Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
Kisame inwardly scowled. He didn't like the idea of retreating, even if one of his opponents had been a Sannin, but Itachi's logic was sound. They didn't need to worry about the Kyuubi at his current level of ability – they had time before he became a threat. He didn't know what had prompted Itachi to use Tsukiyomi the second time, either. It wasn't like the kid was worth the expenditure of chakra, as far as he could tell. What he did know was that using the Mangekyo Sharingan so many times in a day had weakened Itachi. Glancing over at his partner, he noted with some concern that he had deactivated his Sharingan, meaning that his chakra levels were dangerously low. Supporting that observation was the fact that Itachi was even paler than usual (which was saying something – the teen was white as a sheet anyway), and when they crossed the water his feet sank lower than they should. Thankfully, there was a safe place not too far away…
He was interrupted from his musings by a splash, and turned to see Itachi sinking, face-first, into the water. Concerned, he quickly rescued him to see that his eyes were closed. It appeared that he had weakened faster than they had suspected and so had passed out en route. Shaking his head at the young man's inability to look after himself, he picked him up bridal style, so as not to risk him coming in contact with Samehada, and continued towards the safe haven.
It was nothing more than a cave with some careful concealments and barriers set up around it, but it was safe enough and Itachi needed the rest. Unfortunately, it was one of the less-equipped caves, meaning that it had little more than a bundle of sticks and some dried rations, so Kisame had to improvise. Taking off his large cloak, he folded it to make some sort of bed before laying his unconscious partner on it.
To his concern, Itachi had started to shiver slightly, probably a side effect of his brief dunking, indicating that he was getting cold. Cursing the lack of supplies, Kisame grabbed some of the sticks and attempted to build a fire. Since he'd been partnered with Itachi, the teen had always dealt with starting the fire by using one of his Katon jutsu, but he was out of action so Kisame had to fumble with matches until the pile finally caught. The flames lit up the dark cave with an orange glow, highlighting the shadows of Itachi's face. It wasn't normally obvious, but the Uchiha's face was more drawn than perhaps was healthy for a child of his age (seventeen was still a child). Kisame suspected that it was a side effect of too much Mangekyo Sharingan, but he couldn't be certain. Despite the fire, Itachi's shivering was showing no signs of stopping so Kisame rested a hand on his forehead. As he had suspected, Itachi was running a fever. Clearly exhaustion and a dunking had done his health no favours.
"I never thought I'd say this, but you need to be less reckless, Itachi-san," Kisame sighed, consulting his memories on basic first aid. Feed a cold, starve a fever. With that in mind, he set to work, removing the wet cloak primarily before tackling the issue of removing Itachi's top without disturbing him too much. As it happened, Itachi was too out of it to be stirred by something like that, so he also removed the scratched Konoha headband. Grabbing a strip of bandage from Samehada, he wet it and placed it on Itachi's forehead before tearing into some of the rations, trying to remember if he'd forgotten something. Itachi's temperature didn't seem high enough to warrant a wipe down with the wet cloth so he didn't bother. The only other thing he could remember was to let them sleep, so he did, sitting with his back against the cave wall and watching his companion rest, somewhat protectively. Samehada chattered next to him and Kisame inferred that it wasn't pleased about the lack of chakra.
"He'll be back to normal soon," he reassured his sword. "Itachi-san never stays down for long."
That being said, Itachi slept the rest of the day away, as well as all through the night, not waking until the sun shone on his face the following morning. When he did awaken, his first instinct was to sit up, but Kisame very quickly prevented it, pinning him down and checking his temperature. It had gone down slightly, but was still too high for Kisame's liking.
"I'm fine," Itachi protested, attempting to push Kisame's hand away. After resisting Itachi's attempts, just to prove a point, Kisame did move his hand.
"No you're not," he said sternly, finding it strange to actually be the authority of the pair for once. "You fainted, fell in the lake and as a result now have a fever."
Itachi scowled, but even when fit he was no match for Kisame's physical strength so he stopped fighting, although Kisame was quick to notice the beginnings of the Sharingan stirring in the black eyes, which he quickly countered by pulling the wet cloth down.
"No Sharingan, either," he said. "We're safe here and your chakra is still dangerously low." He didn't need Samehada to tell him that, but his sword humoured him anyway. "And if I have to blindfold you to enforce it, I will," he added. Itachi sighed.
