Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Chapter Three: Return
Minato starred. He could barely believe his eyes. What... What was a...a child doing on the battlefield?!
He froze. He couldn't move. He barely noticed when the apparition before him started running towards him brandishing a weapon in its hand.
'So small…'
When the child was right before him, he grasped its hand and twisted it around. The kunai fell on the ground but the creature didn't give up. It tried to kick him but its short legs couldn't reach him. It let out an animalistic wail and started to struggle. Its fragile bones groaned at the pressure. It didn't bother the little one at all.
'If he keeps it up, he will break his arm.' Minato couldn't have it happen.
"Ssh, child, calm down. I'm not going to hurt you." he said with a calm and soft voice he didn't know he had.
The child stilled and slowly turned its head towards him. Minato felt his jaw drop.
The child's eyes were alight with the Sharingan, one tomoe in each eye.
'An Uchiha?! Wait...'
There weren't a lot of children in the Uchiha Clan, certainly not as young as this one. He (Minato thought it must be a boy though it was difficult to tell) couldn't be older than three, four at the most! From what he knew, there wasn't a boy child except...
'No... It couldn't be!'
Minato swallowed. The small, dirty face was still looking at him, Sharingan taking every feature in. Finally the boy's gaze traveled upwards to his forehead. Red eyes grew wide. He opened his mouth but didn't speak, his eyes fixated on his headband and Konoha symbol on it.
The boy tried again, this time he let out a strange, raspy sound from his dry throat. After a fourth failed attempt, the small one made a noise akin to frustration. He made several moves with his free hand.
Minato let him go. He was observing the child closely. The boy was watching him now with suspicion, but the previous panicked look was gone. The jounin let out a sigh of relief. The child wasn't gone... yet.
"What's your name, little one?" he asked kindly.
The boy jumped. He looked frantically around as if expecting an attack.
"No, don't worry," Minato tried to calm the panicked child. "The enemies... The bad men are gone. You are safe now. I'll take you home."
But the child apparently didn't hear him or he was ignoring him for he was still looking around. After a minute he calmed down and returned his gaze to the jounin before him.
"You... Konoha?"
It was spoken softly and if Minato was any lesser a shinobi he might have missed it. He winced inwardly. Obviously the boy hadn't used his voice for some time.
"Yes, I'm a Konoha ninja. I will take you home." he tried to speak slowly and clearly so the young Uchiha had a chance to understand. Any thought of fast return flew out of his head. He couldn't rush things here. He didn't want the child to be scared of him. Even though he knew nothing about handling children (not so young and certainly not like this) he figured this one must be like a baby animal; easily scared. He needed time.
He tried once more to find out the boy's name. "What's your name?"
The boy looked at him confusedly. He tilted his head to the side and looked at Minato with wide eyes. The man would have found the gesture cute, if the circumstances weren't so dire.
The boy didn't speak.
Minato swallowed.
"Is it... Are you from the Uchiha Clan?"
The boy looked at him, and then slowly nodded.
He tried once more, growing slightly desperate with the whole situation. "What is your name, child?"
The boy once again glanced at him. Then the Sharingan faded from his eyes and he spoke softly.
"My name is Itachi."
Although he expected this answer, he was still shocked. It seemed as if some unknown burden was suddenly placed on his shoulders. Before him stood a heir - the heir to the Uchiha Clan. He had no idea what he was doing here or how he got here or even how long he had been here. But he would have to wait until later for the answers to those questions. He firmly pushed any thoughts on this matter down. It wasn't the time or place to interrogate a child. What he needed to do was to take Itachi to the medics.
He looked at the boy again.
Even though the wildness was gone from his eyes, the young Uchiha still had a look of an emaciated animal, matted hair framing his petite, dirty face. His eyes were black and intense and he was poised as if any wrong move from Minato would cause him to run away. He was clutching his right arm protectively to his belly, thin spidery fingers twitching slightly. He was shivering which wasn't surprising as his tattered remains of his Uchiha uniform were hardly protecting him from late November air.
Minato sighed. He couldn't see any injuries under this layer of dirt on him. And if Itachi's previous reaction to pain (because he had to have felt something, he nearly broke his arm!) he wouldn't be able to notice anything judging by boy's behavior only.
'Right, he needs a bath and food.'he added looking at the Uchiha's thin frame. 'All I have to do is convince him...'
"Itachi, I'm going to take you to our camp, alright?" said Minato pulling his hand out so the child could take it.
Itachi was looking at the hand as if it was a snake. Minato didn't move. Itachi had to come to him on his own.
The small Uchiha hesitated, but after a quick look at the future Hokage's kind face he slowly started moving towards him.
"That's it, Itachi. Come on." Namikaze encouraged.
Itachi himself was surprised at his behavior. After all this time on the battlefield, between fighting for his life from the enemy and hunger, he thought he'd never again trust anyone. But here he was, shuffling closer to the new man's outstretched hand.
He'd never seen this man before. But maybe it was the man's warm smile, the kind look in his eyes or the safe aura around him that made the child trust him. Itachi figured it must've been his hair. It was the colour of the sun, so surely the man had to be as warm and friendly as the sun, right? Besides, the adult didn't want to hurt him. If he had, he'd have already done so.
His fingertips touched the man's hand. Itachi jumped.
'So warm…'
Itachi felt like crying. How much had he longed for a warm blanket or dry grass to lie down at night? How long had it been since he last had a warm bath? And now this warm stranger came to take him home. Home! Could he even remember it?
"Itachi, what's wrong?" came the stranger's kind voice.
