"Little…Sasuke?"
The Chibi cracks open his eyes and sees Oki-Itachi's face hovering over him, the man blinking in surprise. Sasuke stares back groggily, wondering why the human is so close when memories of last night slam into his brain.
"Itachi killed his friends, his lover, his father and mother, but he could not kill his little brother..."
Sasuke gasps, flinging himself up. Yet this ruins his balance and he slides off the human's wrist.
A hand catches him before he can hit the table, and Sasuke winces as he lands on his chest, pinpricks of pain flaring over his torso.
"Are you alright?"
Sasuke gingerly pushes himself into a sitting position, mindful of his injuries, and shakes his head.
Oki-Itachi's eyes widen, and Sasuke is confused until he realizes he shook his head…he answered the Oki.
Terror drenches his heart, but soon Sasuke calms, expression becoming thoughtful. Oki-Itachi already figured out he understands human language, so answering him doesn't really reveal anything new, does it? And as long as he doesn't verbally talk, he's not actually communicating with the human, is he?
Sasuke is still debating it when Oki-Itachi gets over his shock and his face turns neutral. "Okay, you're not alright. What is wrong—"
Sasuke's stomach growls like a starved dog, and heat spreads across his cheeks while he looks aside.
The human makes an understanding sound. "Of course, you must be starving." He reaches for Sasuke and the Chibi tenses instinctively, but his hand settles beside him, palm up and fingers curled.
Oki-Itachi must see his confusion because he explains, "I don't want to aggravate your wounds, so you can sit down and hold on to me."
Sasuke blinks, surprised by the man's consideration. Yet soon his head bows in shame because how did he ever think Oki-Itachi was a monster?
The human waits for Sasuke to get seated on his hand and grasp his index finger before standing from his chair and exiting the room.
Oki-Itachi takes his time going down the staircase, and though Sasuke knows it's because he's trying not to jostle him, his stomach cramps the longer he has to wait for food. Fortunately the second they leave the steps, the aroma of heat and spices waft towards them and Sasuke's mouth waters as they enter the kitchen.
The cooking area is three times the size of the kitchen in the Akatsuki's former hideout and Sasuke's gaze rakes over the stainless steel stoves and the gleaming white countertops under glossy cabinets.
"I made inarizushi," Oki-Itachi says while he goes to the fridge and pulls it open. "But it will take a minute to reheat so you can have this in the meantime." He bends down and pulls a plump tomato off the fridge shelf.
Sasuke's eyes light up and he tightens his hold on the Oki's finger to stop himself from jumping at the juicy fruit. The man lowers him to the countertop and grabs a small plate from the cabinet, placing the tomato on it. Sasuke tenses when he takes a knife out a drawer, the blade likening a sword from his perspective, but his fear is replaced with anticipation as the Oki deftly slices the tomato into eight pieces.
Sasuke only waits for the knife to move away before diving at a slice taller than him and stuffing it into his mouth, ignoring Oki-Itachi's amused hum while he puts the knife in the sink.
The Chibi gulps the slice and wastes no time grabbing a second one, the gnawing feeling in his stomach disappearing. Soon the tomato is gone and Sasuke is content, but knows he can eat more. After all, Chibi teens eat up to three times their weight.
A bento box is set in front of him, two steaming pouches of inarizushi inside. Sasuke reaches into the box and is pulling over a pouch when someone shouts.
"The min-nin!"
Sasuke looks up to see Deidara in the kitchen doorway, wide-eyed and pointing at him. "Grab it! Before it escapes!"
Oki-Itachi's face turns cold, and Sasuke is disturbed by how quickly his expression changes from fondness to ice while he says, "Clearly the min-nin is too injured to escape."
Deidara blinks, surprised, but his eyes narrow on Sasuke's bandaged chest and he seems to understand. "I guess you're right." He smirks. "And I bet it's too scared to try to run when I'm around, hn." His smile grows sly.
