Wha...what's this?! ANOTHER CHAPTER! *whispers*Within a reasonable amount of time! Prepare yourselves! Cause I mean...something must be going down! Okay enough of my lame chatterXD
Ah to answer my lovely review! For the most part it will basically follow the storyline of the Manga but Itachi and his actions will be the focal point rather then background. Now that doesn't mean Itachi is now the star of Naruto (Like Madara thinks he isXD) It's like...paying attention more the what the people are doing in the back round of a major scene...does that make sense?
Eeer I hope it did! But anywho! Onward! Many thanks to all of you who are supporting this story! This chapter is un-bated so if you notice anything notable or even just wanna tell me something about the story cause reviews a chill it's all appreciated.
Love~Chi
Kakashi stared at the letter in his hand. It fluttered restlessly in the slight summer breeze. The paper was creased and worn around the middle where the fibers could no longer hold up. Kakashi's eye skimmed over the familiar elegant penmanship once more having already memorised it's context. He switched his focus to the gleaming memorial stone. A new name had been added recently. A name he knew would break his former students heart. It broke his in fact.
Again Kakashi's gaze shifted, fixing itself on to a new object. He reached for the teal book that rested next to his outstretched right leg. He had already finished it twice too eager to savor the words. He should have. He should have devoured the book like it was his last meal: slow and meaningfully. Because it turned out to be something of that sorts.
"Such a shame." He murmured mournfully cracking the book open to read over the randomly selected page. Kakashi picked up right away where the storyline was effortlessly. It almost left a hollow pain in his chest he knew as loss. But it was dulled by the contents of the letter he now tucked in to the crevice of the book folded back up neatly. The letter that had arrived nearly a month earlier still sent a myriad of emotions through his system. He was both excited and yet entirely too apprehensive. There was a sensation of foreboding he just could not shake about everything that was happening. It always added up to more than it seemed. Look underneath the underneath. The words he advocated to his own team when they were still newbie genin. He chuckled at the memory of team seven's first meeting. The copy-nin stretched arching back into the surety of the tree behind him. Sunlight filtered through at just the right angle causing him to squint his exposed eye.
"Aaah." smiling Kakashi relaxed from his stretch blinking the sudden blindness from his eye. "I'll have to tell Tsunade-sama." He stood crossing the small distance from his spot to the memorial stone soundlessly. "It's all changing again." Kakashi chuckled running a fingertip over each of his childhood team members names. His life was always changing. It came with the shinobi life style he figured. His finger lingered over Obito's name as he gently slide his book into his ninja pouch, it's regular place. It was a peaceful day, Kakashi noted staring at the engraved name.
"Oi! Kakashi-san," the voice jerked Kakashi out of his contemplative state, "Wanna get some ramen?" He turned to the familiar warm voice watching Iruka jog up to him.
"Sure. Why not." He smirked feeling a welcome warmth in his chest. The news could wait till that evening.
Obito would never admit it but he was fairly jealous of his fellow clansman, Uchiha Itachi. There were a number of reasons fellow shinobi could hold contempt for the raven. There were the more mundane ones along the lines of Itachi's easy genius and blatant power he kept modestly hidden. But those did not really bother him. Stuff like that had not affected him since he started his training under their grotesquely powerful relative. No, what really made him jealous was the fact that the boy got to keep the people he loved. Obito was half tempted to say it was not fair had he not know all too well how unfair life could be.
Obito shook his head sharply, slamming a solid fist into the hallway wall. He never used to have such angsty thoughts. A smirk crept over his mouth. Maybe he was really giving into the Uchiha curse of perpetual angst. He swallowed a chuckle, walking casually toward the laboratory Chi had made her home since they had transferred hideouts from Amegakure. She was a meddlesome girl but her skills would be useful when the grand scheme of all his plots unfolded.
"Why is he obsessed with poop?" Obito stopped short outside of the doorway.
'Poop? Itachi should be awake by now...why would they be talking about...' he pressed himself into the shadows of the door to listen.
"I don't know. We don't do it so there is not actual point for him to think about it." Zetsu answered.
"Of all the things for him to pick..," Chi trailed off.
"Just think of Kuma-chan, Chi. She loves to poop." Itachi chimed in. Obito could not believe his ears. Yet some part of him really could.
"Yeah I suppose. Obito-san are you going to join the speculation?" His eyes flashed for a moment.
'Of course they would notices.' His smirked reappeared.
"Ever the astute, Chi-chan." He walked in surveying the layout of the room walking until he stood next to the island table the Uchiha's were located on. Itachi was hooked to a IV with constant drip of blood and another clear solution. His head was propped up in Chi's lap their hands intertwined. It was sweet and almost made Obito's eye twitch. He turned to look over to Zetsu who was seated next to a dialysis machine.