"Fine. No Sharingan," he said. Trusting Samehada to rescue him from a genjutsu if required, Kisame returned the cloth to its position on Itachi's forehead. True to his word, Itachi's eyes were black, with no hint of red at all. Kisame grabbed a water bottle and held it to the younger's lips, who sipped at it obediently.
"How long will we stay here?" Itachi asked. "It's not the most secure of Akatsuki's hideouts and is poorly equipped." Kisame thought for a while. He was right – that particular cave was not meant as long-term shelter so they couldn't stay there for much longer, but he was also at loath to let Itachi walk anywhere in his current condition.
"The next nearest hideout is half a day away," he pointed out. "You're in no condition to manage that."
"I can do it," Itachi retorted. Kisame sighed, especially when Samehada informed him that Itachi's chakra had returned enough for the journey to be feasible.
"Fine," he snapped. "But no Sharingan and if you start lagging I will carry you." Despite his apparent wisdom, Itachi was still a teenager and occasionally needed treating as such.
"If it makes you feel better," the Uchiha sighed. Kisame gathered up what little supplies he had opened and helped Itachi re-clothe himself before attaching Samehada to his back and leading the way out of the cave. Both knew all the hideout locations so there was no dispute about direction and they travelled quickly.
Kisame was pushing the pace a little, mainly so as to force Itachi to give in and be carried, but also because the less time they were out in the open, the safer it would be for them. Itachi kept up with no complaints although Kisame could see that he knew the reasons for the speed and didn't wholly approve.
The hours passed quickly, with Kisame continuously glancing across at the ill teenager as they travelled. For his part, Itachi met each scrutinising gaze evenly, as if daring Kisame to suggest that he needed carrying. Kisame wasn't fooled. He knew that secretly, Itachi was grateful for the concern, but his pride wouldn't allow it to show.
Suddenly, Itachi doubled over, coughing. Kisame hurriedly backtracked, shocked as the fit ended with blood flying out of Itachi's mouth. Itachi looked equally surprised to see the blood staining his hands and as he looked up at Kisame, the older man could see the hints of fear hidden deep within his eyes.
"That's enough," he decided, sweeping Itachi off his feet and into his arms. "We're finding a doctor."
"Ki-" Itachi was broken off by another bout of hacking coughs, although thankfully no more blood showed itself. Kisame looked down at him with concealed concern and leapt up high into the trees, where they were less likely to be seen, before continuing his journey towards the better-equipped cave. Now able to travel even faster, they arrived there within an hour and Kisame wasted no time in changing his own appearance and relieving Itachi of his Akatsuki cloak and headband, which he quickly sealed inside a scroll.
"Remember, no Sharingan," he ordered before they set off to the nearby village to find a doctor. One was quickly located and Kisame walked in, carrying Itachi, who had given up protesting by that point. The doctor quickly inspected her patient, before diagnosing something that made both ninja freeze.
"A-are you sure?" Kisame stuttered. She nodded sadly.
"I'm afraid there's no mistaking it," she said. "He has two, maybe three years left to live."
"Is there nothing you can do?" Itachi asked, although Kisame could tell that he had already resigned himself to his fate.
"Not personally," she admitted. "A more skilled medic-nin might be able to give you a few more years, but it is terminal. I'm sorry." Still shaken up, Kisame thanked her for her time then left, swiftly carrying his partner back to the hideout. This one was an actual building, although it was within a cave network and so hard to find if you weren't looking for it, so it contained beds and far more rations. Kisame placed Itachi down on a bed before heading to get some more food, leaving Samehada to watch the ill boy.
Itachi knew better than to try anything while Samehada was around – the sword would immediately inform Kisame, who would return in an instant, making any attempts to do anything futile – so he closed his eyes and considered his options. Two years wasn't long enough; he would need to seek out a skilled medic-nin who wouldn't rat him out to get medication to prolong his life. He supposed a genjutsu would be enough to conceal his identity, provided they weren't expecting him to be concealed. Otherwise either his genjutsu would be broken or they'd get suspicious when they couldn't break it. He supposed he could always kill them afterwards, but he disliked unnecessary deaths so that was only a last resort.
He heard Kisame return and opened his eyes to see a bowl of soup being offered. Cautiously sitting up – to his internal relief Kisame helped him; the journey had exhausted what stamina he had gained the previous night – he accepted the proffered food and slowly consumed it. There wasn't much, so he was soon finished and didn't protest when Kisame persuaded him to lie back down and reapplied a wet cloth to his forehead. Apparently the fever hadn't broken yet, he mused.