Sasuke glares and rips a piece off the inarizushi, but just before it touches his lips, he cranes back his hand and chucks it at Deidara's head. The blond yelps, scrambling back into the hall, and the piece hits his shoulder. The tofu slides down, leaving an oily smear on his cloak sleeve, and Deidara stares shock-still at it for a moment before his features twist into a glower.
"You!" Deidara snarls, marching over, and Sasuke tears another piece of tofu to throw when a voice calls.
"Deidara-senpai!"
The Chibi freezes and Itachi turns sharply to him. Sasuke knows he should relax or there will be questions, but his gaze is stuck on the masked man behind Deidara, Tobi's lone eye radiating childish glee.
And hiding its true nature as a Sharingan.
Sasuke slowly looks down at the tofu in his hand and forces himself to eat it, though he's no longer hungry. Calm down, Oki-Itachi won't let him hurt you.
He's proven correct when the Uchiha lays his hand beside him in invitation and Sasuke tries not to look desperate as he climbs into his palm and sits down, clutching the Oki's fingers as he lifts him up.
"—you believe it had the nerve!?" Deidara rants in Tobi's face, the masked man leaning back while the blond waves wildly at his stained cloak.
Oki-Itachi grabs the food container, tucks it in his cloak pocket, and goes to the refridgerator. He grabs a bottle of lemondae and shuts the door.
"Hey!" Deidara whirls towards them as Oki-Itachi walks past.
The human Uchiha stops and coolly regards the blond, but Deidara is eyeing Sasuke. "You should keep that thing on a leash."
Sasuke turns to hide his glower, but Oki-Itachi says, "Or perhaps you should stop antagonizing him." His tone implies it's not a suggestion so much as a warning, and Deidara reels back while Tobi stares between them like he's confused.
Oki-Itachi doesn't wait for a response and resumes walking, ignoring Deidara's scoff that follows them. "They're like twins, un! Both of them acting like their better than me..."
"Uhh, maybe it's an Uchiha thing?" Tobi says like he isn't an Uchiha himself, but he must be to create such powerful genjutsu with his Sharingan. Though he wonders how the man escaped the massacre.
Tobi isn't a name he recognizes for any Oki or Chibi, but the masked man is a missing-nin. So perhaps he's a rogue Uchiha who left Konoha before Sasuke was born. However, Tobi said he witnessed the events leading to the massacre himself, so had the missing-nin returned frequently to Konoha? For what reason?
Oki-Itachi enters his room, shuts the door and sets him on the table beside the bottle of juice. Sasuke flinches as his chakra is locked up tight and Oki-Itachi frowns, glancing at the seal on the floor. However, the human soon looks back at Sasuke and dread stings the Chibi when he sees the contemplation on his face. He's going to ask about Sasuke's reaction to Tobi, has probably already figured out Sasuke's new temperament towards him is related to his new fear of the masked man.
"Little Sasuke." The Chibi quails, realizing the Oki is preparing to question him and he's not ready to see the human's reaction. Oki-Itachi clearly wanted to keep the truth a secret or he would have told Sasuke the minute he realized the Chibi could understand human language. The man will likely be upset Sasuke knows the truth, perhaps even angry.
"Did Tobi say something—" Oki-Itachi coughs, loud and abrupt, and Sasuke jumps when something wet hits his face, blinding him.
The teen quickly wipes his eyes, but stops at seeing blood coating his hand.
Oki-Itachi looks startled, red droplets on his lips while he reaches for him. "Little Sa—" Another cough bursts from his throat, the force making him stumble back.
The human throws a hand over his mouth as he hacks violently, but blood seeps between his fingers while he falls into a harsh coughing fit.
Sasuke is still staring at the blood on his hand, Oki-Itachi's blood streaked over half his face, when he recalls the human coughing like this weeks ago.
"I'm sick."
The human stumbles over to the dresser as Sasuke pales.
"It's terminal."
Oki-Itachi drags a pill bottle out of a drawer while Sasuke crumbles to his knees, horror washing over him. He'd thought the human was lying, pretending to have a deadly illness for sympathy, but if Oki-Itachi is actually a good person that means it's true. Oki-Itachi is dying. The human is suffering from a disease that's killing him, and considering the frequency and severity of his coughing fits, he doesn't have long.
