Chapter 2 – Nightmares and Daydreams
oOo
The Third Shinobi World War began when Uchiha Itachi was four years old. He remembered the day, because it was the day Father decided it was time he begin his special training for the clan, despite the fact that no Uchiha in years had been trained before the age of six due to the acute stress the more difficult lessons could cause.
But war bred impatience, and while his father dressed in his flak vest and retrieved the bandolier of kunai that hung on the wall, young Itachi found himself rubbing bleary eyes as he stood in the training room across from his new trainer, Koba-sensei.
Uchiha Koba was a hardened veteran of the Second Shinobi World War, a man who had fought at the front lines and had failed a mission at the last moment due to acute chakra exhaustion and overuse of the Sharingan. His recklessness had sent him home to Konoha, and it seemed the bitterness of the failed mission bled into his ruthless lessons.
But Itachi was no stranger to stern adults, and he learned quietly and rapidly, without complaint. Because Konoha was at war, and that was exactly what was expected of him.
As soon as he mastered the basics of taijutsu and the theory of genjutsu, (without an activated Sharingan learning genjutsu in practice was nigh pointless) Itachi was carted off to the Academy at the age of five. His mother fretted and worried, often murmuring to his father that it was too soon, much too soon, and that he may be bullied by the older students. No other student his age had passed the Academy entrance exam, his genetically developed chakra coils far superior to those of other children born without bloodline limits. But Fugaku was firm in his decisions, and as the clan leader, he didn't have to ask politely to have things his way, and the fact that he pleaded gently with his wife to understand made it even harder for her to deny him.
"It's for the good of the clan, Mikoto. It would be too cruel to force the burden onto another Uchiha family. If anyone can handle the pressure, Itachi can. He's our son, after all. Times are not easy, nor are they lenient."
Her face still looked ashen, but she knew she was speaking to the clan leader as well as her husband.
"As you say, Fugaku-sama," came her stiff reply, the honorific laced with scorn. Fugaku sighed quietly, feeling an incoming headache well on its way as was always the case when he upset his wife. She was a gentle soul, but when it came to her son…
"You shouldn't fret so much in your condition, Misato," he answered gently. "I'll talk to the teachers and have them directly report to me if there is any trouble with other students. Itachi should be proud that he has been granted admittance so early. And as his mother, the loveliest Uchiha to set foot in this Compound, you should be proud to have borne a genius."
Mikoto turned her back to him sourly.
"Don't you try to convince me with flattery, Uchiha Fugaku," she shot back icily, but the corner of her mouth twitched upward as she walked away. "I'm will speak with Itachi." His shoulders slumped with visible relief, some of the tension bleeding from his stance before he straightened once more. Only perfect posture was suitable for a clan head. Sometimes he speculated that the winning a war was far easier than winning over his wife, but of course, the fact that she was so firm in her decisions was one of the reasons he loved her.
oOo
Oh, how the teachers adored the Uchiha prodigy and heir. They showered him with praise, and whispered murmurs of the promise he showed. To learn so quickly at such a young age, they gossiped when they thought no unwanted ears were present, he may be the legacy that follows the Yellow Flash, a man who was turning the tide of the war as they spoke.
Even quieter murmurs were whispered that he may replace the Uchiha that failed in combat just recently, and died on the mission that turned the war in their favor. Itachi did not indulge in their praise, nor did he particularly enjoy it. The Uchiha that had lost his life was one of his cousins, a bit loudmouthed for their typical clan member, but all the more friendly and loved for it, and Itachi mourned for him as the rest of his clan had. He worried about who might be next. His father? His Uncle?
He decided then that he hated war. Hated it with a passion that bled, and he would focus his efforts into stopping it at all costs.
The other children in the class heard the whispers of the teachers and jealous glares of envy were often shot in his direction. No one dared speak to him for fear of his father, and as a result his Academy days grew rather bleak and lonely. For lack of a social circle, he spent his time training and studying, one of the common phrases of the Academy sticking in his head.
Even a sharp kunai will lose to a sharper mind.
But with his progress, even more uncomfortable praise was showered upon him, and he grew rather shy of his classmates as their envious glares only worsened. He was not permitted to take the graduation exam that year, nor did he desire to. Even the Academy had its limits on the age at which one would be sent to the field during times of war, apparently. Five years old was too young. It was as simple as that.
When asked what he desired of his occupation, the answer was always quiet and respectful.
"To bring honor to my clan," came the automatic and polite reply. His secondary goal was to prevent war, but that was an unbecoming reply of a child being trained into a soldier. It could be seen as laziness, the same as an apprentice chef wanting to prevent the desire to eat. The bare truth, however, he kept to himself, eyes downcast and demeanor shy when the thought came to mind.
I want a friend.
Then during his second term, he met Shisui.
"Yo! I'm Shisui. You're Itachi, right? Nice to meetcha!" Shisui's smile was blinding, and Itachi stared for a moment, transfixed, his place in his book on Chakra Theory momentarily forgotten. The awkwardness of a lonely childhood became apparent when his mouth moved and no words came out. Never, not once, had a student so willingly approached him. Finally he settled for nodding.
Shisui leaned over and glanced at his book.
"Chakra Theory, huh? I read that a couple months ago. Kind of a pain. It won't go into detail about dojutsu since the clans are so touchy about their secret techniques. I don't see why they worry, though. Can't use Sharingan if you don't have the eyes anyways, right? Same with that Hyūga technique." He rolled his own eyes.
Itachi nodded again, this time hesitantly. Shisui's words bordered on a rebellious nature that Itachi had never heard before when it came to the clan. He admired Shisui's bravery, shamelessly speaking his mind, though he wondered if it might hinder his progress as a shinobi in the future.
Shisui frowned at him, crossing his arms.
"You can talk, right?"
Itachi felt color rush to his cheeks as he realized he'd been staring. He was not behaving properly for the son of a clan head, age aside.
"O-of course I can," he mumbled, just a tad defensively. Shisui blinked, and then looked visibly relieved. He laughed.
"Good! Wanna help me glue our new sensei to his seat?"
