AKATSUKI HIDEN - ITACHI AND KISAME
Notes: Original Speech Patterns
Novel’s Opening/Prologue Summary
Hypericum Erectum - Itachi and Kisame - Full Chapter
Novel’s Closing/Epilogue Summary
PLEASE DO NOT REPOST
Translations are deleted fairly quickly, so it’s probably safer to share it as a link. But share away!
Comments are enabled if anyone wants to join my gushing! :)
I’ve attempted to keep the translation more neutral, but my shipping shows more in the side tags
NOTES: Original Speech Patterns
Some of the easiest to tell apart amongst any pair of characters
Eg Let's go, Kisame. Well then, Itachi-san, shall we get going?
ITACHI - Uses casual ‘ru’ form, typical of most of the men in the Narutoverse. While typical for ninja in a shounen series, would be more rude and direct in standard Japanese. Uses the macho pronoun ‘ore’ for himself, like 99% of the men in Naruto, and the matching ‘omae’ for others -sometimes uses the insulting ‘temee’ for Sasuke. However, uses polite suffixes san/kun for ‘enemies’- secret allies -Konoha ninja. In contrast, Sasuke never uses suffixes at all, and Itachi doesn’t use them for anyone in Akatsuki, or for Sasuke himself. Swings between short and to the point and fancy/abstract words that are barely in the dictionary. Likes contradictions, either in the same sentence or a few lines later. I don’t think he’s ever sworn in the manga, but I need to reread his battle with Sasuke. Says ‘chigau’ (incorrect/different/wrong) enough that it's almost a catchphrase. Speech is active and direct - tag questions are used occasionally (eg. ‘Am I wrong?’), but more to confirm a statement he already knows is true. The only discourse marker he arguably uses to soften sentence beginnings and break the ice (eg you know, so, well) is Kisame’s name - otherwise, direct and to the point.
KISAME - One of the only characters in the series to use keigo - sounds somewhere between someone in customer service and the formal version learned as a second language. Polite, formal, and indirect, much softer speech patterns. Speaks like a mixture of Haku, Orochimaru and Mei. One of a handful of characters to use the gender neutral pronoun ‘watashi,’ which can come off as aloof and business-like (Iruka, Ebisu), or effeminate (Orochimaru). However, despite politeness, very rarely uses suffixes to show respect: the only people who get them are Itachi (san), Sasuke (kun), ‘Madara’ (san) and the Third Mizukage (sama) - the other members of the Akatsuki and Kirigakure noticeably do not. Don’t think he’s sworn much either - has dozens of ways of saying ‘my my/oh goodness/gosh’ (the rudest he gets is towards Tobi after the 4 Tails capture and Pain seems surprised). But can be quite petty and nasty. Linguistics wise, uses hedging, tag questions, and discourse markers, softening speech - either defensive and tentative or passive aggressive, showing uncertainty.
KODAKA - Mostly uses casual ‘ru’ form, sometimes fancies it up like Kisame. Uses the boyish ‘boku’ to refer to himself, like Yamato, Rock Lee, or Haku. Name might be short for ‘the treasure that is children’
KIIRO - Always uses casual ‘ru’ form, with macho ‘ore’ pronouns, and uses ‘temee’ (you bastard) towards nearly everyone, mostly his brother. Calls himself Kiiro-sama. Part 1 Naruto up to the max, despite (maybe?) being much older. Swears a lot, addicted to exclamation points - I feel weird not capitalising all his dialogue. Name means ‘yellow’
OOMITSU - Name means ‘big honey’
KOMITSU - Name means ‘little honey’
PROLOGUE
PART 1
“Darkness covers the sky. The stars sparkle quietly. The gentle person is being wrapped and cradled by the calming silver moon. However, the moonlight that illuminates their feet makes them anxious. We need the light. The strong illuminating light is the path we must advance. These people who’s wishes praying to be granted, depend upon on the darkness to be driven away across seas and mountains. The stars flee, the moon hides, we will put an end to the night. The start of the light–“Akatsuki”. New light will burn a new kingdom.”
(Credit to YoruCompany Translations for the intro) (https://yorucompany.wordpress.com/2015/09/03/akatsuki-hiden-translation-chapter-1-01/)
Prologue 2-4 Summary: A few years after the Fourth Shinobi War, Sasuke saves two children, Oomitsu and Komitsu, while travelling. They say their family was killed by the Akatsuki, and Sasuke is ashamed to have worn their cloak
Hypericum Erectum * *
PART 1
Pg30 - 75
Describe the world.
Actions echo from the earth.
Feeling informed one of the existence of others, the sweetness of happiness and the bitterness of misfortune nurtured people.
The fragrance of life was incredible, the connection a piece of the other world.
Sight, sound, touch, taste, smell.
The five senses of a person told them they lived in this world.
In one case, a rare visual power, the Sharingan carried by the Uchiha Clan, caused them to be born connected more deeply with the other worlds.
However, these strong ties were not eternal.
31
While they could see even the unseeable, their eyes gradually lost their power, kept the other world away, and eventually shut up tightly.
They lost their eyesight.
Loved by bonds, betrayed by bonds.
To be toyed with by bonds, this clan, one wondered if this is the Uchiha?
One was also tied within these bonds.
"........."
They had entered the cave to escape the night dew. From there, a man withdrew.
In the cold night breeze, with a cloak where red clouds floated, his black hair has also swayed.
Unlike his cloak, there were no clouds in the sky, and a round moon floated above. Both eyes that captured the moonlight were Sharingan.
The man looked up at the moon and slowly touched his forehead. His proof of being a shinobi, his headband. Engraved was the mark of Konohagakure... And yet it wasn’t. A wound cut horizontally through Konoha’s mark, the proof of a missing nin.
Uchiha Itachi.
It was the very man, the genius of the ancient and honourable Uchiha Clan, that was now a family killing traitor.
32
However, there was something that even Itachi, who had cut off all connections, couldn’t cut away.
His little brother. The little brother who was deeply hurt, split in two like Konoha’s mark on his forehead.
He especially remembered the day of this month. He halted the Uchiha coup d’etat, and that day was covered in Uchiha blood. *
The bond of affection between Itachi and Sasuke now turned to Sasuke’s bond of hatred to Itachi, yet it was a complex link. Itachi had induced it. But he knows nothing, and was told nothing.
