Tsunade frowned and pulled the patrol report closer. "Two days inside Fire Country and they haven't attacked anyone?"
"No confirmed engagements," the ANBU answered. "Two patrol teams altered course rather than approach them directly. The targets made no attempt to pursue."
Kenji stayed beside the door, looking at the route marked across the report. Every new sighting pushed them farther north.
The Sound Four had failed to take Sasuke only days ago. Now Itachi was heading toward Konoha.
Tsunade tapped one finger against the southern border marker. "Nobody saw them meet anyone?"
"No, Hokage-sama."
The office door opened before she could ask anything else. Kakashi stepped inside, still carrying the faint smell of hospital antiseptic on his clothes. His visible eye moved from the kneeling ANBU to the report on Tsunade's desk.
"You said it was urgent."
"Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki crossed the southern border two days ago," Tsunade said. "They're moving north, they're barely bothering to hide, and so far they haven't touched anyone."
Kakashi's posture changed slightly. He turned his head to look at Kenji standing by the wall.
"You've met them," Kakashi noted.
"Unfortunately," Kenji said.
Tsunade looked between them. "What happened last time?"
"Kisame swung the sword," Kenji answered. "I stopped it. He took that personally."
Kakashi stared at him. "You stopped Samehada?"
"With my hand."
Kakashi stared at him for another second before looking back at Tsunade.
"Keep the patrols off them," Tsunade ordered. "Surveillance only."
The operative hesitated. "No interception team?"
"If they wanted bodies, we'd already have them." Tsunade tapped the report. "Find out where they're going. Nobody engages without my order."
Her eyes shifted to Kenji. "And you."
Kenji raised an eyebrow.
"Do not decide that 'surveillance only' means you should personally wander south and have a look."
"That thought hadn't even occurred to me."
Kakashi glanced sideways at him.
Kenji sighed. "Fine. It had occurred to me."
"Stay inside the village. If they come closer, I'll call you."
Kenji pushed away from the wall. "So I'm bait with benefits."
"You're whatever keeps you from wandering into the forest by yourself."
Kakashi was still looking at the route on the report.
"If they wanted Naruto, they wouldn't need to come this close without making contact," Kakashi said.
Tsunade glanced at him. "You think this is about Sasuke."
"I think Itachi appearing days after Orochimaru tried to take him is worth noticing."
Kenji kept his mouth shut. Kakashi's guess was closer to the truth than he knew.
Miles away, the forest canopy filtered the afternoon sun into broken shafts of light. Two men wearing long black cloaks patterned with red clouds walked down a dirt trail.
They passed a small Fire Country patrol marker carved into the bark of an old cedar. Kisame glanced at it as they went.
"We're not exactly being subtle," Kisame noted.
"No," Itachi said.
"The rumors out of the Rice Fields are interesting," Kisame continued as they walked. "Orochimaru sent his special guard after your little brother. Apparently, they didn't make it back with him."
Kisame chuckled. "Looks like the snake didn't get what he wanted."
Itachi's expression didn't change.
The information reaching Akatsuki had been incomplete. Orochimaru's men had entered Fire Country for Sasuke and returned without him. Nothing confirmed whether Sasuke had refused, been recovered by Konoha, or simply become too injured to move.
More importantly, nothing suggested Orochimaru had abandoned his interest.
Kisame shifted Samehada higher on his shoulder. "Think that brat with the black hand is still there?"
"Most likely."
Kisame grinned. "Good. I've been wondering whether that trick would work twice."
Itachi continued down the trail without looking at him. "He relied on surprise during the first encounter. He won't have that advantage again."
"Neither will we," Kisame pointed out.
That earned no response.
Kisame's grin widened anyway. "That's what makes it interesting."
Kisame's grin lingered as he shifted Samehada on his shoulder.
Itachi said nothing. During their last encounter, Kenji had recognized both of them almost immediately, but there had been no hesitation afterward. He had avoided Itachi's eyes from the beginning and reacted to Samehada as though he already understood what the weapon could do.
