Last week Itachi became a Genin in a test rigged by the Hokage. He wanted to set up a team to steal secret documents from enemy shinobi. Itachi got to have some fun torturing an "enemy" ninja, and he also got a shock when he looked at Shisui's new Sharingan.
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Disclaimer – Kishimoto owns everything.
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Chapter 21 – The First Konoha Mission
"…lot of nightmares lately. He only slept for about three hours the night before."
"Any idea what could be causing his insomnia and the nightmares?"
"I can think of a few little things, but he was like this when he was Sasuke's age as well and things were a lot different then."
Itachi listened to the voices, not really registering who was speaking or where he was. The room was partially lit with a lamp and the shadows on the ceiling seemed to move as if they were the ones doing the talking and not people.
A man's face moved into view, covering the shadows on the ceiling. "It looks like you're finally awake. You gave everyone quite a scare when you collapsed, young man." A hand started to caress his hair and he moved his eyes to view a woman's face.
"Something's wrong. Look at him, it's like he doesn't recognize us." The woman's voice rose a little. Perhaps it was panic?
"Hmm. He's obviously disoriented. I spoke to his sensei and he received no injury during his training yesterday. Not even a scratch. In fact, if I didn't know any better, I would say he is actually acting like he has received a huge shock and his brain has shut down partially until it can deal with it. He'll be fine, though. He does understand what we are saying, but isn't able to react to it. Let's give him a few minutes to adjust."
Ten minutes later Itachi blinked his eyes a few times and lifted his hands and folded them over his chest. "Where am I?" His voice was horse.
"Oh, Itachi! You are in Shisui's hospital room. Are you okay? You've been asleep for almost fourteen hours. Is there anything you would like?" he finally recognized the voice as his mother.
"Bathroom." This speaking thing was troublesome.
"Ah! Of course. Let me help you up."
When Itachi had returned he wanted to sit in a chair instead of the bed. He looked over and saw that his cousin was asleep. Glancing at the clock he saw it was 5am.
"Why are you here so early?" Itachi thought it odd that a doctor would visit him so early in the morning.
"I've been in and out to see you already a couple times already. My shift doesn't end for another three hours anyway." Dr. Yakushi sat down in another chair in front of the young boy. "Tell me what happened just before you collapsed. Your mother said you had a look of terror on face."
Itachi thought back but all he could see was a set of red eyes. Still, it had terrified him. It was that dream of the river.
The door opened and Itachi turned his head to see his father walk into the room. The clan leader's face held no expression. "It's okay, Itachi, you may speak to him."
Itachi closed his eyes and nodded once. "I had this dream." He paused.
"Itachi, it's okay. Go ahead and talk." Fugaku frowned a little. He was concerned when he heard his son had fainted after seeing his cousin's new Sharingan. It was rather bizarre and at first he had thought it was some kind of jealousy since the two boys were almost like brothers, but fainting went a little too far for that.
"It was night, I got the feeling it was around midnight. Two people, one tall and one short walked to a concealed spot by the river. One spoke and said they could fight there and they wouldn't be seen. Then some time passed and the area was all wet and I saw the short person looking into river at two red eyes. He then said something about his body and then I woke up terrified. I didn't recognize their voices. I've never heard them before even though one of them called the other 'Itachi', it wasn't me. But…there was nothing in the dream that seemed scary. No monsters or blood or…I don't know. Why did it scare me?" Itachi was feeling a little desperate.
Dr. Yakushi looked up at Fugaku with a serious expression on his face. He then stood up and motioned for him to follow him into the hall.
"Have you ever spoken to him about the Mangekyo Sharingan? I realize the child is your heir, but it is a forbidden jutsu." The doctor looked the elder Uchiha in the eye, as if challenging him.
"Never. He knows it exists, but he does not know how to obtain it. It is possible he has gained the information second hand or even accidentally." Fugaku was a little surprised that the doctor knew this tidbit of information. "How do you know about it?"
"As the chief medical officer it is my duty to familiarize myself with the unique medical concerns of the various Kekkei Genkai's within Konoha. My predecessors wrote extensively on the side effects that occurred before and after the… Anyway, Itachi appears to be suffering from stress. Someone has placed an unwanted expectation on him. If it isn't you, then perhaps someone else is influencing the boy?"
