A Perception of Reality

by knightchaser

There is a belief that states for every action taken, the alternative action is played out in another dimension. In one reality Itachi succeeded in killing his clan, in another, he failed. This is the story of what happened when he failed.

27. Chapter 27 A Chilling Discovery

Last week team seven fought Zabuza and Haku.

Thanks for all the reviews and favs

Itachi comes back in this chapter – though the first bit is the completion of the fight from last week.

I'll try not to do anymore chapters without Itachi in them (did I say that before?)

I actually hadn't planned on last week being without him, but I just started writing and that's how it turned out. Actually, the last two chapters weren't so good. Maybe this one's better?

The mangas taking a few surprise turns, isn't it? You know, it's really hard (as in nearly impossible) for me to hate an imaginary character, but Danzou has made the list. And you know, it's making me feel more and more sorry for Sasuke, Naruto and Sakura.

Please review! Let me know if this chapter is better.

Disclaimer: Kishimoto owns Naruto

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Chapter 27 –

Zabuza's body lay prone on the deck of the bridge, covered in blood and sweat he was only a couple feet from the edge where he had, minutes earlier, kicked Goto into the cold, choppy waves, thirty feet below. Kakashi had promised the dying man to look after his young companion, Haku, who was also lying unconscious on the ground oblivious to his master's passing.

"What a mess." Kakashi finally muttered.

"But… it's good that he'll be coming back with us." Naruto grinned happily as he knelt next to his new friend.

"We don't know that yet." Sasuke wasn't too sure about whether the older boy should be allowed to return with them or not. "He may not want to come or dad may not want him in the village. Shouldn't we check first before bringing him? I mean…"

"It's okay, Sasuke. I know how to deal with this and it'll be my responsibility so don't worry about getting yelled at." Kakashi reassured his student, or tried to anyway. Sasuke was about ready to collapse himself and his mind was overloaded with stimuli. The Jounin wondered just how wounded the boy was and glanced at Sai, who was holding him up.

Sai nodded and when Sasuke refused to sit down he pushed him down, grabbed a leg and dragged him over to where Haku was. "Stay here. Wounded are easier to protect if they are in one spot."

"They're also easier to kill." Sasuke muttered as he laid back and let Naruto place a make-shift pillow fashioned out of a jacket under his head.

Tazuna, who was still trying to calm himself down from the adrenaline rush of seeing a ninja battle spoke hesitantly, "I'm not sure I should say anything, but I don't think you should take that boy with you either. We have a jail here… if you want…"

Kakashi answered, "You couldn't hold him. For good or ill, it's best if we take him with us. We have actually recruited many ninja in similar circumstances so we can deal with it."

"I was." Sai replied. "My brother and me… from Water country…"

Sakura interrupted, "You don't have to say anything if you don't want to, Sai."

He smiled, silently telling her it was okay, "Itachi found me and my brother. We were living on the street using jutsus to entertain for money or steel for food. I heard what Haku told you earlier about his family. I think I can understand a bit… maybe… what he feels…"

"What?" Sakura gave Naruto a confused look, she hadn't been able to hear anything from the dome of ice Haku had created for their last battle.

Naruto sat down on the ground and put his head in his hands, "He said his father killed his mother and tried to kill him because they had a blood-line limit. He instinctively activated his ice-jutsu and killed him then lived on the streets until Zabuza took him in."

Sasuke lifted his head, "That's what it's like there? Itachi and his girlfriend told me a little of their trip but…"

"Any description you may hear, Sasuke, the reality is ten times worse." Sai declared, his smile disappearing. "But I think we should continue this conversation later, when he awakens. A lot of it is going to depend on how he feels, no matter what we think, he may just want to disappear somewhere else."

"True enough." Kakashi admitted. Despite his promise, he had no intention of forcing the teen to do something he didn't want to do. But then again, he didn't want to break his promise either and he decided to get Haku back to the village even if he had to knock him out. The issue might be easier to deal with in Konoha once the young ninja saw what a village really was. After living on the streets and under the tutelage of Zabuza he no doubt had no idea what life in Konoha could be like.

