutsu. For now her life is with you. Keep her safe and sound for me, will you? Well..." the yellow-eyed man chuckles softly. "You are both going to die by my hand regardless of what you do, but I suppose I can have some fun with the girl before I take what I desire. Protect her little Dragon Eyes for me, Itachi-san. I'll be wanting them later."

He jumps onto the snake's head and then they vanish into a sea of pink mist. The metallic scent of blood washes over me. I squeeze my left eye shut and when I open it again I am back on solid ground inside the basement. Itachi is with me, but now he is lying on the ground and he is still. It takes me a few seconds to remember his name, but eventually it comes back to me.

"Um...Itachi-san?"

I reach out to touch the hilt of a sword strapped to his waist. A freezing hand catches mine in a tight grip and I let out a strangled scream. It instantly lets go of my hand, which I bring up to my face. Touching the wound causes pain to shoot through the affected area.

"Don't touch that. Are you alright?" the red-eyed man asks me while getting back to his knees. I notice that his eyes have changed. In place of the warped circle and lines there are three small, black, circles with comets tails. They look like little commas. Separating the strange marks are a bunch of miniscule lines in the shape of a circle.

He touches my skin and I freeze up. My heart starts pumping a million miles an hour. 'He's not going to hurt me. He wants to help...just relax.'

I want to say something but the words won't come out. I can only stare miserably at him with one eye while he watches me silently. Itachi looks like he's thinking really hard and I start thinking myself. When he speaks again it startles me, breaking me out of my reverie.

"I apologize for the things you saw. What they were...was a powerful genjutsu...it wasn't meant for you...I..." he stops and looks at me helplessly. " I don't understand why it affected you that way...nor me."

Whatever he's trying to say is obviously very difficult. I shake my head back and forth to tell him that he doesn't have to explain himself before the memories come back to me. 'If it was a genjutsu, then the things I saw weren't true...But what did happen? And why did it look like he was in so much pain if he was the one who cast the genjutsu...?'

The questions bounce around in my head but I still can't make myself say anything. My tongue is stuck to the roof of my mouth; the coppery taste hasn't left. I open my mouth, but the words don't come out.

"I...I'm sorry. Don't force yourself to do anything." Itachi watches me. "I'll take you with me. There isn't anything left here for you, Shizuka."

I'm briefly startled when I hear him say my name for the first time, but then I remembered that he must have learned it from Orochimaru. Its the first time I feel myself wishing deliberate harm on another person. I want to ask him what he means by "there isn't anything left here for me." but before I can try to ask he seems to understand.

"Your village is beyond repair. Everyone here is gone." he speaks softly.

I can't believe what he is saying. 'Everyone gone...Kagegakure destroyed? My brother..My mother...dead...my friends...my neighbors...The Hidden Shadow Village can't be gone...can it? Could the Akatsuki really have killed everyone?'

He picks me up and I just let him carry me. I notice how pale his face is and how heavily he's breathing, but I don't, I can't say anything. I curl my body into a tight ball against his chest even though I know my blood will stain his clothes. We slowly make our way to the top the rickety stairs.

"I will take us someplace safe for the time-being Shizuka. What you were forced to see back there wasn't right at all, and I apologize for that. You don't want to see what this village looks like outside these walls. Please trust me when I say this. Do you?"

The question startles me, but I hear it clear as daylight. I believe every single word he says. Something about this man makes me want to trust him. Something screams at all of my senses to trust him. Its almost as if he's lived through something similar to what has just happened to me. I look at him and nod my head without speaking.

"Alright, Shizuka. Hold on just a little bit longer and then I can treat your eye, okay?" he says.

His voice is low and calm, lulling me into a sense of peace. For the moment, I can't think about anything else but how tired I feel. I close my left eye, and despite the pain from the cuts on my face, I quickly fall asleep in the Itachi's arms.

End Memory...End Shizuka's POV.

Shizuka blinked suddenly, startled from her thoughts as a warm hand touched her shoulder.

"Let's go eat. I'm hungry and I could use a nap before we make preparations for our guest. Does rice and fish sound good to you?"

The faintest hint of a smile warmed Itachi's face as Shizuka's one visible eye grew impossibly large.

"You're so easy to read sometimes, Shizuka. I'll have you know it perturbs me slightly to carry on a conversation without any reply."

Shizuka said nothing but raised an eyebrow in return. 'It's nice to see her in good spirits.' thought Itachi as the duo made their way further into the cave. The pale stone caught and held more light from the torches, but as the sun had already risen above the treetops, keeping them lit was pointless. Without a word from her mentor Shizuka released her chakra. Thin opaque tendrils of blue energy spun out from her small frame and methodically extinguished each torch until the two of them were bathed in natural light streaming in through "windows" carved into the cave walls.

"Arigato, Shizuka. You've been working on chakra control since our last training session, haven't you?"

'Yes, Itachi-sensei. It truly isn't hard. It seems to come naturally to me.' the pink-eyed girl thought.

Outwardly, she nodded and another faint smile graced Itachi's features. It seemed as though chakra control came second-nature to his pupil, but even so the level of absolute control she held never ceased to amaze him. At 11, Shizuka would have been preparing to test for her exit-level genin exams in her home village. Given that her training had been interrupted it only seemed fair for him to teach her what he could.