Fugaku growled. "I have an idea who it is." Madara. So he still has his sticky fingers wrapped around my boy's throat.
"Then take care of it. I want him back here when he returns from his first mission for an evaluation. Right now, my gut feeling is to not let him go tomorrow, but since he was able to sleep for fourteen hours without interruption I'll let him go anyway."
"Understood." The two men walked back into the room and the doctor sat back down in front of a very nervous Itachi. He had felt a surge of panic when the doctor called his father out of the room, especially with his first mission only hours away.
"You're going to be fine Itachi. This isn't going to affect your mission. I'm going to let you go home now, and I want you to do nothing except rest until your mission starts tomorrow. Okay?" The doctor was smiling.
Itachi looked up at his father, but Fugaku was looking at Shisui. "Yes. I will rest. Thank-you Dr. Yakushi for taking the time out of your busy schedule to assist me."
After the doctor left the room the silence was almost unbearable. Itachi cringed inwardly, expecting to be yelled at. Finally, Fugaku broke the silence.
"Shisui, you are not to speak of anything you have heard in here." He spoke in his most serious voice.
"Yes my lord." Shisui's sleep weary voice answered him with the proper respect.
"I now realize that Madara has been continuing to instruct you two."
The fear that showed in the faces of the two boys was ten times worse than Itachi's nightmare. Mikoto, who had been standing quickly sat down on the side of Itachi's bed, eyes open wide in alarm. Instinctively she reached over and grabbed Itachi's wrist.
Fugaku seemed to be trying to think of what to say next and it was a good five minutes before he spoke again. "Have you ever been told how the Mangekyo Sharingan is achieved?" He activated his own sharingan and looked at the boys.
"No my lord." Both boys spoke at the same time. Itachi had become very polite in his speech. Fugaku could tell they were not lying.
"You have not asked?"
Shisui spoke up. "I asked, yes, but Madara said we were too young to know."
"I will not tell you either. I would like that aspect of our eye Jutsu to disappear forever, but it will not as long as Uchiha exist. I will say this, though. When Madara was an active member of the clan several of his students committed suicide, thus refusing his orders to awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan. He chose to call them traitors and erase them from his registry of students. In such a way it could be said that he had a 100 percent pass rate. Most of his students had terrifying nightmares before the awakening. Almost exactly like the one Itachi described."
Itachi gasped in shock and sat up straight in his chair. Shisui sat straight up in his bed. Mikoto quickly ran over to him to get him to lie down again but he refused. This bit of information about Madara was surprising and unexpected. And very disturbing.
Fugaku continued. "And many others killed themselves after the awakening, unable to live with what they had done. Madara may have been erasing their names, but he also called it 'weeding out the weak links'."
"But if I don't know how to awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan, how could I have had the dream?" Itachi was starting to get annoyed.
"Good question. Perhaps you heard something and your subconscious is reacting to it instead of your conscious." Fugaku looked down at the boy.
Itachi stood up and yelled. "That's not an answer! I'm tired of these stupid dreams! I can't even sleep! Make them go away!"
Fugaku looked back at his son. "Mikoto and I are perhaps the two strongest shinobi in the Uchiha clan. Both of us combined would be unable to put even a scratch on that evil man. I would like to tell you two to never see him again, but he would insist and, in the worst case, he would remove both of you from Konoha and raise you elsewhere. All I can do is ask you to remain loyal to the clan. Loyal to your parents and cousins. Loyal to Konoha and its inhabitants that look to you for protection."
"Yes my lord." Both boys spoke simultaneously.
'Now what?' Fugaku thought to himself hopelessly. He had told the boys the truth. He could not stand up against that man. They were shinobi and mature for their ages, but they were still children and could be easily deceived or at the least misled. After being gone for decades, Madara had suddenly returned and taken an interest in two young boys to the point that he was spending time training them. He had almost succeeded in kidnapping Sasuke, and would have succeeded if he hadn't stopped for several hours in an attempt to seal the Kyuubi in the baby's small body.