In the back of Itachi’s mind, the image of another man was revived.
It was the man who Itachi had longed for as an older brother, from the same Uchiha Clan, Uchiha Shisui.
At that time, he had also fought desperately to stop the Uchiha’s coup d’etat, and fell nobly.
….my dear friend, I can only ask this of you. This village….the Uchiha Clan….please protect them all…
Hoping for Konoha, hoping for the Uchiha, Shisui left in the shadows, falling nobly. His way of life was a shinobi’s path. And Itachi thought like him. Carrying sin, such as wearing dishonour the same way he wears the Akatsuki garments, yet Itachi wasn’t built into them.
If he saw his older brother continue to commit crimes, Sasuke wouldn’t hesitate to kill Itachi.
33
Itachi knew better than anyone the bitterness in handling loved ones.
When the time came for Sasuke to kill Itachi, he wanted him to kill him without feeling sorrow, without feeling anything. In his eyes, Itachi dreamed of it.
However, it seemed that it will take some time until the end.
Itachi closed his eyelids to block out the moonlight.
This eye still drips blood for people. Yes, from now on as well ~~
“Can't sleep, Itachi-san?”
Itachi heard a voice calling from behind him. Turning his head, there stood a
great bodied man carrying the great sword Samehada, from the Seven Shinobi Swordsmen, the Monster of Kirigakure, Hoshigaki Kisame. Itachi’s partner within Akatsuki.
“You left so quietly I thought you’d pulled out of the Akatsuki.”
His words were impossible to discriminate between a joke and seriousness. When Itachi narrowed his eyes, Kisame gave a teasing grin.
“Please don’t glare at me like that. It’s a pain to disturb someone’s alone time, but the purpose of Akatsuki’s teams is to mutually monitor one another. We don’t know who or when someone will betray it. Like Orochimaru.”
34
“.......”
Orochimaru was also from Konoha like Itachi, and along with Jiraiya and Tsunade the man was a part of a legendary group called the Sannin.
He was a ruthless man who used any means to satisfy his desires, with the Akatsuki being one of his means. While he was enrolled in Akatsuki, he wanted to possess the natural genius, and set his sights on Itachi’s body.
However, he decided he was no match for Itachi and withdrew from Akatsuki.
At the time, Itachi thought Sasori, a puppet user who’d been working together with Orochimaru, seemed to find the separation deeply and surprisingly painful. *
“So I’ve been thinking, I’m proud to be able to be with you. At any rate, you are the Uchiha genius. On the day you betray Akatsuki, I’ll have the duty of being entrusted to be a great step for that genius.” *
Itachi gave no reply and returned his gaze to the moon.
"Did you come to say such a thing?"
“Fufu…..I understand. Of course, I didn’t come here to abuse you with my silly chatter.” *
Kisame looked up at the moon in the same way. *
Then that hand extended to Samehada on his back.
35
“Now, I wonder which of us they’ll target….eh!”
At the same time that Kisame left, the moon which had seemed so clear was fogged over. It wasn’t clouds that blocked the moonlight. All at once, mist enveloped them, and even Kisame, a short distance away, couldn’t be seen.
“...I guess they’re going for me!”
Ninja Art, Hidden Mist Jutsu
It was a Suiton technique often used in the village of Kirigakure.
As he tried to pull out Samehada, many kunai flew simultaneously toward Kisame’s upper back. Kisame carelessly flicked Samehada and knocked down all the kunai.
However, as Kisame’s awareness was on the kunai, a new shadow emerged from the mist.
“Kisame, that’s Kirigakure’s hunter nin!”
More quickly than Kisame could react to Itachi’s words, the hunter nin rapidly made hand seals.
“Suiton: Water Bullet Jutsu!”
When the warped, powerful body of water at the front fell, water exhaled from the mouth struck Kisame’s body.
Again and again, new hunter nin appeared and started performing hand seals.
36
“Water Prison Jutsu!”
The Water Bullet Jutsu that struck Kisame’s body was heavy, and the water surrounding Kisame’s body became a ball.
The first hunter nin made water using the Water Bullet Technique, and another hunter nin used that liquid to make a water basket that couldn’t be escaped.
“Okay, take Kisame and let’s go!”
Their aim was Kisame alone. They tried to kidnap Kisame.
“Are you rookies? Haven’t tasted much of this world, have you?” *
But inside the water prison, Kisame laughed fearlessly.
“Kisame, don’t overdo it. “
“That depends on our opponents now, doesn’t it?”
In response to Itachi’s warning, Kisame made hand seals.
“Wh-what the....!?"
Kisame swallowed much of the water in the water prison.
------Suiton: Exploding Water Colliding Wave!!
When Kisame performed the jutsu, an amount of water incomparable to that of the water prison burst from Kisame’s mouth.
37
“Shit, you idiots! The water prison jutsu has never broken down…!?”
The hunter nin that activated the water prison frantically placed both hands on the water prison, trying to hold Kisame in.
However, the water prison swelled endlessly, flooding it with water and compressing it from the inside, and it flew open like a water balloon when it burst.
“.....are you finished before we even get flashy?” *
Liberated, Kisame cracked his ne ck and fell into his stance with Samehada.“Well then, shall we get attacking too?”
In one gulp, Kisame tore through the hunter nin left over from the water prison.
"Uraaaa!!" *
"Ky!" *
The great sword, Samehada struck his opponents in the pit of their stomach, breaking bones and enjoying the feel of their energy being “shaved” away. As it gouged into the flesh of the hunter nin’s belly and sent blood flying, Samehada took the opponents chakra and converted it into power for Kisame.
"Damn it-”
While grasping for their comrades who danced and flew through their vision like brittle, dead leaves, another hunter nin made hand signs.
38
“Now, I wonder which of us they’ll target….eh!” So here, Kisame says 「さて、どちらでしょうね」which basically means “I wonder which us [these people] are targeting.” The next line 「どうやら私のようですね」would be “I guess they’re going for me.” These are pretty much literal translations, so do as you will with this information.
At the same time that Kisame left, the moon which had seemed so clear was fogged over. It wasn’t clouds that blocked the moonlight. All at once, mist enveloped them, and even Kisame, a short distance away, couldn’t be seen.
“...I guess they’re going for me!”