The Oki swallows three large pills, coughs and blood still sputtering out his mouth while he holds the dresser edge in a white-knuckled grip. He's shaking and wheezing, sweat coating his face, and Sasuke shivers because Oki-Nii-san is dying.
Eventually his coughing ebbs, and Oki-Itachi releases the dresser and opens a drawer, pulling out a towel. He quickly wipes the blood from his lips and hand before grabbing a rag and walking to Sasuke.
"Here, you can clean your—"
The Oki freezes, eyes widening. "Little Sasuke?" He slowly approaches, the image of him blurring, and that's when the Chibi realizes he's crying.
Oki-Itachi's face pinches worriedly and he reaches with both hands to scoop Sasuke off the desk, cradling him. "There, there, it's okay." He brings Sasuke to his chest, who quickly presses his blood-stained face into his cloak and grips the cloth tightly. "I'm alright."
Sasuke shakes his head because he's not. Oki-Itachi is dying and…and Oki-Sasuke has no idea, does he?
The Chibi's tears dry up in an instant as he realizes Oki-Sasuke thinks his brother is a cold-blooded murderer and is planning to kill him—
"I'll set you free before I have my final battle with Sasuke."
And Oki-Itachi is planning to let his little brother kill him, isn't he?
Sasuke is too overwhelmed to react as Oki-Itachi picks up the rag, gently tugs him around, and wipes the blood off his face. He cleans his hand too, then lowers Sasuke on his pillow upon the table.
The human's brows slant down worriedly. "Are you okay?"
Sasuke wonders if that's Oki-Itachi's favorite question to ask him because he certainly asks it a lot. However, Sasuke has been a magnet for trouble lately, so maybe it's warranted.
The Chibi snickers a little hysterically, but quickly cuts off his laughter when Oki-Itachi frowns. The human looks like he wants to ask him something, but instead of voicing his question, he says, "I believe it's about time you got some fresh air." He pulls out the box of inarizushi and sets it beside him. "Finish eating while I change and then we can go."
The human opens the lemonade bottle and pours some of it in Sasuke's bowl beside the Chibi-sized cup he got him. Sasuke is pretty sure he knocked away all the objects Oki-Itachi gave him in his earlier tantrum, but apparently Oki-Itachi picked them up and cleaned them.
Moved by Oki-Itachi's caring for him even when Sasuke had been a brat, the Chibi forces himself to finish up the tofu pouches and to drink a few cups of juice while Oki-Itachi burns his bloody cloak—hiding evidence he's sick?—and grabs another one from his dresser.
Oki-Itachi comes over once he's changed and lowers his closed hand by the table. "I fixed this for you since your old shirt was lost." He opens his fist to reveal Itachi's black cloak.
Sasuke runs up and snatches it eagerly, inspecting the bottom trim and finding the tear has been seamlessly repaired. He brings the cloth to his nose and inhales, smiling at his brother's familiar scent because it's the closest thing he has to Itachi right now.
He beams gratefully at the human before tugging on the cloak and scampering onto the Oki's palm. Sasuke sits, holding onto Oki-Itachi's curled fingers as his hand rises, but he blinks when he's carried to a large pocket over the human's chest.
"I thought you might be more comfortable in here than in the jar."
Sasuke glances from the pocket to Oki-Itachi and stands. He reaches for the pocket's edge, noticing it has a silver zipper, and drags himself inside.
The pocket flap closes over Sasuke's head and everything goes dark as his feet land on a foamy square at the bottom of the pocket. However, the pouch is as tall as Sasuke, so he simply raises his hand to push the flap open and look outside.
"What do you think?"
Sasuke lowers his arms and stretches them out to find his fingers don't touch the sides, but checking the length, he finds he only has a little room in front of and behind him. However, the pocket's snugness will keep him from being jostled too much, so Sasuke looks up at Oki-Itachi and gives him a thumbs up.
