Playing With Fire
Disclaimer: Oh dear.
Pairings: Very eventual SasuNaru, NaruSasu.
Summary: When Itachi killed his entire clan, he took Sasuke away with him. Now, Akatsuki has captured a certain Jinchuuriki who will throw everything into chaos.
"Ni-san? Ni-san..-mrph!"
Strong arms wrapped around Sasuke's mouth, stilling its movements. The eight-year-old struggled, buting at the clothed flesh, but the gentle strength held. Sasuke felt himself being lifted from the ground, carried through the empty streets of the Uchiha Compound. For a brief moment, the large hand covering his face slipped. He seized his chance.
"Ni-san, help!"
And then his face was crushed to his captor's chest, screams muffled by the silvery jacket. "Sasuke, hush," was the terse reply. The voice was a quiet murmur, hurried and tense. Sasuke froze.
Ni-san? he wondered, clinging to the jacket. What-?
He felt his brother press his lips to his ear. "I need you to trust me, Sasuke. Don't move, don't speak, don't make a sound till we're out of the village, okay?
"But ni-san-"
"I said quiet," Itachi whispered harshly. Sasuke swallowed. His brother's voice had taken on that tone. The one he used as an ANBU captain addressing his subordinates. The one his father used while interrogating a criminal. The one his mother used when they hadn't washed before dinner.
It was the tone that meant you absolutely had to obey, or much pain was in your future. Sasuke shut his mouth.
The rhythm of Itachi's movements was uneven, but smooth, and Sasuke soon found himself dozing as his brother flitted across Konoha's roofs with liquid grace. It was his own fault, he figured drowsily, for coming home so late. Everyone else was asleep; that was why the streets had been empty. It was so late that everyone had given up on him and gone to bed.
Except Itachi. Sasuke was shaken abruptly awake as the smooth movements gave way to a rough, harsher rhythm. He opened his eyes groggily to find that the scene around him had changed. Instead of the clean rooftops of Konoha, they were now making their was through wicked-looking trees and branches. The Forest of Death, he recognized dimly.
He wondered briefly if he could talk now, but something in the way Itachi was carrying himself made him keep his mouth shut. He'd never seen his brother so tense before. He seemed almost... afraid.
But that was impossible. Ni-san was never afraid. He was just imagining things, he knew it.
Abruptly Itachi dropped to the ground. Sasuke swallowed the yelp and clung to his brother's jacket as he crashed into his chest. He felt Itachi look around warily, then sighed with relief when he was finally set down behind a gnarly old tree. Sasuke drew a breath, query on his lips.
Itachi lurched forward with a sudden jerk and clamped a hand over his mouth. "Sasuke," he whispered urgently, "there is nothing more important than this, do you understand? No, no, listen to me. Listen to me. Sasuke, I need you to promise me that you will not move. Don't make a sound. understand? Promise me this, Sasuke. If I ever asked you anything in your life, this is it. Don't draw any attention to yourself, is that clear?"
The eight-year-old nodded solemnly. He remembered this from his stealth training at the academy. A shinobi must remain silent at all times. A shinobi must not betray his comrades or his village by comporting himself with unnecessary noise or excessive force.
Itachi let out a slow breath and drew back, releasing Sasuke to lean against the tree. "Stay here," he ordered quietly. "I'll be back in a while."
Before Sasuke could blink, his brother was gone.
His eyes drooped drowsily. With determination, Sasuke forced them open again and slightly shook his head. Don't fall asleep, he reminded himself sternly. Can't fall asleep. That was one of the worst things he could do. Though most children born to ninja families were trained to be utterly silent, even in sleep, he couldn't always guarantee his actions while not conscious. He could roll over, or even cry out.
Don't fall asleep. Can't fall asleep.
Why was he here, anyway? He wanted to go home. Sasuke hugged himself tightly, head dropping to his knees. It was cold out here, and dark. Why had ni-san brought him out here? This place was stupid. He hated it. He just wanted to go home to Mom and Dad and his cozy futon.
Hate this place. Hate ni-san, too, for bringing me here.
A rustling in the branches above. Sasuke tensed, but other than that made no other move, forcing himself still. A beat, and then suddenly a shaded figure dripped from the sky.
Sasuke remained still, though it was possibly the hardest thing he had done in his life.
The figure looked around for a moment, then made a gesture to something unseen above their heads.
There was a slight whumph, and then another, larger figure landed next to the first. They took another quick look around before moving behind a cluster of trees. There were a few moments of muffled silence before their hushed voices cautiously filtered through the air.
Sasuke strained his ears, struggling to catch the bits of their conversation that was just loud enough for him to hear. They could be enemy ninja, he though excitedly, or samurai. If he brought intel on them back to the village, he could be a hero. They might even bump him up to Genin.
"...obey... to... my orders." It was a deep voice, strong and confident, but with a wary edge to it that spoke of experience. If it had been a shade higher, it almost could have reminded him of his father. Sasuke shuddered at the thought.
"I never agreed to be your subordinate." The new voice was calmer, more steady, making it easier to hear. Sasuke recognized it immediately. Ni-san! "I came to you for your physical help, but now that the deed is done, the decisions made are mine."
A muffled grunt, some words the eight-year-old couldn't quite make out. "...can't hide him... fool if you... Itachi-kun..."