Ninja Art, Hidden Mist Jutsu
It was a Suiton technique often used in the village of Kirigakure.
As he tried to pull out Samehada, many kunai flew simultaneously toward Kisame’s upper back. Kisame carelessly flicked Samehada and knocked down all the kunai.
However, as Kisame’s awareness was on the kunai, a new shadow emerged from the mist.
“Kisame, that’s Kirigakure’s hunter nin!”
More quickly than Kisame could react to Itachi’s words, the hunter nin rapidly made hand seals.
“Suiton: Water Bullet Jutsu!”
When the warped, powerful body of water at the front fell, water exhaled from the mouth struck Kisame’s body.
Again and again, new hunter nin appeared and started performing hand seals.
36
“Water Prison Jutsu!”
The Water Bullet Jutsu that struck Kisame’s body was heavy, and the water surrounding Kisame’s body became a ball.
The first hunter nin made water using the Water Bullet Technique, and another hunter nin used that liquid to make a water basket not sure if “basket” would be the correct term since the Water Prison we’ve seen seems to be a ball of water which surrounds the victim that couldn’t be escaped.
“Okay, take Kisame and let’s go!”
Their aim was Kisame alone. They tried to kidnap Kisame.
“Are you rookies? Haven’t tasted much of this world, have you?” *
But inside the water prison, Kisame laughed fearlessly.
“Kisame, don’t overdo it. “
“That depends on our opponents now, doesn’t it?”
In response to Itachi’s warning, Kisame made hand seals.
“Wh-what the....!?"
Kisame swallowed much of the water in the water prison.
------Suiton: Exploding Water Colliding Wave!!
When Kisame performed the jutsu, an amount of water incomparable to that of the water prison burst from Kisame’s mouth.
37
“Shit, you idiots!「馬鹿な」doesn’t necessarily pertain to a specific person in this context. It’s more of the common shounen manga trope of the enemy saying “i-impossible…!” The water prison jutsu has never broken down…!?”
The hunter nin that activated the water prison frantically placed both hands on the water prison, trying to hold Kisame in.
However, the water prison swelled endlessly, flooding it with water and compressing it from the inside, and it flew open like a water balloon when it burst.
“.....are you finished before we even get flashy?” *
Liberated, Kisame cracked his neck and fell into his stance with Samehada.“Well then, shall we get attacking too?”
In one gulp, Kisame tore through the hunter nin left over from the water prison.
"Uraaaa!!" *
"Ky!" *I think they said “Gy!” here?
The great sword, Samehada struck his opponents in the pit of their stomach, breaking bones and enjoying the feel of their energy being “shaved” away. As it gouged into the flesh of the hunter nin’s belly and sent blood flying, Samehada took the opponents chakra and converted it into power for Kisame.
"Damn it-”
While grasping for their comrades who danced and flew through their vision like brittle, dead leaves, another hunter nin made hand signs.
38
“As your comrades die before you, you still firmly make hand seals. It’s as expected of hunter nin, isn’t it? However, thanks to you all, I have the geographical advantage here.”
Water spread around Kisame like a pond.
“Here I go….Suiton: Water Shark Bullet Jutsu-!”
The water took the form of sharks, baring their fangs. It was one of Kisame’s speciality jutsu.
“Damn it! Suiton: Water Formation Wall….”
Faster than the hunter nin could make water walls to guard themselves, the Water Shark Bullet swam.
"Gyaaaaaa!"
The hunter nin were eaten and swallowed by the water sharks, vigorously blowing apart.
“Same city, same soil: you’ll be found hand in hand.”
The thick fog covering their surroundings cleared up, and the moonlight shine again. Kisame returned Samehada to his back.
“.......!?”
But then, Itachi sensed another chakra.
“Kisame, formation!”
As soon as he quickly leapt to his instructions, from within the thicket the two saw another man leap up.
39
“ ‘I have the geographical advantage here,’ are you serious?! Those words, I, Kiiro-sama, will reuse!”
The man who identified himself as ‘Kiiro-sama’ wasn’t wearing the mask of the hunter nin from before, and he didn’t even have a headband as proof of a shinobi.
But there were things that can only hit home from such a big mouth, and he made complex hand seals instantly. Great art had come.
“Suiton: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!!”
In response to Kiiro’s cry, from underneath Kisame’s wet feet the water dragon appeared. His skill level with chakra must be high. The water dragon rolled like a tuna as it hunted down Kisame’s body.
“Shi-!” *
He had no time to make hand seals, he couldn’t reach a hand behind his back to grab Samehada. The water dragon slammed into Kisame’s body.
“Problem solved!”
However, before Kisame could be given a fatal wound, Kiiro cancelled the jutsu. The water dragon, which was a mass of water, danced toward the sky and burst open with a crash, like rain falling on the earth.
“Kodakaa! Let’s go!”
The latest person, the man called Kodaka, appeared to have already made hand seals underneath a thick cloak.
40
Surrounding them, countless tiny lights danced. Kiiro also made new hand seals.
“Hold up and stand back! Suiton: Angry Bitter Rain!” *
When Kiiro performed the jutsu, the water falling like rain changed its colour to black and clung to Kisame’s body. Black rain snatched away his field of vision and covered his eyes.
"Got it...! Raiton: Electric Shock Needles!
As Kodaka performed the jutsu, the light grew like needles, and in an instant flew to Kisame and stabbed him.
Each of the many needles was tiny, and he could only feel the pain from where the needle point touched.
"........!"
However, Kisame pressed down on his skin.
“This is….”
Some of the stabbed areas began to swell and turn red as he watched. Numbness spread from them, and unwillingly, Kisame fell to his knees.
“Hahaa! This is the end of the Monster of the Mist-!”
He couldn’t miss this chance. Kiiro drew his sword and aimed at Kisame’s throat.
41
“ ....you were careless, Kisame.”
Itachi easily stopped Kiiro’s sword with a kunai.
“Wha…”
“You use techniques you’re unfamiliar with.”
Thrusting towards the sky, Itachi kicked his sole into Kiiro’s stomach with all his strength. *
“Guhuh-!
“Kiiro!”
Kodaka caught Kiiro’s body as the kick sent him flying, and jumped backwards to get out of range.
“I'm sorry, Itachi-san. Seems like it’s poisoned. Making a poison with Suiton, and then getting it into the body with Raiton, huh....?”
