Itachi lay wide awake, hours before his first mission in a week. His eyes trailed after the flickering shadows formed on the ceiling by a candle. He had dreamt of the same nightmare again. Itachi found it peculiar that every time it recurred, it was more and more detailed and vivid. It had been particularly awful this time. As the blade pierced through a womanly torso, he saw his mother's smiling face, blood dripping down her chin. He had woken with a gasp, chest heaving up and down. Itachi reminded himself it was just a dream and tried to fall asleep again but to no avail. Every time he closed his eyes, he would see that image of his mother.

His eyes adjusted to the semi-darkness and he made out the silhouettes of the various items in his room. The desk and chair he used when he wrote out his reports, his ANBU mask, the potted bonsai tree Shisui gave him for his 17th birthday. According to him, he needed something to look at to de-stress and get his mind off his responsibilities. It would be a shame if his 'beautiful' face was ruined by premature wrinkles, he had said.

The mission debriefing had taken place that evening. As his team knelt in front of Sarutobi Hiruzen, he informed them that the duration of the mission would be a week. A group of Amegakure shinobi had infiltrated the village and disguised themselves as proctors for the chūnin exams. Their suspicious activity was noticed immediately by an ANBU out of uniform. Majority of the group managed to flee in time, minus one. He was interrogated by Ibiki Morino, the objective of their 'visit' being to kidnap Hyūga Hinata, the successor of the Hyūga Clan, and obtain the Byakugan and its secrets. Team Rō were to eliminate the threat as fast as possible otherwise the Hyūga Clan would continue to be targeted. If they were lucky and located the enemies ahead of schedule, the mission would last no more than 3 days.

Itachi sighed and hit his head against his pillow, mentally beating himself up. Sleep-deprived, he wouldn't be able to perform at the best of his ability. He knew for a fact his movements would be more sluggish and slow. He didn't want to be a liability to the team and end up unintentionally leading them to their deaths just because he wasn't able to kill the enemy in time. His lips twitched as he suddenly recalled the random memory of Shisui attempting to wake him up from his nap. He had flashed his Sharingan at him with mock murderous intent and the elder had nearly pissed himself. 'I really thought that was the end of me. On my gravestone: RIP Uchiha Shisui. Cause of death: His best friend skinning him alive.' Memories of him and Shisui was the last thing on his mind before he slowly fell into a deep, heavy slumber with the slightest silhouette of a smile on his face.

"Nii-san! Nii-san!" Sasuke yelled, launching his entire weight onto the sleeping, lifeless form. Itachi grumbled at the sudden force on his back. It was too early for Sasuke's shenanigans.

"Wake up, nii-san! You're gonna be late for your mission!" Sasuke enthusiastically jumped up and down on his back. Turning on his back, he pulled Sasuke against his chest and sighed in content. A small giggle erupted from the child. Itachi fluttered his eyes open, narrowing them at the influx of light in his room. He yawned.

"Eww your breath stinks!" Itachi rolled his eyes and smiled mischievously at the child as an idea popped into his head.

"Fire Style! Morning breath jutsu!" Itachi exclaimed as he viciously 'released the jutsu'. Sasuke squealed, halfway between excitement and disgust. Itachi chased Sasuke around his room and hauled him up on his muscular shoulders.

"Nooo the enemy has captured you!" Sasuke giggled gleefully, half falling off Itachi's broad shoulders, gripping onto his throat for dear life. Suddenly, the door slid open, the Uchiha's mother crossing her arms.

"Sasuke, come help me prepare breakfast." The gentleness in her tone indicated that she wasn't angry at the early commotion.

"Coming!"

"And you, Itachi. Get ready for your mission. It's already 6.30." She closed the door and padded down the hallway. The team would meet up at the village gates at 7 on the dot. Itachi promptly washed his face and dressed in his ANBU uniform. He ran a brush through his ebony locks and tied them back with his old, scruffy ribbon. His hair was getting too long. It would hinder him in battle. He'd have to get it cut soon despite his mother's complaints not to.

Itachi quickly double-checked his tool pouch, adding some more explosive tags and kunais before sitting down for breakfast with his family. His father was silently drinking coffee, eyes fixated on the newspaper he was reading. The usual scowl rested on his rough features, the aura around him authoritative. Sasuke was messily spooning rice into his own mouth and his mother was dishing out miso soup.

"Let me help you, Mother." Mikoto smiled in gratitude at her dependable son. Itachi placed the bowls at everyone's seat respectively before he sat down.

"Thank you for the food," they all said in unison before digging in. A silence enveloped the kitchen, chopsticks scraping and hitting the bowls the only sound present.

