8 The Path Of Sins

With Adele tagging along the trip took a lot longer to complete. They still made it back within a day since they were rushing, but Adele was completely spent when they arrived. She had burned through her energy supply by the time the huge mansion came into view.

"Rest out of sight, I will return after I am done." Itachi left her among the trees flanking the mansion.

"Be careful, my father will have had traps set for you."

"He expects me to walk through the front door, I doubt he took into consideration that I would spare you. But I won't underestimate him again. I'll make sure to be extra careful."

Their eyes met and whatever doubt Adele felt melted away. His eyes brimmed with confidence, as one would when victory was guaranteed.

The mansion was huge and you could easily get lost in its nigh-infinite number of hallways. But Itachi had had the entire layout of the mansion and the surrounding land explained to him by Adele.

He jumped to a balcony on the second floor and entered the room connected, undetected by the maid cleaning it. Sneaking past her wasn't hard. In a world built on hotheads and loud-mouths, sneaking around was too easy for a genuine shinobi.

Running through the house, he avoided the butlers and maids easily. Locating Williams office was also easy. If this took place in the Elemental Nations he would debate leaving. This infiltration was entirely too easy, even for someone as skilled and experienced as him.

William managed to fool him, so he had a distinguished intellect, but did that mean he was an opponent Itachi would take seriously? No. He was sure William and Rita were master manipulators, but battling a shinobi was an entirely different ballgame.

Politicians and shinobi are two entirely different entities. One is the shot-caller. The other; the trigger. And one of them is infinitely superior in the hands-on approach.

Itachi arrived quickly at the doors to Williams office.

"You must not let that worry you, daughter." He heard William's voice through the grand double doors. He was crouching in the shadows of the corridor listening to the conversation going on inside.

"I know. But since yesterday I have had an ever-growing bad feeling. I cannot shake it." He listened to the "real" voice of Rita Serpentsgrip. Sounding like a younger Adele but with a perverse feeling.

"Then take a trip to the playroom. I'm sure you are just stressed. That place always seems to calm you down." William's voice came out roughly, signs of tiredness.

"Yes yes, it does normally. I was there earlier. But father I am so unfocused so before I knew it the toy had expired. I didn't even notice it. And I didn't get to enjoy its passing."

"I agree that it sounds worrying, but there is nothing to be concerned about. It's an irrational fear. Even mages like Jura or Gildarts would die to a well-placed trap. As will he when he returns."

"If you say so, father." The sound of movement came from inside and Itachi prepared to proceed. Rita's voice rang out again, now much closer to the door.

"I will excuse myself. I should get some sleep, the hours in the playroom took much out of me." Her voice became clear as the door opened and a maid led the way outside, Rita following close behind.

"Go first and draw me a bath." Rita gave her maid a rough shove. "I have something to finish up. If the bath is perfect when I return, you get a one-way trip to the playroom - with no return." The maid bowed and smiled despite trembling. She was trying to keep her fear from showing.

The maid walked away while Rita came closer to where Itachi was crouching silently in the shadows. And he let her go, for now.

As she passed him his eyes moved to William's office doors. His first target.

"Have the toys I bought today brought to my bedroom immediately. I will be there shortly. I want them prepped as usual." Williams's voice sounded out from inside. Soon after, another maid came walking out. Before the doors closed, Itachi soundlessly entered. Like a ghost, invisible to the eyes.

"That daughter of mine will be the death of me. Thirteen toys in four days. Does she not realise our money don't grow on trees." William leaned back and released a sigh. He knew Rita was frustrated over how that mage treated her and Adele's presence as a threat to her future position.

In his peripherals, he saw a slight disturbance in the corner shadows. He knew everything about this room, every secret, open and hidden ones. That's why an infinite number of alarms went off in his head. Before his hand could move towards a lacrima sitting on his desk, a hand gripped his throat.

Something else restrained his hands to the desk. Two unbelievably sharp metal tools pierced through his hands, digging into the desk beneath.

He was in too much of a shock to even register the pain and scream out.

"You never should have backstabbed me." Looking up, William caught the sight of two blazing red eyes.

"Death catches up to our sins eventually, William. Now yours have to." Itachi mumbled quietly.

William's eyes dulled and his gaze became empty of anything. The Sharingan's, an eternal red light in the darkened room. No one would ever know what William endured before Itachi left that particular room.

A few minutes and a newly painted blood-red desk later, Itachi walked out of the office. A bloody kunai in his grip, his gaze as cold as Hel. Two bright red swirls set their sights on yet another target.

One down, one to go. His visage faded away into the shadows of the corridor.

Inside Rita's room, there was another additional room of equal size. The bathroom, of such immense size, overshadowed even most successful mages apartments. The Serpentsgrip was a minor noble family but they were an old family. Their land had been expanded on for years and years, earning what they possessed today.

Inside the bathroom, Rita laid quietly, taking pleasure in the wonders of warm water and expensive soap. No idea of the looming shadow standing beside the bathtub. Two blazing Sharingans' dissecting her entire being through a single glance.

A bloody kunai slowly dripping blood, one drop at a time on the perfect marble floor.

"Rita Serpentsgrip. Your decisions have brought you to this moment."

"Who's the-" Before panic could set in. Before confusion and questions could be uttered, the kunai came down with vicious and deadly accuracy and made a single cut on her delicate throat.

"Your life is forfeit," Itachi said stoically as he walked out, passed the knocked out maid. In a new world, he still ended up serving the same purpose he did in his last.

"Sorry, Sasuke. It appears I have not changed. Blood still stains these hands despite escaping the shadow of the Leaf and entering a new world."

Would he ever escape this circle of deeds? Was he naive to believe that he with so much blood on his hands could walk away? Would this life always haunt him?

Questions which Itachi didn't carry answers for. Nor would he for a while longer. But eventually... the truth always finds a way to the surface.