"Mmm I try. So can we start this surgery now! I prepared everything for you already." Obito cocked his eyebrow at the enthusiasm in the female Uchiha's voice. He took a moment to stare at the couple.
'So devoted.' He thought with mild disgust. Rin's image swam across his vision.
"Yes, yes. Get off the table I am not doing it with you backseat blind driving." He bit out moving to the counter behind him were he found Chi had laid out all the tools he would need next to the jar labeled "For Itachi." Obito rolled his eyes.
'Always so prepared.' Of course she was. It was part of the training he instilled in her with the others. It was mandatory to their way of life. To not be prepared was to be dead.
'There we go with the angst. I should...forget it I am way too far gone.' he thought dejectedly carrying the tray of tools back to the surgical table. He stared at Zetsu help Chi onto a chair across the room where he assumed the plant man had been sitting since they arrived.
"Let's get this over with."
Itachi leaned adjusting his body to the sudden lack of leverage. He knew Chi was steps away. It did not lessen the pang he felt when their physical contact ended.
'Have I developed separation anxiety?' Now there was a comical thought. He heard Chi let a giggle slip indicating to him she listened to the thought. He allowed the corners of his mouth to tug upwards under the readjusting heat generated by what he could only guess was a rather large lamp.
"Lift your head." He did as the one Chi named Obito murmured. It was a voice he knew. But the person that owned the voice in his memories was called Uchiha Madara. Those were questions he could answer later. Now that there really was a later for him.
'Heh...Otouto's going to hate me even more.' He thought back to his last words. 'One day the world is going to realise I am the biggest procrastinator to ever exist.' a breathy laugh slipped passed his lips.
"Can you stop doing that," Zetsu spoke this time. Itachi's neck was still craned starting to strain a bit. He heard the shifting of the surgical tools close to his upper right. "It's weird to see you smile so much 'Tachi-san." a small pillow was slipped under Itachi's head letting his neck relax finally.
"Leave him be!" Chi chastised. "Everyone deserves to be happy sometimes." He could hear the smile in her voice. The was an anticipation building in his stomach to see her. Too see in general, unclouded. The bandages began to loosen around his head. It was strange being in the solid darkness. It was different from when he was going blind. Back then there was an emphasised consciousness on his deteriorating eyeballs. The light he knew was overhead left no burning image of red and yellow. There was nothing. Just heat.
Even the pain his eyes caused drew attention to them. Forced him to remember they were becoming his undoing. Outdoing, if you will, the kind heart he was born with. Now there was a strange nothingness. As the bandages gave way to a splash of fresh air letting the skin beneath breath he felt his eyelids twitch, an instinctive muscle memory to moisten the optical orbs that no longer resided behind them.
"Eeew." Zetsu spoke up again followed by a quick "Oof."
"Chi play nice." Obito sighed.
"Not my fault he can't handle the human body."
"I'm not human. I don't ha-" he was cut off by another "Oof" Then there was silence. Itachi could feel a slight tension leak into the room. His thoughts drifted back to the person he assumed was standing over him by the change in temperature. He was not sure how he felt about this Obito being anywhere near his eye. Not that he was particularly vain. It's just his face came in handy during missions. And he was fairly certain Chi enjoyed his face firmly intact as well. Even more importantly who taught the other Uchiha to surgically implant sensitive organs like eyes? An uneasiness entered his muscles.
"Itachi, I'm not going to say you need to trust me," Obito said very near to his ears in a low rumble, "But you need to at least relax. The Uchiha have mastered and written down their techniques for generations. We have eye transplants down to an art." Itachi let out a shaky breath.
"Hn." Was all he gave forcing the tightness from his body.
"There we go." He felt the delicate skin over his left eye socket peel apart. It made a nasty sticky, squelch noise.
'Chi...are you sure about this?' He listened to the rhythmic blip of his heart monitor. An odd sort of dull pop was heard in the silent room. A silence none particularly noticed.
'Are you doubting you imoto?' Chi tsked back. The left side of his head felt like someone had just doused it in freezing water while blowing hot air onto it at the same time. It did not hurt. He didn't think much could hurt anymore in comparison to his illness. The pain was gone. His retribution...Did that mean it was over? Could he ever fully repay his sins?
"You're doing it again." Obito's voice slipped through his musings.
"Sorry." He whispered relaxing his pinched expression. A repeat of the left side now invade his right. Fresh bandages were sooner than expectedly wrapped gently around his head once more. Itachi noticed his body begin to feel heavier.
"Almost finished. You need to be out for this next part." Obito informed him. He did not want to sleep. He would never admit it but he was almost fearful that he would be forced back into purgatory if he did.
"Let me sit closer to him." Chi's voice ran over his nerves like a salve for a stinging wound.
"Please." Itachi said before Obito could shoot her down.
"Hn...fine." Itachi smiled reaching his left hand out so his wife could grab on to it. It was reassuring to feel her slightly calloused smaller hand in his before he was asleep.
