In the last chapter the boys were denied the opportunity to participate in the Chuunin exams when they were cancelled.
Okay, this chapter starts with a little Madara X Mikoto. I am going somewhere with this pairing so I'm not being random. Also, it is not canon (I know someone's going to ask rofl)
Thanks for all the reviews! You are all so great!
One rebuttal: My four year old cousin can read, add and subtract. He learned in pre-school because his teacher wanted to see if it was possible. The whole class learned. He's very proud of himself. (I'm talking first grade level, not Shakespeare or algebra. And adding was easier to learn than subtracting.)
Disclaimer: Kishimoto is owned by Naruto
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Chapter 29 – Trauma in the Mist
The cold January snow had been falling for hours. Mikoto sat in the darkened living room and watched the drifting flakes through the glass doors. The small garden had almost a foot of snow and the various shrubs and small trees were nothing more than white bumps. The street lights made the ground glitter, as if millions of diamonds were falling instead of frozen water.
Mikoto had sent Itachi and Sasuke to spend the day with her aunt. She loved having them over and she needed help with a few things around the house. Itachi had volunteered no doubt with the knowledge that a job well done would earn him a very sweet treat afterward. Her aunt had become well known in the clan for her baking abilities.
Fugaku had returned to the Fire country capital. The contract the Daimyou had with the clan to have Uchiha work in his service had expired and Fugaku was negotiating a renewal. He was having problems because the new treasurer wanted to cut the contract amount by thirty percent. Fugaku wanted an increase of twenty percent and refused to budge. The negotiations that had started in December had extended into January.
Alone all day, Mikoto had time to do a bit of cleaning, watch her favorite movie, and now she was watching the snow fall with a pot of hot tea and some cookies. She missed the children, especially Sasuke. He loved the snow and was probably at her aunts making snow balls with Itachi. She had a passing thought that she could go join them. But, she'd have to get up, get her coat and boots out, walk over there… She stayed where she was.
"It is a beautiful sight." A deep voice spoke from behind her and she quickly stood up to see who had snuck into her house. She hadn't felt any chakra nearby.
"What are you doing here?" It was Madara. Mikoto frowned.
"You, sitting comfortably with a background of snow. It is a beautiful sight." He leaned against the back of one of the couches and crossed his arms. He had removed his mask and was smiling.
"I repeat, what are you doing here?" Mikoto remembered back to their last meeting and the look he gave her before he disappeared. Her expression turned to one of confusion.
Madara gave no answer, but continued to look at her.
"Last time…when you looked at me…what did that mean?"
Madara blinked once. He continued to look at the woman in front of him for a minute before answering. "It was nothing more than a desire for you to look upon me with something other than hate."
"After all the deaths you have caused? How can I do that? Also, have you forgotten that I am the wife of the clan chief?" Mikoto was getting mad again. How could this man ask her to forget Kagura and Saiyu and all the others who died because of him?
"If Fugaku had not opposed me, only Kagura would have died. Yes, Sasuke was kidnapped, but he would not have been outside your reach. Eventually he may have been returned to you. And the power he would have attained… he would have stood beside me in the new world order." Madara's voice was matter of fact and he held Mikoto's eyes with his powerful gaze.
Mikoto didn't know what to think of this information. "Please leave, Madara." The words came out as a plea.
Madara closed the distance, putting his hands on Mikoto's shoulders. She shuddered at the touch of his cold gloved hands.
"One day, Mikoto, you will ask me to stay." He leaned forward and caught her lips with his, moving his head slightly sideways to deepen the kiss. After a minute he stepped back and used a transportation jutsu to disappear.
Mikoto sank back down into her chair. "What is he up to?" She asked herself. She felt a chakra source from the other end of the house and stood up. Madara hadn't left. He was in the bedroom.
Slowly she walked down the hall. Opening the bedroom door she saw him standing in the middle of the darkened room, smiling.
"Come to me Mikoto." Madara's strong voice was almost like a command.