With the poison and numbness, his movement seemed limited, but Kisame reached a swollen hand to Samehada.
“It can’t be helped, so let’s shave it off.”
Without hesitation, Kisame directs Samehada to himself and carves deeply into the affected area.
“Th-that guy, his flesh….”
“What are you jittering for Kodakaaa!” Kiiro shouted at Kodaka, voice trembling as he watched Kisame carving off his flesh.
42
“You gutless bastard, even so, we’ll hunt you down!” *
“But Kiiro! The First One already hit. And that Sharingan….battling Uchiha Itachi is way risky. Let’s get out of here!”
“Shut up! Let's kill Itachi too and make a name for ourselves! Last Second One, let's go Kodaka!”
Ignoring Kodaka's hesitation, Kiiro started making hand seals.
Itachi quietly closed his eyes and put a lot of power into his eyeballs.
“Both wealth and fame will fade away in the presence of these eyes, now then….disappear.” *
-------Mangekyo Sharingan’s Genjutsu, 'Tsukiyomi.'
“.....!? Wh, he-here’s…”
Suddenly the world went dark. The only two people were Itachi and Kiiro. They’d been dragged in. Into the world of Tsukiyomi.
------What kind of - what did you do!?
Kiiro stood on the edge of a lake, with both his hands and feet bound.
43
For the next 48 hours, you will continue to drown
At Itachi’s words, Kiiro called out “What are you saying?!” Then something pushed against Kiiro’s back with a thud.
Wha...!
Splash.
Came the sound of water as Kiiro’s body hit the lake.
“AAAAAAH….!”
“Kiiro!?”
It was suddenly silent, as Kiiro fell over in the muddy soil, completely voiceless. His breathing was disturbed, and Kodaka shook his body in panic as fat drops of sweat poured from his whole body.
"AAH-AAAH!"
Kiiro instantly tasted 48 hours of torture, and reached out for help, seeking salvation.
“My my, seems like his life is at an end, doesn’t it?”
Kisame laughed as he watched Kiiro take on Tsukiyomi. Itachi took out a kunai to put an end to the two students in the truest sense. *
“Kiiro!”
44
Kodaka called Kiiro’s name forcefully, taking the hand that stretched upwards towards the sky as if seeking the air. He clasped Kiiro’s hand tightly and shouted his name again.
“Come on, Kiiro-!”
His earnestness halted Itachi’s pursuit. *
“Nii...sa….”
Kiiro gave a hoarse reply to Kodaka’s cry.
"He-help me....Kodaka ni-san....."
Trembling like a frightened child, his strangled voice cut off when Itachi appeared.
“.....shi-”
Kiiro gave a heartbroken scream as Kodaka disappeared with his body slung over his shoulder.
“Well well, seems like the pain and numbness has finally calmed down?”
Kisame placed Samehada into the ground and stood up slowly.
“It seems like they were brothers, doesn’t it? It’s still a strange jutsu though.”
“....it wasn’t a Kiri jutsu?”
“That was the first time I’ve seen a technique that combined Suiton and Raiton. The two of them seemed to be neither hunter nin or wore headbands, so I think Kirigakure could have hired other shinobi….?
45
Well, I also broke off from Kiri, so I suppose it's fine, thought Kisame as he shrugged his shoulders. *
“Using Suiton-made poison to cover the body, then hitting it with Raiton...it’s a rare cooperation jutsu, don’t you think? It’ll take a while for the poison to completely disappear.”
Kisame looked at the black water underfoot that may contain poison. However, Itachi didn’t agree with Kisame’s idea.
“There were countless strange lights, but there aren’t that many swollen spots on you.”
“The strike itself was like a needle, so it didn’t seem to have much attack power. Many of them didn’t hurt my body.”
"..............."
Itachi’s gaze went to the surface of the black water.
"Itachi-san?"
Itachi moved his gaze to ignore Kisame as he tilted his head. Then he found his target in the grass and threw with a kunai with rapid agility.
“....a mouse?”
The kunai had caught a field mouse moving in the grass.
“Surely an enemy’s trap?”
46
"No, it’s different." *
Although its back was damaged, the mouse was still living, and Itachi dropped it into the black water.
The mouse struggled in the water, alarmed, and as made its escape it became wet.
As he looked at it, Kisame also realised what Itachi had seen.
Even now, the rat should be wounded by the black water, but no symptoms appeared.
The poison Kisame received was effective immediately.
In that case, the same symptoms should have appeared in the mouse.
“In that combo jutsu, perhaps the Suiton is pretending to be poisonous but in truth is something different. There must be a trap in that Raiton….”
Itachi was reminded of their words.
Kodaka used Raiton, and said “First One” when it hit.
And Kiiro shouted that the “Second One” was “Last.”
They guessed the secret was hidden there.
“For now, we should rest, Kisame. I tried to use Tsukiyomi on the name called Kiiro, but the cost was great. And if they recover, they’ll aim for you again.”
47
“Next time I’ll kill them.”
“Baseless confidence will bring negligence. Like you just a moment ago.”
When he pointed out that he was poisoned and brought to his knees, Kisame cackled and smiled.
“You’re not a talkative person, but you sure have some powerful arguments.”
“I have no intention to argue.”
While giving his brief answer, Itachi’s line of sight moved from the black water to Suiton’s surroundings.
"....."
There, something caught Itachi’s eyes.
This is….
“From now on, shall we chase them, those brothers?”
Itachi was silent as Kisame said such a thing.
“They couldn’t have gotten too far away. We’ll find them.”
Itachi also agreed.
Since Kiiro took on his genjutsu, they would have hidden themselves in a place not too far away to review his condition.
48
Help, Kodaka nisan…..
And if they said they were brothers, to hear his little brother’s voice crying out for help, the older brother wouldn’t be able to remain calm.
With Itachi’s Sharingan, it would take much less time to take out two people.
"..........."
However, Itachi trampled on something sinking into the mud as they walked towards a cavern.
“With that condition, you can’t fight properly, right?”
“It’s not a big deal.”
“I thought you were the one who told me before to watch out for cannibalism.” *
“.......!”
That was the first time he’d met Kisame.
Kisame had talked about how when sharks young hatch from eggs they cannibalise their fellows, and advised Itachi as a member of Akatsuki to be careful of him.
