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Four Days from Konoha
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When the first bird chirped, Itachi's eyes sprang open. He hadn't expected to be able to fall asleep, and to be honest he wasn't quite sure if he even had been. Perhaps he had only laid down minutes ago.
He turned his head to look at the small body beside him. He was briefly startled to find blue eyes already open, staring up at the lightening sky.
Itachi blinked as he observed the face lying barely a foot from his own. There was a tightness at the corners of his mouth, but he was relieved to see a lucidity in his eyes that hadn't been present only hours ago.
A few more blinks, and Naruto finally, painfully, turned his head to meet the older boys' eyes.
"I'm sorry." The child whispered, breaking eye contact in shame.
Itachi rolled over so he lay on his side, facing Naruto completely. He extended his hand to flutter over Naruto's face, not wanting to injure the boy further.
"Don't be sorry." he whispered back.
After a pause, the small boy moved to stiffly roll himself to face Itachi, still not meeting his eyes. The older boy took this as an opportunity to grasp the boy with his hands, gently pulling him to close the distance between the two, until blonde locks tickled his chin.
He held the boy as tightly as he dared, eyes shut tight as he breathed in the boy's soft smell.
They stayed like that for what felt like hours, comfortable even as Naruto's small body shuddered as he coughed every few minutes.
As the sky gained an orange tint, Itachi drew back to look down at the younger boy, who met his gaze steadily.
"How badly does it hurt?" He asked softly.
Naruto twitched his shoulder. The pain had receded slightly, the interaction with the Uchiha had distracted him somewhat. He quirked his lips, deciding on how to answer. "It feels like... like its melting in acid. I don't think I can feel my fingertips anymore." He added, flexing them experimentally.
Itachi pursed his lips. "So you weren't just being stupid, then."
Naruto buried his face in Itachi's chest again and shrugged.
The older boy sighed, brushing his hand up and down the boys' arm. He could see that Naruto was miserable. He was ashamed to admit that he couldn't tell whether his pain had suddenly flared up or if this was just the first time he had noticed. For all he knew, he could have been feeling this since the second the needles went into his arm. He considered himself a master of observation, but yet couldn't read the feelings of a six year old boy.
"Does it feel any better?" Itachi asked.
"Better than yesterday." Offered the blonde.
Itachi nodded slowly. "Alright," he sighed.
He sat up, taking the boy into his arms, careful not to injure him.
The boys' injured arm lay limp and dangling as Itachi carried him past the unconscious Anko, still asleep where she had fallen last night.
Without bothering to undress, Itachi waded into the river, letting Naruto float in his arms as the water reached his waist
He was rewarded with closed eyes and a small smile, as the boy waved his hand through the soothing water.
They remained in the river, mostly silent but occasionally starting small conversations with each other, recounting funny stories from previous missions or back in Konoha.
After a few minutes of comfortable silence, Naruto spoke.
"Ne, Itachi." Naruto began conversationally, eyes fixed on the sky as he floated. "How are you going with the council. Are you alright?"
Itachi forced himself not to react.
"What do you mean?" He asked, holding back his reaction. He shouldn't know.. He couldn't know….
But of course he did. Naruto turned to face him, erasing all possibility he had of playing dumb. But how had he…
"It wasn't hard to find out, 'Tachi." He said softly, eyes not leaving the Uchiha's face. "Almost every ninja knows the discord growing in the Uchiha clan. It didn't take too many trips to Jiji's office to work out the Council are working on a 'solution.'" He gave Itachi a pitying look that forced the Uchiha to look away before he snapped and said something he didn't mean.
Instead he took a moment to calm himself.
"They want everyone gone, Naruto." His dark eyes grew even darker. "The whole clan. Even the children. They don't want them growing up to try and avenge the clan."
A small hand covered his clenched fist, and he forced himself to relax and allow it to grasp his fingers.
"I'm sorry, Itachi. I could try and help, but…" The blondes' eyes slid away. Itachi could see the uncertainty and helplessness in his eyes. He shook his head. At his age, Naruto should be this concerned about the loss of a favourite toy or a denied snack, not politically motivated clan genocide…
"They're still negotiating the finer points." Itachi admitted tersely. "But at the moment…" He couldn't finish his sentence
"…it looks like you'll be the last Uchiha in Konoha." Murmered Naruto sadly.
Itachi's lip twisted into a horrible smile.
"Not quite." He said curtly.
Confused eyes snapped to his own, and blonde hair dripped with water as the boy raised his head out of the water.
"What do you mean?" He frowned.
Itachi looked away again.
"They want me to act as though I have killed the clan for my own reason, and then leave Konoha as a missing nin. They want me to then infiltrate the terrorist organization, Akatsuiki."
He closed his eyes as Naruto leapt from the water, showering him in droplets.
"What?!" The small boy exploded, mouth open in a perfect O of shock. His injured arm bumped against a rock, and although he twitched away, he barely seem to register pain.