"Are you playing games with me? I asked you to leave!" Her voice rose as she maintained her place in the doorway.
"Are you afraid of what Fugaku will think?" Madara mocked her.
"As if! He has his fun with the prostitutes on his missions. I smell them on his clothes when he returns. He doesn't even hide it from me. I am sure you're the same!"
"True. I have my fun. However, you…for some reason you are different. A powerful woman and an Uchiha. All those years ago, when I was clan chief, you would have been my wife."
"Flattery?" She asked, amused. She wasn't impressed by his words. She knew from the histories that he had taken four wives so an offer to become a fifth wife held no merit for her. Back then clan chiefs and feudal lords always took multiple wives to ensure heirs. However, she had a feeling she knew where her husband would be spending his evening.
Suddenly very lonely she looked up at Madara and this time her eyes held an expression of longing…not for the pleasures of the flesh, but for a companion. For a man whose eyes would look on her as a lover and not as an object of free sex.
Taking his time, Madara removed his gloves and then his shirt. His bare chest was illuminated by the light filtering in from the hall. Mikoto stepped forward a couple feet without thinking about it.
"Close the door." He said in a quiet voice.
The door clicked shut softly.
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Shisui gritted his teeth. Even though a month had passed since the announcement about the Chuunin exam's cancellation he was still mad. The frustration was almost overwhelming. And now, after returning from the capital, Fugaku had summoned the council and told them all to be "patient" and not to be "rash".
'Easy for him to say.' Shisui said to himself.
The meeting ended and Shisui stood up with all the others. The council meetings turned out to be boring and the boy wondered why the adults considered it such an honor to attend.
However, Shisui did get one thing from the meeting. The Konoha elder council was their enemy. Oh, Fugaku hadn't come straight out and said so but he had strongly hinted at that fact. And Shisui had taken the hint. Well, he had the solution to that.
"Lord Fugaku?" Shisui approached the clan chief. The only people left in the temple were Fugaku, Toshiro, Itachi and himself. As the junior members, the boys were tasked with cleanup after the meetings and the two men were gossiping.
"What is it Shisui?" Fugaku had noticed the boy's bad mood during the meeting.
"I could use my poisons to take out the council." Shisui frowned and looked up at Fugaku with a determined look.
Fugaku shook his head. "That isn't an option right now. There are other things to consider."
Shisui yelled, "Why not! I can do it! I'm very skilled at executions! Mother says so!"
Fugaku's eyes flashed with anger and he struck the boy upside his head, knocking him to the floor. Itachi stepped back in shock, quickly looking over at Toshiro.
Toshiro watched as his son started to stand up. "You even think of standing up right now Shisui and I will beat you to within an inch of your life!" He was mad. His son had just yelled at the clan chief and the embarrassment was unforgivable.
Shisui looked up at his father in shock, then looked back at the floor. What had he just done? He couldn't believe he had yelled at Fugaku, of all people. Gulping, he got down on his knees and pressed his forehead to the floor. Fighting back tears of embarrassment he gulped again.
"I'm so sorry. I apologize. Please, I apologize." Shisui couldn't bring himself to ask for forgiveness. He felt he didn't deserve it.
Fugaku frowned, but his voice was stern. "Shisui. You could no more sneak up on the two powerful elders than a rock could turn into a butterfly. I realize you are skilled with poisons, but in this case it isn't enough. We have to be patient right now. There are a hundred other things that must be considered if such an action were undertaken."
Toshiro bowed, "Forgive my son, Lord Fugaku. He acted rashly."
Fugaku smirked. "Congratulations, Toshiro. You are the proud parent of a teenager."
Toshiro stood up straight and shook his head. "Eleven? Well, I guess you are right. He's angsting enough lately to be one. I'll have to pass that on to Kisa. She thought there was something wrong with him."
Fugaku laughed at him and the two men left the temple. Itachi looked at Shisui who was still sitting with his forehead on the floor.
"Are you okay?" Itachi said hesitantly.