Somehow, he would have to find out what was going on. Given the ages of the boys, whatever Madara was planning would not transpire for many more years to come. A plan started to formulate in the clan chief's head and he smiled. It would work… The sacrifice would be tremendous, but if… when it worked then the Uchiha name would be redeemed and Konoha would be safe.
Looking over at Mikoto he saw that she had finally gotten Shisui to lie back down and was checking the IV needles in his arm to make sure they were still secure. He frowned as his thoughts echoed silently in his mind. 'I'm sorry Mikoto. I'm going to have to use Sasuke for this too.'
Fugaku looked at the two boys again, and his smile turned bittersweet. They would all pay for this. Surprisingly, he realized that he did not feel like a villain for what he was going to do, but a victim for having to rid his beloved village of a man who should have been killed by the First Hokage many generations ago. He also felt a little relieved, knowing that he would not have to act right now. He could take a few years to properly formulate his plan and guide the children, perhaps learn more about Madara using his own sources. He would act on his own. He swore to himself that he would involve only himself and the three boys. That way, if he failed, only the four of them would fall. Hopefully then, the rest of clan would survive and maybe someday earn back the trust of the village.
"Well, while I am here I might as well tell you what your job will be in regard to Uchiha missions." This perked the boys up and they lifted their heads to look at Fugaku. "You two will form a team that will track down, apprehend and return any Genin who go rouge. It should be simple for you two, as most Genin who disappear are doing it out of fear for their lives rather than personal gain or traitorous activity. They are also, for the most part, poorly trained and have few skills. For the Chuunin and Jounin on the police force this is a waste of time, but for you two it should be considered an opportunity to increase your tracking and survival skills, as well as good training for apprehending live prisoners. Killing them is easy; keeping them alive is more difficult.
"When Itachi returns from his mission, and Shisui is cleared to return to active duty I will personally take you both to hunt down a Genin who went AWOL last week. The boy is not expected to be able to cause any trouble with his disappearance so if we have to wait a month its okay. The pay is also low, but after the clan takes it's third you two can split the rest."
Both boys' faces lit up with excitement. Finally…a chance to work for the clan!
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It had taken three days for the infiltration team to reach the stronghold. It didn't look like much and the three new Genin were slightly disappointed after listening to the big buildup Yurina had given them. In fact, the building, though made of stone, was the same size as the cabin they had invaded during their teamwork exercise. There was one ninja sitting on the ground in front of it, sporting a Cloud village forehead protector. Well, that was unexpected, given that they were in Stone.
"Looks like we've got problems." Itachi said quietly. The others nodded.
"At least they are still here. It must mean they are after the same scroll." Yurina pursed her lips, thinking. "That guy seems a little to casual, though. He's actually nodding off."
Yota activated his Byakugan and looked inside the cabin. "There is no one inside."
"There is an underground passage. I'm following the roots down. It's really deep." The girl was silent for a few minutes, concentrating. "I found them. There are two of them. They are ransacking the place, pulling scrolls off the shelves and throwing them on the ground. There's a third, he's small, I guess about Itachi's size and he is holding a scroll in his hand and his other hand is holding an object." Yuri suddenly broke her jutsu. "I think he saw me! He looked straight at me and smiled."
"Then what? Did he alert the others?" Yota was looking intently at the building, waiting to see when the reappeared from the underground passage.
"He… uhh… winked at me." Yuri blushed, but she wasn't sure if it was because she had just given away their presence or because of the wink.
"Hmm. Bad form, Yuri, flirting with the enemy?" Yurina had to tease her. She couldn't resist. She laughed when the younger girl blushed a deeper red.
"He's too young! I wasn't flirting." The words were mumbled but everyone heard them.
"Yurina?" Itachi had been watching the ninja on guard and had realized something. "That guy is not a Cloud ninja. Look! He has another forehead protector on under the Cloud one. You can see it if you look over his left eye."
Yota trained his Byakugan on the man. "It's a Stone insignia."
"What the hell is going on?" Yurina tapped Yuri on the shoulder. "Did you see any forehead protectors on the people inside the building?"
"I didn't look."
"Look again. They know we are here now so it doesn't matter if they see you."