If he was careless, he would kill him.
So he dared to quote it now.
If he challenged him to battle in an imperfect condition he would weaken, and it may be him that became prey before the Sharingan. *
“....kuku. In any case, that argument is powerful too.”
Kisame’s water got quietly drawn into the soil, along with the black water.
49
The moon gradually went to the western sky.
Among the big trees, the sound of the wings of insects and the younger brother’s groaning voice could be heard.
Clenching his younger brother’s sweaty hand, he continued sending chakra through, searching for his little brother’s spirit to reconnect it.
“Kiiro…..”
He wondered if they evening would come to an end without him regaining consciousness.
The worst happened, Kiiro’s chakra was disturbed.
“...hold on, my brother.”
While rebuking himself and waiting for Kiiro to recover, from Kiiro’s mouth came the cry of - “Kodaka….?”
“Kiiro! Your consciousness has returned!”
50
Kiiro scowled loudly, and slowly opened his eyelids.
“Wh I- I’m holding on….I feel terrible!”
As he awoke, Kiiro swept away his older brother’s hand.
“Shit….”
Kiiro got up holding his forehead, and asked “What happened with Kisame, did you take him down?”
“Ah-no…..for the meantime, we’ve had to draw back….”
At Kodaka’s reply, Kiiro’s eyes rose and twitched.
“You bastard, what the hell were you doing?”
“Grr!” *
Kiiro’s fist hit Kodaka. Kodaka lost his balance and fell to the bottom of the tree.
As Kiiro jumped down to attack again, the sound of insect wings grew louder.
“Damn it”
Kiiro lowered his swinging fist, and looked at Kodaka in detestation.
“Ki-Kii…..”
His brothers face was full of anger and hatred.
51
“Why were you the first born….on the condition that you were the oldest son, you got the secret jutsu….! If I’d been born first, it would have been for me! Then I’d be able to kill more easily!” *
“Kodaka….originally, this was for killing people…” *
“No way! Without that jutsu, there’s no use for a bastard like you!”
Shortly after that shout, Kiiro’s body rocked and swayed. Even though his consciousness had returned, Tsukiyomi’s mental exhaustion is a cruel, intense thing. The technique ended in a moment yet could often deprive all the personality, all the memories of a person.
“Ki-Kiiro, right now your body isn’t-”
“Don’t touch meee!”
Kodaka tried unexpectedly to support his body, and Kiiro removed his hands.
“Hey, let’s stop doing this kind of thing from now on. I responded to the Kirigakure scouts to earn money, but we’ve already caught enough….afterwards, I’ll just go back to the village quietly -”
“Shut up!”
Kiiro’s screams blocked out Kodaka’s words.
52
“You’d abandon our traditions, abandon our journey, just to live like people that wanted to stay in one place! Let’s forget about everything! They tried to throw us to the wolves! Why are you so calm?! I detest you! I hate you!
Kiiro’s eyes glittered with angry light.
“Let’s go back and make our names….for that purpose, those guys are perfect!”
The Swordman of the Seven Shinobi, the Monster of Kirigakure, Hoshigaki Kisame.
Uchiha Itachi, the genius prodigy of the Uchiha Clan who possessed the Sharingan.
Members of the Akatsuki, with international orders to be apprehended. If one took down those two, they would quickly become a hero.
“We’ll hit Kisame with the first one! And Uchiha Itachi…..the point is not the look in those eyes! Next time it won’t be like this, will it?”
“....Kiiro….”
“As soon as I recover, I’m aiming for both of them! Got that, gutless?!”
Kiiro spat and slowly lay back behind the tree again.
Kodaka listened to the sound of insect wings and looks up at the sky. The moonlight weakened and the eastern sky began to brighten.
Putting his hands on the cheeks that had been beaten by his little brother, Kodaka bit down on his lip.
“I’m so sorry….Oomitsu, Komitsu….”
PART 2
53
The next morning. He left the cave with Kisame as the sun rose.
“Well well, it was a persistent poison.”
While Kisame says it in that manner, if he had been a normal shinobi, it would take a considerable amount of time to recover.
Using the power of others and converting it to chakra for its master, Kisame’s condition remained unruined.
“So, don’t you think we should search for those brothers? Because it will be bothersome if they return to Kirigakure with this news.”
As the two leapt, they ran through the forest with tree branches as footholds.
“Since he took a bite of your Tsukiyomi, I think it’s be impossible for that younger brother to come back.”
However, Itachi shook his head.
“No...in some cases, one can recover even without a strong spirit or excellent medical ninjutsu.”
“Oh, what is it?” *
54
“It’s called ‘love’. “ *
As a result, Kisame gave a small, silly laugh for a moment.
“Love...is it? I never thought I’d hear that word from cool headed you. I didn’t think it was so easy to change.”
“Granting feelings to other people can have a large influence outside them. My Tsukiyomi is spiritual destruction via genjutsu. Recovery isn’t impossible if you can reconnect the spirit.” *
With a strong feeling, your opponent could be saved, but it wasn’t feasible without loving affection.
As he listened to that, Kisame murmured “I see.”
“Could that be the case with the older brother?”
“It’s said it can’t be said that there is no possibility.* There’s no evidence to the story. To think Tsukiyomi could be overcome by such a simple technique. However, that means I won’t know the result until the end.”
At Itachi’s reply, Kisame laughed with a sigh.
“You point out the possibilities yourself, but you’re also the one who deny it. Itachi-san, your way of thinking is complicated and mysterious as ever.” *
“By the way,” Kisame continued.
“When we first met, ‘we won’t know what kind of person we are until our last moment…’ You said that, right? So that means, now, we are in a situation when we don’t even know about ourselves. Then, because we don’t even know about ourselves, we couldn’t expect to understand other people….. Is that what you wanted to say, Itachi-san?”
“Who knows.”
“Kuku….You really are cold.”
But while saying so, Kisame also looked like he was enjoying himself.
When he thought back, from the beginning, Kisame looked like he respected Itachi.
For Kisame, who in Kirigakure had the exclusive mission of comrade killing, did Itachi’s role in executing, in killing, his clan, allow him to feel a sense of fellowship the existed beyond the limits of this place called Akatsuki?
People say you can only understand those with the same pain.