"No. I did something really stupid. I'm so sorry, Itachi." Shisui made no to attempt to move.
"You can get up now. We have to pick up the cushions and put them away."
"Okay." Shisui sat up and wiped his eyes, sniffing a couple times. His face was bright red.
"Shisui?"
"Yeah?"
"What were they talking about? You know, about the teenager stuff?"
"Oh. Teenagers are supposed to be rebellious and argue a lot and do the opposite of what their parents tell them, and they feel sorry for themselves all the time."
"I guess you're a teenager then." Itachi said matter-of-factly.
Shisui's eye's opened wide for a second in shock before he gave a short laugh. "I guess I should be more careful about what I say from now on."
Itachi smiled. He had a feeling that wasn't going to happen. Shisui was feeling sorry for himself a lot lately and arguing with his mother. Although Itachi was fairly certain you weren't considered a teenager until you were thirteen. Maybe there was more to it than just age?
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"Nooooo!" Sasuke screeched and ducked out of his mother's grasp. "If big brother doesn't get one I don't want one either!" He scooted himself under the dining room table and pouted.
Itachi cringed. "You set this up, didn't you?"
Mikoto gave her eldest son an evil smile. "Now Itachi. You must set a good example for your little brother. Come here and show him how obedient you are, then Sasuke will follow your example."
"But I don't want my hair cut either! I like it long!" Itachi complained.
"Me too!" A muffled voice came out from under the table.
Mikoto whispered to Itachi, "His hair is too thick and he gets things caught in it. I need it short to make it easier to care for. You have thin hair so you never had this problem. Now please go along with it. I don't want to put a Genjutsu on him for something as simple as a hair cut but if I have to I will."
Itachi sighed. "Okay. But don't cut it too short." He pulled the tie out of his hair and his mother brushed it out then started trimming the ends. She went slowly so she would attract Sasuke's attention. Soon the three-year-old crawled out from under the table.
"Does it hurt?" He asked quietly.
"No." Itachi smiled.
Mikoto looked at Itachi's hair. It was almost down to his waist.
"Itachi, I really think your hair should be more this length." She put her fingers a couple inches under his neck. "You are leaving on a long term mission in Water country tomorrow and I think it would be more practical."
He knew she was going to say that. Sasuke was watching the scissors, almost as if he was hypnotized.
He gave in. "Okay. Go ahead and cut it." Mikoto was obviously very tricky. He hoped he never had to face her in combat. He had a feeling it wouldn't go very well. It would take years to grow back, but by then Sasuke should be over his fear of haircuts. He hoped.
Back in his room, Itachi spread out his things on his bed, preparing to pack. His hair felt weird, though, and he kept pausing to run his hand through it. Mikoto had told him it would take a couple days to get used to.
He had never been on a mission that lasted more than three weeks and he was a little unsure of what to pack. Yurina had told him to bring everything he would need. Which, frankly, was a little too vague to be entirely useful. He didn't want to carry much so he decided to take the same things he took on the three week mission. If he needed something else he would buy it. They had been told the mission could be one to three months.
Fugaku stuck his head into the room. "Here are your pills, Itachi. Dr. Yakushi dropped them off at the station. You need to be careful, though, and only take them when you won't be needed in a fight."
"Yes father. Thank-you." Itachi bowed to his father then put the water-proof container inside his pack. He didn't want to take them at all. If he told his team mates he was taking drugs because the doctors thought he was mental he was sure they would think he was weak.
"Aren't you taking your katana?" Fugaku picked up the child-size sword from it's holder on the wall. Normally, when he was preparing to pack, Itachi would have placed it on the bed with his other weapons.
"It's too small. I'm going to buy another one. Mist has the best swords so it seemed like a good idea to leave my first sword here."
Fugaku smiled. He felt a little guilty, though. If he had paid attention he would have noticed and bought his son a sword himself. "I'll give you an old sword to take with you until you buy a new one. You can trade it in or leave it in a ditch if you want. That way you will have a full compliment of weapons."
