Author's Note: Time to kick things up a notch…

Citations: Itachi's Story: [Daylight] pg. 127-136

Chapter's Song: "Kids Again" by Artist Vs. Poet

Chapter 31
Long Time, No See

"It's been about five months since I've seen this village… Home sweet home…" She glanced to the Dumpling shop. She continued passed it, heading for The Hokage's office. "Itachi…"

"Lately, every time you come over, you end up talking about Uchiha Itachi,"

The Hokage said, sitting in his chair and puffing on his pipe.

Danzo stood at attention, watching him. He had advised Hiruzen before that a ninja shouldn't smoke, given that the scent of tobacco would linger on him. Hiruzen had laughed, and replied that the Hokage didn't go on secret missions, so it was fine.

Danzo hadn't been talking about the present. He was talking about being prepared. Hokage or Genin, a ninja must never forget that at any given moment, in any given place, they were at war. If they needed to not be noticed by an enemy, the scent of the smoke hanging around Hiruzen would give them away. Nothing was absolute in this world.

Unaware of what Danzo was thinking, Hiruzen emptied the ashes from his pipe into a dish on the desk, grabbed a pinch of tobacco from the container to one side, and put a flame to the bowl of the pipe. Smoke rose up and rolled out the window, disappearing on the wind, piercing Danzo's nose. Even as he winced at the unpleasant smell, his expression did not change in the slightest.

Hiruzen was an acquaintance from his Genin days. Danzo had never once used the word, "Friend." Friendship was the product of feelings of collusion between human beings. People used the word, "Friend" for the wretched idea of leaning on another person. Danzo had never wanted to lean on someone or be leaned on himself. So he never used soft words like, "Friend."

Exhaling smoke, Hiruzen turned his eyes on Danzo. "Just as you said, it's been five months since he was promoted to Chunin. And Itachi has carried out his missions almost too perfectly. Even on missions using Genin, he has such a grasp on each of their areas of specialization, and gives such impeccable orders, it's hard to believe he's only almost eleven. The reports he sends in, too, are very nicely in order, strictly following the format."

"So those two years as a Genin were a loss to both Itachi and to the village, hm?"

"Better to think of it as necessary experience." Hiruzen always considered things in a positive light. This way of his was likely what earned him his popularity among the ninja out in the light. However, ninja were essentially creatures of the dark. Danzo always thought it was funny that they set up the Anbu, as if they could keep the light and the dark separate.

"Speaking of…" Hiruzen dumped ashes into the dish, and sighed. Then he sat up a little straighter in his chair. "Lately, long hours of desk work tire me out. Maybe I'm just old."

"That's your job."

"Not a single word of sympathy for me?"

"Tell me the story you were about to start."

Snorting a little at Danzo's unapproachable manner, Hiruzen opened his mouth. "Uchiha Fugaku made an interesting proposal."

"Fugaku…" The sour face of the head of the Military Police Force popped up in Danzo's mind.

"He sounded out the idea of Itachi joining the Anbu."

The instant he heard this, Danzo's heart leapt up, and nearly did a little dance.

He was not foolish enough to allow this glee onto his face, however. He simply replied, "I see," And waited for Hiruzen to continue.

"Fugaku says that Itachi likely won't be able to use his abilities to the fullest in the Military Police Force. He's not looking at him as his own son, but from an objective perspective: He thinks Itachi possesses unparalleled talents as a ninja. He says it's his duty as a father to guide his son to a place where he can fully use that genius. And so he came to me about the possibility of the boy joining the Anbu."

Darkness appeared in the depths of his eyes; Hiruzen turned a questioning gaze on

Danzo, but he hadn't gotten to the end of the story. He wrapped up by stating his own opinion. "Homura and Koharu are totally opposed. They say it's preposterous to have an Uchiha in the Anbu, given its status as a special unit under the direct control of the Hokage. They asked me if I'd forgotten about how the Second Hokage established the Military Police Force."

"The Military Police Force was created to drive the Uchiha Clan away from the central functions of the village."

"Mm." Sighing, Hiruzen packed tobacco into his pipe for the third time.

"Maybe you could stop while we are discussing important business, at least."

Like a child scolded by his father, Hiruzen shrugged his shoulders slightly in dissatisfaction, before setting the pipe down on his desk. "They went so far as to bring up your name, you know. Even if they did eventually agree to the boy being in the Anbu, what would you say, given your dislike of the Uchiha line? Nothing but pushback from those two."

