"Are you alright?"
The words came as he expected. Itachi and Shisui had come out to the forest to train, occupying themselves for a few hours by rehearsing their tandem moves before the sun could rise to lessen the chill in the air. They'd only been sparring now for a few minutes before a sharp pain in Itachi's chest caused him to drop to one knee and wince. Shisui was at his side, the Sharingan fading from his eyes. When he reached out his hand to touch him, the younger Uchiha nearly passed through his touch and flickered behind his friend. He held a kunai to his throat.
"Don't be too compassionate," Itachi said, a light air in his voice. Shisui sighed and shook his head, despite the knife at his neck.
"Playing with my sympathies even in a sparring match? That's a new low." Itachi lowered his hand and the two made the seal of reconciliation.
"I'm sorry," Itachi replied.
Shisui shrugged and smirked. "Don't be. It's a pretty good feint. Keep that ingenuity up and you might just make it as a shinobi."
Itachi resisted the urge to roll his eyes and instead chuckled softly.
"I told Sasuke," he said when they'd sat down to eat a small snack together. Shisui gulped down his onigiri and continued to a piece of grilled fish.
"Told him what?"
"How my father became the Hokage," Itachi said.
Shisui stopped eating. "Oh." After a brief pause, he said, "How did he take it?"
"Well." In truth, Itachi wasn't sure what Sasuke had been feeling. He hadn't been able to have a private conversation with his little brother for the last two days. Between the pains in his body leaving him mostly bedridden and Sasuke training more intensely before and after school, there was very little time to talk to him. Itachi just hoped that his brother didn't think that he was purposefully ignoring him.
"That's good, I suppose," Shisui said. "Is there anyone that you think he'll tell?"
"Only his betrothed. Though, I suspect that she may already know what the agreement is."
Shisui raised an eyebrow. "Why is that?"
"Just a hunch," Itachi said.
"It's never 'just a hunch' with you. You know for a certainty, don't you."
"I don't. I do know that the Hyūga clan is very traditional with a preference for males in their line of succession. So to have none that are viable, Lord Hiashi would have to accelerate the maturation of his daughters and make sure that they're comfortable dealing with both the diplomatic and martial aspects of leading a clan."
Shisui closed his box and put it to the side. "So, what do you think of his bride-to-be?"
Itachi blinked. "You've interacted with her as much as I have. What did you think back then?"
"She was only a toddler and we didn't really need to speak to her. I just put her back to sleep with the Sharingan so that we could move silently back to the compound."
"Fine. I think that she's a very gentle and timid girl. Those aren't inherently bad qualities, though," Itachi said. It may have been a bad match if she was more authoritative given Sasuke's personality. But from what Itachi had seen from Lady Hinata, he was unsure of how successful Lord Hiashi's training methods were. When he and her bodyguard Kō had arrived on the scene in the forest, the girl had been facing a tree, hiding behind Sasuke while the young boy was a hair's breadth away from permanently injuring two of his classmates. As a member of the Hyūga clan with access to their Hiden techniques, she should've had no issue defending herself yet she chose to defer to Sasuke.
Forced into the role of protector, Sasuke had done well. Part of him had been impressed, Itachi was sad to admit. His little brother was very perceptive. The three moves he'd used to take them down had been a combination of both Itachi and Shisui's opening taijutsu pattern when they sparred. With eyes like that...
Sasuke didn't have the Sharingan. His brother's chakra was still soft and gentle. It had begun to grow a bit restless, but that was normal. He was by nature a temperamental child. So if not those eyes, then...
"Seems like a good match for the kid if that's the case. So long as he doesn't overcompensate for her passiveness," Shisui said, yawning. "That's not like him at all, right?"
Itachi chuckled but didn't answer.
"How's Izumi?" Shisui asked after a few moments of silence had passed.
"Why don't you ever talk about your own romantic life?" Itachi replied.
