Chapter 149

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Title: Prelude to Jounin Exams.

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Itachi, the enigmatic black ops operative, moved with the precision of a shadow through the dimly lit surveillance room. His keen eyes were fixed on the bank of monitors displaying every move of his target, Shun.

With keen focus, he monitored Shun's every step, his expressions, and the people he interacted with. Itachi's attire blended seamlessly with the darkness of the room, a testament to his mastery of stealth.

Shun, an astute individual with a background of an all rounded genius, was well aware of the constant surveillance. As a close friend of Itachi, he had anticipated this scrutiny and hatched a plan to turn the tables.

He moved cautiously through the crowded city streets, acutely aware of the watchful gaze upon him. His steps were deliberate, leading him into an intricate dance of evasion.

As Shun ventured deeper into the urban labyrinth, his movements began to mirror those of a seasoned operative. He employed diversionary tactics, doubling back on his own path, and slipping into inconspicuous alcoves.

Itachi's unwavering attention was riveted to the monitors, tracking Shun's every maneuver, but even his expertise couldn't predict the unexpected turn of events.

Shun's disappearance from the surveillance grid sent a ripple of alarm through Itachi's composed demeanor. His eyes scanned the screens fervently, searching for any trace of his elusive friend.

The atmosphere in the room grew tense as seconds turned into minutes, each tick of the clock accentuating the mounting uncertainty.

Then, a subtle rustle of movement alerted Itachi's honed senses. In a heartbeat, Shun materialized behind him, his presence an electrifying jolt in the otherwise controlled environment.

Itachi's training and instincts kicked in, and he spun around with lightning speed, but Shun was quicker.

A sly grin played on Shun's lips as he stood inches away from Itachi. His mastery of deception had culminated in this thrilling moment of triumph.

The two geniuses locked eyes – one the hunter turned hunted, the other the pursuer turned ambusher. The room seemed to hold its breath, encapsulating the clash of wits between the two friends.

Itachi's lips curled into a rare smile, acknowledging Shun's audacious victory. The tension that had filled the room now dissolved, replaced by a profound sense of camaraderie.

The dichotomy of their roles had shifted, leaving them both with a deeper respect for each other's skills.

"Seems like you've gotten even better in your deception skills, Shun." Itachi smiled as he pulled his friend into a hug.

"What can I say Itachi, I'm-"

"A genius. I know."

"Haha." Shun laughed as he looked around the room he teleported into. "But you guys have one hell of a surveillance station down here."

"Yeah, and somehow, you still managed to find your way down here. I'll never understand how you do the things you do."

Shun laughed at that and said, "It's for the best. But seriously though... Anbu?"

"What?"

"Don't 'what' me! What the hell made you join the Anbu?" Shun asked his friend as he pushed one of the Shinobis who were in the room out of his chair.

He had placed all of them in a Genjutsu the moment he walked in. To them, they were still watching him through the cameras but, here he was.

"It... was a necessity..." Itachi said, deciding not to lie to his nigh omniscient friend.

"Necessity? Did the clan force you into this?" Shun asked

"Heh." Itachi chuckled. "Figured you'd find out one way or another."

"Of course I will," Shun scoffed. "Human psychology is one of the things I thrive most in." He said in a matter of fact tone. "However, is that all?"

Itachi looked at his friend who had made himself comfortable on a chair and sighed. "No... I figured I'd do more for the village by joining..."

"Hmm, I see. And Izumi?"

"In the police force."

"Of course I know that, I mean, how did she take it?"

"What are you talking about?" Itachi asked with a neutral face but Shun, being who he is, rolled his eyes behind his blindfold and said.

"Don't do that with me right now." Taking off his blindfold, his pristine ruby red eyes made contact with Itachi's and he said. "How did she take it?" He asked again.

"Sigh. Normal, I guess. She was happy for me..." Itachi said and clenched his fist. "She's too good, you know."

"Hmm. How many have you killed so far?"

"What?"

"How many have you killed... Anbu mission and all."

"60 give or take."

"Hmm, that's a lot for a 12 year old." Shun stroked his chin while seemingly being in thought. "As a kid, you should live like a kid... Didn't I tell you that the last time I was here?"

"Unfortunately, I'm not a normal kid, none of us five are. You made sure of that." Itachi smirked and found a chair for himself.

"Well, last I checked, Izumi is happy protecting civilians with her strength. Hana is happy being an apprentice Veterinarian, Shusui and well, you are here, doing the dirty work for the village... Tell me, isn't that a little bit...disconcerting?"

"There's nothing disconcerting about it. They're happy, that's all that matters. I just need to protect that happiness." Itachi said with a determined gaze leveled at Shun.

The two locked eyes for a good minute before Shun scoffed. "I don't like that look in your eyes."

"What look?" Itachi asked in confusion.

"The look that suggests you'd do anything to achieve your goals."

Itachi furrowed his brow. "Why wouldn't I do everything in my power to protect the ones I love?"

Shun raised an eyebrow at that and smiled teasingly. "Oh? So you admit you do love her?"

"Wha-What.." Itachi stuttered for a moment before his training kicked in and he said. "What are you talking about? I'm talking about my mom and Sasuke."

"Hehe. Whatever you say kid, whatever you say." Shun reclined on the chair. "But still, mind that mentality of yours. Protectiveness when taken to an extreme, can lead to dire and unwanted circumstances. I just hope you're wise enough to choose when that time comes."

"You speak as though that time will come..." Itachi asked but stopped midway. "The clan. You're referring to the clan, right?"

"Hmm, the clan and the village, who would you choose?"

"What?"