"I'm glad you like it," Oki-Itachi says. "I only ask you keep the pocket closed when we're around civilians."
Sasuke nods, understanding the sight of him would cause a scene considering Chibi are a myth to most humans. Therefore, Sasuke lets the flap fall over his head and zips the pocket close halfway as Oki-Itachi starts walking, the movement reminding him of a boat bobbing in the sea.
The Chibi watches through the small opening in the pocket while Oki-Itachi leaves the tower, brow furrowing as he stares back at the towering building they'd been in. There's something awfully familiar about it, but he can't figure out why until he spots a pigeon taking off from its nest near the top of the tower.
Sasuke squints and spots a small figure on the bird's back. Yahiko rides the pigeon, soaring higher and higher until Sasuke loses sight of him and can only stare at the sky wide-eyed. The Akatsuki's tower is the same place where the Chibi-Akatsuki live in the vents, and with this revelation, Sasuke's life has become all the more complicated.
—
The crowds thin out as Oki-Itachi heads to the village's edge where a giant lake—the one his raft had carried him to—spreads out like an ocean. Oki-Itachi walks across the water and Sasuke thinks he's leaving Amegakure when he sees a little island in the middle of the lake, shrouded by the fog.
The human stops on the sandy ground and sits on a wooden crate under a tall, bushy tree in the middle of the island. He reaches up to offer his hand and Sasuke unzips the pocket, climbs out, and slides down the human's arm much to the Oki's shock. He touches down on the inside of his elbow and hops onto his lap, grinning up at the man.
Oki-Itachi smiles faintly. "You're being lively. Does this mean your injuries are healing well?"
Sasuke nods because he's just a little tender and bruised around his chest, but he feels way better than he has for days. Maybe it's because he finally ate or perhaps it's because he knows the truth about Oki-Itachi. That now the tiny part of his heart that couldn't believe his brother's counterpart—Oki-Nii-san—was a monster has finally found the validation it sought all these years.
Oki-Itachi's smile drops. "You've been acting different around me."
Sasuke winces and looks away, but Oki-Itachi gently taps two fingers on his head and runs them down his back. "I thought maybe Tobi threatened you into obedience, but your emotions are too real."
The Chibi tentatively peeks up, but Oki-Itachi is staring across the lake. "Tobi told you what I did that night, didn't he?"
He looks down, expressionless, and Sasuke bites his lips, takes a deep breath, and nods.
Oki-Itachi's face doesn't change, but his eyes close. "Well." Sasuke wrings his hands, nervous as he imagines the man becoming angry. "It wasn't like I was trying to hide it from you."
Sasuke gapes while Oki-Itachi's eyes open, expression becoming a little sad. "I simply saw no reason to explain it to you. I also doubted you would believe me."
The Chibi's face falls because he probably wouldn't have believed him.
"Regardless, now that you know, I do not expect nor ask you to forgive me." Oki-Itachi's face hardens. "It was my choice, even if certain circumstances pushed me toward my decision."
Sasuke goes to the Oki's thumb, making the human glance down as he wraps his arms around the finger in a hug. His raven eyes implore Oki-Nii-san's, begging him to understand.
Gradually the human's face eases, though he doesn't smile. "Okay, if that's how you feel." He sobers. "However, now that you trust me, we should talk about how you're going to escape the Akatsuki."
Sasuke lets go of his thumb in shock while the Oki continues. "Since my last attempt to release you failed, we won't be able to try something like that again, Tobi is already suspicious of me." The Chibi bobs his head to show his agreement. "So instead we'll have to play the long game."
Oki-Itachi gazes sternly at him. "You'll need to act like you'll obey the Akatsuki. This means sometimes you may have to do what they say and I will have to pretend as well. However, once you've gained the Akatsuki's trust, I'm sure an opportunity to escape will arise."
The human's eyes turns flinty. "If it comes to it, I will simply take you back to Konoha before my battle with Sasuke."
