Itachi's strength was indeed as Kita had suspected—far beyond his peers. Though they hadn't engaged in a proper battle, the mere sparring with swords already confirmed her intuition.
This is going to be good practice, she thought.
The situation began simply. Kita had decided to shift from dual-sword techniques to single-sword combat. It wasn't just a matter of losing one weapon; she would need dedicated training. In wartime, the battlefield served as the best training ground. In peace, though, careful practice was necessary.
Kisame had once been an excellent partner for her transition, but she had recently incapacitated him. So now, during her less-than-efficient sword training, Itachi arrived, holding a shogi board. He was the perfect sparring partner.
And Itachi's swordsmanship was impressive.
Every swing and cut was precise, economical—typical of the Konoha ANBU style. Itachi had mastered his blade during his time in the ANBU, there was no doubt about that.
The weapon was a wooden sword, the location a tall tower rooftop, wide open and deserted—an ideal place for a pure swordsmanship duel.
Itachi knew Kita was strong. He had observed her in her two fights against Kisame. He was certain that even with his Sharingan, he might not win. And from her previous battle with Kisame, he could see she hadn't used her full strength. As it turned out, he was right. Though a simple sword sparring match, Itachi could feel the raw power in the woman before him.
Her swings were small in arc, avoiding grand, sweeping movements. Compared to typical sword styles, Kita excelled in short-range bursts of power. This was a style perfectly suited for assassination—or perhaps for the chaos of war.
When Itachi could barely follow her movements, he activated his Sharingan. Now, he could see every motion clearly. Her strikes were lightning-fast; the force wasn't overwhelming, but even a single hit would immobilize. And this was with a wooden sword—imagine a sharpened blade. With that, Kita could strike and draw blood before retracting.
She's strong, Itachi thought. Before I master new ocular powers, I'm no match for her.
"Clack!"
Itachi's wooden sword hit the ground. Kita held her stance, leaning forward, both hands extended, ready for a thrust. With a flick of her wrist, that thrust could transform into a horizontal strike to decapitate.
Itachi noticed her legs slightly bent, calves tensed—a reservoir of explosive power. That horizontal strike wouldn't be the end; her body would follow through, her hands adjusting the grip, her feet using the momentum of the fallen target to continue a seamless combo. No wasted motion.
Even after years away from battle, her body reacted instinctively.
Kita retracted her sword, glancing at Itachi with a trace of apology.
Sorry… didn't hurt you, did I?
"No problem," he replied. Only his wrist had been grazed; with a real blade, it would have broken.
He picked up the wooden sword again, curiosity piqued. "Why abandon dual-sword style? Dual-sword users are rare, especially someone like you who mastered it so well."
Honestly? I don't need it now, Kita thought.
"Why?" Itachi asked carefully, aware of her status as an external operative. "Even so, your missions must be tougher than ours, right?"
The question was probing. Kita glanced at him, lips curving.
Occasionally. Not often. The leader doesn't usually let me handle organizational missions.
She answered lightly. Itachi raised an eyebrow, then pressed further.
"Why?"
You could call it favoritism from the leader. He lets me do what I want. Most of the time, I'm just cleaning up after you guys.
Itachi remembered the vase incident and felt awkward.
"Do we make a lot of mistakes?"
From my perspective, yes.
"Sounds… like you're secretly… protecting us…" Itachi chose his words carefully. Kita smiled, not denying it.
Indeed. Right now, potential threats to the organization are many. I'm just handling the trickier ones.
Itachi thought of Madara but didn't confirm. He asked carefully:
"Do the difficult ones… have to be treated cautiously, even someone as strong as you?"
Kita nodded. Thinking of Madara's covert manipulations, it wasn't caution—it was walking on thin ice.
"Curious what kind of person," Itachi said with a smile, avoiding genjutsu and simply testing her reaction.
Kita laughed, harmless.
Someone legendary, she said.
Itachi could only think of Madara.
"Unimaginable." He chose not to push further, switching topics. Kita didn't mind the abrupt change, scratching her face calmly.
Just as I can't imagine your motives, she replied.
Itachi stayed silent, his red eyes fixed on her calm demeanor.
I've been effective, but somewhat obsessive. I can't imagine your mindset when making your choices.
Kita's meaning was clear. She could investigate secrets within Konoha, posing a potential threat. Itachi considered whether to eliminate her.
Don't worry. As you said, I'm only guarding what I should protect.
She waved off the boy's latent killing intent—not out of fear of this fourteen-year-old, but simply because if he acted, he would not succeed.
"You're really strong," Itachi acknowledged, in every sense.
Many have said so. I just don't want to die, Kita said lightly, lips curling again.
Humans are social. One person cannot handle everything. I always feel you might need me. Or I might need you.
"Instinct?"
Sort of.
"Where does that instinct come from?"
From commonality.
"What does that mean?"
You and I share a fatal weakness that also makes us strong. I understand it clearly.
Itachi paused, then lowered his Sharingan, squinting at her.
Threaten me?
Kita shook her head.
You're not yet worthy of my threat. Perhaps my words sound harsh, but it's the truth. I don't like threatening others; it's meaningless.
"That's… unpleasant to hear."
Perhaps. Everything I do is to protect Akatsuki, this village. To achieve that, I will fight relentlessly, even if it harms myself.
Itachi stayed silent for a long while, then asked with a smile, "Even Kisame?"
Wearing this outfit, yes, Kita replied, smiling, placing her hand on the boy's shoulder. Fourteen, barely over 1.5 meters.
Itachi said nothing. Kita took the wooden sword from his hand.
Thanks for sparring with me so long. You have great potential, though it needs refinement. I may not have Sharingan like you, but my skill is superior. Guidance? Perhaps not, but mutual sparring is fine. It's part of my duty.
"Gathering intelligence?"
Kita shook her head calmly.
Training partner.
She wasn't worried Itachi would report to Madara. He knew she was aware of his existence, and they had mutual irritation. Kita made her position clear. She didn't care what Itachi chose to do; she only reminded him to act with restraint. After this talk, even the summoned crows decreased.