Oi! KisaIta in this chapter! I was asked a very valid question. is Pervy Sage alive? So I will leave it to you crazy kids. Should he be alive in this story?
Kisame and Itachi stared at each other in silence. Around them all battle halted. Eyes were now focused on the former team. Sasuke began to approach quickly, eyes on Itachi. The boy was staring at Kisame in quiet contemplation. The pair were standing far too close. He needed to get Itachi away from him...Zetsu suddenly sprouted up in his path, expression neutral.
"Itachi-san." Kisame managed softly. The boy's brows furrowed as he regarded the Kiri nin. This man... he knew this man... Kisame reached forward to the boy, lightly touching the side of his face. He knew this face. This baby faced, frail Uchiha who had looked at him so coldly upon meeting him. His body had been rigid as it was now. Kisame's eyes drank in Itachi, practically oozing adoration. He stared at that face. Itachi's healthy face. Before it was plagued by illness...Itachi did not even flinch. Eyes fixed on the man. Kisame turned narrowed eyes to Zetsu.
"You knew..." He muttered.
"Does it matter?" Zetsu questioned and Kisame turned to face Itachi again. The boy's head was tilted as he studied the nin. A habit he had always had when confused. His expression was calm but questioning.
"You don't know who I am, do you?" Kisame asked softly and Itachi lifted his chin.
"No." Itachi responded and Kisame's eyes dimmed. Itachi however continued to study the large man, his head tipped back to fully see the man. "But you must be my former partner." Itachi stated neutrally. Sasuke blinked and stared at Itachi. Kisame doing the same.
"You know who I am." He noted, not overly surprised. Itachi considered telling him of his dreams but with the present company, found it unwise.
"Suigetsu mentioned an over protective shark partner. I can only assume he meant you." Replied the Uchiha. Kisame's lips twitched.
"De-aging hasn't altered your sass I see." He said warmly.
"I have sass?" Itachi asked, brows raised in amusement. Kakashi and Genma shared quick dubious looks. Zetsu and Hidan actually laughed.
Did Itachi have sass? Ha!
Kisame laughed, his eyes still warm.
"You once told Hidan you wouldn't sleep with him because of his lackluster dick. I think you've got a bit of sass." Kisame replied with a shrug. Kakashi and Naruto snorted at this while Sasuke stared at Itachi blankly. Hidan scowled.
"Oi! It's not my fault princess here has such obnoxiously high standards!" He shouted.
Kisame seemed unconcerned with what he just said and continued to study the Uchiha. So this was the big secret Obito and Madara had kept from him. He supposed her understood now. He glanced towards Sasuke who was positively snarling at him. He offered the teen a grin before it slipped away as he looked at Itachi.
"Has he hurt you?" He asked the boy nodding in Sasuke's direction. Itachi looked to his brother and shook his head without hesitation. "Are you...happy here? Are you safe?" Kisame's voice was urgent. All this frilly feel crap. It was unlike Kisame but he persisted. Itachi regarded Kisame with fascination.
"I am, thank you." He replied, offering the Kiri nin a hesitant smile. "We got along well as a team?" He asked. Sasuke made to move towards Itachi but Zetsu once again stopped him. Everyone else stood tense, unsure on how to proceed. Kakashi watched on apprehensively afraid that any movement he made might end up with Itachi being hurt. He looked over to the Kiri nin, eyes narrowed. What was this man in relation to Itachi? What had he learned of the Uchiha that Kakashi never would. Kisame nodded.
"Oh, we got along great." The large nin replied, eyes dancing. He heard a loud scoff behind him.
"He means you used to fuck each other!" Hidan shouted. Itachi blinked and the Kiri nin shot a glare at Hidan.
"Thanks asshole. That's exactly what he needs to know right now."
"Figured he'd like to know he has a thing for older men." Hidan shrugged. Itachi was horrified when he felt his face heat up. Kakashi glowered at the Kiri nin while Sasuke silently lamented hearing another of his brother's sexual escapades. Kisame seemed lost in thought as he observed his now child partner. He could do nothing for the boy in the past. He knew all his secrets but was powerless to help him. He could fix that right now. Madara and Obito be damned. Kisame sighed and clenched his eyes shut for a long moment. He reopened his eyes and stared at Sasuke long and hard before he seemed to come to a decision. He reached into the pocket of his robes and then his hand moved for Itachi, pulling him close. Sasuke shoved past Zetsu eyes zeroed in on Kisame.
"Get away from him!" He snarled, flinching back as Zetsu swung at him. Itachi stared at Kisame as the nin's lips came to the boy's ear, slipping something into his hand.
"I need you to be safe, Itachi-san. I couldn't protect you before but I can now. If you say you're safe here I will leave you. These are yours. Keep them safe." His voice was rushed but gentle which was not expected for a man his size. Itachi nodded quickly.
"I will thank you." He replied reassuringly and Kisame smiled warmly at him cupping his cheek. He studied the young teenager. He considered kissing him goodbye but thought better of it. This was not his Itachi. Not yet. He slowly pulled away from the teenager and stood straight backed.