Itachi stared nervously over Shisui's shoulder, where the aforementioned teacher was glowering over the Uchiha.
"Care to repeat that, Shisui-san?" the teacher questioned in a deceptively mild voice. Shisui swallowed as his face paled several shades.
"It was a metaphor, Sensei," Itachi interjected quickly, his voice calm and collected. "Shisui-san was insinuating that we would work hard and make much progress this year. We intend to behave maturely so that you do not even feel the need to leave your seat, hence the metaphor of being glued there. It is an honor to be able to benefit from your tutelage."
Itachi's voice was grave and serious, accompanied by a polite, if false, smile, and the teacher took a step back, somewhat flustered. Shisui's smile was positively radiant as the teacher nodded thoughtfully and walked back to his seat.
"I have a feeling we're going to get along," he remarked cheerfully, and plopped himself into the empty seat behind Itachi.
Shisui was a year older than Itachi, his friendly demeanor inspired by his multiple treks through the senior homes, where he found himself gossiping with the elderly women there.
"They know more than half the reconnaissance units in Konoha," Shisui swore once when Itachi questioned his behavior. "Those baa-sans would be great in the field! Rita-baa told me that Susan-san's husband is having an affair and the woman involved is pregnant with twins. Twins! How in Kami's name would Rita-baa find something like that out without being like, in Anbu or something? I'm telling you, those ladies are part of a coalition or something."
Itachi had merely offered a small, exasperated smile, and continued to study a rather complicated analysis of Fire Release techniques. He had been practicing his Great Fireball Technique, and showing Father anything less than perfection would simply be unacceptable.
"You wanna spar tonight at the usual place?" Shisui asked, resting his hands behind his head. "You've seemed awfully distracted lately."
Shisui tried to look annoyed, but one eye opened and stared at Itachi when his best friend smiled slightly in a rare expression of unmistakable pride. Had the bastard been perfecting a technique without him? Had he—Kami forbid—gotten a girlfriend before he did?!
Itachi, you sly bastard—!
"I have to take care of my little brother," Itachi answered simply, the pride in his voice still obvious.
"Little brother?" Shisui asked, surprised, before the realization dawned on him. "Oh yeah! Misato-san finally gave birth, didn't she?" He thumped his friend on the back, previous assumptions disappearing as if they had never existed. "That's great, Itachi! Congratulations!"
A real smile broke through Itachi's usually stoic expression as the younger Uchiha nodded.
"Mhm!"
Shisui blinked in surprise, before he returned the smile with a pleased blush.
"Somethin' can finally make you smile, eh? Good for you, Itachi."
The very same night, Itachi sat on the back porch of his home, rocking little Sasuke back and forth to soothe the agitated infant. He stared at the full moon, sensing a strange cold feeling tickling his senses.
What is this feeling?
Sasuke began to cry and Itachi frowned slightly. His little brother never cried when he had held him before.
"Of all the nights for Mother and Father to be out," he sighed quietly, before returning his attention to Sasuke.
"Hush, Sasuke," he murmured gently. "Don't worry. No matter what happens, I'll protect you."
And then a blanket of chakra so heavy and dense the very air seemed to thicken slammed into him like a bolt of electricity.
"Nngh!"
Itachi grit his teeth, struggling to breathe as Sasuke wailed even louder. His eyes turned toward the glow of fire near the center of the village even as his legs tensed to take him in the other direction.
"Mother… Father… Shisui-san…" he scowled and then pulled Sasuke close to him as he made his decision. "Please be safe." And then he turned away and ran, far from the murderous killing intent in the air before it suffocated his baby brother. He didn't realize or acknowledge the fact until much later, but that was precisely the moment Itachi's priorities organized themselves, and his mind accepted the fact that Uchiha Sasuke was first and foremost in any situation, regardless of consequence.
This would be consciously realized much later, on that mission. That mission where he met her, but as of the present it barely registered as he fled the Kyūbi like a coward for the sake of an infant.
If war had been his previous incentive to learn rapidly, the Kyūbi attack blew that incentive completely out of proportion. Shisui had been kept safe behind a seal with the other students, much to his chagrin when he realized several of their clan had given their lives in the attack. Suddenly it seemed Itachi's age was no longer an issue in taking the graduation exam, and both he and Shisui graduated as soon as the next term ended. Itachi had just turned seven, and he was a fully-fledged Genin.
They were given brand new forehead protectors as a sign of the cannon fodder Shisui predicted they were to become.
"We are at war," he pointed out when Itachi objected. "They need more shinobi out there, so it only makes sense that the Academy's being pressured to spit out kid soldiers by the dozen."
And it was true that the graduating class had been rather large this year, but Itachi knew several of them would not even make it onto a specialized Jōnin team, not only because of the stamp of approval some Jōnin required the Genin to earn, but also because most Jōnin were currently in Rain or Grass, rounding up refugees and negotiating peace treaties. Teaching a team of fresh rookies was likely the last thing on their minds.
The Kyūbi attack had interrupted the recovery process of Konoha from the Third Shinobi World War, and other countries were hesitant to form alliances with the half-destroyed village. Konoha would have to prove its worth.
"We're at the end of a war," Itachi corrected. "But even so," he murmured quietly, turning a page in his book. "Such words should be spoken with care. You never know when someone is listening."
Shisui glanced around nervously in spite of himself, realizing how close to treason his words were getting. It would not do to be overheard by any of the higher ups. Already vague rumors were beginning to spread that the Uchiha were involved in the Kyūbi attack. Several citizens were demanding that the entire clan be forced to move outside the village for Konoha's safety as a whole.
As the son of the man who was in charge of enforcing the very concept of safety, this was somewhat of a sore subject with Itachi, who knew his father would never have anything to do with such a violent invasion.
"It's not like I would ever disobey orders or anything because of it," Shisui mumbled, though from then on he was much more careful with his words.
oOo
"My name is Morino Itsuki, and I will be your Jōnin Sensei until you are promoted or dead." The man before them offered them a toothy grin, a strand of wheat between his teeth and a kasa on his head, tilted a little to cast his eyes into shadow. He was a tall man with messy, sandy colored hair and a five o' clock shadow coating his narrow jaw. His glittering black eyes peered down at them, barely visible beneath the wide brim of his hat.
