Moonchild

Ch 1:

Ok, this is my first fanfic series ever! I know it starts off slow, but it will get more interesting soon! Please review because I’m new with this whole fanfic thing and I could use some tips! Thanks!

Disclaimer: I don’t own Naruto...

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Itachi’s POV:

The looming walls seemed to close in on me as I walked down a dark stone hall within the Akatsuki base. Echoes amplified my soft footsteps and the steady rhythm of falling water could be heard in the distance.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

Pushing open an unusually heavy door, I stepped into a plain, drab room. The only sources of illumination came from a few melting stubs of candles scattered randomly around the room. And at the very back of the room, bathed in shadows, stood the Akatsuki leader.

Kisame was already present, kneeling on in front of the leader, and awaiting out next mission. Swiftly, I joined him, focusing my eyes firmly on the smooth, polished ground beneath. Whatever this mission was, it had to be important. Usually, the leader would simply send us a telepathic description of the next assignment. The last time I was in this room, it was to receive information for capturing the little brat with the nine-tailed fox sealed within him.

There was silence for what seemed like an eternity.

Then, “I assume the two of you already know the importance of your upcoming mission by now,” began the leader.

Both Kisame and I responded with a quick “hai, leader-sama”

“Good. Now, listen carefully. A very reliable informant has recently brought to my attention regarding a seemingly powerful being from the Land of Water, who may turn out to be quite useful to the Akatsuki. We have no name, age, nor gender.

“However, we do understand that the person is a ninja, and he or she is extremely skilled and stealthy. Why? Because he or she has managed to steal several of the world’s most heavily guarded and valuable treasures, without even coming close to being caught. He or she is also responsible for the assassinations of over 50 lords and ladies, all who have very large bounties on their heads.

“The latest news reports this ninja to have defeated a force of 8 skilled ANBU Black-Ops within a ten minute time frame before reinforcements arrived. Take note, however, that this ninja does not rely on power as much as speed, which is the sole reason the Akatsuki takes interest in recruiting him or her. Also, if that piece of imformation is true, then the two of you should be able to over-power said being easily.”

Leader paused to let the information sink in. At that moment, I couldn’t help but shoot a quick glance at Kisame. His eyes had at least doubled their original size.

The leader was speaking again. "This ninja has been dubbed the 'Maboroshi' by those who have come across said being, due to the fact he or she moves so fast, they appear as a mere ghost. However, the Akatsuki has solid proof that this is not a supernatural being. I want the two of you to find this 'Maboroshi' and bring him or her back. Alive. Go, and do not fail."

I smirked inwardly as Kisame and I rose to our feet. This should be quite and interesting mission.

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??? POV:

I raced through the forest, jumping from tree to tree, practically laughing aloud. I could hear shouts below and behind me, but never catching up. The wind and air rushed past my body, whipping my naturally black hair past my face. I could feel a grin tugging at the corners of my mouth. For me to give a true smile was very rare. It was probably because of the exhilaration of the chase, and the free, wild feeling I’d get every time the authorities pursued me after a crime. Shiomi always said I had strange taste in entertainment.

Absently, I brushed away some stray strands of hair from my eyes. My fingers touched the cool metal of my hitae-ate. It bore the symbol of the Land of Water. Nobody knew of my village anymore. It was not very well known to begin with, a small community of unremarkable people in the Land of Water. When it was annihilated 11 years ago by my eldest sister, it faded from history, along with every villager in it apart from me. Not that I cared much. It wasn’t a particularly kind village. I was an orphan for as long as I could remember, yet not a single resident of my village would take my sisters and I in. Serves those self-centered idiots right, I thought venomously.

My hand slipped from the hitae-ate, instead resting on a leather pouch fastened securely to one of my many belts. Inside was a fortune’s worth of stolen artifacts. I couldn’t help but smile again. I was going to sleep in a good bed tonight.

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Itachi’s POV:

Flashback:

“I want the two of you to find this 'Maboroshi' and bring him or her back. Alive. Go, and do not fail.”

End Flashback

The leader’s voice lingered in my head, echoing off the walls in my skull. It was not hard to get on the trail of the Maboroshi. On the contrary, it was much easier than I had expected. The rogue nin had caused quite a commotion while robbing his/her intended target. Surprisingly public. The word of the attack spread like wildfire and Kisame and I were there within the hour. The Maboroshi obviously knows what he/she’s doing, I contemplated as I shot through the dense growth of trees in a forest, hot on the Maboroshi's trail. He/she targeted the wealthiest dwelling in the entire village. But not only did the Maboroshi know what he/she was doing, they were fast as well. By the time Kisame and I reached the victim’s house, the culprit was gone, only leaving behind a mess of blood and brutally slaughtered corpses.

