Chapter 3
A few hours later in the Ishi district, Amejisuto had finished packing her clothes, books, ninja weapons and scrolls. Just as she sealed the last box, someone knocked on the door of the large house and she rushed to open it. It was her blonde haired, green eyed cousin, Sora Ishi, who decided to barge in and flop onto the couch. "Please tell me that you aren't doing what the rumors say you are," she looked over at the brunette.
"What rumors?" she asked half-heartedly, looking around to make sure she didn't forget anything.
"Jiji, they say you're going to be an apprentice of an Uchiha and go live with them! Auntie announced it through the wind!" she yelled, following with an exasperated sigh.
"Do you think that a clan leader would spread a lie? I am an Uchiha apprentice now. Besides, it's not bad, it's awesome. I’ll become a greater ninja, and I'm training with an old friend," Amejisuto explained.
"Either way, you have to spend almost every second with the Itachi Uchiha and live as an Uchiha, right?"
"Well yes, but I was really close to him and Sasuke, so it's just like having an extra big family again. It's not like I'm going to randomly fall in love with them."
"Don’t overestimate yourself, Jiji. No one can resist an Uchiha," Sora crossed her arms. "I bet that you won't last a month without falling hopelessly in love, but I'll be nice and bet a year," she teased.
Amejisuto laughed and stuck out her hand. "I'll last over a year, and maybe for eternity. If you lose, then you will have to challenge Naruto to a fight for Sasuke's love, even though you both pretty much 'hate' him."
"And if you lose like you usually do, you have to dance in front of me and the person. Free-style." Sora challenged, taking the hand and shaking it. Amejisuto scowled. She was a terrible dancer.
"Ameji, are you ready to go?" Itachi knocked on the open door. Sora's green eyes almost popped out of her head. She knew of Itachi and his serious fan club, but she never saw him in person, and he was the type who looked god-like by just standing with light shining around him.
"I have to write the formulas for a summoning scroll, but I need a few specifics. Could you please help?" Amejisuto requested.
"Sure, where is it?"
"In my room. Please follow me," she led him though the modern with Sora trailing after, wanting to see more of the raven haired male beauty. Amejisuto saw the look in her cousin's eyes. "Please Sora, don't become a fangirl. It will only cause problems."
The older cousin turned red and stated protesting. "Pfft, I'm not a fangirl, just seeing if the famous Uchihas are really awesome like people say," she denied. Amejisuto didn't buy it and silently laughed at her strange relative. They got to her room and Itachi looked around. Boxes were packed, and there was a large scroll already painted with different characters for all the types of things she had packed up.
"I just didn't know the exact formula for sending it to your house," the brunette explained. He took the brush that was left right next to the scroll and dipped it in ink, setting to work on the last few details. Soon it was ready to go, and Amejisuto activated the jutsu while Itachi and Sora helped move the boxes onto the scroll and watched them disappear. After the last box was transported, they rolled up the scroll and Itachi put it in his weapons pouch.
"We are good to go!" Amejisuto shouted. Itachi gave a kind smile and Sora became saddened.
"I'm gonna miss you around here, Jiji," she hugged her cousin.
"It's not like I'm moving to Suna. I'll just be across the village, and I'll visit," the other Ishi assured her.
"Just don't forget about our bet, and if you ever get married, I wanna at least be a bridesmaid."
'Well then let's just get your measurements ready to go,' Itachi thought, remaining quiet.
"Alright, but remember what you have to do when you lose." And with that, Itachi and Amejisuto left to the Uchiha part of the city.
Fugaku had apparently announced his son taking on an Ishi apprentice, and the members of the clan gathered on the streets in the compound to welcome her. They all looked similar with dark hair in different styles and most had black eyes. The only exceptions were the ones who obviously married into the clan, or the elders, whose hair had turned grey.
They walked past the bakery that Amejisuto had been eyeing the day before. There were two old people standing outside and Itachi waved at them. They stopped walking to talk to them. "Welcome to the family," the friendly looking Uchihas greeted.
"Hello Aunt, hello Uncle," Itachi smiled.
"Itachi, we're so proud of you for taking an apprentice. This young woman looks like she's ready to learn anything!" the auntie gushed. Amejisuto immediately took a liking to her.
"Yes. Well, it's nice to see you, but I think we should get her settled. We'll see you later," the raven bowed and pushed his student along.
The gathering of Uchihas smiled warmly as the brunette walked past them with her teacher. 'I bet they're mainly being nice since Itachi is my sensei now,' she thought, knowing the usual coldness and suspicion to outsiders intruding unless it was for marriages or special circumstances. Or Naruto. Everyone loved that hyperactive blonde.
They walked down the roads to Itachi's home where Sasuke ran out and greeted them, with Naruto following behind. "Ameji, you never told us you were moving here," he complained.
