Last week the pre-rookie 9 were kidnapped by Root. Leader became suspicious of Roots ability to operate without a leader and ordered Itachi back to Konoha to verify the identity of Danzou's corpse.
By the way, with this story I'm going to put Itachi's birthday back in June, where it's supposed to be. In the "Itachi the Early Years" I gave his the wrong b-day and when I found out the real date it was too late to change it. However, I think its okay to go back to June here.
Thanks for all reviews and favs, I love to read them.
Disclaimer: Naruto is owned by Kishimoto
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Chapter 15 – Konoha's Woes
Sunlight filtered through the wide cracks in the plywood that covered the windows bathing the cold, dilapidated room in warm sunlight. In the daylight the room in the abandoned hospital was even more forlorn that it had been at night. It had probably, at one time, been a cheerful place. Brightly colored orange and yellow paint was peeling off the walls around a large molded plastic clown face that stared ominously over the room, its perfect face not yet feeling the effects of time.
The Konoha Academy students conjectured that their prison had probably once been a playroom for children staying at the hospital. There were still some toys and child-sized furniture scattered about and the cupboards still held games in rotted cardboard boxes.
Kiba, Ji and Naruto were half-heartedly stacking blocks and then throwing toys at them to knock them over. It was a game composed of random rules that seemed to have no other purpose than to the mark the passage of time. There was none of the usual teasing or boisterous laughter that both Kiba and Naruto were known for – the boys were unusually subdued. Ji was still feeling a little self-conscious around the other kids – he was the new kid after all and being in a stressful situation like this was making him feel a little shy.
Shino had pulled a book out of his pocket and pretended to read, but when Shikamaru found a Shogi set in a cupboard the two of them began to play. Sasuke watched the game, offering to play the winner. Hinata was busy teaching Ino how to play Go with a set that was found in the same cupboard.
And Sakura… no one knew where she was. That morning, their second day in captivity, when they had awoken she was gone – her futon stone cold. It had been such a shock to realize that their captors could waltz into the room while they slept and pluck one of them away that even hours later the fear and apprehension they had felt was still fresh in their minds. Worse, was the knowledge that even if they had seen it happen there was nothing they could have done, even if the chakra limiting bracelets on their wrists had been gone it wouldn't have made a bit of difference.
For eight Shinobi-in-training, that last fact was the hardest to bear. There was no strength in numbers when dealing with experienced ninja nor was there was a reset button if you didn't like how the game was going.
As Sasuke watched the Shogi pieces move across the board he couldn't help but think about his older brother. Itachi was never far from his mind and he kept imagining ways the teen would swoop in and save them. In his fantasies he would rise up to help and the two brothers would stand side by side, stopping Root in their tracks and defeating them. But Sasuke was too much of a realist to spend too much time lost in those fantasies. He knew he was no match for his brother, and it would take years of practice before he could even approach him.
"Itachi had already graduated by the time he was our age." Sasuke finally said.
"Yeah." Shino replied half-heatedly. "Too bad he's off on a mission."
"I think even if he did graduate when he was eight, he still would have been a Genin." Shikamaru added, "I think he would have been in the same situation wer'e in now."
Sasuke lay down on his belly and put his chin on his hands and continued to watch the game. Soon Shino and Shikamaru copied him.
"It's sure taking them a long time to find us. I wonder what's going on?" Sasuke said after several minutes, "You know, I think we should come up with another plan to escape."
"You don't think your father will come for you?" Shikamaru asked.
Sasuke frowned, "He will be very mad at those guys for kidnapping me. I think… I think he will also be disappointed because I let myself be caught. Because I talked you guys into helping Naruto and me attack those bullies. That makes me team leader, I guess."
"Sasuke, it's not your fault." Shino said quietly, "We wanted to help. Your plan sounded like fun."
"Are you really that afraid of your dad?" Shikamaru asked.
"If he isn't he should be." Naruto dropped down onto the ground next to Sasuke. "He's pretty scary. I mean he hit Sasuke the other day and he didn't even deserve it."
"I did deserve it." Sasuke mumbled, blushing. "Itachi drew up a training schedule for me and I missed one of the deadlines. Dad wants me to be able to take Itachi's place if something happens to him because I'm the second son or something stupid like that."