I stole a quick glance to the side. I could barely make out Kisame’s large profile through the trees and the growing darkness. Stars were already shining above, the last rays of the setting sun sinking into the horizon. The moving chakra aura I was trailing was slower now, meaning so was the Maboroshi. It’s presence was becoming sharper and stronger, like a picture coming into focus. Below, there was a trail of mangled cadavers: the Maboroshi’s victims. I allowed the tiniest of smirks to contort my mask of iron. The Maboroshi certainly was not worried about being followed. All the better for me.

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??? POV:

The smell of blood still saturated the air surrounding me as I continued on my way. Now that I’ve taken care of that pesky little group of ANBU who thought they could take me on, I could finally ease into a comfortable pace.

Suddenly, something sharp, and no doubt deadly, skimmed past my cheek, missing skin by a micro-millimeter. It buried itself in the tree in front of me. I was too well trained to just stand there in shock, even though my heart felt as if it was about to jump up my throat. Reacting immediately, I jumped up to a higher branch so I could survey my surroundings, all the while mentally cursing. I thought I killed every single one of them! Did I miss one? Stupid, stupid! Someone else must have been trailing me. I wasn’t exactly discreet, leaving behind that trail of bodies. What was I thinking?

“What have we here?” sneered a voice behind me. I responded with a barrage of kunai and shuriken. I didn’t wait to see if they made contact. As I sprinted from tree to tree, I could already sense another chakra presence nearby. There were only two auras, but they were both extremely strong. Even stronger than those 8 ANBU I massacred only a week ago. And, to my horror, stronger than mine as well.

I was never good with endurance to begin with. My chakra level was always considerably lower than most others, even at it’s peak. But I made up that weakness with my unnatural speed, agility, accuracy and intelligence. But somehow, I had a feeling those were not going to save me from my stalkers. Oh well. I never go down without a fight. Besides, both Shiomi and Setsuna agreed that I was a natural-born rebel. That was the only thing my two elder sisters ever agreed upon. My heart lurched painfully in my ribcage as I reminisced about them. Especially Shiomi.

The two chakra presences were right behind me. They weren’t gaining due to my current speed, but I was far from comforted. I knew my chakra supply was dwindling. Eventually, I’d run out, and they’d catch me. I wasn’t going to die running. Mind made up, I headed for a clearing. As soon as my feet touched the soft grass beneath, I spun around to face my pursuers.

They landed on the other side of the clearing, facing me. I seemed to have frozen. The last time I did that was when I watched it happening. I poised my hand over my kunai pouch, all the while studying my opponents. One was large. Very large. I was pretty sure he was the one who had startled me earlier. His blue skin glowed eerily in the moonlight streaming from between the leaves above. From what I could tell from all the way across the clearing, he resembled nothing less than a shark. That kind of unnerved me. Strapped to his back was something large, almost as big as he was, and wrapped up in bandages. From it’s shape, I suspected it to be a sword. My eyes wandered over to the person next to the shark man. At least he appeared normal. It was his eyes that entranced me. They were a deep red, like the colour of my victims’ blood. Both men were clothed in large black robes adorned with red clouds. I couldn’t see any other details due to the distance between us.

But it didn’t matter. I wasn’t here for a fashion show.

I got into my battle stance, ready to kill.

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Itachi’s POV:

The Maboroshi was a girl. A girl. Out of the corner of my eye, I could read Kisame’s expression. Shock was the only word to describe it.

The girl wasn’t ugly, but she definitely wasn’t drop-dead gorgeous either. I suspected her to be no taller than I, and her build appeared as if Tobi could easily snap her in half. She looked far too thin and insignificant to be a ruthless assassin and thief. But there was a certain fierce expression on her face that convinced me she was.

“Are you sure this is the Maboroshi?” Kisame’s voice jerked me from my analysis. “I was actually picturing a large and impressive man.”

“It’s her.”

I needn’t explain to Kisame. He knew better than to ask. Scanning her over again, I finally addressed the young woman: “What’s your real name?”

She looked at me for a second, as if trying to decide if she should trust me or not. Then she smirked, and suddenly, I could detect a bloodlust in her eyes that wasn’t there before.

“Tsukino. A.k.a. the Maboroshi.”

To be continued…

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- Maboroshi means "phantom demon".

Dun dun dun duuunnn!! Okay, that’s the first chappie. Even more action coming up in the second chapter. I hope Itachi wasn’t too OOC. Please review! Constructive criticism will be much appreciated!!

Oh, and for those of you who are interested, here's a little something:

Tsukino means 'of the moon', which is the only reason I named this story 'Moonchild". Just thought youd like to know :)