"Besides, it looks like Goto's people aren't leaving. In fact, more of them showed up while we were talking." Sakura added, pulling a kunai out the pouch strapped to her thigh.

"Great. I'm about out of chakra." Kakashi knelt down on one knee as a wave of nausea passed over him. "This Sharingan eye of mine uses way too much of it."

"That's okay sensei. I'm still here!" Naruto spoke cheerfully, but his face was nearly white with fatigue, his hands were shaking and he was covered in sweat.

Kakashi knew that after releasing the nine-tails fox chakra the boy should be as drained as he was. "Stand down, Naruto. We'll leave this to Sakura and Sai. They have the most chakra left. If they can't handle it then we'll back them up."

"But…"

"Part of teamwork is knowing when to stand aside and let your teammates fight. Besides… someone needs to keep them from trampling over Sasuke and Haku." He glanced at the boys and saw that Sasuke had fallen unconscious again. He stood up and moved quickly to his side. "Sakura, Sai – make sure you inform me if you need help."

"Right." Sakura and Sai moved to face the growing crowd of thugs. They were all hardened sorts who looked like they were either escapees from a mental institution or a prison. They were dressed in various shades of black, gray and brown and adorned with leather, chains, fishnet mesh shirts, sandals, face paint and about a dozen other items. All carried swords and were grinning rather viciously at the two remaining shinobi. Most had scars across their arms, legs and faces.

"Where in the world did Goto dig these guys up?" Sakura muttered to Sai.

"Oh, I've definitely seen worse." Sai admitted, "Maybe he spent so much money on Zabuza he had to get a discount on the rest of his gang."

Sakura laughed in spite of herself, but straightened up quickly and raised her voice so everyone could hear, "What are you still doing here? Your boss is dead, you can leave now."

"Well, you see," A man, about six feet tall with long red hair and pale white skin spoke up, "Goto hadn't quite gotten around to paying us yet and we figure that town over there has to have something worth pillaging."

"And we're bored." This time it was a woman who spoke up. She stepped forward, as if challenging the two shinobi to contradict her.

"Then we're going to have to make you leave!" A young boy's voice drifted over the bridge, causing team seven and Tazuna to open their eyes wide in shock. Behind them was Tazuna's grandson, Inari, and about a hundred able-bodied men and women carrying anything they thought could be used as a weapon. Sticks, blocks of wood, kitchen knives, garden tools, and few even had swords and crossbows. Inari himself was armed with a small crossbow used by children to train with and a kitchen wok had been strapped over his head, no doubt Tsunami's doing, although perhaps Inari had thought it up himself.

Speaking of Tsunami, Tazuna was surprised to see his daughter standing next to her son, looking worried, but defiant nonetheless. He smiled as his chest warmed with pride and relief at their presence even though he knew he should be afraid for their safety and order them to leave. Not that they would listen if he did.

"You came!" Naruto called out.

"Heroes always come at the last minute!" Inari laughed.

"Well, let's get this started then." Sakura called out and rushed forward to attack, Sai close on her heals.

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The battle was almost finished before it started. Knowing that their adversaries were civilians Sakura and Sai set out to incapacitate instead of kill, although the remnants of Goto's "army" didn't know that. A few ran when the two shinobi started their attack, but the rest laughed indignantly at the thought of two children who barely came up to their chests besting them in a fight. How wrong they were.

Sakura's first act was to cast a Genjutsu. Quickly forming signs with her hands she made eye contact with one man after another, making them all think the bridge was collapsing. Sai used the opportunity to punch and kick them into unconsciousness.

The townsfolk surged forward as well, but a couple men who appeared to have some experience with fighting rushed forward ahead of them and engaged the henchmen on the fringes. Others pulled out ropes and started tying up those who had fallen.

"Sai!" Sakura rushed through more hand signs then pulled a kunai, her current adversary, the woman who had earlier said she was bored, knew how to break out of a Genjutsu, "I'm going to be busy with this one for a bit!"