"Dude… he was wailing on you." Naruto added.
Sasuke blushed harder, "It wasn't that bad, Naruto."
"You're back was black and blue. You had to sleep on your stomach for a week."
"Would you shut-up!" Sasuke yelled. "He hit me across the shoulders once and I fell on my knee and scraped it. That's all. It was scary because I didn't expect it and he was yelling at me about how disappointed he was. He had this really scary look in his eyes. Besides… he'll come after you too if you keep getting bad grades like you always do. Report cards for our first quarter back are due in July."
"Ha, ha, ha. You and Naruto fight just like brothers." Kiba laughed. "But my mom does the same thing. She said she's afraid I won't be able to protect myself and get killed because I goof off too much. I think I get knocked on my ass three or four times a week. My big sister is better than me, too. Mom's always, 'Hana this' or 'Hana that'."
"So… anyway… An escape plan…" Sasuke muttered, changing the subject. He didn't want to think about how much of a failure he always felt next to Itachi and this conversation wasn't helping.
"We're on an upper floor in a locked room with no chakra. Explain to me how we're going to escape?" Ino asked sarcastically.
Sasuke gave her a dirty look, "We can't escape from this room unless the wall has a weak spot somewhere and we can break though into another room. However, we would be caught pretty quick if we did that and without chakra we can't sense them coming. I think all we can do is run if we get a chance. And… um… if we get split up… I guess… um… head south?"
"I'm not leaving Sakura." Ino said belligerently.
"We're not leaving her." Sasuke sighed, "But it sounds like they want her alive."
"Good point, Sasuke." Shikamaru added, "I see what you mean. We all might end up dead but it sounded like they had a use for Sakura. So at the worst, we can always go after her later."
"But…" Ino and Hinata started to protest but were interrupted by Shikamaru.
"If my plan to have Konoha find us failed, and we die, then who will save Sakura? No one will know where she is. They won't even know where to look."
Ino sighed and Hinata nodded her head, silently agreeing. The room grew quiet as everyone thought about the events of the last two days. But for some reason, having a plan, no matter how lame, made them feel a little bit better.
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"I'm sorry to interrupt you, Lord Hokage, but Lord Itachi is here and has stated unequivocally that he needs to converse with you immediately." The Chuunin that was on guard duty outside of Fugaku's office spoke calmly as he held the door open only wide enough to poke his head through.
Fugaku didn't get the chance to respond as the door and the Chuunin were roughly pushed to the side and a very calm-to-the-point-of-being-scary Itachi strode purposefully into the room. It was unexpected since his last update had indicated he probably wouldn't be returning until July, and it was still April.
"So what brings you back early?" Fugaku watched as the dark-haired boy cautiously surveyed his surroundings before closing the door and entering the room. Sarutobi, Jiraiya, Kakashi and Yuri were seated in chairs in front of the Hokage's large desk.
Itachi spoke without emotion as he looked at Sarutobi and Jiraiya, remembering their last conversation a few months earlier before he left for Akatsuki, "An interesting development concerning Danzou. But… I get the feeling something else is going on."
"First tell me about Danzou." Fugaku had a strange feeling his day was about to get ten times worse. Itachi stood stiffly about six feet behind the assembled group. He glanced once at Yuri and Kakashi, silently asking if it was okay to speak in front of her. "Go on Itachi. Everyone in this room is cleared. Yuri and Kakashi have been briefed about Akatsuki as well."
Nodding once in acknowledgement Itachi took a deep breath and closed his eyes, "I request a DNA test be run on Danzou's corpse to verify its identity." He opened his eyes and held his ground as five sets of anger filled eyes glared back at him.
"Do you know what you are insinuating Itachi?" Fugaku was speaking through clenched teeth as he fought to control his anger.
"Perfectly well."
"What brought this on?"
"Leader has had me and three other people searching for ROOT information. We have found little to nothing. He is now suspicious and has asked the question, how can Root function so well without its leader? Also, Rain is in civil war against Hanzou. Hanzou is putting up a better fight than expected. These two situations have made Leader suspicious that perhaps Danzou is still alive and we were duped. Apparently there is a long standing arrangement of some kind between Hanzou and Danzou. We have been ordered to take down Root at all costs."