If, if Kisame perfectly understood what Itachi was feeling, did Kisame was also grieve for his Kirigakure comrades whose blood covered his hands, did he too bear a deep wound to his heart?
No, Itachi denied.
In the end, he wouldn’t know what Kisame was thinking. Kisame was walking forward, growing, in his own way. If Itachi said he understood it, it would be called insolence.
56
Besides, in any case, Itachi and Kisame were different.
Forcing his way through the shadows, for Konoha, for his clan, to be their cornerstone, Itachi moved towards his own death, yet Kisame wanted and needed someone to affirm his existence as a man called Hoshigaki Kisame, and while he carried the burden of killing his comrades in the shadows, he looked like one who would keep waiting and wishing to be touched by the light. *
However, even he must bitterly understand that such a thing was impossible in this world. In that case, where is he advancing to? Is he chasing down another world, trying to step foot in in another domain? Is Akatsuki such a place?
In the end, it was nothing more than a fantasy. He wouldn’t know until the moment he greets death.
For now, finding those brothers was Itachi’s mission within Akatsuki.
Akatsuki didn’t give out deep information until they obtained a certain trust and reliability of their members.
In order to prevent Akatsuki from handling Konoha, Itachi had to be the sole, easy frame for the Akatsuki. *
‘Brothers,’ the world has a sorrowful ring for Itachi.
“.....wait.”
57
Exploring his surroundings with the Sharingan, Itachi moved forward, but something stopped his field of vision.
“Did you find those brothers?”
“No, it’s different.”
Itachi tracked it, masking his presence so avoid stimulating it. Kisame copied him, and as he followed carefully afterwards he noticed it too.
“Bees, is it?”
Yes, there’s a single bee flying before Itachi. A poisonous bee. Not only that.
“There’s something white on their feet, isn’t there?”
On the bee’s feet was a thin paper bill.
“When searching for the hive of poisonous bees, you lure them in the the stench of dead flesh, and butcher the poison bees once they’ve grabbed onto the meat.”
It was an old fashioned method.
“And then you track them as they’re forced to return to the nest? But for what purpose?”
“In order to exterminate the poisonous bees that sting people, as well as to eat the poison bee and their larvae.”
58
“Come to think of it, a bee’s young are high in protein, aren’t they?”
Securing food during a mission was an important mission for shinobi. They prepared emergency provisions, but there were cases where the local procurement was not enough. In those cases, insects were also used as food. If the shinobi possessed the knowledge of eating insects, that is.
“Although it’d be nicer to have crab or shrimp, don’t you think?”
“Taste is secondary.” *
“Don’t you really like kombu rice balls?”
“Now I may like that sort of thing” *
The poisonous bees steadily advance.
The activity of the bees should have been about one old league (3.9km) around the nest. But they were already moving three leagues away. *
This inconsistency made Itachi remember one thing. The thing that had been sinking into the mud when Kisame was attacked last night.
It was those same poisonous bees.
Itachi took out a kunai and moved forward without affecting the bees. Then, focusing both eyes, his cut the piece of paper from the closest bee.
Although the bee swung around as if surprised by the weight’s disappearance, it flew off straight ahead again.
Itachi detached the paper and spread it carefully.
“It looks unmarked, but this is….”
At first glance it looked normal paper, but they sensed a small amount of chakra.
“Itachi-san, may I borrow that for a moment?”
When it was delivered to Kisame, he held it securely in his thumb and poured chakra into it.
“!”
Thereupon, letters came up on the paper.
“....long ago, I was an ‘escort’ for the Cypher Division….I saw a kunoichi there handling special papers like this.” *
The floating letters formed words, and spun into sentences.
There was written ----- My thoughts for my family
60
How long have we left the village for your sake?
Maybe this will be the last letter.
Keep your bodies healthy and sound.
Even though we’re far away, we’re watching over you
*
“.....it seems to be addressed to their family.”
As Kisame said what it was, Itachi stared in the direction that the bee disappeared.
“In Konoha, there’s a family of bug users called the Aburame Clan.” *
“The Aburame Clan….I’ve heard of them. The ones who lend their bodies to bugs at birth, and are then able to freely control them by continuing to feed them their chakra?”
“Uh huh,” Itachi nodded.
“They're different from the bugs that the Aburame clan uses, but that poisoned bee also listened to its master's orders, and seemed to be flying to pass the letter to their family. And then there's there's the bees I saw dying in the muddy water last night.”
“Bees?”
Bees were mainly active during the day. At night, they returned to their hive to rest. Therefore, Itachi found it suspicious.
“Perhaps the brothers are manipulating poisonous bees like the Aburame do.”
At Itachi’s guess, Kisame stroked his chin with his hand.
“That reminds me, the symptoms of the poison resembled a bee sting. Then the ‘First One’…”
“When humans are strung by a bee, their allergy to the poison causes a fever. People who receive a lot of antibodies may develop serious symptoms when stung again by the bees.”
“First One” could have been an attack that left the antibody in their opponents’ bodies.
Then, Kiiro had shouted “Second One, the Last one” -----
“If you’re stung again by those brothers’ poisonous bees, it's possible you could die.”
At Itachi’s words, Kisame gasped, then snorted with laughter.
“Then it’ll be okay if I stop their attacks? Afterall, living next to death is our everyday life, isn’t it?”
He’d thought he’d say that. Such was the shinobi way. Itachi gave a small laugh and moved his eyes from the direction the bee had left, and this time to the direction from where it had flown. Those brothers should be there.
62
Itachi grasped the letter that the brothers addressed to their family.
“Let’s go.”
“Awww.”
----He shouldn’t have written such a letter, he should have taken his little brother and escaped quickly.
PART 3
The stars shone by the time they found the poisonous bees.
Itachi found an enormous tree in the forest, and it was confirmed by the appearance of the poisonous trees flying around it. When it came into his sight, Kisame grinned.
“.....Kiiro! It’s them!”
However, the poisonous bees that had been flying around were lookouts on watch, and Kodaka, sitting on their roots, was alerted.
“Seems like the Raiton-using older brother is the bee user, doesn’t it?”
Kiiro jumped out of the tree and tried to make hand seals in panic.
“Ooops, sorry, but I don’t think so.”
Kisame aimed for Kiiro’s sealing hands with Samehada.
