Konoha's Weasel Prince

Summary: Itachi never got to use his Susanoo in his fight with Sasuke. As soon as the Kirin hit, he was sent back through time to the founder's era and it was up to him to ensure a safer and surer future for Konoha and the world at large. KisaIta TobiMada HashiMito others mentioned

Uchiha Itachi felt like he was simply floating through space for the longest time, no awareness of self, no memories, no feelings, no sensations. No sounds or sights, no air in his lungs or ground beneath his feet or back, a she could not even tell if he was position horizontally or vertically. It was just him, the vastness of vacuum which had claimed him and something akin to eternal rest.

And then breath was punched into his lungs and a familiar voice was yelling in his ear before his eyes opened and were assaulted with the strangely too bright light of a single candle and the world came back into focus. Lost was the emptiness that had surrounded him, smell and sound and sensation came rushing back, memories overwhelming him as they all tried to reappear in his awareness all at once. He coughed to dislodge whatever was blocking his airways and something sticky, iron smelling and tasting like lead flew right out of his mouth, leaving his throat painfully dry.

For some reason, it was the most alive he felt in years.

He realized just how touch starved he was when calloused fingers took hold of his face, caressing his cheeks while words streamed out in a voice he knew all too well and had missed for so long outside of his own memories, but their meaning he could not yet grasp. He was gasping for breathe, breathing in more air than he was used to and he knew that that should mean something, but he was so disoriented right now. Six years worth of memories were rushing through his head. These deep breaths were both new and old. The lack of pain was both a refreshing and an old comfort. The calmness bubbling up inside him, the peace, was something he was both used to and he still needed getting used to.

The need to touch, to feel the person holding him was a constant of the past eight (fourteen?) years of his life and Itachi did not hesitate to lift his slightly sluggish hand sup to take hold of gilled cheeks, guiding a head bigger than his downwards and pressing his lips messily against another, rougher pair. He didn't care for the concerned protests for his well being. He was alive and healthy and none of that actually really registered in his mind. The return of his sight didn't register until gentle, big hands pushed him a bit back and he could see clearly the blue face that he had loved for so long but had started fearing he would forget or never see again.

So Itachi pushed forward, into a startled Hoshigaki Kisame's lap and kissed his partner again and again and again until the shark man stopped protesting and just reciprocated. He felt the blue man's tongue pushing at his lips and Itachi gladly let him in, needing more contact, more sensations to erase the memory of that nothingness he had felt before opening his eyes. He buried his hands in dark blue hand and massaged Kisame's skull while big hands grabbed his waist. Knowing his partner might try to push him away fro his own good, Itachi wrapped his legs around the Kiri nin's waist and moaned in a way he knew drove Kisame crazy. The shark man's hands faltered and Itachi rocked his hips. The gasp Kisame gave was almost like a declared and signed capitulation before Kisame threw his everything in the kiss. Itachi approved wholeheartedly.

He shivered pleasantly when rough hands slid under his shirt and started ghosting across his back, the feeling of wonder Kisame's gestures always held when he explored Itachi's body. Together they have been almost their entire partnership and yet Kisame was still in awe, always worshiping of Itachi whenever they did something like this. He was always careful, always took his time to relearn the paths of pleasure he knew by now by heart. It was reverent, adoring in a way that used to make Itachi squirm in embarrassment and arousal both. When he started going blind, the touches became reassuring in way that let the Uchiha know that even if he was becoming useless in the eyes of any other shinobi in the world, Kisame would always treasure him, would stay by his side until death separated them.

When it became clear he was dying, Kisame's touches had become desperate, speaking of a devotion Itachi had never before doubted, of a love neither of them could voice. That neither of them needed to voice, for they knew. That neither of them could voice, for it would make them vulnerable, even if only for a moment and that was dangerous in their line of business.