"Are you sure?" Itachi didn't think his father would ever tell him to abandon something as expensive as a katana.
"Yeah. We have a warehouse with thousands of weapons in it so it's no problem. Besides, the weapon count will be same since you will be purchasing a new one to replace it." Fugaku left to go retrieve the sword.
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The six children and two senseis had been walking for a couple days when they finally reached the eastern coast of Fire country and saw the ocean. Itachi and Yota were the only ones who had never seen it before and they were pretty shocked at how big and noisy it was. They set up camp behind a barrier of trees and shrubs and lit a campfire. The next morning they would be walking a couple miles up the coast to a shipping town to book passage on a ship that would take them to Water country.
The "B" ranked mission in Water country was to protect a medium size town from rebels. The country had been caught up in civil war for many years and resources were stretched thin. The Daimyou's army and the village hidden in the Mist were having trouble keeping up with all the requests for help coming from besieged villages. This mission was going to be a combined Konoha and Mist effort, contracted by the Mist village itself. The request was so unusual that the Hokage was, at first, suspicious. He had ANBU check out the situation and when they confirmed Mist's sincerity for help he assigned two teams to head east. Needless to say the Hokage was putting a lot of pressure on two Genin teams he considered to be Chuunin level and had made it known very clearly that failure was not an option. He hoped that the successful completion of this mission would lead to better ties with Mist.
The two teams had used the first day to get to know each other. They exchanged information about each others jutsus and stopped for three hours around lunch time to spar.
Shisui's team turned out to be pretty interesting. His sensei was a man who was approaching forty and had come out of retirement because the war had created a shortage of ninjas. Aki Nojima had raised a team of Genin fifteen years ago, and all three had risen to become jounin only to be killed in the same battle that had taken Obito's life. Sana Nara was a thirteen year old girl from the Nara clan – meaning she had use of the shadow bind jutsu. The boy, Chikato Ishizu was also thirteen and was an earth jutsu user.
Chikato was instantly interested in Yuri's jutsus. He had heard rumors of her abilities and was thrilled to finally work with her. He spent a lot of time walking next to her, talking. Oddly enough, Yota didn't take this very well and made sure he walked on the other side of Yuri. Yuri pretended not do notice anything, but inside she was a little flattered.
Yurina and Aki spent a lot of time rehashing old missions and gossiping. They seemed to know each other already. Rather well, in fact. Aki would sometimes put his hand on her shoulder, or Yurina would grab his arm while they were talking.
Itachi and Shisui walked together and practiced using their Sharingans. Actually, it wasn't so much practice as it was self defense. Sana had made it her mission in life to one day trip Shisui with her shadow bind jutsu and with Itachi along, her mission got twice as interesting. Of course that meant the two boys had to be continually on guard as she randomly sent her shadow forward to catch them. So far she had failed.
The two teams ate a dinner of ramen and reconstituted vegetables before walking down to the beach to explore. It was dark, windy and cold, but the full moon and bright stars lit the beach and the water, creating a perfect scene of tranquility. Itachi rooted his feet in the sand and closed his eyes. The sound of the waves hitting the beach was very soothing.
"Is he alive? He's been standing there for ten minutes without moving." Sana asked, amused.
"Hey, let's poke him with a stick and find out." Chikato looked around but saw none nearby.
Shisui, Yota and Yuri laughed. They were used to Itachi's meditation techniques.
Sana sent her shadow forward, then fell forward as someone kicked the back of her knees.
"Tag, your 'it'!" Itachi laughed.
Sana stared at the boy in shock. "Damn, kid, you're as fast as Shisui! I didn't even see you move!"
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The voyage to Water took four days. The ship they caught passage on was a small freighter that was running with an empty cargo. The captain told them it was due for scrap and the shipyards in Water gave the best prices for steel. The kids were concerned that it was being scrapped because it would sink, but the captain assured them that it was because it was too small and the companies preferred the big ships because they could haul more, therefore costing less to operate.