"Got it!" Sai pulled a short sword from a holster on his back and turned it around so that he was using the dull side of it. This allowed him a greater reach and he burst his way through about three people who had decided to gang up on him.

Sakura gazed intently at her adversary, sizing her up. The woman was perhaps around thirty and had muscles bulging out of her exposed arms and legs. Unlike the rest she appeared to be carrying no weapons. Sending out her chakra she sensed that the woman was not a kunoichi – which meant she would tire easily in a fight. Jumping forward, Sakura aimed a kick after kick at the woman, only to be blocked every single time. Keeping it up, the girl watched as her adversary started to breath heavily and slow her reactions.

'Too bad she's not a kunoichi, I could just kill her right off and be done with it.' Sakura thought to herself. The fight wasn't exerting to a shinobi as she had her chakra reserves to draw upon to increase her endurance. Civilians had no such power, and even though the woman seemed resistant to Genjutsu, that had more to do with the way the mind was "wired" at birth than chakra so it likely wasn't something she had been taught. Sakura knew the moment the woman reached her limit and smashed her across the side of the head, knocking her out instantly. The whole fight had lasted about five minutes. Pretty good for a civilian.

Turning around Sakura prepared to continue the battle and instead dropped her hands to her side and blinked in surprise. Her red, split-seam dress swirled around thighs as the wind picked up, as it always did in the early afternoon. "Humph. I turn my back for one moment… what did you do Sai?"

Sai, and the two townsmen who had rushed in to help were surrounding the remaining thugs, about twelve, all of whom were on their knees with their hands in the air.

"They just surrendered." Sai, as always, understated the situation and Sakura gave a short laugh as several other townspeople rushed forward to tie them up.

Looking over the edge of the bridge Sakura watched as seven boats full of people rowed off into the distance. "I guess we're done then." She glanced at Zabuza and froze. "Wait… did he just… he…" She pointed a finger at the corpse and yelled, "He just breathed!"

"That's impossible!" Kakashi was at Zabuza's side in an instant. "Probably just expelling breath. Corpses do that. You die with your lungs full of oxygen, you know." He bent over the man and placed his ear against his chest.

"I know that!" Sakura stated petulantly. "But I saw his chest rise and fall! Twice!"

"The stubborn bastard. He's still alive." Kakashi sat up with a wide grin on his face. For some reason, this made him happy. "Sai, contact the village. There should be some black ops around here somewhere. They can take him back to Konoha for treatment. The village here can treat Sasuke and Haku without any problems, but Zabuza is too badly injured."

"Yes, Sensei." The boy used a jutsu to disappear.

"So how are they?" Sakura nodded at the unconscious boys.

"They're fine. Haku is severely chakra depleted and will sleep for a couple days. Sasuke lost a lot of blood and I gave him a soldier pill but he'll need a transfusion later. I also suspect he has a concusion, if that big bruise on his head is any indication."

Tazuna walked over and draped an arm around Kakashi, who was now standing. "This experience has been quite an eye-opener. For me and my family. For now, let's just get you all back to the house to rest. The townsfolk will clean up here."

Kakashi slung Zabuza over his shoulder as he ordered a perimeter to be erected around the sword as it would attack anyone but its user if touched. Two men picked up the injured boys gingerly, being careful not to jar any injuries. Naruto was chatting away excitedly with Inari and Tsunami was fussing over Sakura, getting her to promise to teach a couple of her moves to some of the women for self-defense – something Sakura was more than pleased to do.

"Sleep sounds good right now." Kakashi smiled as he followed everyone off the bridge. Their mission was almost over. A few more days and the bridge would be complete. Then… he had a surprise for team seven waiting back in Konoha and he couldn't wait to give it to them.

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Itachi gazed around the compound with a skilled eye, verifying that Kisame and Sasori were nearby and Deidara was standing at the periphery. Of course they were. If there was one thing that could be said about Akatsuki, it was that they were professionals. Bickering and personal feelings were always put aside once the mission started.

