The Crane

Kakashi was dead tired and bone weary when he returned to the village from his latest mission near the southern edge of the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Rivers. He'd given his report and now all he wanted to do was collapse into his bed and sleep for the next three days.

But it seemed the elder Shimura Danzō had other ideas.

Because he'd had a few ANBU intercept him on his way home and asked him (told him–really) for a meeting. Now Kakashi was in an office that was decorated with generations worth of ninja weapons, displaying the evolution of the art of war in a way that seemed like the entire room was a shrine to warfare.

Kakashi felt uncomfortable, he liked his shuriken as much as the next shinobi but Danzō's office took it to the extreme.

This guy didn't have a life.

Neither did Kakashi but at least Gai made sure he got out from time to time. He wondered if anyone got Danzō out of his dark, dreary basement-level home in the last oh… thousand years or so.

"Hatake Kakashi. Only sixteen and already such a distinguished career," Elder Shimura said, dropping a manila folder on the table as he hobbled in on his cane and took a seat across the large desk. He leveled Kakashi with an impassive look that didn't feel right. "I will not insult you by wasting your time. I know where the Namikaze children are. Are you interested in a place on the reconnaissance team I am sending to look into their kidnappers?"

His instinctive answer was a resounding yes but his initial distrust of Danzō warred against that, forcing him to think this through before he jumped at the chance to find out more about the kids and how they were. How they were being treated–if they were alright.

But.

The Hokage had called off the search for a reason.

There was too much that he didn't know. Too many unknown variables that gave him pause.

"Where are they?" He settled on asking, despite the disrespect in answering with a question.

Danzō didn't seem offended. "Amegakure."

Ame. Rain wasn't that far away from Konoha.

It was barely outside of the Land of Fire, truth be told.

'They've been so close the entire time.' Kakashi's teeth ground together, anger ripped through him like a burst dam and his fists balled where they rested on his thighs. 'Damn it!'

"This mission will not be placed on the official registry," Danzō continued. He either hadn't noticed Kakashi's torment or he was electing to ignore it, either way Kakashi was grateful. It was far more courtesy than the Hokage ever granted him. "There exists a secret subset of the ANBU that was sanctioned by the Third Hokage. They have been under my command since their conception and, if you are willing, you would be joining and taking orders from me for this mission."

A subset of the ANBU? Sanctioned by the Third… was this before or after the Fourth's unfortunately short tenure? Why hadn't Kakashi heard of it?

Suspicion warred with curiosity and curiosity won out.

"Sorry if this sounds impertinent Danzō-sama, but why is a subset of the ANBU necessary?" Kakashi asked, keeping his voice and expression level and unaffected.

But something about this didn't seem right.

Danzō grunted a laugh that didn't meet his eyes and Kakashi almost wanted to shunshin out of there.

"The ANBU are the elite of the elite shinobi in the village. They are the leaves bathing in the sun, I…am the roots that grow in the dark. One does not survive without the other. Take a few days to think about it."

A very poetic way for him to justify whatever it is he does as this.. subset commander. Kakashi thought, recognizing his dismissal. Why does Konoha need this?

In the end Kakashi decided that he should utilize this opportunity to learn about the kids, and while he did so he could find out more about this other 'roots that grow in the dark' side of ANBU.

#

Uchiha Itachi was nothing special, Obito decided as he put his sword away. The boys' entire team fell, one by one, and the boy did nothing. Frozen in an uncomprehending state of fear like a statue until Kakashi and his team had showed up just in time to save him.

He didn't even have the sharingan yet.

A waste of time.

Obito had left when he felt that electric chakra draw near. There was no need to chance a confrontation with his old teammate over someone so… lacking.

If the betrothal managed to become a problem in the future, Obito would simply kill him and be done with it. But it wasn't worth his time for now. He had Kiri to get back to, a snake to interrogate, and kids to look after.

#

"Tobi-nii, can I ask you something?"

When Fū asks if she can ask him something, there's always a hint of trepidation as to what's coming. Mostly because she usually just blurts out whatever she's thinking at any given moment, so when she asks like that it's because it's calculated.

In other words, she'd been debating whether or not she should ask for a while.