His friend's mouth gaped in shock and he blushed. "Wha–I..." He turned away and laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his head. "Because there's nothing really to talk about. We've both been ANBU since we were children but I didn't meet anyone like Izumi when I was your age. We were at war and the only thing that mattered was putting feet on the ground in place of the bodies that had already fallen." There was a sad look in Shisui's eyes that lingered for a moment then floated away.
Itachi had forgotten that his friend had been sent in during the tale end of the Third Shinobi World War and seen the horrors of it just as Itachi had. "Oh."
"Don't worry. Maybe when all of these war games are over, I can trade the fields of blood for a glass of sweetened milk."
The cool breeze that followed carried a hawk with it. The bird's wings fanned out as it came down, avoiding Itachi and landing on Shisui's arm. Its fierce eyes seemed to glare at him as it cawed.
There aren't even any crows around, Itachi thought with faint irritation. Shisui removed the scroll from the bird's ankle and then raised his forearm, sending it flapping and chittering as it lifted above the branches. From the look on his friend's face, Itachi could tell that the news wasn't something that he wanted to hear.
"Lord Hokage is summoning us."
Another mission, Itachi thought. He could feel a weight attach itself to his chest, pulling his heart into the depths of his gut. Was this dread?
Or fear.
Itachi hid all emotion in the presence of his father. Instead, he wore the mask of a shinobi, a tool to be used at the discretion of his village. He and Shisui knelt in front of the Hokage's desk. Absent from the meeting was his advisor. Uchiha business, then?
"The daimyō intends to come into the village for the festival," his father said without preamble.
Oh? "So you want us to lead his security detail while he's here?" Itachi asked.
"You'll be escorting he and his family from his castle here then proceeding with his protection until he is safe behind his fortress walls again," his father replied, letting out the slightest exhalation. "Given the...tensions between Konoha and Kumo, the daimyō fears for his family's safety."
"Forgive me, my lord, but why doesn't he simply stay where he feels safest rather than venture out?" Shisui asked.
"To feign ignorance, show strength in the face of adversity and political tumult, or because he's trusting enough that he believes that no one will attack him if he has two Uchiha as his personal guard. Pick whichever reason, your mission remains the same," Lord Fugaku replied. It wasn't a rebuke, Itachi knew. His father seemed more annoyed at the daimyō's request than anything. With so many other things going on, both inside Konoha and outside, the last thing anyone needed was to bring a major political target within the village.
Kumo wouldn't be so bold as to attack Konoha in the middle of a festival. That would be brazen, even for someone as reportedly hotheaded as the Raikage.
"Are we to leave immediately?" Itachi asked.
"Yes." His father pushed himself away from his desk and stood. Itachi blinked at the slight bags beneath his father's eyes and the deep harshness of the tear troughs they both shared. Wicked Eyes Fugaku looked as if he hadn't been able to find any peace in sleep. He had been absent from their family dinners as of late, arriving in the darkness of the owl's hour when everyone aside from Itachi was asleep if he came home at all.
Maybe there's trouble gathering any support from the other villages, Itachi thought, remembering the scrolls he'd spied on his father's desk. But, what proposal had he presented...
He and Shisui left the Hokage's office, leaving for their separate homes to prepare for the mission ahead of them. The house was clear when Itachi arrived. It still smelled of the salmon and soup his mother must have made before she left. However, when Itachi entered the kitchen, he only saw a small bowl in the sink and a short stepladder in front of the stove. The Uchiha boy blinked. Sasuke? Aside from the ladder, there were no other indications that his little brother had been in the kitchen, let alone cooked breakfast for himself. He's grown more independent, Itachi thought with a smile that mixed sadness and pride.
If he continued down the path he'd chosen, he would never see his brother grow up. Sasuke would never sneak into his room to whisper about his first kiss or to ask that he teach him a jutsu. He wouldn't be able to support him with the heavy burden of uniting two powerful clans and the inevitable political upheaval it would cause. But, if he decided to seek treatment, to extend his life, there was a great chance that it could very well be for nothing anyway.
At least that's what he told himself to ward off his doubts.