Itachi froze. He realized with horror that there was water in his eyes! Water... Tears.
"Don't cry Itachi. Shinobi Rule #25: A shinobi must never display their emotion. Remember it."
Itachi didn't know whose words had spoken, but the voice caused him to wrap his thin arms around him. He was so cold.
He felt the air shift and he jumped again. The man was hugging him! His first reaction was to struggle, but then he felt warm, so warm, and he fell nearly boneless against the man's broad chest. He didn't protest when the stranger pulled him off his feet and carried him in his arms. He didn't care where he was taking him. He was warm and safe now.
Namikaze Minato felt relieved when the child snuggled to him.
He couldn't pretend he wasn't slightly scared. When the child just stood there with a lost expression and tears in his sad eyes, he wasn't able to control himself. He did the only thing that came to his mind; he hugged him.
His other part wondered how long this child was alone for, if he was willing to accept a hug from a stranger. Minato firmly told that part to shut up. Now was not the time.
He started moving towards the camp. Now there was a lot less bodies but a smell still lingered. He glanced at the dozing child in his arms- there was definitely a stench about him.
Had the child been living among... corpses?
'There isn't a lot of places to hide on the battlefield, numbskull. What did you expect?' his inner voice which sounded too much like Kushina reminded him.
He really didn't know why this thought shook him so much. He was a shinobi; hiding, pulling traps, sleeping with rotting bodies- that's what any shinobi had to come to terms with.
But... the thought of this child... doing something like this instead of playing in his warm safe home...
It was sickening.
He easily recognized the tall form of the Hyuuga Hizashi and made his way to him. The man smiled as he saw the future Hokage.
"Ah, we're just-"
"Take your men to the Iwa's border lines, there are still at least 5 corpses to take care of. Which of the medics is available?" Minato interrupted.
If Hizashi was surprised at Minato's cold tone he didn't comment on it. "Hana-sensei is free." He pointed at the kind looking woman with dark brown hair pulled into a high ponytail.
Umino Hana became a medic-nin shortly after she became pregnant. She was strong, calm and had a good hand for children.
"Umino-sensei…"
"Namikaze-san, to what do I own this pleasure?"
Minato's smile was strained. "I believe to this child…" He pulled his cloak off to expose the young Uchiha. It seemed that without the cloak covering him, Itachi was once again cold. He tried to snuggle even more against the jounin holding him, clutching his vest in his tiny fists.
To her credit, Umino Hana didn't ask any questions, nor did she show her surprise except for a slight widening of her eyes. She assessed him quickly and thoroughly.
"We need to clean him. Follow me, please."
She walked to the far corner of their camp, pulled a washbasin out and filled it with water. Then she disappeared behind the curtain only to emerge with a bar of soap.
Minato raised an eyebrow at that.
"Oh, you men could never understand the necessity of the soap." said Hana lightly.
The young Uchiha, unnoticed yet by the adults, started to wake up. He shifted in the man's grasp and looked around. His gaze fell on the tub. He shivered with anticipation. He hadn't had a bath in so long...
Minato looked at the little boy and smiled.
"Itachi, I'm going to put you in the tub, okay?" The little boy looked at him and nodded.
Namikaze removed the ragged clothes and with little effort and then put the child into the water. Itachi gasped on contact with the warmth and then crouched as low as possible. He glanced expectantly at the adult.
'Well, I'll have to do it one day with my own child.' he sighed. 'I may as well start now.'
Minato took the soap from the medic-nin and started scrubbing the boy's arm. Itachi made no reply and was just sitting in the water, content to let the older man wash him. Soon the water turned murky and dark but by that, nearly all of the 4-year-old's grime was gone.
Minato straightened.
"That should be enough." he said proudly.
Itachi's skin was a light shade of bronze that comes from spending a lot of time in the sun. Only his forearms and calves were covered in bruises. Minato could breath more easily now. The boy didn't have any chest or abdominal wounds that were usually the most dangerous. And with the boy's condition... He doubted his already fragile body would be able to put up with the strain.
"We have to cut his hair."
The jounin turned towards Hana.
"He may be crawling with lice for all we know. Besides, his hair is so matted we won't be able to even comb it." added the medic.
Minato nodded and pulled out a kunai.
It was a mistake.
Itachi's eyes went impossibly wide, pupils enlarged; his breathing grew labored, muscles contracted. He jumped out of the basin as if scalded, crouching before them on all fours like an animal. And before a jounin or medic reacted, he turned and fled from the camp.
Minato took off after him. He mentally cursed himself for his stupidity. How could he forget that the child spent an unknown amount of time on a battlefield? He was bound to react that way to any weapon in his vicinity.
He sped up. A panicked child was bad enough but a panicked fast child was another matter.
But it seemed he didn't have to bother.
Itachi was terrified. The man, that kind warm man, was trying to hurt him!
He felt a stab of pain in his heart but tried to ignore it. He was so, so close! But the man betrayed him, wanted to kill him, humiliate him by making him believe, by giving him hope,that he would safely return home. Itachi vowed to never make the same mistake twice.
He didn't even notice tears running down his face.
But he did notice when the world around him started whirling around, making him dizzy and loose his footing. What... What was that? Why?
He couldn't move, couldn't think. Thinking... It hurt to think. It hurt to even keep his eyes open.
'No…No, I can't close my eyes! If I do, I'll die!'
It was the young Uchiha's last thought before he lost consciousness, succumbing to the narcotic's power.
A/N: Thank you for review and alerts. The story itself is quite planned out (together with nearly non-existent plot) but I'm always open to new ideas. Enjoy.