There was a pause, and when Itachi's reply finally came, his tone was cold, monotonous. "I don't understand, Madara."
"I mean this!" This time the voice was loud and clear. Sasuke panicked. He's coming this way!
And suddenly a large hand was wrapping around his collar and he was being thrown into the air. He grunted in pain as his back crashed into the side of a tree. For a terrifying moment, he couldn't breathe. His mouth gaped open wide, fighting for air, but his lungs wouldn't respond. Ni-san, help!
The edges of his vision were darkening, but as he looked up was was able to make out a single image. Itachi, wearing some dark cloak over top of his ANBU gear. His face was... cold, almost... disgusted.
Then Sasuke's lungs opened up, and he was sucking in breath after breath, his chest aching with it. "Ni-san," he gasped once he had found his voice. "What is... who is..."
Itachi stared at him for a moment more. Then he did something Sasuke could remember him ever doing in his life. He stuck him, hard, the back of his hand colliding with Sasuke's face. The eight-year-old reeled back with the blow, clutching the quickly reddening mark across his mouth.
"Weakling," Itachi snarled, face twisting. Sasuke looked up, hurt, the blood spurting from his nose to his hands.
What was happening? Why had ni-san...? Why was he...?
He didn't have much time to wonder, however, as suddenly his brother's hands grasped at the cross of his shirt and yanked him up to eye-level.
"I tell you to hide yourself, and you aren't even capable of masking your chakra. Not even a little bit. You just broadcasted it loud and clear, hoping nobody would notice it. Well, guess what! Somebody-"
"Itachi-kun, stop."
Itachi whirled, grip slackening on Sasuke's shirt. "This is none of your business, old man," he spat, eyes flashing to red.
The big man- Madara- set a hand on Itachi's shoulder. "Why is he here, Itachi-kun? Don't lie to me. You should know by now that you can't."
Sasuke saw Itachi lower his head, draw a breath. "Unlike you, Madara," he said icily, "I have no intention of going blind."
"Granted," Madara acknowledged with a nod.
"I have no need of your permission, old man," Itachi stated calmly. "My business is my own. I will do what I want to do." He turned suddenly to face Sasuke, and the eight-year-old felt a thrill of cold dance down his spine at the look. "Starting with this," his brother continued, gesturing at the boy with disdain. "As he serves no purpose other than to strengthen my ability, he will be trained by me alone, the last worthy Uchiha. And when he is ready, I will take out his eyes and use them as my own."
Sasuke listened to this in horrified silence. "But... Ni-san, no!"
"Did I give you permission to speak?" the Jounin asked breezily, twirling his leaf headband around his finger. Sasuke could only shake his head in denial.
No, no, no, no...
Madara cleared his throat. "That is enough, Itachi-kun. I will see you at the base. If you are not there..." The man trailed off, giving Itachi a look.
"We will be there," he replied, eyes fading to grey. "Come, Sasuke."
Sasuke was suddenly dragged to his feet. He heard Madara chuckle behind him, the laughter dimming as the older ninja took to the branches. And then Itachi's face was looming in his vision, concern in his eyes. "Are you alright, Sasuke?"
"Get away from me!" Sasuke shouted, struggling in the wiry arms. "You can't take my eyes! I hate you, I hate you, let go of me!"
Itachi released the eight-year-old abruptly, and seizing his chance, Sasuke stumbled to his feet and ran, wind howling in his ears. No, no, no, no...
A sudden whoosh of wind hurled him to the ground, and he cried out, no longer caring who heard. Itachi stood before him, clad only in a dark t-shirt and sweats. "Sasuke, please, listen. If you want to run after hearing what I have to say, I can't stop you. It's your choice to make. But please, listen," his brother pleaded, kneeling to make eye-contact with the young shinobi.
Sasuke tried to crawl back, but Itachi placed a hand on his shoulder, stilling his movements. "Sasuke, I'm so sorry. I'll look over your injuries after, if you like. But right now, I need you to listen." He sighed, blowing air through his teeth. "That man, Madara? He's evil. He's part of an organization called Akatsuki. They're enemies of Konoha, do you understand?"
Sasuke had frozen under his brother's grasp, attempting to absorb this new information. Slowly, he nodded.
"The village has sent us on a mission to watch them. Well, they've sent me, and I needed to bring you along for appearance. Madara never would have believed me if I hadn't. I have to make them believe that I'm one of them, at all costs, even if it means hurting you." Itachi shook his head slowly and let go of Sasuke's shoulder. "I'm sorry."
"But... but what about the eyes? Are you really going to take my eyes, ni-san?" Sasuke asked fearfully, unable to believe it.
Itachi again shook his head, giving a little laugh. "No, little brother, I'm not going to take your eyes. I'll leave that to the boogie man. That's just a front, a cover. Maybe when you're a little older I'll explain it to you. But you have to pretend, okay? Pretend that we're not on a mission. If they suspect, even a little, that we're not who we say we are, they could kill us, even destroy Konoha."
Sasuke frowned, placing his hands together in a meditation pose. "But we'll go back, right? When the mission's over, we'll go home, and see Mom and Dad and everyone again." A smile spread across his face as he leaned against his older brother. "When are we going home, ni-san?"
Itachi sighed and ran his fingers through Sasuke's dark hair. "Not for a long time, little brother."
To be continued...