Itachi cleaned Sasuke's bowl and cleared the stove before moving the plates and the stepladder to their proper places. He headed back to his room, passing the Uchiha clan tapestry that hung on the wall. The assembly of the tools, equipment, and resources he'd need for the mission was easy. His food pills were already carefully arranged and organized in small plastic capsules that he could store on his person. His kunai pouches were fully stocked, and he wrapped a seal around his wrist that could summon more if need be. He strapped on his flak jacket, tied his headband, and drew his white captain's cloak closed before reaching for his mask. Itachi took up his sword and saya, departing from his room after a quick check to make sure he hadn't forgotten anything.
But, before he could leave the house, he felt his feet lead him to Sasuke's room. Everything was neatly put together and clean, something that was normal considering his parents' stance on etiquette and organization. The only thing that remained out was an open notebook with a blank page and a pencil on his desk.
Itachi walked over and began to write in the notebook, penning a letter to his little brother. He proofread it when he was finished, smiling as he added a final note before putting the pencil down. He hoped that Sasuke would be able to read it when he got home from school. He turned the page and began to pen another letter, tearing it from the notebook when he was done.
He had one more stop.
Izumi's home was near the edge of the Uchiha clan's district, closer to the gate that led out to the center of the village. Her father was not a member of their bloodline or even a shinobi, and it had taken significant pleading for Lord Fugaku to accept him as an outsider and civilian among them. He was an amiable man, though, and Itachi had met him multiple times.
Mr. Sakichi was sitting cross-legged outside, the cool winds ripping around him yet not deterring him from his meditation. The Uchiha boy watched him silently from the rooftop before he slipped into their home.
He'd only seen Izumi's room once before when she invited him in to give him a gift for his promotion to ANBU. Not much had changed inside for the most part, aside from a picture pinned on the wall. It was from her last birthday, featuring Itachi and Izumi in front of a campfire. It had been the first time that Itachi had truly acknowledged her as his girlfriend. The sight of it made him smile, and he decided to pin the letter that he wrote her next to the picture.
When Itachi finally arrived at his and Shisui's usual rendezvous point, the elder Uchiha was already there, sharpening his tanto with a stone. "I'm surprised I beat you here," he said as he sheathed his blade and bounded forward.
"I had a few things to do at home," Itachi said. He followed closely behind Shisui as they darted through the trees.
"Like?"
"I left Sasuke a letter."
"Oh?" Shisui said, his expression softening. "About your illness?"
"No. I want to tell him when we get back home." Sasuke would never forgive him if he found out in a letter. "Have you met the daimyō before?"
Shisui chuckled. "Only the Hokage gets that privilege most of the time. He showed up to my match during my run through the Chunin Exams so I at least know what he looks like. No grasp on his personality though."
"He's at the very least stubborn," Itachi murmured.
"Those that are born believing the world is meant to bend to their whims often are."
They dropped into silence as they lifted into the tree canopy. Itachi summoned a few crows that ascended to the clouds. He'd recall them in a few minutes after they'd scouted ahead. Itachi noticed that Shisui wasn't moving as quickly as he normally did, delaying some of his jumps to stay in stride with him.
Have I gotten that slow? Though they had never been equals in speed, Itachi had always been able to keep up with his friend's traveling speed before. Now, with his body focusing his chakra on combatting his illness, he'd lost a step if not multiple. He would have to push himself if they intended to arrive within the day.
"Can we go faster?" Itachi asked.
"Are you sure you can?" Shisui's face was a mask of concern. "I don't want to push you too hard. We'll need to reserve energy just in case there's trouble during the escort back."
"I know," Itachi replied. "But, if we go at this pace, we risk arriving after sunset and that wouldn't be helpful either." Finally, he tried to give Shisui a reassuring smile. "I'll be fine."
He wasn't.
Shisui obliged him and picked the pace. Itachi was gasping and wheezing as he tried to keep up and maintain the speed, the only thing hiding the sounds of his ragged breaths being the wind whistling in his ears. When they reached the edge of the clearing, Itachi wiped his mouth clean of blood as he looked ahead.