It quickly became apparent to Itachi that Shizuka far exceeded the level of genin. He'd never admit it but the truth was that she'd actually managed to sneak up on HIM several times without his knowledge. He wondered if part of her abilities had something to do with her unique kekkei genkai. Before they'd parted with Orochimaru in Kagegakure, the snake-man had referred to it as the 'Dragon Eye," but up until that point he'd never heard of such an ability.

'Bubble-gum pink eyes...Whoever would have thought such an eye color existed?' Itachi thought as they reached the heart of their dwelling.

Itachi and Shizuka stepped out of the tunnel into a large open space the length of several football fields. The area they'd chosen for their hideout most closely resembled a pyramid. Rocky walls the color of obsidian stood regally in the sunlight as if saluting the azure sky above. Stubby trees and bushes flourished among numerous craggy crevices. In several places one could discern roots anchoring themselves to whatever space they could find. The roar of the waterfall had long since faded into a faint hum behind them.

With nearly impenetrable stone for outermost protection and an entrance obscured by waterfall their home was well-defended. Even so, Itachi prudently placed trip-wires and various other traps in the vicinity to discourage any potential passerby from meandering into their home. Light filtered in from above through a gap roughly a third of the size of the space below to illuminate a humble-looking cottage. Beside the building grew rows of various vegetables and a few small fruit trees.

'As if a missing-nin could just waltz into the marketplace and buy food. And with Shizuka's selective mutism, sending her would be out of the question. That and those pink eyes of hers.' Itachi chuckled slightly at the amusing thought but a raised eyebrow from his pupil silenced him at once.

Shizuka and Itachi quickly crossed the remaining distance to their home and slid open the traditional Japanese-style screen door. Once inside, Shizuka glanced at her mentor for a brief moment before running off down a hallway directly to their right. The dark-haired man was silent for a moment as he mentally reviewed the girl's typical routine. Although it had its awkward moments, keeping to a schedule helped facilitate communication between student and mentor.

"Kunai practice until lunch, Shizuka." he called to her as she left. "I expect you in half-an-hour."

The only reply was silence that he'd long since come to expect from the girl. He sighed softly as he made his way further into the kitchen and began preparing the ingredients for their lunch. The time period immediately following her adoption had been roughest part. Dark eyes closed momentarily as his mind conjured up images of those first few months. Night after night he'd startle from his sleep at the sound of screams wrenching themselves from Shizuka's throat. Even then, strangled whimpers were the only noise to ever pass her lips.

Itachi could see her clearly in his mind though the nightmares had long ago stopped their torment. The early mornings she'd spent huddled on her bed – head in her hands as silent tears spilled down over her cheeks to dampen the pillow below – had rent a hole in his heart. Loud noises, sudden movements, and physical contact made her shrink until she could shy away no more. A brief surge of anger brought him back to the present and it shook him a little to know he'd dropped his guard long enough to reminisce.

"Enough of the past, Itachi." he murmured to himself. "It is enough to remember because it teaches us, but one should never be consumed by it."

The dark-haired man shook himself again and returned to the task at hand. A sizzling sound filled the air as he expertly seared a few fish in a large, dark pan over a kerosene stove. All of the appliances in their home were gas-powered. After all, one couldn't possible expect electricity in the middle of a hollowed-out mountain, now could they? Water came mainly from the falls but behind their house a large metal tank collected rainwater that could be piped into the two bathrooms. Itachi prided himself on that particular achievement. Building their home had not been an easy task but once complete, he'd been nothing short of satisfied.

Itachi finished seasoning the rice and carried it to a small table that stood in the adjoining room. Right on cue, Shizuka emerged from the hallway.

"Mask off, Shizuka. You know better." he said without glancing up from his task.

'I don't want to. I don't want to. Why do you always make me do this, Itachi-sensei?'

He knelt on one of the dark red cushions near the table and waited for Shizuka to do the same. He watched as her fingers crept up to fidget with gray fabric before sliding it down. The 'X'-shaped scar along her right eye stood out darkly against her naturally pale skin tone. Mute as she was, her strangely colored eyes often portrayed a variety of emotions and this time they held a glimmer of annoyance. Her expression seemed to say "Are you satisfied now?"

"Hai, Shizuka. I quite am. Now, let's eat and I will tell you more about the person who will be joining us soon. He's a former student of mine as well, so we have some preparations to make."

Shizuka sat and listened in comfortable silence as her sensei began to speak. She popped a small piece of fish into her mouth, savoring the spicy flavor. Lime and chili. Who would've thought of such a combination? The missing-nin could cook. It was as simple as that.

'Whoever this Naruto person is, he sounds interesting. It'll be nice to meet someone from Itachi-sensei's past. I find it funny that he gathers us all together...almost like strays. I'll meet you soon enough. It's about time things got a little more exciting around here.'

I apologize for the delay in updating. I had some final exams to study for and impending registration deadlines on top of financial aid stuff and all of it kept me busy. I know nothing big happened in this chapter, but rest assured it is coming. I think I'm finally starting to get back into my writer's groove so I'm excited about this. Thank you so much for reading. Feel free to review or send me a message if you have any questions or concerns. I'm not certain when I'll be able to update again since I've got a full course-load starting Monday, but hopefully I can squeeze the next chapter in soon. See ya soon - Bottlecaps