Obito paused with Naruto's frog plush squeezed between his fingers, just out of the boy's reach. He'd recently been trying to work with the boy and get him to develop faster reflexes and the old game 'keep away' was working.

He tried not to think about the fact that he was training Naruto—because he only had a handful of years to live and if he trained the kid he'd grow attached and it would compromise his mission. Zetsu would be irritated if he knew. An emotional attachment to a jinchuriki could have devastating consequences.

Luckily, Zetsu was preoccupied elsewhere for the time being and Obito found joy in regressing into his own childish tendencies, a more subdued version of the 'Tobi' persona, and playing with the little ball of energy.

He couldn't really help himself, anyway, because Fū kept shoving the giggling, jubilant little one and a half year old at him every time he walked through the door, claiming that Obito was the only one who could get him to play with him enough for her to get a break.

(And he always loved kids. Naruto was no exception to this.)

"What is it Fū?" Obito asked in his softer, more natural and encouraging voice. His real one; not the one he put on as a front for his Madara or Tobi aliases.

Fū and Zetsu were the only people alive who knew who he was.

There was no reason to hide here, in the Uzumaki suite, and he found great comfort in that.

Fū was sitting on his right, so he couldn't see her. But he heard her shift. "I want to start taking an active role in the Akatsuki. But if I do, who's going to watch Naruto?"

Obito paused, before dropping the frog into Naruto's waiting hands. The boy shrieked in delight and ran around in circles around Obito, hugging it to his chest like it was his long lost treasure he'd finally found. The Uchiha turned his head so he could see Fū, frowning underneath his mask.

He supposed he should've seen this coming. He'd been grooming her to take part in the Akatsuki but now that she brought it up…

All he wanted was to lock her in the room and keep her safe from the darkness of the world. She was so young, still.

"Are you sure that's something you're ready for?" Obito asked, because he'd not seen any improvement in her ninjutsu, and her taijutsu was getting there–especially for a seven year old–but it wasn't on par with any ninja above genin level and he didn't think she'd survive if she left the tower without an escort.

He was aware she'd gotten a hold of some fūinjustu books through her deal with Orochimaru. That had been discussed at length between himself, Nagato, and Konan and they'd ultimately decided to allow her to study. To see if she could pick up where she'd left off in her training with the sealing arts. Thus far, they hadn't seen her do anything with it.

But this was fūinjustu. Often, you don't see seals until it's too late. They all waited in excited anticipation for the day she revealed her skill.

Obito had the utmost faith in her abilities in that regard, at least. Even if she was incredibly lacking in other shinobi skills.

Fū nodded in his direction, but her eyes were fixed on Naruto, who had stumbled up to her to show her his toy. She grinned down at him like he'd discovered the meaning of life and she was proud of his genius.

She always treated Naruto like he was sunshine personified, and Obito had to agree. The boy was a bundle of bright, happy energy that spread to everyone he encountered. Even Konan was typically in higher spirits after having looked after him for a few hours.

Naruto's light, happy personality was infectious and Obito found that even he always left in a better mood every time he visited the kids.

"Well, I'd like to sit in on a meeting or two first to acclimate to whatever we have going on. But yes," she told him, clutching the little frog in hand when Naruto wandered off toward his toy chest with a grim look of determination.

The use of the word 'we' and its significance didn't escape Obito. "We have two other members coming for a debriefing in the next few days. There will be a meeting then. I can arrange proper childcare for Naruto."

"I'd like to meet the prospects before one is chosen, if you don't mind." Fū said, turning to look at him finally as Naruto stumbled on his way back and fell to his chunky little knees.

Naruto started crying and Fū was out of her chair in half a second, lifting him into her arms and rocking on her heels while her hand took up residence on the boy's back. She patted and shushed, a soothing rhythm that had Naruto calming faster than Obito had ever seen a young child stop crying.

#

"You have a gift, Fū." Obito sighed from his spot cross legged on the gray shag carpet in the Uzumaki's plain white, sparsely decorated living room. He let his head fall into his hand, elbow propped up on his thigh as he watched the kids with the sharingan active.

He wanted to hold onto moments like this. He had a good stock of them, now.