"Ok." She closed her eyes in concentration again. This time the boy waved at her, using the hand with the scroll. The other men in the room ignored him. They didn't seem to be looking for anything, just emptying all of the shelves and throwing the scrolls into the middle of the floor.
"They are wearing Stone forehead protectors, except the boy isn't wearing one at all. He must not be a ninja yet. They are throwing everything on the floor. Guys? I think they are going to start a fire. That's the same thing my uncle did when our clan fled Grass country."
"Is the boy still holding the scroll?" Yurina's voice had taken on an air of urgency.
"Yes. He…uh…waved at me with it."
"Was he showing it to you? Rubbing it in, so to speak?" Itachi was beginning to be intrigued by this boy's bizarre behavior.
Yurina interrupted. "That has to be the scroll we are after. We have to have it, it describes important seals needed to rescue several prisoners of war. If we don't get it our comrades will die."
"What? It's that important?" Yuri was angry. That boy was waving the lives of her fellow villagers in her face.
"The Stone village is due north from here, so when they exit the building they will likely head off in that direction. When they do exit the building, they will probably blow it up to destroy the remaining scrolls inside." Yurina looked north. There was an outcropping of rock barely visible through the pine trees, but it was possible it was a Genjutsu to mask their escape.
"Yota, is that rock beyond the trees real?"
The Hyuuga glanced over. "No. It's a Genjutsu."
Yurina smiled. "Okay. We have to get the scroll without them knowing so we can't attack. It will take them two days to get back to their village. We will follow them, then tonight I will use my poison to incapacitate them. Itachi will then memorize the scroll and we can leave. They will wake up thinking nothing has happened."
"Can't we just grab the scroll?" Itachi thought it all sounded like a lot of work.
"No. If they know it is missing, then they will be alerted that a breakout is pending and they will change the seals around the prisoners, or even kill them all." Yurina smiled at Itachi's look of frustration. She could sense he wasn't frustrated at not being able to take the scroll, but at not realizing what would happen if the enemy found out they took it.
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That night the four Konoha ninja sat about five hundred feet away from where the Stone ninja's had bunked down. It was 1am and the bright evening stars lit the landscape in a soft white glow, creating shadows among the sparse evergreens. They couldn't risk detection so earlier they had taken some soldier pills that Yurina had distributed. It removed their hunger, but the smells of cooking meat wafting through the woods was a little disheartening. Yurina told them they would get used to it soon enough.
"So was my explosion art un?" Everyone jumped about a foot and quickly turned around. Standing behind them was a small boy, the same height as Itachi. He had his long blond hair tied in a top-knot and even in the dim light they could see his bright blue eyes. He was wearing a blue Yukata tied with a white obi, black pants, fingerless gloves and regular civilian type sandals. Smiling ear to ear he waited for them to answer.
"Where the hell did you come from?" Yota was extremely pissed off. "I've had my Byakugan on for ever and I didn't detect you at all."
"You didn't answer my question."
Yota growled. "Answer mine first or I'll slit your neck from ear to ear!"
"From the ground un. Duh! You come into Stone and you don't even think first about what kind of jutsu we use un? I heard Konoha was full of idiots, but I thought those guys" he pointed at his comrades "were just talking out of their asses again un."
Yurina blushed in embarrassment. "I'm sorry Yuri, it's my fault. I should have asked you to monitor the ground."
"Well, I should have thought of it myself. I am from Grass country after all."
"You haven't answered my question yet." The blond boy was getting obstinate. "Did you think my explosion was art?"
"Art?" Itachi finally spoke up. "What is art? Why should I care? And more importantly, why are you here?"
The boy looked at Itachi like he was an idiot. Stepping forward a couple feet his face was lit by the bright starlight and the foursome could see it more clearly. Or rather, the bruises that covered it. His left eye was almost swollen shut and he had a large black and blue bruise over his right cheek. There were lighter colored bruises on his forehead. When he lifted his arm to reach into his Yukata they could also see bruises on his arm.
"Kid, what happened? You're covered in bruises." Yurina's voice was concerned. They had dropped out of sight of the Stone ninja's for several hours after they blew up the stronghold, only coming near them again four hours ago.