"Itachi," Fugaku suddenly spoke. The one called tensed and his good mood from earlier this morning dissipated. His father was always so professional even within his own family, it bothered him.

"Yes Father?"

"There's a clan meeting next week. I want you to attend it." His eyes never looked up from his meal, almost as if his son wasn't of enough significance to pay attention to. It infuriated Itachi how his father spoke to him as if he was some kind of lackey from the Police Force that he could just manipulate left and right.

"Yes Father." Stay calm. Do not react. After all these years, he should have been used to his father's indifference. Should have. Sasuke looked up at his older brother in a worrisome manner with doe eyes.

"Can I come instead, Papa?"

"No son, you are much too young. Perhaps when you grow," Fugaku dismissed. A look of disappointment came about Sasuke's face and he pouted.

"Aw…" Itachi smiled comfortingly at him. He finished his meal and stood up, kissing his mother on her cheek. He poked Sasuke's forehead and smiled.

"See you in a week, Sasuke." Mikoto stood up to see him out. She cupped Itachi's face with her cool hands and knitted her brow, a habit she had developed when Itachi became ANBU. Only she knew how much she fretted when Itachi was gone on missions. She hugged him tightly, unwilling to let him go.

"Please be careful Itachi…" Her voice reverberated through his chest. Itachi rubbed her back, inevitably feeling every vertebrae of her spine jutting out painfully. He felt even more affectionate than usual towards her as he recalled last night's dream.

"You've lost weight, Mother. Eat more often, will you?" She chuckled.

"I need to look good for your father." Father, Father, Father. Itachi pressed his lips together in a straight line and he couldn't hold back an exasperated sigh from escaping.

"You look beautiful anyway, Mother. Even more so now. Don't listen to what Father thinks." Mikoto swatted his arm playfully, a grin emerging onto her delicate features. Itachi placed the panther-like porcelain mask on his face and positioned his sword on his back.

"I'm off." And with that, he vanished with a poof, leaving white peaks of smoke behind. He teleported onto a random rooftop and began making his way to the village gate.

Thankfully Itachi had arrived before his captain, Kakashi. That didn't make him look as bad. His two other teammates, Gai and Hayate were already waiting at the gate. Gai was doing handstand push-ups.

"Good morning Turtle, Weasel." Itachi bowed to the two.

"ITACHI, MY BOY! IT'S SO GOOD TO SEE YOU! I HOPE YOU HAVE BEEN TRAINING!" Gai's loudness momentarily stunned Itachi and he lifted him off the ground into a bone-crushing bear hug. He groaned, his breathing being constricted.

"I-I can't breathe…" Gai instantly dropped him, Itachi falling on his backside. He coughed viciously, bringing his hands to his throat. Gai really didn't realise how much brute strength he had.

"Sorry, sorry. I'm just excited to get back into the flow of things!" Itachi already knew Gai was flashing him his blinding smile behind his porcelain mask. Hayate kept his distance, acting as if Itachi was some kind of bubonic plague. For some reason, he didn't really like the Uchiha. Why, Itachi did not know. He had only been courteous and polite to the elder.

"Good morning," is all Hayate said to him.

"That damned Kakashi! Where is he? We were supposed to leave 20 minutes ago." Gai crossed his arms and shook his head. As if on cue, Kakashi lazily strolled towards them, green book in hand. Itachi's face burned as he remembered his experience with the erotic novel and he was thankful the mask was covering his face. Gai and Kakashi would never let him live it down. The copy-nin cocked two fingers out, jauntily saluting.

"Kakashi! Where were you? We were supposed to leave 20 minutes ago!" Gai cried. Itachi smirked in amusement behind his mask. Gai resembled a huffy lover.

"Ahh, sorry about that. I got caught up rescuing an old lady's cat in a mountain." The copy-nin's tone was indifferent.

"You know, your excuses are getting worse and worse…" Hayate mumbled under his breath. Kakashi simply scratched his head. He closed the book with a 'snap' and stowed it away.

"I take it you all remember the objective of the mission?" They all nodded.

"Excellent. Now then, Crow and I will be positioned at the front while Turtle and Weasel will be positioned behind. Any complaints?" Silence.

"Get into formation and we'll begin running north-west."

The familiar burning sensation began crawling up Itachi's calves. They had been running for ten hours now, taking a few breaks just to check they weren't being tailed or ambushed. It was now twilight. Itachi had commanded one of his crows to fly ahead and scout the area within a five kilometre distance for enemies. The crow reported back as negative. He couldn't sense any stranger's chakra either around him. The enemies were quick on their feet. Kakashi suddenly dropped onto the forest floor, the rest following suite. An extinguished campfire lay behind a series of bushes. Kakashi summoned Pakkun.