"The village wants to exterminate the Uchiha clan, whose side would you stand on?"

"That's not possible. The village would never do such a thing." Itachi rebutted, causing Shun to smirk.

"Then the clan wants to begin a coup, whose side would you be on?"

"This time, the village isn't at fault. The clan just feels enough is enough. Where would your loyalty lie?" Shun asked and Itachi had no answer to his question.

"Mah. Don't let it trouble you too much. The Tengoku clan wouldn't let Konoha off if the Uchiha clan is under threat of extermination." Shun patted the other boy's shoulder. The him that was seated previously fizzled out of existence.

"I'll be seeing you..." Leaving that sentence, he disappeared from the room leaving a troubled Itachi to his thoughts.

"Wha..what just happened?" One of the surveillance Anbu asked as he woke up groggily. The Genjutsu shun had placed on them wore off the moment he left the room causing all of them to begin stirring awake.

Itachi, noticing this, put on his usual cold facade and continued looking at the screen. "You seemed to have dozed off for a moment there, senpai. Seems like the the stress is getting to you,"

"Huh? I dozed off? Weird. But perhaps you're right. I'll ask for some time off after this."

"I can't believe we really dozed off on duty. Thankfully no one else came in." Another one said.

"Seriously. Who would've thought watching people go about their daily lives would be boring...?" Another said, causing all of them to pause for a moment before they all began laughing.

"Seriously though. When I signed up for this, I didn't expect to be in the chair all day."

"Yeah? You just didn't like the field work all too well. Me? I couldn't bear watching some arrogant noble going about their perverted lives for hours on end." Another said.

"Anbu. To think that's all there is to it, am I right?"

"Hahahaha." They all began laughing forgetting the fact that all three of them seemed to have fallen asleep at the same time while an Uchiha remained awake the entire time.

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Leaving Itachi to his devices, Shun walked around the village just going about his things. Naruto and Sasuke were at the academy, Kakashi was Training with Yusano, and he didn't want to be the third wheel.

Every one he knew was doing one thing or the other, leaving him bored out of his mind. "Shun? Is that you Shun?"

"Hmm?" Shun turned towards the direction the voice came from only to see three girls walking up to him. One look and he knew who they all were but he decided to play the fool.

"Kurema.. right?" He asked.

"Kurenai. It's Kurenai. Don't tell me you've already forgotten me." The red eyed girl amongst the trio said angrily.

"Kurenai... Oh, the Genjutsu girl." Shun said as he hit his fist on his palm.

"The Genjutsu girl?" Kurenai's eyes twitched while the two girls beside her laughed.

"And who might these two beautiful ladies be?" Shun asked as he eyed the two girls who he knew to be...

"I'm Mitarashi Anko, and the purple one over there is Yugao Uzuki. And you must be Shun Tengoku right?"

"Kukuku. The fact that you girls have heard of me shows that my genius is-"

"Don't flatter the boy Anko, it'll just get in his head." Kurenai interrupted rudely. "Anyways, why are you here?" She asked Shun.

"Well, other than my yearly visits to Konoha, I'm here with nee-san to escort the Jounin exam candidate back to Hanagakure." Shun replied while checking out Anko. Not that she discovered, considering the fact that his eyes were blindfolded.

His answer seemed to pique their interest and Yugao asked. "Jounin Exams? There's also an exam for Jounin promotion?" She asked and looked at Anko.

"I don't think so." Anko shook her head and looked at Kurenai.

"Why are you looking at me? I'm still a Chunin, same as you two." Kurenai said as she crossed her hands over her flat but still developing chest. Anko however...oof.

"There isn't an exam for Jounin promotion in the five Villages, however, there's a gold ranking exam in Hanagakure. The Hanakage felt it would bring our villages closer if all the villages participated in this one." Shun answered their question.

"So it's a first." Yugao muttered.

"Yup." Shun nodded slightly with his eyes still on the snake mistress.

"That'll be dangerous, you know." Kurenai said worried. "Do you know who'll be participating?" Her two friends shook their heads while looking at her weirdly. They all just got news of the information together... Why was she asking them?

"What? I thought that since you're a prospective Anbu and an interrogation expert, you'd have gotten some info." Kurenai defended herself.

"Well, it'll be very dangerous. For the weak, that is. The strong have no need for fear of danger." Shun said as he turned to leave.

"Sounds like something a genius would say." Kurenai muttered as she watched him leave.

"There's no such thing as Genius, my Genjutsu mistress. There's only those who work harder than most." Saying that, his figure mixed with the crowd before he disappeared.

"Damn. He's hot." Anko said as soon as she watched him leave.

"Right? He almost reminds me of Kakashi that year... Only more annoying." Kurenai said.

"Hmm, but he's right though. I think I'll like to participate in these exams." Yugao said with a thoughtful look.

"What? Yugao-chan. That's dangerous, you know. There'll be Ninjas from all the four villages." Kurenai admonished her friend.

"All the more reason to participate. I would like to try my sword against other opponents in a life and death battle. I don't think I'll come out the same should I survive." She said as a small smile tugged at her lips.

"You see what I was saying Anko. That Anbu training is messing with her head. Talk her out of it." Kurenai pleaded with her friend who was only giggling as she was lost in thought.

"I wonder if I'll meet him in the exams. He's gonna make for a decent..." Anko said only to stop and look at her red eyed friend in askance. "What?"

"Nothing... Just, nothing." Kurenai sighed and walked away.

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A/N: Alright. Alright. Guess I was just so involved in the conversations that I overwrote to 2k words again. Whatever, just enjoy as usual.

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