"Get some sleep," Kisame ordered. "We'll hunt down a suitable medic-nin tomorrow." Itachi didn't respond, instead submitting to a fever-induced sleep. Leaving Samehada to keep guard, Kisame soon joined Itachi in sleep.
The next day, Itachi was first to wake, noticing Kisame asleep on the bed beside his. He made to get up, but Samehada began to make noises and roused the ex-Kiri ninja, who turned to him.
"Where did you think you were going?" Kisame asked, an amused tone in his voice.
"To find a medic-nin," Itachi replied. "On my own two feet." Kisame shook his head and pushed him back down, testing his temperature as he did so.
"You seem to be better than you were," he conceded. "But that doesn't mean you're going alone." Itachi accepted the statement, then waited patiently for Kisame to proclaim himself ready before standing and activating his Kekkei Genkai. Samehada began making angry noises and Kisame quickly slapped a hand over the Uchiha's eyes. Sighing, Itachi deactivated it and stepped backwards.
"I'll need it for the genjutsu," he pointed out. "I'm not seeing a powerful medic-nin like this – I'll be recognised." Kisame huffed at his logic.
"You don't need it yet. Conserve your chakra."
"My chakra is back up to full strength," Itachi pointed out. "Just because I'm dying doesn't mean I'm an invalid!" At the casual mention of his condition Kisame stepped back and Itachi reactivated his Sharingan. "Let's go."
Unhappy that Itachi was once again taking charge, Kisame followed, watching as their appearances changed due to genjutsu.
They found someone surprisingly quickly. Kisame would have passed straight by them, but Itachi halted and walked up to them.
"Excuse me," he asked, all politeness. "Do you know where I might find a skilled medic-nin?" The blonde-haired woman looked at him.
"You've found one," she said. "What's wrong?" Itachi explained his condition and she pursed her lips. "Come with me," she ordered. When Kisame moved to follow, she shook her head. "Just the ill one." Glancing at Kisame, Itachi nodded slightly in reassurance before moving to follow her.
"You've got some nerve," she said once they were secure in the hotel room. Looking round, Itachi spotted the woman that had diagnosed him yesterday and internally cursed. "You're not the first S-classed criminal to ask me for medical aid this week, either," she added. Itachi attempted to look confused.
"I-"
"Save it, Uchiha," Tsunade snapped. "I know it's you. I happen to be good at breaking genjutsus, even those created using the Sharingan." She turned and fixed him a baleful glare. "Now then, give me a darn good reason why I should help you." Cornered and desperate, Itachi realised that he had no options, so he told her the truth. All of it. Suddenly he was glad that Kisame hadn't followed. Once he had finished, he held his breath, unusually concerned as to how she would react. She didn't make it any easier for him, appearing to consider his words for a long time.
Eventually, she sighed and beckoned him closer.
"It seems like something that sly bastard would do," she muttered. "I never liked him anyway." Green healing chakra surrounded her hand and she rested it on his forehead. "You know, it would be much easier if you lifted the genjutsu," she said pointedly. Itachi wasn't going to argue with a Sannin so he obeyed, still concealing Kisame. As her healing chakra surged through him, he felt the remnants of his fever depart and, to his utter amazement, his vision seemed to improve ever so slightly. He hadn't realised that medical ninjutsu could be used to reverse the effects of the Mangekyo Sharingan, if only a little. His lungs were also soothed and his breath stopped catching every so often. Once she'd finished, she gestured to the other woman, who brought forwards a bottle of pills.
"Shizune told me yesterday about you," she admitted. "She recognised you and thought that you might seek help. Here's some medicine – it will only delay the inevitable, mind you. Take one pill every morning, with breakfast – you'd better be eating breakfast!" Itachi resolved to eat breakfast every morning, instead of skipping like he often did. "Now then, off with you! You shouldn't need any more, but if you do come and find me. I'm sure a boy of your capabilities can manage that," she said. "Shoo!"
Thanking her, he reapplied his genjutsu and returned to Kisame.
"You got something?" the older male asked. Itachi nodded.
"Let's return," he said. Now that he was fully healed (disregarding his terminal illness), the normal hierarchy was restored and Kisame followed him back to the hideout, fighting the urge to pick him up again. Just to annoy him.
The interactions with Tsunade are set after she meets Orochimaru, but before she meets Jiraiya and Naruto. I always liked the idea of Tsunade being the medic keeping Itachi alive, just because it's so under the noses of all the elders and seems like something she would do.
Thanks for reading!
Tsari