Chapter Three
"Yeah. I want to go find Itachi."
Konan frowned at the shark-like man. Kisame had been in the Akatsuki since its creation and often kept things to himself. He operated as if his only emotions were dark, bloodstained amusement and hapless rage with no middle ground and sometimes she wasn't sure if it was an act. This said, she had never seen his eyes soften the way they had when he spoke this 'Itachi's' name. Catching her gaze, the swordsman's own narrowed and he sent Pein a sharp look.
Her husband sent the man one of his own. "Is it safe to speak?"
Kisame sneered at him. "Of course. I'd never put Itachi in danger. Not with that bastard up and moving."
Pein inclined his head and hummed softly. "How likely is it that Itachi will join us of his own accord?"
Konan blinked. Itachi was a man? Kisame's son perhaps?
The shark gave a weary sound; unlike any he'd ever heard. "Madara is alive," Konan sent her husband a startled glance, wondering when he'd informed Kisame and why he hadn't told her. "He will join because it will keep Sasuke and their clan safe and alive this time."
Pein let out a low curse. "Of course he will."
Konan frowned. "Who is Itachi?"
"He is one of the most brilliant and ruthless shinobi in the world, but not by choice. Madara is trying to recruit him and if Itachi continues to refuse him, he will force him to do something drastic."
"Why are you both so against him joining us? We could greatly benefit if he is as skilled as he sounds."
Kisame bared his teeth at her then gave a forced smile. "He is a pacifist."
She frowned, wondering if he was joking, and looked at her husband who nodded.
"He is the recruit that Madara spoke of. Thirteen and an Anbu captain of Konohagakure. He has been a pacifist since he was three years old however he became a shinobi to protect his younger brother from the pressures of becoming the head of their clan."
She smiled slightly at the thought of such a person but doubted it was true. She didn't know how this child had fooled even her God but she knew he wasn't all they made him out to be. If he harmed Pein or the organization, she would end him.
"I want to find him." Kisame uttered, bringing them back to his original statement.
Pein sighed. "Kisame, Madara is already watching him. If I send you he will become suspicious of me and then where will we be? We need him complacent."
"I don't care!" Kisame snarled, eyes blazing. "I refuse to leave my mate in a village full of the ghosts that haunt his dreams. You may be a god but I can and will end you if you keep me from him."
Her husband glared at the shark, but there was something sad in his gaze. "We are supposed to be trying to make this life better, Kisame. If you do as you say you will, it will only bring about the worse sooner. Write him and inform him of my thoughts, warn him of Madara, and ask him to meet with me as soon as possible."
The swordsman nodded slowly, gritting his teeth in obvious reluctance, then stood, bowed stiffly, and turned to leave.
"Kisame," Pein called and the shark-like man stilled.
"Hai?"
"I plan to pose a treaty to the Sandaime Hokage. See if you can get Itachi on his protection detail."
There was no change in the man when he left the room but Konan smiled, knowing he was grateful for the offer.
Sasuke was nervous.
He'd been hiding in the trees outside of the academy for most of the day, terrified of entering the building and seeing his face again. Even if his kitsune didn't remember him, he knew it would only take a glance from those perfect aquamarine hues to break him and he didn't want to face that. Unfortunately, however, Iruka sensei had come looking for him after he hadn't come in and had forced him from the tree which led to his current predicament.
Behind him, Iruka frowned at the uncharacteristically shy boy.
Sasuke had always been one of his more outgoing students and he had a smile that could light up the entire room, whenever it was shown. He'd never seen the young boy as nervous to enter his classroom as he was at that moment.
"Sasuke-kun, are you alright?"
His student jerked, obviously having forgotten his presence, then nodded slowly.
"Hai." He replied quietly then, before he could lose his nerve, he slid the boy open and stepped into the class room, only to be met with a fist to the face and angry blue eyes.
"Naruto!" Iruka chastised shocked but his surrogate little brother ignored him and punched the young Uchiha again, tears and anger in his gaze.
"Y-you complete fucking BASTARD!" He snarled and Sasuke, to the shock of the entire class, caught the fist and smirked.
"I deserved that."
Naruto glared at him and he winced. "And that. But can we wait until after class, dobe."
The blond blinked and looked around, giving a terrified squeak when he saw most of the girls in class glaring at him for punching their crush. Blushing, he jerked away from Sasuke and stormed back to his seat, leaving the other to follow. The young heir did so with a smirk, and a swagger unlike any he'd ever seen in the boy. Iruka stared at them for a moment, then turned to continue teaching his class, pushing the matter to the back of his mind and resolving to talk to both boys after class.
"So, gonna tell me what's wrong now?"
Itachi ignored his best friend and continued to train, punching the training post in front of him so hard that his fists bled.
He couldn't look at Shisui, not yet. He couldn't look at him without seeing him with that eerie, peaceful smile, and cheeks stained red with tears of blood as he fell beneath the full moon.
He couldn't.
Not in a village full of ghosts, many of which he'd killed either directly or indirectly. Not here at the river where he'd lost this very man so long ago.
If he looked, he would break, and he refused to do that. Since arriving in the past, he'd shed more tears than he deserved to for people he didn't deserve to cry for.
What murderer was allowed to cry for their victims?
Full lips curled into an angry snarl and he forced all of his anger and frustration into one punch, watching with dead onyx eyes as the training post shattered, shards of wood cutting into his pale skin.
A strong calloused hand wrapped around his wrist like a steel brand, the concern of its owner palpable, as he finally allowed himself to be turned around to face Shisui. The normally happy man was scowling at him in a way so eerily reminiscent of Sasuke that in any other situation he would've laughed.
This wasn't any other situation.
Shisui was worried and angry, his sharingan spinning wildly as if he could scare Itachi into admitting what was wrong, if he glared hard enough.
"Talk to me, otouto."
Itachi stiffened but his expression remained blank. "Don't call me that."
"Why not? You are my brother, Itachi. Not by blood but by bond. Whatever is bothering you, whatever happened on that mission to cause this, I can help you fix it. Just talk to me."
Dead onyx eyes met his pleading ones and he snarled wordlessly, hating whatever was making Itachi like this. His little pacifistic cousin, was not fit to be a shinobi, no matter how good he was at the shinobi arts and there were times that he loathed Sasuke's very existence. Without Sasuke, Itachi would've lived a normal life, the life he deserved.
A bird sounded overhead and Itachi's lifeless gaze left his, sharpening when they actually landed on the bird. It was a beautiful hawk-like bird with pale blue feathers, its wings smattered with dark spots. Intelligent amber eyes found Itachi immediately and their owner crowed happily, landing on the young shinobi's arm as he extended it.
"Iza," The heir breathed softly, disbelief coloring his words and she nuzzled him slightly, nipping his nose.
"Master sends a letter, Little Raven. For your eyes alone."
Shisui scowled, hating not knowing who was sending the letter yet relief that a bit of life had entered his gaze.
Itachi hummed softly and took the letter with a strange look in his eyes, something like relief but more broken.
"Return to him. Tell him to be careful."
The bird crowed and nipped his nose again before taking off.
Once it was gone, Shisui stared at Itachi with narrowed eyes, positive now that the being before him was an imposter, someone possessing his friend because while the being's chakra matched Itachi's its behavior didn't. It was too quiet, too broke, too…wrong.
Lips curling into an angry expression, he tackled the raven to the ground and placed a kunai to his throat.
"Who are you?"
TBC…