The door creaked softly as Itachi slid it open. Inside was dark and gloomy, just like the other buildings he had checked out that day. The place seemed abandoned, making the four men very suspicious about just what could be going on here. Kakuzu was in the southern part of Wind country, but he had heard that a set of Danzou's accounting books were kept here. That had propelled Leader into a desperate search for the items. He had called in two teams to combine forces to find them.

"This place is too quiet." Itachi mumbled. He rubbed his chest through his cloak and then popped a soldier pill in his mouth. He had caught a cold, but even though it hadn't been a bad one, it just seemed to linger on. His chest was very sore and his throat felt like he had a lump in it every time he swallowed. The soldier pills kept him from coughing and sneezing – something you definitely didn't want to do when you had to be quiet.

They had speculated earlier that the compound was actually a trap. But as Akatsuki – an organization composed of S-ranked ninjas – it was unlikely that, if it was indeed a trap – that Danzou's people knew it had been sprung. All four of them were experts at detecting such things, and so far the entire place looked like nothing more than a seasonal home or perhaps even abandoned.

The building he had entered appeared to be the living quarters, however it was small. An entryway with an empty shoe rack led to a hallway lined on both sides with plain tan-colored sliding doors. One was a small living room with a shrine inset into the wall, two were bedrooms, one bathroom and a dining room. It matched what he had seen already. One building was a kitchen, and another contained a large communal sleeping room. This building must be where the lord or commander lived. But still, there was no office.

Stepping back into the hall, Itachi considered his options. The books would likely be hidden, he had already assumed that. Closing his eyes he focused his chakra on his hearing, increasing its range. Listening carefully he heard something rustle slightly in the smallest bedroom. Opening the door again he peered in with his Sharingan. Night had fallen and the room was pitch black. While he could see chakra easily with his kekkai genkai, it did not give him night vision beyond a series of differing shades of gray. Useful if you didn't want to bump into anything, but in this instance it was useless.

Pulling out a small flashlight he flicked it on and a dim red light illuminated the room. It was a color that allowed the eyes to retain their night vision without blinding them and it could be overlooked at a distance. He searched for the source of the rustling and saw the lower end of a wall hanging billowing softly. Getting on his knees he pulled out a small box from and inside pocket of his black and red cloak and opened it. Very gently he extracted a small piece of tissue paper and shoved the box back into his pocket.

Eyeing the direction of the billowing fabric he moved the tissue paper over the floorboards in the direction of the wind. The paper fluttered slightly as it came into contact with a very small bit of wind. Placing his hand over the spot he could barely feel the air passing between the boards. He sat back on his knees for a minute before standing up and exiting the building.

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"I found a hidden room." Itachi informed the others a few minutes later.

"Are you sure it isn't just air from the raised foundation? Un." Deidara asked quietly. It was traditional for building to be built one to two feet above ground, rendering the underside empty of anything but weeds, bugs, snakes and mice. This often created drafty rooms if done improperly.

"I looked under the building and the center of it extends down into the ground."

"Then do you want to open it? I can send a couple of my clay spiders down to spy, un."

"That would be wise." Itachi agreed. He led Deidara into the building while Kisame and Sasori stood guard outside. Reaching the portal the two teens carefully knelt down on the floor. Itachi quietly worked a very thin, strong knife into the gap until he found the spring that opened the door. It popped open a couple inches, causing them to tense up for a minute as they waited to see if anyone or anything was going to come out at them. When nothing happened Deidara silently released four clay spiders into the hole then crossed his legs and forced himself to relax and enter a meditative state.

Itachi sat back and patiently waited. He had seen Deidara use this jutsu on several occasions and knew that it took time for the creatures to move. They could even be used in the dark, although, like with his Sharingan, they could only see in shades of gray.

"Finally." It was ten minutes before Deidara spoke, "The descent is straight down via ladder, un. My spiders used the wall of course, un, but the bottom is a huge room. There's light down here but it's dim. One wall has a row of cells and… above that, un… is another row of cells… it goes back up for a total of four stacked rows, un. It looks like forty cells. No sound, though. It's very quiet. I'm sending one spider to see what's in them." Deidara was quiet for a few more minutes, "There is an office here by the ladder and there's a man in there reading. The books must be in that room, if they're anywhere."

