Itachi was feeling a strain. Ever since he started hearing whispers of overthrowing the Hokage, he knew that his time as 'Itachi' was slowly dwindling. To make it even worse, there was a shadow of an orange mask that had been hanging around the Uchiha.
Thankfully, his alter ego Yoruichi had yet to be discovered. A good thing too, because her antics were becoming increasingly erratic ever since his father started to crack down on Itachi even more. The prodigy suspected his bastard of a father was planning to put his son in the Hokage's seat, something Itachi absolutely did not want.
He was still pissed that Danzo kept sending out feelers for his 'sister'...not many knew of Root, but those who did were properly wary of attracting the attention of the one who lead it.
He wondered how that one-eyed bastard would react to the fact Itachi had finally developed a 'escape' from the rigors of shinobi life. Particularly ANBU.
All shinobi had to have one, otherwise their minds would snap and they would become either useless or go homicidal on their allies.
He could still picture his ANBU commander's face when he heard Itachi had made a counter identity for his Mask, but that he was willing to let the ANBU find out who it was.
Yoruichi had been considered multiple times, but Itachi was very proud to say that she had been dismissed every time. Her personality was the perfect opposite to Itachi, which made it very unlikely she was Itachi.
Kushina was definitely rolling in her grave laughing. Itachi was pranking the entire village and no one suspected a thing.
Then again, she would likely also be amused that Itachi based Yoruichi's entire personality on her to start with. Even her form was based on Kushina, just with Uchiha features and a Sharingan.
And while it was weird being a genin again (on probation for a year), Itachi could honestly say he preferred it. Being a jounin was too much of a headache, even if he did have to capture that damn cat all over again.
Even Sasuke was picking up on something bad happening, whether it was from watching Itachi or the other clan members.
Either way he had taken to going straight to Yoruichi's apartment close to the slums almost immediately after class. Because she was on probation, she didn't have regular missions like the other genin. She usually spent her days training with her little brother and improving on his skills while keeping her own sharp.
Besides, it wasn't like Itachi hadn't already transferred most of his cash to Yoruichi anyway. A move that pissed off Fugaku and the Elders in one fell swoop.
"Itachi, are you absolutely certain that is what you heard?" asked the Hokage, dead serious. This wasn't the kindly old grandfather...this was the Village leader.
"Hai, Hokage-sama. The last two meetings have been about how they will start a coup to install an Uchiha as Hokage. I came to inform you as soon as safely possible," said Itachi seriously.
"And what of your sister?"
"Yoru-nee-chan has never been invited to these meetings, as the Elders and Fugaku do not have a death wish. My mother has been increasingly vocal about what she wishes to do to my father's genitals every time we bring up his illegitimate daughter," said Itachi, trying not to laugh.
Left unspoken was the fact Itachi and Sasuke were tag-teaming against the man in an effort to have him castrated in the most bloody method imaginable via his increasingly homicidal wife. Revenge was sweet.
Even if his prank really was getting out of hand. He was starting to have doubts if Yoruichi would remain a prank or be delegated to his escape from being the prodigy child of the Uchiha clan.
Itachi continued with his report, barely keeping his glare away from Danzo. The one-eyed warhawk gave him a bad feeling, and if not for the fact that Yoruichi was known as a user of the shadow clone (she claimed Itachi taught her how), the man might have suspected something was up after all the times his agents went to capture her, only for her to pop into a now familiar smoke.
It was for this reason Itachi began leaving two clones. One to go outside, the other to show up in the village if the first popped to continue the ruse. Sure it left him weaker than normal at the start of a mission, but it was a necessary sacrifice.
When Itachi left the office, he was frowning. He didn't like spying on his own family. He had the worst feeling that it was leading up to something irreversible.
He had the worst feeling that this was going to end up with 'Itachi' being killed by Yoruichi, and assuming his female half permanently to avoid something even worse happening.
Frankly he was sick of being the 'Uchiha Prodigy'. At least Yoruichi got to be herself and live life by her terms, not how Fugaku dictated.
Sasuke was not as oblivious as his parents thought. Itachi knew he was smart, which was why he didn't bother to hide the truth from him. Something the seven-year-old appreciated. While some things were a bit above his head, the fact Itachi trusted him with the truth was more than most older brothers did.
Which was why, a week before Shisui was found dead at the river, Itachi trusted him with a great secret.
Sasuke always wondered why Yoruichi-nee-san was so much like his brother, and knew things when she hadn't been there.
Now he knew. Yoruichi was Itachi's way of pranking their father in a way that they couldn't be blamed for. Sasuke greatly enjoyed the way their father always looked constipated whenever 'she' was mentioned, or the fact that their mother spent more time with them in order to avoid their father. Sasuke was thrilled to be trusted with such an important secret.
Like Itachi told him... if he could keep something like this secret, then he would have an easier time keeping quite about important ones later on once he was a chunin or later a jounin.
Plus this way Sasuke got to spend time with his brother without Itachi being dragged off to do shinobi things. A fact he relished.
It also eased the strain of having to hide the fact Yoruichi was his outlet. Itachi hated having to hide something like that from his baby brother.
Itachi stared at himself in the mirror. His eyes had been giving him grief since he was forced to kill Shisui last night. Because he feared Danzo would try to get his hands on his cousin's Sharingan, Itachi had laced the body with a rare poison that was developed by the Hyuuga to destroy a doujutsu without leaving a trace.
It was something that was never used anymore, not since they developed that damnable curse seal for their branch members.
