Title: To Challenge Fate
Author: Cloudy Moonshine
Rating: T
Summary: Uchiha Itachi. A mystery behind a mystery. However an unexpected mission… could it possibly save a clan doomed by fate?
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Masashi Kishimoto does. If I owned it, Sasuke wouldn't be obsessed with revenge because Itachi would have a very good reason to kill his clan or wouldn't have done it at all!
Dedicated: Meerc, my fav. hermaphrodite... and possibly Oops, the short one... and maybe Mayo and Mustard, to tease you guys is a hazard to my health .

Chapter 1: Mystery: Uchiha Itachi

Uchiha Itachi. There was one thing everyone knew about him, the one thing he would allow them to know about him: he was an enigma. A mystery that everyone longed to know but could never find out.

He portrayed himself as an emotionless ANBU captain, with loyalty only to his Hokage and maybe, though he hated this, loyalty to his clan. Uchiha Itachi was far from what people perceived him to be. He hated his arrogant clan, with its' ignorant leaders who desired independence from the Hokage, to be all-powerful. His Hokage came first, then his otouto, then maybe his parents and Shisui-san. He didn't really care for the rest of the fools in his clan. Plain simple.

This one morning, he had woken up disgruntled, maybe a little thirsty for his clan's blood. The night before, he had been forced to one of the clan meetings, a regular occurrence that happened once a week. It was common in the infamous clans of Konoha: mainly the Uchiha and the Hyuuga. The rest of the clans were relatively normal, willing to swear their loyalty to the Hokage. Only Uchihas and Hyuugas had aspirations to overpower the Hokage one day. There were already several disputes causing mayhem, most of which Itachi agreed to the Hokage's decision.

Of course, there was one issue that grated on his nerves more than anything else: the fate of the Jinchuuriki child: Uzumaki Naruto. The Uchiha council agreed that the child should have died as soon as the Kyuubi was sealed into it. Stupid cowards in Itachi's mind. All he saw in the Jinchuuriki was a child the same age as his otouto. And it was apparent that the Kyuubi had no effect on the child except for a few physical characteristics. Logically, the child posed no threat.

He sighed. Now wasn't the time to complain. He had to leave for a mission at noon so he needed to report to the Hokage at least an hour prior to departure. He got up, swaying a little from exhaustion. Despite popular thought, he wasn't all powerful with endless amounts of chakra. He was a normal human being with an IQ maybe a little higher than other children. Prodigy was just a word to show off one's talents.

He dressed quickly, noticing a waft of air enter his room, its' aroma suggesting that breakfast was ready. He moved quietly across the ground, ANBU instincts kicking into gear despite his obvious safety in his clan home. It was hard to leave them behind after using them almost every minute of every day. And despite the fact that one should feel safe with their family, he did not even for a second.

He slid the door to the kitchen open, saying monotonously, "Ohayo Gozaimasu."

A voice chirped happily, "Ohayo Ni-san!"

Itachi raised an eyebrow. Rarely did he see his otouto in such a good mood, especially so early in the morning. "Ohayo Sasuke. Kaa-san, do you need help serving breakfast?"

"No. It's fine." She smiled. Uchiha Mikoto was probably the only person who could claim to understand the way Itachi's mind ticked. Of course, though Itachi would not admit this, he didn't mind. His kaa-san was an exception to almost every rule because she actually cared unlike...

"Itachi," another voice gruffly said with a corresponding nod.

"Tou-san," Itachi responded evenly, though inwardly he was cursing. Uchiha Fugaku. He hated him with every fiber of his being. This man was the epitome of a war machine. He was reserved and uncaring, devoted to the police force and the clan, maybe sometimes even to the Hokage if it helped the clan.

"I hear you have a double S rank mission in the afternoon?"

"Hai," Itachi replied coldly. It wasn't the old coot's right to know where he was every minute. "I'll be leaving in an hour or so to be debriefed by Hokage-sama."

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Sasuke pout. He searched his mind for a reason and remembered a little promise he had made the day before to get Sasuke off of his case. Shurikan training? Damn. "Sorry Sasuke. I'll take you some other time." He reached across the table and flicked Sasuke's forehead

"That's what you always say," Sasuke complained.

"I'll take you in two days time. Ok?" he asked, eyes holding the little warmth they had. Sasuke just nodded before turning back to his breakfast, mind already on something else.