"It's a good place to start." Itachi agreed.

"Oh. The cells have corpses in them and… un." The one eye not hidden by Deidara's scope opened wide in shock and he broke the connection. "The bodies are horrendous, un! It looks like something from a horror movie! Five arms, multiple heads, hairy back… something very evil is going on here."

"Anyone else down there?"

"Not that I saw. There didn't seem to be any other, un. We'll see more when we get down there, of course, un."

"Hn." Itachi thought for a minute. Human experimentation was the dirty secret of the shinobi world. It was how new kekkai genkais were created and old ones reverse engineered. Cruel and merciless, people of all ages were subjected to horrors that the teen could only guess at. And one name stood above all the rest.

"Orochimaru."

"Him?" Deidara scowled. "Are you sure?"

"No. Not until we get down there. Let's pass this on to the others. I want Kisame to come with us and Sasori will likely want to send one of his puppets. Leader wants that man dead about as much as he wants to get his hands on Danzou."

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The cavern was large and the four ninjas looked around cautiously as they descended the ladder. Sasori had opted to go himself instead of sending a puppet and Itachi and Kisame had watched fascinated as a boy of about fourteen or fifteen exited the large beetle shaped puppet he rode around in. However, they quickly realized that the "body" Sasori was using was just another corpse puppet. Deidara spoke up and said it was Sasori's body, making the red-haired cherubic teen-ager seem more like a lead character in a horror film.

According to plan, Itachi and Kisame made their way to the small office while Deidara and Sasori moved over to check the cells out for survivors or anything else that caught his eye. Silently they peered in through the half-opened door at the middle-aged man, red-haired man perched comfortably on a cushion in front of a small table. several ledger-sized books, about the size of A4 paper. Dressed traditionally in a pair of tan hakama pants and an olive green yukata he looked for all the world like an ordinary civil servant taking a break.

Itachi kicked a pebble in the direction of their target and caught the man in a Genjutsu as soon as he turned his head. His eyes glazed over as his face took on a neutral expression.

"What is your name?" Itachi asked emotionlessly.

"Atsuho Itsuki."

"Show me your tongue." Atsuho stuck out his tongue, clearly displaying the rectangular seal Danzou had ordered applied to all his followers to keep them from talking. Itachi dropped the Genjutsu.

"Shit." Kisame muttered under his breath. "Well he's useless. Shall I kill him?"

"Hmm? No… we'll just take whatever books we find here and leave. If he knows what's good for him though he'll disappear before Danzou finds out the stuff he was guarding is missing."

"There's nothing here, boys." Atsuho replied matter-of-factly, mistakenly assuming they were there to steal something valuable like research papers or jutsus. "The place is shut down. Has been for a while."

"Hey, guys." Deidara returned and stood behind them, leaning against the side of the door opening. "Those bodies are decomposing."

Sasori continued, his voice had changed and he sounded more like teen than a grouchy old man, "Given the temperature, humidity and a few other variables I estimate the corpses are about a year old."

"But why don't they stink, un?" Deidara asked.

"A jutsu." Atsuho explained. "Can't work down here if I'm gagging all the time, now can I?"

"Guess that's obvious." Deidara muttered, suddenly feeling very stupid.

"So was this place Orochimaru's?" Itachi asked.

Atsuho smiled, "That was my guess, although I have to admit I haven't a clue. I really don't want to do any investigating, if you know what I mean. Pretty ghastly if you ask me. But it pays well. All I do is stay down here and read mystery novels all day and night."

"It would have to." Kisame agreed.

Itachi continued, "What is your job here?" Atsuho was behaving far too friendly – it was disconcerting.

"Just sit here. Sometimes people come and look through those book and write in them."

"What if we were to take them? What would you do?"

"Go ahead. No one told me to stop you – or anyone for that matter."