"Yuri, hand Itachi the document we got yesterday." Fugaku pointed to a scroll that was on the corner of the desk closest to where the teen sat.
Picking it up gingerly she stood up and walked over to her friend. "Here. Don't get mad and destroy it though, forensics would still like to run some tests on it." She turned and addressed Fugaku, "Would you like me to pass on Itachi's request to the hospital right now?"
"Yes, tell them to keep the test and its results top secret and to report them directly to me. Then get back to that tunnel. I want you to be ready to leave in an hour."
"Yes my Lord." Yuri quickly left the room as Itachi unrolled the scroll. His eyes opened wide with anger and shock as he read the contents. Finishing, he angrily walked over and slammed it on his father's desk then turned his back on the assembled men as he fought to bring himself back under control. Fists clenched tightly at his side, eyes tightly closed he could feel the tension in the room build as they awaited his verdict.
When Itachi finally spoke it was in a quiet, well-regulated voice that brought to the surface all the loathing, isolation and depression that had been bottled up in the boy for the last two years, "If he is alive, then I am pleased because it means I get to kill that god damned bastard again. If I have to kill him a thousand times it will be one time too few."
The demand Fugaku had received from Root had been for an exchange. Sasuke Uchiha would remain with Root under protective custody to ensure Konoha's good behavior. In return the other children would be safely brought back to the village. Except for Sakura Haruno, who was an orphan and, out of the kindness of Root's heart, would be trained by them – thus eliminating the need for Konoha to care for one more homeless child. They had even had to gal to offer to take the other orphans off Fugaku's hands.
The kidnappers went on to say that if the demands were refused all the children would be killed. They would loose all eight instead of two. Apparently they weren't planning on returning the "poor orphan" at all. They had one week to decide.
The last paragraph was the clincher, Naruto Uzumaki would not be returned under any circumstances. It was deemed too dangerous to have the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki in Konoha under the control of the Uchiha. He would remain in protective custody.
"What about the memory loss detected by Inoichi?" Sarutobi asked.
"I am going to look into that." Itachi answered.
"You can do that?" Jiraiya was dubious, considering whom it was they suspected had caused the memory loss.
Itachi ignored the question, "Father, I would like to request that this matter be handled by Akatsuki. When… that man… learns Sasuke was kidnapped he will show up wherever it is that Sasuke is being held and it will be disastrous if Konoha Shinobi are present."
Fugaku groaned. "I don't trust them."
"And you shouldn't. I certainly don't. However, there are three that will assist me. And Yuri, whom I assume has already been assigned to go, will be invaluable as well."
"Would you like me to help?" Kakashi spoke up hesitantly.
"Um… that probably would be a bad idea considering who you are. My… comrades might decide to forego Root and go after you instead." Itachi spoke seriously.
Kakashi gave a small grin under his mask, "That's what I was thinking. Well then… I'll head west and help the teams out there look for enemy Shinobi."
Fugaku nodded his head, "Thank-you Kakashi."
Kakashi patted Itachi once on shoulder and gave him an indecipherable look before leaving the room. He stared at the door for a minute before he was interrupted.
"You're not going to like where they took the kids." Sarutobi spoke up.
"Huh? Where?" Itachi asked, wondering why it would matter.
"The same abandoned hospital you were held in by Dr. Motoi."
"Oh." Itachi had no desire to return to that facility. Several years earlier Madara had goaded Mikoto into sleeping with him. Itachi had confronted him, only to be teased by the elder Uchiha. The young boy, who was suffering from insomnia and the shock of seeing his mother and little brother crying didn't know how to handle the situation and
had broken down, sobbing uncontrollably. Fugaku had found him a short while later and panicked when Itachi couldn't stop crying.