Itachi ate breakfast quickly, muttered a bye, and left with a plume of smoke. He didn't like spending time with his family. It reminded him of every minute they had given him a reason to hate them. Well except for Sasuke. He hated the fact that his mere presence made Sasuke's life harder. Sasuke's constant obsession for their father's recognition would probably hurt him some day. Uchiha Fugaku only cared for his prodigious son to bring him pride. Sasuke came in second place to this.

He moved swiftly through the streets of Konoha. There was no point to take his time to enjoy the sights. He knew the town too well that looking around meant little to him. The only thing important to him was his missions. He had already climbed up the ranks to the highest position, the only other thing would be to become Hokage, but he had no desire to do so. Sure his clan would love to have him in power to take advantage of Konoha. He, however, didn't care for this ultimate power over the village.

He made his way to the Hokage's office, gently knocking on the door. An old, benign voice called out for him to enter. He opened the doors and met the gaze of the kind Hokage. Sandaime was known for his incredible power, but also he was known for his love for his village and the people in it. Itachi admired his leader, the perfect foil to his power-hungry clan.

"Ohayo, Hokage-sama."

"Ohayo Itachi-kun. Genki desu ka."

"Hai, genki desu. About the mission…"

"Itachi-kun." Sarutobi smiled, while shaking his head. "You're half an hour early, and your mission is in the afternoon, so there is no hurry. How has everything been going?"

"Hai Hokage-sama." Itachi frowned. He disliked revealing himself to others, but he could not refuse his Hokage. "Everything is… good. I have increased my training to advance my mastery of taijutsu and genjutsu. I've also been…"

"No, no." Sarutobi laughed. "I have no doubts about your skills. You must know that, right Itachi-kun? I was wondering how your life has been with your friends and family."

"Ah." Itachi stayed silent for a moment, collecting himself. "My… family is doing well. Sasuke has been admitted to the academy. He seems eager to excel." He said the last part quietly, as if disturbed by the simple statement.

"Of course he would be." Sighing, Sarutobi continued, "I'm sure his father has been a constant pressure as of late. I wouldn't be surprised if all of his gestures have pushed Sasuke to the limit to try and surpass you, if only to gain recognition. Would you like my advice?" Sarutobi knew quite well that Itachi would never ask for help. Therefore he had to cross the gap between them himself, if only for Itachi's sake. "You should spend a little more time with him. Despite the obvious fact that he wants his father to acknowledge, he would also like you to see how strong he is as well."

"He told you this?"

"In not so many words. He complained that his aniki wasn't spending any time with him."

"Ah. I promised to help him with shurikan training in two days." It wasn't meant as an excuse to end the conversation, but Itachi didn't mind if it was seen that way.

Sarutobi saw that and shook his head, a wry smile on his face. "Ok, ok, Itachi-kun. I'll leave it there for now. Now about this mission…"

Itachi leaned in. This was what he wanted to hear.

Itachi let a dark smile place itself upon his face. The stupid mission was finally over. It hadn't taken long for himself and his team to assassinate an influential family in Iwagakure. The security had been tight, but what's the fun in a mission without a little challenge?

He grimaced. Now if only the Hokage hadn't added a sentimental woman to the team, it would have been a lot better. Not long after leaving the village, they had spotted a child unconscious further away. About 20 mile radius from any town. Itachi had been all for leaving the child by itself, saying someone will find it later (he didn't have much sympathy left inside himself). However his female teammate had the nerve to say that the child was the same age as his otouto. His team loved to take advantage of the knowledge that Sasuke may be one of Itachi's weaknesses, though he would never admit it (nor did he ever deny it, suggesting it was true).

The kid still hadn't woken up even after all the ruckus they had made. Itachi was then forced under pain of death to carry the child. It wasn't that he was scared of his teammates, but the stupid idiots would alert enemies of their location if he didn't agree.

He adjusted the child in his arms, making sure the head was properly supported. It was a girl, about the same height as Sasuke, but she had long black hair contrasting to Sasuke's weirdly shaped hair (kaa-san really needed to rethink his hairstyle). Her bone structure gave her a stronger look than most girls. However it would be more interesting if she was awake so he could analyze her more.

"Taicho, we have two enemy-nin following us. What are your orders?"

Dammit. He looked at the bundle in his arms. She would be a liability in this battle, not a huge one but she would need protection. "Neko-san, take the child. Monkey-san and I will take care of the enemy. We'll rendezvous two miles south from here. Understood?"