Kisame grunted, "That makes absolutely no sense at all. Now answer the question, what is your job here?" He slammed Samehada on the ground, cracking the rock floor.

Sasori spoke up, "You can either answer, or I'll do a little surgery on your brain and pull out the answers. And I won't put them back when I'm finished."

Atsuho sighed, "Akatsuki, huh? Itachi Uchiha, son of the Hokage of Konohagakure is a member of a criminal organization. Sounds like a nice little scandal, if you ask me. And let's see… Kisame Hoshigake, a member of the swordsmen of the mist and accused of assassinating the Daimyou of Water country. Sasori of the Red Sands, murderer extraordinaire, you have overthrown entire governments with your army of puppets but for some reason you never stay to reap the rewards. And last but hardly least is Deidara of Iwa – celebrated artist of his village people still collect your old works of art and despite your defection, the last piece sold for over one million ryou."

"I'm honored, you know our names." Kisame started to grind his teeth in anger, "Now what are you doing here? Why did Danzou post you down here?"

"Oh, that's where you are wrong, master Kisame. Danzou isn't the one who put me here." He smiled toothily as he "popped" out of existence.

"Clone." Deidara kicked a rock across the room. "The real one must be nearby. Can I go look for him?"

"No." Itachi surprised everyone with his declaration.

"Let's just grab the ledgers and go back to the house. Who cares about that nobody." Sasori stated matter-of-factly.

Itachi huffed when he saw the annoyed look on Deidara's face, "We don't care of Danzou knows we were down here or not. We just need to look in these books."

"But he said they aren't his, un." Deidara argued. "He said Danzou didn't send him down here."

"Orochimaru did." Sasori said quietly. "But that mark on Atsuho's tongue was Danzou's. I really wish Kakuzu had handled this himself."

"You're sure it's Orochimaru?" Itachi asked.

"Yes, Itachi."

"Humph. Orochimaru and Danzou are working together."

Kisame strode forward and started pulling books out of a bookcase and handing them to Itachi, who would take a quick look and either discard it on the floor or hand it to Deidara to hold on to.

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"You got quite a haul there." Sasori commented dryly when they finally reached the surface.

"Too many." Kisame agreed. "Let's get back to the house. The sooner we review these the sooner we'll finish."

"Why can't we just send the whole lot back to Leader, un? Why do we have to review them, un?" Deidara grumped. "Tobi or Zetsu would pick them up if we asked."

"Can't read a ledger?" Itachi asked quietly.

"Of course I can. That's how I know it's going to be a pain in the ass! Do we even know what he's looking for, un?"

Kisame tilted his head, "He's got a point. On the other hand, I am curious. You can skip it if you want, Deidara. But I want to see what's in these."

"Fine. Just tell me what to look for then, un." Deidara threw his arms up into the air in resignation. He knew he was going to loose the argument anyway.

"So you know accounting?" Kisame changed the subject as they began walking up the hill leading out of the small valley the compound was in.

"Yeah, I was… Kakuzu's unwilling student for a month a while back. I was convalescing and he made me work on his accounting stuff, un. It was the most boring thing I have ever done in my entire life, un."

"Suitable punishment for nearly blowing the both of us up." Sasori added, almost cheerfully.

"I said I was sorry." Deidara mumbled.

Itachi was surprised at this new information. It meant that instead of letting Deidara die, Sasori had actively sought medical attention for his badly injured partner. Anything that would take a month to recover from must have been life-threatening. To a ninja, anyway. It also meant that if he was put in a position where he would have to attack them, he might have to separate the team first. Unless, of course, he used his most powerful jutsus – but that was something he was saving for Madara.

Reaching the small house they quickly split the books up between the four of them. Itachi took his to his room while Kisame and Deidara stayed at the table and Sasori parked his puppet body in the living room. The large, fat cat that had been following Deidara around had taken up residence on the dark couch and stared at them with a bored expression. Neither moving nor twitching a tail he fell asleep a couple minutes later.