Because they were the only passengers they ate with the crew and slept in empty crew quarters. Even so, everyone got their own room. The compliment of crew was much smaller than normal due to the lack of cargo.
Itachi and Shisui did get an interesting surprise though. The first day they walked into the dining room and an elderly man called them over to his table and introduced himself as Shouhei, a member of the Senju clan.
"Imagine meeting a couple a couple Uchiha way out here! I'm ninety-eight years old, boys and I remember in my youth fighting your great-great grandfathers. I tell you, those were fun times. I left for the sea after Konoha was founded. Couldn't stand the thought of not fighting anymore. That Madara guy, though. He had the right idea. Too bad he died."
"You knew him?" Itachi asked in awe.
"You bet! Even fought him once! Lucky me though, I didn't die. He was a sight though. When the Uchiha showed up you knew you were in for trouble. Madara would always hang back then show up a couple minutes later. His red armor, flowing black hair, red eyes and the Uchiha standard he carried on his back. He had an aura about him, something beyond chakra, something… indescribable. When Madara showed up you knew the world was about to end."
"Wow." Shisui was transfixed. To think that they would meet a man who was alive all those years ago. It was like finding a time machine.
"I was saddened when Senju sent Uchiha a peace offering and they accepted. War was what they were best at, and settling down… Let's just say when Madara called Uchiha the lapdogs of Senju he was right. War is the epitome of life. The reaffirmation of our meager existences. I spent the rest of my life as a pirate, retiring twenty years ago when I broke my hip. I've been working on freighters ever since. I plan to die on the job! That's the way to go, boys." The old man loved to talk and told the boys many stories about the old Uchiha and Senju, as well as his life as a pirate. Yota joined them later and tried to get the man to divulge the whereabouts of his hidden treasure, but he swore up and down he didn't have one, all the while laughing at the young Hyuuga's teasing.
He made Itachi and Shisui show him their Sharingans, and smiled at the memories it inspired. He also made the boys recount their family lineage back to people he remembered fighting, and told Itachi how his family and come to be in charge of the clan after Madara died, leaving no living heirs. His young children had all preceded him in death.
The last day, as they were preparing to exit the ship the old man pulled the two boys aside.
"I know Madara is still alive and in hiding. I don't know how he survived. When I saw you," he looked at Itachi, "I thought he had used a body transfer jutsu and you were him. Itachi, you truly have a chakra as powerful as Madara's, but your eyes are somehow different. I can't explain it. Just… watch your back boy. Madara will be coming for you and he does not suffer fools. He kills them. Go along with him, learn what you can, but if you don't want him to train you then you'll have to kill yourself. Once he chose a student he never took 'no' for answer." He watched as the two young Uchiha walked over to Yota and the three boys waved to him.
Shouhei waved back and yelled. "I want you three to grow old so that when you are ninety-eight you can tell young children that once upon a time you met an old man who walked the land before the great villages existed."
"We will!" The three boys yelled back then walked down the gangplank to the shore.
The old man watched them. "You won't." He muttered. "A Hyuuga with a death wish, a cursed son of a clan chief and his best friend. If any of you make it to twenty it will be a bloody miracle. I can see Madara already has his hands on you, Itachi." Shaking his head he went to pack his things. Time to find a new ship.
Itachi was silent for several hours after they left the dock. He knew that the man's words about Madara were not so much of a warning as a declaration that he knew Itachi was in contact with him. But how could he know? Was Madara able to change his chakra somehow so that the old Senju could sense him?
Glancing over at Shisui he saw his cousin return his look and frown. Shaking his head he mouthed the words "not now". Itachi nodded in understanding.
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It was immediately clear that Water country was in serious trouble. As soon as they got away from the docks they saw many beggars, burned out and abandoned buildings and a couple old, unclaimed corpses. One young beggar boy looked so much like Sasuke that Itachi felt his heart clench and he had to struggle to turn away. His mother, or a woman Itachi assumed was his mother, lay next to him asleep. He activated his Sharingan to verify she was breathing, but something was wrong with her.