'Pakkun. How long has this fire been here for?' The canine sniffed the ashes.

'Around fourteen hours Boss.' Kakashi nodded and the canine dissipated with a 'poof'.

'If the enemies have been awake since dawn and have been running with no breaks, chances are they will be much weaker in combat,' Itachi contemplated aloud.

'That's a baseless assumption for now,' Hayate commented with a tone of snootiness.

'It's possible.' Gai firmly added, putting his hand on his hip. Itachi mentally thanked Gai for subtly defending him.

'Night will soon fall. If Itachi's theory is correct, they will most definitely camp for the night, probably expecting us to do the same,' Kakashi contemplated. A silence enveloped the team as they awaited further commands.

'Alright. I trust in Itachi. What he said is logical. We'll aim for an ambush. If that doesn't work, strike the second the enemy notices us. Drink some water now and take some food pills. Then get back into formation and continue north-west.'

They continued jumping from tree to tree. Adrenaline coursed through Itachi's veins after taking the pills from the Akimichi Clan. He hadn't felt this giddy and bloodthirsty in a long time. After another hour of running, Kakashi suddenly halted. The others formed a circle, increasing visibility between them.

Kakashi signed the word 'scout' to Itachi and he complied. Materialising a crow on his forearm, he activated his Sharingan and looked the crow in the eye. He formed a handsign and gave the crow momentum to fly. Itachi closed his eyes, his senses on high alert. This specific jutsu allowed the user to see from the crow's point of view. It was a jutsu that Itachi had been working on and perfecting for two years now.

Itachi's eyebrows shot up. The enemies were setting up to camp for the night ten minutes east from them. He formed another handsign and the crow dematerialised with a loud 'caw', ebony feathers exploding around it.

'Report.'

'There are ten enemies in total. Five are on guard and five are sleeping. There's a 20 metre distance between the sleeping enemies and guards.' The leader nodded.

'Back into formation.'

They sped up, lighter on their feet to avoid alerting their enemies to their whereabouts. It was almost pitch black, the moon occasionally peeping through the dense forest, the silver light shining only as far as five metres ahead. Under any other circumstance, Kakashi would have avoided engaging an enemy in the night. But this situation was far too convenient. They would use the night to their advantage to mask their movements. Kakashi stopped abruptly. They regathered within a two minute radius of the location.

'Weasel and I will take out the sleepers. Turtle and Crow, stay on guard above us. If the guards notice anything suspicious, kill all but one. We need to extract information from him,' Kakashi commanded. Everyone nodded. They all ran ahead and split, Kakashi and Hayate descending to the forest floor, Itachi and Gai climbing up into a tree directly above the guards.

Itachi watched as the two snuck into the camp with impeccable stealth. The copy-nin muffled a half awake enemy with his hand and swiftly slit his throat with a kunai. It was time they took action as well. Itachi materialised a crow onto his arm and sent it straight towards the guards. It made eye contact with all of them, effectively paralysing them.

Itachi looked at Gai and nodded. Gai leapt down from the branch and landed lightly on his feet. For a man with his muscle density it was impressive, Itachi observed. A moment later, the sickening sound of bones being crunched echoed through the foliage as Gai twisted the necks of the enemies, effectively and cleanly eliminating all but one. They fell like dominoes to the ground with a thud. Kakashi and Hayate appeared before Gai. Itachi jumped down from his hiding spot and joined them.

'We finished our end.' Gai nodded.

'We left one as you wished. He's unable to talk at the moment seeing as he's under a paralysis jutsu.'

'Tie him up. Crow, release the paralysis jutsu and put a chakra suppressant jutsu on him instead,' Kakashi ordered.

'Understood.' Itachi quickly weaved his handsigns, the blue aura of chakra appearing on his hand. He activated his Sharingan and hit all the chakra points on the enemy. The enemy's scream pierced the team's eardrums, the searing chakra imitating the sensation of a third degree burn on his skin. The raven-haired ANBU then released the infinite time space jutsu.

'We can officially begin now. Co-operate with us and we'll make this as easy and painless as we can.' The Amegakure ninja's eyes flashed with defiance.

'You're not getting anything out of me,' he spat. 'Pain will rain terror on you leaf scum.' Kakashi sighed in exasperation.

'My my. I didn't even get to ask a question. Wrong answer anyway. Let's give him a little taste of leaf hospitality, Weasel.'

Hayate stepped forward and unsheathed his sword, the precious metal shining under the moonlight. With one swift movement, he chopped off two of the nin's fingers. A chilling scream reverberated through the forest as he lost two of his appendages. Itachi fought the urge to gag him.

