{"id":1043,"date":"2014-02-27T13:31:43","date_gmt":"2014-02-27T18:31:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/swirlingpetals.com\/?p=1043"},"modified":"2014-06-02T09:30:59","modified_gmt":"2014-06-02T13:30:59","slug":"chapter-37-preview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swirlingpetals.com\/?p=1043","title":{"rendered":"Chapter 37 – Preview"},"content":{"rendered":"

Author’s note: preview of Chapter 37 as it stands now. Please forgive any typos.<\/em><\/p>\n

Itachi pinched the bridge of his nose and stifled a sigh.<\/p>\n

But Katsuro didn\u2019t relent. He sat across the table looking straight past Itachi\u2019s dango stick and into his black eyes. He wanted an answer. It had been the only bright spot on the horizon for a week now.<\/p>\n

Clomping through the backwaters of Rain then pushing through windy wastelands of the territories surrounding it, Katsuro thought of all the things he wanted to ask Itachi. And finally meeting up with him at a dusty roadside dango stand, he wasted no time getting to the point.<\/p>\n

But Itachi wasn\u2019t as forthcoming as he\u2019d hoped.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell then, what exactly<\/i> did he mean?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018\u201cHe meant exactly<\/i> what he\u2019d said,\u201d Itachi said blandly. \u201cAt 21 the kyuubi\u2019s chakra will fuse with your own. You will no longer need to house it in the cell, and you will have complete access to its chakra. That\u2019s what he meant by \u2018ultimate weapon.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy 21?\u201d<\/p>\n

Itachi shrugged, looking uninterested. \u201cWhy not? I didn\u2019t decide it, that\u2019s just the way it works.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo there have been others\u2014\u201c<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course there have been others who\u2019ve house the kyuubi before you,\u201d Itachi said as if he were scolding a child. \u201cYou know this.\u201d<\/p>\n

Katsuro ground his teeth. It was true, he did know that there had been other containers before him. But he never really thought of it before. Someone else had held this terrifying power inside them\u2026. What happened to them?<\/i><\/p>\n

Katsuro\u2019s eyes darted over the rough-hewn table, thinking. \u201cPain said if I joined Akatsuki I could learn how to better control it. But what else is there to learn? I\u2019m doing fine on my own\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

Itachi nearly rolled his eyes. \u201cSome things must be experienced, not explained\u2014\u201c<\/p>\n

But the days of waiting and wondering and worrying caught up with Katsuro. He wanted answers.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s worth me joining that group<\/i> that I can\u2019t figure out on my own,\u201d Katsuro said savagely, leaning over the table. \u201cWhat does Pain know that you don\u2019t!?\u201d<\/p>\n

Itachi slammed his hand suddenly on the table, making the dango sticks jump in the tray. Katsuro knew he\u2019d finally struck a nerve.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is nothing<\/i> that Pain knows that I<\/i> don\u2019t. You wouldn\u2019t be here otherwise,\u201d Itachi growled. \u201cIf it weren\u2019t for me<\/i>, you would be rotting in a Konoha jail cell.\u201d<\/p>\n

Itachi\u2019s flare of emotion passed as quickly as it came. He took a breath, his voice evened out and he resumed his calculated mask.<\/p>\n

\u201cPain and I want the same for you, but we have\u2026different ideas about your path. Which is to be expected. He is from Rain, I am from Konoha. Even within an organization like Akatsuki, we are bound to retain our differences.<\/p>\n

\u201cHowever,\u201d Itachi said, speaking more to himself than to Katsuro, \u201cthe Rain is doomed to fall.\u201d His hand hovered over the tray, picking out another spear of dumplings.<\/p>\n

Katsuro frowned, utterly confused. \u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d<\/p>\n

Itachi looked up, almost pitying. \u201cSometimes I forget that you weren\u2019t brought up in Konoha.\u201d He swirled the dango in the sticky syrup.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is a reason why the Rain is no longer a country. Why they lost it all. And Konoha had a significant hand in that.\u201d Katsuro thought Itachi sounded almost proud as he said it. \u201cYou are from Konoha, as am I. As is the kyuubi<\/i>.\u201d Itachi flicked his eyes to Katsuro\u2019s gut then took a bite out of the dango. Katsuro instantly clamped his hand over his stomach, feeling self-conscious.<\/p>\n

Itachi smirked as he chewed. \u201cWhen I was a boy in academy, there was a saying we often used during spars, \u2018The Rain is doomed to fall.\u2019\u201d His smile turned cruel. \u201cIt means that, like the Rain country in our history books, you were going to loose. It\u2019s inevitable.\u201d<\/p>\n

Itachi took another bite, locking eyes with Katsuro.<\/p>\n

\u201cPain\u2019s methods are born of the Rain. No matter what the outcome, they will always fall behind Konoha.\u201d<\/p>\n

Katsuro pressed his lips together, immediately thinking of the old captain and how many years he had struggled to see his country rise from the black waters. Even Pain had spoken passionately about Rain\u2019s resurgence, though reclaimed metal and stolen goods were the only thing that kept the place afloat now. But this is what the other countries really saw them as \u2014 a joke. The butt-end of a children\u2019s rhyme.<\/p>\n