"She's overdosed. She'll be fine after she sleeps it off. Or dies." Yota spoke into Itachi's ear, then walked away. Itachi remembered that Yota's parents were drug addicts, his mother had committed suicide by overdosing. Itachi looked back at the child. If Yota hadn't been in a clan, that could have been him on the side of the street with his mother. The clan watched over his family, not very well, but they had a home and food. Something this little boy probably would never have.
Itachi watched Yota walking ahead of him and realized that Yota wouldn't see it that way. Yota's parents had been treated so badly that they had no respect for themselves anymore. The criticism and lack of moral support broke their spirits. Because of that Yota had confided in Itachi and Shisui his hatred of the clan, and by extension, Konoha.
Aki saw the children's reaction and pulled them close for a quick meeting. "I should have warned you before we got off the ship. Starvation is rampant in this country right now. Not because of a shortage of food, although in a few villages that will be the case, but because the people can't afford it. We have been hired to protect one village in a land where all the villages are suffering. Harden your hearts and keep to the mission. We can't save everyone."
They reached the countryside outside the village. Travel was difficult even though the country was much smaller than Fire country. For one thing the roads went all over the place. Nothing was in a straight line. Another problem was the large number of hills and a small mountain range. They were going to have to cross up a mountain pass, drop into a valley, then climb a second mountain pass to get to their destination. Luckily there would be no snow, as the passes didn't go high enough to reach the snowline.
When they reached the village next to the first mountain pass they were surprised to find it deserted. No people or even corpses. Everyone just left. A few dogs milled about, staring at them with disinterest but that was it. They found an inn and claimed a few deserted rooms for the night, using the kitchen to cook a hot dinner, and the next morning, breakfast.
Leaving the inn they briefly argued about whether they should leave some money behind to pay for the food. Yurina won the argument when she said that the money would more than likely go to thieves. That was a hard argument to disprove so they left the ghost town quietly and climbed up the pass.
It would take the better part of the morning to reach the other side of the pass, which was good news. It meant they would be able to stay overnight in the valley instead of in the mountains. The map showed a medium sized village in the center of the valley and it was bound to have several inns.
Eagerly they walked down the road knowing that the valley was just ahead. Yuri had run ahead, bored with all the walking she was looking forward to seeing the valley.
The road was large enough for two wagons to ride abreast, but even so the brush on either side showed evidence of heavy traffic. As if someone was driving three abreast. There was deep mud in places and large rocks and branches had been thrown in the mud to create a walkway. It was very well used. Perhaps the village in the valley was more popular than they thought, or there had been a festival recently.
Finally breaking out of the woods they stopped at a cliff. Yuri was collapsed on the ground, crying. Yota and Itachi crouched down next to her, thinking that she had fallen and hurt herself, or was otherwise ill.
"What's wrong, Yuri?" Yota rubbed his hand across her back in an attempt to sooth her. However, Yurina knelt down next to them and pointed toward the valley. Her face had drained of all color.
Itachi slowly turned his head and looked. The valley was about ten miles across and was nothing more than an open grassland. Or, it would have been if it wasn't for all the corpses. Thousands of them. As far as the eye could see there wasn't a single living being, animal or bird.
The small group stared at the sight for several minutes. None of them had ever seen carnage at this level. If the village was gone – and there was no evidence of it from the cliff – then there could easily be forty thousand people dead. However, factoring in the soldiers that could rise substantially.
Standing up Itachi made his way back to the road and started to follow it down the mountain. The road followed the cliff closely and as they descended over the next hour they got a closer view of the carnage. He didn't know where he was going, just that he had to do something.
Yuri had finally stopped crying and was clutching tightly onto Yota, who was holder her just as tightly. Shisui walked close behind Itachi, worried about what his young cousin might be thinking. Itachi seemed to have become a zombie, his gaze never left the valley. Shisui lifted a hand to brush his hair away from his face and realized he was trembling badly.