'You b-bastards!' He wheezed in pain. Kakashi ignored him.

'Why were you after Hinata Hyuga.' It was more of a demand rather than a question. The nin grinned in a twisted manner. Normally, his expression would freeze the blood in the veins of any person. Except the ANBU weren't normal. They had seen too much on the battlefields, trifle affairs like this had no effect on them. Itachi grew up witnessing deaths in the Shinobi War. This was mere child's play to him.

'What do you think is the biggest business on the black market right now?' The nin enquired rhetorically, the sickly grin still on his marred features.

'I know many feudal lords who would pay big bucks for the Princess of the Hyuga Clan. Ones who would even go so far to betray their wives and children.' The lecherous tone of the nin made Itachi scowl.

How unorthodox, he thought.

'So you're implying that you were sent to abduct Hinata Hyuga in order to sell her into prostitution? A child?' There was no mistaking the tone of disgust in Gai's voice. His features cringed behind his mask. Clearly his employer was a pedophile.

'Who hired you?' Kakashi demanded. The nin simply smirked and shrugged his shoulders. Itachi could see that his captain's patience was starting to wear thin.

'You know, for someone whose life is in my hands, you really should drop the cockiness and be more self aware.' A ball of flashing, screaming chakra suddenly materialised into Kakashi's palm.

'I won't repeat myself again,' he said through gritted teeth. The nin remained silent. Kakashi sighed in defeat.

'Turtle.'

Gai stepped forward. He forcefully grabbed the nin's arm and began applying mammoth pressure onto his forearm. With a loud 'crack', he shattered the nin's bones. He repeated the process on the same arm, making sure he would be physically unable to form handsigns. The nin screamed, the shrillness hurting Itachi's eardrums.

'Don't make me break your legs next,' Gai lowly threatened. The nin let out laboured breaths, his vision blurring from reaching his highest pain threshold. Despite that, he still remained silent.

'Let me try,' Itachi spoke up. He took off his porcelain mask, revealing glowing crimson orbs, a similar colour to the blood flowing down the nin's hand. The nin's eyes widened in terror as he made eye contact with him, his body violently shivering.

'Y-You're…' The black accents in the Uchiha's Sharingan rotated. The nin's eyes rolled back into his head and his jaw dropped in a silent scream as he was suddenly in an infinite timespace, crucified. A million knives were thrown into the heart, liver and intestines of the Amegakure nin. Five minutes in reality were twenty years in Itachi's infinite time space. The nin suddenly heaved, vomiting in front of him.

'I'm so glad I'm on your good side,' Gai mumbled.

Itachi released the genjutsu, the whites of the nin's eyes almost bulging out of his sockets. Calmly, Itachi held a kunai to the nin's throat.

'This is your last chance. Who do you work for?' He softly said in the man's ear. The nin sharply inhaled. He saw the bloodthirst, the rage waiting to be unleashed in the ANBU's eyes.

'Pain,' he whispered, almost ashamed. Itachi brought the knife closer to the man's throat.

'What are his objectives?' The nin gulped.

'T-To steal the visual prowess of Hinata Hyuga and earn money for funding by trafficking her to several feudal lords as their slave.'

'Funding for what?' Itachi enquired, touching the cool metal of the kunai against the man's neck. He yelped.

'H-He wants to start some kind of organisation! Uh- to achieve world peace!' Itachi looked at his captain and he nodded. Without any hesitation, the ANBU member slit the man's throat, his head lolling back into the crook of his neck. Putting the porcelain mask on his face, Itachi retreated back to the others. He swayed on his feet for a second, the last jutsu had taken a toll on his sleep-deprived body.

'Itachi, are you feeling alright?' Gai asked, concerned.

'He's fine, he's an Uchiha,' Hayate butted in. Itachi chose to ignore the cretin.

'Im fine, Gai. Just feeling a little lethargic.' His vision swam in front of him just as he said that and the Uchiha had to grab onto Gai's shoulder to steady himself.

'Allow me to carry you on my back! I need to improve my stamina anyway!' Itachi glanced at Kakashi.

'That would be for the best, Itachi.'

'If you really insist…' Gai lowered himself on the ground and Itachi gingerly put his arms around his teammate's broad neck. Grabbing onto his thighs, Gai straightened his back with such speed that Itachi bounced.

'You're as light as a feather Itachi! Are you eating properly?' His teammate asked incredulously.

'I am, don't worry.'

'Back into formation!'

On the way home, Itachi fell asleep against Gai's back. He dreamt of Shisui's equally broad shoulders enveloping him in a warm hug.