Itachi's two new teammates glanced at one another dubiously in response to their Jōnin Sensei's morbid introduction.
"Go ahead," he gestured with a hand. "Names, introductions, whatever." He slouched against a fence post, waiting expectantly.
"I'm Shin," an older boy with short cropped, grey hair and slanted black eyes grinned and nudged the girl next to him. She scowled at him and stood, jabbing a finger at herself.
"I'm Inuzuka Hana," she introduced herself almost challengingly, as if expecting some sort of refute. Her hair was dark brown, almost black, and her cheeks bore the fang-like markings reminiscent of her clan. She seemed almost surprised when neither boy scoffed at her, whether for her gender or her abrupt manner. She grinned a little and sat back down. Itsuki yawned.
"Uchiha Itachi," Itachi answered next without being prompted.
"Great," Itsuki beamed at them, pulling the wheat lazily from his mouth and letting it dangle in between his fingers. "First day of training is tomorrow morning at 06. It was nice meeting you… ahh… he glanced over them, clearly failing to retrieve their names from his short-lived memory. "Team 2," he finished with satisfaction. All three of the new Genin exchanged a glance. Itsuki disappeared in a swirl of leaves, and Hana crossed her arms.
"What the hell," she deadpanned.
oOo
"Oi, Uchiha. You wanna spar till Sensei gets here?" Hana had her hands on her hips as she appraised the prodigy, her eyes narrowing when he shook his head. "What, too good for us common ninja? Hmph. I'd like to see your clan do half the tracking we can do."
"I don't like sparring." Itachi's quiet voice made Hana jump slightly. She scowled at him.
"What the hell kind of ninja are you? How're you supposed to get good at fighting if you ain't gonna fight? If it's because I'm a girl, I'll beat your raggedy sexist ass just to prove I can." She tensed up, clearly ready to make good on her words.
Itachi pulled a history book from his bag and opened it to the marked page. Shin's eyes went wide at Hana's choice of vocabulary and he stared at her in awe for a moment.
"…will you teach me how to curse like that?" he asked after a pause. She shifted her glare to the grey eyed boy, as if debating whether or not he was making fun of her.
"I don't like fighting my teammates." Itachi's quiet voice cut through the lapse in conversation.
She sighed exasperatedly, glancing at Shin, but the grey-haired boy said nothing, just shrugging. He stared at her, looking fascinated as to what Hana would say, or rather, how she would say it.
"It's not like were really gonna hurt each other, dummy. You can't expect to live long if you're gonna be a wimp. Just because the war's over doesn't mean you can slack off, no matter how much the teachers liked you."
Itachi said nothing, and she rolled her eyes, blowing a strand of hair from her face.
"Well, whatever." She turned to Shin. "What about you, old man? Up to a spar?"
Shin huffed, mildly annoyed.
"My hair color is natural!"
"Yeah, yeah, ossan, why don't you fight me and prove me wrong, eh?" She was impatiently bouncing back and forth on her heels. He scowled and settled into a stance.
"Alright, then. Just try it."
Itachi felt a cold prickle, similar to the sensation he'd felt when the Kyūbi appeared.
"Glad to see you three getting along so well."
Shin and Hana whirled around to see Itsuki lying across a thick branch of one of the trees, casually popping some dango in his mouth. Itachi's eyes widened when he realized that other than pure instinct, he hadn't sensed his Sensei's arrival at all.
"I guess we'll start with a physical assessment, and if you feel up to it, we'll go see about picking up our first mission," he drawled, and then looked them up and down with disdain. He sighed. "Let's begin."
oOo
Three hours later, Itachi was dripping with sweat along with his two teammates, his face flushed and his breath coming out in wheezing gasps. His vision warped a little before coming back, his knees shaking. He was in slightly better condition than the other two, only because of Koba-sensei's special training, but only just.
"Alright," Itsuki smiled cheerfully, but Itachi swore it held a trace of sadism. "Warmup done."
Their 'physical assessment' ended at two o' clock, when Shin promptly passed out after trying with them to hoist a boulder into the air and get it across the training field.
"Looks like Team 2 is tired out," Itsuki-sensei noted from under a tree, sipping at his iced drink casually. "I suppose you lot aren't ready to take on a mission." He frowned in mock sympathy. "Go home and rest. Don't be late tomorrow. Same time, same place."
Hana didn't even have the energy for a snarky retort. She pulled herself wearily to her feet, meeting Itachi's eyes and then glancing toward Shin. Itachi nodded and wordlessly pulled the boy's arm over his shoulder.
"Where does he live?" Itachi asked quietly. She pushed sweaty strands of hair from her face and let out a deep huff of air before sidling up on Shin's other side and taking half the weight.
"I'll show you, c'mon."
Behind them, Itsuki watched them leave together, arm in arm, and a small smile tugged at his lips as he took another slow sip of sake.
oOo
"Our sensei is crazy!" Hana was pacing back and forth in front of a wide-eyed Shin and a wary Itachi. She stopped in between them, crossing her arms. "I mean, can you believe him?! Seven hours of straight labor and he calls us out of shape? I didn't see him get off his lazy arse and do any of those exercises with us! I mean, chin-ups over the cliff of a waterfall? For real? We should be learning real techniques and how to survive against enemy ninja, dammit!"
She whirled around and slammed her fist into the wooden railing of the bridge Shin was leaning against. The wood splintered and the boy lost his balance, toppling backwards with a yelp and splashing into the river.
"Geez, Hana-san," he mumbled, picking himself up and climbing back onto the bridge, bedraggled and dripping.
"Maybe we could work on techniques while we wait on him to get here," Itachi suggested quietly, glancing up from his book and hurriedly glancing back down when her fiery glare rested on him.
"What was that, Uchiha?!" she demanded, shaking her fist.
