Another update for this lovely fic! With a spin that may not be as believable, but I like it! And I was very happy with my writing style here. I found the way again :D So I hope this pleases you too ^^ Enjoy!

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Weeks had passed and all that had happened was now stuffed somewhere in the back of Itachi's mind. It was better left forgotten. Life had moved on and Itachi had barely heard anything of Iwagakure. It was not his place to know anything and the only information he received, came from his father, who had joined in on a few meetings. Though Itachi was fairly certain Fugaku had not been allowed in on every meeting either. There were things the Uchihas did not know, which Itachi understood as well. They may be a high ranking clan, but the Hyūgas were the same and they didn't receive any special treatment either. They thought the information they got was sufficient enough. But their history wasn't as unstable as the Uchihas was.

Missions had come and go again, none having anything to do with the Akatsuki. But Itachi put his uniform on without hesitation for each of them and finished them without complaint. There had been no missteps and all his results were perfect once more. A praise had even left the Lady Hokage's lips. Itachi was getting back on track. No more distractions. Itachi was stronger than that and it was his duty to the village to protect it. There would be no further slipups, no matter what would happen next.

The changing room was empty when Itachi redressed himself, the ANBU uniform strapped tightly around his skin, the material flexible enough to follow every movement. It was designed to fit every need, though there were still some details that didn't work out as well as it could. The metal parts were there to protect certain areas, but it made the uniform heavier. To compromise there was less fabric used to cover the rest of the body, so in colder weather they always needed to wear cloaks to keep their bodies warm. And then they also had a problem with taking stuff with them. Unlike the normal squads, the ANBU could not bring a lot along the way, and there had been moments when food had been scarce, but they could not move from their positions. Those had been the hard missions.

Strapping his short sword to his back, Itachi found himself ready to meet the Hokage. It was odd that no other ANBU was around. Single missions were not unheard of, but they were certainly rare, and Itachi had not been on a solo mission in a long time. Moving towards the door Itachi let that thought slide off his shoulders. Tsunade would have her reasons and that was all that mattered. Itachi followed orders. Clicking the mask in place over his face, all of his features were hidden behind the wooden cat mask, a few red details marking it as Itachi's mask. And then Itachi pushed the door open to meet the morning sky.

The weather was soft, though the humidity high. It would be a warm day today, but not until a few more hours had passed, and Itachi would be long gone by then. His steps were quiet as Itachi made his way over the roofs, avoiding the early risers down below. He would not be seen by any of them. Only his family would be aware that he was out on a mission, as it was supposed to be. Reaching the end of his final roof, Itachi made the jump to land on the Hokage building, his feet barely leaving any sound as they hit the concrete floor. He would not enter through the window as some did and would not appear in Tsunade's room without knocking. Itachi simply preferred stepping in announced, especially this early in the morning. It was not a secret what the Lady Hokage did during her time off and Itachi rather not startle her when she has a hangover.

Walking around the building, Itachi entered through the main doors, finding the hallways of the building as deserted as the ANBU building. As he reached the two red doors he could hear the rustling of paper, accompanied by annoyed grumbling. It really was still early. A knock to the door made the sounds still inside and after a muttered 'come in', Itachi did step inside and joined Tsunade in the mess she called her office.

'Don't mind the papers,' Tsunade instantly waved off, in the process actually wiping a few of them right off her desk. 'I've been trying to locate certain information, but I can't seem to find it in the libraries. And that annoying Ōnoki keeps harassing me with letters. I understand that old man wants to get a move on, because he might not live long enough before we actually find everything.' Tsunade kept on blabbering, and Itachi wasn't sure if he was actually meant to hear all this, but he kept his mouth shut. It was not his place to question. So he pushed some of the files away to make place on the floor, and then kneeled in front of his superior, head bowed down. 'But that man should understand that we need more time to figure it all out!'

It wasn't polite to tune out and Itachi did his best to follow every sentence Tsunade spoke, but the rant wouldn't stop. Casting a glance up from the floor Itachi noticed she was still flipping through books and files, scribbling things down in the process. 'Milady?' Itachi eventually dared to speak, stopping more words from spilling off Tsunade's lips. 'Was this the reason you called me in for?'

Blinking down at him Tsunade realised she had not been paying much attention, and she quickly straightened herself out. 'No, no. Of course not, Itachi. And stand up. I have no time for common courtesies.' Behind his mask Itachi raised an eyebrow at that comment. Her own complaints had taken away more time than his kneeling, which was not a simple habit, but something he was told to do. 'This is going to be a special kind of mission and you do have teammates, though different ones than you expect. I have to admit I am not entirely happy with this idea, but Ōnoki left me no choice. I was going to send out team Kakashi alone and meet up with one of Iwagakure's teams across the border. But that old man decided his team needed someone who had been present during the last mission where our paths crossed. So he's sending the ANBU you met before to go along with his team, and therefore I am sending you out as well.

