Naruto Littlespace!!!!

Story 3: Itachi and Little Sasuke

Itachi walked through a haze. The cold of the Ice Country scenery had long stopped being refreshing, instead pinching and burning his exposed skin. Kisame seemed to be taking it harder than him, his panting becoming louder than the crunching of ice beneath their feet. 

And then there was a third set of footsteps. He recognized them as a child's, and one running fast. It was being pursued by at least two people. Itachi felt his blood run cold as Kisame held out an arm to stop his stride.

Onto the path burst a raven-haired child no more than five years old. He turned to Itachi, who suddenly couldn't breathe. He looked exactly like his brother did at that age.

"'Tachi!" the child cried, barreling towards the bird-like nin. He grabbed Itachi's robes and buried his face into his stomach. "Help me, there's enemy ninjas attacking me!"

Itachi held up his hand and shouted "Kai!" but nothing changed. The child still clung to him. Kisame brandished his sword and looked in the direction the child Sasuke had came, as the footsteps were still coming.

Three teens arrived seconds later. First was a hulking figure in robes, followed by a red-haired woman, and finally a wild-eyed sword wielder.

The swordsman stared. Then, with a breathed "Itachi," he lunged forward, sword angled to take Itachi's head off.

"You imbecile!" the woman yelled as Kisame parried the strike. She followed her swordsman's movement, grabbing his head with both hands to cover his eyes. "Jugo, he's a Sharingan user."

The first teen got the message and averted his gaze to the ground.

"Do you know who that is? What he's done to Sasuke?" the swordsman shouted. The woman kneed him in the back.

"Now is not the time." She pulled him into the undergrowth, and when he started to struggle, their companion snatched his flailing arms and held them together.

Kisame hilted his sword again.

"Brother, that was weird."

"Don't worry about that," Itachi assured, stroking the back of his head. "Kisame, will you go after them?"

"Yeah, no worries. I'll keep an eye on them, little one." He gave Sasuke's shoulder a pat before following the teens' path of carnage.

"Who was that?"

"That's Kisame. He's a friend of mine. I'll properly introduce you two when he comes back."

"What was that big weird thing on his back?"

"His sword, dear brother. It's very special." He lifted Sasuke up to face-level. "Do you know about the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist?"

Sasuke gasped. "No! Tell me!"

"Of course. I'm going to start walking, brother, interrupt me if you find a good spot to camp for the night."

"It's still light out though."

"We're in Ice Country, brother. What happens in the winter where we live?"

Sasuke thought. "Oh! The sun goes down earlier."

"Correct. We have about fifty minutes now."

Sasuke patted his shoulder. "Tell me about the swordsmen!"

"Okay. Well, let's start with the swords..."

*~*~*~*~*

Kisame trudged through the woods. He had long since lost feeling in his toes, so the smell of a nearby fire brightened his spirits. A minute later he found Sasuke's team's camp.