"M-maybe we could work on chakra control while we wait…" Itachi suggested slightly more feebly. "He always takes a while to get here, so perhaps we should take initiative. I've seen some of the ninja from my clan do different exercises that we could try."
"Without a supervisor?" Shin questioned dubiously. "I hear horror stories about kids messing with chakra too early."
Itachi seemed to ponder that for a moment.
"Most are simple enough that the risk is low. Besides, anything worth doing as a ninja is going to take some amount of risk. The only question is how we weigh the odds against each other. In my opinion, it would be worth it." There was a pause.
Both Hana and Shin were staring at him and he ducked his head, feeling his cheeks flood with color. Him and his big mouth. Now they were just going to see him as a know-it-all who couldn't keep his mouth shut. He wished Shisui had been put on his team. He would've known the right thing to say.
Then Hana sighed.
"Anything to get my mind off the hell we're about to go through," she muttered with a quiet groan, before plopping down cross legged on the ground across from Itachi. "So? What are these chakra exercises you've seen?"
Itachi raised his head, surprised, and for a moment his mouth moved without any sound coming out. Then he swallowed and tried again.
"Uhm, there's a lot. Maybe we could start with the basics?"
Fifteen minutes later and they were trying to stick leaves to their foreheads, grinning at each other with the pure stupidity of the act and outright laughing when Shin thought he'd done it only to realize the leaf had caught in his hair.
"Stupid old man, can't even tell when a shitty leaf is glued with chakra," Hana chortled, and Shin's cheeks flushed.
"My hair is naturally grey! I really think it was glued there, too, not just caught in my hair. And at least I don't smell like wet dog," he retorted. She grinned.
"What's wrong with smelling like a dog, ossan?"
"Don't call me that!"
Then Itachi felt that familiar prickling sensation and his head snapped around. Sure enough, Itsuki was squatting in a tree, eating an apple.
"Yo," he greeted them around a bite of apple. "I wonder if Team Two can handle a mission today."
"Of course we can!" Hana shot to her feet. "Just bring it on, Sensei!"
And he certainly did.
They didn't have the energy for a mission that day, or the next, or the next.
But despite that, all three of them could use chakra to glue leaves to their foreheads, faces, or anywhere else on their bodies. They had started testing it by randomly placing leaves on each other and seeing if the other person could hold it there.
"Now what?" Hana asked, during their second week of training. "We know this exercise inside and out, and I don't care about any damn risk as long as we can do something else. You seen anything else 'round the Compound, Uchiha?"
Itachi glanced up with a small frown. In all honesty, he had known how to do the leaf sticking exercise after his first month in the Academy, having had to practice extremely young to build up his chakra reserves for the Great Fireball Technique.
What was something he didn't know how to do? Something that would actually benefit all of them?
"We can try sticking ourselves to things," he said. "Similar to the leaf; but acting as the leaf."
"How would that help anything?" Shin asked, his brow furrowing.
"I get it! That's not a bad idea, even for an Uchiha," Hana grinned, revealing her sharp canines. "If we can stick to stuff, we can walk on anything, including sideways and upside down, right?" Her grin turned a little feral.
"Then we can see the look on Sensei's face when we can run up those mountains without even using our hands."
"We can finish our exercises in half the time, too," Shin murmured, starting to get it. "So, it's the same kind of thing, right? Just some more chakra."
Itachi nodded.
"Let's try it together," he suggested, closing his book and standing with a slight sense of authority he wasn't sure why he possessed.
Three days later, they were progressively using 'cliff-walking' to shorten the sheer work of climbing up the mountains, and halfway through the week, finished their team exercises grimy and sweaty, but still conscious and not completely exhausted.
Itsuki raised an eyebrow when no one so much as sat down after the final lap around Konoha. He gave them a hard stare. He scowled.
"Cheaters."
"No!" they answered simultaneously, indignant.
"Twelve days and a five hour workout suddenly takes only three?" Itsuki scoffed, taking a long swig from a bottle. "I'm drunk, not stupid. Go finish whatever you left out and come back."
"We did it all, Sensei!" Shin protested, still breathing heavily but standing straight. "We're ready for a mission. We're ninja!"
Itsuki stared at each of them, his gaze pausing on Itachi, who stared back coolly, giving away nothing.
"How did you do it, then?" he asked deceptively mildly.
"We ain't lazy, alcoholic old men, that's how," Hana muttered, before glancing to the side at Shin. "Well, we ain't lazy alcoholics, at least."
She smirked as Shin stamped the ground.
"I'm barely older than you are, Hana-san!"
Itachi didn't break gazes with their sensei.
"Well?" he asked quietly. "Will we be assigned a mission?"
Hana and Shin quieted almost immediately, returning their attention to Itsuki.
He took a slow drink from his bottle before sighing in satisfaction and pulling himself to his feet.
"Ugh, fine I guess. Tomorrow's exercises won't be nearly so easy, though. Go change into clean uniforms and meet me at the Hokage Tower in fifteen minutes. It's rude to see the Hokage as dirty and sweaty as you three are."
He disappeared in swirl of leaves and Hana crossed her arms.
"And whose fault is it that we're all dirty and sweaty?" She huffed, but her eyes were sparkling with suppressed excitement at the prospect of their first mission. "See you guys there!" She waved and ran off, leaving them to follow.
"See you soon, Itachi-san," Shin smiled and Itachi nodded in response, feeling his cheeks color slightly. Was this what it was like to have friends?
oOo
"You're kidding me."
Despite the difficult position Konoha was in politically, it seemed D-rank missions were still in abundance, and the three of them had just been assigned to deliver mail for the local mailman in the 1st district because he was sick and unable to do so himself.
"I heard that the first missions of Genin were easier than most, but I didn't think they would be so…" Itachi trailed off, not quite able to find the right word.
"Stupid?" Shin guessed, grinning.
"Mundane," his teammate deadpanned. Shin shrugged.
"Well whatever. I mean, gotta start somewhere." They each were holding a large stack of papers, and Itsuki had mysteriously and conveniently vanished as soon as they had left the Tower.