Now, it was as though the both of them were desperately in need of this, to remember every curve of muscle, every ripple under scarred or flawless skin, to assure themselves of the other's presence. To Kisame, it was confirming that Itachi was alive, that he was back, that he was his Itachi-san again, unstoppable, unpredictable, untouchable to anyone but Kisame. To Itachi, it was the reassurance that he was indeed back, in the present, with the only person currently alive that cared for him. It meant that he could now maybe persuade Kisame to go and retire with him in some far away land where no one knew their names. It meant that, no matter how long his six year adventure had lasted in the present, Kisame had waited and Itachi had somewhere to return to. With his reputation, with his sins, with his growing weakness, he still had somewhere to go.

A shuddering gasp left Itachi's throat when Kisame grabbed his ass, grinding into him impatiently and the Uchiha chuckled shakily as his hips were guided faster and harder against the Hoshigaki's. He let his head loll back and shuddered when sharp, pointy teeth instantly clamped onto his neck. Anyone else would have been terrified to have such teeth so close to their neck, to be at the mercy of a man as terrifying as a Hoshigaki could be, all blue skin stretched over muscle upon muscle, tall and shark like in appearance with raw, brunt power in their whole body. Itachi was thrilled by it, he thrilled in the knowledge that he can relax in this dangerous man's hands, that he was safe here. He knew Kisame would rather die being eaten by his own shark summons rather than betray or - Kami forbid - hurt Itachi. He knew the older man was always so painstakingly careful with him, wanting Itachi to enjoy himself, knew Kisame would stand between Itachi and the world if he had to and the weasel hadn't even realized how much he had missed that surety.

How could he ever have doubted Kisame's loyalties? How could he have ever wondered if Kisame would just let him go after his death? Itachi had forgotten that just because he wasn't an Uchiha didn't mean Kisame could be fatally, fanatically devoted to a partner. Sure, before they had hooked up, Kisame had been going through sexual partners left and right, just like he had been going through partners in the Akatsuki, but he had never tried to kill Itachi. He had told Itachi himself that ever since he realized he had even an inkling of feelings towards the weasel that he could simply not look at anyone else the same way before. He had sworn he would never betray Itachi, never stray from his side and yet Itachi had doubted him. In his death, Itachi had thought Kisame would forget about him and whatever promises he had made to him and had foolishly worried for six years worth of time.

He was just so glad to have been proven wrong.

He arched his back as Kisame's skillful hands rid him of his pants and started stretching his hole, a moan escaping his lips as he nuzzled into Kisame's neck, panting. It had been far too long. The night he had locked Madara and Tobirama together in a room he had been dreaming of Kisame's touch and had wondered, like many times before and many, many times afterwards, if he will ever feel it on his body ever again. It was a little like bliss right now, even though he knew he won't last long as he was. Judging how hard and wet Kisame was when he reached down between them to massage his partner, he won't last that much longer, either.

When they finally came together, Kisame bottoming out and Itachi arching his back with a sharp gasp, both were trembling with pleasure and anticipation. Kisame made a valiant effort to go slow but that was too maddening for the younger ninja and he couldn't exactly ignore how Itachi asked for harder, faster, more, more, more. It hurt a little to be stretched like this after however long it has been since the last time they did this, but the pain only combined with the pleasure and made it all the more real, something Itachi really needed at this moment. Too long has he been having dreams of his own life in the present while being stuck in the past and while he had grown extremely fond of his friends there, he had still longed to come home. He had wanted to be held by Kisame as he was now, secure against his lover's chest and in his lap, pleasure coursing through his entire body like electricity. He had wanted to keep on running into Naruto-kun and being reminded of his godfather every now and then, to remember the few moments in childhood when he had actually been allowed to be a child. He had wanted to be able to see Kakashi-san or Tenzou as they went on missions or patrols, even if from a distance, having missed the shenanigans of his smooth-talking friend and the exasperated looks he and Tenzou would share because of their captain.

And he had wanted, more than anything, to know that Sasuke was alive, somewhere out there, that he could go and sneak up on him to make sure he was okay, watching without being seen, like Sasuke's shadow. He had just wanted to see his baby brother's face one more time, if it ended up that he was going to die after his little adventure in the past. It would seem that he will get a chance to do so soon enough.

