Uchiha Itachi...

Invasion

"Homecoming"

The Sage scrolled down the main wall of the village. The sound of the destruction was muffled. He spotted two people in peasant hats beneath him. Leaping off the wall, he landed in front of them. One of them had a large sword wrapped in white cloth tied to his back with a wide strap and buckle. This swordsman was a head taller than his companion. Their faces hid under a white veil and they both wore black long robes with high flaring neck collars. Another design of the robes was red clouds outlined with white.

"I regret the state of my village, visitors," the Sage apologized and bowed before them. "Pardon my rudeness when asking you to come tomorrow for the sake of your safety."

The two men removed their hats. One had a bony face covered in gray skin marked with gills under his eyes. The smaller one had black shoulder long hair and red sharigan eyes. The sage looked up, "Why have you disrespected what it means to be a ninja, travelers?" The sage asked. "You are wearing marred forehead protectors. Identify yourself."

"Where is your protector? Itachi," the larger one began, "why doesn't he recognize you? I thought you were infamous here?"

"He would not notice any of his students," Itachi told Kisame, "but I would not forget my master or his forehead protector." Itachi tapped on the scrape along his forehead protector. "Your introduced me to my favourite chapter of Tao De Ching called Virtue.

'Who understands the world is learned;

Who understands the self is enlightened;

Who conquers the world has strength;

Who conquers the self has harmony.

Who is determined has purpose;

Who is contented has wealth.

Who defends his home may long endure;

Who surrenders his home may long survive it.'"

"Virtue? Has your mind been purified of evil thoughts?" The sage asked.

Itachi turned to his partner. "This is not a good match for me." He threw a kunai at his still master, and a log replaced him. "I could not see his hand seals."

Kisame unlatched his sword and cut through the sage who was behind them. It ruptured in bugs that shed towards Kisame. They jumped away from the swarm. "How can your sharigan not see his hand seals?"

"The sharigan is the greatest bloodline limit to uncover form, but the Aburame clan has substance in the Way, and it is more subtle than the world." Itachi said. The sage formed a group of clones that contained the two in a circle.

"Forgive my rudeness once again," the Sage repeated who was sitting against the wall at the top of the circle, "but I must request for the purpose of your safety that you return tomorrow."

"Is that the true one?" Kisame wondered. The Sage got up and removed his coat and the arms went as well. Underneath his coat, he wore a purple shinobi vest and his hands held in a seal at his chest. His left forearm was covered in tattoos. The other clones blew up in bugs and clouds of smoke. "You used your bugs as fake arms so you could perform seals under your large coat. I'm impressed. But what are you going to do now? Where are you going from here?"

"Nothing, and nowhere," the sage answered. "You are confided here as am I. My destruction bugs can do more than replicate the body and limbs."

Itachi looked over with his half closed eyes to the boundary of the circle. "They can turn into seals." He stated and his purple painted nails moved over his face and moved some hair out of the way. "This is not what we came for; we must be mindful of our task."

"Give me your words that you will not return until tomorrow, and I will set you free." The sage offered.

"Very well," Itachi said, "I will give you my word."

"You would accept the word of two outcasts?" Kisame grinned widely taking up the lower half of his face with sharp teeth. "Itachi has slaughtered his clan."

"As his teacher," the Sage said, "failure for keeping his word should end in my life. That is the respect I give to those who were under me. I will always take any man for his word."

"You are gullible," Itachi told him. The symbols moved away and the bugs entered the Sage.

"I may soon forget it." The Sage said.

GO Training

"Bottom Feeder"

A white perfectly oval stone weighted Itachi to the bottom of the lake as he dropped it into a shoulder length square made by a grid of wood planks. Itachi floated up from the lake and swam to the shore to where Anu was sitting at a Go table.

"This is my move," Anu showed his son, "now put my piece on your board."

Itachi took a breath, and picked up a black piece in two hands as it had to be big enough to not be moved by accident.

"Also grab a piece for your move, Itachi," Anu commanded, "in one dive, wherever your piece goes will stick. I will be checking to board to your board when we are finished."

Participation Award

"He could have tuned in, tuned in, but he tuned out."

Itachi hit the ashes of his joint into his participation award that he received from the tournament. His mom had asked him to keep it because Sasuke had such a great day until Itachi left. He was left with nothing though, and he just had a confrontation with the police. Like a sleight of hand, the award was thrown into the glass of the display case he had kept his other trophies in.

"Damn," Itachi swore.

I-Ching

Itachi went into an old tea shop and sat next across from a younger girl with long red hair.

"Shiko, right?" Itachi asked.

"Correct," Shiko responded to the question if she was not her twin sister, Shinobu. Itachi had mostly worked with Shinobu, but Shiko had wished her sister farewell while he was around. Itachi gave her three gold coins and she tossed them on the table and collected them back up six times before putting them away. "You seem to have already chosen your destiny, why should I explain it to you?"

"I do not know if I have broken the container of fate, yet." Itachi mentioned.