"Hey, hey," Hana grinned widely. "You think if we finish these missions super-fast and do, like, three a day, we'll get promoted faster?"
Itachi frowned.
"As long as we don't trade speed for efficiency. And though we may be permitted to complete higher ranking missions, the main way of promotion is through an official examination that has to be approved by our Sensei. I don't know very much about the Chūnin Examinations, though."
"Hmm. Well I bet this'll go a ton faster if we put our minds to it. Wanna race? Loser pays for dinner at Moritake's."
Shin grinned.
"Fine, but if I win, you gotta stop calling me old man, too."
"You wish, ossan," she snarked back. He scowled.
"We can meet in front of the Tower when we're done," Shin tensed, pooling chakra into his feet. "Go!"
They took off in a heartbeat, and Itachi found himself alone almost instantly. He blinked the dust out of his eyes from where it had clouded, and felt that strange prickly sensation once more. He turned, his gaze moving to the roof, but it was empty.
Even so, he got the strangest feeling that he was being watched by Itsuki. He'd begun to grow accustomed to the instinctive sensation. He was beginning to be able to discern who was there through the odd feeling, though only with people he was familiar with, such as Shisui and his teammates.
He hopped to the nearest roof, deciding to ponder it later and complete his mission before his pocket change suffered for it.
"No fair!" Shin protested with a groan. "My last delivery was to a lady with this giant guard dog and I swear I wasn't doing anything wrong, but… agh!" He huffed and glared at Hana, who grinned cheekily at him.
"If it makes you feel better, three of my deliveries had dogs at home, too."
"It's different when you can understand dogs, Inuzuka! Help me out here, Itachi-san!" He turned to Itachi, who smiled weakly, scratching his head.
"Maybe we can eat somewhere less expensive?" he suggested with a small smile.
"Alright, let's go to Keyaki's then. Yakimono sounds great right now." The two walked down the street, Shin still grumbling, before Hana stopped and turned.
"You coming, Uchiha?" she asked, and he blinked, slightly startled, before nodding with a small smile.
"Mhm!"
oOo
"It's almost unbelievable, Ibiki," Itsuki glanced at his older brother with a small frown, his elbows on the table with his chin resting on his hands. "Barely two days in and you think they'd be complaining, right?"
Ibiki just watched him, waiting for him to finish.
"But no, instead the Uchiha got them practicing chakra control before training in order to apply it to the exercises. When we got put through those exercises as Genin we nearly quit as shinobi by day three, and we were twelve. Itachi's seven, so's Hana-chan, and Shin is just barely nine."
"You have to remember that these children were introduced to the shinobi system when the war began, Itsuki," Ibiki told him, sitting across from him at the table. "They were being prepared in case the war was long lasting."
"They're still ambitious as hell," Itsuki muttered. "And Itachi could lead armies if he could get past that shyness. Didn't think I'd meet a humble Uchiha in my lifetime, and yet here's one dropped into my lap. It's like he doesn't even know he's a genius."
"Or he doesn't like the fact and chooses not to acknowledge it," Ibiki countered. "How lonely it must be, to be a lone prodigy?"
"Ah, there you go with your philosophies again," Itsuki sighed. "That boy senses me, too. He warns his teammates when I'm close or just arriving. Kid's a natural sensor. Hana-chan would too, if I ever came with the wind, and Shin's chakra control is better than I've seen in a kid his age in years."
"A sensor, a tracker, and a medic in the making," Ibiki chuckled. "You've certainly got your hands full."
"Yeah," Itsuki agreed slowly. "But I'm glad. I look at some of the other Genin teams they've made this year and half of 'em still think they're playing ninja." He shook his head in exasperation. "Day one, my kids have just been shoved on the same team together and they're already carrying each other's weight. It's like they don't even pause to consider leaving a friend behind. These kids got some raw potential, it's just gotta be molded right."
"Well, if you have recognized it, then surely you are the one to do just that," Ibiki smirked slightly. "Don't let them surpass you too quickly."
"Oi, oi, you're talking to a legend in the field of Interrogation. One that'll replace you as head of the department some day." Itsuki looked mildly offended.
"Good luck, brother."
"Ah," Itsuki nodded and grinned. "You might consider taking a Genin team sometime. Might change your view of some things."
Ibiki snorted but didn't deign to reply, only standing and ruffling his younger brother's hair before leaving the room.
oOo
"Team Itsuki," Sarutobi Hiruzen stared down his pipe at the four people in his office. "You have successfully completed D-rank missions for three weeks now, at an average of two or three per day, with reports of only complete success. For that I commend you. Good work."
The three of them stood a little straighter at the praise, and Itsuki allowed a small smile to creep up his face. This didn't go unnoticed by the Hokage, whose eyes twinkled as he continued.
"In order to test your teamwork as a whole and to give you more experience in the field, I have decided to offer you a C-rank mission, should you choose to accept it."
His gaze moved to Itsuki, clarifying that it would ultimately be their sensei's decision as to whether or not they were ready. The man nodded a back, a quirky grin toying with his lips. Hana remained respectfully silent, but an anticipatory smile curled at her lips.
"This mission is to clean up the Namikaze Compound near the outskirts of Konoha. It was heavily damaged in the Kyūbi Incident and traces of poisonous chakra are lingering in the area. Your mission is to remove the toxic chakra from the area and demolish the Compound so that it can be rebuilt. Any questions so far?"
"Um…" Hana stepped forward tentatively, a bit hesitant in the presence of the Hokage. "Where is the Namikaze Clan staying?"
"They are taking temporary shelter in an evacuation center. Time is of the essence. Will you accept?" The old man leaned back, his hands folded in front of him.
Hana and Shin nodded at each other, and then both nodded at Itachi. He returned the gesture and faced the Hokage.
"We accept, Hokage-sama. It would be/ our honor."
The man nodded seriously, but his expression hinted at amusement.
"Good," he replied, setting a scroll on his desk. Itsuki stepped forward and picked it up, before tossing it to Itachi. The Uchiha caught it, surprised.