The Fire Daimyō's castle loomed large above them, a white and red fortress set upon a massive sheer cliff face. Red banners with the kanji for "fire" blew in the breeze and from what Itachi could tell, each level was manned by faceless pikemen. It was fairly disappointing.
In the past, the leader of Hi no Kuni's government had been protected by elite shinobi from Konoha, the Twelve Guardians. Their sole purpose had been to serve the daimyō and his family's interests, protecting them at the cost of their lives. The political unrest during Lord Third's reign had ended with the group being disbanded as the Guardians had been split between radicals who sought to consolidate the nation under the daimyō and those who meant to maintain the status quo. A battle between the two factions ended with two survivors from the opposing sides that called for a truce and the Guardians had been disbanded. Now, all that guarded the daimyō were nervous men who gulped and gawked at the presence of a boy in a porcelain ANBU mask.
At the main entrance, two of the guards slammed the butts of their pikes into the ground and crossed them to keep Itachi and Shisui from approaching. "Halt, who goes there?" one man said. He wore a sash on his waist, a copy of the banner that flew on the castle.
"We're envoys from Konoha. Lord Fourth sent us to honor the request made by the daimyō to escort him and his family to our village for the Tsurara Snow Festival," Shisui said amiably. Itachi watched the guards exchange a glance.
"How do we know you're telling the truth?" There was a brief pause and Itachi felt the shift in his friend's chakra. Showing them what actually happened with his Sharingan. After a few moments, the guard dipped his head. "Let them pass."
The man's subordinates did as they were bid. Itachi and Shisui walked past them through the gate before the younger Uchiha turned. "Where is the daimyō?"
"He should be in his study on the top level." The captain of the guard then whispered. "He...frequents it during the day when his wife and son are home."
Itachi nodded and followed Shisui up the side of the castle. He heard the gasps of the guards as they ascended, appearing as blurs to their untrained eyes. True to the captain's word, they found the Fire Daimyō in his study. He was a peculiar-looking man with long hair, lazy eyes, and a mouth that was taut yet moist with saliva. His startled gaze when Itachi and Shisui entered his room was followed by him knocking over his inkwell. He cursed under his breath and then looked up at them, furrowing his brow.
"How did you get in here?" he demanded.
"We were allowed in, my lord," Shisui said smoothly. "We apologize for frightening you."
"I am not frightened," the daimyō said with a snort. "I just did not expect you to intrude in my space."
"Again, we apologize, my lord." Shisu's vocal tone had a smile to it but Itachi could tell he was a little annoyed. This seemed to sate the daimyō enough that he relaxed and sighed.
"Fugaku must trust you both quite highly to send you," he said.
"Only the best for your protection, my lord." Shisui glanced at Itachi, prompting him to speak.
"When do you plan to leave for Konoha?" he asked.
The Fire Daimyō scribbled something on a piece of paper then cleared his throat. "Tomorrow morning, I suppose. I did not expect the Hokage to send the escort so quickly. I haven't had time to prepare my family for the journey."
"Lord Fourth mentioned that there were...tensions..." Itachi began before the daimyō waved his hand.
"Lesser noble families attempting to challenge my position," he said dismissively. "The Eizoku clan has ruled as the daimyō of this nation for over three hundred years. Displacing us is a fantasy."
Sure it is. His father's reasoning seemed to be correct, and it didn't take his Sharingan to see that Lord Eizoku was anxious and fidgeting. He was trying to present a front for his enemies and with two Uchiha guarding him, no one would challenge him on his journey.
"Father!" The voice came from outside the study causing Itachi and Shisui to turn towards the door. When it opened, a boy entered the room. His hair was pinned up into a top knot and he wore the scarlet and white of his clan. He stomped inside, brushing past Itachi and Shisui without a glance in their direction. He stood in front of Lord Eizoku's desk and folded his arms. "The guards refuse to let me go outside. I'm tired of being stuck in my room!" he said.