When they reached the floor of the valley Yurina and Aki moved around the corpses turning some over to get a closer view. When they returned they were very somber.
Aki spoke first, after clearing his throat several times. "It appears there was a major battle here. There are Daimyou soldiers, Mist ninja, and at least three other rebel standards I can't identify." He pointed to the east, "That should be the village. As you can see, nothing remains, so a population of forty thousand is also dead. This may explain why the village we stayed at last night left. They may have been herded here by rebel forces and then killed. The idea that they escaped is not worth considering."
Where there should have been the distant outlines of buildings belonging to the village was nothing. There wasn't even any smoke from smoldering fires. As far as the eye could see was corpses. Had they really fought to the last man, woman and child? It seemed inconceivable.
They continued walking, they had to cross the valley. Itachi felt someone wrap a cloth loosely around his nose and mouth but he didn't react. He looked at the faces of everyone he passed. Then he saw them. A woman was collapsed over three small children. There were arrows sticking up out of all three and one child had a crushed head. He stopped at stared at them.
A year ago in Rice country he had seen a woman give her body in order to save the lives of her children. He hadn't really understood until his mother had done the same thing to save Sasuke from Madara. Or he thought he had understood. But now… this mother had died. She wasn't able to protect her children. How could it be?
He passed a corpse of a woman sitting up against the remnants of a wooden wall, in her lap was a dead man. Was it her husband?
Itachi stopped walking after an hour. He felt strange. His hands were numb and his head felt fuzzy. He looked at his hands and moved his fingers. He looked ahead and saw another woman with two children. And another. Everywhere he looked were corpses. No one had saved them. No one cared that they were weak and couldn't defend themselves. No one gave them the chance to defend themselves. To train for years and years and then fight the battle. He noticed that they were in their nightclothes. Was it a sneak attack at midnight?
Itachi thought back to Obito and stepped back in shock when he saw his older cousin laying under several boards. Running forward he quickly grabbed the boards and shoved them aside, but the corpse wasn't Obito's. It didn't even look like him. What was going on?
Aki moved forward towards Itachi but Shisui warned him off. "He can be a little unpredictable at times. Be careful."
"He needs to be restrained. He's about to have a meltdown." Aki was worried. Itachi was too young to be here, he was a skilled fighter but he didn't know what death meant yet. Why did the Hokage allow such young children to become ninja's? He had argued over it many times with the Third and the Fourth but they always fell back on the "It has to be that way" argument.
Yurina spoke up. "He has some pills in his backpack. You hold him and I'll get the pills. We can sedate him for the rest of the trip, but you'll have to carry him."
Shisui moved toward Itachi, warily. The younger boy was now kneeling next to a soldier who was clutching a photograph in his lifeless hand. Shisui reached out and touched Itachi's shoulder. No reaction. He looked up at Aki and nodded.
Aki bent down and picked the boy up. He situated Itachi so that the boy's legs wrapped around his torso. Itachi placed his cheek on Aki's shoulder and let his arms hang down. The first thing Aki noticed was that this boy who was a month from his ninth birthday was very light. The second thing he noticed was that Itachi wasn't reacting to him. His eyes were half open and he was very limp.
"Shit! Yurina, he's going into shock. We can't sedate him if that's a danger. It could cause side effects."
"We need to speed it up then and get out of here. The other kids aren't doing so well either." Yurina glanced back at the four children who were huddled together staring wide-eyed at Itachi.
Shisui was leaning against Aki's arm, holding his cousins backpack. He had his eyes closed – trying to reassure himself that the man he was leaning against was a live being and he wasn't alone. Aki looked down at him with a worried expression.
Yurina yelled loudly, "Run as fast as you can. We are getting out of this valley. Now!"
Yurina and Aki let the young ninja's run ahead of them then they followed.