The sense of purpose Katsuro felt the last few days inexplicably left him. He didn\u2019t think it was possible to feel worse, but the thought of the Captain\u2019s hopes, the hard-scrabble life of the Rain citizens, even the elaborate levels of protection, now made more sense. They had lost everything, just like Pain had said.<\/p>\n

Katsuro liked Konoha even less now. He didn\u2019t care how powerful Itachi made it out to be.<\/p>\n

\u201cPain and I are at odds over your path. I think he took a calculated risk in telling you anything about the bijuu. I would not have done it, simply to protect you. In case you were caught or interrogated, ignorance offers a great deal of protection. But,\u201d Itachi shrugged. \u201cI suppose it\u2019s his way of persuading you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Katsuro sighed, his determination replaced with hopelessness. \u201cI still see no reason to join Akatsuki,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Itachi dropped the empty spear on the tray and shrugged as if it was already decided. \u201cThere are things that, as the host, you must learn by experience. Like a jutsu. It can\u2019t simply be taught. You must establish a bond, and Akatsuki is the correct step for you at this point in your development\u2014\u201c<\/p>\n

\u201cMy<\/i> development? Or the demon\u2019s<\/i>,\u201d Katsuro said suddenly, feeling like a pawn.<\/p>\n

Itachi looked at him coldly. \u201cThey are both the same. Your and the demon are intertwined. Inseparable.\u201d<\/p>\n

The words felt like a noose around his neck, tightening\u2026confirming something he didn\u2019t want to accept. Katsuro pushed down the urge to fight against it.<\/p>\n

Itachi didn\u2019t notice. He continued, reciting as if reading from a textbook. \u201cAt at 21, the host and demon chakras fuse completely and the demon vacates its cell. The kyuubi\u2019s chakra harmonizes with its jinchuriki and can be used at no damage to the host.\u201d<\/p>\n

But looking up and seeing the turmoil in Katsuro\u2019s face, Itachi lightened his tone. \u201cThat\u2019s when you become the \u2018ultimate weapon.\u2019 Incomprehensible power, all at your command.\u201d Itachi picked up the last dango stick and tipped his head. \u201cIsn\u2019t that what you\u2019ve always wanted? When I found you back in Konoha, and all you could spout about was how you wanted to be a shinobi? Well, if you play it right and follow the path we\u2019ve laid out for you, you could be the most powerful shinobi in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

Katsuro didn\u2019t respond. He sullenly picked at a splinter on the table.<\/p>\n

Was this really what he wanted? To be the most powerful shinobi in the world? He certainly didn\u2019t feel powerful. Or special.<\/p>\n

Instead this just felt like one more in a long line of blows. Konoha didn\u2019t want him. Sakura didn\u2019t want him. And Itachi\u2026well the answer was right in front of him, wasn\u2019t it? His worth was only what was locked in his gut. But the life that housed it was inconsequential. He was just a vessel.<\/p>\n

Being the most powerful shinobi in the world was just a consolation prize.<\/p>\n

An all-too-familiar emptiness was slowly returning, chilling him to the core. He was unwanted in the world.<\/p>\n

There were more things he wanted to ask, more facts that gnawed at him. And Itachi hadn\u2019t answered all his questions, not really\u2014<\/p>\n

Itachi suddenly looked to the road. \u201cGood, they\u2019re here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Katsuro turned around. No one was there.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am meeting some Akatsuki members,\u201d Itachi said. \u201cYou might want to stick around. If Pain has given you two weeks, they may help you decide.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWho is it,\u201d Katsuro asked, squinting into the distance. Someone must have tripped Itachi\u2019s traps at the edge of town.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeauty and the Beast, as you call them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Katsuro grimaced and stood quickly, ignoring Itachi\u2019s soft chuckle. Hidan and Kakuzu. Where most of the Akatsuki were intimidating, these two were\u2026different<\/i>.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo thanks. I need to be going.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lips curving in a sphinx-like smile, Itachi merely shrugged. Katsuro strode hastily for the corner of the shack, a little surprised that Itachi didn\u2019t try to stop him.<\/p>\n

It was only at the moment that he rounded the corner, freedom nearly in sight, that Katsuro realized Itachi must have known\u2026. He was heading straight for\u2014<\/p>\n

Hidan.\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n

\n\n\t<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Author’s note: preview of Chapter 37 as it stands now. Please forgive any typos. Itachi pinched the bridge of his nose and stifled a sigh. But Katsuro didn\u2019t relent. He sat across the table looking straight past Itachi\u2019s dango stick and into his black eyes. He wanted an answer. It had been the only bright […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1043","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-preview","has-post-title","has-post-date","has-post-category","has-post-tag","has-post-comment","has-post-author"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p5hctF-gP","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/swirlingpetals.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1043","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/swirlingpetals.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/swirlingpetals.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swirlingpetals.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swirlingpetals.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1043"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/swirlingpetals.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1043\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/swirlingpetals.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1043"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swirlingpetals.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1043"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swirlingpetals.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1043"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}