"Have you finished packing your belongings for our trip?" the daimyō asked.
"No," the boy said. "I thought the servants would do it for me."
Lord Eizoku sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I believe I told you that we couldn't spare servants to simply pack your bags. You are old enough to do it on your own."
The boy frowned. "I don't want to," he said.
"I am not giving you a choice. Return to your chambers and do what I told you. You are shaming yourself in front of our guests."
This was the first time the boy seemed to notice them and when he turned around, Itachi watched as his nose crinkled. "Who are you people?"
"As I said, they are our guests, Isamu," Lord Eizoku said, exasperated. "Please, go. Now." Isamu huffed, but turned and left the room, closing the door behind him as loudly as he could. Sighing, the daimyō said, "Are either of you old enough to have children?"
"No, my lord," Itachi replied.
"I'd advise you to wait until the gods give you the patience of a painter," Lord Eizoku said with a sigh. He stood from behind his desk and Itachi noted that he was taller than he expected. He began to move towards the exit himself. "I need to finish my own packing so that we can leave tomorrow." His eyes drifted to Shisui. "I'll have you accompany me." He then looked at Itachi. "And please, can you make sure my son does what he's told?"
Babysitting? Itachi thought. His mask hid any frown that may have formed on his face and he gave a curt nod. "Where can I find him?"
"Ah. His bedchambers are two floors below us but, knowing that boy, he ignored me and went to the roof to watch the clouds."
"Ok," Itachi said. "I'll start there."
The daimyō and Shisui walked past him. His best friend smiled with his eyes. "Just talk to him like you would Sasuke," he whispered.
As if it's that easy. Itachi climbed the side of the fortress, bounding from yagura to yagura until he reached the top level. Confirming Lord Eizoku's suspicions, Isamu was sitting on the edge of the roof, swinging his feet with his eyes to the sky. There were no clouds to watch air was chilling and if not for the protection of his cloak and training, Itachi would be shivering. Isamu was wrapped in a black and white fur coat, so much so that he resembled a baby panda.
He didn't seem to notice as Itachi approached, jumping when the shinobi said, "You'd rather sit in the cold than pack your bags?"
"W-what are you doing up here?" the boy demanded, stuttering in his shock and flaring temper.
"Your father suggested that you'd probably disobey him and come here instead of going to your room and packing your bags," Itachi said. "It seems that he was right."
"He thinks he knows everything," Isamu replied, frowning. "That still doesn't answer my question. How did you get up here?"
"I climbed."
The boy's scowl deepened to a petulant pout. "As your lord, I order you to give me a straight answer."
Itachi paused for a moment. He wasn't accustomed to being ordered around, especially not by someone who didn't look to be any older than Sasuke. Had Father sent anyone else, this mission may have been a political disaster. Thankfully, Itachi's patience had been honed through the years dealing with his little brother. "As you wish," he said. "I'm a shinobi from Konoha, and I've been training since I was younger than you are."
Isamu's frozen disposition melted away near immediately. "A... shinobi?" he repeated. "But...you're...how old are you?"
"Thirteen," Itachi said.
"But...but..." Isamu continued with his questions, asking Itachi anything that came to mind about shinobi life and training. Itachi answered most of the inquiries evasively, opting to keep his personal and village secrets to himself. He did, however, offer answers that were generally true about all shinobi. Itachi had managed to convince the boy to go back inside the castle and finish packing in exchange for information about the shinobi world. The young boy had eagerly agreed to Itachi's surprise. While stuffing one of his suitcases, the boy asked, "How old were you when you entered?"
"Six," Itachi said. Isamu stopped and stared at him in both shock and horror.
"You were younger than me," he said softly. "Do all of you start so young?"
"No," Itachi replied. He thought of Kakashi Hatake entering at five years old and graduating at six. Exceptional shinobi often advanced quickly based on their skills, but the era also made a difference too. The Yellow Flash was by far one of the most talented Shinobi that the village had ever produced but because he had been raised in a time of relative peace, his graduation hadn't been rushed, and he hadn't been forced onto the battlefield. The generation after him would though and Itachi bore witness to the cost of war and the life he was born into at an early age.