Ninety minutes later they reached the other end of the valley and climbed up the path. Two more hours passed and they finally stopped for the night. Darkness had fallen and they still had a few hours of travel before they came out of the pass. It was better to camp out in the woods than risk entering a strange town with six shell shocked children. Besides, who knew what shape the next village would be in anyway? It was better to deal with that uncertainty in the daylight.
Itachi still wasn't reacting to anything. Aki was very worried. He sat against a tree and shifted the boy so he was sitting sideways in his lap. He rubbed the boys back and talked to him, trying to get a reaction. Yurina tried to get him to drink some water but he wouldn't swallow and it dribbled down his chin. They tried rubbing a cloth dipped in cold water across his face, pinching his arm, yelling in his ear. Nothing worked. Shisui was so worried he was near tears.
"Shisui," Aki asked quietly so the other wouldn't hear. "Just what is Itachi's problem?"
"The doctors didn't diagnose any problems. They said he had some sociopathic tendencies, but not enough to be diagnosed as one. They didn't give him any medication for it either. The stuff he has is to knock him out so he doesn't have nightmares. He represses his feelings, letting them build up, then they explode and he breaks down. You heard about him and Yota?"
"Hmm. That was Itachi huh?" Aki was silent for a couple minutes. "I guess, we'll just lay him down for the night and let him rest. Can you get his bedroll out for him?"
The rain poured down on a destroyed Konoha. A boy, an older, teenage version of Sasuke, knelt down next to two corpses. Pink hair and blond hair mixed with each other as the newly dead embraced. They were the teenage versions of the little girl Sasuke met in the park, Sakura, and the Fourth's son Naruto. Tears were coming out of the teen's eyes as he collapsed over their bodies. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I wasn't able to save you. Itachi, if only… if only things were different, you would have been here with me to save them…"
Itachi walked up to the teenager and tried to call out to him, but his voice was gone. He looked down at his body and saw that not only was he an adult, but he was transparent. He was a ghost. He couldn't help his brother because he was already dead. Where were their parents? They should be here… Itachi gasped as the transparent forms of Fugaku and Mikoto appeared in front of him, looking down at Sasuke they also tried to reach out to him. They were dead as well. They looked up at Itachi, shock on their faces, then anger. He was supposed to have protected his little brother, yet here he was, dead.
Looking away Itachi noticed that all of Konoha was gone. The buildings had all collapsed. Corpses were everywhere.
A desperate plea was shouted into the rain, echoing impotently among the destroyed buildings and bloated corpses, "Please! Don't let this be my fault!"
"Itachi! Wake up!" Shisui was shaking Itachi. Itachi had just sat straight up and yelled out a very chilling phrase.
Itachi grabbed Shisui's jacket and looked him in the eye, "Shisui, please, don't let this be my fault!" He wondered, as consciousness slowly returned to him, who had yelled those words – himself or Sasuke – and why either one of them would feel responsible for the destruction of their home.
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Next week, the mission in Mist begins.
I'm going for about 80% accuracy here with the Manga. It would be impossible to get closer, I think, because the story is still developing and I needed to add some things for dramatic intent. The mission in Mist was meant to be basically filler, but I added the battlefield scene to correspond with a similar event in the Manga, so it now has actually importance in the story. Aren't you happy? XD It was too important and I had to add it somehow. However, I see no difference in how a four year old or an eight year old would react. Or for that matter a twelve or sixteen year old. Battlefields are traumatic and Madara's words about it were disturbing – like an adult would react to it maturely and logically. Uh… no. I believe that shows us a little bit of how twisted Madara's thought processes are. He never understood why his clan wanted peace.
And finally… OMG Itachi had a girlfriend! I have to figure out how to plot no jutsu a girl into the story now… Well actually I was going to add a girl, but the relationship would have been one of regrets instead of love. I'll figure it out. XD
Anyway – you are tired of reading these long author's notes so – Updates on Fridays! And keep reviewing, ask questions if something is wrong or confusing you or just say how much you like it! Just review!