They didn't last. Fondling, caressing, kissing, biting, sucking, touching, moving together in a rhythm you never forget, no matter how long it has passed since the last time you used it, they came with garbled cries of each other's names, clinging to each other as though they both feared Itachi would just vanish. In the aftermath, as he panted in his partner's arms, forehead resting against a strong chest, Itachi for a second wondered if he had, indeed, just vanished, for the way he felt now must be achievable only in heaven.

''Itachi-san, are you okay?'' Said man released a chocked sob at hearing that beloved honorific added to his name, burrowing closer to the strong heartbeat he could feel under Kisame's muscles upon muscles. His actions only worried Kisame more and Itachi could tell from how close they are in his partner's chakra that panic was slowly rising to the surface. ''Itachi-san?!''

''I am fine. I am completely okay now, Kisame.'' It felt unnaturally good just to utter his partner's name after what was, to him, six years of not saying it outside of his own thoughts. Kisame's arms tightened around him when they started cooling off, trying to preserve some of Itachi's body heat like he used to do while he was sick. It felt nice enough so Itachi didn't scold him for patronizing him, even if silently.

''Yeah, I kind of guessed at that after you coughed that shit up.'' The Uchiha looked up at that, following Kisame's head nod towards what looked like a bloody, black pile of sick organic matter and Itachi blanched when he saw it. He didn't need to activate his Sharingan or analyze it with his chakra to know it contained some of his chakra in it. ''You seem to be breathing fine now, though, so that's a plus, even if that thing stinks.''

''I think that might as well have been half my lungs right there.'' The prodigy whispered before burrowing his head under Kisame's chin, still staring at what was left of his sickness. So Hashirama-san's, Tobirama-san's and Mito-san's treatment carried over? Had he been in the past both physically and mentally? ''How long was I gone?''

''Well, it's been six weeks since your fight with Sasuke, if that's what you mean by gone.'' There was grief and anger in his voice when he mentioned Itachi's little brother but the raven didn't confront him about it. Kisame had the right to his own opinion and he had never had much of a great opinion regarding Sasuke. Still, he knew how much Sasuke meant to Itachi so he never really said anything against him and for that the weasel was grateful. ''You just ... disappeared, Itachi-san. There was nothing left in the wake of his attack. I honestly thought you were dead.''

Itachi hummed and kissed his partner's neck in reassurance, finding the resulting shiver very gratifying. ''I thought I was, too, until I woke up-''

''-in the past, yeah, I know.'' When he looked up in surprise, Kisame was grinning at him. For a moment there, Itachi was reminded of Hoshigaki Fuka and wondered if she had passed down the story of a little whelp defeating her entire squadron. As Kisame went on, he realized it was no such thing. ''I found out from some old dude when I found this cave a week later. I had kind of quit Akatsuki since that brat joined and was looking for a place to stay for the night, deciding to go back to my former life as a sole missing nin when I stumbled upon this cave and said old dude. Only you were there, too, with some strange six black balls rotting around you. You were curled up in this giant almost see-through black ball and that thing only disappeared yesterday. I was about to attack the old man but he told me it was he who was keeping you alive and connected to the present while you were off doing something in the past for the greater good of the world or something. I kind of didn't listen to him, just sat down in front of the ball and stared at you. I only left so long as to hunt something to eat since there was water a little further in the cave and the old man would come and go at the oddest of times. You, on the other hand, would flicker in and out of my sight but you looked healthy and unhurt so I didn't panic. The old guy just didn't come in the last three days and the six balls started spinning really fast just before you woke up. Then they were gone, too, but I was kind of too busy making sure you were alright to see where they had gone. How long has it been for you, Itachi-san?''

Itachi had forgotten how his partner could ramble at times and it was a comfort to be reminded of it. Still, he could not believe that the Rikudo Sennin himself had watched over him for six weeks, or that he had been halfway here and halfway in the past. ''I spent six years in the past. I think I might have met your grandmother.''

''Wow, six years?'' Itachi nodded. ''What did you do for all that time?''

''Made friends with some of the most powerful shinobi in history and helped them found Konoha.''