And now, it seems that the threat of war looms over my brother...
Isamu finished packing rather quickly with the proper motivation. Within the hour, he'd filled several suitcases near as tall as he was and had them organized by the door. The fiery energy he'd displayed in doing it had made the boy wobbling and eye-rubbing zombie. Itachi suspected that he had never had to exert himself, at least this much, in all of his life. Isamu unceremoniously collapsed on his large bed and curled up with a blanket.
Itachi stepped out into the hallway, noting the silence that was only disturbed by chirping birds. He created a shadow clone, leaving it in front of Isamu's door to guard the boy as he slept. Shisui must still be with the Daimyō…
He headed back towards his office, every step he took an echoing indicator of his solitude. Quickly though, the absence of noise was replaced by a slight change in the air. A whoosh that caused Itachi to instinctively activate his Sharingan. The senbon was a hair's breadth from his right eye before he moved his head to the left and the metal needle clattered against the floor.
He wasn't fast enough to dodge the attack from behind him but raised his arm to block. His assailant's blade clanged against his forearm guard and Itachi immediately dropped to the ground. His leg sweep achieved what he intended. The enemy backed away to give him space and a moment's reprieve.
They were a dark reflection of Itachi, wearing a porcelain ANBU mask that resembled a raccoon dog and a black hooded cloak. The shinobi's mask and cloak were both accented with red, but Itachi had never before seen the red clouds that decorated their garb.
An animal-styled mask…like a Konoha shinobi, but he's attacking me…
Behind his own face covering, Itachi's mouth grew tight.
Without the element of surprise, he noted the shinobi's movements were nervous and unsure. His next attack was clumsy and with the Sharingan's precognitive abilities, he was well-prepared to counterattack. The masked assailant rushed forward, quickly drawing a kunai from his belt. Itachi withdrew his arms into his cloak and unclipped his sword holster. His ninjato slid smoothly into his hand, then through the zipper on his cloak into the enemy shinobi's solar plexus.
Itachi kept his hands steady as the man convulsed on the end of his sword. He wouldn't die immediately, not until the upward swing.
"Finish it." The voice was a deep gurgle.
"You'll answer my questions first," Itachi replied coldly.
"If you think that, you're as big a fool as your precious Hokage."
Interesting. "A fool? How so?"
The shinobi laughed and then coughed. Blood dripped down his neck. "Your tricks aren't going to work, boy. I've trained longer than you've been alive."
All that training, Itachi mused, and no one ever told you to never look an Uchiha directly in the eye. Subtle genjutsu worked well against overconfident opponents. It was one of the first lessons his father had given him on honing the sharpness of visual prowess. Before they even knew what was happening, they would fall in the trap. "You're under the impression that longevity translates to quality," he said, staring at the man. "But, your late master Danzo would be ashamed to see you talking this much to an enemy."
The man's eyes widened. "How did you...?"
"You just told me."
"Bastard..."
Itachi forced the man's silence, wrenching his blade upwards through the man's chest cavity and neck. His blood sprayed on the wall and the young Uchiha left his body in the hallway as he raced towards the daimyō's office. If rebel Root agents had infiltrated the castle, they could only have one objective. Father sent us to stop it, not to escort the daimyō, Itachi suddenly realized. But, how would he have known?
The mystery of his Father's Sharingan abilities had long eluded him and no one in his clan to his knowledge had any inkling as to what it was. Was it possible that he could see the future...?
An explosion above Itachi drew him out of his thoughts. The ceiling cracked and tiny pieces of rubble descended on him. Following another impact, Shisui crashed down in front of him with a charred corpse impaled on the end of his tanto. He whipped his head to face Itachi, the bloody glow of his Sharingan filled with killing intent that softened when he saw his friend.
"Itachi!" he said, "are you injured?"