"It was only made official a few hours ago," Amejisuto rubbed the back of her head in nervousness, realising she would have to explain the situation to the other kunoichi too, who would probably do what her cousin did and assume that she was in love with an Uchiha or something. She sighed and just told Naruto the basics.
"Wait, so you're being adopted?!?"
"Yes… No… Loser, stop reacting like an idiot," Sasuke sighed, unsure of how to answer.
Amejisuto ignored them. "Itachi sensei, where did we transport my stuff to?"
"Oh, I set up a room for you. Follow me. I also keep forgetting to tell you this, but you don't need to call me sensei when we're not training. Just Itachi is fine," he led her to a room in the house, giving a small tour on the way, showing where the dojo, living room, kitchen, meditation room, main bathroom and everyone else's rooms were. She had a room across from Itachi's, Sasuke's room was in another hall, and his parent's room was near the dojo. It was pretty spread out, but she guessed Uchiha's didn't like others being in their business much.
Amejisuto suddenly wondered why she got a room so close to Itachi when everyone else who was actually family were spread out. Maybe so he could wake her up at random times for training drills or something.
"Are you going to go in?" her mentor's voice snapped her out of her thoughts. She nodded and slid open the door, gasping at the room. It was all decorated with a white wooden bed with dark purple sheets, a white full-body mirror, a white wooden end table next to the bed, a white desk on a far corner of the room, and the room had purple walls with a plain beige floor. Her boxes were all in a pile in the corner near a bathroom and closet.
"Wow, this is so... Wow!" she exclaimed. Not even her old room at her clan compound had a bathroom. Then again, her house back there wasn’t nearly as big and elegant as this was.
"Yah, we figured we would change your room up a bit more than it was before, since it used to match every other room in the house: All black and blue. I remembered your favorite color was purple, and white generally goes well with it," he was surprised when the brunette turned around and hugged him.
"Thank you so much! It's awesome!" she grinned and then went inside to start unpacking.
"You're welcome," the raven mumbled before going into his room. "If you need me, just knock."
The female instantly sorted out her boxes and put away her belongings, admiring the fancy room. There weren't many houses with the old and modern styles mixed anymore. "There's so much room in here," she gushed as she filled the back of the walk-in closet with weapons and filled the front with different cool outfits for different kinds of missions. She was able to even practise a few flips and cartwheels in the space she had left over in the main part. "I should do something about all this space..."
After she was done unpacking, she heard a knock on her door and turned around. There stood a beautiful middle aged woman with black hair that had a slight tinge of blue, and kind brown eyes. "Hi, if you forgot, I'm Mikoto, Sasuke and Itachi's mother," she waved. "I apologise for not greeting you along with the rest of the clan. I was out shopping. It’s been ages since I last saw you! You’re all pretty and grown up now!"
Amejisuto stood up and bowed with a light blush at the compliment. "Thank you… And also thanks for allowing me into your home, especially since it was so sudden."
"Oh, it's ok dear. It will be nice to have another girl in the house. You can come to me if you need anything," Mikoto gave a light bow and left.
"Hm, sweeter woman than I remember... This whole family is great,” the girl beamed.
“Glad you think so,” Itachi grinned slightly as he saw his apprentice whirl around quickly, shocked that he was there again, leaving against the open door. “Now, would you like a more detailed tour of the compound since the crowd has dissipated?”
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"So you're saying that since she's from another powerful clan, they have to get married?" Konan gasped.
"Itachi Uchiha must be captured before then. If not, we shall have to capture the female too," Pain concluded.
"The question is how we get him to join. It's not like he would want to help give out deadly monsters as weapons to different ninja villages for military power," Konan tried to think of something that would convince him.
"The key do getting what we want is through manipulation," announced Madara.
"How? We're all S-ranked criminals, even though not even most of our group knows that the great Madara Uchiha is still alive," the woman pointed out.
"That gives me an idea..." Pain smirked.
"Well, let's hear it," Madara commanded.
"I think that we-"
"SASORI! WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY DETONATING CLAY, YEAH?!" A loud yell was heard from the hall. The three leaders poked their heads out of the room. There stood Deidara and Sasori, arguing once again.
"I threw it out. Is there a problem?" a smug reply came from the redhead.
"I was making a sculpture to blow up outside, yeah!"
"It was all over our room and my puppets. You're lucky I didn't kill you."
Kisame walked into the hall. "What are ya fighting about now?"
"He threw out my clay!" Deidara pointed madly at Sasori, who rolled his eyes and started walking back to their room. "Hey! Don't walk away from me, yeah!"
Konan sighed and closed the door. "I swear we're living in a high school."
"So what was it you were saying about manipulation, Madara?" Pain got back into the conversation.
The Uchiha smirked under his mask. Ah yes, manipulation. One of his most powerful weapons, and a fun game to play. His eyes glowed with sinister plans on how to capture the Uchiha and make him stay with them, at least for long enough to capture and seal the jinchuriki.