''You're not kidding, are you.'' Was the flat statement after a minute of silence as his words registered in Kisame's head and Itachi chuckled.

''Not at all.''

''So the Shodaime Hokage healed you then?'' Itachi nodded, still lost in the post orgasmic haze to care about anything else at the moment. ''Did you fight in the First War?'' A shake of his head to signal no. A nap sounded divine right about now, if Itachi was honest. ''Do you know what is happening out there, Itachi-san?''

That gave the weasel pause and he looked up at his partner, meeting his yellow eyes. He didn't like the tone Kisame had used. He sounded halfway nervous and that could never be a good thing. ''What is going on, Kisame?''

''Uhm, where to start,'' the blue man mumbled to himself, playing with Itachi's hair. Itachi only then noticed that Kisame must have untied it for him during their romp. ''There's a war going on, Itachi-san. The Fourth Shinobi War, the Five Great Nations against Tobi. It's been going on for the past couple of days and there have been quite some losses on the Nations side.'' The Uchiha genius stiffened but his black gaze told Kisame to keep talking. He did. ''Tobi teamed up with Kabuto and Sasuke-''

''That's right, you did say you left the Akatsuki because 'that brat' had joined.'' The grieving older brother mumbled to himself, wondering how he had gone so wrong with Sasuke.

"Sorry your brother turned out to be like that, Itachi-san. But you have to know that it's because Tobi told him about you." Kisame trailed off awkwardly when he saw a glint of tentative hope in Itachi's eyes. "He kind of decided to blame the village for turning you against them and sort of hates you and now Konoha even more, so, yeah." Itachi just sighed and motioned for Kisame to tell him the rest. "Right, anyway, there's a huge army of zombies that the Nations need to fight, lead by none other than Uchiha Madara with the rest of the Uchiha Clan and our own former collages. I don't think Leader-sama is happy right about now. Also, there are many other legendary ninja in the mix, including many Kage. I think even that old Toad Sage had been revived, too."

"Not revived, reanimated." Itachi corrected almost distractedly. Were all of his efforts for naught? Konoha was once again in danger. The Uchiha were endangering it. And not just the reanimated dead, but Sasuke and who he suspected to be his long lost cousin were the ring leaders of this whole mess. "What of Orochimaru?" He tried hard not to think of the Sannin as the children he had seen them as before he blinked open his eyes to this world. He tried hard not to think about what the entirety of the Uchiha being reanimated implied. He could not face Shisui after so many failures. He had failed to protect the clan, the clan's name and now even Konoha. Shisui's sacrifices seem to have been wasted and Itachi would rather not contemplate that it was in the end he who wasted them.

"Made a brief reappearance when he escaped the seal Sasuke has and then he vanished. Haven't heard a single thing about him since."

"Danzo?" Because what that man was up to was actually the most important. His actions will tell Itachi if his efforts in the past were wasted or not.

"A general and replacement Hokage of Konoha until just a few days ago when the Slug Princess took back the wheel." The larger man replied even as he took his cloak and tugged it around Itachi, fretting as he always seemed to be where his young partner was concerned. "She took back the hat but he's still a general. He took ANBU over completely, except that guy with wood release that works with Hatake and the Kyuubi brat."

"The biju?"

"As far as I know, the Kyuubi and Hachibi are still not captured, but that was before the War started."

Itachi sighed, bringing up a hand to rub at his forehead to prevent a headache from forming. That was the last thing he needed right now. He needed a clear head to think now, not to be battling a headache. "How far away is this battlefield?"

"Entirely too close for comfort. I was starting to worry, you know? We'd have to move but I couldn't move you at all. However, we are hidden in this cave. A strange mineral grows in these walls that not even Samehada can detect any chakra inside."

"So no one can sense us here?" The Uchiha asked curiously, tilting his head in interest while opening his connection to Kuro Onyx.