Homura and Koharu, of the Konoha Council. They were also acquaintances of his since childhood, old people with no great talent who had not stood out in any way during the harder times of the fierce Great War, when so many of their comrades died.

They had managed to live such long lives through luck alone. But they had the self-awareness at least to know that they should gratefully accept the honorary positions on the Council. They didn't have the power to push their own opinions through without leaning on someone with a bigger, more authoritative, voice. "So you're also—"

"Can't we just let him in, then?"

Hiruzen's eyes widened slightly, a note of suspicion rising up in them. Naturally, he also thought Danzo would be opposed. But Danzo was not opposed in the slightest. Quite the contrary, Fugaku's proposal was a godsend. Right from the start, he had planned for Itachi to join the Anbu, whatever he had to do to make it happen.

Uchiha Itachi was an essential element in fulfilling Danzo's ambitions. So much so, that Danzo feared that Fugaku would harden in suspicion when he recommended the Anbu. The fact that the proposal had come from that side was nothing other than a windfall.

"I know you're partial to Itachi, but I thought you would've shown some disapproval of putting him in the Anbu." Hiruzen didn't try to hide the probing look in his eyes.

Danzo was calm in the face of the other man's suspicion. "Itachi is the sort of ninja you see maybe once every hundred years. Even if he is an Uchiha, we cannot afford to not take advantage of everything he has to offer The Village."

"That answer's very you." The Third Hokage nodded deeply as if convincing himself. "If you approve, then I don't have any objection to Itachi joining the Anbu, either. To eliminate this rivalry between The Village and the Uchiha, we need to first win over the hearts of the young people. Bringing Itachi into the center of village life should be a good opportunity for that."

Danzo would never agree with Hiruzen's optimistic thinking. But he was grateful that the Hokage approved of Itachi's entry into the Anbu, whatever his reason.

"But Itachi's only eleven. We need to see that he's ready for the Anbu."

"A mission to join the Anbu, hm?"

"Exactly."

"Would you leave that to me?" Danzo requested.

Knock-knock. A rhythmic tap was at the door for Danzo to glance over his shoulder.

"Come in," Hiruzen's voice answered.

"Reporting in from Sunagakure, sir." Akina said as she opened the door to enter.

"You're back quicker then expected, Akina."

Silence. She stood like a soldier, her feeling Danzo's eye glance over her.

"Well?" Hiruzen asked.

"Yes, sir. The Kazekage has vanished. There are no leads of to who is behind the kidnapping or disappearance. I made contact with Chiyo-sama, her grandson Sasori is one of many suspects of their rogue shinobi, but this is still not confirmed. While I was in their village, the search for the Third Kazekage was the talk of the town, but also instilling a Fourth Kazekage at the distress of being without a Kage."

"Akina…" His tone got serious. "I would like you to be part of my personal Anbu."

"Y-yes, sir!" Akina stuttered excitedly, bowing. "I've only been a Chunin for a year and a half."

"And in that year, you've proven that you are most fit for Anbu, especially to succeed in this A-Rank Mission. Do you accept?"

"Of course, Hokage-sama!" Akina bowed deeper, her hair falling over her shoulders in that motion.

"Hiruzen… You cunning badger, you're a step ahead of me." Danzo turned to let himself out, Akina seeing his feet and cane with the sound it made at every step. "You can have her."

"Danzo…" Akina thought.

"Don't mind him." Hiruzen smiled. "Go home. Get some rest, and you will hear from Anbu to schedule to get your gear and tattoo."

"Understood. Thank you, Hokage-sama."

Fugaku passed Itachi a paper, across the breakfast table. "What's this, Father?"

His father didn't answer as Itachi's eyes began to read. "The Hokage wants you to take a week off before proceeding with your promotion to Anbu."

"I'll just train then—"

"Rest, Itachi. The timing is right before missions start getting harder. I want you to take a break from even training with Shisui."

"Okay."

"I'm off to work." Fugaku announced, kissing Mikoto on the cheek. Sasuke coming into the kitchen with bed head hair.

"Sasuke… Do you want to play today?"

"Really?" Sasuke gasped beyond delighted.

"I have the week off." Itachi informed with a gentle smile. "Sasuke's gotten really big... Six-years-old and he starts at The Academy soon. It feels like yesterday he was just crawling."

Itachi lied in his bed, staring at the ceiling. The crows hadn't even started cawing yet, but here he was, tossing and turning, trying to sleep some more. "What am I going to do today? I feel so calm, but so lost in this nothingness."