"Let's go," Itsuki barked, striding toward the door. Sarutobi nodded at the Genin's inquisitive glances.
"Yes, you are dismissed. I expect to receive your reports as soon as your mission is complete. Good luck."
oOo
"Horrible…" Hana whispered, a hand covering her mouth and nose.
Shin looked a little green himself, and Itachi glanced at their sensei, but Itsuki appeared stoic and calm as always, if a little stern.
Bodies littered the rubble around them, some trapped under wreckage and others mangled and torn around the trees. A sickly orange hue seemed to settle in some of the piles of rubble, nearly visible chakra hanging in the air from the Kyūbi Incident.
Itachi swallowed, trying to find his voice.
"What do we do with the… victims?" he managed to choke out, his eyes lingering on a young woman curled up beneath a fallen beam, her eyes wide and staring.
"As I guessed, you three haven't done any of the clean-up assignments assigned after the Kyūbi attack," Itsuki noted quietly. The very air seemed still there; heavy with death. "Take these."
He tossed each of them a handful of small scrolls.
"Storage seals?" Itachi questioned, when he recognized the pattern printed on the paper.
"Very good," Itsuki nodded his approval. "Store the bodies, and then mark it with the kanji for 'corpse' in black ink. I will take care of handing them in to the morgue when your mission is complete."
Itachi nodded mutely, and Hana turned away, her eyes watering. Whether from the stench or from the sight, he couldn't tell. Her senses were much sharper than theirs.
Itachi had run from Konoha when the Kyūbi had attacked. His own compound was nowhere near the attack and still he had run farther. Like a coward.
For Sasuke, he reminded himself firmly. It was one thing to hear about the devastation the attack had caused. It was quite another to see it with his own eyes. A fist seemed to tighten in his gut, and he found his jaw clenched so tight his teeth began to ache.
"Let's get to work," he spat through his teeth, and they moved robotically to complete their mission. The C rank mission suddenly didn't seem so exciting. There was a section of Konoha's surrounding wall that had crumbled, and Itsuki would be standing guard there and ensuring no unauthorized personnel entered the village while they completed their mission.
It was slow work without definitive jutsus to complete their task. Itachi's Great Fireball would only increase the danger and make a mess, not to mention the smell of burning corpses… he cut off that train of thought hastily. Hana had to tie her hitai-ite like a handkerchief around her mouth and nose to ward off the stench, and none of her tracking specialties would help here. Being able to walk on all flat surfaces helped in some occasions, such as accessing the difficult to reach beams and fallen wreckage, but the work was still hard and slow.
"What are you doing to our home?"
A small voice penetrated the silence and the three Genin's heads whipped around. A small boy with spiky blond hair swept to one side and bright blue eyes flinched as their attention immediately shifted to him. He stumbled back a step, and visibly swallowed.
"That's our Compound," he continued, his voice bordering on desperate. "That was Minato-sama's home, you can't just destroy it!"
Itachi exchanged a glance with his team before calmly walking down the beam he was perched on and approaching the boy. They wordlessly continued working.
"They're going to build you a new Compound," he told the boy seriously, trying to keep his voice gentle. "The bad fox broke your old one, right?"
"But you can't!" the boy protested. "Mama's sleeping there! Nanna said so! You can't take it away, it's our home! It's okay if it's broken," the boy's fingers curled into fists as fat tears welled up in his eyes and rolled down his cheeks. "We can fix it," he sobbed. "We can!"
"It's dangerous here right now," Itachi crouched down so that he was face to face with the boy. "We'll make sure not to hurt anyone who's sleeping, alright? You can come back as soon as it's safe."
The boy furiously scrubbed at his eyes and nodded, still sniffling.
"I guess," he whimpered, before peering around Itachi at the remains of his home.
"Go on," Itachi urged him sternly, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder. The boy nodded, lower lip still trembling, and ran away without another word.
The other two said nothing as Itachi returned, their expressions grim, and he was grateful, because he wasn't sure he could stomach friendly banter while purifying the air of toxic chakra and disposing of corpses that included a homeless little boy's mother.
Itachi went home to the Compound grimy and tired, his thoughts filtering themselves in order of priority. The fact that a shower was just below Sasuke and well above the atrocities of the day's mission said something about his state.
He was dismayed to see the Compound in a rapid flurry of activity when he arrived, with several people exiting the gates with bags and luggage in hand. He saw Shisui standing with his arms crossed to one side and caught the older boy's eye.
Shisui grimaced and walked over to him, leaning close to murmur toward him in a low voice.
"They're moving the Compound to the outskirts of the village," he muttered, his anger barely concealed. "It was the Council's decision. Apparently Sandaime-sama was against it, but he was outvoted." Shisui snorted in contempt.
"Why?" Itachi demanded, forcing himself to lower his voice. It was unacceptable for the clan head's eldest son to be seen losing his temper, but with the day's mission, his patience was running thin.
"You know why," Shisui answered shortly, his usually bright eyes hard and cold. White hot anger flashed across Itachi's gaze, sharp and fierce.
"They have no concrete evidence that we had anything to do with the Kyū—!"
"Shh!" Shisui glared hard at his best friend. "If we protest, we look guilty and suspicious of treason. You're the one who taught me that, Itachi."
Itachi closed his mouth, expression locked into a scowl of rare anger.
"I'm going to speak to the Hokage," he said shortly, his voice smoothing out evenly until it sounded polite as ever. Shisui was not fooled.
"Don't be stupid. Even if you go, you have to let your father know before you do. He'll be furious if you do anything uncalled for—"
"As the Clan Heir," Itachi interrupted stiffly, "And as a citizen of Konoha, I will approach the subject of our forced relocation as a representative of the Uchiha due to my father's absence. Do you see my father anywhere, Shisui?"
Shisui's eyes widened before narrowing.
"That's a dangerous game you're playing, Itachi. Fugaku-sama is inside with Mikoto-sa—"
"Do you see my father anywhere?" Itachi spat through his teeth. He had spent a day demolishing the home of a motherless little boy and he was not in the mood to see another home ripped away from their family. His own family.