"I don't think so, no. I'm inside this cave with you and I can't sense your chakra." Kisame said in reply, looking up when cawing echoed throughout the vace as Itachi's crow flew in, going straight to its owner. Itachi lifted his arm and the bird happily claimed its space on the Uchiha's forearm, cawing happily at him. "He was in the big black ball with you. He's been keeping an eye out for trouble." Which Itachi could tell as Kuro Onyx sent him the images of what he saw so far. As always, the crow had known which issues Itachi would want to address first and had flown to the battlefield, unnoticed despite being the only animal to not have ran away from the fighting. It allowed him a clear view of his entire family - the Senju, the Uchiha both past and present, the few Uzumaki who had moved into Konoha, all of them bar the Senju brothers - along with all Akatsuki members, Jiraiya-sama and various other shinobi Itachi had met, heard of or didn't know of them at all, although those were very few and far in between. He could see Madara, Izuna, Touka and Mito, standing far too rigid for their usual easy grace that spoke of their skill to be there willingly. He saw Shisui standing next to Kagami and the resemblance was so striking it hurt to see them side by side. Young Nawaki and even Torifu was in the Edo Tensei army, along with Sanzo, Shikasai and almost all the other shinobi Itachi had spent six years with.

The sight both broke his heart and made his blood boil with anger. His own parents were there, against their will, puppets controlled with invisible springs. Even Izumi was there, despite never having quite made a name for herself, among the Uchiha or the shinobi world at large. Tenma was there, Itachi's first friend that had died right before his eyes and gave him the deadly ability to use them. All his loved ones were there, many other people's loved ones were there and they had to fight them. The pain of losing them once hadn't been enough. What a cruel tactic to use, efficient as it was. Very expected of Tobirama-san to make such a great jutsu, an indestructible weapon that can be used as emotional leverage or a source of enemy intelligence.

And then Itachi saw the one thing he had foolishly been hoping wasn't true as Kuro Onyx soared higher to get a good look at the leaders of this army. Kabuto, Uchiha Obito, Zetsu and Sasuke stood atop the Gedo Statue, watching as the Shinobi Alliance struggled to survive. His little brother looked so sadistically gleeful as he watched, his eyes in a deceitfully beautiful Mangekyo pattern that resembled an arabesque flower. Itachi's heart wept at what his precious little brother had become. All his efforts to guide Sasuke onto the right path had been wasted. Everything he had ever sacrificed, all the pain he had endured, everything he had lost and fought for, it was all wasted. Or it will be if Itachi didn't do something.

Kisame sighed, drawing his attention back to the blue man. Itachi arched an eyebrow at his partner. "Hn?"

The shark man just rolled his eyes, all too used to Uchiha-speak. "I know that look, Itachi-san. You're planning something and I know very well what." He sat upright and pulled Itachi's clothes over, handing them to the Sharingan master. "When are we leaving, what's the plan and how much am I going to hate it?"

"We're leaving as soon as we get our gear ready." The Uchiha replied, relief flowing through his body. He had honestly thought Kisame would try to stop him, for his own safety. Arguments about his health and all, that was what he had been expecting. It would seem his partner knew that it would be pointless to try and convince him not to get involved. "Try to keep your chakra hidden for as long as you can. We are going straight to the battlefield to help and possibly free the Edo Tensei trapped shinobi. As for how much you are going to not like it, I think you are going to enjoy yourself. Since they are practically immortal, you can go all out."

"Awesome." How he had missed that sharky grin. Itachi could not help but return it with a smile of his own. And then he looked at the clothing held out to him and arched an eyebrow. His life was full of surprises. "You were dressed in that before we got freaky." Kisame supplied and Itachi fought down a blush. "Need any help getting dressed?"

"I don't think that will be very productive." Itachi replied dryly but he accepted when Kisame held up his top. They had things to do and a war to end. He had not gone through all that trouble those six years in the past, stopping Madara from turning on Konoha, strengthening the love for the village over the lover for the clan, stopping Izuna's death and solidifying the peace just for it all to fall apart. He had not let his best friend die just so Konoha will fall in the end, had not killed his entire clan just so the Uchiha will still be blamed for war and Konoha's downfall. He will not let his beloved little brother destroy everything he loved and fought for.

Itachi will not let all of his hard work go to waste.