Itachi rolled out of bed and lazily went to the kitchen. The moment he entered, his Father's words hit him. "What have you done the last three days?" Fugaku asked.

"Train with Sasuke…" Mikoto reported, putting down Itachi's rice on the table.

"You're tired… Go spend time with someone your own age. Take some time and enjoy this vacation. If you do, you'll stop saying things like that."

"Things like that..." Itachi looked at his father who was stern. "He means what I said at Nakano Shrine. I shouldn't have voiced my true feelings. It's pointless. I understand the clan's distress, but what good will fighting hatred with hatred do?"

"Itachi," His father snapped him out of his daydream.

"Yes, sir." Itachi nodded. "He sums up all my feelings with the word, 'tired'."

Fugaku got up and kissed Mikoto, and left.

"Why don't you go spend time with that brunette girl… Izumi, isn't it?" Mikoto suggested.

"Izumi…" Itachi nodded.

"Can I come?" Sasuke asked gleefully as he burst into the foyer

"Um…" Itachi pondered out loud as he stood, Izumi waiting at the door with a pout, Itachi being able to sense she wanted one-on-one time with him. "Another time, Sasuke."

Sasuke then gestured for Itachi to lean in, so he bent down to Itachi for Sasuke to whisper, "…But Akina doesn't mind me coming along."

"That was different." Itachi flicked Sasuke in the head, as he stood upright, turning to exit the door and begin walking side-by-side with Izumi.

"No, it wasn't!" Sasuke protested, but the older children were already far enough down the street from Itachi's house.

Akina sat at her bedroom window, reading, but noticing two figures in her peripheral vision to make her look, Itachi and Izumi walking. "So he has got close to Izumi." She felt a small little ache in her heart. "Do I actually have feelings for Itachi?"

"You have no right to be jealous," A voice said from behind her in her doorway.

Akina had shivers run up her spine at the sound of identifying Shisui's voice. Turning her eyes to glare at him. "I am not jealous!"

"Oh yeah?" He smirked to challenge her.

"I'm not. Izumi is a great person. I'm happy for them." Akina closed her book with one hand from the spine.

"They're not dating…" Shisui mentioned.

"Huh?" Akina's eyes rose in interest.

"Itachi is hesitant…"

"Why?" Her brows furrowed, clueless.

Shisui smirked, raising his finger, and pointing at her.

"No. We're friends."

"Confess your feelings before you lose him." He warned as Akina passed him to go into the kitchen. "You want to go crash their date? Itachi will be surprised that you're home."

"That's immature…" Akina scolded emotionlessly. "Besides, we don't know where they're going."

"It's Itachi… Tea and dango, duh."

"Heh," Akina half-laughed as she put on her boots at the door. "No, thanks. I have to get my Anbu tattoo."

"Already?"

"Yeah…" She pulled on the other boot.

"You rather get needles stabbed in you then confess your feelings?"

"Absolutely." Akina straightly spat as she waved to open and close the front door.

"Hey, are you listening to me?" The high-pitched voice broke into his thoughts and echoed in his brain.

Itachi blinked for a moment, before turning in the direction of the voice. Izumi was walking beside him, a bounce in her step. Her eyes caught his, and didn't release them.

"You should watch where you're going, you know," He remarked.

"Uh-huh." Her voice also had a bounce in it. "You wanna take a break over there?" She pointed at a teashop ahead of them.

They had left the clan compound, and come into the center of the village. Itachi wasn't worried about what people would think seeing them together like this. He was taking a walk with a friend. There was nothing else to it.

"Two, please!" Izumi called out, and sat down on a long bench in front of the shop, where a scarlet carpet was laid out. Itachi sat beside her.

"Comin'!" He heard a familiar voice from inside the shop. "Oh! If it ain't Itachi!" The accented voice was that of an old teammate.

"Shinko."

"Been ages, hm?" Shinko had been with him on Team Two, the team he had first been assigned to after becoming a Genin. He was told that confronted with

the reality of the world of the ninja, she had given up her Genin certification. "I'm

workin' here now."

"So it seems."

Izumi hesitantly watched Itachi talking so familiarly with the older Shinko who was about eighteen-years-old now.

"So? Yer girlfriend?" Shinko asked, eyes glittering as she set two cups of tea down on the bench.

"Friend."

