Confrontation
Itachi left Sasuke with Shirohime and Karasu the following night while he snuck into the very village they grew up in, infiltrating it like he would an enemy camp in the darkest hours of the night. He first went to the Uchiha compound, hoping to gather some clothes and other things for Sasuke. The bodies had been removed but the bloodstains remained, giving the compound an unsettling atmosphere as wild animals scavenged the empty houses. He gathered what he felt his brother would need in a blanket, leaving the makeshift pack hidden just outside the village's outer wall that made up one edge of the compound.
He next made his way to the Hokage's home, careful not to alert the Anbu that protected Sarutobi to his presence. He managed to enter the house through the crawl space beneath its decks. He silently made his way to the Hokage's bedroom, waking the sleeping old man with a hand over his mouth. Sarutobi's eyes went wide as he beheld Itachi in his darkened room, the crimson of his Sharingan seeming to glow in the faint moon light that entered. Itachi loathed having to resort to such measures, but he couldn't take the risk that the Hokage had somehow been involved in the annihilation of the Uchiha. He couldn't think of any other reason that the man would have ensured that Itachi and his brother were not in the village when their clan was slaughtered. The Hokage didn't move as he continued to stare at Itachi, waiting for the young man to act first.
"Were you involved in the destruction of my clan?" Itachi whispered quietly into the Hokage's ear.
Sarutobi slowly shook his head from side to side. Itachi could see the sadness in the man's gaze at the mention of the Uchihas' demise. He slowly pulled his hand from Sarutobi's mouth before asking his next question.
"Why did you send Sasuke and I out of the village?"
"I just wanted to give your brother the chance to achieve his potential. I have no doubt that his strength will come to rival yours," Sarutobi replied solemnly.
"Do you know anything about what happened in the compound?" Itachi asked.
"In light of rumors that your father and several others were planning a coup, I heard whispers that Danzo was planning something to prevent it. I never knew what he had planned. He may be a powerful shinobi, but I don't see him being able to wipe out the Uchiha," Sarutobi said.
"How did you find out?" The old Hokage asked him.
"Sasuke and I returned the night everyone was killed. I told Sasuke to wait by the gate to keep him safe, but a man in a strange mask attacked his mind using the Sharingan," Itachi explained.
"Do you know who he was?" Sarutobi asked.
"Sasuke said he claimed to be Madara," Itachi replied.
Sarutobi sucked in a sharp breath at the mention of the name. Itachi could see him begin to shake, perhaps a sign of his age catching up with him.
"This is grave, indeed," Sarutobi said shakily.
"Where have the two of you been staying?" The Hokage asked.
"I can't tell you the location, but we've spent the last two days outside the village," Itachi replied, still not willing to divulge the information of Karasu or Shirohime.
"Wait a few more days, then let Sasuke return to the Academy if he's up to it. I can make sure that he's fully provided for," Sarutobi said.
"You make it sound like I won't be around," Itachi said in a warning voice.
"If you accept, I have one last mission for you. You should know, if you accept this mission then you will probably be labeled a traitor," the Hokage said sadly. Itachi gave him a curious look before responding.
"Elaborate," he said, his patience wearing thin.
"There is a group that has been seeking to use the Tailed Beasts for their own use. As of yet, we know next to nothing about them. We know that they call themselves the Akatsuki, and that they are a threat to every village. We don't know where they're based out of or who their members are. That's why we need someone on the inside," Sarutobi explained.
Itachi was silent as he thought over what the Hokage was proposing. He knew that if he accepted he might never see his family again. When he weighed the difference between his own happiness and the wellbeing of every village, he knew what he had to do.
"Sasuke would know the truth, but only if you think he will be able to keep your secret," Sarutobi said as Itachi remained silent, as though he were the one that possessed a Sharingan.
"I will accept the mission. Come find me in the forest to the North-East when you're ready for me to begin," Itachi said solemnly.
"Thank you," Sarutobi said as Itachi turned to leave.
Itachi slipped out of the Hokage's home, the Anbu guarding the old man never realizing there was someone else there. He made his way back to the Uchiha compound to grab the things he had gathered for Sasuke, his body going tense as he dropped down and found the pack missing. He carefully scanned his surroundings, sensing a presence behind one of the nearby trees. The strange man in the mask appeared, walking through the tree he was behind like a spirit. Itachi pulled a trio of kunai from his leg as he activated his Sharingan.
"Uchiha Itachi," the masked man said, as though greeting the man before him.
"Who are you?" Itachi asked as he activated his Mangekyo Sharingan.
"I am Madara," the man replied coolly.
"Bullshit. Madara is dead," Itachi spat.
"Believe whatever you wish, Itachi. I did not come here to fight you," the man claiming to Madara said as he tossed the pack Itachi had made in front of him.
"Go to the Land of Rain, you will find the ones you seek there," he added as he disappeared in a swirl, as though he were collapsing in on himself.
Itachi remained alert and ready for battle for several tense minutes before grabbing the pack and leaving, his mind occupied with the masked man's words as he walked back to Shirohime's house in the forest. If the masked man was part of this Akatsuki group and knew of Itachi's mission, then he could be walking into a trap. Though the fact that someone strong enough to wipe out the Uchiha clan would let him live and even gave him the information he needed led Itachi to believe that there was more to recent events than was apparent.