"Hidan, Zetsu." He called out. "We're leaving." Both men stared.
"Is Itachi-"
"He's staying here." Kisame stated. Before either could argue he shot a quick glare at them. Sasuke slipped passed Zetsu and booked it for Itachi, grabbing his arm and placing himself in front of the Uchiha. Kisame turned back and peered at the boy over Sasuke's shoulder.
"Stay safe, Itachi-san." He grinned toothily. Itachi noded back, face slipping into an emotionless mask. Kisame winked at Sasuke who glared back. The Kiri nin slowly turned towards the two Akatsuki members.
"Wait!" Itachi called, dodging under Sasuke's arm as the teenager made to grab him. "What is your name?" He questioned. Kisame smiled at the kid. It was at the tip of his tongue but something held him back. Something told him to not say it.
"It's not important kid." He muttered instead. Zetsu sighed but grabbed Hidan by the arm and sank into the earth, Shikamaru glaring after the pair, eyes bitter. Kisame shot the shinobi a leering grin.
"We're always watching." He warned, picking up Samehada.. "I would watch my back closely if I were you." He winked at Naruto who glared at him. He turned to Itachi once more.
"See you, kid." He bid Itachi farewell and before any of the surrounding shinobi could reach him, he was gone. Sasuke turned to Itachi who stared at the spot Kisame had stood in quiet contemplation. He tore his eyes from the spot and looked at his hand. In it, he held a single ring and a necklace with three hoops. He did not look up as Sasuke approached, the ring quickly going into his pocket before anyone noticed. Something told him to hide that. The necklace, he kept out. Sasuke was at his side in an instant, face neutral but eyes betraying his concern. He had heard everything spoken between the pair and was now at a loss. Kisame had willingly left his partner and apparent lover behind? Itachi continued to look at the necklace in his hand, this delicate piece of jewelry the only object he had from a life he could not remember.
The next evening, Kisame and the others returned to the hideout. Konan's hopeful expression dimmed upon realization that Itachi was not with them. They reported first to Pein who asked if Itachi was safe.
"He is."
"I don't understand why you have done this...but I will allow Madara to judge you on it." Pein waved a hand flippantly, looking to Konan who nodded jerkily.
"He's waiting." She muttered, eyes downcast.
Madara's rage at Kisame's failed mission could only be compared to Obito's amusement. Both men listened to Kisame's report with blank faces. Kisame spoke in a clipped tone, the usual edge of mockery absent with his report.
"It is not often where you deliberately fail a mission." Madara spit out.
"I suppose life is full of surprises then." Kisame replied back just as acidly. Madara quickly dismissed him before rounding on Obito.
"You knew Kisame would not bring him back." He stated coldly. Obito shrugged, removing his mask and grinning.
"It's not like he's in danger there." He replied. Madara began to pace the office.
"That's not the point, fool. Itachi's memories are slowly returning to him. One day soon he will remember the massacre and his brother will retaliate. Kisame might think himself noble for leaving Itachi but he has only endangered him more. I thought Kiri nin knew the meaning of sacrifice mission successful."
"The last time Hoshigaki placed a mission over his lover, Itachi was captured and tortured. I hardly think Kisame cares about anything above him." Obito responded, recalling Kisame carrying his partner's limp body to the hideout, looking as if his world had ended. Madara glowered. Obito was behaving so blase about it now, but Madara understood Sasuke. Both shared the same boiling rage. Itachi was soft. Too soft. As a child or an adult. Once he had all his memories, the novelty he presented to Sasuke would wear off. He was not about to let his prodigy be left in that boy's hands.
"You will continue to observe the situation," Madara informed Obito as he retook his seat at the desk, leaning heavily against the worn fabric. "Once Itachi gathers all his memories I do not doubt he will seek us out. He understands what will need to be done. I need you there to ensure his safety."
"Way ahead of you Maddy." Obito teased, plopping down on the desk despite Madara's disapproving scowl. "I told the kid that the ring would be used to communicate. He's obviously gaining some memory. Once the final piece of the puzzle is in place, I will be there."
Itachi hid the ring that night. Placing in in a loose slat board under his bed. The necklace he kept close at hand, despite Sasuke's obvious reservations. It was a nice necklace. When Sasuke approached him about Kisame it was obvious the older teen was upset with him.
"I don't remember him at all." Itachi argued as Sasuke muttered about how close the two had stood to each other. "He said we got along so of course he would worry."
"That's not the point!" Sasuke snarled, slamming his fist on the table while Itachi looked on unimpressed. "The point is you let a missing-nin, an enemy touch you. You did not even fight them!"
"Should I have killed him while he would not have fought back? Is that your way of doing things?"
"Don't mock me about this." Sasuke coldly shot back. Itachi sat calmly at the table, hands folded in front of him. Naruto and Kakashi sat nearby. Naruto chewing his bottom lip nervously and Kakashi carefully watching Sasuke. "You acted as if you knew him."
"I do not know him. Not yet. Either way he did not pose a threat to me." Itachi shrugged.
"He was there to capture you!" Sasuke stated, almost desperately but Itachi seemed un bothered by the whole ordeal.