"Oh! I bet she's all disappointed now!" Shinko teased, and Izumi jumped up, surprised. The older girl laughed, and turned her eyes back to Itachi. "Heard you made Chunin. Nice one."

"Thanks," He said.

Izumi sat quietly, her face turned to the ground.

"Knew I chose right when I quit the ninja." Shinko hugged the tray she had brought the tea on to her chest. "There was all that with Tenma dyin'. But halfa why I quit the ninja was cos of you."

"Me?" His brows rose softly.

"Seein' a genius like you up close, I saw the limits of my own talents so clear, I hated it. An' then I got sad, y'know? Started wonderin' if I should really keep at it and all. So the very next day, I went and quit it." She laughed loudly and delightfully, before she heard a voice calling her from inside the shop. "Right, then. Can't be lazing about here. I'll be back when you've got your order sorted."

She disappeared into the shop.

"You really are amazing, huh, Itachi," Izumi murmured, head still hanging, after watching Shinko leave. "I don't have the kind of talent that would make anyone just give up on being a ninja."

"But you're going to graduate this year, right?"

She was eleven, so her graduation was about a year early. It wasn't as if she didn't have talent herself. "That doesn't count as talent, you know," Izumi noted sadly; as he watched her, Itachi felt a faint joy.

"Half of the reason Shinko quit is me…" That meant that his power had removed a ninja from the world. One fewer ninja meant one less fight. Shinko's confession was proof, albeit meager, that he was not headed down the wrong path.

"I wanted to ask you something," He said. Izumi lifted her head and looked at him, a thin veil of tears in her eyes. "Why do you want to be a ninja?"

"What?"

"Being a ninja means actual battle. Which means you'll have to deal with so many awful, terrible things all the time. A girl like you shouldn't have to go through that."

"But I mean, my dad's a ninja, so…"

"Is that the only reason?"

"It's not just that," Izumi replied, almost a declaration. He caught a glimpse of anger in the black eyes beneath her long lashes. He didn't know what it meant. "Walking down the same path as the person you like... Maybe I shouldn't want that."

She stood up. "See you." When she looked back to smile at him, tears were spilling out of her eyes. She turned around, and didn't look back again.

"What's this? Made yer girl cry?" Shinko teased, having come to stand behind him at some point.

"If you can hide your aura that well, maybe you should become a ninja again?" Itachi pouted un-amused.

"No, thanks!"

"Izumi," Akina questioned from behind the Uchiha girl, seeing her Uchiha crest and long brown hair. Izumi turned around, wiping her eyes.

"Oh, Akina-chan." Izumi looked up to Akina headed towards her and into the compound.

"Did you get hurt?" Izumi pointed to Akina's bandage, she could see through the cut out detail of her sleeve on the side of her right shoulder.

"Hm?" Akina looked at her right arm that Izumi pointed to. "Oh, no… It's my Anbu tattoo." Akina smirked sheepishly and then looking up eye to eye with Izumi. "Did you get hurt? Why are you crying?" Akina asked as she handed her a handkerchief.

"Itachi… He doesn't acknowledge me, not romantically, or not even as a ninja."

"Forgive him. He's not good with words." Akina waved. "Don't take it to heart. Itachi has his reasons and you have yours."

"Thank you, Akina-chan." Izumi smiled.

"Can I go give him a piece of my mind?" Akina asked.

"If you want to," Izumi chuckled.

"Welcome!" Shinko's voice chimed from the back.

"Is this seat taken?" Itachi looked up, hearing a familiar voice, seeing his long-time friend that he hadn't seen in awhile.

"Akina-chan," He blushed, glancing over her from her feet up to her green eyes. Her boots, tight black pants, her hips… When did she get hips? Her curves at where her obi was tied, her yukata draping off her body and her shoulders where he noticed the bandage. "Are you hurt?"

"No, it's my Anbu tattoo…" She informed.

His blush intensified.

"Why'd you make her cry?" Akina groaned disapprovingly as she sat down.

"I didn't mean to…" Itachi looked away.

Akina poured herself some tea. "Cheesecake, please, Shinko-chan!"

"You're going to get fat." Itachi blankly informed.

"Not with Anbu training and you know what they say, there's a second stomach for dessert." She annoyingly said before taking his dango and sliding the last dumpling off the skewer with her lips and tongue, Itachi watching her mouth, blushing, looking away. "You are being extra insensitive today. She just wants to be acknowledged by you. All the girls did, but Izumi's feelings obviously aren't as superficial to stick around this long."

