Another temporary home

We walked all the way to Sakura's house. My chakra was back but Sakura warned me against using it so by the time we got there, I was tired. Sakura's house was a two story white building at the end of a small cul de sac. The front yard consisted of a small patch of grass and an overgrown tree. The house was clean and looked recently painted. The furniture was small and feminine with the odd brightly coloured cushion mixed in with the more numerous thread bare ones.

"Please forgive the state of the house. I just bought it and I haven't had much time to fix it up yet."

"It's okay, the paint is a nice colour."

"Yeah, it's called golden caramel. I bought it months ago but only managed to get it on the walls last week. I don't know how Sam does it. He can train, learn to read and write, work and still find time to help me paint."

"He is something special; always the over-achiever. Where did he go off to anyway?"

"I can't really say. He's been working on some kind of project for the Hokage. Come, I'll give you the tour."

The ground floor contained the kitchen, sitting room, office and a bathroom. The upstairs had three bedrooms, all of which had their own bathroom. It was a big house. I guess being a medic paid pretty well. She gave me the room directly opposite Sam's and down the hall from the master suite where she slept. It was fully stocked with everything I could possibly need including clothes in my size and shoes that fit just right. Someone had prepared for me. I stifled a yawn.

"I'll leave you to get some sleep. I have a shift later, so when you wake up, I may not be here but there's food in the fridge if you're hungry. If you get bored, feel free to use the Tv or help yourself to any of the books in the living room. Get some rest." She said and left, closing the door behind her.

I didn't bother changing. I fell into bed and slept deeply and dreamlessly for some time. I woke later feeling heavy and rested. Looking out the window I saw the sun set, turning the orange and red leaves on the trees outside to a bright, rustling fire. I got up, went over to the window and opened it. The breeze washed over me, cooling my face and soothing my worries, if only for the moment. I glanced down and was surprised to see a window box with a patch of small flowering shrubs.

"She really likes pink doesn't she?" I said reaching them to press my nose to the soft fuschia blossom.

No scent but the richness of the earth beneath it. I reached down and sank fingers into the moist loose earth. It was good soil, rich and dark. I remembered digging through earth like that to plant the lime tree that grew in my back yard at home. My mom had laughed at me when I'd stuffed my mouth with the stuff thinking it would taste like chocolate. I smiled and with my eyes on the horizon, I felt for my chakra. It came eagerly, flooding through my body and down into my hand. I felt it connect to the plants and sink like little hooks into their chakra, pulling gently at first and then faster. I felt it stop suddenly and looked down. I gasped and pulled back. The box was now filled with withered plants...dead plants. I could still feel their energy inside me, almost like a taste. I stumbled back and without a word climbed back into bed. Turning away from the window, I clutched my dirt covered hand to my chest. I was asleep before the tears dried on my face.

The Hokage building was bigger and twistier than I would have guessed from the anime. It was circular and the layout reminded me strongly of the Akatsuki hideout in Amegakure but not enough that I could find my way around. I hadn't seen Sam since the previous day but Sakura, who dropped me off, said that she would come get me later that day. After climbing what felt like 100 thousand stairs I found myself staring down a corridor described by the four people who had given me directions. I was beginning to get the idea that civilians rarely ever saw the Hokage's office. I was also beginning to understand why Kakashi always entered through the window. I raised my hand to knock.

"Come in!" came a yell from within

The Hokage stood behind her desk flipping through a report looking hurried and harassed. Her hair, finally out of pigtails, was tied up and tucked into a surgical cap. There was a small smudge of blood on the edge of her plain blue shirt. Overall, she looked like she'd just come from the hospital.

"Sit down. We have a few things to discuss."

I sat and she closed the file with a sigh before pushing it aside.

"We need your help." She said, fixing me with her eyes.

"My help? Do you mean the information stuff?" I asked

"No, it's related to a medical case. I believe that your ability can help us save a man's life." Reaching down, she handed me the file she had been looking through. "Do you recognise anything?"

I opened the file and perused. I didn't understand a word of written Japanese so she must mean the pictures, I thought. There were three grainy black and white images that looked like ultrasound pictures and one diagram drawn in pencil. I was about to tell her that I had no idea when a collection of scaly looking spikes drew my eye. I brought the image up to my face and squinted at it trying to reconcile it with what I remembered.

"This looks like Samehada." I said finally "The parasite sword that Kisame uses."

"That's what we believe as well. The patient seems to be infected with larvae from the chakra parasite that the swordsman carries. Infection must have occurred years ago. It's a miracle he's still alive."

"He...you mean Itachi? The patient we're talking about is Itachi?"

"Yes, we need your help in treating Uchiha Itachi. I would understand if you refuse. You were a prisoner of the Akatsuki for some time and while you appear...favourable to him, I would accept your refusal." She said looking at me expectantly.

"No. If there is anything I can do to help, I want to do it. How did he become infected? Was it on purpose or was it some kind of weird accident?"

She looked at me for a moment as though deciding whether to reply. "We believe that the infection was purposeful. It seems to have been meant to weaken him but also to provide a hatching ground for the parasite." Eww "I want to ask you something before we go any further. Why are you so friendly towards the Uchiha? From what we've learned, he's done nothing to create such loyalty."

I thought for a moment about what to tell her. "The biggest reason is that I know what he sacrificed for Konoha and while he's been a real prick to his younger brother, I think that he honestly meant well by it. And despite what he must have told you, he did help me when I was Ame. I had a problem with Hidan and he sort of...extracted me from a bad situation. He didn't have to help me. I owe him for that."

"I see." She said and glanced pointedly at the open window and door. Without moving, they shut as though blown by the wind. "When you refer to the 'sacrifice' he made for Konoha, what exactly are you referring to?"

"The Uchiha massacre." I replied immediately. I'd been preparing myself to tell her this. "He helped exterminate his clan on orders from the third Hokage. He also acted as a double agent leading up to the massacre."

"And you know about this because of the world where you come from?" she asked but not as though she were sceptical anymore

"Yeah." I confirmed

"I see. Take this." She said handing me a folder.

The folder contained a schedule which covered every day except Monday. It was written in english and the file included a detailed map of Konoha.

"That will be your schedule from tomorrow. Your mornings will be spent training and learning to control your ability. The afternoon, until I say otherwise will be spent with me. Tomorrow you will assist me with the surgery but from Thursday we will begin the process of debriefing you. Once I'm satisfied that I know everything you know about Konoha, your evenings will be spent with someone from the Intelligence Division so that we know all there is to know about your world. I'm sure I don't need to say this but under no circumstances are you to disclose anything that we discuss, especially anything concerning the Uchihas. Yes?"

"Sorry to interrupt but the surgery is tomorrow? Isn't that a bit soon? I don't even know what you need me to do."

"Don't worry," she said with a smirk "I'm going to show you exactly what you have to do and you're not leaving here until you get it right."

Sigh