“Bzzzz”
Although it barely got him, blood was shaved from his hands as his chakra was stolen.
“That might be for the thorough beating you gave me yesterday “
“Kiiro!”
"Go ahead! Prepare quickly! …...Suiton: Water Bullet Jutsu!”
Kiiro, who had flown backwards, remade his seals, and spit water towards the heavens.
It rained like yesterday, but the amount was overwhelming less than the water yesterday.
“Son of a bitch, there’s barely any water, but it can’t be helped….Kodakaa, let’s go! Second Last One!”
“R-right….”
The two made seals the same way as last night, that collaboration jutsu.
“Come on, Kisame.”
“I won't be swallowed up by the same jutsu twice. First off....shall we have a suiton match?”
Kisame made hand seals to counter Kiiro.
64
On the other hand, Itachi saw Kodaka was going to activate his Raiton. A large amount of light surrounded Kodaka.
Itachi stared into the light and charged a lot of power into his eyes.
-----that is……
Thereupon, in the light some shadows could be seen. As he looked further, he grasped that it was the poisonous bees.
Furthermore, he could sense more of them wriggling within Kodaka’s coat. Not only in his coat, but in his body.
“Let's go, Suiton: Angry Bitter Rain-"
While looking at Kodaka, Kiiro chanted his jutsu and tried to cover Kisame with the black, discoloured water.
“Suiton: Water Shark Bullet Jutsu!”
Then, Kisame’s Water Shark Bomb in the form of a shark devoured the Angry Bitter Rain.
“My Angry Bitter Rain….!”
The shark that had swallowed the Angry Bitter Rain changed to the black, discoloured water, and turned to Kiiro.
“Gyah-!”
Kiiro was directly eaten upright and blown from the tree while making signs.*
“Ki-Kiiro……! Shit, Raiton: Electric Shock Needles!”
Despite having his brother on his mind, there was a momentary gap between Kisame releasing his jutsu, and Kodaka’s uses that jutsu’s problem.
The glowing grains of light leapt towards Kisame, becoming thin needles at once.
This time it was Itachi who performed hand seals, bringing chakra from his belly to his cheeks.
“Suiton: Starch Syrup Capturing Field!” *
He kneaded a large amount of chakra into water and let it stick like starch syrup, as the name suggested, to Kodaka’s Raiton.
Kodaka’s lightning stroke, which had poor capacity to kill, ran out of chakra before passing through Itachi’s Starch Syrup Capturing Field.
Itachi’s Suiton fell to the ground with its stickiness maintained. The poison bees captured amongst it were unable to move.
“My….my bees….”
As the jutsu broke, Kodaka’s face was pale.
“Your younger brother’s Angry Bitter Rain is a trap to take away vision. Your Raiton, so to speak, is an attack with poisonous bees, wearing your chakra and moving at the same speed as your Raiton. This causes your opponent to have an allergic reaction to the bee’s poisonous antibodies. First of all, this is the First One.
66
Itachi explained the mystery of the bees captured in his Suiton.
“But your opponent thinks the cause of the poisoning is the Angry Bitter Rain. Even if you assume it’s not the Angry Bitter Rain, the next thing to doubt is the Raiton jutsu. As a result, they’re not aware of the existence of the poisonous bees, and are pierced by the Second One, causing shock symptoms and dead...am I wrong?” *
The poisonous bees twitched, gradually losing their power. With his jutsu discovered, Kodaka strengthened his expression.
“Speaking of which Itachi-san, I thought you used Katon, but wasn’t that Suiton?”
“There was a person in Konoha who used this technique, which is essentially sprinkling the ground and stopping the enemy, but is perfect for capturing insects.”
Using insightfulness to calmly analyse information. That was another of Itachi’s strengths.
Itachi’s eyes also saw through Kodaka’s jutsu from their original scene.
It wasn’t a jutsu used for fighting.
“I’m scared, that, this good for nothing….!”
Then Kiiro, who was blown away Kisame’s attack, appeared. Although his internal organs were shocked and he bled from his mouth, he hadn’t given up on the fight.
“If we defeat these guys, our names will echo through time as shinobi! Kodaka, get serious, hit them with the Second One!”
“Kiiro! It’s impossible. We can’t be enemies with such people. In general, this technique ---”
Itachi took over Kodaka’s words.
“When in danger, it’s a jutsu for escaping, don’t you agree?”
At Itachi’s words, Kodaka firmly closed his eyes.
“Yes we caaan, you bastard! There are no options to get away and escape! Kill them with full power!”
At his younger brothers urging voice, had Kodaka decided on his resolution, had he given up again? He flung off his heavy coat.
On the surface of Kodaka’s body, a violent gang of poison appeared, scrabbling. The poison bees who felt the strangeness left Kodaka and leapt away fiercely.
“Your words are right. We were a clan who originally made a living as beekeepers. The clan travelled, seeking flowers for honey and travelling with the season, but the dangers of travel were always there. To protect the clan, our Bee Department handed down a secret jutsu. It seems other clans use bees, but the secret of our Bee Department is our own secret jutsu created for self defense. “ *
They protected their lives by following poisonous bees.
“Hmpf….there’s a story we were descended from the bug-using Aburame Clan, but the secret of the Bee Department is a single brotherhood. The poisonous bees are transmitted only through the eldest child, and the second child uses ninjutsu to protect the firstborn.”
Kiiro looks at the poisonous bees as he spoke so daringly.
“But if that’s the case, why aren’t you beside your clan? If it’s inherited secretly, a substitute won’t work. “ *
Kiiro gave Kisame a bewildered look and shook his fist.
“Own clan harvested honey while taking risks, and it was high quality enough to be used in medicine too! But our clan was afraid of danger, stopped traveling, made a village and tried to settle down….” *
“And the clan also threw away beekeeping.” *
When he heard that, Itachi immediately sympathised. Those who’d sought and what they feared.
“The clan forgot the dangers and came to be afraid of the power of the Bee Department! Yet for generation after generation, the Bee Department kept on protecting the clan!
69
Strong powers were abhorred. Even with Itachi, even with Kisame, it wasn’t a long story.
“After our parents died, I got stronger contacts called poison bees, and Kiiro bore learning ninjutsu. It won’t get you a job, even in the village. And we have brothers below us. We have to feed our brothers….”