He'd never admit it aloud, but he liked to remember these moments before sleep would finally find him on his bad nights. The nights where Rin's death danced like shadows of his mind–a macabre nightmare he couldn't escape. It was only the memories of the kids that chased the nightmares away.

Fū hummed and looked at him with a smile. "I learned from the best, you know. You did this for me whenever I was crying."

Despite the little jolt of pride that went through his heart hearing her call him 'the best,' Obito's lips pursed.

Once again, Fū let something slip that made it clear that she remembered things she shouldn't. Like the fact that he was usually the only one who could get her to stop crying when she was two and under.

He hadn't pushed the issue since that first time, when he let her meet Naruto. But that didn't mean that he'd forgotten that she was withholding something important from him. Their agreement was that she would tell him when he removed his mask. At the time, he hadn't been ready. He wasn't sure when he would be ready. If he would be ready.

But the more obvious she made it that her mind was sharper and more developed than it should be, the more he wondered if he was going to have to make her tell him the truth.

"I remember. The question I would like to ask is 'how do you know that?'"

Fū halted movement and stared at him, wide eyed. "I can't tell you that yet."

"You don't trust me."

Fū's whole face tightened when she frowned, and he was more than a little surprised at the anger he saw there when her eyes cut over to him and she glared.

She really didn't trust him, did she?

She held Naruto, who was quickly falling asleep in his sister's arms, tight to her chest and stepped towards Obito until she was right in front of him, then sat down cross legged.

"It's not about trusting you. You're my Tobi-nii and probably the only person in the world I can trust—" she explained quietly, shifting Naruto so he was better balanced in her lap, "It just doesn't make any sense at all, and I'm afraid of the outcome if I tell you the truth."

So it wasn't about trust, it was about fear. That… was more than she'd ever said on the topic before. All her explanation, minimal though it was, did was pique his interest further.

So, naturally, he had to push for some more information while she was in a sharing mood and her guard was down.

He reached out his hand, palm up in invitation. Fū had always been an affectionate child, even when she was small. Physical contact seemed to help make her feel safe so whenever he could manage it he'd give her that. She eyed his offered hand, bit her lip as if debating whether she should, and then slid her one free hand into his. He gripped her fingers gently and laid his other hand over their joined ones.

"If you trust me then you have nothing to fear."

Obito wasn't lying, either. He couldn't imagine whatever it was Fū was hiding would change how much he adored her and wanted to protect her. She was his imouto. Had been since the day he'd first seen her all tiny and cute, swaddled in the baby blanket that Mikoto-sama had crochet for her and cradled in Minato-sensei's arms.

"It's okay," Obito nodded, patting her hand, trying to encourage her to speak up, "you can tell me. Nothing bad is going to happen afterward. I promise."

#

To his surprise, Fū's eyes glossed and her throat bobbed. Then her lip quivered and a single tear slid down her cheek, a silent sob rocked through her torso. Naruto stirred, and Obito felt like the biggest jerk ever for pushing when Fū's tears began to fall in earnest. Instead of saying anything else, he slid forward and wrapped his arms around him imouto, pulling her into his lap just like she had Naruto in hers.

"It's okay, Fū." He told her, patting the top of her head and rubbing her back as great big sobs rippled through her body, muffled only because she buried her face in his Akatsuki cloak. "I'm sorry."

He was sorry, he really was. He'd had no idea that whatever it was happened to be severe enough to generate this kind of visceral reaction.

Fū wrenched her head back when Naruto started to fuss, rocking him in her arms. Her big, red and watery blue eyes looked up at Obito and she took a few deep breaths.

"You know better than anyone that other dimensions exist."

Obito's brain stalled as he processed the words that Fū had just let slip between her lips. She shouldn't know about Kamui… how did she find out?

He couldn't' process… and Fū wasn't done.

"I don't know how it happened. Can't even begin to contemplate how the metaphysics of it works. But I imagine when the body dies the soul waits for a new one to reincarnate into. When this body was born. Namikaze Taifū, that is, the soul that inhabited it… well it retained the memories of its previous life… I retained the memories of my previous life. That's what I'm hiding. That's why I know things I shouldn't. My mind has developed beyond what it should be because I have the memories of thirty years of another lifetime in another world."