The Chibi frowns, recognizing the implication Oki-Itachi isn't planning to survive the fight so won't have to worry about getting on the Akatsuki's bad side.
"Also, I do have one stipulation." Oki-Itachi stares down at him and Sasuke cowls under his cold expression. "You must never hurt yourself from now on," his voice is quiet yet sharp, "This means no starving yourself, and no aggravating your injuries or pushing yourself to the point of becoming sick. Do you understand?"
Sasuke's eyes fall because he remembers the human threatening him to take care of himself and thinking he was being cruel, but now it's so obvious Oki-Itachi is just worried about him, that hurting himself hurts the Oki too.
The teen quickly nods. He won't ever scare Oki-Nii-san again.
The human must see his earnestness because his face softens. "Good. Now let's..." He stops, Sharingan blooming in his eyes, and Sasuke startled as a voice speaks.
"You're getting along better with the min-nin."
Sasuke whips around to see Tobi standing on the lake ahead and his body goes rigid. He wants to run and hide, but Tobi's dark eye is on him and he's too scared to even breathe. He's certain now the man's playful side is just an act while this sinister side is his true self, which is why it's a mercy when Oki-Itachi's hand moves to cup around his body and partially hide him from the masked man.
"Yes," Oki-Itachi's icy tone makes Sasuke flinch though it's not directed him. "I'm assuming you incited this change."
Instead of responding, Tobi steps onto the island and Sasuke internally shivers as the man says, "Deidara was right, the min-nin needs a leash if it's going to keep trying to escape." He holds up his gloved hand, revealing a tiny white plant spore on his fingertip.
"Zetsu's spore?" Oki-Itachi whispers, eyes narrowing. "That's how you found him after he escaped, Zetsu planted his spore on him while he and his teammates were fighting him."
Sasuke's brow furrows. Who is Zetsu and when did he and his team fight him? He thinks for a second before his face lights up in remembrance. That plantlike Akatsuki member, he must be Zetsu! And now it makes sense why that white mass suddenly appeared on his back by the river after he fought the man.
And could it have been Zetsu's spore who pretended to be Itachi and attacked him? Is that why that fake looked like the white half of that plant guy after Sasuke killed him? All this time those were Zetsu's spores tracking him and trying to stop him from escaping.
"Exactly," Tobi's deep voice slices through his thoughts as he offers the spore to Itachi, "It will restrain the min-nin if it attempts to escape or break away from its mission, and monitor its movements since you insist on letting it roam about with its chakra."
His gaze narrows on Sasuke and the Chibi's face twitches despite him trying to look apathetic. "If it tries to use any jutsu on the spore, it will automatically activate."
Oki-Itachi's expression is neutral as he pinches the spore off Tobi's gloved finger, and though Sasuke knows he's only doing what he must to keep his cover, he tenses when the hand around him moves to catch his arm in a firm hold. Sasuke stays still as Oki-Itachi lowers the spore to his bicep, but he jumps when the spore pounces at his throat.
It spreads around his neck like a clay collar and Sasuke reaches up, pulling at it. Yet the spore tightens, cutting off his oxygen and making him choke.
"Little Sasuke?" Oki-Itachi asks in concern as Sasuke's eyes bug out.
"Sasuke?" the human asks louder, hands hovering fretfully around him when the collar loosens. Sasuke coughs, panting and rubbing his throat though he avoids touching the spore in case that will trigger it strangling him again.
Once Oki-Itachi is certain he can breathe, he raises his Sharingan eyes to glare at Tobi. "Was that necessary?" he asks coldly.
Tobi shrugs one shoulder. "I'd say it was. In a desperate attempt to escape, the min-nin could cut off the arm the spore's attached to, but I doubt it will risk beheading itself."
Oki-Itachi scowls, appearing less than pleased for a second before his face goes blank. "I see." He plucks Sasuke by the back of his shirt and gently drops him in his zipper pocket. The Chibi for once doesn't mind the manhandling as he closes the flap, hiding himself from Tobi though the collar remains a strange, uncomfortable weight around his neck.