The boy frowned. It was a pathetic look that melted Yurina's heart. "My master didn't think it was art un. He… he thinks I'm insane and if he beats me enough I'll get some sense knocked into me un."
"Well, kid, I thought it was art. The explosion was very loud and bright." Yurina smiled at him as she shot the other's a look that she hoped said "play along."
Yuri caught on and continued the praise. "I would loved to have seen it at night. The brightness of the flames would surely have outshone the moon."
"I think you should hit your master back and make him pay what he did to you." Yota wasn't going to praise him. But he thought some constructive criticism would be okay.
"Yeah." Itachi was getting impatient. He didn't want to play whatever game this brat was leading them into. Why was he here anyway? Just to obtain the praise his master refused him? Or was he a front for an attack? He glanced at Yuri and saw that she was paying attention to the boy, but that she was also concentrating. She must be sending her chakra into the roots to try to detect enemies underground. Yota also had his Byakugan on, watching the boy and his comrades.
"He's stronger than me. But I've got a plan un. I'm a genius and I know exactly how to get back at him un." He pulled a scroll out of his Yukata and extended it to Yuri. "You can have this."
"What?" Yuri was baffled, but she quickly reached up and took the scroll from him. The boy put his hands up and started to make a hand sign.
"Stop!" Itachi reached over and grabbed the boys arm, releasing it when he flinched in pain. "Wait a few minutes. I'll memorize it, then give it back to you."
"But what will that do un? Then he will get praised for keeping it safe instead of punished for failing. I don't want him to be my master anymore!" The boy looked like he was going to start crying. Itachi ignored him and quickly grabbed the scroll from Yuri and started memorizing it.
"Where are your parents?" Yurina wanted to keep him talking.
"Mother died and father remarried, but his new wife didn't want somebody else's kid so father kicked me out of the house. I lived on the streets for a while until this old man took me to the Village hidden in the Stones and enrolled me in the Academy un. But they said I was too young to live alone so I have to live with my master. He teaches me a lot of things, but a year ago he started to hit me a lot un."
"I'm sorry. Yuri and Yota are orphans too. Have you taken your Genin exam yet?" She glanced at Itachi and saw that he was a quarter of the way through the scroll.
"Yes un. But I have a bruise on the back of my head so it hurts when I wear my forehead protector un. If you give the scroll back I'm going to throw it away un."
"What's your name?"
"Deidara un. I don't have a last name, when my father kicked me out he told to never use it again un."
"Well, Deidara, when we use the information in the scroll I guarantee your master will get into a lot of trouble."
"When you use it un?" Deidara thought about it for minute and the smile returned to his face. "That works un. They'll think you got there before we did, and since master insisted on stopping for sake on the way here he could be in a lot more trouble that just this un."
Itachi rolled the scroll up and handed it back to him without saying anything. Deidara smirked as he put the scroll back in his Yukata, then performed the hand seals to disappear back into the ground. Yuri and Yota quickly used their jutsu's to track him.
Yota sighed. "I lost him as soon as he hit the ground."
"I see him. He's fast. Not as fast as my uncle, but still fast." Yuri dropped her jutsu.
"Let's get out of here." Yurina motioned with her arms and the four of them took off running through the trees away from the enemy ninja. She smiled when she thought about Deidara. He was definitely someone to keep track of. She would report what she saw to Anbu and have them begin a file on him. He had successfully snuck up on them and even though she had made it sound like she hadn't been paying attention, she had, and that kid had evaded her.
"Do you think he was lying?" Itachi had trouble believing that someone would betray their village just to seek revenge on one person. Although, glancing over at Yota, perhaps it wasn't that unbelievable after all.
"No, he wasn't lying." Yurina had no doubt about that. The hurt in the boy's eyes was real. "It's sad, but children like him are easy to manipulate into betrayal. They can't see beyond their own family so they don't understand their place in the village."
"That's easy for you to say." Yota spat at her, he was still angry. "But where was the village when my father attacked me and tried to kill me? Or when Itachi's father broke his arm? Or when Yuri's paranoid uncle ties her up at night so she won't run away?"
Yuri gulped. "How…how did you know about that?"