#

Everyone all around him acted as though gaining his sharingan was a blessing, a boon to the clan, and by extension the village as a whole. They'd been expecting it, after all. Several had even wished the sharingan upon him.

But Itachi had lost a friend. His friend died. That was how he'd activated it for the first time. When he realized…

He'd formed a bond. Made a friend. And that friend was dead and he couldn't save him.

No words had been spared for Izumo Tenma in the wake of Itachi's personal success. Just another name added to the list of shinobi who died in the line of duty. Everyone dusted their hands and continued on. No one had even asked more than a few basic questions about the mysterious masked shinobi who'd attacked Itachi's team and killed them.

Not even Hatake Kakashi.

Itachi was sitting alone on the dock, staring out at the moonlit lake inside of the Uchiha compound. He'd finished another training exercise with Shisui this afternoon and hadn't wanted to go home. Couldn't play with Sasuke, couldn't bring himself to be the happy big brother Sasuke wanted him to be.

Couldn't bring himself to be the perfect son his father wanted him to be.

Itachi drew his knees up under his chin and circled his arms around his legs.

Shisui hadn't wanted to leave him, but Itachi had insisted that he wanted to be alone for a while so he'd left.

But now that he was gone, Itachi felt more sad than before. Everyone told him he was a genius. Exceptional. But if he were these things, Tenma would be alive. He was so inexperienced. He couldn't help anyone.

What if it was Sasuke?

The thought rocked through him like a paper bomb had gone off in his gut and Itachi grimaced at the thought.

"What can I do?" He asked himself, voice barely above a whisper.

He didn't know the answer.

Itachi sat there until the moon was high in the sky. The water had stilled, the breeze wafted the scent of Uchiha Maza's garden his way and it made for a pleasant ambiance that he was enjoying beside his melancholy.

A shifting, fluttering sound came from above him and he glanced up.

A flying paper crane? He thought. That was an odd thing to see. Especially because it's little wings were indeed flapping and it seemed, impossibly, that it was beginning to descend.

Should I?

It could be a trick. Some kind of trap. Those ANBU from the other day could have had allies in the village.

Itachi activated his sharingan as the crane landed just beside him and fell over, limp.

He couldn't see anything wrong with the crane. Just a lot of little markings. Tiny things that swirled and looped and formed designs unlike anything Itachi had ever seen.

He reached out his hand and let his fingers brush the smooth paper. The moment his fingers brushed it, the designs bled away and absorbed into his hand and Itachi jumped up, wide eyed and worried as they ascended his arm, over his shoulder, and disappeared behind his ear.

What the?

Itachi was in the middle of deciding if he needed to go directly to the Hokage or to the hospital when a voice that was not his own rang through his head.

'Itachi? Kakashi-nii? Is that one of you, did you get my crane?'

He knew that voice!

Tai?

'You have to use a little chakra in your fingertip and touch the seal or I can't hear you. The seal is pretty weak, I'm still learning. It's not going to last very long. I just wanted someone to know that I'm alive, and okay. Well, as okay as I can be, all things considered.'

That was definitely Tai!

He did as she bade and pumped a little chakra into his right index finger, brushing the back of his ear where the seal had disappeared.

'Tai?! Can you hear me?'

'Tachi! Yes, I can hear you. I've missed you so much.'

It was Tai! After a year and a half, his first-ever friend had finally made contact. She was alive! Itachi was filled immediately with joy–all of the melancholy ponderings of just a few moments ago were temporarily forgotten.

'You're very missed here,' Itachi told her, settling back down on the dock now that he knew nothing bad was happening, excited to hear from his friend in the most unreal way. She really was a fūinjutsu genius, wasn't she? 'Mother and Hatake-san have been doing everything they can to find you. Mother has the Uchiha clan searching for you even when they're out on missions.' He paused for a moment, then; 'Where are you?' If she told him, he could inform the Hokage and they could come and get her.

'I'm sorry Tachi, I want to tell you that but–,' Tai told him, her voice in his head was subdued and he frowned, 'I'm not in a place that is safe for Konoha shinobi. If anyone tries to come here, they won't survive. Not even an ANBU team.'