'I know it's not a perfect plan, and I am not happy about it, but I have no other choice. I don't trust that man,' Tsunade spat, crumpling up one of the papers in front of her. Possibly a letter that had been sent to her by the Tsuchikage. 'So team Kakashi is still going out and is going to try and find some new information on this whole Akatsuki business. They are not allowed to go in too deep, but we don't have much information as we speak. You have worked with Kakashi before and your brother is someone you know as well, so I have faith this works out alright.'

Itachi had told himself nothing would get him down again, but all this information came as a smack in the face. How could he process this? There were so many questions lying on his tongue, wondering where this whole idea had come from. Shouldn't they send a whole ANBU team to track down the Akatsuki and find out who they are? A Chūnin seemed hardly capable of something like that. And cooperating with another village just like that as well. How many jabs would there be given along the way and would everyone really play fair? It was all to benefit the village, but did the Tsuchikage share that same idea?

'Do I keep my mask on?' Itachi eventually asked, not finding the right words to voice his others.

Pursing her lips Tsunade looked at Itachi for a while and eventually shook her head, her two ponytails moving from left to right in the process. 'No, not while you're traveling with team Kakashi. They all know who you are, so there is no need to. But do bring it with you, in case you need it during your mission. If a task gets too dangerous, I expect you to step in and arrange things with Kakashi.' Her voice was stern and powerful, tolerating no responds to this. It was what made her a perfect fit for this job, even if people had questioned it often.

Sliding the mask off his face, Itachi slipped it down towards his hip and let it hang there on his belt. 'Are they aware that I am traveling with them?'

'Yes, I informed them all last night and they are waiting on you by the Western gates. Kakashi will inform you on how they will proceed. He will be the contact point.' Her dark brown eyes slid up towards his face, studying his features for a moment longer. Her lips pursed again, another thought striking her. 'I want a separate report of this mission from you personally. The others don't need to know of this. I want you to take in as much information as you can, not only on the Akatsuki, but also on Iwagakure. Bring it to me once you've returned.'

Another mission to spy on others. Something he had done many times before, even within this village. It was not something Itachi really enjoyed, and even now it would complicate things. It would not solely be about gaining information from one party, but also from the other. And then he still had the problem that the other ANBU would be coming alone, and even if Itachi had tried to avoid that thought, he knew who it would be. There was a reason why the Tsuchikage would choose him to join in on the mission. It would be a small taunt towards Konohagakure as well.

'One final thing before you leave,' Tsunade announced. 'This is also the mission where I will test Sasuke's capabilities. If this mission returns with great results, I'll grant him the title Jōnin.' More news Itachi wasn't ready for. Now this mission had far too many goals and Itachi would need to pay attention to all of them. 'Now you're dismissed.' Another wave of her hand sent Itachi out the door without a word. There was no way Itachi could actually talk back to the woman, but it seemed she had cut his thoughts off every time on purpose. So he wouldn't question her. Wouldn't comment on her ways.

The closing of the door behind Itachi, didn't stop his thoughts from running wild. Normal missions Itachi would accept without a second thought, and even this one Itachi had accepted, but not full heartedly. It would be an odd mission. The first he would ever share with his little brother. Nothing had changed in their relationship after Deidara had left, and Sasuke hadn't even asked about what had happened. He was mature enough to understand that there were needs Itachi had or perhaps he simply didn't want to know these things about his brother. Itachi wasn't very interested in Sasuke's love life either. As long as the boy was happy, then Itachi would be happy for him as well.

But now the next confrontation would arise. Deidara had been gone, so Sasuke didn't need to think much of it. Now they would be stuck together for quite some time, working together side by side under good circumstances. The resting periods would hold some conversations, ones that might turn more private than intended, and who knew how Deidara would treat him now anyway. But Deidara was an ANBU as well, professional like Itachi was, so he didn't expect much from it. It would be simply Sasuke's moment to prove that he was mature enough as well, and would not let this little bit of private information get to him.

The red gates of the Western exit soon came into view, between the wooden doors three figures already visible. Itachi didn't need to check if his little brother was there. Sasuke had his eyes focused on the path the whole time, and they had now instantly locked with Itachi's.

A slap against his shoulder made Itachi turn to the side, meeting Kakashi's on eyed smile. 'I'm not sure what this mission has in store for us, but keep your eyes open, will you. We'll be of need of your Sharingan.' The serious tone didn't match up with the expression Kakashi had on his face, but Itachi understood it was to not give anything away to the others. It seemed Kakashi questioned this mission as much as Itachi did.

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Characters © Masashi Kishimoto

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