"Hai!" Two voices echoed in unison. Neko-san, the female teammate, took the child and disappeared from view within a second. Itachi turned around, smirking. These two would become the outlet for his earlier frustration.

After ten minutes, the team was united at the meeting point. The cat ANBU inquired, "How did the fight go?"

"Too easy," Itachi said dismissively. "There were possibly high Chuunin or low Jounin from Iwagakure. I guess we didn't leave as quietly as planned. However they had no idea who their enemy was or they would have sent higher level nin to take care of us. Let's go."

It took another three hours to reach Konoha with the girl in Itachi's arms once more. He was in a hurry to dump the girl in the Hokage's office and get some sleep. That meant no rest for his team, making his team just as pissed off as he was.

"Taicho, I believe we can decrease our pace since we're in Fire Country."

"Did I ask for your opinion, Monkey-san?" Itachi asked irritably. He swore if that man spoke one more time, death would meet him in the face.

Fortunately for Monkey-san, Neko-san decided to butt in instead. "Taicho, we're tired, so if you don't slow down right now, I will be forced to tell Hokage-sama your more embarrassing secrets," she said sweetly, anger hidden in the undertone.

Itachi was tempted to ask what secrets, but, upon taking a closer look at his teammates, he noticed the immense exhaustion they were facing. He rolled his eyes. "Fine, we'll slow down. But I'd like to say you're in ANBU for a reason. You're not allowed to slack on your training. And that means endurance training too."

Neko-san almost pounced on Itachi if not for the fact that Monkey-san was holding her back. If either had seen the smug look on Itachi's face, the ANBU captain may not have lived another day.

Of course, though their pace decreased, they still were faster than any other member of ANBU. They made it to Konoha with the relief that they could depart from each other's company. Itachi's teammates left him in the dust. Itachi sighed. So much for sleep. Now he had to report to the Hokage, and it may turn into another heart-felt discussion that he did not need or want.

He made it to the office in record time and entered without knocking. He wouldn't be punished for this improper behavior, and he knew it.

"Ah, Itachi-kun, you're back. How did the mission go?"

Itachi had to stop himself from rolling his eyes. After every mission, he wanted to ignore protocol and run to his bed, and after every mission, he had to give his mission report with the same attitude with which he received his mission prior to leaving. Damn ANBU attitude!

"The mission went well, Hokage-sama. However, there were some…complications," Itachi replied, taking a glance down at the girl once more. He could tell she was waking up, but she probably wouldn't open her eyes for a few more minutes. "We found this girl too far from any town to belong to one. Neko-san insisted we bring her back with us."

The Hokage laughed. "And I'm sure you're opinion was to leave her behind. That's the reason I assigned that woman to your team."

To this, Itachi did roll his eyes. "Hai, Hokage-sama. I'll leave this girl in your hands." He gently placed the girl on one of the couch's on the room before heading towards the door. Unfortunately he missed the sudden twinkling in the Hokage's eyes.

The Hokage cared maybe too much for every person in his village; it was his job, but he enjoyed doing so at the same time. Lately, Uchiha Itachi had been asking for S class missions every day. It seemed like he was trying to increase his experience, but to the Hokage, he was using his missions as an escape from his family and the village. So when Sarutobi saw that little girl comfortable in Itachi's arms earlier, he knew exactly what to do. Too bad for Itachi that he did.

"One moment, if you will, Itachi-kun."

Itachi suppressed a sigh. "Hai Hokage-sama?"

"Well, obviously I cannot take care of this girl. My duties as a Hokage prevent me from doing so. However I also don't feel safe about leaving her with just anybody watching over her. So if you will…" (Itachi started to think please no!) "… would you take care of her for a couple of weeks as your next mission?" By the end of it, Itachi's head had sunken low and the twinkling in the Hokage's eyes had increased in intensity.

Itachi sighed, taking a glance at the girl once more. What should he do? He noticed a light catch his eyes. It had apparently bounced off of the forehead protector tied around his arm. The leaf symbol was dancing in the light. Why else had he become a ninja if not to best serve his Hokage? "Hai, Hokage-sama." He once again reached for the girl, a thought brought to the forefront of his mind.

What would his family think…

Please inform me of changes. If Itachi seems too much of anything, tell me. I'm trying to put into perspective that 1.) he's ANBU but 2.) he is still young.

Cloudy Moonshine