Yurina frowned. She knew he was right. She also knew she should just let the matter drop and not say anything. But… "I'm sorry. But the fact is life is hard. It's harder for ninja children most of all. The laws of Fire country that protect civilian children don't pertain to us. And even if we were civilians… parents still abandon their children, beat them harshly, and children will always be found living on the streets. If you think you are special or singled out because of your past, Yota, you need to think twice and get a clue. If there was a way…if there was a way to have a world without war, without ninja, a peaceful world, I would follow that path in an instant. But until then, we are all ninja and we have to find a way to at least deal with it."
Itachi watched as Yota's face drained of emotion. But Yurina was right in a way. It was so easy to see the clan as the whole world and forget the rest of the world that lay beyond the twenty foot walls surrounding the compound. That boy…Deidara…had looked at Itachi with eyes that did not recognize him as a clan heir to the Uchiha name. He was just some random kid to him. Itachi smiled. In retrospect, that actually felt good. But then again, he enjoyed being a ninja and fighting and he longed for the day when he would gain his Sharingan.
"Life really is a double edged sword, isn't it?" Itachi barely spoke the words out loud, but to the rest of his team they echoed louder than Deidara's explosion.
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It was the last week of August before Fugaku, Itachi and Shisui could go after the missing Genin. The summer had been busy. Itachi and his team had already completed three missions. Shisui and his team had been put to work inventorying the Hokage's public records while they recovered. The police force was still busting shoplifters, chasing after deserters and sending squads on missions for the Hokage.
The day before they were to leave Madara called Itachi and Shisui and requested that they meet him outside of town. Remembering what Fugaku had told them a few weeks earlier in the hospital both boys were nervous about seeing him. In fact, they had even avoided Kabuto and when possible, Yota.
When they joined Madara in the woods he picked up on their hesitation immediately. He had been passing through on his way to the Cloud village and had decided to see the boys for a short conversation. Plus, he had gotten wind of a rather disturbing conversation and felt the need to check up on "his" boys. However, he had to be careful. It was true that Fugaku could not hurt him, but he was wrong in thinking that he could not keep the boys from him. The masked man needed their cooperation, and if they decided they did not want him as their mentor anymore then he would be in a lot of trouble. As young boys they were easily manipulated, but Itachi was now seven and Shisui would be ten in a month or so. They were starting to be old enough to form their own opinions and ideas of the world. And they were both very intelligent which meant deception was out of the question. He would have to give them a reason to want his guidance instead of Fugakus. And that reason would have to come from their own hearts, their own desires. Once Madara knew that, then he could promise them the moon and they would follow him.
Smiling, Madara greeted them then leaned back against a tree and folded his arms. "Shisui, you have awaked your sharingan. Let me see."
Shisui's eyes turned red and two tomoe appeared in each. He looked up at Madara but didn't say anything. He had a petulant expression on his face.
The man put a gloved hand on the boys head and looked into his eyes. "Shisui, there is no need to act like this. I am aware of the conversation you two had with Fugaku. And believe me it changes nothing. I do not know what deviltry he thinks I am going to commit, but I assure you, you boys are safe with me." He grasped the Shisui's chin and held it firm as he looked deep into the boy's eyes.
Shisui felt like someone was poking around in his brain. It was a strange feeling, kind of like a cross between an echo and the fuzzy feeling you get in your head right before you pass out. He tried to step back but Madara was holding his chin too tight. The feeling slowly passed and Madara sighed.
"You have a very strong sharingan, Shisui. True to your heritage, you have an amazing potential." Madara almost gloated. He was very pleasantly surprised at what he had seen. The young boy had one of the most powerful Sharingans he had ever seen. He could hardly wait to see what Itachi and Sasuke would have.
"So Itachi, you are a Genin now. How was your first mission?" He changed the subject so he could give the other boy some attention. Itachi had been fidgeting. Something he rarely ever did.
"It was odd." He didn't elaborate. After all, that was a good description of it.
Madara gave a short laugh. "Always to the point. Tell me about it. What was so odd about it?"
"Well we went after a scroll, but this kid who was my age wanted to give it to us instead so his master would get in trouble. He was covered in bruises because his master was beating him. Something about explosions being art and…"
"Describe the boy!" Madara was suddenly alert. The "covered in bruises" part was not good news.
