3 A Promise

Itachi saw Bete's figure vanished as he charged for him. Itachi leaned back slightly, barely dodging a kick aimed at his face, activating three tomoe in reflex.

He was fast, faster than any shinobi Itachi had faced so far.

Faster than Itachi? Maybe, but it was impossible for Bete to land a hit on his body unless he had some lethal mean at his disposal, Itachi thought silently as he dodged another kick to the face while launching his own legs in return, kicking Bete in the chest.

Bete sailed into the air and landed on the his feet, showing no sign of injury. It show how high the endurance of level 5 adventurer was. Itachi was aware he was not strength type fighter. Without lethal Jutsu, Itachi doubt he could beat Bete peacefully. Not to mention the crowd around him started to get more packed with more people. Not only his Jutsu might be lethal against Bete, it also could hurt the civilians watching on the side.

"Woah! Did you see that? That young man beat up Bete so easily!"

"I can't believe it... is he level six or something?"

Even though he was not injured in the slightest, Bete pride was taken hit by the boot print on his clothes. Not to mention the words spoken by the bystanders was akin to dagger piercing his heart.

Smack~

"Ow! Aiz that's hurt."

Itachi glanced at the familiar sound and saw Loki beside Aiz, hand leaving the blond's butt. Loki clearly failed again in her attemp to molest the blond supple butt.

"This bastard..." Bete gritted his teeth as he saw Itachi didn't paid him any attention. The young uchiha attention was clearly not on their fight.

Bete's face and ears was completely red at the moment. He felt very humiliated by Itachi disregard and the crowd's hurtful words.

Accompanied by his rage, Bete rushed to Itachi with all he got, forgotting that it was just a spar. The ground cracked and dust blazing around the crowd.

Ignoring the collective cough around him, Bete arrived right in front of itachi and slashed his hand at him. Speed faster than before.

"No good! Bete trying to go all out. Riveria, we should stop him before it's too late." said Tiona, rather worried. Riveria on the other hand couldn't say anything in return. She also worried that Bete might accidentally hurt Itachi or the other way around. But she also want to see something behind Itachi's self confidence. Something about Itachi feels dfferent to her. It's as though he was not the same as the other adventurer.

Loki on the other hand appeared to be unconcerned and said lazily. "Ma, no need to fret Tiona. You should worry about Bete instead. That brat Itachi is hiding a lot of things and it doesn't looked like he used all of his power."

"As I thought, Itachi is holding back. Against Bete of all people." Fynn was startled as he heard what Loki words. "But at least he should be level six, right? His extraordinary skills and experience aside, his physical strength is weaker than Bete who is level 5."

"He might not be a fighter, but someone who specialized in magic." said Riveria, earning her a look from the two.

Loki shake her head and mumbled. "...I don't know, something about him seems off... and that crimson eyes..."

"Do you know something about his eyes?" Riveria asked Loki in a hurry. It has been bugging her since earlier.

"I don't know its origin but there's one thing for sure. Its not something that belong to this world." Loki narrowed her eyes at Itachi.

Riveria opened her eyes wide in surprise, not expecting her answer. 'Even Loki feels the same thing as I do... but who would have thought it was something like that. But what that leave Itachi? Is that means Itachi might be someone from another world?' Riveria looked at Itachi thoughtfully.

Smack~ Bang~ Smack~

The two exchanged blows repeatedly, though Bete was the one who keep getting short end of the stick. As for Itachi, his anbu clothes was still clean and intact without any stains or footprints whatsoever, unlike Bete.

To the civilians and low class adventurers, the exchange between Itachi and Bete was like a blur in their eyes. No, that's not right. Bete's movement was blur in their eyes, but not Itachi. They were able to see his movement with a some efforts and yet... the slow Itachi was managed to avoid the blurs that is Bete's attacks. Not once, twice, but everytime. And it only takes a minimum efforts and small movement on his part.

"It's as though I was looking at rookie fighting against high level adventurer..." Fynn whispered slowly.

Itachi leaned sideway and they managed to witness another blur past his face. Under the crowd amazed eyes, Itachi raised his leg and kicked at the empty air only to hear a mufled sounds of sandbag followed by a blurred figure for a moment before it vanished. It repeated again and again.

"I don't know what's going on, but somehow I feels bad for Bete..."