Shisui stared at him a moment before letting out a low, impressed whistle.
"Hell, Itachi, seven years and you finally found your rebellious streak, eh?" His grin turned a little remorseful. "If only you'd woken up that side of you when I played pranks on Sensei in the Academy. I hope you know what you're getting us into. Fugaku-sama ain't gonna be happy."
Itachi blinked at the plural pronoun.
"Shisui, you don't have to—"
"Oi, oi," Shisui interrupted him, slinging a casual arm over his shoulder. "What are best friends for? If you're going to break the rules for once, I sure as hell want to be there to see it. The perfect prodigy Uchiha Itachi has a rebellious streak? I'd rather die than miss it." He winked at Itachi and his best friend smiled sheepishly, before pushing him off.
"Come on, then. We shouldn't keep the Hokage waiting."
oOo
"Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Shisui," the guard at the Tower stared down at them before jerking his head toward the door. "The Hokage has been expecting you."
Shisui and Itachi glanced at each other before entering the Tower wordlessly. Itachi wasn't sure whether the Chūnin was being honest, but he had more pressing concerns to worry about. He knocked on the door of the Hokage's office and waited. After a moment, a weary voice answered.
"Enter."
The man before Itachi seemed to have aged ten years in the few hours since he had seen him to accept his first C-rank mission. His shoulders seemed stooped, the lines of his face etched deeper into his skin. His pipe rested unlit on a small tray at the corner of his desk.
Itachi did not bat an eye. He knew looks could be deceiving, and just as the Sandaime had transformed into an unshakeable warrior during the Kyūbi Incident, so could he appear a weary old man to garner sympathy. Such harmless tricks were not uncommon in positions of political power.
"Ah, Uchiha Itachi," Sarutobi sighed, folding his hands across the top of his desk. "I have expected you." His gaze turned to Shisui and his eyes sharpened slightly. "I see you have not come alone. I assume this isn't to do with the report you handed in to me earlier today, which was extremely well written, I might add."
Itachi kept his expression blank, ignoring the praise as he had the countless others his superiors gave him.
"I would like to know the reason behind the relocation of the Uchiha Compound," he stated bluntly, and Shisui cast him a sideways glance at his forwardness.
"As would I," Sarutobi muttered somewhat bitterly before addressing Itachi. "If only a Hokage had the power everyone believes him to have. Do you know the way our government is organized, Itachi-san?" he asked calmly.
Itachi's eyes sharpened.
"It most closely resembles a parliamentary monarchy," Itachi stared the Hokage directly in the eye. "However, if this is a point to emphasize the fact that the Hokage does not have complete jurisdiction over the decisions of the Council, I suggest you do not waste your time educating me on petty politics." Shisui blinked, skillfully hiding his shock as he cast a sidelong glance at his best friend. Itachi was dancing a thin line.
"Oh?" Sarutobi raised an eyebrow.
Itachi took a deep breath before continuing. "We don't live under a dictatorship in which the Hokage can overrule a Council's decision, however, I wonder how much power this alleged Council should be allowed to possess if they can forcibly remove an entire clan to the outskirts of a village without the Hokage's consent. Hokage-sama, with no undue disrespect intended, I am not concerned with the division of power among you and your colleagues. My question is this, and only this; what is the reason we are being relocated? We have done nothing but protect the citizens of Konoha with our police force and several of our clan have perished to protect this village. Why must we move?"
Silence overtook the room. Both the Hokage and Shisui stared at Itachi, the latter open-mouthed and gaping. Sarutobi wasn't sure whether he was more appalled at the fact that his very own doubts had been voiced into the air or the fact that they had come from the mouth of a seven-year-old.
"Itachi!" Shisui rounded on his best friend, his eyes wide with… fear? Itachi knew exactly how close to treason his words had come and he also knew that from the mouth of an Uchiha, the Council could use his words as evidence to support what little they already had to further accuse his clan. His words were a statement of his trust that the Hokage was different, and that he would answer honestly without accusing him as his colleagues would in his stead. All three of them were aware of this, but Shisui didn't have the confidence in their Hokage that Itachi did. In his eyes, the risk was nowhere near that great. Not just to move locations.
Of course, Shisui hadn't sent a little boy running crying from his demolished home, away from the corpse of his dead mother. Itachi closed his eyes, trying to rid himself of the image.
Sarutobi found himself searching for another answer, his original words concerning his limited power already taken from his mouth and used against him by a seven-year-old. These child prodigies grew ever more concerning year to year. He would have to carefully balance clan relations and the proper educating of these two to ensure they remained loyal to Konoha. Kami help him if children this smart grew up to be missing nin.
But he was getting ahead of himself. He cleared his throat.
"Before I answer your question, Itachi-san, and answer it I will, I assure you, may I ask on whose authority you are here?"
Both Itachi and Shisui stiffened, confirming his speculations.
"I'm here as a citizen of Konoha and a representative of my clan on my father's behalf," Itachi answered carefully, his expression innocently blank. Shisui mirrored him to the best of his ability.
"Because your father is… incapacitated? Or simply out of your line of sight?" A small, humorless smile touched Sarutobi's lips before he continued when neither answered.
"I admire your tenacity and loyalty to your clan but understand that such actions will not be taken so lightly in the future. You are a prime role model to your people, Itachi-san. It would not do well for your little cousins and sibling to emulate your actions. Proper procedure keeps order and maintains balance. I know you understand that."
Itachi nodded, and Shisui looked slightly ashamed, but didn't lower his head.
(Years later, when a certain orange clad Genin often burst through his window at any given moment, Sarutobi would often look back on this time and wonder when such order ceased to exist.)
"That aside, you make a valid point, and it has earned my honesty. I will speak to Fugaku-san and reassure him that there were no… misunderstandings… regarding your behavior that he should concern himself with."
Itachi's expression didn't change, but a tiny amount of tension bled from his posture in relief. Upholding a clan's honor while withholding one's own morals could not be easy, Sarutobi mused, feeling a twinge of sympathy for the young boy.