"Umm…" Itachi was a little surprised at his mentor's sudden words. "He had long blond hair in a top knot and blue eyes, and he smiled a lot, and he was very talkative. His name was Deidara."
"Shit!" Madara cursed and hit the tree he had been standing against a couple minutes earlier.
Itachi frowned. "You know him?"
Madara thought about that for a minute. Should he say something? Well, he had to now. "Not as 'Madara' but in a disguise as an old man. I found him living on the streets of the capital when he was four and took him to the village hidden in the Stones so he could attend the Academy. He is an intelligent boy with an interesting Kekkei Genkai. He also has tremendous potential with Genjitsu, even though he refuses to study it. However, since he was not an Uchiha he was not worthy of my personal instruction. I hired a man to act as his guardian, but it seems he has overstepped his authority. If the boy acts out of desperation to escape his abuser it could cause me a lot of problems. Did you happen to see his explosions?"
"Yes. It was quite effective at destroying the stronghold the scrolls were kept in."
"That was only a small one, it sounds like. Let's just say that little boy has the ability to blow up the entire Stone village using only his chakra and a little bit of clay. He can be a fairly mature little boy when he wants to be, but unlike you two, he has a very short temper and sometimes acts without thinking. He needs a babysitter to hold his hand, so to speak, when he gets mad."
Madara leaned against the tree again, thinking. "Itachi, Shisui, if either of you run into this boy again don't mention what you know about him. He is being raised without any knowledge of his life's direction. He is an independent sort and if he knew he would overreact."
"What good is he if you have to babysit him?" Shisui had done a couple missions where they had to babysit older children for nobles and it was not fun. In fact, it annoyed him so much he told his sensei if he ever had to do another mission like that he would refuse it.
"Let's just say I'm taking a rather large gamble. And as with all gambling, there is a chance that I am wasting my time. However, there is also a chance that this boy is a diamond in the rough. But when it comes right down to it, I hate to see potential wasted, and this boy was definitely in the same class as you two when it comes to potential." He was going to have to delay his trip to Cloud and head over to Stone and find the boy a new guardian. The last thing he needed right now was an over-sensitive, emotional, seven-year-old pyromaniac artist wanna-be blowing up the countryside. Although…the sudden visage of the cheerful child standing over the ruins of a destroyed city with a big grin on his face was rather amusing.
Itachi continued talking. "His guardian might already be dead. The scroll had important information about prisoners of war and he let me memorize it because if we had it his master would be punished for failing the mission."
Madara started laughing. "I can't believe it. So the boy is finally showing some analytical skills. Well, I'm going to be heading off to Stone now anyway to check up on him."
"So what are your plans for him? What are your plans for us? They must be interrelated at some point." Shisui was suspicious and had been wanting to ask that question for a long time.
Madara looked down at the boy. Shisui had not been raised with the strict discipline Itachi had, and felt little fear in asking difficult questions. Glancing at Itachi he could see the boys face was a little sad. Upset, no doubt, because he didn't think of the question. Discipline made the boy easier to mold, but it also took away some things as well. Fugaku no doubt wanted it this way.
"I want the three of you to be strong. Orphans are often left to their own devices, with no guardians or guidance the ninja villages give them a place to live and a stipend for food. Most cases this might be on fringes of being acceptable, but with Deidara, like I said, he has the nasty habit of blowing things up when he has a temper tantrum. Although it sounds like he is starting to think a little more about cause and effect. As for the three of you together, he is from Stone, you two are from Leaf. If anything, you are rivals."
Shisui looked Madara in the eye and frowned. "That did not even come close to answering my question."
Madara's smile left his face. So Shisui is going to be a problem. He would have to spend some "alone" time with the boy when he returned from Stone. It was too bad Shisui was the oldest instead of Itachi. It would make him so much easier to deal with.
"What are my plans for you, Shisui? I plan on providing you with the power you need to stand by Itachi's side in front of a powerful Uchiha clan. Your eyes will join with his to create the future that was taken away from us when the First Hokage defeated me all those years ago.