"Eh, you too?"

"You two are not alone, I also feels the same."

The crowd whispered with each other, shaking their heads lightly at the scene. pity in their eyes can't be hidden when they heard the sounds coming from the blurs.

Itachi avoided another vicious attack by deflecting Bete's fist and kicked him in the chin, then jumped, following rigtht behind Bete. Before Itachi could react, the knocked Bete suddenly smirked. He ignored itachi's attacks completely and grapped his hand with a grin. Bete pulled Itachi tighter against his body in a choke. Bringing them both down with accelerated speed.

"Take this! You small fry!" Bete roared as he slammed Itachi face down into the ground, earning alarmed sounds of the nearby adventurers nearby. They didn't expect the sand bag to launch a counterattack. But contrary to their expectation, Itachi didn't bloom into a red flowers, but instead into a pack of crows.

Caw~ Caw~~

The black birds cry out as they flapped their wings. Feathers darker than midnight adorned their frame as it fluttered in the air. Bete was startled and opened his eyes wide in confusion. The situation was out of his expectation. Never in his life he saw something like this. A skill?!

Bete was caught up in the moment. Not realizing that the real Itachi was right behind him.

Itachi unclipped the sword from his back. Without drawing the blade from the sheath, he bring it down like a sword of damocles right to the neck.

Bam~

Bete's pupils dilated as the impact reached his body and went into his brain, shutting down his every nerve of his body and finally rendering him unconscious. Fynn and the other from Loki familia looked this scene with slightly grim face.

To render a level 5 adventurer unconscious so easily is not a laughing matters. Not to mention the person himself, even though he win the spar, there's no surprise on his face, it's as though everything was according to his plan.

The grim expression on Loki familia slightly loosened when they saw Itachi bend down and picked up Bete in his arms.

They then looked at Itachi, dumbfounded when he stopped in front of them with 'what's wrong?' expression on his face. He said, "Let me help you guys carry Bete to his room.

""...""

"Is there a problem?"

"Uh, no. It's fine, right guys?" Tiona come back to her sense and asked her familia.

"...Why not?"

"Yeah, no problem..." The twin nodded heavily.

Itachi and Loki familia walked together leaving the crowd behind, they were discussing the whole fight excitedly among each other. After all it's not everyday you would find a nobody challenge a Loki familia and come out victorious. Not to mention Itachi managed to dominate whole fight the entire time.

Meanwhile, the other members of Loki familia was not so excited as the crowd as they keep hearing Tiona's loud whispers of envy as she looked at Bete in Itachi's shoulder. "Ahh, that's looked nice... I also want Itachi to render me unconcious and embrace me in his arms. Ah, but I prefer princess carry, the romantic one."

""...""

"Itachi, let's fight." They also got headeach as the princess knight, Aiz started following Tiona footsteps, asking for a spar with Itachi the whole time. Apparently watching the fight made her blood pumping and the urge to test herself against someone way stronger than her.

Itachi was more or less the same as her based on his appearance but he was clearly stronger than Bete and her when Aiz thought back to the fight earlier.

She had to find the reason why. What made Itachi stronger than her. Just maybe... maybe by sparring with Itachi, she could gains something and become stronger, Aiz thought hopefully. Not realizing Loki looked at her worriedly. On the way, Kenki never take her sight away from Itachi. Her golden eyes shine beautifully more than ever.

Before Itachi leave the Loki residential, he stopped in front of Aiz. What she said earlier to him keep repeated in his ears. It remind him of his brother sasuke that keep bugging him, asking for Itachi to train him nonstop, desire to surpass his brother burning brightly in his eyes. And now he saw the same thing in the woman's golden eyes. Itachi can't help but flicked her forehead, earning a surprised yelp from the blond.

Itachi gave Aiz a soft smile and said. "The next time we meet, I'll spar with you."

Aiz lowered her hands from her forehead and unconciously, a smile formed on her face. "En, I am looking forward to it."

The rest of Loki familia looked at this scene with dumbfounded look on their face, especially Loki who took it the hardest. The sword princess never smile. Or so that what they believed because they never saw her smile in their whole life. But who would have thought... They all sighed with admiration toward Itachi with the exception of one person.

"Noo!! Someone snatched my Aiz!!" Loki's wail echoed throughout the whole mansion.