The letter they found earlier was probably what Kodaka had addressed to his brothers.
“At that time, Kirigakure shinobi who heard of our secret jutsu came as scouts. We left the village, and started doing a variety of duties.”
“The world of shinobi has no justice….! If you have power you’re recognised, and you can do anything with that power! There’s a big difference from the village’s trash.”
At Kiiro’s words, Kodaka’s expression clouded over. Kiiro didn’t notice Kodaka.
“This pointless story is over, Kodaka, don’t forget - !”
Were Kodaka’s intentions there? Sorrow drifted across his face, and he stretched both hands.
“....let’s go!”
70
“Suiton: Starch Syrup Capturing Field!"
As before, he uses Starch Syrup Capturing Field, but the number of poisonous bees are wrong. The bees slipped past and aimed at Itachi and Kisame.
“Kisame, use your water prison jutsu for a moment!”
“I don’t being in defense, but I guess there’s no other waaay...Water Prison Jutsu!”
Originally, the Water Prison was a jutsu to keep enemies in the water. But Kisame puts it on himself. *
“Damn it….”
Poisonous bees fainted on their way through the water, unable to swim.
With Kisame’s body wrapped in the Water Prison, he hadn’t received any bee attacks at all.
While glancing to the side, Itachi leapt away.
His hand seals were that of Katon.
Although it would have been preferable to use it on Kodaka, the original operator, Itachi caught Kiiro, who bellowed at Kodaka to “Do something!”
These brotherly things, he understood painfully.
“Katon: Great Fireball Jutsu!”
The Uchiha Clan’s speciality, the Great Fireball Jutsu. A scorching flame headed towards Kiiro.
71
Seeing that he was the one being targetted, Kiiro stared at the flame in dumbfounded defeat.
“.......! Kiiro!”
Kodaka leapt faster than the flame could bake Kiiro. His hand stretched out and thrust Kiiro’s body away.
" - GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!"
The flames burnt brightly. Kodaka’s body burned.
“Ko-Kodaka….”
Kiiro couldn’t sit on the ground and do nothing.
As the flames threw up over everything and burnt the trees around them, Kodaka appeared.
His skin had broken down, and his body gave off the awful speed of burnt meat. Still, he stood on two legs.
“Did the poison bees protect him?”
There was nothing left of their burnt forms, but it seemed that the poisonous bees near Kodaka had tried to protect him.
Kodaka attracted the remaining bees to surrender their last power.
Protected by Kisame’s water prison, his hand couldn’t reach them.
And he hadn’t even hit Itachi with the First One yet.
72
Although neither victory nor defeat had occurred, a strong will stayed in Kodaka’s eyes.
This would be his final defeat. So Itachi wouldn’t miss any of his moves, he opened his eyes.
“.....attack….!”
Moving with the screams, the poison bees flew to the sky at Kodaka’s will? Itachi or Kisame? The answer was neither.
“Huh, wha, hey, hey-!”
The bees headed for his younger brother, Kiiro. Then, they all stabbed him at once.
Although Kiiro cried out at the sharp pain, the poisonous bees ruthlessly pursued him and stabbed him many times.
“What does he mean to do?”
Kisame watched the unexpected developments wide eyed in amazement. Kodaka sat on the spot and gave an ugly laugh as he watched his brother suffer.
“Why, we can’t win against them…..therefore, I can fulfill my wish.”
His wish? Kodaka nodded at Itachi’s question, and approached Kiiro’s side, which had been hit by so many bees he couldn’t move.
73
“I really didn’t want to be a shinobi….I didn't want to kill people…..even if it’s overflowing with discrimination and prejudice, even if you’re poor, if you continue to carry on with beekeeping, everyone in your family can do it….so….Kiiro…!”
As he approached Kiiro, Kodaka took out a kunai.
“Kiiro….! Kiiro, you took away everything from me….! You hated me Kiiro, but I hated you more Kiiro - ! We can’t run anymore, but if you’ll die here, it’ll be by hands - ”
Kodaka’s hands holding the kunai greatly shook.
“The fate of the cursed poisonous bees, I’ll end the bee department….” *
Kodaka stabbed the kunai into Kiiro’s bee covered body.
“Ko-Kodaka….nisan….”
“It’s all right….I’ll die with you as well….”
And Kiiro used the kunai he’d stabbed Kiiro with to stab his own heart.
“Even so, I - you and….and our other brothers too….love you….”
His body collapsed over Kiiro, and the poisonous bees crawled over their skin.
74
“Things sure get of hand when loving affection turns to hatred in brotherhood, don’t they?” *
Kisame muttered as he stopped the water prison. The words were directed to the brothers of the Bee Department, but for some reason they stabbed in Itachi as well.
Had there been any other way?
It was so easy for people to say that. But when pursued, a person’s choices became extremely small.
“....if we stay here any more, we could get stung - the bees are agitated. Let’s go.”
“Aww.”
He quietly turned his back and put the two figures who’d stopped moving out of his mind’s eye.
It was his own little brother, Sasuke, that crossed his mind.
Was that the place Itachi truly imagined for him at the end of his hatred?
However, he denied the thought.
Sasuke was a gentle child. Amazingly innocent, too soon dyed in the colour of a heavy weight of a human being.
It made the heart weak and extinguished the mind.
So black, black and dark, the bewildering darkness of hatred.
In this world where battle continued, the Uchiha’s blood, so easily exposed to despair, had to use their strength to win in order for the pupil to survive.
75
------Sasuke.
He was prepared to die and give him everything. Waiting for him to overcome him.
If there was one thing he regretted.
Like Kodaka, to die without telling his true feelings.
----You too….and my other brothers too….love you.
He didn’t know if Kiiro heard him, but he was confident that he did in this world.
For Itachi, who held everything in his heart, he envied him.
In his final moments, what would he talk about? Then again, he wouldn't know until the second of his death.
FIN
EPILOGUE SUMMARY AND CLOSING WORDS
As Sasuke rests with Komitsu and Omitsu, Kiiro returns after what seems like almost a decade - Kodaka does not. * Sasuke muses how Akatsuki started as something good and turned into something evil, but that their names will never die.
And is ends like this:
“The Akatsuki too had family.
The Akatsuki too loved.
They too were shinobi, they too were human.”