For a Genin meeting two Akatsuki members for the first time, he had known far too much.
The trees thinned gradually as they continued north. Nearly an hour later, Kisame stepped onto a rocky rise and caught the first clear glimpse of Konoha's outer wall through the branches. He rested Samehada against his shoulder and looked back at Itachi.
"We're close enough that their patrols should be crawling all over us by now."
"They are."
Kisame glanced toward the trees behind them. He couldn't see anyone.
His grin widened. "Polite of them."
He looked back toward the village. "So we're letting them watch while we observe?"
"For now."
Kisame chuckled. "You always make the boring part sound permanent."
Kisame looked toward the village. "Think your brother will come looking for us?"
Itachi watched the wind shift the leaves on the trees below.
"Someone will."
Kakashi slid the hospital door open.
Sakura was inside, checking the fluid levels on Sasuke's IV line. Sasuke sat propped up against his pillows, his ribs securely wrapped.
Kakashi walked to the foot of the bed. "Itachi has been spotted inside Fire Country."
Sasuke's head snapped up. He threw the blanket aside and swung his legs toward the floor so quickly that the IV line pulled taut.
Sakura caught the stand before it tipped. "Sasuke!"
Pain hit his ribs before he could answer. He grimaced, his breathing hitching as his hand flew to his side.
Kakashi stepped forward and pushed him firmly back down by the shoulder. "You're in no condition."
Sasuke batted Kakashi's hand away. "Where is he?"
"I'm not telling you."
"He's inside Fire Country."
"Yes."
"How close?"
Kakashi didn't answer.
Sasuke's jaw tightened. "You came here to tell me he's nearby and then expect me to stay in bed?"
"I came here because if you heard it from someone else, you'd be halfway through the window before Sakura could stop you."
Sakura gave Kakashi a flat look. "He nearly took the IV stand with him anyway."
Sasuke ignored her. "If he came here because of me—"
"Then running out there with broken ribs is exactly what he would expect you to do."
Sasuke's hand tightened around the blanket.
For several seconds he said nothing. Then his shoulders settled back against the pillows, even though the anger never left his face.
Kenji left the Hokage Tower and went straight to one of the quieter training grounds.
He wasn't planning to ignore Tsunade and go looking for Itachi. That didn't mean he intended to sit at home waiting for two S-rank missing-nin to arrive.
Kenji flicked a marked kunai toward the far end of the clearing. Before the weapon finished its first rotation, the world shifted and he appeared beside it, catching the handle out of the air.
He threw it again, but this time he deliberately let the kunai pass out of sight behind a training post before teleporting.
The last time Kisame had seen Hiraishin, Kenji had used it as an escape.
He appeared low beside the post instead of upright, one knee almost touching the dirt, and drove an Armament-coated fist into the wood as he came out of the jump.
The post cracked hard enough to lean several inches.
Kenji looked at it. "Better."
Venom stirred beneath his clothes, a thin black layer briefly running over his forearm before sinking away again. Kenji rolled his shoulder and retrieved the kunai.
He had more ways to hurt them now. Unfortunately, he also knew exactly how many ways Itachi could ruin his day if he got careless, and there was no reason to test any of them unnecessarily.
Gamer's Mind had rejected every attempt to interfere with his head so far. There was no good reason Tsukuyomi should be different.
No good reason wasn't the same thing as proof.
Kenji spun the kunai once between his fingers and threw it again. He could test that particular theory after exhausting every option that didn't involve staring directly into Itachi Uchiha's eyes.
A flicker of movement crossed the edge of Kenji's vision.
An ANBU operative landed on the fence while Kenji was pulling his marked kunai from a splintered training post.
"Hokage-sama's update. The targets have stopped moving."
Kenji looked over. "Where?"
"Three miles south of the main gate."
His hand paused around the kunai.
"Both?"
The ANBU nodded.
Kenji tugged the weapon free and brushed a splinter from the seal with his thumb before sliding it back into his pouch.
Three miles wasn't much distance for shinobi like them.
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