After being admitted to the Konoha hospital, a psychiatrist with the desire to remove ninja children from their adverse environments and place them with normal families, used legal avenues to remove Itachi from his parents custody and take him to the abandoned hospital for "de-programming". Madara and Fugaku had found them there and forced Itachi to kill Dr. Motoi. He hadn't wanted to do it. The man was annoying and he didn't like him, but he wasn't a ninja. He had done nothing to deserve death. He remembered his thoughts back then… It took a strong person to protect the weak and a weak person to kill them. Back then… he had been weak.
And he had wondered ever since – what would it have been like to grow up normal?
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"If I asked, would you fire someone for me?" Aya dropped down across Madara's lap, forcing him to drop his book on the floor and catch her so she wouldn't fall on the floor. She wrapped her arms around his neck and batted her eyelashes.
"Ha, ha, the cute act doesn't suit you kid. And you need to learn to play nice with your playmates." Madara wasn't exactly amused by the teen's antics. Aya was a very good judge of character and seemed to know exactly how and when to get on a persons nerves. In fact, he hadn't realized just how good she was at it until Kyoko started playing dirty.
"Oh, but sweetie, if only you knew how much it meant to me." Aya smirked, she knew Madara saw threw her but that made the "cute act" even more amusing.
"Solve the problem yourself. You are an Uchiha and therefore better than her." Madara was eying his book, now upside down on wood deck outside of the living room. The cherry blossoms were finished blooming and for a moment he stared at the small green leaves that were beginning to bud on the long thin branches.
Aya sighed and stood up, her tone returning to normal, "Now she's complaining because I was reading a vampire book. If it wasn't so boring around here I wouldn't have to read at all."
"Then watch TV." Madara retrieved his book and began dusting it off. He wasn't really listening to what she was saying, "Or go play with Kyoko some more."
"Play what?" Aya groused as she watched the small bamboo fountain "clunk" as it dumped water into the pond and returned to collect more from the pipe feeding it.
"I don't care. Whatever. You said something about vampires. Watch a movie together or something. Just… go bug someone else for a while."
"She's afraid of vampires, actually." Aya said quietly.
"Lord Madara, the betrothal papers are on your desk in your study." A man, one of the many aids that circulated throughout the Mitzukage's mansion, spoke respectfully before quickly turning around and leaving.
Aya eye's opened wide, "Betrothal?"
"Fugaku would like an Uchiha wife for his so… for Sasuke."
"And where are you going to find another girl? There aren't any, you know." Aya said sarcastically.
"There are many Uchihas in Mist village, Aya. They came here after I did and live here in secret."
"What?" Aya yelled angrily, "Then why am I forced to stay here? Can't I live with them? What are you playing at?"
"Aya, every Uchiha in this village has proven him or herself to me, proven that they are worthy to carry the clan crest. You have not proven yourself. Instead you complain and sit around feeling sorry for yourself. As you are now, you are not worthy of them." Madara looked up at the still-standing teen and laughed inwardly at the look of shock that slowly transformed her face.
At that moment Kyoko burst into the living room looking for Aya, "Princess Aya, it's time for your lunch. Be a dear and return to your room. Growing girls mustn't skip meals."
Aya's mind suddenly clicked with what she was sure would prove her worthiness and take care of her little problem. She gave Madara a broad smile, "Lord Madara, be careful you don't sit out here too long, the sun will be on this side of the house in an hour. The mists have retreated and won't provide any shade this afternoon."
Madara wondered what she was up to as he got up from his chair and followed her into the living room. He opened the scroll and looked through the list of candidates five of the nine families he had spoken to had agreed to consider a betrothal arrangement. He pulled out a brush and wiped it once across an ink stone then immediately crossed off one of the names.
"Four should be good enough. I'll wait and see how they do over the next few years and then pick the best one. This is one choice I'm not leaving to Fugaku." He moved over to the couch and laid down, lazily swinging one of his legs over the back.
"Madara – I need to speak with you." Itachi's voice projected into Madara's mind, causing him to sigh with boredom.
'Probably another crisis. He never calls just to say hello.' He thought to himself.
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Returning to his house, Itachi greeted his mother who was in the formal living room conducting a training session with Sheeta on the proper way to serve a traditional meal. The girl was dressed in a formal red and white patterned Kimono and looked very disgruntled as she attempted to hold a sake bottle in one hand her sleeve in the other – and look elegant while doing it.