"They can't do that! No! I won't let you- you - after all that you've done. Those bastards!"
Itachi's lip twitched, eyes softening.
"Language," He chided. "Or do I need to separate you from Anko."
Naruto froze, blinking at his words. Then he deflated, anger giving way to shock.
The dazed boy sat on top of the water surface using Chakra, blinking at the Uchiha for a good few minutes.
Itachi finally reached out to pull the boy closer to him.
"That's why I haven't agreed, you know." He said softly with a tiny smile.
"Wha-?" The small boy finally blinked the shock away from his eyes as he looked up at him in confusion.
Itachi rested his chin on sopping blonde locks.
"This. Your reaction. I knew that when you found out, you'd tear into the Council room like the little blonde devil you are and enact some divine retribution in my name." … and I didn't want you to hate me. He thought silently. He couldn't bear the thought of the possibility that Naruto believed he had truly betrayed the village. He could see the awful betrayal in those huge blue eyes…
Naruto clucked at the use of 'when' rather than 'if' he found out, privately proud Itachi thought so highly of his skills.
"Of course I would! I'd go in there, with Genma's sword, and I'd flash the Kyuubi's chakra around, making them all terrified, and then I'd demand that they shout from the rooftops your innocence for the whole village to hear, and then I'd gut them, and make them eat their own organs-"
Yes, Itachi thought, eyebrows raising as he tuned out the rest of the boys' monologue. Definitely separate from Anko from now on…
"- with a hammer and four fish sticks!"
Itachi couldn't help but laugh.
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When Itachi finally carried the boy out of the water, the blonde was mercifully in better spirits, even offering a smile to Anko as they reached the fire now brought back to life.
Anko, to her credit, acted as though nothing had happened last night.
"Morning. It's rabbit for breakfast. Sweet, juicy rabbit." Anko drooled.
Genma lounged nearby, chewing on a senbon, as he inspected the approaching boys out of the corner of his eye.
Itachi stood and went to seat himself by the fire, taking the offered portion of food. He watched Anko devour the food and Naruto only pick idly.
"You gonna eat that?" Anko asked casually, eyeing Naruto's full bowl.
"Yes, he is." Itachi interrupted shortly, pushing the bowl up to the blonde's chin.
"I'm not that hungry for meat." The boy mumbled, shaking his floppy head.
"Didn't seem that way this morning when you were cooking your own arm-I'M SORRY." Anko slapped a hand to her mouth as she sprung up from the ground, briskly walking away from the camp and into the forest.
Genma had twitched awfully, and Itachi followed Anko's departure with narrowed eyes, but neither could really begrudge her outburst. They were each dealing with what was happening in their own way, and unfortunately Anko's coping method was unfiltered outbursts.
Itachi took a calming breath, turning back to the other boy
"Don't care. Eat." Itachi demanded softly.
Naruto glared up at him in a 'watch it' look, but the Uchiha ignored him. He watched the boy eat a few small pieces with a crinkled nose.
"Don't stop." Itachi urged, picking up the bowl as Naruto placed it on the ground. The boy twisted away from his hand, trying to feed him a piece.
"No. 'Don't feel well." The boy mumbled.
Itachi frowned. "You feel sick?"
The boy nodded in reply. "All morning."
"Has the poison reached your stomach?" Genma asked, from the other side of the fire, hoping for a negative answer. If it had already reached that far..
Fortunately, Itachi shook his head, having seen the boys' shirt ride up in the river, and the green webs had only spread a little further down his chest.
They sat in silence, broken only by Naruto's short coughs, until the boy reached up to absently scratch at his neck. This reminded Itachi of something else he was concerned about.
His eyes looked into the forest, meeting Anko's as she returned with her confident mask back in place.
"Anko, it's heading up his neck." Itachi called out softly. He almost felt sorry for the message as he saw Anko's calm façade flicker, threatening to crack, before she pushed a grimace on her face and came over to them.
Naruto allowed her to pull back his collar to observe the green tendrils slowly making their way up his small neck, stopping just below his jawline. Itachi helped her remove the boys' shirt to work in the morning cream application, both trying not to wince as they observed the dark, ugly bruise that now covered the boys' entire arm, and had begun following the green onto his chest.
Anko's jaw clenched as she observed the boys' battered body darkly. After a small growl, she reached for the ointment and began distracting herself with its' application as Genma began to pack up the camp.
As they set off that day, Itachi took Naruto straight in his arms, intent to carry the boy on the journey clear.
His lips twitched at the pout on the blondes' lips, glad that there was at least a little of the blondes' personality still shining through. With a slight bend of the knees, the group took to the trees for another day of exhausting travel.
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The trip had been one of the more relaxed, as Naruto slept peacefully, coughing subsiding as he slept in Itachi's arms.