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Midnight found Itachi sitting on his bed, the last book open in his lap and a magnifying glass firmly planted over the rows. He rubbed his eyes and yawned as he scanned quickly down the page. The books had been divided by date and the set Itachi was reviewing was from three months ago. They mostly detailed the day to day operations of an organization – payroll, utility payments, tax collection, and miscellaneous expenditures related to running Fire capital. However, something kept coming up. It was an expense related to a winter storm that had struck the southeast corner of Fire almost two years ago.

There area in question was next to the water and usually had a mile climate, but that winter had been very brutal. On three separate occasions temperatures had fallen so drastically that coal, firewood and heating oil had run low and emergency supplies had to be provided. Snow accumulated on roofs and after several days of thawing and re-freezing it turned to ice, collapsing buildings and ruining businesses and storehouses. Itachi had seen the devastation firsthand, but he also knew that by the following autumn, everything had been repaired and the region had recovered.

So why were expenditures still being made to rebuild the province? Large expenditures. A new high school in a northern province was constructed for just under two hundred thousand ryou, yet the one in the south cost two million. And that was just one example.

It was obvious that the unfortunate events of two years past were being used to funnel money to someone. And it looked like that someone was Orochimaru.

"Itachi? Would you like something to eat?" Kisame called out from the other side of the door.

As much as he wanted to say "no" he knew that if he refused Kisame would open the door and talk him into eating anyway. As he slid the magnifying glass into its leather pouch the door opened and his partner strode in.

"It would be easier if you wore reading glasses, Itachi." Kisame stated in a low voice so the others wouldn't hear.

"Humph." He stood up and walked past his partner and into the dining area. His eyesight had become worse, and while Kisame was right, and he should wear glasses, he couldn't bring himself to do it. Besides, his father didn't need glasses and he was using his Mangekyou Sharingan as much as Itachi was. It was ingrained into his very soul to show no weakness in front of his father, and surely the elder Uchiha would consider glasses just such a weakness.

Kisame had opened up several cans of stew and a pot and bowls were sitting neatly in the middle of the table. Deidara was already helping himself and, of course, Sasori never ate. Spooning a serving into his mouth Itachi winced in pain as he swallowed a chewed up vegetable. He wondered if he had caught some other virus and it wasn't a cold at all. After a couple more attempts to swallow vegetables and one of meat he gave up and just spooned the broth into his mouth. Oddly enough, that was almost just as painful to swallow as the solid food had been. Bowl half-empty, Itachi stood up and returned to his room. It was pointless to eat any more. Fifteen minutes later he was fast asleep.

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"You alive in here?"

Itachi was awakened the next morning by a rather petulant looking Deidara who was leaning on the doorjamb wearing a pair of shorts and carrying a fishnet shirt in his hand. He looked like he had just woken up.

"Kisame said to find out why you aren't up yet, un. It's noon and…" He turned around and yelled gleefully into the living room, "Kisame! I think he's dying! You got a shovel, I'll dig the grave!"

"What nonsense are you spouting now?" Kisame's angry voice got louder as he approached the room, "Jeez Itachi, you do look like your dead." Reaching down he placed a hand on the teens on face, "That's quite a fever too. Guess it wasn't a cold after all. Deidara?" Kisame turned around and was surprised to see the young blond missing.

"He said he was going to go look for a shovel." Sasori stated calmly. "Personally, I think you should make him dig the grave with a teaspoon."

Kisame rolled his eyes and shook his head, but the image of the belligerent boy digging six feet into the ground with a spoon was too much for him and he started laughing. "That's good, Sasori. I'll remember that."

"I'm fine." Itachi cleared his throat several times, but the words barely came out. In addition to a fever he had laryngitis. Walking into the kitchen he grabbed a ceramic cup and filled it with cold water from a pitcher.

"Zombies have to be beheaded." Deidara commented as he walked back into the house and spied Itachi up and moving around. The teen gave him a dirty look as he sat down at the table, but chose not comment.

"Did you find a shovel?" Kisame asked, amused.