"I don't suppose you're here to rescue me from your mother." Sheeta asked despondently.
"Why? I've never seen her look happier." Itachi teased. "I think a daughter is just what she needed."
"Traitor. I'll remember this, you know." Sheeta frowned as she went back to practicing pouring liquid from the sake bottle.
Itachi gave a short laugh, but it was obvious from his mother's expression that this training wasn't so much for Sheeta's benefit as it was for hers. She was worried about Sasuke and was trying to make time pass so his return would come sooner.
"I'm going to get him, mother."
Mikoto closed her eyes and put her hands on her lap. "I… don't know what I would do if they…"
Itachi spoke firmly and with confidence, "He will be okay. I will bring him back alive."
"Please do." Mikoto replied faintly.
Entering his bedroom, Itachi locked the door and removed a small bracelet from a hidden compartment in the wall. Concentrating on the piece of jewelry he sent out his thoughts to Madara, who responded quickly, sounding rather bored.
"That you Itachi? What's up?"
"Root has kidnapped Sasuke, Naruto and six other Konoha children." Itachi got right to the point, causing Madara to break out in a string of curses that, as the saying goes, would have made a sailor blush.
"I will be there as soon as I can. Any idea where he is being kept?" Madara finally calmed down enough to talk.
"That abandoned hospital near the Uchiha hideout – the one I was held at."
"Humph. Not surprised about that I guess. Every malcontent on the continent seems to have been through that place at one time or another."
"Madara – about Danzou…" Itachi was interrupted.
"I already spoke to Pein about this, Itachi. The man I caught that night was Danzou. I am incapable of making such a mistake."
"I…" Itachi suddenly got an idea, "What if the man you caught was Danzou, but the man who broke up Fugaku and Sarutobi's fight wasn't?"
Madara was quiet for a minute. "Itachi…"
"Fugaku has ordered a DNA test to verify."
"Okay…. Yeah... I'll concede you… could have a point. I was distracted by the kids, getting them out the line of fire was a bit of priority at the time. Danzou has shown over the years to have more lives than a cat. I hate to admit it, but that scenario could be possible." Madara sounded thoughtful, and his quiet voice sent chills down Itachi's spine, even though it didn't hold any malice in it. He quickly realized it was the thought that someone could be more devious than Madara that scared him.
"Since we would like to keep you away from Konoha Shinobi, Fugaku agreed to let Akatsuki handle this. Since it fits in to our orders to take out Root I believe Leader will not mind."
"Yes it should be fine. Kisame, Sasori and Deidara, right?"
"Yes. And I will be bringing Yuri. She has some of the same spying capabilities as Zetsu." Itachi considered Zetsu to be too loyal to Pein and tried to stay out of the man's way whenever possible. While the others would keep their mouths shut and generally mind their own business, Zetsu would report everything and include a video with surround sound and popcorn if asked.
"I'll be there in two days. Don't wait for me." Madara cut the communication and Itachi sat down on his bed and sighed. He didn't like the idea of Sasuke being anywhere near that man and hoped he could rescue him before Madara showed up. Although how, exactly, he could travel from Mist village to Northern Fire country in only two days was also concerning him.
Pulling out his Akatsuki ring he slipped in on his finger and twisted it a few times before smirking. Deidara was going to be livid when he found out he was about to save an Uchiha from death. That would, certainly, be entertaining.
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"So how do you know where they are holding the kids?" Itachi asked as he ran beside Yuri through the branches of the forest. They had left two hours earlier and had maintained a discreet silence until they were well away from the village in case anyone was following them. He had changed into his Akatsuki cloak a few minutes earlier, earning a nod of approval form his companion, who, it turned out, loved red and black. Although as for her opinion of the organization itself – she wasn't too keen about it but said she would do anything to help the kidnapped children.
"I used my earth jutsus to send roots through the ground and trace the tunnel. I found where it exited the village and Kakashi used his dogs to track their scent to the hospital. When he returned he was of the opinion that after they left the village they didn't do much to hide their presence. In fact, he said the hospital had a lot of people hanging around it in plain sight."