The group had also made the choice to use precious time to head into a nearby town to stock up on a few healing items to refresh the dwindling supply of ointment, and purchase fresh breads and rice biscuits that wouldn't agitate the boys' stomach.
But all of this had been in vain, it seemed, as Naruto refused to open his mouth
"Come on, open up." Anko half-pleaded as she tried to spoonfeed Naruto a flavorless broth.
"Just a few bites, and I'll leave you alone. Promise." Anko negotiated.
Itachi tuned this all out, eating his own portion of flavourless broth. The only taste was a hint of leek and tomatoes – gentle tastes that were recommended by Anko. The taste of tomato in his mouth reminded him of his little brother, Sasuke, who ate the red fruit as though they were apples. He would be starting the academy soon…
"AHA! Good boy!" Anko snuggled Naruto's head, rewarding the boy for finishing a few mouthfuls.
"Now, do you want some more?" Anko asked, holding the spoon up to his mouth, grinning.
"NO!"
There was a gasp and a splash, which startled Itachi out of his thoughts of home and Sasuke
Turning, he found Naruto covering his mouth in a vain attempt at holding back a smile, and Anko drenched with soup and a bowl on her head.
Anko blinked, frozen.
Genma coughed, determinedly not looking in their direction.
Itachi couldn't help it. He laughed.
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The group spent an hour resting around the fire, Anko drying herself off and Naruto relaxing after another ointment administration.
It was quite peaceful, Itachi thought. Almost too peaceful.
He looked down at the boy's face as he rested in his arms. His small eyebrows were pulled together, his mouth twitched in a small pout as he appeared to war with himself internally.
Itachi silently raised an eyebrow, finding small amusement in the boys' emotions laid bare on his face.
After a few more minutes of silent deliberation, Naruto seemed to make a decision.
"Anko-chan." Naruto called softly.
"What." Although she didn't snap, Itachi could detect the unmistakable trace of a pout. She was clearly still a little sore over her impromptu broth baptism.
"Uhm," His small voice cracked a little and he cleared his throat. "My chest feels funny."
He phrased the last part almost as a question, as if he was uncertain whether or not he wanted to mention it.
Anko was having none of that
"Brat," she scolded, at his side in an instant. "You better not have been holding back telling me this."
Naruto had the decency to look guilty, at least.
Anko sighed, peeling back the boys' shirt with the help of Itachi. The green taint had spread further down the boys' chest and back, stretching tendrils out to touch the bottom of his ribcage. The dark bruise wasn't far behind.
Itachi had been avoiding looking at the green tendril that stretched lazily up to brush the boys' ear all night.
With both mens' help, Anko worked to cover the boy with cream, as well as a new ointment she had picked up in the village that day.
This is going to make you feel pretty funny, but it will help with the pain." Anko promised, rubbing it into his bruises.
Itachi was infinitely grateful for Anko's foresight as he watched tension he hadn't even noticed leave the blondes' shoulders. The troublesome blonde had been hiding his pain from them again.
"Thanks, Anko-chan" Naruto had smiled gratefully as she helped him re-dress.
The woman huffed, rolling her eyes as she ruffled his hair.
"Just doing my duty, Taichou" She teased.
Naruto pouted, sulkily leaning back against Itachi's chest.
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It was late at night, and once again Itachi's turn for guard shift.
He had begun his watch alone, but soon felt the presence of Naruto behind him
"Can I sleep with you?" Asked the blonde quietly. "I don't feel well." He admitted quietly, as though telling a dirty secret.
Itachi turned to him and smiled, reaching out a hand to the boy. Naruto gratefully went to him, resting his head in his lap.
"Of course, Sasuke." Itachi said softly as he smoothed blonde hair back from a damp forehead.
Naruto only smiled gratefully up at him.
Although clearly trying to will himself to sleep, the blonde was taut and alert, eyes clenched and fisting the front of Itachi's cloak.
An hour passed, and Naruto's nausea either mercifully receded, or his body just shut itself down into sleep. Either way, Itachi found the small hands slacken on the front of his robes, and smoothed the boys' forehead clear of wrinkles. He picked the boy up gently, resting his head on his shoulder, keeping him warm.
Anko came not long after to relieve him of his watch, and he brought the blonde back with him to bed, resting the small body in his arms.
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Naruto waited until Itachi's breathing suggested he was deep asleep before his eyes drifted open. Although he had appeared to relax, he had never quite achieved sleep.
Naruto frowned sadly. The Uchiha hadn't even noticed that he had called him by his brothers' name.
The blonde child spent the remainder of the night, ideas running uselessly through his head as he tried to think of a way that he could save Itachi from the terrible task that was being all but demanded from him by his own village.
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-AN-
Now when I first started (and stopped) this story, it was five years ago. I'm interested to see if any of my original followers/reviewers are still around and re-reading this story.
Comment in a review when you first read my story and how long I made you wait for an update!