"As for Deidara. As I said he has considerable ability with Genjutsu. He is on reserve, so to speak. If the time comes I will pull him forward and instruct him myself in its use. I have many such people in similar reserve. I won't need most of them.
"Does this answer your question Shisui?" Madara tried to keep his voice light, but he was feeling a little pissed off. He wanted to have a real conversation with the boy but he couldn't in front of Itachi, and there was someone nearby.
Shisui looked down at the ground. He had not bought the story.
"Madara? Before you go, I have a question." Itachi's voice was quieter than usual. "I've been having nightmares and…do you know any way to make them stop?"
The tall man closed his eyes and calmed his mind. If Itachi would ask his advice about such an embarrassing subject, then he at least still trusts him somewhat.
Madara saw the boy's discomfort, and a memory of his brother's terrified face came to mind. A skilled warrior reduced to screaming over the horrors of a nightmare as Madara tried to wake him up. It wasn't something he would wish on anyone.
"I'm sorry Itachi, but my brother also had nightmares. He tried everything, from sleeping potions, to drugs, to hypnosis…Anything… But in the end the dreams always came. I have heard some say that the Uchiha blood causes them in a fit of conscience. But you have done nothing to warrant such a conflict of beliefs. If you were older, perhaps it would make sense. "
Itachi smiled. "Then I'll just have to find a way to live with it instead of fighting it. Did he ever try that?"
"I…don't think he did. Hmm. You are an interesting individual, Itachi. Whatever happens, that is a good attitude to have, anyway. Well I've got to go. I believe I have a guest waiting for me nearby. You two boys go home. I'll contact you soon."
After the boys disappeared from view Madara activated his Sharingan and waited. Fugaku stepped out from behind a large tree and faced him, his own Sharingan blazing.
"So we meet again. I understand Naruto and Sasuke are both in excellent health?" Madara gave a small chuckle; his voice had taken on a sinister edge.
"Well enough. And safe from your clutches." Fugaku's tone was dead serious.
"If only you knew, Fugaku, I have been close enough to both boys on several occasions to touch them. I believe it was Sasuke that liked crackers and Naruto that liked ramen. They are so sweet when they are young, aren't they? So different from Itachi, who would eat a bag of jelly beans if you let him, or Shisui who loved potato chips. And then we have dear, sweet, loving Mikoto. Her kisses are surely the wine of the Gods." Madara was gloating.
Fugaku fought to restrain his anger. When had he been that close to the two toddlers? Naruto was being raised in the hospital orphanage. He was under constant supervision and had an ANBU guard nearby at all times. Sasuke was protected by Mikoto who was a very powerful kunoichi in her own right. Unless he was in disguise? But then again, not many people had ever seen Madara. He could easily walk up to anyone and no one would be the wiser.
And Mikoto? Was Madara trying to freak him out or did he actually kiss the woman? 'My wife!' Fugaku yelled in his mind.
"So there is nothing to be done about Itachi's nightmares. As I figured. The old man no doubt saw this when he looked into the boys eyes at the ceremony three years ago."
"Itachi is mine, Fugaku. Keep your hands off of him." Madara decided to get straight to the point.
"And Shisui?" Fugaku was almost afraid to ask.
"Shisui. Hmm. What shall we do with Shisui? I know, let's let Itachi decide that for us? Then we don't have to do anything."
"You bastard! Have you mentioned anything about the Mangekyou Sharingan to the boys?"
"No. And I don't plan to either. I figure they will find out on their own. Or from you. I don't want to scare them. I want them to be powerful Uchiha, not scared little boys who hide under the bed."
Fugaku turned around and started walking away.
"That was all?" Madara was a little confused at the clan lord's willingness to back off.
"There is no point in saying anything more. You were once lord of this clan, yet you do not act like one. Instead of looking to the greater good of the collective, you look inward at your own power. I executed your followers. There is no one left in the village to whisper your lies into the ears of young boys." Fugaku walked off into the woods leaving Madara alone.
The masked ex-clan lord stared at the retreating man. Fugaku was up to something or he wouldn't have backed off so easily. Smiling, Madara welcomed the challenge. However meager it might be.
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Next week Itachi and Shisui get to go on their first mission for the Uchiha clan.