"Yeah. Just say the word and I'll start digging!" He gave everyone a big smile as he joined them at the table. "Did you see this yet, un?" Deidara passed one of the ledgers over to Itachi and opened up a book-marked page.

Itachi drank his water and tried to clear his throat several times as he squinted at the page. Usually he could read if he did that, but today the book was one big blur. "I have a headache," he lied, "what's it say?"

Kisame grunted, silently reminding Itachi of the conversation the previous evening. Closing his eyes, Itachi realized he wasn't going to be able to get away with his little ruse for very much longer.

Deidara, however, was clueless and retrieved the ledger. "My books were from four years ago. This section details the monies paid to Orochimaru, although it doesn't actually say his name it's still pretty obvious. It's millions of ryou."

Itachi straightened up in his seat, eyes open wide in shock. Danzou was working with Orochimaru that far back? But why? The man they had thought was Danzou back during the coup had an implanted Byakugan eye. Was that Orochimaru's work? He needed to get back to Konoha and tell them what was going on. But first…

He cleared his throat again and whispered, "What did Leader say?"

Kisame answered, "Zetsu will be here in a few hours to collect the books and Kakuzu is on his way to Rain to begin reviewing them. Leader didn't give any opinions on the matter, except to reiterate the already standing order to kill Orochimaru on sight. Other than that, the mission is a success and its over. We can all go our separate ways. Except for Deidara here, who has a meeting in Stone village."

"Stupid Kage." Deidara muttered. "Why do I have to go?"

"Because you're a charming, polite, and well mannered young man who will represent Akatsuki in a positive and straightforward manner." Kisame stated firmly.

"You're kidding, right?"

"Ha! Leader is using Akatsuki to run missions for other countries at discount rates. It's the same spiel you gave several other leaders. They like you kid. Your cute, forthright, and have a winning smile."

Deidara looked at the blue man sideways, "Kisame, you're scaring me."

"If it wasn't for the fact that you keep blowing stuff up and your awful temper you could probably sell used ox carts."

"I'm out of here. I'll go pack now, un. Can I leave the cat here for a few days? I'm coming back this way after the Stone thing, un, and there's someone I want to give him to." Deidara looked around and saw that the cat was, once again, sleeping in "his" spot on the couch.

Kisame laughed, "Sure. Don't see as how it could hurt anything. He probably won't even know you're gone. He'd have to wake up for that."

"True enough!"

For some reason, Itachi felt a chill run up his spine and as he turned his head to look at the lazy, fat, orange tabby resting calmly on the couch. The animal lifted its head and gazed directly into his eyes and… Itachi shook his head.

'Cats don't grin.' The teen said to himself.

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"I'm going your way for a while." Kisame stated as they prepared to leave the cabin. He had left a window partially open so the cat could come and go. Despite its lazy demeanor the animal had provided them with several dead, partially eaten rodents over the last few days.

"Hmm? Why?" Itachi whispered. It was three hours later and his voice was still showing no signs of returning.

"Because if you drop dead on the way I'll be given a different partner who will probably annoy me. Assuming Leader and Madara don't gang up to kill me first."

"Ah! You're my babysitter." Itachi whispered bitterly.

"Their idea, not mine."

"But… before…" Itachi hadn't meant to say anything, it just slipped out.

"When you had chicken pox?" Kisame frowned. "Just accept it as an act of goodwill and leave it at that."

"I never paid you back."

"And I said I'd let you know how to pay me back when the time comes. You worry too much, Itachi. Don't fret over it so much, I promise I won't ask you kill your mother or anything like that." Kisame laughed good-naturedly, "Now come on. Konoha's still a ways away and I'm not carrying you this time so you better stay conscious."

"I'll do my best." Itachi smiled.

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Next week, Itachi enters the hospital and team seven returns from their mission.

I couldn't decide whether to kill off Zabuza or not. I may still do it. But then again he's a very powerful ninja and I keep thinking of ways to include him in the plot. Either way, he'll at least make it to the Konoha hospital. Haku will also be going to Konoha, but he definitely lives.

Okay, Orochimaru is coming back into the story. He's such a great villain.