"Meet Pain in the meeting room once you finish walking the min-nin. He has a mission for you and Kisame."
Tobi's Mangekyō Sharingan spins and the air spirals into a vortex that he swiftly disappears in. Sasuke opens the pocket flap once he's gone and Oki-Itachi's hand comes beside him so he climbs out to stand on his palm.
"I'm sorry about the spore."
Oki-Itachi looks guilty and Sasuke swiftly sliced his arms down in an 'X' shape while shaking his head, emphasizing his disagreement. The human hadn't done anything wrong, it was Tobi who forced the spore on him.
"It will complicate things, and yes, the spore can hear us as it's basically a Zetsu clone." Sasuke's brow rises in alarm. "However, the spore won't be able to tell anybody what we say without activating, and it won't activate unless you deviate from a mission or attempt to escape."
Oki-Itachi's gaze fills with determination. "Regardless, it won't stop me from getting you back to Konoha." His face eases into a warm smile that resembles his brother's own smile so much it hurts. "So don't give up, Little Sasuke."
The Chibi reaches for the human's fingers and gives them a reassuring squeeze because he believes Oki-Itachi. Sasuke will get home and see his family and friends again. Because they're in this together now, and his brother has never let him down when it really counts.
—
Itachi stands before Pain and feels the min-nin cringe in his zipper pocket as Pain's Rinnegan eyes shift to him. "I've heard the min-nin is more amenable today, is this true?"
The Uchiha inclines his head. "Yes, he has started accepting food again and hasn't lashed out at all today except when Deidara bothered him. He also hasn't tried to escape though I've allowed him access to his chakra."
Pain seems to consider the information before asking, "Will it be fully healed in the time it would take you to reach Kirigakure?"
Kisame's eyes widen and Itachi is inwardly surprised and wary. "Yes, he should be."
Pain extends his hand and Itachi hesitates for less than a second before reaching into his pocket and pulling the min-nin out. Little Sasuke's heart thumps fast under his fingers and Itachi wants dearly to reassure him while he hands him to Pain.
The Akatsuki leader thumbs the collar-shaped spore around the min-nin's neck, making the little ninja flinch while Pain looks between him and Kisame. "If either of you see the min-nin without this Zetsu spore during your mission, assume it's trying to escape and immediately capture it."
"And what exactly is our mission?" Kisame asks, crossing his arms while Little Sasuke glances at him.
Pain's Rinnegan seems to gleam in the sunlight pouring through the window as he replies, "You're going to Kirigakure and smuggling the min-nin into the village." He glances at the min-min. "Then it will place a genjutsu over the Mizukage, which will put her under the Akatsuki's control."
Itachi barely keeps his expression neutral, though he'd realized where Pain was heading, and even Kisame seems shocked before a sly smile spreads across his face. "It sounds like we're going to have to take some heads," he says with a vicious eagerness.
"Do what you must," Pain stares down Little Sasuke who has gone stark white, "But ensure the min-nin succeeds. Otherwise, we may have to replace it."
Itachi's heart stops, fear flashing on his face, but he sweeps it away before anyone notices. He accepts Little Sasuke back from Pain, secretly stroking his back in reassurance while returning him to his pocket.
"We won't fail, Pain-sama." Itachi bows his head, and he means it.
He won't allow Little Sasuke to be replaced—killed—even if it means allowing this dreadful mission to succeed. Itachi will do what he must to protect his brother's counterpart because nothing is more important than Sasuke.
Nothing.
I'm so sorry for the long wait but I really wanted to finish up one of my other stories before updating this one, which I did, and now that I'm working on one less story, I have more time to dedicate to this one. In fact I'm hoping to finish this story by the end of summer, but we'll see how that goes…
Anyway, thanks for commenting and supporting this story! I'm glad so many like it and I hope you enjoyed this chapter 😃
Next time: Chibi Sasuke and Itachi try to find a way to complete their mission without putting the Mizukage under a genjutsu, but time is quickly running out…
Take care, mi amigos!