"Your answer about our government was textbook perfect, but you should understand that the citizens of Konoha have a large say as well. A King whose people refuse to follow him is no King at all," he began with a quiet sigh. "The rumors of how the Kyūbi could have been controlled run rampant through Konoha. The only conceivable answer at this point is that it was through the Sharingan, the very same ocular ability that only your clan and Hatake Kakashi possess."
Itachi did not interrupt, waiting for him to finish.
"When a government gives power to the people, it also gives them power to make idiotic choices. Families who experienced the terror of the attack want to feel safe in their homes. They hide their children and raise them to protect themselves, fearful of letting them play on the streets because they aren't sure which people they can trust. Anyone and their uncle's cousin could be responsible for the attack. All that fear requires an outlet, and the first outlet, though I doubt it will be the last, is one of the most powerful clans, strong enough to protect Konoha since its founding, yes, but also strong enough to do unspeakable evils. It is no longer a matter of if the Uchiha had anything to do with the Kyūbi incident. It has now become the fact that the Uchiha can."
Itachi's eyes widened as he began to realize what the Hokage was getting at.
"In their hearts, I'm sure the people love the police force and everything they have done to keep their homes safe for all these years, but they are blinded by fear. Though they know they should not blame their neighbors, all they can see are a clan with ocular abilities so powerful they are capable of devastating destruction. Rather than see that as a source of pride and strength that can be used against our enemies, they see it as a threat to their children. Your clan of course suffered heavy losses as well, but as a whole, Konoha lost more than just their sense of safety. Namikaze Minato was a light that shone in the dark, and the loss of such a leader casts a very long shadow."
Itachi nodded slowly, his expression now thoughtful, and Sarutobi tried not to be too impressed with the boy's scope of understanding. If only the Council could take opposing arguments into consideration as this boy did, perhaps they would agree to his suggestion of integrating the Uchiha into the areas directly around the Tower so that the people would see their shinobi working closely with the Uchiha and improve relations… but alas, it wasn't to be. Those old bats were getting too used to having things their way.
Sarutobi sighed. He missed the days when he had laughed at Minato for having to deal with them.
"I knew there was a reason you gave me this job so easily, Sandaime-sama, there had to be a catch."
"Ah, Minato, they aren't so bad. On the weekends they'll only try to pass policies behind your back if the Bingo centers are closed."
"And the paperwork! Piles and piles of—Bingo centers? Are you serious?"
Sarutobi chuckled.
"I'm off to enjoy my retirement! See you at the onsen… eh, maybe when all your work is done?"
"Oi, oi, Sandaime-sama, you can't just leave me here, Kushina said I had to be home by nine tonight!"
"Then you'd better work quickly, Minato-kun~!"
He left the Fourth Hokage sweating bullets at the thought of missing his wife's curfew with a bounce in his step.
"So the relocation is to appease the citizens, who truly hold the power of the village," Shisui summed up quietly, and Itachi frowned.
"So there is no king," he interjected, staring at Sarutobi. "Or rather, the people are the king."
"Ah, that's where you're mistaken, Itachi-san," Sarutobi leaned forward, and this time Itachi did not doubt the weariness in the man's eyes. "You are the king. The children who will fill our places and lead the village to the best of your ability."
Itachi stared at him.
"But until the children replace their predecessors, they can do nothing but follow orders, whether sent to the front lines, holding the border, or demolishing homes and disposing of corpses so that the village can be rebuilt." The last few words he uttered softly, and Sarutobi heard the pain behind them. It caused a deep ache in his chest. "The children are dogs to their masters, and are only the king in the sense that adults protect them to grow as such."
"Not here, Itachi-san," Sarutobi's voice was sharp and reprimanding. "If that were true, you would be cut down where you stand for questioning my authority and blatantly disregarding our policies. In Bloody Mist or Grass, perhaps, the children are dogs, but here, no. The founders of this village worked very hard to ensure that our children would be protected and raised to think for themselves. That is why you are here, and why you are given a choice. Is that clear?"
There was a note of finality and authority in the Third's voice.
"Yes, Sir," Itachi retreated quickly, aware that he had crossed a line.
"I hope you have received the answers you came for," the dismissal was clear in the old man's voice, ringing nearly as prominent as the exhaustion.
"Yes, Sandaime-sama," Shisui replied this time, slightly quickly, as if afraid Itachi would object. "Thank you for your time." He bowed, and Itachi slowly mirrored him, before they excused themselves and walked back to the Compound to gather their belongings and move to the outskirts of the village.
"Holy hell, Itachi!" Shisui exploded once they were alone in his room. "You sure know how to push the line! Sandaime-sama was right, in Mist they'd cut you down after you went all 'do not educate me in petty politics' on him!"
"What should I have done?" the boy asked in return. "We went there to get answers, and you know full well he would have only told us it wasn't his choice if I didn't clarify."
Shisui's expression was one of grudging respect as he pulled his pack onto his back.
"Yeah, I get it, but damn, only you could pull off that kind of traitor talk and sound completely polite and rational about it."
"It wasn't 'traitor talk'," Itachi answered, mildly offended. "My mission today was to demolish the Namikaze Compound after it was destroyed in the Kyūbi attack. Maybe I simply didn't want to see another Clan's home torn away from them."
Shisui went quiet.
"That's why, then?" he asked softly. Itachi didn't answer, only turning to leave. Shisui frowned at his back but followed him out the door to the main house so that Itachi could gather his own belongings. "You care too much for your own good, Itachi. Prodigy of shinobi arts or not, sometimes I wonder if being a ninja is really best for you."
Itachi already knew it wasn't, and that caring too much would likely be his downfall, so he gathered his things in silence and chose not to reply.
oOo
A/N: Well. This is going to be fun. Here we see wimpy little Itachi before he becomes his badass self, and a little background. No huge surprises, mostly just skimming over canon history before I blow it up.
Still no beta, so all mistakes are on me. Feel free to offer comments, likes & dislikes, and I'd like to shower anyone who offers constructive criticism with hugs and nice things because I eat that stuff up.
Happy Reading!