"So why didn't Konoha just go in and get them?" Itachi pushed a branch away before it could smack him in the face.
"Rock and Waterfall are keeping the Shinobi busy. Remember – our numbers are down considerably because of the… fighting. We were in Lord Fugaku's office discussing the problem when you showed up. Also, Cloud hasn't made a move against us yet but Fugaku and Sarutobi both agreed that dropping their guard and moving the shinobi assigned to watch the border with Lightening country could be disastrous. Kakashi was trying to convince them otherwise. He wants a quarter of them brought back to Konoha. I agreed with Kakashi, but my word doesn't hold up a lot with those four. I'm a high level Chuunin and a clan leader now, but really, I'm still just one of the grunts. I was only there because I was helping Kakashi track the renegades." Yuri finally paused then stopped running, forcing Itachi to stop as well so he wouldn't leave her behind.
"What?" Itachi asked, annoyed at the delay. He jumped back to the branch the seventeen-year-old girl was standing on and looked up at her. She was still a few inches taller than him, an he had estimated earlier that she was now taller than his parents; of course his parents weren't very tall so that wasn't too surprising.
"Back then… on our last mission together. When you met the Kage of Cloud he said something to you… it was private so I never mentioned it. I'm sorry, but I was using the roots to listen to you guys." Yuri leaned back against the trunk and crossed her arms, keeping her eyes firmly locked onto Itachi's.
Sighing, Itachi broke the gaze and looked up through the branches to the little patches of blue sky. "Sarutobi wanted to make me Hokage to appease the Uchiha clan. I wasn't ready for it… but it would have worked. The Raikage somehow found out and arranged to meet me there. He said if it was me… he would form an alliance with Konoha."
"So… it's not you… but perhaps since it's your father it will still be okay. We need those shinobi to protect Konoha and run missions to bring in money to the village. Mission wages have been cut because the amount of money it is taking to rebuild is huge." Yuri sighed and turned her back on Itachi. "Even having you gone… you could take high level missions that pay the highest. We loose money when you're not here."
"I… admit I hadn't considered that." Itachi's thoughts went back to his arrival a few hours earlier. There hadn't been many people out, except for a few shoppers and lots of construction workers. It was obvious – no one had any money to spend, and those with free time, including the shopkeepers themselves probably, were busy building houses. But raw materials cost money. He instantly thought about Kakashi's friend Tenzou. He, like the First Hokage, was a wood element user. But could he build houses like the First as well? It had been a couple years since he had met him, but he remembered the man mentioning something about studying the First's techniques, so maybe he wasn't able to perform the jutsu yet. Or maybe the buildings would only last a few hours?
"Itachi?" Yuri looked back at him, worried. "You're spacing out. Do you think you can go to Cloud and negotiate a treaty of some kind?"
"Huh? Yeah… I think I should. I apologize… I should have thought of it sooner. You guys could have saved the kids by now…"
"Don't play the 'what-if' game with me Itachi." Yuri closed her eyes and shook her head in annoyance. "I'm pretty sick of it by now. Let's just go with what we have and move forward."
"I agree." He gave his friend a bittersweet smile as he took off into the trees again. Memories drifted through his mind of his Genin team and he found himself wishing, despite what he had just said to his friend, that the four of them were still together – that none of the events that had pulled them apart had happened and Konoha was the happy, welcoming village he had believed it to be back then.
Five years ago it had been himself, Yuri, Yota Hyuuga, and their sensei Yurina. But as the years passed, Yota and then Yurina had died. Even Kabuto, whom he used to spend time with, was rarely in his thoughts anymore. And of course, Shisui. But all those memories left him with was a deep feeling of regret.
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Alternate chapter ending (because I was in a weird mood):
"Yuri?" Itachi called back to the teen who was following a few feet behind him.
"Huh?"
"It's not really a game of 'what-if', is it?"
"What do you mean?" Yuri asked suspiciously.
"It's… more of a…"
"What?"
"Life filled with regret."
"Itachi?"
"Yeah?"
"Would you like some of my Prozac? I have extra."
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Next week Akatsuki attempts a rescue and will Fugaku really get away with forming an alliance, albeit temporary, with them?
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