"Not my blood," the younger Uchiha replied. "What's happening?"
Two more robed shinobi descended through the hole, the red clouds rippling on their cloaks as they landed. Itachi heard metal cry as swords were drawn.
"I'm sure you've already figured out that they're escaped Root fugitives if you already encountered one," Shisui whispered. "But, I've never seen these cloud markings before. Maybe they've defected to Kumogakure, but..."
"The clouds don't look the same at all." These Root fugitives had managed to escape his father's purge, perhaps establishing their own organization to seek revenge on Hi no Kuni. Their choice of emblem was confusing but Itachi determined that it didn't matter for now.
The two Shinobi closed in on them, crossing in front of each other and rapidly switching positions. It was a maneuver and formation usually done in an attempt to disorient an opponent but against two Sharingan wielders, it did nothing. Shisui bathed his tanto in red and orange flame then disappeared. The Root betrayers closed in on Itachi, their swords whistling.
He dissipated into a stream of crows, blinding them with dark wings until Shisui reappeared in a flash of fiery light and cut through them. The smell of burning flesh hit Itachi's nose, not for the first time.
"Was that the last of them?" The two Uchiha looked up to see Lord Eizoku peeking into the hole above them.
"I believe so, my lord," Shisui said. "We need to get you moved to safety."
The daimyō's face flashed with deeper worry. "Isamu. Where is my son?" Itachi closed his eyes and tried to connect with his shadow clone. To his shock, he didn't sense anything.
"I'll get him," he said to Lord Eizoku. To Shisui, he said, "I'll be back." His worry mounted as he found a window and descended the castle. Two levels down, the pikemen who'd been manning the walls had been slaughtered. It was a stomach-churning sight. Some had been skewered on their own weapons and left for display. As Itachi ran across the battlements, he heard a cough from a corner. He cut his eyes towards the noise and saw a man grasping at a bloody wound. He'd seen this before.
The first time his father brought him to a battlefield, an injured enemy shinobi had tried to kill him after Itachi had tried to help him. He was nearly a decade older now and life had conditioned him to be indifferent to the suffering of those whose duty it was to give their lives. But, when he started to continue towards Isamu's room, the man said, "They have him."
Itachi paused in his tracks. "The daimyō's son?"
"Lord Isamu... I couldn't..."
"Where is he?" Itachi asked.
The man coughed. "The great hall. Two floors below. It's..."
"A trap," the Uchiha replied. "How many did you see taking him?"
"Four." The man's voice was a raspy whisper and the blood from the wound he held had colored his entire torso crimson. He was on death's door.
"What is your name?" Itachi asked.
The man looked up at him with glazed eyes. "Kyūsai..." His ragged breath lifted as vapor from his lips, thinner and slower as he died.
"Rest, Kyūsai, and know that when I rescue Isamu, I only succeed because of the help you gave me." Itachi thought he saw a smile form on the man's face as he let death take him. Four Root agents with a hostage... The odds didn't stack well for him, especially not in his weakened state. The guards had all been slaughtered, leaving only him and Shisui to protect the ruling family. Itachi just needed a plan.
The great hall of Lord Eizoku's castle was a magnificent open space with beautiful tapestries and artwork lining the walls. They gave a visual history of Hi no Kuni, from the Warring States era up to the founding of Konohagakure and the meeting between the First Hokage and an ancestor of Lord Eizoku. Isamu was bound and gagged in the middle of the floor, unmoving, while the four Root shinobi paced around him. Itachi's crow returned from its reconnaissance and the Uchiha let it go back to its flock in a silent puff of smoke. He peered around the corner to reassess the environment.
They were too close to Isamu for Itachi to risk trying larger-scale ninjutsu to try to end the fight immediately. He'd need to properly set up his attack and draw them away from Isamu so that the boy could be retrieved and moved to safety. As he began to formulate a plan in his head, he heard quiet, muffled groans and fidgeting. The daimyō's son was awake now and the four Root shinobi turned as he tried to break free from his restraints.
"Quiet him," one of them said.