"Yet he released me after I assured him I was safe with you. You act as if I have done something to offend you!" The smaller Uchiha argued back.
"Besides you spreading your legs for yet another man." Sasuke spat, watching Itachi's eyes widen.
"Sasuke!" Naruto cried out in horror while Kakashi narrowed his eyes in obvious distaste.
The backhand that followed was unexpected as was Itachi's cold collected response.
"You act as if I should be ashamed of my sexuality-" Itachi snarled while Sasuke stared at him, cheek red from Itachi's hit.
"Don't say-" Sasuke started only for the other to cut him off.
"Don't you interrupt me Sasuke. I am talking now. You will listen. I am a shinobi in case you have forgotten. I have been sent on mission which requires me to seduce a target. I have been bred to fight and I have no doubt in the future to fuck. The truth of the matter is that I am no virgin. Don't look at Kakashi. It was not him. I never slept with him." Itachi snapped as Sasuke rounded on a pasty skinned Kakashi who was staring at Itachi with part admiration and part horror.
"Then who-" Sasuke began only for itachi to quickly wave him off, looking annoyed.
"Unimportant. Regardless, if I have to lay with twenty men to get a job done I will. Because I understand my role. Shinobi cannot afford reservations about such things. You may insult me on many things but I will be damned if you throw what I have had to sacrifice for a mission back in my face while you can still flounce around, content that you were never put into such a situation. I did what I had to do, and it seems in the future I managed to find a sliver of pleasure in it. In the future I was able to make something positive of my abilities."
"I didn't think you capable." Sasuke sneered, that old coldness returning to persona.
"Sasuke-" Kakashi began but Itachi let out a bitter laugh. He stared at his brother with a cold expression.
"So that's it then? We're coming full circle? I'm once again your enemy?" He stood from the table, arms crossed defensively.
"I haven't forgotten what you've done!" Sasuke snapped, feeling bitterly guilty but brushing it aside. "You were always the favorite. You were father's star and you spit on it! Then boom! You ruin everything! And for what? Some special eyes!?" Naruto flinched at this while Kakashi looked towards Itachi.
"You have no idea what I've had to do!" Itachi suddenly shrieked, eyes glistening. Naruto stared at Itachi opened mouthed while Sasuke blinked in shock. You stand on that damned pedestal and act as you alone have suffered! You do not know what our family was capable of! You are ignorant of the system! You have been coddled and shielded and so ignorant of the dark underbelly of it all!" He glared bitterly at his sibling before shaking his head.
"For all your talk Sasuke; you're such a child." He turned on his heel, brushing past Kakashi and ignoring Sasuke's attempts to call him back. Naruto turned to Sasuke who sighed and slumped in his chair, looking miserable. Naruto's harsh expression melted at Sasuke's face.
"You okay?"
"I'm an idiot..."
"Well duh Teme."
"It's just...Kisame...for all we know he could have been sent to kill Itachi. But Itachi's so...calm about it. He didn't even fight! What if Kisame managed to get him? I was too far to do anything!...and how could he be having sex at that age!?" Sasuke coraked, looking mortified. He pictured his brother, small and thin in the arms of a full grown adult. "He was allowed to go on these missions and sleep with adults? Did mom and dad even care? Have they sent any of our group out like that or have things changed in the last few years?" He looked to Kakashi who shook his head.
"I'm not sure... it is a very rare few missions where we need seduction..." He muttered dully. Sasuke pinched the bridge of his nose.
"I'm going to sleep. I'll talk to Itachi in the morning. Naruto, stay tonight would you? I don't want you alone while the Akatsuki are active." Naruto smiled at Sasuke's worry and nodded.
"Okay, Sasuke." Kakashi stood, glancing down the hall and waved at the boys.
"I'll see you two later. Sasuke apologize to your brother and get him dango." Sasuke's lips twitched at this.
"That's your official advice?"
"Works every time." The copy nin replied lazily before walking from the room and out the front door.
Itachi had surprised him tonight. In a good way. The boy was finally defending himself. He was a true shinobi. But that still had Kakashi thinking. Yes there had been mission where Itachi was sent to seduce a target. But Kakashi, Genma and Guy were part of his squad. They had always made it in time before Itachi was forced to sleep with the target. It was the one part of the mission Kakashi was so focused on. Not forcing Itachi to lose the last shred of innocence he held as a child. Kakashi had been so adamant that Itachi be safe during these missions! Even when they were together, Kakashi had never pushed Itachi. The furthest they had gotten was some heavy petting at Kakashi's apartment. But they had both been clothed. Itachi had been a virgin. He had told Kakashi that when the man had curiously questioned him one evening, and Kakashi had never taken it. Nor had any targets during missions.
So who had? Who had Itachi slept with at thirteen? Had he even been willing? There was no way that the shy Uchiha who blushed furiously whenever Kakashi had simply kissed him would sleep with just anyone. He would not lie to Sasuke about it. Someone had lain with the boy. But Kakashi was certain Itachi had not consented. Someone had forced themselves upon Itachi. And Kakashi would find out who.