As Yoruichi, Itachi was became privy to some rather obscure medical knowledge that he found fascinating. Once this mess was finished, he fully planned to stay an Iryo nin, if only to learn more.
Itachi had a grim smile. If Danzo sought to make use of Shisui's unique Sharingan, which was especially good at subtle genjutsu that was almost impossible to detect, then he would be in for a nasty surprise. The poison was geared towards harming anyone who tried to steal the eyes from their rightful owner after death. Once the eye was removed, it would slowly kill the thief unless the counter agent was applied.
And considering this particular poison hadn't been used since before even the Hokage was born, it was unlikely Danzo would find the antidote in time to live.
Finally Itachi couldn't take it anymore. He activated his Sharingan...and got the shock of his life.
Mangekyo Sharingan. Supposedly the second stage of towards the 'true' power of the doujutsu. But it had a heavy price...the damn thing made the eyes worse, leading to the eventual blindness in the user. There was also a risk of a debilitating disease.
Itachi was quite possibly the only Uchiha who didn't flash his eyes during every battle. It was why he was so well liked among his fellow ANBU.
He earned his skills, dammit. Sure it meant he had to train even harder, but the end result was that he had a much better grasp of the jutsu he did know than his own family did. They were little more than a clan of thieves.
Just another complication in the farce that was his life. Killing his old self and becoming his alter ego was looking more and more appealing by the day.
He couldn't believe his ears.
"You want me to what?"
Danzo sneered at him.
"It is clear that there is no point in negotiating with the Uchiha. We must end the clan for the good of the village."
"What about the children? I refuse to kill my sister or brother," growled Itachi. It was the most emotion that he had shown in years.
"We are not going to kill the children. But the adults, unfortunately, will have to be taken out," said the Hokage firmly.
He hated it as much as Itachi clearly did, but he wasn't about to let a civil war break out just because one clan got above themselves.
Itachi didn't like this one bit. He was fairly certain that the Uchiha clan had a genjutsu on them by the man with the orange mask, but no proof. And without proof, his clan was going to be massacred.
At least Sasuke knew to head straight to Yoruichi the moment school let out, if only because she had no issues with helping him with his homework. Fugaku might have been pissed, but as Itachi so helpfully pointed out, Yoruichi had more than enough free time to help Sasuke, and it helped her with becoming part of the village.
Itachi was pleased to note (though he hid it with ease) that Danzo seemed to be a bit peaky. He knew the signs of the poison, which would automatically center the biggest dose inside the eyes themselves.
Danzo was showing the first signs of it. Impatient bastard.
Itachi was getting ready for another mission inside the village when his nose detected the first hints of trouble. There was no logical reason for him to pick up the smell of blood this close to the compound.
He went in, and he was horrified with what he saw.
There was a massacre. Men, women, children...whoever did this didn't care who they killed.
He ran into his own home, and found his parents being held captive by the man in the orange mask. Itachi's eyes shifted to the secondary Sharingan. The stranger looked rather pleased by this, but Itachi shoved it out of his mind.
He managed to drive the stranger with the Sharingan off, but it was too late to save his mother. And knowing anything that happened here would be blamed on the murderer, Itachi made a split decision. His father was fading anyway.
"Itachi..."
"Yes, Fugaku? Considering there's no way I'd be able to save you because I don't have the skill, I suppose it's only fair you learn something I've been hiding for well over a year now," said Itachi pleasantly.
If the bastard was going to die anyway, then it was long past time to end his prank on him.
Fugaku's eyes widened when Itachi seemed to...shift...for lack of the better word.
"Surprise! Your 'illegitimate' daughter was really me in drag. I have to admit, I never expected my prank to pan out this well," said Yoruichi/Itachi with glee.
Fugaku died with a look of horrified shock on his face.
It was totally worth waiting to tell him the truth, just to see that expression on his face.
Itachi ran out of the compound, heading straight for "Yoruichi's" apartment. He couldn't risk his 'sister' being killed, even if she wasn't part of the massacre.
But he also alerted the ANBU to the attack on the compound, and that he was heading off to try and stop the killer.
Sure enough, the masked bastard was in 'her' apartment. He looked pissed.
"Where is she?" he demanded.
"Someplace you'll never find her," snarled Itachi. He made sure that the village watch got a good look at the creep when he blew out the wall. The ANBU all saw him clear as day, and the fact Itachi engaged him with a vengeance.
Sasuke was already picked up and deposited at the ANBU headquarters while they tried to find Yoruichi.
Itachi left the standard two clones, one of which remained disguised as himself...only it was armed with enough explosive notes to make it look like he performed a suicide attack. No way in hell was he getting stuck as Itachi when it was likely they would put even more pressure on him to repopulate the Uchiha clan after this.
At least as Yoruichi, who was known to have Uchiha blood but was never officially part of the clan, he could escape most of that crap. Besides...he had no idea if he could become pregnant, even after he performed the jutsu.
Okay, just to head off any questions as to which jutsu Itachi is referring to, there is a scene in the Naruto Shippuden movie (the first one) where one of the priestess' guards turns into her as a way to act as a permanent body double. Sakura is the one to stumble upon him, where he becomes Shion, in form at least.
Itachi, when he discovered this particular jutsu, asked to have a copy of it as part of his payment for a mission in the land of Ogres. Because it's only considered useful for people willing to act as permanent body doubles, they agreed to let him have a copy. The Hokage is aware he got a jutsu scroll out of the deal, but because it was something the village had no real use for, it was never mentioned in the mission report officially.