"This is stupid. We should just go ahead and do what we were sent to. We've already lost the other cell," another said.
"They knew the risk. Fugaku has no love for us. Luckily, the intel was correct," the first speaker said.
Intel? No one had been present at the meeting aside from the Hokage, Shisui, and Itachi. He hadn't detected or sensed anyone nearby that could have potentially eavesdropped on their conversation and leaked anything.
Look out for rats.
He took in a quick exhale, drawing in heated chakra...then winced. His cough came out involuntarily, followed by droplets of blood. He cursed when he saw the Root shinobi whip their heads toward the noise. His cover was blown, the element of surprise was lost, and he was unable to use his standard fire ninjutsu against a group of ANBU.
He'd faced steeper odds.
Itachi darted from around the corner, his sword in one hand and kunai in the other. The floor rumbled beneath him and fell apart. One of the Root shinobi had his hands clasped together. Doton... The Uchiha jumped over the collapsed ground and weaved past the boulder that was thrown. Two enemies came to meet him, a lithe sword-wielding woman with her hair tied into a long ponytail and a short, stout man. Just keep moving, Itachi told himself. He threw his kunai at the woman and with handseals, created multiple. He only briefly glanced into her eyes, but that was all it took to draw her into a genjutsu. The knives bloomed into a murder of crows, descending on her stout partner. He batted them away with his hands, but they provided enough cover for Itachi to slip underneath them.
The Doton user crashed through the flock of black birds, his massive fists descending on Itachi. The Uchiha swung his blade aiming for the man's wrists, but the fourth Root shinobi was on his before he could. He felt a strong kick in his side that sent him flying toward the wall. He coughed up more blood and held his ribs. The one who'd kicked him tapped the woman who he'd put under genjutsu and Itachi watched her chakra levels normalize.
A Doton user with enhanced strength and speed. A skilled taijutsu artist with proficiency in genjutsu. Kenjutsu and then whatever the short man can do. If he was rounding out their skills, Itachi suspected the last person had to have some ability in medical ninjutsu. With them working in tandem, they would be hard to defeat.
"Itachi..."
Isamu's voice carried weakly across the room but Itachi heard it all the same. The Root ANBU did as well and the large man chuckled.
"Itachi Uchiha of the Sharingan?" he asked. "Oh, this brings me joy. Lord Danzo used to speak quite highly of you before your father had him murdered."
"So it's revenge you want?" Itachi asked. He could see Isamu squirming and trying to free himself from his restraints.
"Revenge? No, we only exist to follow our master's orders. And his last order was to seek out and serve the Dawn. There will be a new order and the old world must fall for that to come to pass," the man said.
"Not if I–"
"You can't. And you won't. The plan is already in motion, Itachi of the Sharingan. Tell me..." the man said. "Who protects your little brother when you're away?"
Itachi's eyes widened and the furious red glow of his Sharingan reflected in his blade as he held it in front of his face. "You won't leave this room."
"And neither will you."
The castle shook suddenly and violently, causing Itachi's stance to falter and his balance to be lost. The Root shinobi did not reflect his surprise. It looked as though they were prepared for it. Fire and rubble rapidly burst around the room, exploding from the ceiling and the tapestry-covered walls. Itachi heard Isamu scream and remembered his objective. He prepared his mind and body for the pain, then sucked in air. A massive fireball burst from his mouth, clearing a burning path in front of him as the Root shinobi dodged to the side. He hid within it, replacing his own body with a shadow clone. As the fire grew closer to Isamu, Itachi lept from it and grabbed the young boy into his arms.
The gratitude in the boy's teary eyes spoke volumes. As did the horror.
Itachi saw in their reflection his clone flying toward them. He turned to try to dissipate his doppelgänger before it collided with him but was faced with a body covered with explosive tags. In the instant before he could move, another explosion went off above him, raining fire and stone on his head. The last thing Itachi saw was his clone being ripped apart by the tags on its body as it erupted in flame.
His last thought was of his brother.