Now Itachi was frowning deeply. 'Tai…'

'I'm sorry. Nobody should have to die to try to come get me and Naruto. And… well, to be honest with you I think I need to be here. I think I can save a lot of people where I am.'

Save people? Itachi felt a pain sting in his chest and he rubbed at it. 'Save people how?'

Could he help? That's what he wanted to ask, but he didn't.

'There's a threat here. An existential threat to humanity. I'm trying to avert it, but it's going to take time.' An existential threat? Fū continued on before he could ask more about it. 'Can you do me a favor and give the physical crane to Kakashi-nii? The seal was set up to go to whoever touched the crane first and there's a note for the other.'

'He's barely in the village these days, but I will get it to him.' Itachi vowed, picking the crane up with delicate care, as if this important little thing would fall apart if he touched it, and cradled it in his free hand. 'Are you really okay?'

'Yes,' Tai answered, and her voice was strong and unwavering so he didn't think she was lying, 'the people who took us are treating us well. We're not in any danger, I promise.'

'What do they want from you?' She didn't respond right away and Itachi's brows furrowed. Had they lost connection, she said it wouldn't last long?

'They want my brother,' Tai finally said and Itachi's frown deepened, 'it's not really about me. I have to protect Naruto, though. Speaking of protecting little brothers, how's Sasuke?'

'So big! And smart, too.' Itachi told her, his frown lessening at the thought of Sasuke. 'Naruto?'

'He's sunshine, Tachi, I wish you could meet him. The world is brighter when he's around.' Tai said and Itachi's frown broke away completely, a small smile turning the corners of his lips. 'You'd probably get really tired of his energy within a half an hour, though. How are you doing?'

'You're the one who's been kidnapped,' Itachi deflected, 'I should be asking you that.'

'We've already established that I'm fine. I want to know how you are.'

'I have my sharingan now,' Itachi informed Tai after a brief hesitation.

He didn't want to hear another person congratulate him, but he didn't have much else going on in his life that he could update her on. Sure, he'd passed through the academy and become a genin. But she'd already known he was going to do that very soon before she was taken so that wouldn't have been a surprise.

'You don't sound too thrilled,' Tai responded, just as hesitant as he had been.

'Everyone else is happy about it. But—' Itachi couldn't bring himself to finish. Wasn't even sure what he wanted to say.

'But you're not. That's okay, you know.' Itachi looked up at the moon, it was full, as Tai continued on. 'It's okay to not be okay with something everyone else is happy about.'

It was okay… to not be okay.

It's okay to not be okay.

Itachi swallowed past a painful lump that had formed in his throat and his eyes burned. 'My friend died…' he confided, his fists balling and pressing against the wooden dock. 'I couldn't help him, Tai.'

#

'Oh no, Itachi I'm so sorry that happened.' Tai's voice in his head was empathetic and mournful and everything he'd wanted to hear from the people around him but hadn't heard from a single one and his tears broke free to a single, wracking sob. Finally, someone understood.

'I wish you were home, Tai.' Itachi told her, rubbing at his eyes to try and quell his tears because they weren't going to change what happened. 'I miss you.'

He needed his friend back.

'I miss you too. If you want, I can work on improving the seal and make a more permanent one so we can talk more often. I know it's kind of invasive, though. And I bet you're a genin by now… if you don't want me to I won't.'

'No, please do!' Itachi insisted, drying the last of his tears on his sleeve. 'We have to use chakra to activate it, right? So you won't hear anything you shouldn't and then I can know that you're okay.'

'Alright, if you're okay with it then I'll work on it. No promises about when I can get it to you or if it'll be the same way. Just keep your eye out—or, well, keep your eye in but keep a lookout,' Tai giggled through the connection and Itachi pursed his lips in mild annoyance that she was laughing about his eye.

It was just a sensitive topic at the moment. He knew she didn't mean anything by it.

They continued to talk for another few minutes before the seal disappeared in the middle of a discussion about how Itachi had gone ahead and read most of the library without her.

Itachi went home in a better mood that night than he'd been in days, the tiny crane tucked safely away under a floorboard until he could get it to Hatake-san.