"And you? Go out with Ko then." He refuted bitterly.

"I don't have time for that," She rolled her eyes.

"Then why criticize me for my lack of interest in Izumi?" He put her on the spot.

"Whatever," Akina shook her head.

"What's Anbu like?" He questioned. "When did you get home?"

"I just got tattooed, Itachi… What about you? Shisui told me."

"Waiting on them. I've been forced to take the week off."

"So just trainin—"

"No training, either."

"Hm," Akina took a sip of her tea, setting her glass to the table, running her index finger around the inner opening of the cup, Itachi noticing this. "Anything can be training…"

"Huh?"

"Cheesecake to go!"

"Thanks." Akina handed Shinko the exact amount of money.

"To go?"

"See you…" Akina gestured in a wave to Itachi.

"That's the girl you put cat ears on, right?" Shinko asked down to Itachi.

"Yeah…" Itachi blankly nodded, staring at Akina's back, wavy long hair swishing as she walked.

"Well, go after her…" Shinko insisted in her scolding tone.

"Huh?" He obliviously asked.

"What a love triangle… The girl earlier likes you and you like that girl."

"Then it's not exactly a love triangle…" Itachi glared, paying, and leaving.

"Atta boy!"

"Akina!" He called.

"Huh…?" She looked back as he jogged to her side, his shirt bouncing to see a peek of his forming abs. "He's so handsome."

"Are you headed home?" He stopped at her side abruptly, looking down to her questioning green eyes.

"Uh… Convenience store." Akina pointed to the tattoo.

"Did it hurt?"

"Uh… It felt like being stabbed by bees."

"Sounds like it hurt." He joked.

Akina shook her head multiple times, Itachi studying her emotionless expression. Akina then just kept walking.

"Something wrong?" Itachi's husky voice demanded firmly to know.

Akina turned back, standing straight like a solider, daring to glance at onyx that somehow showed through in the night's own darkness.

Itachi approached slowly, coming close to the silent girl, glancing gently down into Akina's green glow. "How do you know when something's wrong? You're destroying me, you know that?"

"Destroying?"

"I'm tired from my mission, Itachi." Akina sat down on the bench outside the convenience store, Itachi remaining over her. "You better get home… Your parents will be worried sick if you're late for supper."

"And who will worry about you?"

The stoic girl would shake her head. "You're lucky to have a family, Itachi."

"I'm worried about you. And I don't like that you'll be taking S-rank missions. This last mission was an A-rank and you're exhausted."

Akina looked at him, swallowing, looking back to the stars, forcing all her bravery from her shadowed lips. "Well, someone's got to do it, might as well be people like me."

"Huh?" Itachi exclaimed as she got up to go into the convenience store.

"Akina!" His voice raised and settled. "Are you busy tomorrow?"

"Are you bored?" She smiled, looking back at him.

He just shrugged, and she turned away, the door swinging closed behind her. Itachi sighed, placing his hands in his pockets to turn and walk down the main street of the village, looking up past the streetlights to the Hokage Stone Faces. "Yeah… The truth means nothing, if you won't admit to it."

Knock-knock. "Huh?" Itachi leaned up from his bed, going to his window to open it. "Akina…"

"I waited until your parent's light went off. They really stay up and talk to each other." She explained as she turned around and sat on her butt on the roof. "Don't get me wrong, it's sweet, but…" She looked at him smiling at her. "Well, come on out. Share a piece of cheesecake?"

He climbed out and sat next to her, watching her pop the plastic container off the cheesecake open. She took a fork, and so did Itachi. Taking a bite after she did.

"So… You have three days left of vacation, right?"

"Well, plus the weekend." He nodded.

"You're going to atrophy if you're lazy. You can't train with Shisui and Izumi is pissed at you. Why don't you just spend time with Sasuke?"

"I did that the first three days until my parent's insisted I spend time with someone my own age…"

"Oh!" Akina realized, taking a bite cheesecake. Itachi watched her mouth do so. "Looks like you're out of luck."

"You're my age…" He smirked, annoyed.

Akina looked at him. "Are you asking me to hang out with you?"

"If you're not busy…"

"I'm very busy." Akina brushed him off, setting her fork in the dish, allowing Itachi to take the last bite, giving him the plastic container.

"Doing what?" He asked with his mouth full, as she laid back, her hands behind her head.

"You'll see. For now… We watch stars."

"Okay." Itachi laid back. "Which one is Gemini again?"